Keeping to the Dream: A Warhammer Age of Strife Quest by mouli

Words: 240k+

Link:-https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/keeping-to-the-dream-a-warhammer-age-of-strife-quest.58431/

( For more than five thousand years man has scrambled in the dust of the dead Federation and the chaos of its fall. For more than five thousand years has your sector endured, degraded and wartorn though it may be. There are new challenges and inheritors now, claiming the unity of Old Earth and demanding the allegiance of man.

What will you do?

Will you bend the knee to the golden man?

Or will you fight - for liberty, for equality, for fraternity. For all the ideals of man, will you fight once more? )

Facing the Great Crusade

Virus infection spreads in Coreward Marches, confirmed among multiple noncombat units. Consumers using sentient AI are recommended to shut them down and wait for a software patch before restarting.

-The Times, 27.03.231.M20

Virus infection confirmed among combat units of Third Infantry Brigade, Second Army Group. Quarantine ineffective, attempting forcible shutdown using elements of Second Army Group.

-Internal Memo from Coreward Marches Command to Department of Defense, 08.12.231.M20

Eldar Turmoil in the Core increases, spikes in border violations have been noted by the Senate.

-Press release from Federal Senate Committee on Alien Relations, 08.12.231.M20

Eldar Craftworlds noted to be firing on human-settled worlds in the Carina-Sagittarius Arm. Senate debates declaration of emergency.

-Press release from Federal Senate Committee on Alien Relations, 03.02.232.M20

Second Army Group either compromised or combat-incapable. Units of Coreward Marches Reserve tasked with clearing Fabrication Worlds on the border. Request reinforcements.

-Internal memo from Coreward Marches Command to Federation Department of Defense, 04.01.232.M20

Viral code samples isolated on Research Station 22, Jupiter orbit. Isolation measures successful. Recommend stress-testing.

-Internal memo from Defense Research Agency review board to Research Station 22, Jupiter orbit, Sol System. Undated, presumed ~04.232.M20

State of unlimited emergency declared in Carina-Sagittarius arm, border worlds declared in state of 'undeclared war'.

-The Venerian Herald, 06.06.232.M20​

It is the twenty-first millennium, and mankind is strong despite the trials of the past millennia. We have built the greatest empire in the galaxy barring the Eldar, the most technologically advanced (again, barring the Eldar), and maintain a fair and equitable democracy* despite it all.

Yet there are clouds on the horizon. There are the rising tides of psykers among the population, jarring the stable foundations of our society. There are the alien species allied to us and bound by economic ties, now threatening to cut them in the name of 'justice'. As though we're colonizing them or something. Ridiculous.

There is most of all the incidents with Eldar Empire forces near the Galactic Core, and the increasing instability observed among their colony worlds near the border. The undeclared war that flares on and off with craftworld pirates and what forces lie near the Eldar border.

That is more concerning than everything else put together. Of course, there's also the presence of AI glitching near psykers and the lack of proper countermeasures beyond the use of blanks, and the presence of glitch 'viruses' infecting a few units here and there.

But that's minor. Just a few units on the border. Honest. I'm sure the defense contractors can handle that.

Can they?

Your founder's origin?

[X]Federal Senator: One of the more prominent political clans of your region, the riches of millennia funding the needed campaign to gain election to the Senate. For all that the graft is immense, the Senate is nonetheless powerful - with Senators being wealthy in their own right there are many that pursue often quixotic crusades.

[X]General: For all that most of the military is staffed and commanded by AI, you can't really forget that humans do the critical tasks. The Senate has always been leery of silicon rather than flesh being in control of the more esoteric weapons. You're one such, responsible for strategic direction and turnkey authority for the superweapons while the AI commanders direct things on a tactical level.

[X]Corporate Magnate: For all that the Senators and the military claim that they're the ones who guide and guard, you know where the core of Federation power comes from. The engine of humanity is the economy, and those great transstellar corporations are your fief and competition.

[X]Alien Resident: You're resident in one of the alien capital systems, present as a councillor to their government. Ostensibly to represent human economic interests and make sure that alliance terms are followed - in practice more often than not to make sure that the aliens move to the tune of Federal policy.

Pick one sector to draw from:

[X]Core Worlds: The beating heart of human power, the ecumenopoli that hold the bulk of humanity. Worlds like Tau Ceti Center, Alpha Centauri, Heaven's Gate, Carson's World, and most of all Earth. Your home is a place of power, wealth and influence - but also corruption, intrigue, and decadence.

[X]Coreward Marches: Home to the densest clusters of Federal worlds in the galaxy, a tightly packed cluster of fortresses and fabrication centers that mine everything from helium-3 to radioactives, manufacturing weapons and AI more than anything else. They're a prime hot spot for conflict, mainly with Eldar. Of course, they're sparsely settled with most of the labor force being automata of varying intelligence and the bulk of the population being military or military contractors.

[X]Carina-Sagittarius Arm: Quite far from the settled galaxy, with the bulk of the populace resentful and sullen religious types that fled from 'technology' back before the Diaspora. They're paranoid about AI and automated industry, and as a result the worlds are mostly unspoiled and untouched by human industry with little presence of spacecraft both civilian and military. Oddly enough having a high social integration rate for psykers, perhaps it's the religious thing.

Name?

[]Write In

This is sector creation for the actual age of strife/GC quest. More interesting to do sector creation this way, I feel.

Each choice influences the final starting positions, with no one choice 'better' than the other. Four more choices to make, and then we begin a few centuries/millennia before the Great Crusade. Votes are open.