Utgardian armed forces - finished

[Nostromo]

This is the background story for my IG Regiments - actually two regiments.

By now that story has finally caught up with the 40k timeline - even if it looks like something altogether different for a very long time. I hope at least some of you enjoy that kind of SciFi and the twists the story takes during the last passages. It will actually help much if you read it as a sci-fi story rather than a background for 40k.

 

While reading, keep in mind that a tiny pebble next to the road may still exist even if it is not mentioned on the large road signs telling where the road leads to.

 

The story is finished now. The Utgardian armed forces are on their way to the meat grinder. Their so far tiny universe will quickly expand - And their future can only be a very brief one.

 

########################################################################################################

 

 

2083 was the year humanity began to anticipate its approaching end. It was the year when Hubble IV detected something new in the solar system. Something that came from outer space crossing the solar system. That something turned out to be a small exoplanet. The passing of the traveller resulted in excitement, once the first shock had been overcome and once it turned out that was no direct threat to earth, since it would pass in a safe distance of half an AE. Science was thrilled - and the traveller was the target of a whole armada of manned and unmanned expeditions. In the end, it was a rather boring piece of rock, ice and Helium. However... it was large enough to drag a significant part of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter with it. And this tail of thousands of rocks turned into a cloud that tumpled through the inner solar system.

2083 was the year in which the first small asteroids hit earth and crashed in the atlantic ocean. The resulting tsunami spared the american continents - but it washed away all tracks of humanity from the canarian islands, cleared the north african west coast and Portugal. Of course, the tsunami was only one aspect of the catastrophe. Seismic effects, short term climatic changes from clouds and dust in the atmosphere, long term changes due to the effect on the gulf stream...

This impact would have long term consequences beyond the first half billion victims. And sooner or later, more impacts would occur. Impacts of larger asteroids.

It happened sooner.

By 2095, three more asteroids had hit earth, 4 more passed earth much too close.

Attempts to destroy approaching asteroids showed mixed success. The second and the third asteroid absorbed the majority of nuclear warheads earth could muster and had armed orbital defense satellites with. The second asteroid was again a rather small one and was blown to small pieces that rained down as in comparism harmless boulders. The third one was too large and at least broke down to pieces that at least only resulted in catastrophes - and not total destruction.

It became clear that attempts to blow the asteroids apart could only reduce the degree of destruction, but not avoid it. It was just a way to buy time, but destruction seemed inevitable.

If humanity was to survive, it would not be on earth.

Colonization of space seemed to be the only solution.

[Doctor Perils]

While an entertaining read, I see myself obliged to ask if this is indee going to lead into a 40k story?

[Nostromo]

Earth by the mid of the 21st century looked in a discomforting way similar to how it looked a century ago. An increasing degree of nationalism, cold war in the rise again and again a highly instable South american and african continent. What economic progress the nations there had achieved was overcompensated by climate change and political and ideological instability.
If something had inhabited the traveller, it would have encountered a world with several competing blocks.
The European Union had survived a Phase of downsizing and was eventually refounded as a Federal Republic, much like the United States used to be and even more resembling the german republic. However, the borders had expanded to the North African coast which functioned as a heavily guarded border region and at the same time a belt of solar power plants.
With almost drained petrol depots, the arabic world steadily descended back to the state it inherited prior the petrol age.
The asian demisphere was dominated by 3 powers - the russian empire, the chinese federation and the United Protectorates of America which covered most of the pacific nations that refused to be consumed by chinese expansion.
No need to say that the UPAs territory covered the whole north american continent and about half of the south american. What was left effectively worked as a giant ghetto where UPA citizens that had lost their civil rights had been exiled. Canada had at first associated with the FSE - until it was krimed by the UPA

(krimed had at that time become a term that refers to the first russian expansion. Continuing with this method later led to the russian empire - whose borders resembled those of the UDSSR and that expanded further and further in FSE-territory.)

The Traveller would have seen a world just one step away from a hot war between the russian empire and the FSE.
Protection from the UPA was possible and not without precedence - but since 2025 every intervention came at the cost of sovereignity. The Exit of the USA from the NATO marked the rise of the UPA.
2112 was the year in which the last political block had started the construction of the first colonization ships in earth or moon orbit.
The FSE had built a fortified space port on the devastated and uninhabited canary Islands, since it had no more access to the Space Ports in Cape Caneveral, Baikonur or even the former ESA-Site.

 

---

edit: Typos, auto-correction induced errors

[Nostromo]

While an entertaining read, I see myself obliged to ask if this is indee going to lead into a 40k story?

It will :-)

 

But it will take much Story to catch up. After all, it is the background story for my IG-style army.

[Nostromo]

All of the colonization expeditions faced common problems.
Where to go?
So far, no other inhabitable planet was known to mankind - there only had been a couple of destinations with a certain chance to find a planet fit for colonization. Once started, the trip would be a one-shot. If the destination turns out to be uninhabitable, chances that fuel will suffice to go somewhere else are close to non existent. The reason for that was quite simple... slowing down takes as much time and fuel as it took to speed up... and building up the speed for interstellar travel would require years to accelerate.
Even if the planet provides basic conditions that allow for colonization, that does not mean that no terraforming will be required. As a consequence, each expedition will need at least the capabilities to initiate terraforming - and to set up a colony that is able to survive even under conditions that will only eventually allow human survival.
Whom to take along?
Each block started with one ship - and chances were good that this would be the only ship that would get the opportunity to leave earth. One of the largest problems regarding the population was to ensure support for the mission. A mission that was not intended to evacuate the people, but to give humanity the opportunity for survival. On the cognitive level, it was apparent that each block would only be able to send a few thousand people - as opposed to billions of citizens. A few thousands also would be required to ensure a suffitienty diverse genetic pool to allow the population to survive. In addition, not only genetic but also educational diversity is required. Scientists, engineers, all kinds of crafters. But this lead to a couple of other problems. A certain degree of colonists already needed to have the required skills - and almost all skills needed to be available. On the other hand, depending on the kind of ship, those specialists would need to survive the trip, so they needed to be relatively young.
How to survive the trip?
In each and any scenario, the voyage would last centuries, maybe millenia. That alone leaves only two alternatives- generation ships or hibernation. Generation ships of course have a much higher need for room, life support systems and supplies. In addition, they bear the risk that the colonists adapt too much to life in space and maybe even loose the abilities required later. After all, those skills would have no practical use on the trip and would need to be given down from generation to generation.
Hence, UPA and FSE decided to research hibernation techniques. China went for a generation ship - in part due to access to almost unlimited building supplies from the mining facilities on the moon. The russian solution was still not decided upon when the other three ships finally left earth.

The decision about what to research was something worth mentioning - because none of the blocks had the technologies required for colonization when they began building the ships. They started with what they knew and the design and capabilities evolved with scientific progress. There was not really another choice - building a single ship would take at least ten years and no one was willing to take the risk to begin only when every problem was already solved. In the end, "at least ten years" became 17 years.

What drive to use?
A chemical drive was out of the question due to the massive requirements of fuel and no practical way to replace used fuel on the trip.
Informal and involuntary knowledge exchange finally led to all ships using the same drive technology. Fusion technology was finally available and provided both an energy source for the ship and a drive. Since Hydrogen and Helium are both fit as fuel and have at least a chance to be found somewhere on the way, the solution appeared practical.

 

---

Edit: formatting and minor changes to wording

[Nostromo]

The FSE eventually found a combined solution for the problems of survival on the journey and the required education of the limited number of colonists.
Stuffed deeply away in a drawer with useless inventions was a technique for direct neural knowledge induction. Basically, it allowed to let a person to learn while asleep. At the time of the first practical demonstration, it was awarded with a Nobel Price. Afterwards, it went directly to the drawer due to extreme inefficiency - the process was so slow that transporting the equivalent of 1 page of plain text information took about 20 hours with some tolerance depending on the recipient. Transfer of motoric skills took extremely longer. As a matter of fact, that technology was pretty useless - with a few exceptions that quickly became illegal in the FSE.
With the development of an hibernation technique that let the subject sleep in a state similar to a coma while reducing vital functions to an absolute minimum, the neural induction was dug out again. Time was no limiting factor in this case and the formerly useless method became a practical solution.

 

It was Common Sense that the ultimate priority of each expedition was to set up a colony that was able to survive on its own. Hence, every ship was required to carry the equipment to quickly set up industrial capacity for mining and refinery.

However, at this time the UPA had already followed a doctrine first implemented in the early 21st century that allowed a different approach. In a nutshell, the argumentation was that the UPA had ensured peace, freedom and democracy in the world for about a century, so it was deemed only fair if it claims compensation for that role. A reduction of industrial equipment allowed for more american citizens to be taken along. The know-how in those areas was inferior anyway - natural resources on UPA Territory had been depleted decades ago and almost any sophisticated civil technology had been imported for a long time. Local products concentrated on the traditional sectors of information technologies and military equipment. Almost every other industry was still existent, but everybody who could afford it chose Chinese or European products.
Since nobody could see a reason why a colony would need weapons - beyond hunting equipment - no expedition wasted space, fuel and training on weapons. Wasted. The UPA did not intend to waste any of it. The weapons and specialized personnel they made room for in their ship were an investment in American citizens future.

 

---

edit: restored and modified text that made no more sense after mod intervention. Critical for later stages of the story.

[Doctor Perils]

=][= I'm sorry to say that we're going to have to ask you to move things along to the 30k/40k settings =][=

In Games Workshop's official material, even the 20th Millenium is extremely obscure, the 3rd Millenium seems barely more than a myth - I'd recommend this as a better path to take. To compare this to real world "backstory", it's as if you were trying to explain the spark of the second world war by starting in the days of the caveman: sure, we know a few fragments of their lives, but we don't know anything precise, and it actually has fairly little bearing on precise modern historical events.

If you want to evoke the ancient history of the colonisation of your world, I'd heavily recommend you don't use such clean-cut knowledge: rather, it can be bought up in fragmentary records "from before Old Night", but nothing more precise.

 

=][= Please also remember that real-world political discussion is prohibited on the Bolter and Chainsword: this includes any fan fiction. =][=

In order to be sure of not going against this rule again, sticking to the era of the Great Crusade and after will help you :)

[Nostromo]

In early 2127 the UPA ship "Ranger" was the first to leave earth orbit, followed by the FSE ship "Daedalus" in late summer. Daedalus set course on the Trappist-1 system. With 7 planets that may allow for life chances in this system were deemed the best in all known systems with possibly inhabitable planets. Also, with a distance of only 40 lightyears, the journey was supposed to last about 70 years. It almost seemed unfair to the chinese with their generation ship. A destination this close would have been perfect for their generation ship while a hibernation ship would be able to make a much larger distance. But the chinese ship was not finished and in this competition there was no award for good sportsmanship.

To build up velocity, "Daedalus" would not set direct course to Trapist-1, but first fly a complicated course through the solar system from one planets gravitational field to another.

On its way past Mars, the waiting "Ranger" picked up "Daedalus" track and followed. This was the one original technology the UPA concentrated on in their program that they did not ... acquire from others: to track a spacecraft. To notice each and any change of course and follow it.

And "Ranger" followed as "Daedalus" sped up. The acceleration phase lasted for 5 years. At this time both ships had reached 0.6c and no more velocity was to be achieved with the fusion drive. If all went well, from this time all the ships would have to do was shut down the drive and fall towards Aquarius - the region where Trappist-1 is located. But not all went well and at first "Daedalus" and then "Ranger" discovered that the universe bears wondrous surprises. No one ever learned what exactly happened. Well, the "what" was apparent - the "why" not so much. When the "Daedalus" crew was awakened by the ship KI after 31 years (ship time*), all seemed well. No damage to the ship, no apparent danger to the ship. Only one thing had changed. The velocity had increased to 2.4c. And this meant automatic failure to the mission.

 

First, the fusion drive emits particles at light speed. That means the firing the drive forward as was planned for slowing down would have no effect at all on the ships velocity.

Second, even if the fusion drive would have had a slowing effect, slowing down to a velocity of 0 would take about 80 years.

Which lead to problem number 3 - fuel would under no circumstances suffice for 80 years of maximum power on the drive.

 

"Daedalus" shot past Trappist-1 within a couple of frustrating minutes. "Ranger" followed.

 

While firing the drive would have had no effect on the ships velocity, it could be used to adjust the course.

Even if the ship had no means to slow down on its own, there are other powers in the galaxy that are able to achieve this. The "Daedalus" crew hoped to find two of those powers in the Helix nebula, only a few degrees and mere 610 lightyears ahead.

The first power is inertia - hopefully useable by means of the particle collector that all four fusion-driven ships had been equipped with. The idea was to catch occassional Helium or Hydrogen particles in space to use as fuel for the fusion reactor and -drive. Those collectors were basically enormous, inflatable sails of a self healing tissue covering a circle with a 5km diametre.

While particles are a very rare thing in the interstellar space, they are much more common in nebulae. The idea was to cross the Helix nebula and reduce speed due to particle impact on the collector. Chances were good enough that the tissue would regenerate fast enough instead of being ripped to shreds - especially if "Daedalus" encountered something larger than H or He.

The second power was the black hole in the center of the eye of god - the second, more popular name of the helix nebula. If light is not fast enough to escape a singularities gravitational power and if a planets gravitational field was useable to increase velocity... then maybe a black hole is powerfull enough to slow "Daedalus" down below 1c. Then, in the area below 1c, the fusion drive might kick in again to reduce velocity down to 0. And as a bonus, the particles in the eye of god should fil the fuel depots again.

It might have worked. It worked. So far.

And "Ranger" followed.

 

But the Helix nebula is a completely uninhabitable region of space, so "Daedalus" proceded at 1c for a long - a very long - time.

 

___

* remark on ship time: even when Daedalus travelled below 1c, ship time already deviated from earth time by  approximately 60% - meaning that 2 years passing on earth correspond only 15 months on the "Daedalus". As soon as Daedalus crossed the 1c-mark, time dilatation became much, much more significant. Since the "Daedalus" crew was not aware of that effect, all estimations on time are based on the misconception that earth time and ship time are the same. So far, time dilatation had only been a very theoretical concept.

[Nostromo]

=][= I'm sorry to say that we're going to have to ask you to move things along to the 30k/40k settings =][=

patience.

and as far as modern politics are concerned... don't pay too much attention to that, it was just a way too good reason for some things to happen.

And sorry to say that - another nations close past will also play a role in the story.

Feel invited to speculate where the story will lead. More than half the way (of the story) to the 40th millenium has already been walked.

 

So if you ask me to move the thing towards the setting... i suggest you just let me do exactly that.

[Doctor Perils]

Nostromo, you misunderstand - =][= We are requesting you to explicitly focus on the 30k and 40k settings =][= It is entirely possible for you to include a throw-away line saying how "changing alliances and international blocks lead the original colonisers of your world to leave Terra", or explain how an iterator found small data fragments painting a vague picture of the lives of the early settlers of your world - these should however be written from the point of view of the Warhammer 40,000 setting.

 

Furthermore, the Bolter and Chainsword is supposed to be a safe haven from discussions about real world politics. Per the Forum Rules:

 

No off topic discussions

We're here to discuss the hobby, not politics, nationalism, religion, sexuality or moral/ethical debates

Explicit references to real-world politics (even when used in fan fictions) would fall into that category - this is a further reason to focus on the 30k and 40k settings.

 

 

=][= Further posts exploring your story from outside the Warhammer 40,000 setting or further attempting to discuss real world politics will be hidden and could lead to further action. =][=

 

 

I commend your creativity - however, we must all abide by the rules of the Bolter and Chainsword when posting on the Bolter and Chainsword. Thank you.

[Nostromo]

In early 2127, the UPA ship „Ranger“ was the first to leave earth orbit. Its destination had been kept secret - for good reason. The trip was extremely short - „Ranger“ flew no further than Mars. Mars would have made a poor alternative to earth for colonization - not only because of the required terraforming, but also because Mars was just like earth subject to continuous asteroid bombardment. But Mars was not „Rangers“ destination. „Ranger“ waited in Mars orbit.
The summer of 2127 saw the start of the FES ship named „Daedalus“. As its destination, the Trapist-1 system in the Aquarius-sector had been chosen. With 7 planets resembling earth - as far as scientists could tell - it bore the best chances for founding a colony. With a distance of just 40 light years, the system was also extremely close. It seemed unfair - and from an objective perspective it actually was. Trapist-1 would have been the best choice for any ship, but due to the short distance it should have been the destination for the chinese generation ship. But building of that ship had not yet been completed and FSE was not willing to give up that opportunity. There was no price for good sportsmanship in this competition after all. If diplomacy and intelligence was to be trusted, „Ranger“ did not go to Trapist-1 as well.
„Daedalus“ did not set direct course. To build up speed, a complicated course from one gravitational field of solar systems planets to another was much more efficient - though, longer. And due to the positions of Mars and Jupiter also predictable.
There was one unique field of technology the UPA researched with maximum priority: The means to detect and follow a space ship. When „Daedalus“ performed its slingshot maneuver around Mars onwards to Jupiter, „Ranger“ picked up the track and followed unnoticed by „Daedalus“, whose every maneuver was analyzed and mimicked ever after by „Ranger“.
„Daedalus“ left the solar system, all the time under full thrust of the fusion drive. Acceleration lasted for 5 years, until the drive could not increase velocity any more. The engine was shut down and „Daedalus“ fell towards Trapist-1 at 0.6c.
„Ranger“ followed.
At home, humanity finally found a way to avert destruction. Ironically, the further development of the fusion drive led to the solution. „Daedalus“ and „Ranger“ never learned about it - which would also have been pointless, because fuel would have sufficed to slow down, but not to build up speed for returning.
Something else was going on as well that the colonists were not aware of. The 5 years of acceleration had been determined in earth time. On the ships, the situation was different and at that time only 4 years had passed so far. Now that both were traveling at 0.6c, time dilatation would mean that 2 years on earth would equal mere 15 months on the ships. An increase of speed also increases the dilatation factor. That factor did indeed change 50 years later, when the ship KI awakened the „Daedalus“-crew. Nothing apparent had changed - no damage to the ship, no imminent danger. What had changed was the velocity. No one ever found out why and how, but the situation was that velocity had increased to 2.4c. Which meant that Trapist-1 would not be reached.
First, because „Daedalus“ fuel reserves would not allow the ship to reduce speed sufficiently.
Second, because even if fuel would suffice, „Daedalus“ would be far beyond Trapist-1 once velocity even went below 1c. Approximately 220 light years too far.
Third, the fusion drive would not even work at all to slow the ship down. A fusion drive emits particles at light speed. Firing it in driving direction would usually work to slow it down… but not when traveling above light speed. To make the drive work, it would require particles to be emitted faster than the ships own speed.
The only thing that could be done was to utilize the drive to make amendments to the course.
But where to go?
Only a degree away from the current course and 610 lightyears ahead shone the Helix Nebula - also known as the eye of god. Hope was to find 2 powers there that might at least reduce the dire situation:
1. inertia
Nebula often feature a comparatively high density of Helium and Hydrogen particles. Besides an opportunity to refill the fuel depots there with the particle collectors that each of the fusion driven ships was equipped with, it might also help to slow down the ship. Particle collectors are basically circular sails of molecular-thin, self healing tissue with a diameter of 5 km. Provided that particle density would not exceed a critical degree and not too many particles larger and heavier that Helium, the continuous impact on the ship might eventually slow it down.
2. gravity
Back in the solar system, the slingshot maneuver allowed „Daedalus“ to build up speed. The same principle could be used to slow down the ship. However, the high velocity required something stronger than a planets gravity field. Something strong enough to have an effect on something as fast as light or faster - in theory.
Something like the black hole in the center of the nebula.
It is difficult to say how long „Daedalus“ and „Ranger“ spent circling around the center of the eye of god in a close, but safe distance to the event horizon. Ship time indicated 124 years, but the effects of speed-induced time dilatation were multiplied now with the effects of the massive gravity field.
The „Daedalus“ crew was awakened again when velocity finally fell below 1c. At this point, all the crew could do was guessing in which direction to continue. The nebula itself was uninhabitable, so leaving it was the only thing without any alternative. Due to radiation across the whole spectrum, everything outside was invisible, so all they could hope for was to exit the nebula in a direction did not deviate too far away from a system with an inhabitable planet.
They had an amount of good luck that happens only in stories. The course that spat them out of the nebula needed some adjustment, but eventually after additional 180 years of ship time took them to a system they otherwise would never had chosen, but provided everything they needed. First, 2 planets in the comfortable zone of a star resembling the sun at home. The other 5 planets had no features worth mentioning. What WAS worth mentioning was the fact that not only the planets circled around the star - the star featured a circular movement as well. A movement around an invisible spot in a far distance. In cosmic terms, a very fast movement that indicated that that spot can only be another singularity.
But without any other choice, „Daedalus“ made use of the gravitational circumstances and began exploration of the two possible planets. Eventually „Ranger“ arrived as well and took a waiting and observing position. 15 years. That long would „Ranger“ wait and give „Daedalus“ time to explore, to set up a working colony and to overcome the expected early difficulties. Then they would take over.

[Nostromo]

The outermost of the two potentially inhabitable planets turned out to contain the jackpot and was named Utgard - after the mythical realm beyond. The climate was slightly colder than on earth average with polar caps covering a quarter of the surface. Two continents were located in the equatorial plane and featured in the warmest regions a climate resembling the circumstances in canada and southern scandinavia. Mild summers, harsh winters. With much tolerance and a high degree of wishful thinking, one might even have recognized parallels in the flora of those regions. The Fauna resembled in a similar remote way that of earths fauna during pleistocene.
The inner planetary candidate was less inhabitable and could best be described as a grey tinted version of Mars with an atmosphere of nitrogen and sulfur. The name Niflheim seemed appropriate.
Like back on earth, the sun was just called „the sun“ by the „Daedalus“ colonists, though officially it was given the name Hall. The close black hole was given an name fitting its destructive and eventually inevitable power: Ragnarök
The "Daedalus" colonists began building the colony and at the same time disassembling „Daedalus“. When „Ranger“ awoke after the 15 years of board time and set course on Utgard, not much was left of once mighty „Daedalus“.
A first scout shuttle was sent down in the atmosphere at night to provide reconnaissance for the coming invasion. The first data produced surprising - and exciting - results. The colonists had built a much larger infrastructure on more locations than should have been anticipated in only 15 years. Rough estimations on the population just had to be wrong - „Daedalus“ had transported 3.000 colonists, and the infrastructure based estimations indicated at least 8.000 adults in 3 colonies.
It was decided to begin with a colony on the western coast of the yet colonized continent. 2 companies seemed sufficient to encourage unarmed colonists to comply with a change of management.
2 companies were not enough, neither were the colonists unarmed. A more careful investigations would have avoided the disaster. Instead of securing a settlement, the lightly armed parachute troopers dropped in a settlement that reminded of a casern. It featured fences, towers - and heavy machine guns on the towers, covering not only the outside, but also the inside of the facility. Shortly after the guns opened fire on the invaders, they realized that the casern had much in common with a prison - and the uniforms the guards wore strung a chord somewhere in the memory related to history lessons at school.
Immediate evacuation was called for and 35 „Rangers“ made it out - some of them uninjured. But they brought a prisoner, and that prisoner made a significant difference for those „Rangers“ that until then had doubts about whether they did the right thing.

[Ioldanach]

Developing this complicated background, while interesting in the abstract, seems to be misguided (in my opinion).

 

We know that Humanity spread across the galaxy at some point, and that STCs were a key element in the ability of the colonies to survive and thrive. We don't need to know any completely made up history because at some point, everything collapsed. Besides, GW might tell us that things happened completely differently. This isn't the history of some small part of the game universe you're creating - this is foundational stuff. You're not just building "a" world - you're re-writing the entire setting.

 

And ultimately, none of it is necessary to understanding the world and regiment you're developing.

 

While everything you've written so far is interesting in a hard sci-fi sort of way, none of it seems relevant to the Warhammer 40,000 game setting.

 

You could probably summarize everything you've written so far into a paragraph or two, glossing over or omitting the distant past bits. A huge flaw I've seen promulgated here in the Liber over the years is the urging to explain everything in order to make it make sense to others. The flaw with this is that trying to rationally explain everything in this fantastical game setting simply cannot be done logically, and attempts to make things work simply invite scrutiny and expose holes elsewhere. In the mind-boggling weirdness of the Warhammer 40,000 setting (which includes anything back to the birth of the Emperor), a level of abstraction is necessary. We can call it hand-wavium or other cute terms, but that level of abstraction is necessary to allow for all of the weird stuff.

 

How exactly is a rainbow made? How exactly does a sun set? How exactly does a posit-trac rear-end on a Plymouth work?

If you were writing a story set in RAH's Future History or Asimov's Foundation settings, you could talk about prisms and the spectrum, the rotation of planets, and automotive mechanics. However, you're writing in the Warhammer 40,000 setting, so the correct answer is (and to complete the quote from Joe Dirt):

 

It just does.

[Nostromo]

Two things led to significant confusion among the Rangers.

The first thing was the deviation between the estimated 15 years „Ranger“ waited and the actual 52 years that passed on Utgard. The scientist staff on „Ranger“ eventually figured out how that could happen: One reason was a synchronization and calculation issue regarding of „Ranger“ ship time. However, this alone did not explain a deviation of more than 200%. The waiting orbit took „Ranger“ one whole circuit around Ragnarök until it met up with Hall again. The much higher proximity to Ragnarök and the speed that „Ranger“ only slowly lost during that period leveraged the calculation error and summed up the total deviation. It dawned on the Rangers that time was much less a constant factor in this region of space than they were used to and just had no way of noticing until then.

The second thing was of social nature and remained a mystery for all inhabitants of Utgard. Understanding why colonists from the almost pathologically tolerant and liberal FSE created a totalitarian society with more than obvious ideological and aesthetical influences from 20th century NS germany would have required insights to occurrences that took place back on earth only months prior to „Daedalus’“ departure.

The neural knowledge induction technique had not been used on earth for two reason - the aspect of its ridiculous inefficiency had already been mentioned. The other aspect was responsible for the method to be actually banned. Inducted knowledge could be configured to be dominant - meaning that it would completely override contradicting knowledge or ethic attitudes. When what Alfred Rotland, a 31 years old system operator for the NKI system, had done was discovered, it was too late. „Daedalus“ was already on its way, a few historical files had been deleted, cultural, biological and ethical schedule files had been amended. The man who ended his life in a psychiatric clinic had found a way to create a society that thought of him as a mythical Führer and founder, a society that drew a line between one group that was hence considered a superhuman race destined for leadership - and inferior, lesser men born for service. The careful selection of colonists to ensure genetic diversity in the colony had become irrelevant the moment the ship started. The „power by strength“ doctrine meant that the rulership of the „superhumans“ had to be maintained by force, leading to the immediate implementation of a security caste called „the order“ and the production of adequate weapons to keep the „inferiors“ under control.

By the time „Ranger“ started the invasion, most of the first generation colonists had died of old age. Indoctrination of the second and later generations took place in a more conventional way - but stayed extremely effective. Effective in a way that - even considering the suppression by the order - ensured the inferiors loyalty. This was something as incomprehensible for the Rangers as it was frustrating. The mission had changed - taking over a helpless colony by force turned into a liberation expedition. Or, from a less idealistic perspective: a fight for survival against a more than equal opponent. The Rangers did not have the required equipment for an own colony and had to conquer at least one of the existing colonies. Neither did they have the strength to seize all colonies - an attack on one colony with anything the Rangers could muster seemed a rather safe way to go and so it happened.

The following 2 decades saw a steady growth of both factions colonies, significantly slowed down by the losses from regular skirmishes. It also saw a continuous build up of arms. Historical files and the legacy of the arms-enthusiast Rotland became the basis of an industry that built more, heavier and more specialized weapon systems on both sides. The Ranger Colony maintained the doctrine of fast, often airborne assaults with comparatively light equipment and vehicles while the Order concentrated on heavily armoured infantry and tank technology. The conflict that began with assault rifles and machine guns evolved, grew and went on until the year 78 after the landing.

 

In that year, a trace of fire in the sky marked the arrival of a spaceship of unknown origin.

[Nostromo]

It crossed the sky and disappeared behind the horizon. Not even one hour later, another fiery dot appeared above the colony. This one did not fly across the sky as the first one did. This one grew as it descended on one of the Orders facilities. Its size was just about like a cargo shuttle - definitely not fit for interstellar flights.

The moment it touched the ground just outside one of the Orders larger sites, a large bulkhead in the front opened and formed a ramp. Down that ramp, an almost human shape walked through the dust and fumes. It was about twice as broad as it should be, its height was approximately 7 feet - and no head was above the shoulders. Behind it, other figures of more human shape and size ran down the ramp and formed a circle around the ship. After them four others came and calmly took position behind the leader.

There they waited, the soldiers forming a gun line, the others standing in front of the ship, still obscured by the clouds. Next to the others, The leader spoke with his voice amplified so that the Order’s soldiers on the towers heard every word. Of course, it would have helped if they understood what the apparently headless man said - it was just gibberish to their ears. Clearly a language - and some words remotely reminded even of german. Had the roman languages not been extinguished during „Daedalus’“ voyage, maybe a few colonists would have been handed down the language of their fathers - and maybe had recognized degenerated elements of latin… but that was not the case.

 

Instead, one nervous finger made a machine gun spit fire on the big man. Most bullets hit the ground. A few hit him and harmlessly bounced off, leaving quickly dying spots of bluish illumination where they hit. The figure did not move - but a device on the ships hull briefly twitched, glowed and spat a ball of blue and white heat at the tower, through the tower, through the marksman and further in the sky behind.
Hell broke loose when all other towers opened fire as well - and joined the first tower in extinction when the gun on the ship answered with more balls of plasma.

 

The man still stood where he did - but a quarter of the second group that surrounded the ship lay screaming, bleeding and dying on the road. Calmly, the leader walked a dozen steps forward out of the dusty clouds, and it became apparent that he was no headless man. Instead, he wore an enormous suit of ornate armor, his bare, bald and beardy head between gigantic shoulder pieces. In that large frame, the small head actually looked ridiculous. He spoke one more single sentence in a calm, commanding tone - and three seconds later something dropped with a lightnings speed from the sky in a distance of about 5 kilometers and pulverized a small rocky mountain.

He spoke again with a calm tone and waited. Waited for almost ten minutes, until the gate was opened and an officer of the Order with his retinue in full combat armor reluctantly stepped out. Again, soldiers formed a firing line, but this time nobody shot and the broad man waved towards the officer, indicating that he should come forth. Coming closer, the officer became aware of a pattern on the bearded mans chest - a pattern that looked like a stylized letter.

 

„I“

[Nostromo]

Again, the beardy man spoke, the officer answered - and finally both of them accepted that this would lead to nothing. Waving again, the beardy one turned around and walked back in the shuttle, followed by the officer. It took about an hour until the officer left the ship again and walked fast - very fast - back towards the gate, ignoring his men, hurrying to the caserns radio station.

After having reported to his superior in Germania headquarter, the commander of Potsdam station lent back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. Oberst Thalmann obviously did not believe a single word of Major Grunows report. Men from space with a technology that was at the same time primitive and advanced. Men that apparently were of inferior breed. The beardy leaders demand to subordinate immediately under his authority was of course beyond discussion - and it was unthinkable to allow them to keep their advanced technology and weapons. One the positive side, that technology would finally solve the problem with the invaders. Artillery thunder in the far distance set an exclamation mark under that thought.

Lord Inquisitor Luthor Helion cocked his head listening to the voice he alone heard.

„This is the Imperial Fists strike cruise Loyalty for Lord Inquisitor Luthor Helion.
After your last report to sector command three months ago your status has been set as „missing“.
We are here at sector commands disposition to ensure your safe return.
Reconnaissance has located an inquisitorial shuttles beacon on the surface and ongoing battles in its vicinity.
If possible, move to the shuttles position and prepare for extraction. Ongoing hostility in a diameter of 100 miles will be ended immediately.
For the emperor.
Loyalty out.“

All calmness was gone from Luthors face as he ran out of the shuttle and stared in the night sky. 20 sparks rained down on the planet, followed by a slower and larger fiery trail. The latter headed directly to his position, the former seemed to target other positions.

„This is Lord Inquisitor Luthor Helion. The situation at my position is under control. No interference from Adeptus Astartes is required. And what in damnations freaked name do you mean with three bloody months? My last contact with sector command was … hardly 7 hours ago!“

„Stand by and wait for extraction. Loyality over and out.“

One of the sparks crashed quite closely on the surface… Drop Pod. That would make the trail approaching Luthors position most likely a Thunderhawk.
Three months. Idiots.

 

_____

edit: changes to durations

[Nostromo]

The hostilities ended.

The Imperial Fists reconnaissance had made a thorough job in identifying the Orders headquarters in Germania and eliminating the whole command structure with a tactical squad. The Ranger command structure was similarly crippled with cold efficiency and the armed forces of both sides engaged in half a dozen skirmishes surrendered quickly.

However, defeat was significantly harder for the order to swallow, since it was spiced with the realization that the doctrine that they were the paragon of humanity, a superior race meant to rule, crumbled to dust in the face of actual super humans.

 

All Lord Helion could do was wait and see what remains of the local military would survive the encounter with adeptus astartes. But in the mean time, he gave out orders to his lieutenants. If he were right, he would find heresy, but no corruption. Though, he would not rely on an assumption and would investigate. The notch of the lack of light of the emperor could be evened out. If not by missionary, then by natural selection on the battlefields of the galaxy.

This world would provide its share in defense of humanity.

Magos Pente would determine the state of their technology and Captain Utred might be able to make a first assessment of the military training of those barbarians. If the empire had a place for Ogryns, it surely could make use of the locals.

They would prove their worth and become loyal soldiers of the empire or die instead of loyal soldiers as auxiliary troops.

Lord Helion had always liked win-win-situations.

[Nostromo]

It took the better part of two weeks to determine Utgards capabilities.

The training in both previously opposing forces was excellent. The drill was even superior to that of many known imperial regiments. A reason may mave been the regiments size - the utgardian forces on both sides were small, even tiny in comparism with pdf forces. But this allowed for a training more focussed and less like mass production of hands only capable of carrying and firing weapons. But where is light, shadow is not far. Yes, the drill was excellent... but the utgardians were completely unaware of the powers of corruption and xenos. Not knowing the enemy they woud face would prove fatal - Captain Utred would have to do his best on closing that gap on the flight.

Another aspect relating to training resulted in something resemling red hot fury in the not that human any more entity that was Magos Pente. Not only that the Utgardian technology was not based on anything sanctioned by Mars. In most cases the Utgardian technology turned out to be equal, sometimes inferior, but in some others superior to sanctioned technology. But the worst part was... it was simple soldiers that maintained the machines. No machine priests. Engineers. Lord Helion would not have been surprised if Pente would have ben consumed in a ball of plasma due to fury initiated self-ignition.

Regarding technology, Magos Pente had concentrated on military equipment. A curious finding was that both factions had apparent strengths and weaknesses. Heavy ground vehicles were almost exclusively found on one side, lighter reconnaisance vehicles and air force on the other side.

In general, tanks covered the same different battlefield rows as in most regiments of the imperial guard. The Utgardians also based different vehicles on a common chassis - and even to a greater degree than in the guard. As opposed the counterparts in the guard, transports, battle tanks and artillery were all based on the same modular design. In its flexibility and efficiency, it was clearly superior to the Chimera and Leman Russ family - but the technology was also much more sophisticated and thus more complicated to maintain and repair. Providing spare parts would be a challenge - but to be honest, the inquisitor did not expect that auxiliary force to outlive their equipment. It would die alongside the Utgardians.

Many of the weapons would be a problem. Nobody on Utgard used energy weapons - instead, projectile weapons were used. Supplying the required projectiles would be no problem. Regarding effectiveness, the infantry weapons were very comparable with the lasgun. Heavier weapons, however, were a bigger problem. While artillery proved capabilities on guard standards, Utgards weapons that ranged in power between the lasgun and a battle cannon either did not exist at all or were inadequate.

However, a few of the engineers solved that problem - much to Pentes dismay. The modular design of their tanks actually allowed uncomplicated adoption of imperial weapon systems. Surprisingly, the Utgardians possessed an energy source that produced surprisingly big amounts of power at a very compact size. As a result, even imperial energy weapons could be integrated in Utgardian vehicles.

 

In the mean time, the ride for the Utgardians had arrived - mere hours after Lord Helion had it requested. From what its commander reported, a whole month passed between receipt of the request and arrival... the same what Helion experienced with the Imperial Fists.

The faster he left Utgard, the better... and the Utgardian soldiers would accompany him.

All of them.

[Nostromo]

Lord Inquisitor Helion watched the sphere that was Utgard shrink as it was left behind. First priority should be to catch up with what he missed while he was on that little world - it would not surprise him if in the rest of the galaxy at least years had passed.

Behind his ship, he knew the Transporter Mercury-54-R followed. Captain Fuentes was not pleased to hear that the little deviation to pick up a regiment of barbarian auxiliary troops would actually cost him several months. Well, there was a reason regions like this were usually not frequented - not even from the all-consuming hive fleets. To find a human colony that close to a black star was a big surprise... and that close to Sector Solar much more. If it had not been for a anomaly that had forced him to leave the Warp in that region, he would have never even thought of investigating that system.

Now that he knew of that colony, that was unaware of the empire and the wars, someone had to decide what to do with it. Utgard was a place of heresy, that much was clear. But the population was diminutive; all armed forces, all military equipment and all specialists for that equipment they had were stuffed in the cargo bay of Mercury-54-R and there was actually no need to make the decision anytime soon. Nothing on Utgard would change while he lived. And... would it do the empire any good to put it under imperial administration? Was it worth destruction? Whatever the empire would do, it would be paid with more time that tiny rock was worth.

"Inquisitor Helion for Commander"

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Prepare and execute Exterminatus on the planet Utgard."

"Yes, my Lord."

 

Problem solved.

[Nostromo]

Now that the background is finished, a few words on the Utgardian armed forces regarding structure and equipment.

The surviving forces consist of two regiments that used to be enemies only weeks ago until pressed into the service for the emperor.

 

First, there is the Order. Think of a very - very - modernised version of the Wehrmacht with equipment from the 22nd century.

During the conflict with the opposing Colonial Rangers ,the Orders doctrine has developed to anti-personnel and anti-aircraft warfare.

The Orders soldiers wear a light type of powered armour that allows them in addition to the formidable protection to carry a machine gun as standard infantry weapon. However, the Orders body armor is much weaker than the type the adeptus astartes use.

Energy weapons had been unknown on Utgard and training with respective imperial equipment has only just begun.

However, the Orders heavy equipment has already been upgraded with imperial weapons.

 

The Orders heavy equipment is mostly based on a single chassis design that has only been modified to suit individual needs.

The basic Igel (groundhog) chassis has much in common with the imperial chimera. Roughly the same armament and transport capacity. The major difference is a superior motor and an in-buit micro-fusion reactor. As a result, the Igel chassis is able to carry an amount of additional weapons and armour that change its role on the battlefield completely - only at the cost of transport capacity and some speed.

Thus, any Igel can easily be upgraded to a Main Battle Tank with the same capabilities of a Leman Russ.

A modified version of the Igel chassis carries a massive artillery tower, turning the vehicle in the equivalent of an Armageddon Pattern Basilisk or Medusa.

Versions that allow usage similar to vehicles of the Hellhound family are thinkable as well and would require minimal modifications.

When Inquisitor Helion arrived, a prototype of the much heavier Keiler (wild boar) was in an early testing phase. In short, the Keiler is a much heavier version of the Igel comparable with a Macharius.

Reconnaissance vehicles and air support are not used by the Order. Instead, the Order has developed excellent anti-air missile sytems. However, the detection and surveillance technology is inferior to Ranger versions.

 

... which leads to the second regiment: the Colonial Rangers

The Rangers are equipped following a doctrine that is based on mobility.

Personal armour and weapons are much lighter than among the Order and the Rangers possess no Tanks.

Instead, they developed flying equipment based on their storm shuttles. One branch of those fullfills the role of either a dropship or a gunship (Valkyrie, Vulture, Vendetta), the other branch is a air superiority fighter/bomber (Lightning, Thunder) that had only been developed to prevent the Order to eventually get control of the sky. So, only two of the latter exist.

Detection and surveillance technology is highly developed and leveraged by corresponding jamming and cloaking technology that effectively obfuscates Ranger equipment from electronic detection.

On the ground, the Rangers use only what can be carried by their drop ships. Hence, the only ground vehicle they use is a armored reconnaissance vehicle (no name yet, fictional military person of reknown?) covering the battlefield roles of sentinels (armored and unarmored), the Tauros and Venator.

Regarding armament, it is no surprise that Ranger detachments usually carry anti-tank weapons.

 

Both the Order and the Colonial Rangers so far have no psykers, techpriests or imperial priests. Due to their small numbers, the harsh regiment of a comissar is unthinkable and both regiments put great emphasis on saving their comrades life and equipment. Therefore, wherever there are soldiers, there are field medics. Where are tanks, vehicles and aircraft, there is a field engineer.

 

In conclusion, the Rangers have much in common with the Elysians. The Order reminds of old Cadia when the Kasrkin still lived. Today, there is no corresponding imperial regiment.

 

Ruleswise, there exist three alternatives to field the Order:

1. homebrew rules that allow Militarum Tempestus to use Astra Militarum tanks. Unlikely

2. fielding the Order as Militarum Tempestus and nominal allocation of the tanks to the Ranger contingent. More likely.

3. skip WYSIWYG and downgrading the Orders armor to standard Astra Militarum equipment. Most likely.