The Andalucía

When Mankind found the Fontannus system, they were the first to do so for millions of years. Stumbled upon by a small-scale militarum exploration fleet, the Imperium got lucky. In the centre of a cluster of barely-habitable Planets and Asteroids was Vernox, a planet that piqued their interest greatly. An active Hydro-World, over 90% of Vernox’s surface was covered in water. Below the vast sea, in deep sea trenches and caverns, lied rich mineral and ore veins. When the initial reports were returned by the scouting crews, large traces of Polonium ore were detected, as well as other precious minerals and substances valuable to man’s quest to expand across the stars. Although the spoils weren’t exactly abundant in comparison to some of the other facilities and systems in the sector, Vernox was nevertheless deemed worthy of colonisation. It’s output was considered a valuable addition to mankind’s stockpile.

Vernox

With the system being declared fit for colonisation, The Imperium sent a small fleet to the system, complete with Militarum Garrison and protection protocols in place. Planetary Governor Karros was appointed to lead and oversee the new venture, and to form the colony how he saw fit. He was regarded as a fair and just man by those he oversaw, with a vision of how to make Vernox not only successful, but an example of how a Mining and Resource Colony could be run. Under his guidance, Karros created a ground-breaking and unique mining sect that earned a reputation of forward-thinking, liberal attitudes and fair governance. It was renamed The Konstruct.

Governor Karros

Shortly after establishing a base of operations, The Konstruct established a moderately busy space shipping lane. This allowed the colony to develop itself quickly, exporting its precious resources offworld and receiving imports of sought-after luxurious goods and home comforts for its workforce. In time, The Konstruct gained a reputation of a worker-friendly colony, where skilled labourers were able to not only survive, but flourish. Through hard work and service to the emperor, anyone could advance in their career, and further their standing in society. Although the system was big enough to get a reputation in the right circles, it was small enough to avoid scrutiny and the level of attention that may have hindered the independent policies and ideas of The Konstruct. As long as the correct tithes were received in a timely manner, The Imperium was more than happy to let the people of Vernox get on with it. The colony was proud of its growth, and how self-sufficient it had become. For a time, the system of Fontannus prospered, and it was good.

One of Vernox's Underwater Hab Colonies

Into its ninth decade of operation, the now-sizeable colony had spread out across the other planets in the system with varying success. Some smaller planetoids were made up of a similar proportion of minerals and Polonium ore found on Vernox, where others were barren husks of rock. These were still put to use, instead being used for housing Penal Colonies, or to accommodate the expanding Militarum garrison that had grown too large for Ticon, the Spaceport orbiting Vernox. As The Konstruct began to grow into itself as a system-wide player in exporting Polonium, the colony lost its leader. Governor Karros died peacefully through old age, with Vernox folklore telling of his passing as pre-determined. Karros had achieved everything he had set out to accomplish; satisfied in the knowledge that The Konstruct would carry on his Legacy.

Imperial Garrison Station Ticon

 As the Planetary Governor passed, the system mourned his loss. His legacy could be seen in every home and every heart throughout Fontannus. Keen to maintain balance and their ways of life, the Colony filed an official request to The Imperium to find the next Governor through democratic process. Konstruct society was now in such a place where workers who had risen through the ranks had formed a ruling and upper class, and so suitable candidates for leadership were plentiful in the Colony itself. This stratus of society was still very much embedded within the social circle and mind-set of the working colony, and was respected rather than revered. On Vernox, there were only equals. The Colony felt that the next ruler should embody Karros’ ideals and mind-set, whilst still in touch with the needs and demands of the working man. And where better could this be found than within the hearts and minds of the Sons and Daughters of The Konstruct?

To say The Imperium considered this request would be a grand exaggeration. Although The Fontannus system had potential, they weren’t a big enough concern for the decision of future leadership to be made by any senior figures. Instead, this choice was made in a back office, by a bureaucrat. A bureaucrat who showed disdain at being given such a mundane and offensively blasé request. He ruled against The Konstruct’s request out of spite, citing the grounds that the Imperium was keen to still hold a grip on the system. To stop any further enquiry into the matter, the bureaucrat filed the rejection paperwork with fictionalised theories and reports, all alluding to a strong threat of a sovereign nation eventually evolving, one which may in time try and cut ties with Terra altogether. This was of course untrue, as the Colony had always sworn loyalty to The Emperor, and had even over-delivered on its tithe quotas on occasion. With a stroke of his data slate, the bureaucrat sealed the eventual fate of The Konstruct. He assigned the next available Planetary Governor to the system, with no vetting or profile analysis, keen to clear this petty and minor issue from his desk on Terra.

And so Governor Blake was sent to Fontannus. Vastly underqualified, Blake had been elevated to the rank of Governor due to nepotism. Although distant, she had links to one of the upper class ancient families of Terra. Her family was regarded well enough for her to be given a senior position within the Imperium, but was kept on the fringes so no mistakes or errors in judgement would be noticed. She resented being sent to a Mining Colony, feeling the position was beneath her. She regarded the posting as ‘a death sentence, but with worse pay.’

Governor Blake

 When she arrived, the people of Vernox were welcoming and positive in their outlook. They accepted the decision of The Imperium begrudgingly, and agreed as a society to come together and make the best of the situation they had been placed in.  But over time, this optimism soon faded, as Fontannus began to stagnate and slide into complacency. Blake wasn’t interested in ruling, she was interested in whiling away the time, consigning herself to a life of obscurity and lament. She made sure The Konstruct did the bare minimum, paying tithes on borderline acceptable levels, but often skimming from the top to fund her escapist pursuits and off-world jaunts. The People of Vernox slowly declined in their outlook and attitude. What was once a progressive, proactive society had become disillusioned and jaded. Ground down with no hope, the people of Vernox weren’t exactly unhappy, but had nothing to strive for. As Governor Blake passed away and her rule came to an end, the subdued Colony that was once a burning beacon of hope was now a flickering candle. Although the apathy of the Governor wounded the Colony and its outlook, nothing would prepare them for what was to come.

As the shortcomings and underperformance records of The Konstruct were finally audited with the passing of the Planetary Governor, The Imperium reacted with a heavy-handed solution. Where Blake had been ineffective due to lack of experience, her replacement had no such issue. Governor Krent was an ambitious and relentless leader, exceeding all targets set by the Imperium on any of his postings, often through undocumented means. Krent didn’t accept failure, instead believing that his own success was paramount. As he landed on Vernox, he began putting his ideals into action. Krent began a plan that would see his tithe quotas double in the space of just 5 years, but at great cost.

Governor Krent (Present Day)

The workers were put on mandatory shift patterns that maximised output, but greatly affected well-being and morale across the planet. Funding on social and societal improvement schemes were cut, as the Colony was moulded into a relentless machine with a single purpose: Production. With the population being so subdued during the reign of Governor Blake, they were powerless to resist or speak out and challenge this new direction. Generations had grown up with no purpose or instinct. They didn’t know how to think for themselves, or the need to strive for more. But through Krent, they learnt how to resent. By the 10^th year under his cruel and punishing regime, the people of Vernox were now downtrodden and disillusioned, and had begun to lose faith in the very Imperium they served.

The surface and minor-depth level ore resources began to diminish, and Krent’s industrial landscape grew ever further to accommodate processing plants and refineries. Hive Cities grew and swelled to breaking point, as over-population and lack of resources began to gnaw at The Konstruct’s very foundations. The Governor was struggling to increase the colony’s output, his greedy ambitions swelling and overreaching as he promised more and more to The Imperium, with no way to deliver. Drilling Teams were put in increasingly dangerous situations, as they were told to mine deeper and further than recommended by the Geomagnists and Structuretechts. Krent regarded the warnings as folly, as health and safety mollycoddling. He informed his work overseers to punish those that didn’t comply with his orders. They went further and deeper into the oceans, mining well past safe regulations and further than ever previously ventured. It was here, at the bottom of an ocean trench tunnel network, that they found something.

Vernox Mining Tunnel

Official reports claimed the Andalucía Mining Nautilus was the victim of a gas pocket explosion, one which saw no survivors. This was to save face. When salvage crews were sent down to the trench, they found no bodies. In fact, they didn’t find anything. The ship was still perfectly intact and present, but there were no signs of struggle or incident of any kind. It was as if the crew had never existed. With no explanation and no idea of what had happened, Krent covered the incident up. He was keen to avoid panic, and needed these risky deep-sea drilling operations to continue if The Konstruct was to meet the increased target tithes he had been set by The Imperium.

In truth, even if Krent knew what had happened deep within that ocean tunnel, he still wouldn’t have understood it. There were few across the galaxy still alive who could. Deep within the bowels of Vernox, the crew of the Andalucía had awoken something. Not human. Not native. Something different…