"None of us chose to fight, that fate was forced on us by the mad warlord Kyros," you say. "I know we'll never regain our lost lives. But we can get something close. Find us a world to settle on."


"Terrific! I'll be sorry to see you finish before the jobs done," Elios says, winking. "But you can remake your lives, we can remake ours, we'll all live happily ever after."


"Are there many worlds outside the reach of the Imperium?"


Elizabeth pulls out a datapad and begins tapping on it.


"Setting parameters... out of reach of Imperium... lack of Chaos, Ork or Dark Eldar attacks... out of reach of Tyranid swarms... suitable climate for human body... few destructive elements... oh, why are there so many hits? Oh yes, forgot to factor in the Tau... OK, we've got a few hits. Let me sort through them."


After a few minutes of researching the planets, Elizabeth has three possible worlds to settle on.


The first is a familiar world, because it's yours. The planet is the one you were raised on, where your people lived and died for endless generations. Kyros' looting of the planet has caused some damage, with the Great Lakes drained to a serious extent, leaving them a third of their size. The woods are half their size, with the remaining woods now overrun with Orks. Despite these issues, the planet is still one the Tribals would be happy to see, it's climate near perfect for you.


The second planet is known as Hararan-IV, the fourth planet I'm it's solar system of Harandan. The planet is for the most part sea, spotted with islands. The planet is prone to pirates, who land to rest, repair their vessel and resupply from the planet's rivers and abundant jungles. It's one or the few planets entirely free of Orks. It has a wealth of life, food, water and other resources, although it suffers from extreme tsunamis that could be a serious issue.


Finally, you have New Marsbourth. Unlike the two other planets, New Marsbourth is a bustling planet. Although it operates outside of the control of the Imperium, it has grown significantly, a huge population that farms, manufactures, works and lives. The planet is controlled by several warlords, fighting for control of the planet. This permanent state if war has drawn mercenaries, seen the manufacture of massive fortresses and the assembling of huge armies, which has warded off any attacks. You could easily become the largest military faction on the planet and attempt to wrest control, or build up a large, isolated community and see how city life is for you.

You new Marsbourth

Amadeus, more than happy to see you leave and the leadership of the vessel to fall into command of the Staine siblings who will eagerly shower him in luxury to appease him,  gleefully navigates the vessel towards New Marsbourth. You find one of the smallest, weakest factions in the planet, the noble house of Gilford, a who are little more than a pawn to bigger houses, not even having made any alliances with any house at all, let alone one of the larger ones. Yin a few quick raids, you wipe out the Gildford House, taking their place as Rulers and guardians of the tiny amount of territory they controlled. Landers ferry people, equipment, supplies and rare resources down to the planet, where they begin to set up inside the Gilford House's fortress.


With the conquest of the Gilford House, you're left as a new, unexpected player, a small but powerful faction. You realistically have two choices, two long term plans for your forces. You could go to war. The Staine siblings will help your forces get a few critical early victories, before leaving you to wage and perhaps finish the War of the New Marsbourth Houses has been going on for centuries if not millennia. 


Secondly, you could go for the peaceful option. You control a small area with farmlands, manufacturing facilities, mines, a city and more. The area could absolutely survive  as an isolated but heavily fortified area, too powerful to conquer without serious and crippling losses, and too small to be worth even a slight amount of effort to secure.

You war

You stand in front of the Staine siblings, as they finally agree to support your early skirmishes and campaigns against the New Marsbourth houses. Your other lieutenants are alongside you, planning your actions. A quick blitz of raids and bombings could cripple the Samson House's offensive capabilities. Then, a small invasion to secure the lowlands from Jericho House, a game of trench warfare to fight Lars House to a standstill to prevent their predicted invasion, with a final capture of Hive Jun from the Lawrence Family should put you in powerful standings.


"The Black Rats are resilient creatures, as are the Goliaths. We shall take on Lars House when they strike," Durge says.


"I'll lead a few saboteurs alongside Castus to hit Samson House," Olive says.


"We'll be able to capture the lowlands. The Tribals have fought in plains all our lives, we'll crush every last fucker there," Fay says.


You watch as your lieutenants plan the various attacks. This is what you were made for.

Three Years Later...

The Forever War of the Houses


You stand on the battlefield, tearing a Dark Eldar Talos, as it explodes in front of you. The Dark Eldar begin to fall back, clearly realizing that this mercenary gig wasn't worth it. You laugh, sending up a wall of flames to terrify them and send the brave holdouts scuttling back to regroup, which turns to a full-blown retreat once they see a wave of Goliaths charging.


Your arrival on the scene has been a huge changer to New Marsbourth. After your early crushing victories that broke the strength of many of the major houses, the Concord of the Vipers took place, where the noble houses made an alliance to destroy you. This, combined with the fact that the Staine siblings have left to rebuild and continue on with their escapades, has left you with serious losses, but you get back to your former position through grit and brutal fighting. Mercenaries flock to both sides, while minor houses change sides regularly. 


You soon find yourself perfectly matched. Your defenses are strong enough that any invasions are damaged enough that the Los ground can be easily regained by a counter-attack. Soon, a hemisphere of New Marsbourth lies in each of your hands, with the area around the equator being a permanent war zone, with land switching hands rapidly. 


Your relationship with Fay goes well. You have a wedding, a small, relatively secret event. You both agree that your enemies knowing that you're married to one of your generals is best to be avoided. Soon, a child is conceived, a beautiful daughter with her mother's body and her father's powerful mind. You know she will do great things some day.


In all honesty, you don't mind the situation you're in, of permanent, unceasing warfare. You're kept trained in war, and the war is fought at such a race that your hemisphere permanently gets to have the economical boost that comes from a war economy, until you in fact rely on it. The Goliaths, the Tribals, the Gladiators, you're all trained for or even designed for war. The fighting keeps you busy and keeps your forces from falling into awful habits like drinking, drugs, whoring, gambling and much worse distractions from boredom, although you feel like it's a waste of your potential, all of yours. Still, it's a life. What more could you want?