Ketra

**This article, Ketra, was written by LookatYOUbud. It may be linked to any page without asking for the author's permission.**

## Planet

### Military Forces

Redemptors Astartes, *Auxilia Sepulturus* (Serfs-Militant, PDF)

### System of Governance

Theocratic feudal autocracy (direct rule by Redemptors Astartes)

## Location

### System

Pelloran System

**Ketra** is Lachrimorta's only natural satellite. It is the second largest and second most massive satellite in the Pelloran System. Ketra is a barren rock with no native life, no water and only a tenuous atmosphere of toxic smog spewed from the colossal Manufactora spread across its surface. With a dense, rocky composition high in heavy metals, Ketra has a surface gravity nearly one fifth that of Terran standard, and its molten core gives it a weak magnetic field.

Ketra's massive industrial output more than satisfies the material needs of the Pelloran system and the Redemptors' Astartes stationed there. By ancient tradition and treaty, excess ores and raw materials are traded to local Forge Worlds, enabling the Redemptors to access advanced Imperial technology.

## History

Ketra was first settled by Humanity during the wave of colonization that swept through the Eastern Fringe of the Galaxy during the Dark Age of Technology. For thousands of years, mines, refineries and factories burrowed deep into the moon's barren crust, their output fueling the expansion of The Pelloran Freehold, an interstellar civilization that came to dominate the Atropos Sector. When the Emperor's Great Crusade swept through the system and brought the Freehold into Imperial Compliance, Ketra's forges were turned to supplying the Imperial war machine.

The rebellion of Lachrimorta's ruling aristocracy and the subsequent Crusade to reclaim it by the Imperium of Man in early M36 brought Ketra's industrial golden age to an end. Devastated by orbital bombardment and destructive surface engagements, its foundries cold and dark and its infrastructure crippled, Ketra became a tomb. For three thousand years, the moon's cratered graveyards were home to ghosts and the occasional band of xenos corsairs, until in 962.M39, the Redemptors Astartes returned in force. Within a standard month, the surface facilities had been sterilized but the true battle lay below the surface. Details of the months spent below-ground have been sealed in perpetuity under the Cairn-Lord's authority - whatever horrors the Astartes endured beneath the Forge-Moon's regolith were left buried.

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+++ CLASSIFIED: THRONE-8X +++

+++ DATE: 891.M41 +++

+++ SENT BY: Inquisitor Adrielle Tannenrek, Ordo Xenos +++

+++ SUBJECT: Unknown Xenos encountered by Redemptors Astartes, 962.M39 +++

+++ CONTENTS +++

*My Lords,*

*I have finalized my investigations on Ketra, and have attached my findings to this missive. The Astartes were remarkably thorough in their work, admirable but regrettable under the circumstances. Without hard evidence, and the Marines committed to suppressing information about the aliens, I was forced to rely on second-hand accounts gleaned from the human residents of the moon. Though these stories have been altered through centuries of retelling, many details coincide with accounts from our archives of encounters with the xenos designate **Umbra** (see attached reference file ++XVR-01915.2774.12.UM++).*

*My most thorough investigations have failed to uncover evidence of enduring xenos taint on this world, however this encounter predates almost all other known incidents involving the Umbra by at least one thousand standard years.*

*I am departing the Pelloran system with all haste - I have had my fill of these dour people and their fetish for bones. Perhaps the Ordo Hereticus might have found reason to stay, but the stink of the alien does not befoul this place, and the Redemptors' mysticism is none of this humble Inquisitor's concern.*

*Ave Imperator!*

*Your faithful servant,*

*Adrielle Tannenrek,*

*Inquisitor, Ordo Xenos*

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In the aftermath of the Redemptors' reclamation of Ketra, it was the site of a great gathering of the Chapter's officers remembered as the Conclave At The Martyr's Shore. Divided, some amongst the Redemptors believed the moon's resources should be bent to the defense of the Homeworld and the expansion of the Chapter's influence over the Lachrimortan System, while others believed that the Chapter should return to the stars, to cleanse the Emperor's worlds of the filth they had buried beneath the regolith. Months of debate led to the Chapter's current organization beneath two Orders Primary, The Order of The Bastion to guard Lachrimorta and the Atropos Sector, the Order of The Conclave to bring the Emperor's light to the Galaxy with maul and bolter.

In the 42nd Millennium, Ketra hums with life again. In the dark void of space, its surface shines with the light of industry. Shipyards and drydocks, quiet for ages, now day and night assemble the warships of the Order of The Conclave. Manufactora seethe with activity and vast mines delve ever deeper into the Moon's resource-rich depths.

## Geography

Ketra's landscape is scarred by millennia of relentless industrial activity. Its geographical features have been all but erased by extensive construction and resource extraction. The moon's surface is a patchwork of sprawling factories, refineries, and infrastructure punctuated by the yawning pits of deep-core mines and vast fields of radioactive slag.

Beneath the surface, tunnels carved through the bedrock chasing veins of precious ore now serve as cavernous highways between urban centres and warehouses. These tunnel networks facilitate the transportation of resources and goods, connecting the various industrial hubs scattered across the moon's surface.

## Defenses

As the cornerstone of the Redemptors Space Marines' war machine, and a vital industrial planet in its own right, defending Ketra against all threats is of paramount importance. The moon is a virtual fortress, the process of reinforcement a never-ending religious obsession on the part of the Redemptors. Its surface bristles with anti-voidship weaponry, protected beneath planetary Void Shields and the watchful eyes of Pelloran Naval Defense Ships.