Siege of Vraks - Preparations: The Imperium's preparations for the Siege of Vraks were simple: how many men had to die before the world could be retaken? The Imperial forces had to overwhelm the Apostate Cardinal's defence lines, destroy his planetary defence batteries and then eventually storm and capture the Vraksian Citadel and starport, all operations where losses could be reduced to a simple mathematical formula. Everything in the 88th Siege Army was to be an expendable resource. The campaign for Vraks would be the most impersonal kind of warfare. Within the Death Korps of Krieg regiments that would make up the totality of the 88th Siege Army, the men were not named, just numbered, so that they could be quickly tallied-up and counted off lists, whether for supplies or burial. The regiments would be ordered into combat already essentially knowing how many of their number were expected to die to secure their objectives. The lives of the Krieg Guardsmen were no more important than the daily fuel consumption rates of their vehicles or the expenditure of artillery shells. They were also expected to win the campaign in exactly 12 standard Terran years.On Vraks Prime after the Cardinal's seizure of the world, the sudden uprising and the Apostate Cardinal's victory had escalated into an unexpected surge of mob violence. For several solar months the Heretics fought amongst themselves to establish a new power structure centred on the Cardinal. New leaders emerged from the Vraksian Planetary Defence Force garrison and the Departmento Munitorum penal labour corps. Those who proved their loyalty to the Cardinal's new regime were rewarded with positions of power over their fellows. The very best of these men were inducted into the ranks of the elite Disciples of Xaphan, the heart of his new Chaos Cult, or given roles as Enforcers -- essentially the Apostate Cardinal's cadre of brutal strongmen who served as officers and oversaw the rank and file, enforcing obedience and discipline through any means necessary, and the more brutal the better. After the rioting and bloodshed had ended, the Cardinal's commanders set about their first task -- to defend Vraks from the Imperium's expected assault. They had to prepare their men and train an army. They had vast quantities of Astra Militarum supplies to plunder. Their army would be well-equipped and occupy very strong defensive positions, but they still had to be prepared for whatever the Imperium's armed forces would throw at them.The Cardinal issued instructions that Vraks Prime should be turned into a slaughterhouse and that no defender could expect any mercy from the Imperium, so they must fight or face execution by the enemy. Only by defeating the Imperial enemy could any man on Vraks expect to survive. For those that fought well there would be great rewards. For those that failed in their duty to the Apostate Cardinal, there would be summary execution at the hands of Xaphan's corps of Enforcers. After the uprising the Traitors' newly won freedom was short-lived. The labourers of the Departmento Munitorum were soon put back to work for their new master, improving the Citadel's defence lines, moving minefields or laying new ones and rolling out miles of razorwire. Artillery crews practiced ranging shots while the Vraksian Traitor Militia, whether willing combatants or forced into service, were trained with their newly looted weapons, mostly standard-issue Imperial Guard Autoguns. The Apostate Cardinal's Traitor army was well-prepared. When it came, the battle would be hard-fought and very bloody.