The Imperial fleet hovered in the empty void of space,their metallic ships shone as the light of the nearby star radiated across their frames.Beneath them was the volcanic world of Turun,great volcanic mountains would spew toxic fumes into the atmosphere and unleash rivers of molten rock that removes any notion of there ever having been water on the surface.

To most it would seem more of an burden to colonize such an planet but not for the Imperium,the world was rich in minerals,had an constant source of energy that could be harnessed by geothermal plants,the planet itself would be an natural fortress if the construction of landing bays could be contained to secured positions...The planet had an temperature of 87 degrees Celsius which will deter unprotected visitors.It would be an challenge for the Serpentum Imperium and it's engineering Corps to establish an great new addition to the Imperium.

In charge of the colonization effort was Admiral Era Makass and her most trusted advisor Rear Admiral Far'ak Umber,both well respected naval officers in the Serpentum Armada,and their task would be to defend the small fleet of colony ships and to provide aid and order where needed.

As of June 2565 the planet of Turun would become the first Imperial "Farran'Ma'Kar" or Foundry world.

As the Imperial colony ships breached the thermosphere they where met with the bright red glow of the planet's surface,great pools of magma bubbled and boiled while rocky outcroppings showed signs of landing zones large enough for some of the colony ships.

As the first ship landed crews of suited engineers would form teams and immediately set work on constructing proper landing pads,it would take at least two days to build 17 landing platforms on the sooted plains around the colony ship,the Imperial crew would begin to dismantle the colony ship to provide enough materials to build the array of platforms,the remaining colonists began to build pre-fab shelters around the dismantled colony ship using the metal from it's frame to build the foundations of the temporary colony.

There where already an few problems due to the climate on the planet,the most notable issue being water....The colony would have to rely on water shipments from off-planet until the planet could become self-reliant.

One by one the landing platforms where built and allowed the 350 meter colony ships to land and then the cycle began again as they dismantled the ship and used the materials to establish the foundations of several buildings including the colony's administrative center,an hospital and crafting center.As the basic infrastructure began to develop the head builder began work on his holoboard envisioning the first of an series of mega complexes that will contain the factories and docks needed to rebuild the Imperial industry back to an respectable level of their past.

It was dangerous work for the colonists given the death rate set in the first few week of being 1 out of every 3 dying either from high degree burns or dehydration due to poor water management.

The Imperium shipped large pre-made frames and materials to begin construction on the complex,these pieces would be put to together by the Engineering Corps master builders much like building something out of legos,only much more complex and durable.

The metal that would be used was called Infernite an metal not as durable like Imperial Durasteel but highly heat resistant,this metal would then be layered with Imperial Durasteel sheets in the upper areas of the complex away from the molten rock that would simply melt it in an matter of days.The extra layering in the upper complex would make it durable against attack as well.

The first complex was going to be an feat of engineering for the Corps,an undertaking on an scale that rivals the reconstruction of New Serpentum easily becoming the most ambitious project undertaken in the milky way galaxy.

Over 12,000 builders and twice that number of drones would be present in the construction,the Imperium knows that upon completion of the complex it will create an massive amount of new jobs for the growing population,and skyrocket the industrial output to match most other galactic powers,as well as be an stable source of minerals mined from the molten rock and cooled to produce metals and materials to suit the needs of the Imperial market and the state's needs.

The first complex would be massive spanning 141,902 square miles an city in it's own right being smaller then the New Serpentum but impressive for an singular structure.

Each complex would specialize in an area of industry to allow fast production with easy administrative control,one complex would be an military station for the local garrison and an area for testing experimental weaponry before it gets tested by the Legion on Argatu.

Two weeks four days and seven hours that was the deadline given by the head builder....

There was no real physical deadline nor reason to place such an deadline,it was an test and challenge the head builder wanted to impress the Court it would be his hope to be given access to the trails that could make him an noble.His lust for glory was tempered with caution under the watchful eye of the Admiral who kept direct communication with the Capital. 

But the builders complied,there was the occasional complaint but nothing that  disrupted the work on the massive complex,the complex itself {nicknamed:CPLX 1} would be the largest planetary mineral refinery in the Imperium perhaps even the entire northern sector of the galaxy.Every now and then an ship carrying hundreds of slaves from the Servant caste would arrive and after settling in they would begin the tedious labor-intensive work required to run the already few functioning parts of the complex...Other nations would entrust the entire workings of the facility to an AI and while there was an administrative AI to ensure that standards and regulations where met the Imperium did not give it much control beyond security as they distrusted having an autonomous AI running such an important part of their future....

If anything the future of the Imperium will be built and run by organic beings.....Under the vision of the Emperor....They where not going to repeat the mistakes of the Solsastians.

In record time the first complex was completed in two weeks time,and within another 4 days the complex would be fully operational.



With an staff of over 21 thousand workers and untold numbers of drones,the facility would collect 470 million tons of minerals per hour and refine that into usable metal that would be then refined into the alloys used in Imperial metals.Only 21% of the complex harvests would be used for the construction of the other 6 complexes.Rare gems such as diamond became commonly harvested alongside the cooled rock,these gems would be used to further the Imperium's economy or to be used for more practical means such as jewelry or armour.

Next was the Complex to be placed in the center of the range of complexes.The administration center.......

With an several legions of workers now at his command the high builder built the circular administration complex within the next week and welcomed the new planetary governor Viscount Lasaa'r Kurr of house Kurr.

She unlike other nobles preferred not to dress in elegant tunics or robes,she wore an protective jumpsuit that contained the sigil of her house.The high builder knew that she was well known as an industrialist and her placement here was more strategic instead of being an position she earned through intrigue and guile.The high builder escorted her alongside her personal Zikah guard showing her the complex,while others ignored or bowed before rushing to their workstations in the chaos of planning the next complex.

It was an mess......And Lasaa'r was not amused.

Once they reached the planetary HQ she silenced the builder who kept droning on about "his" work..."his" accomplishment. Lasaa'r hated bootlickers so in an calm yet sinister matter she spoke to remind the builder of his place.

"Razat is it?" She would ask as she walked around the headquarters examining the hard working administrators.

"Yes mi'lady" The builder smiled.

"I am disgusted"

"What why?" The builder's smile turned to confusion.

"I see hundreds of hard working citizens....Yet....You claim that "your" work alone was hard"

"I ca...."

"You seem to mistake how we work as an empire......It's clear you seek the glory of this work for yourself....You might have been the vision.....They might have built it.....But this complex does not belong to one....It is the work of the Imperium and belongs to the Imperium."

The high builder was silent.

"Thus the reward of creation belongs to all involved not just to you high builder....Do not apologize just continue your work and get out of my sight."

The high builder bowed and quickly left the headquarters.The Viscount hissed she hated bringing her own down like that but Varanus pride was dangerous and while it has to be fed it must be culled as well.

The Viscount would then spend her days becoming accustomed to her station before she took full control over the construction efforts.

It would take an month for the entire system of complexes to be built she thought.

The Viscount stood in the headquarters watching the construction effort from an sea of holographic terminals.Massive ships would carry sheets and foundations of Infernite calculating and dropping them into the molten rock to create platforms for the complexes to be built upon,special construction drones made out of Infernite would sink into the molten rock to fasten the metal to the rockbed below.Then swarms of builders and drones would start working on the frame of the massive complex.With each passing day,piece by piece of the complex would be completed,workstations where determined by careful calculation among the workforce while several hundred thousand previous servants earned their freedom and citizenship.At one point one of the frigates would be redirected to destroy several rocky outcroppings with it's railguns to allow for new building space.

As part of the security plan several radar towers would be placed in key locations of the planet and would be able to detect any currently known ship that somehow evades the planetary fleet and sneaks into the orbit,this was to prevent infiltration and more importantly escape as Turun would also house the Imperium's largest prison where the millions of prisoners would work in the complexes in hopes of having their crimes lifted.

During the work the Imperials detected several "erratic" power surges throughout their power grid,it would happen once every day for an week on the same time.The engineers blamed it on faulty geothermal generators which they replaced soon after....When they did the power surges stopped and the Imperials continued their work....It was just an "technical issue"

They would later regret how wrong they were.

The complex system would be built around the administration center much like an oil rig and it's various platforms.Each platform had several hundred point defense systems,10 heavy railgun turrets capable of tearing through corvettes like butter and for ground based conflict the Legion garrisoned 3 legions to guard the planet from external invasion.

Upon completion the complex facilities would soon become fully operational they would seem to look like great cities to outsiders upon which millions of workers toil to meet the demands of their empire,piece by piece massive assembly lines stretched as far as the eye can see manned by swarms of workers and their automated assistants.

Each worker was assigned an officer that would voice any of their complaints to the administration,this minimized conflict in the workplace as various workers would engage in post-shift fights either against those of an percieved lower caste or other race.This was an issue the Viscount would struggle with over the next few months.Eventually she would be forced to tighten security calling in specialized enforcers from the I.J.F {Imperial Justice Forum} to eliminate unrest before it interferes with the industrial workings of the planet.It was bloody sometimes an there was always the occasional death in the midst of the chaos,it would be an constant struggle to contain the unrest without enforcing the law to such an extent that it would feel totalitarian.

Among the hundreds of prisoner workers was one tattooed human brute named Xarn who was arrested on charges of murder,violation of citizenry and intentional conspiracy against Imperial citizens evading capture on Farnin {twice} before the I.J.F arrested him,revoked his citizenship and banished him as one of the thousands of nameless prisoners.

They say one has to work to earn the right to be called by name once again,it was an move that played on the mind trying to make the prisoners feel as worthless as the Imperial society percieves them to be. Each prisoner was assigned an plot to mine and the minerals would be given to the trade guild drones that would take it through the process of refinement.

Most of the mines where on islands outside the complex surrounded by oceans of magma,but luckily for Xarn he was assigned to an outcropping just outside the complex,he would mine the blackish rock with his drilling laser alongside several other prisoners while an human warden kept close watch under his environment suit. Because both the prisoners and Wardens wore such suits to protect them from the hostile environment it was an effective excuse to get back into the complex.

"Hey I think my suit is damaged." The warden would call Xarn over to inspect his suit {Xarn made an tear before he walked over} seeing this tear the warden escorted Xarn back into the miner barracks using his keycard to open the locker for the enviroment suits.

Without warning Xarn used his strength to push the warden to the ground where an struggle began,Xarn was able to break his arms free and in an opening he punched hard down on the warden breaking the glass of his visor and creating cuts around Xarn's fists.While the warden squealed with the pain of glass shards embedded in his eyes Xarn removed his pistol,disabled the safety and without mercy fired several shots into the Warden causing him to go limp as red blood began to drip out of his crimson vest.

Xarn quickly picked up his keycard and used it to open the door from the barracks to the outer complex....He had to move fast there was an ship scheduled for docking on landing bay 77 which was not far from here....He could rush to it and commandeer it before the Imperials can catch up.

To Xarn his plan was fullproof but to the Imperials it was beyond flawed as the alarm soon rang and the guards tightened the security as patrols rushed across the complex walls.

An few human regulars spotted Xarn and ordered him to stop....He refused as Xarn broke into an sprint across the open courtyard...The regulars opened fire but luckily for Xarn he was fast enough to evade before they narrowed their sights upon them.

He would be home free if not for one thing.

The direct route to the landing bay would require him to jump an 10 meter channel of molten rock,his enviroment suit would weigh down his jump....But he had little choice...The Imperials closed in and Xarn could hear the Legionnaire's dropships approaching he ran and upon reaching the edge he jumped.

Time seemed to slow for him....He was getting closer and closer to freedom...Then he felt an sharp pang against his back....He started to feel cold as the bullet worked it's way through his chest,then he fell hitting hard against the wall and slid down to the molten rock.....There was no screams of pain....Just the sizzle of heat as he was consumed by the orange liquid.

This was unacceptable......The warden was confirmed dead and the security of the outer complex was tightened....Xarn's actions would place the prisoners of Turun at odds with the already hated wardens keeping them under control.

On the closing of the month the Viscount prepared her report for Admiral Era Makass to send to the Imperial Court and Serpentum Civil Administration for review.

She would be praised for her management of the foundry world which would play an important role in future developments,over 54% of the Imperium's industry would be centered in Turun alone....

The Serpentum Legion would dedicate special training sites on Turun for training legionarres in volcanic conditions seeing as it would be expensive and dangerous to recreate training sites on Argatu for it.The 201st Legion would make Turun their home even making their emblem an stylized burning Cog to symbolize Turun.

The massive requirement for an workforce would eliminate an good deal of unemployment in the entire Imperium for quite some time,and after it's establishment the Imperium slowly began to rebuild their former glory....One project at an time.

Much to the Viscount's glee,one of the renowned forgemasters would make his home here,this respected master of engineering and design would inspire the masses of workers hoping to even scratch the same level of experience,elegance and mastery that the forgemasters possessed.It was an great honour considering they keep to themselves in solitude on New Serpentum,this forgemaster kept to himself in an part of the complex kept private for him.

Deep below the molten earth unbeknownst to the Imperials stirs and ancient and powerful force the source of their energy surges from earlier....It's slumber disturbed by the trivial complexities of the mortals above....The power would stir an ancient head lowering it once more to slumber allowing the mortals to continue their work.....

...For the moment.....

Turun would endure an great hardship in its future one that will shake the very core of the Varanus faith.....an faith once lost and rebuilt on lies and deceit.....an faith corrupted by power-hungry priests.