Pacifica

Perhaps the most important route in the Gorgonis Sector is the Cambion Spur, one of the few permanently navigable warp lanes providing a stable passage through the Eye of Terror. At one end, firmly within Imperial space, is Gorgonis Major, the sector's capital world and the staging ground for the regular incursions into the Lost Worlds whenever the warp storms abate. The residents of Gorgonis Major think of themselves as the Imperium's last line of defense against all the scum and villainy the Eye of Terror has to offer, and pride themselves on holding out the most steadfast bastion of Imperial law in such a lawless part of the galaxy.

But if you told the people of Pacifica about that, they'd laugh at you. In fact, you wouldn't be the first - nor would you be the first to receive such a response.

Located at the other end of the Cambion Spur from Gorgonis Major, Pacifica is a dusty desert planet, possessing an arid climate and no large bodies of water. It would be just another backwater, were it not for the fact that it is one of the Lost Worlds - those planets officially subject to the Imperium but located within the Eye of Terror. In fact, of the Lost Worlds, Pacifica is perhaps the one that, more than any of its cousins, wants to be part of the Imperium.

Pacifica might not have much to offer in terms of natural resources - it is primarily an industrial world, its citizens working in fuel refineries in the vast sand flats or salvaging scrap from the wreckage of machinery peppering the landscape. But it is fiercely loyal, and it holds itself as being the Imperium's last true holdout within the Eye of Terror, refusing to harbor criminals or deviate from the Emperor's law. Being that Pacifica - unlike Gorgonis Major - is surrounded by lawless and often hostile worlds usually beyond the Imperium's reach, its Imperial Commander, Artorius Macduff, insists it holds a stronger claim to the title of the Imperium's most far-flung yet fearless outpost.

Pacifica's unique status gives it an interesting position in the baroque monstrosity that is Imperial politics. Officially, it is a full Imperial vassal and pays a tithe to the priesthood in the form of refined chemicals and ores. However, in practice, Pacifica's position on the inside of the Eye of Terror has made it almost impossible to interface with the greater Imperium most of the year. As such, the Administratum only collects tithes when the Eye of Terror blinks and its ships can access the Lost Worlds without going through the criminal-controlled Cambion Spur. Desperate to uphold his image as a loyal servant of the Imperium and court the favor of the priesthood, Commander Macduff insists that citizens set aside a portion of their production to stockpile for the Administratum's next visit, no matter how far off that might be. Often, the temple storerooms are filled with multiple years' worth of tithe, all waiting to be paid in full. This has not made him popular with the industrial corporations under his rule, who see it as an unnecessary drain on business.

With the only reliable supply lines under the thumb of Mahaniraya Station, and Imperial reinforcements only coming every few years, Pacifica has had to live a largely self-sufficient existence - not the easiest of tasks given its paucity of arable land. To make do with its lack of resources, its population is small, living mostly in a few scattered cities, and strict rationing is enforced by the planetary authorities. Its Planetary Defense Force, though trained to repel incursions by pirates and other threats, is equipped with weapons and vehicles decades behind the most cutting-edge technology the Imperium can muster. Still, its people are a resolute folk who will enforce the Emperor's will upon the most desolate reaches of the galaxy...at least, that's what the official line is.

Commander Macduff's pro-Imperial policies are a source of contention with the common rabble of Pacifica, most of whom have never seen an off-worlder and don't see why they should be forced to make do with limited supplies while the Commander hordes their valuables. This has never crossed into armed revolt, but rumors spread of a growing movement among some cities and factories to withhold their tithe in protests.

If such a rebellion were to emerge, it could mean big changes for Pacifica. Commander Macduff has caught wind of these rumors, and has brought on a new addition to his court: Inquisitor Eleonora Greyfax. The Commander hopes that having an Inquisitor stationed on Pacifica will quell any unrest in the populace and remind everyone that the planet is still proudly an Imperial one. Failing that, he is prepared to institute martial law if the situation calls for it.

However, as an Inquisitor, Greyfax's loyalties are only to the Emperor, not to Macduff. Further, she has her own grudge to bear - she is the second child of a prominent noble house on Earth, and her family has arranged for her to be sent away to the furthest corner of the Imperium, where they can be sure she'll be cut off from the rest of the galaxy most of the year, to prevent her from meddling in their plans for succession. In her time since arriving on Pacifica, Greyfax has begun to suspect that there were forces other than the Emperor behind placing her there, and she could well be swayed to act against the Commander's interests.