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Cohortes Urbanae of Etruscis:Cowards die many times before their actual deaths. - Colonel Caesar, Siege of Alesia, 599.M38.History:Planet:An orbital view of Etruscis, 746.M30Chopix III, informally known as Etruscis to the inhabitants, is a hive world located in the Chopix system of the Forsarr Sector of the Segmentum Tempestus. It has a current population of 79 billion, of which 1 billion are part of the PDF and around 180 million are part of the Cohortes Urbanae. The Imperial Tithe is paid in the form of 250 billion tons of carapace armor and flak armor per year and the 30000 guard regiments in service of the Astra Militarum. This puts Etruscis at the tithe grade of Exactis Extremis, the highest level in the Imperium. The primary export is armor and shielding, which goes to everyone from Bullgryns to the Raven Guard Space Marines of the nearby moon of Deliverance, and the primary import is plasteel, ceramite, and food.Forsarr Sector. The Chopix System is in between Kastorel, Magdelene, and Lycaeus.Originally colonized during the Dark Age of Technology, this Hive World was the second greatest producer of materials in the area. During the Age of Strife, Tech-Priests from Kiavhr quickly annexed the world and enslaved to population to produce good for their own means. The oppressive rule of the Tech-Priests continued until the revolt of Corvus Corax. When the minerals from Lycaeus stopped coming, Etruscis fell into a long civil war that only ended when ships from Kivahir proclaimed the fall of the Tech-Guilds and the leadership of Corvus Corax. During the Great Crusade, Kiavhr and Etruscis quickly became the Raven Guard’s main suppliers. During the Horus Heresy, the Dark Mechanicus launched an invasion of Etruscis that was primarily composed of various Traitor Titan Legions after the battle of Ravendelve. Kiavhr and the Forge World of Gryphonne IV responded in kind by deploying portions the Legio Vindictus and Legio Gryphonicus respectively. The resulting conflict lasted 4 years and was only relieved after Raven Guard and Therion Cohort coming back from assaulting the Perfect Fortress managed to cripple the enemy with a flanking maneuver. The resulting battle left heavy casualties on both sides, and the beleaguered reclaimators left behind a lot of equipment, particularly Secutarii weapons and shields.1st Siege of Etruscis.After the Horus Heresy and the death of over half of the population during the 1st Siege of Etruscis, the citizens quickly militarized and formed the planet’s first planetary militia and Imperial Guard Regiments, supplied by the factories of Kiavahr. Although the population recovered to the pre-Heresy levels by M34, the impact of the siege resulted in a highly militarized Hive World where the Imperial Guard and the PDF were seen as the pinnacles of society, and public office required service in the Guard. However, there was nothing notable about Etruscis’s Guardsmen aside from the better-than-average morale of the units until the 2nd Siege of Etruscis in 724.M35.Reinforcements liberating the outskirts of a hive, 2nd Siege of Etruscis.The 2nd Siege of Etruscis was a critical point in the foundation of the Cohortes Urbanae. In 724.M35, another Dark Mechanicum fleet attacked, this time under the control of Archmagos Anníbas Bárkas with the traitorous Legio Frostreaver Titan Legion. At the same time, multiple Chaos Cults, various criminal organizatiosn, and other scum launched an attack on every Hive Cities. The local PDF and the Adeptus Arbites were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the cultists and were forced up the Hive Cities, ceding valuable positions such as arsenals, factories, and storage facilities. In the chaos (pun intended), the Dark Mechanicum quickly landed and took multiple Hive Cities.Seeing the crisis, the planetary governors ceded control over to Colonel Marius, the commander of the only Imperial Guard Regiment currently on the planet. However, the reason that the regiment was on the planet was because it was waiting to be refitted, and was woefully under-equipped as a result. In a stroke of inspiration that came to be known as the Marian Reforms, Marius gave his troops Mag-Inverter Shields from Secutarii Hoplite remains to supplement their lack of armor and sent them to reclaim the capital Hive City. The shields proved to be highly effective and could be used while marching with a laspistol or in 2 person fire-teams where one guardsman shields another person with a lasgun.Beleaguered PDF forces joined the regiment and were likewise equipped with a shield. The gangs and cultists frequently did not have enough firepower to penetrate the shields, and the well-protected fire-teams easily suppressed assaults. This processed repeated itself over multiple contested Hive Cities and the Regiment swelled from 3 companies to 10 companies as the PDF joined the liberation force.Mag-Inverter Shield. They can absorb the energy of a blast and use it charge weapons. Typically found on Secutarii Hoplites.The style of urban warfare hampered the traitor Titans’ movements as cultists were forced back and the Titans could not support them in the small corridors of the Hives. As such, the PDF and the Imperial Guard held off the attackers for over a year until reinforcements from Kiavahr finally drove off the attackers. The resounding success of the regiment during the siege impressed even the Segmentum Command, and they order Marius to restructure the Imperial Regiments of Etruscis. Although there was some backlash from the Adeptus Mechanicus trying to reclaim their Secutarii tech, a compromise was reached where the Adeptus Mechanicus reclaimed the Mag-Inverter Shields but provided Etruscis with information on how to manufacture smaller Bullgryn Slab shields, which provided a similar role at a similar effectiveness. The Marian Reforms converted a relatively normal regiment into a unit held as the pinnacle of defense and urban warfare among the Astra Militarum.Organization (Post-Marian Reforms):Individual:Typical Guardsman Layout without a laspistol: Gun, Combat Knife, shield.Guardsmen of the Cohortes Urbanae have the following equipment: a lasgun, combat knife, a laspistol, and a Slab shield. The lasgun typically is for long-range combat and is normally used in 2-person fire-teams in the open field, one holding a shield and the other with the lasgun or individually with the shield attached to the back or planting the shield in the ground. Knives are typically very straight and are meant for stabbing actions while taking cover from the shield. Laspistols are used while marching or when a shield is needed as they are less cumbersome than the lasgun to use in conjunction with the shield.Typical individual firing formationThe Slab shield is a notable part of the typical guardsman and its greatest advantage. Typically used by Ogryn abhumans, the legion has adapted the shields for use by the much smaller humans, but the concept has remained the same. The shield can interlock with other shields to provide a uniform wall, and the shield can also be planted on the ground to be used as a temporary fortification. A shutter has also been added to the viewport as to fire from a protected position. As normal shields are very heavy, the strongest guardsmen go in the front with larger shields to better defend the unit, and thinner shields are distributed to the rearmost members of a platoon.Slab Shields. Typically around 10 feet tall, the shield has been reduced to 5 feet tall and 2.5 feet wide to be more portable. The shields also lock together, forming an impenetrable wall that can stop anything short of a tank shell.Armor is typically Carapace armor as it provides greater protection and is a major export of Etruscis, making it easy to obtain. Each guardsman is equipped with a full enclosed helmet that also doubles as a short-range vox reciever and gas mask.Typical helmet.Carapace armor on a Cadian Guardsman. Carapace is made up of various plates of ceramite.Heavy weapon squads typically field lighter armor and do not have a Brute Shield. In addition to combat gear, every guardsmen carries a 9–70 Entrenching Tool, 2 weeks of rations, 2 frag and 2 Photon Flash Grenades, sleeping pack, lamp pack, and the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer in a rucksack.Platoon Level:Each platoon is 1 out of 4 that form a company, and they are divided into 6 squads of 10 people. The first 5 are normal squads with 10 guardsmen. The 6th squad is a logistics and medical team, and they are equipped with larger vox-casters, medi-packs, and surveyors. There also are 1 special weapons team - typically equipped with grenade launchers or snipers - and 2 heavy weapons teams normally equipped with Icarus-pattern lascannons or mortars. Finally, there is the command squad, which consists of the Lieutenant and 4 veteran troopers. In total, there are 75 troops in a platoon.Organization of a Company.Company Level:4 platoons plus a command squad with a Captain make up a company. 20 companies form a regiment, which means there are typically around 6,000 men in a regiment, making the Cohortes Urbanae regiments some of the largest in the Astra Militarum. Each company is in a increasing order of prestige, with the 1st Company of each regiment being the most elite regiment. Colonels lead regiments and have a command squad with 10 veterans in them. There are also around 30 commissars, 25 enginseers from the Adeptus Mechanicus, 20 pyskers, and around 200 men from Ministorum in each regiment, making a total of 275 auxiliary personnel. No abhumans have ever been part of the Cohortes Urbanae due to the absence of any in the Forsarr sector.Formations:Typically it is up to the Colonel’s discretion on how to deploy troops, but there are preset formations that have been proven effective time and time again. On a platoon level, there is the Testudo. The first row has their shields facing forward, and the rows behind keep their shields up. This provides maximum protection from direct and arced incoming fire. Occasionally, the sides of the testudo lower their shields to protect from sideways fire. This formation is typically used when marching under fire. A variant where the 2nd line has lasguns peeking out of the formation to provide fire is frequently used on the battlefield. This is used both in urban combat and on the field, allowing for a stalwart defense or a systematic march with minimal casualties.Testudo Formation.On a regimental level, companies are typically deployed in 2 lines. The 1st to 8th companies make up the first line, and the 9th to 16th companies make up the second line to act as reserves and supporting fire. The 17th to 20th companies make up the reserve and rearguard. Heavy weapons teams are placed in the back to provide supporting fire, and special weapons teams are normally deployed on the side or directly behind their company.Standard Regiment Formation with the numbers of the companies. Artillery consists of heavy weapons squads with mortars or heavy weapons from an armoured regiment.Every regiment has been drilled to quickly build roads and defensive fortifications called castrum. Roads can be built as fast as 3 miles an hour by a legion and can support even the heaviest tanks. Castrum can be built in a quarter of a Terran day and are notoriously strong fortifications. In one instance, a mob of Orks captured an abandoned castrum, and despite being outnumbered 10 to 1 by the Guard, it stood for a week before the besieging guard just gave up and ordered a planetary bombardment of the castrum.Role: The Cohortes tend to focus more on urban combat and sieges, but they can be deployed to any battlefield while still performing very effectively. Their versatility allows them to be a general jack-of-all-trades, but they need to be supported by lighter elements due to their own lack of mobility.Special Forces: The Cohortes have their own version of elite stormtroopers called Praefectus Urbi, which are used as shock troops to break through heavily contested points. The Praefectus Urbi are selected from the first cohorts of other regiments and assigned to a nominal Praefectus regiment. Although they are called a regiment, these elite units frequently get broken down to companies or platoons, which are then attached to other regiments who need them. Their equipment is also much better than the normal regiments, replacing lasguns with hellguns and hellpistols, as well as the addition of the very rare refractor fields to officers of these units, which were hoarded by the Tech-Priests who used to rule Etruscis. Out of the 30,000 regiments of Cohortes, there are only 30 regiments of Praefectus.Hellpistol.Armoured Regiments:The Cohortes Urbanae do not field many armoured regiments, and the few they do frequently serve as artillery support and troop transports rather than MBTs to the regiments that they are with. The armoured regiments always consist of the following: 3 companies of 10 Chimeras with modified Siege Shields, 2 companies of 10 Centaurs towing Heavy Mortars, 1 company of 10 Leman Russ Annihilators, and 1 Leman Russ Command Tank. There also is 1 recon squadron consisting of 3 Sentinels each and 1 anti-aircraft squadron with 3 Hydra Flak Tanks. Doomhammer super-heavy tanks are fielded as anti-Titan and anti-armour support.Armoured Regiment OrganizationSiege Shield Dozer Blade. These have been modified to fit on a Chimera chassis rather than the traditional Rhino chassis and provide a greater measure of defense.Heavy Mortar and Centaur Tank.Leman Russ Annihilator. The 2 lascannons can quickly melt most tanks’ armor.Chimera Transport without Siege Shield.Hydra Flak TankSentinel WalkerDoomhammer Super-Heavy TankTypically, the armoured regiment is interspersed within the infantry regiment with the Heavy Mortars serving as artillery support, Annihilators and Doomhammers serving as anti-armor vehicles, Flak Tanks serving as anti-air support, Sentinels serving as reconnaissance, and Chimeras providing additional firepower and shielding in urban warfare or initiating flanking maneuvers on the open field. Like the traditional company, an armoured regiment is headed by a colonel and each company is led by a captain. It is also important to note that Centaurs can be used independently of their mortar, providing a light carrier or transport supplies.Recruitment, Training, and Advancement:The Cohortes Urbanae are the apex of Etruscis society, and their training reflects that. Candidates are chosen from the best of the PDF and undergo a rigorous physical and written test to determine their skills. The highest scoring candidates are admitted into officer training, where they are rigorously trained in leadership and tactics. The remaining members undergo physical training and drilling that perfects the iconic formations of the Cohortes. When the training is finished, recruits join the 20th company of a regiment. Eventually due to field losses, guardsmen will move all the way up to the 2nd or 1st companies and new recruits will fill the gaps in the lower companies. Sergeants tend to be veterans from the 1st or 2nd Companies who are placed in other companies to stiffen morale and provide leadership. On extremely rare occasions, Sergeants can be promoted to Lieutenant when there is a lack of capable officers or they have done something extremely meritorious. Lieutenants are the first commissioned officers, and they stay with their platoons unless reassigned by the Captain or Colonel to replace another officer. Captains follow a similar command hierarchy as the guardsmen, with lowered-numbered cohorts being more prestigious and the Captain of the 1st Company being the next in line to the position of Colonel. Command Squads operate separately from the rest of the regiment and work directly under their commanding officer. They are handpicked by the Officer from the group they command.Societal Impacts:Etruscis has a very militaristic society after the devastating 1st and 2nd Sieges of Etruscis, which wiped out much of the civilian population. Military service pays extremely well, and it is mandatory for many jobs to hold a prior military position. In fact, only 4 planetary governors have not been a Colonel or higher in the 5 millennia after the Marian Reforms. its 1 billion-strong PDF is one of the largest and best equipped in the Segmentum and is frequently deployed across the entire Forsarr Sector, particularly during the recent WAAGH of Garaghak and the subsequent reclamation of the Hive World of Forsarr.Interactions with other organizations:Adeptus Astartes: Most of the chapters that were spun off from the Imperial Fists tend to like the Cohortes Urbanae due to their specialization in urban warfare and defense. Many of the most famous campaigns of the Cohortes have been fought alongside Imperial Fist chapters such as Heraclea, Alesia, Teutoburg, and many others. They also get along with the Raven Guard as their quick and surgical style of warfare complements the defensive Cohortes, allowing for hammer-and-anvil strategies. Also, the Raven Guard are the closest chapter to Etruscis and their Primarch, Corvus Corax, helped liberate their planet millennia ago.Imperial Navy: The Imperial Navy occasionally requests the Cohortes for ship security and boarding action due to their shields and specialization in close-quarters urban combat that is useful while boarding or being boarded.Officio Prefectus/Commissars: The life of Commissars working with the Cohortes tends to easy, and they mostly devote themselves to keeping an eye on any psykers working with the regiment. The rigorous selection tests weed out most of the cowards, and the officers take great effort to discipline their unit. In fact, officers have been known to inflict punishments harsher than the Commissars, such as the time Colonel Aurelian caught a squad of Cohortes who deserted, and individually tied each of their limbs to 4 different Centaurs that subsequently tore each of the deserters apart.Ecclesiarchy: The Ecclesiarchy and the Cohortes have a relatively hostile relationship in the present after the fall of Magdelene IX during WAAAGH! Garaghak. The Cohortes and Etruscis’ PDF decided it would be more pragmatic to fortify their own planet before it was overrun rather than aid the Imperial Shrine World, and the Ecclesiarchy has hated the Cohortes ever since.Adeptus Mechanicus: Many of the Cohortes’ most famous campaigns have been against Traitor Titan Legions such as Zama, the Pyrrhic Wars, and both Sieges of Etruscis. Due to fighting against these titans as well as their former enslavement during the Age of Strife, many of the guardsmen are suspicious about any Mechanicum influence. In the Mechanicus’ eyes, the original regiments during the 2nd Siege of Etruscis attempted to take Mechanicum technology and use it for their own means, so both sides distrust each other.Notable Campaigns:Pyrrhic Wars (016.127.M36-417.127.M36):Less than 500 years after the Marian Reforms, 9 infantry regiments and 1 armoured regiment were sent to the reinforce the system of Tarentum, which was under attack by Traitor Imperial Guardsmen and Titan Legions. There, the Cohortes were assigned to the central position of Siris, where they weathered 7 attacks before having to withdraw when the less-disciplined guardsmen on their flank broke. The regiments then fell back to Asculum, where their stand was the first among many legends. Arrayed against insurmountable odds, the Cohortes managed to stand against multiple attacks and managed to take down all Titans committed to the attack. Eventually through sheer fore of numbers, their position was overrun, but the casualties incurred by the Chaos forces forced them to withdraw from the planet.Siege of Qart-Hadast (Hadast IV) (239.289.M37-417.318.M37):Initial Deployment during the Battle of Zama.In 280.M37, a warp-jump accidentally led to the discovery of a Dark Mechnicum Forge World in the Segmentum Solar. Another fleet from the Mechanicus surveyed the world and discovered it was home to several Traitor Titan Legions and Archmagos Anníbas Bárkas, who had previously besieged Etruscis. When the Planetary Governor, Scipio Africanus, recieved word of this discovery, he immediately lobbied Segmentum Command to deploy all possible Cohortes regiments to assist in the invasion. In the end, over 500 regiments (3 million guardsmen) of the Cohortes were redeployed to help retake the Forge World. Supplementing the force were Imperial Knights of House Raven, several Skitarii Legions, a company from the Hammers of Dorn, and around 200 other Imperial Guard regiments. After an uncontested landing, a primary push was made towards the central manufactorum, and the Dark Mechanicum forces met the spearhead at Zama. During the battle, Archmagos Anníbas deployed his 4 Traitor Titan Legions in front of the main force of Traitor Guardsmen and Skitarii to attempt to disrupt the enemies’ lines. However, Scipio prepared for this and set his formation so that there were empty spaces in the Titan’s field of fire. In these spaces, he placed the various Tank-Hunters of the armor such as Doomhammers and Shadowswords. As a result, the titans were not able to heavily disrupt their lines and were quickly eliminated. However, Anníbas still had the advantages of numbers and ordered a charge against the main line. The Cohortes stood their ground long enough that the armour and Knights on the flanks were able to envelop and annihilate most of the Chaos forces. Although most of the Dark Mechanicum’s forces were destroyed, it took over 20 years to finally recover the Forge World.Parthia System Campaign (637.723.M37–107.730.M37):Harlequins cutting through an Imperial Guard Regiment.In 723.M37, an Eldar Craftworld of an unknown name appeared in the Parthia System of the Segmentum Tempestus and immediately attacked the system. Several regiments of Cohortes were sent to reinforce defensive positions, but the lack of mobility and range against the Eldar quickly hindered them. Attempts to move into lasgun range resulted in the Eldar rangers simply retreating and the vaunted Testudo formations were devastated by artillery and Harlequins. In the end, after incurring 80% losses and only managing to kill a handful of Eldar, the regiments retreated. The punishment inflicted by the Planetary Governors upon hearing of the humiliating defeat was legendary and became known as the decimation. The surviving guardsmen were forced to beat a tenth of their comrades to death, and the colonel in command of the force, Colonel Crassus, had molten gold poured down his mouth for his incompetence. Reinforcements were later sent, but all they managed to do was hold a small series of forts on the main world of Parthia Prime. Eventually, the Imperium withdrew after 7 years of no progress and heavy casualties, leaving the Eldar to their own machinations.Gallic Wars (874.527.M38–789.600.M38):Raven Guard fighting in the streets of the Ork Settlement, Siege of Alesia, 599.M38.Around 200.M38, an unnamed Ork WAAAGH! overwhelmed the Gallic Sector, which is right next the Forsarr Sector in the Segmentum Tempestus. It was also home to a relatively large Armoury World and 2 Feudal Worlds. After decimating the Imperial garrisons, the WAAAGH! consisting of billions of orks broke into numerous warring factions. The Departmento Munitorum obviously wanted to retake the armoury world, and in 527.M38, they successfully petitioned the Astra Militarum to launch a crusade. Unfortunately, the 9th Black Crusade was currently underway, so the Crusade primarily consisted of Cohortes rather than the more renowned Cadian Guardsmen. However, the Estruscis did respond in force, sending 10 million Cohortes and 50 million PDF. Other regiments from around the galaxy were also pooled together, including famous regiments such as the 81st Cadian Armoured, the Armageddon 9th Steel Legion, and the Praetorian Vth, bringing a total of 120 million Guardsmen. In addition, the Raven Guard and the Knights of Dorn also joined the Crusade, along with a sizeable detachment from the Imperial Navy. The Crusade swept through the sector with significant force, and the divided Orks were too busy fighting amongst themselves to be of any significant resistance. By 574.M38, 3/4 of the sector was liberated, leaving only the Armoury World, Alesia, and its surrounding systems to liberate. However, the Orks managed to reunite under a Warboss called Vercingetorix, and the subsequent WAAAGH! nearly ended the Crusade. However, the current planetary governor, Caesar, decided to take command of the expeditionary force. He decided to head straight to the Armoury World, Alesia, and eliminate the warboss. After landing, his forces plowed through the Orks, setting up hundreds of Castrum to defend supply lines to the landing zone. Eventually, they reached the Ork settlement and began to besiege it. Dozens of Castrum were set up, encircling the Warboss with a series of forts, camps, and batteries. The fortifications bore fruit when a relief force consisting of nearly a billion Orks on the planet assailed the besieging force along with a sally led by Vercingetorix. The Imperial Guard held steady, and the web of trenches around the city successfully repulsed the attack. After 2 years of bombardment and numerous failed relief attempts, Caesar led an attack into the settlement. While the Cohortes cleared out the streets in concert with the other regiments, a Raven Guard strike force managed to kill Vercingetorix, ending the WAAAGH! and reclaiming the Armoury World. For his leadership during battle, Caesar was promoted to Lord Commander of the Segmentum Tempestus, but he was assassinated shortly after by one of his advisers who believed he was corrupted by Chaos.WAAAGH! Gharaghak (170.936.M41-Present):Progress of WAAAGH! Garaghak/In 170.936.M41, a small warband took the world of Thoria III completely by surprise and captured it. From there, the WAAAGH! began to evolve into a large horde, with thousands of Orks joining by the day. At Tallarax, it was believed that 5 regiments of Cohortes would stop the horde, but bad intelligence meant that they were outnumbered nearly 100,000 to 1 and were subsequently annihilated. As the Orks gained momentum and smashed apart any attempt at defense, the Planetary Governor of Etruscis, Hadrian, began to consolidate his forces. The PDF was doubled in size, and he attempted to gather every single Cohortes regiment back to the planet. The WAAAGH! then smashed through the defenses of Forsarr, which included a 100 Cohortes regiments and nearly 2 million other Guardsmen. Hadrian then decided to keep his forces on Etruscis to fortify and to not aid the Shrine World of Magdelene IX. This decision infuriated the Ecclesiarchy and ruined the relationship between them and the Cohortes. However, the time was well spent. Major roads between the Hives were fortified with a Castrum at every mile, and a complex network of trenches stretched the gaps between each fort. Hives were turned into fortresses, with choke points established at every corner and many buildings turned in strongpoints. Defense lasers were even further fortified to the point that they could withstand a siege for nearly a decade. This network of defenses was known as Hadrian’s Wall, and it was guarded by much of the planets billion-strong PDF. At this point, the fortifications were one of the strongest in the galaxy, only being surpassed by Cadia and Holy Terra itself. The 20 million Cohortes Hadrian could amass were designated as reserve so that they could reinforce areas that were under heavy attack while still having the mobility to respond to other threats. The Crimson Fists lent a company of Space Marines that further improved on the network of defenses and were a key part of the siege, leading strategic sallies to blunt assaults and saving many defenses from an overwhelming tide of Orks. After all the preparation, the WAAAGH! arrived and landed in 148.999.M41, besieging the planet. Currently, one hive has been lost, and 2 others have been encircled and will soon fall, but more Astra Militarum forces are on their way with the Revilers, Aurora, and Death Eagles Space Marine Chapters coming to end the WAAAGH on the planet.

Since you ask how micro/hybrid grids CAN be set up, I'll offer another solution I wrote up a few years ago. It's a new solution which hasn't been implemented anywhere (to my knowledge) yet but it is certainly one way to organize a grid structure of any size to benefit all customers, generators and transmission line owners and do so on any scale. The problem is that it removes most of the potential for monopolies to game the system so it has zero political support. The original article can be found on John Baez's wonderfully entertaining Azimuth at The Living Smart GridThe Living Smart Gridguest post by Todd McKissickThe last few years, in energy circles, people have begun the public promotion of what they call the smart grid. This is touted as providing better control, prediction and utilization of our nation’s electrical grid system. However, it doesn’t provide anyone except the utilities more benefits. It’s expected to cost much more and to actually take away some of the convenience of having all the power you want, when you want it.We can do better.Let’s investigate the benefits of some changes to their so called smart grid. If implemented, these changes will allow instant indirect control and balance of all local grid sections while automatically keeping supply in check with demand. It can drastically cut the baseload utilization of existing transmission lines. It can provide early benefits from running it in pseudo parallel mode with no changes at all by simply publishing customer specific real-time prices. Once that gains some traction, a full implementation only requires adding smart meters to make it work. Both of these stages can be adopted at any rate and benefits only as much as it is adopted. Since it allows Demand Reduction (DR) and Distributed Generation (DG) from any small source to compete in price fairly with the big boys, it encourages tremendous competition between both generators and consumers.To initiate this process, the real-time price must be determined for each customer. This is easily done at the utility by breaking down their costs and overhead into three categories. First, generation is monitored at its location. Second, transmission is monitored for its contribution. Both of these are being done already, so nothing new yet. Third, distribution needs to be monitored at all the nodes and end points in the customer’s last leg of the chain. Much of this is done and the rest is being done or planned through various smart meter movements. Once all three of these prices are broken down, they can be applied to the various groups of customers and feeder segments. This yields a total price to each customer that varies in real time with all the dynamics built in. By simply publishing that price online, it signals the supply/demand imbalance that applies to them.This is where the self correction aspect of the system comes into play. If a transmission line goes down, the affected customers’ price will instantly spike, immediately causing loads to drop offline and storage systems and generation systems to boost their output. This is purely price driven so no hard controls are sent to the customer equipment to make this happen. Should a specific load be set to critical use, like a lifeline system for a person or business, they have less risk of losing power completely but will pay an increased amount for the duration of the event. Even transmission rerouting decisions can be based on the price, allowing neighboring local grids to export their excess to aid a nearby shortfall. Should an area find its price trending higher or lower over time, the economics will easily point to whatever and wherever something is needed to be added to the system. This makes forecasting the need for new equipment easier at both the utility and the customer level.If CO2 or some other emission charge was created, it can quickly be added to the cost of individual generators, allowing the rest of the system to re-balance around it automatically.Once the price is published, people will begin tracking their home and heavy loading appliances to calculate their exact electrical bill. When they learn they can adapt usage profiles and save money, they will create systems to automatically do so. This will lead to intelligent and power saving appliances, a new generation of smart thermostats, short cycling algorithms in HVAC and even more home automation. The result of these operations is to balance demand to supply.When this process begins, the financial incentive becomes real for the customer, attracting them to request live billing. This can happen as small as one customer at a time for anyone with a smart meter installed. Both customer and utility benefit from their switchover.A truly intelligent system like this eliminates the necessity of full grid replacement that some people are proposing. Instead, it focuses on making the existing one more stable. Incrementally and in proportion to adoption, the grid stability and redundancy will naturally increase without further cost. The appliance manufacturers already have many load predictive products waiting for the market to call for them so the cost to advance this whole system is fully redundant with the cost of replacement meters which is already happening or planned soon. We need to ensure that the new meters have live rate capability.This is the single biggest solution to our energy crisis. It will standardize grid interconnection which will entice distributed generation (DG). As it stands now, most utilities view DG in a negative light with regards to grid stability. Many issues such as voltage, frequency and phase regulation are often topics they cite. In reality, however, the current inverter standards ensure that output is appropriately synchronized. The same applies to power factor issues. While reducing power sent via the grid directly reduces the load, it’s only half of the picture.DG with storage and vehicle-to-grid hybrids both give the customer an opportunity to save up their excess and sell it to the grid when it earns the most. By giving them the live prices, they will also be encouraged to grow their market. It is an obvious outgrowth for them to buy and store power from the grid in the middle of the night and sell it back for a profit during afternoon peaks. In fact this is already happening in some markets.Demand reduction (DR), or load shedding, acts the same as onsite generation in that it reduces the power sent via the grid. It also acts similar to storage in that it can time shift loads to cheaper rate periods. To best take advantage of this, people will utilize increasingly better algorithms for price prediction. The net effect is thousands of individuals competing on prediction techniques to flatten out the peaks into the valleys of the grid’s daily profile. This competition will be in direct proportion to the local grid instability in a given area.According to Peter Mark Jansson and John Schmalzel [1]:From material utilization perspectives significant hardware is manufactured and installed for this infrastructure often to be used at less than 20-40% of its operational capacity for most of its lifetime. These inefficiencies lead engineers to require additional grid support and conventional generation capacity additions when renewable technologies (such as solar and wind) and electric vehicles are to be added to the utility demand/supply mix. Using actual data from the PJM [PJM 2009] the work shows that consumer load management, real time price signals, sensors and intelligent demand/supply control offer a compelling path forward to increase the efficient utilization and carbon footprint reduction of the world’s grids. Underutilization factors from many distribution companies indicate that distribution feeders are often operated at only 70-80% of their peak capacity for a few hours per year, and on average are loaded to less than 30-40% of their capability.At this time the utilities are limiting adoption rates to a couple percent. A well known standardization could replace that with a call for much more. Instead of discouraging participation, it will encourage innovation and enhance forecasting and do so without giving away control over how we wish to use our power. Best of all, it is paid for by upgrades that are already being planned. How's that for a low cost SMART solution?[1] Peter Mark Jansson and John Schmalzel, Increasing utilization of US electric grids via smart technologies: integration of load management, real time pricing, renewables, EVs and smart grid sensors, The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society 7, 47-60.

Cohortes Urbanae of Etruscis:Cowards die many times before their actual deaths. - Colonel Caesar, Siege of Alesia, 599.M38.History:Planet:An orbital view of Etruscis, 746.M30[1]Chopix III, informally known as Etruscis to the inhabitants, is a hive world located in the Chopix system of the Forsarr Sector of the Segmentum Tempestus. It has a current population of 79 billion, of which 1 billion are part of the PDF and around 180 million are part of the Cohortes Urbanae. The Imperial Tithe is paid in the form of 250 billion tons of carapace armor and flak armor per year and the 30000 guard regiments in service of the Astra Militarum. This puts Etruscis at the tithe grade of Exactis Extremis, the highest level in the Imperium. The primary export is armor and shielding, which goes to everyone from Bullgryns to the Raven Guard Space Marines of the nearby moon of Deliverance, and the primary import is plasteel, ceramite, and food.Forsarr Sector. The Chopix System is in between Kastorel, Magdelene, and Lycaeus[2].Originally colonized during the Dark Age of Technology, this Hive World was the second greatest producer of materials in the area. During the Age of Strife, Tech-Priests from Kiavhr quickly annexed the world and enslaved to population to produce good for their own means. The oppressive rule of the Tech-Priests continued until the revolt of Corvus Corax. When the minerals from Lycaeus stopped coming, Etruscis fell into a long civil war that only ended when ships from Kivahir proclaimed the fall of the Tech-Guilds and the leadership of Corvus Corax. During the Great Crusade, Kiavhr and Etruscis quickly became the Raven Guard’s main suppliers. During the Horus Heresy, the Dark Mechanicus launched an invasion of Etruscis that was primarily composed of various Traitor Titan Legions after the battle of Ravendelve. Kiavhr and the Forge World of Gryphonne IV responded in kind by deploying portions the Legio Vindictus and Legio Gryphonicus respectively. The resulting conflict lasted 4 years and was only relieved after Raven Guard and Therion Cohort coming back from assaulting the Perfect Fortress managed to cripple the enemy with a flanking maneuver. The resulting battle left heavy casualties on both sides, and the beleaguered reclaimators left behind a lot of equipment, particularly Secutarii weapons and shields.1st Siege of Etruscis[3].After the Horus Heresy and the death of over half of the population during the 1st Siege of Etruscis, the citizens quickly militarized and formed the planet’s first planetary militia and Imperial Guard Regiments, supplied by the factories of Kiavahr. Although the population recovered to the pre-Heresy levels by M34, the impact of the siege resulted in a highly militarized Hive World where the Imperial Guard and the PDF were seen as the pinnacles of society, and public office required service in the Guard. However, there was nothing notable about Etruscis’s Guardsmen aside from the better-than-average morale of the units until the 2nd Siege of Etruscis in 724.M35.Reinforcements liberating the outskirts of a hive, 2nd Siege of Etruscis.[4]The 2nd Siege of Etruscis was a critical point in the foundation of the Cohortes Urbanae. In 724.M35, another Dark Mechanicum fleet attacked, this time under the control of Archmagos Anníbas Bárkas with the traitorous Legio Frostreaver Titan Legion. At the same time, multiple Chaos Cults, various criminal organizatiosn, and other scum launched an attack on every Hive Cities. The local PDF and the Adeptus Arbites were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the cultists and were forced up the Hive Cities, ceding valuable positions such as arsenals, factories, and storage facilities. In the chaos (pun intended), the Dark Mechanicum quickly landed and took multiple Hive Cities.Seeing the crisis, the planetary governors ceded control over to Colonel Marius, the commander of the only Imperial Guard Regiment currently on the planet. However, the reason that the regiment was on the planet was because it was waiting to be refitted, and was woefully under-equipped as a result. In a stroke of inspiration that came to be known as the Marian Reforms, Marius gave his troops Mag-Inverter Shields from Secutarii Hoplite remains to supplement their lack of armor and sent them to reclaim the capital Hive City. The shields proved to be highly effective and could be used while marching with a laspistol or in 2 person fire-teams where one guardsman shields another person with a lasgun.Beleaguered PDF forces joined the regiment and were likewise equipped with a shield. The gangs and cultists frequently did not have enough firepower to penetrate the shields, and the well-protected fire-teams easily suppressed assaults. This processed repeated itself over multiple contested Hive Cities and the Regiment swelled from 3 companies to 10 companies as the PDF joined the liberation force.Mag-Inverter Shield. They can absorb the energy of a blast and use it charge weapons. Typically found on Secutarii Hoplites.[5]The style of urban warfare hampered the traitor Titans’ movements as cultists were forced back and the Titans could not support them in the small corridors of the Hives. As such, the PDF and the Imperial Guard held off the attackers for over a year until reinforcements from Kiavahr finally drove off the attackers. The resounding success of the regiment during the siege impressed even the Segmentum Command, and they order Marius to restructure the Imperial Regiments of Etruscis. Although there was some backlash from the Adeptus Mechanicus trying to reclaim their Secutarii tech, a compromise was reached where the Adeptus Mechanicus reclaimed the Mag-Inverter Shields but provided Etruscis with information on how to manufacture smaller Bullgryn Slab shields, which provided a similar role at a similar effectiveness. The Marian Reforms converted a relatively normal regiment into a unit held as the pinnacle of defense and urban warfare among the Astra Militarum.Organization (Post-Marian Reforms):Individual:Typical Guardsman Layout without a laspistol: Gun, Combat Knife, shield.[6]Guardsmen of the Cohortes Urbanae have the following equipment: a lasgun, combat knife, a laspistol, and a Slab shield. The lasgun typically is for long-range combat and is normally used in 2-person fire-teams in the open field, one holding a shield and the other with the lasgun or individually with the shield attached to the back or planting the shield in the ground. Knives are typically very straight and are meant for stabbing actions while taking cover from the shield. Laspistols are used while marching or when a shield is needed as they are less cumbersome than the lasgun to use in conjunction with the shield.Typical individual firing formation[7]The Slab shield is a notable part of the typical guardsmen and its greatest advantage. Typically used by Ogryn abhumans, the legion has adapted the shields for use by the much smaller humans, but the concept has remained the same. The shield can interlock with other shields to provide a uniform wall, and the shield can also be planted on the ground to be used as a temporary fortification. A shutter has also been added to the viewport as to fire from a protected position. As normal shields are very heavy, the strongest guardsmen go in the front, and thinner shields are distributed to the rearmost members of a platoon.Slab Shields. Typically around 10 feet tall, the shield has been reduced to 5 feet tall and 2.5 feet wide to be more portable. The shields also lock together, forming an impenetrable wall that can stop anything short of a tank shell.[8] [9]Armor is typically Carapace armor as it provides greater protection and is a major export of Etruscis, making it easy to obtain. Each guardsman is equipped with a full enclosed helmet that also doubles as a short-range vox reciever and gas mask.Typical helmet.[10]Carapace armor on a Cadian Guardsman. Carapace is made up of various plates of ceramite.[11]Heavy weapon squads typically field lighter armor and do not have a Brute Shield. In addition to combat gear, every guardsmen carries a 9–70 Entrenching Tool, 2 weeks of rations, 2 frag and 2 Photon Flash Grenades, sleeping pack, lamp pack, and the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer in a rucksack.Platoon Level:Each platoon is 1 out of 4 that form a company, and they are divided into 6 squads of 10 people. The first 5 are normal squads with 10 guardsmen. The 6th squad is a logistics and medical team, and they are equipped with larger vox-casters, medi-packs, and surveyors. There also are 1 special weapons team - typically equipped with grenade launchers or snipers - and 2 heavy weapons teams normally equipped with Icarus-pattern lascannons or mortars. Finally, there is the command squad, which consists of the Lieutenant and 4 veteran troopers. In total, there are 75 troops in a platoon.Organization of a Company.Company Level:4 platoons plus a command squad with a Captain make up a company. 20 companies form a regiment, which means there are typically around 6,000 men in a regiment, making the Cohortes Urbanae regiments some of the largest in the Astra Militarum. Each company is in a increasing order of prestige, with the 1st Company of each regiment being the most elite regiment. Colonels lead regiments and have a command squad with 10 veterans in them. There are also around 30 commissars, 25 enginseers from the Adeptus Mechanicus, 20 pyskers, and around 200 men from Ministorum in each regiment, making a total of 275 auxiliary personnel. No abhumans have ever been part of the Cohortes Urbanae due to the absence of any in the Forsarr sector.Formations:Typically it is up to the Colonel’s discretion on how to deploy troops, but there are preset formations that have been proven effective time and time again. On a platoon level, there is the Testudo. The first row has their shields facing forward, and the rows behind keep their shields up. This provides maximum protection from direct and arced incoming fire. Occasionally, the sides of the testudo lower their shields to protect from sideways fire. This formation is typically used when marching under fire. A variant where the 2nd line has lasguns peeking out of the formation to provide fire is frequently used on the battlefield. This is used both in urban combat and on the field, allowing for a stalwart defense or a systematic march with minimal casualties.Testudo Formation.[12]On a regimental level, companies are typically deployed in 2 lines. The 1st to 8th companies make up the first line, and the 9th to 16th companies make up the second line to act as reserves and supporting fire. The 17th to 20th companies make up the reserve and rearguard. Heavy weapons teams are placed in the back to provide supporting fire, and special weapons teams are normally deployed on the side or directly behind their company.Standard Regiment Formation with the numbers of the companies. Artillery consists of heavy weapons squads with mortars or heavy weapons from an armoured regiment.Every regiment has been drilled to quickly build roads and defensive fortifications called castrum. Roads can be built as fast as 3 miles an hour by a legion and can support even the heaviest tanks. Castrum can be built in a quarter of a Terran day and are notoriously strong fortifications. In one instance, a mob of Orks captured an abandoned castrum, and despite being outnumbered 10 to 1 by the Guard, it stood for a week before the guard just gave up and ordered a planetary bombardment of the castrum.Role: The Cohortes tend to focus more on urban combat, but they can be deployed to any battlefield while still performing very effectively. Their versatility allows them to be a general jack-of-all-trades, but they need to be supported by lighter elements due to their own lack of mobility.Special Forces: The Cohortes have their own version of elite stormtroopers call Praefectus Urbi, which are used as shock troops to break through heavily contested points. The Praefectus Urbi are selected from the first cohorts of other regiments and assigned to nominal Praefectus regiment. Although they are called a regiment, these elite units frequently get broken down to companies or platoons, which are then attached to other regiments who need them. Their equipment is also much better than the normal regiments, replacing lasguns with hellguns and hellpistols, as well as the addition of the very rare refractor fields, which were hoarded by the Tech-Priests who used to rule Etruscis. Out of the 30,000 regiments of Cohortes, there are only 30 regiments of Praefectus.Hellpistol.[13]Armoured Regiments:The Cohortes Urbanae do not field many armoured regiments, and the few they do frequently serve as artillery support and troop transports rather than MBTs. The armoured regiments always consist of the following: 3 companies of 10 Chimeras with modified Siege Shields, 2 companies of 10 Centaurs towing Heavy Mortars, 1 company of 10 Leman Russ Annihilators, and 1 Leman Russ Command Tank. There also is 1 recon squadron consisting of 3 Sentinels each and 1 anti-aircraft squadron with 3 Hydra Flak Tanks. Doomhammer super-heavy tanks are fielded as anti-Titan and anti-armour support.Armoured Regiment OrganizationSiege Shield Dozer Blade. These have been modified to fit on a Chimera chassis rather than the traditional Rhino chassis and provide a greater measure of defense.[14]Heavy Mortar and Centaur Tank.[15]Leman Russ Annihilator. The 2 lascannons can quickly melt most tanks’ armor.[16]Chimera Transport without Siege Shield.[17]Hydra Flak Tank[18]Sentinel Walker[19]Doomhammer Super-Heavy Tank[20]Typically, the armoured regiment is interspersed within the infantry regiment with the Heavy Mortars serving as artillery support, Annihilators and Doomhammers serving as anti-armor vehicles, Flak Tanks serving as anti-air support, Sentinels serving as reconnaissance, and Chimeras providing additional firepower and shielding in urban warfare or initiating flanking maneuvers on the open field. Like the traditional company, an armoured regiment is headed by a colonel and each company is led by a captain. It is also important to note that Centaurs can be used independently of their mortar, providing a light carrier or transport supplies.Recruitment, Training, and Advancement:The Cohortes Urbanae are the apex of Etruscis society, and their training reflects that. Candidates are chosen from the best of the PDF and undergo a rigorous physical and written test to determine their skills. The highest scoring candidates are admitted into officer training, where they are rigorously trained in leadership and tactics. The remaining members undergo physical training and drilling that perfects the iconic formations of the Cohortes. When the training is finished, recruits join the 20th company of a regiment. Eventually due to field losses, guardsmen will move all the way up to the 2nd or 1st companies and new recruits will fill the gaps in the lower companies. Sergeants tend to be veterans from the 1st or 2nd Companies who are placed in other companies to stiffen morale and provide leadership. On extremely rare occasions, Sergeants can be promoted to Lieutenant when there is a lack of capable officers or they have done something extremely meritorious. Lieutenants are the first commissioned officers, and they stay with their platoons unless reassigned by the Captain or Colonel to replace another officer. Captains follow a similar command hierarchy as the guardsmen, with lowered-numbered cohorts being more prestigious and the Captain of the 1st Company being the next in line to the position of Colonel. Command Squads operate separately from the rest of the regiment and work directly under their commanding officer. They are handpicked by the Officer from the group they command.Societal Impacts:Etruscis has a very militaristic society after the devastating 1st and 2nd Sieges of Etruscis, which wiped out much of the civilian population. Military service pays extremely well, and it is mandatory for many jobs to hold a prior military position. In fact, only 4 planetary governors have not been a Colonel in the 5 millennia after the Marian Reforms. its 1 billion-strong PDF is one of the largest and best equipped in the Segmentum and is frequently deployed across the entire Forsarr Sector, particularly during the recent WAAGH of Garaghak and the subsequent reclamation of the Hive World of Forsarr.Interactions with other organizations:Adeptus Astartes: Most of the chapters that were spun off from the Imperial Fists tend to like the Cohortes Urbanae due to their specialization in urban warfare and defense. Many of the most famous campaigns of the Cohortes have been fought alongside Imperial Fist chapters such as Heraclea, Alesia, Teutoburg, and many others. They also get along with the Raven Guard as their quick and surgical style of warfare complements the defensive Cohortes, allowing for hammer-and-anvil strategies. Also, the Raven Guard are the closest chapter to Etruscis and their Primarch, Corvus Corax, helped liberate their planet millennia ago.Imperial Navy: The Imperial Navy occasionally requests the Cohortes for ship security and boarding action due to their shields and specialization in close-quarters urban combat that is useful while boarding or being boarded.Officio Prefectus/Commissars: The life of Commissars working with the Cohortes tends to easy, and they mostly devote themselves to keeping an eye on any psykers working with the regiment. The rigorous selection tests weed out most of the cowards, and the officers take great effort to discipline their unit. In fact, officers have been known to inflict punishments harsher than the Commissars, such as the time Colonel Aurelian caught a squad of Cohortes who deserted, and individually tied each of their limbs to 4 different Centaurs that subsequently tore each of the deserts apart.Ecclesiarchy: The Ecclesiarchy and the Cohortes have a relatively hostile relationship in the present after the fall of Magdelene IX during WAAAGH! Garaghak. The Cohortes and Etruscis’ PDF decided it would be more pragmatic to fortify their own planet before it was overrun rather than aid the Imperial Shrine World, and the Ecclesiarchy has hated the Cohortes ever since.Adeptus Mechanicus: Many of the Cohortes’ most famous campaigns have been against Traitor Titan Legions such as Zama, the Pyrrhic Wars, and both Sieges of Etruscis. Due to fighting against these titans as well as their former enslavement during the Age of Strife, many of the guardsmen are suspicious about any Mechanicum influence. In the Mechanicus’ eyes, the original regiments during the 2nd Siege of Etruscis attempted to take Mechanicum technology and use it for their own means, so both sides distrust each other.Notable Campaigns:Pyrrhic Wars (016.127.M36-417.127.M36):Less than 500 years after the Marian Reforms, 9 infantry regiments and 1 armoured regiment were sent to the reinforce the system of Tarentum, which was under attack by Traitor Imperial Guardsmen and Titan Legions. There, the Cohortes were assigned to the central position of Siris, where they weathered 7 attacks before having to withdraw when the less-disciplined guardsmen on their flank broke. The regiments then fell back to Asculum, where their stand was the first among many legends. Arrayed against insurmountable odds, the Cohortes managed to stand against multiple attacks and managed to take down all Titans committed to the attack. Eventually through sheer fore of numbers, their position was overrun, but the casualties incurred by the Chaos forces forced them to withdraw from the planet.Siege of Qart-Hadast (Hadast IV) (239.289.M37-417.318.M37):Initial Deployment during the Battle of Zama.In 280.M37, a warp-jump accidentally led to the discovery of a Dark Mechnicum Forge World in the Segmentum Solar. Another fleet from the Mechanicus surveyed the world and discovered it was home to several Traitor Titan Legions and Archmagos Anníbas Bárkas, who had previously besieged Etruscis. When the Planetary Governor, Scipio Africanus, recieved word of this discovery, he immediately lobbied Segmentum Command to deploy all possible Cohortes regiments to assist in the invasion. In the end, over 500 regiments (3 million guardsmen) of the Cohortes were redeployed to help retake the Forge World. Supplementing the force were Imperial Knights of House Raven, several Skitarii Legions, a company from the Hammers of Dorn, and around 200 other Imperial Guard regiments. After an uncontested landing, a primary push was made towards the central manufactorum, and the Dark Mechanicum forces met the spearhead at Zama. During the battle, Archmagos Anníbas deployed his 4 Traitor Titan Legions in front of the main force of Traitor Guardsmen and Skitarii to attempt to disrupt the enemies’ lines. However, Scipio prepared for this and set his formation so that there were empty spaces in the Titan’s field of fire. In these spaces, he placed the various Tank-Hunters of the armor such as Doomhammers and Shadowswords. As a result, the titans were not able to heavily disrupt their lines and were quickly eliminated. However, Anníbas still had the advantages of numbers and ordered a charge against the main line. The Cohortes stood their ground long enough that the armour and Knights on the flanks were able to envelop and annihilate most of the Chaos forces. Although most of the Dark Mechanicum’s forces were destroyed, it took over 20 years to finally recover the Forge World.Parthia System Campaign (637.723.M37–107.730.M37):Harlequins cutting through an Imperial Guard Regiment.[21]In 723.M37, an Eldar Craftworld of an unknown name appeared in the Parthia System of the Segmentum Tempestus and immediately attacked the system. Several regiments of Cohortes were sent to reinforce defensive positions, but the lack of mobility and range against the Eldar quickly hindered them. Attempts to move into lasgun range resulted in the Eldar rangers simply retreating and the vaunted Testudo formations were devastated by artillery and Harlequins. In the end, after incurring 80% losses and only managing to kill 1 eldar, the regiments retreated. The punishment inflicted by the Planetary Governors upon hearing of the humiliating defeat was legendary and became known as the decimation. The surviving guardsmen were forced to beat a tenth of their comrades to death, and the colonel in command of the force, Colonel Crassus, had molten gold poured down his mouth for his incompetence. Reinforcements were later sent, but all they managed to do was hold a small series of forts on the main world of Parthia Prime. Eventually, the Imperium withdrew after 7 years of no progress and heavy casualties, leaving the Eldar to their own machinations.Gallic Wars (874.527.M38–789.600.M38):Raven Guard fighting in the streets of the Ork Settlement, Siege of Alesia, 599.M38.[22]Around 200.M38, an unnamed Ork WAAAGH! overwhelmed the Gallic Sector, which is right next the Forsarr Sector in the Segmentum Tempestus. It was also home to a relatively large Armoury World and 2 Feudal Worlds. After decimating the Imperial garrisons, the WAAAGH! consisting of billions of orks broke into numerous warring factions. The Departmento Munitorum obviously wanted to retake the armoury world, and in 527.M38, they successfully petitioned the Astra Militarum to launch a crusade. Unfortunately, the 9th Black Crusade was currently underway, so the Crusade primarily consisted of Cohortes rather than the more renowned Cadian Guardsmen. However, the Estruscis did respond in force, sending 10 million Cohortes and 50 million PDF. Other regiments from around the galaxy were also pooled together, including famous regiments such as the 81st Cadian Armoured, the Armageddon 9th Steel Legion, and the Praetorian Vth, bringing a total of 120 million Guardsmen. In addition, the Raven Guard and the Knights of Dorn also joined the Crusade, along with a sizeable detachment from the Imperial Navy. The Crusade swept through the sector with significant force, and the divided Orks were too busy fighting amongst themselves to be of any significant resistance. By 574.M38, 3/4 of the sector was liberated, leaving only the Armoury World, Alesia, and its surrounding systems to liberate. However, the Orks managed to reunite under a Warboss called Vercingetorix, and the subsequent WAAAGH! nearly ended the Crusade. However, the current planetary governor, Caesar, decided to take command of the expeditionary force. He decided to head straight to the Armoury World, Alesia, and eliminate the warboss. After landing, his forces plowed through the Orks, setting up hundreds of Castrum to defend supply lines to the landing zone. Eventually, they reached the Ork settlement and began to besiege it. Dozens of Castrum were set up, encircling the Warboss with a series of forts, camps, and batteries. The fortifications bore fruit when a relief force consisting of nearly a billion Orks on the planet assailed the besieging force along with a sally led by Vercingetorix. The Imperial Guard held steady, and the web of trenchs around the city successfully repulsed the attack. After 2 years of bombardment and numerous failed relief attempts, Caesar led an attack into the settlement. While the Cohortes cleared out the streets in concert with the other regiments, a Raven Guard strike force managed to kill Vercingetorix, ending the WAAAGH! and reclaiming the Armoury World. For his leadership during battle, Caesar was promoted to Lord Commander of the Segmentum Tempestus, but he was assassinated shortly after by one of his advisers who believed he was corrupted by Chaos.WAAAGH! Gharaghak (170.936.M41-Present):Progress of WAAAGH! Garaghak.[23]In 170.936.M41, a small warband took the world of Thoria III completely by surprise and captured it. From there, the WAAAGH! began to mutate into a large horde, with thousands of Orks joining by the day. At Tallarax, it was believed that 5 regiments of Cohortes would stop the horde, but bad intelligence meant that they were outnumbered nearly 100,000 to 1 and were subsequently annihilated. As the Orks gained momentum and smashed apart any attempt at defense, the Planetary Governor of Etruscis, Hadrian, began to consolidate his forces. The PDF was doubled in size, and he attempted to gather every single Cohortes regiment back to the planet. However, the WAAAGH! was proving to be very formidable as it smashed through the defenses of Forsarr, which included a 100 Cohortes regiments and nearly 2 million other Guardsmen. Hadrian then decided to keep his forces on Etruscis and to not aid the Shrine World of Magdelene IX. This decision infuriated the Ecclesiarchy and ruined the relationship between them and the Cohortes. However, the time was well spent. Major roads between the Hives were fortified with a Castrum at every mile, and a complex network of trenches stretched the gaps between each fort. Hives were turned into fortresses, with choke points established at every corner. Defense lasers were even further fortified to the point that they could withstand a siege for nearly a decade. This network of defenses was known as Hadrian’s Wall, and the PDF were assigned to guard the wall. The 20 million Cohortes Hadrian could amass were designated as reserve so that they could reinforce areas that were under heavy attack while still having the mobility to respond to other threats. The Crimson Fists lent a company of Space Marines that further improved on the network of defenses and were a key part of the siege. After all the preparation, the WAAAGH! arrived and landed in 148.999.M41, besieging the planet. Currently, one hive has been lost, and 2 others have been encircled, but Imperial Guard forces are on their way with the Revilers, Aurora, and the Death Eagles Space Marine Chapters coming to end the WAAAGH on the planet.Tabletop Rules:Regimental Doctrine: Stalwart Defense: +1 to saving throws.Regimental Order: Storm In!: The ordered unit takes half damage from Overwatch and close combat attacks after it has charged.Regimental Stratagem: Testudo: 1 CP: The models in the ordered unit gain +1 to all saving throws for every 2 units it is base to base with for the duration of the turn (round down).Regimental Relic: Caesar’s Eagle: Models within 2″ of the model with the relic automatically succeed their morale checks.Regimental Warlord Trait: Efficient Command Structure: All units within 6″ of the warlord may be treated as a single unit.Footnotes[1] Fictional Star Wars Galaxy Photo Album[2] Forsarr Sector - Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum[3] File:Titanicus Battle Horus Heresy.jpg[4] Expeditionary Auxilia[5] Warhammer 40K Forgeworld Mechanicum Secutarii Hoplites Mag Inverter Shield | eBay[6] Roman Male Soldier | Sci-fi / Modern Character Art | Pinterest | Sci fi, Character Design and Fantasy art[7] Tanegashima (gun) - Wikipedia[8] Warhammer 40k Bullgryns / Ogryns Astra Militarum bits[9] Warhammer 40k Bullgryns / Ogryns Astra Militarum bits[10] Warhammer 40K - Imperial Guard Helmet Free Papercraft Download[11] Image on nocookie.net[12] Testudo formation - Wikipedia[13] Hellpistol[14] Hair Spray Weathering[15] DK 88th Siege Reg Centaur Tractor w/ Heavy-Mortar. | 40k/IG/Assault/Siege/Regiments | Pinterest | Weapons, Games and Tractors[16] Death Korps of Krieg Mars Alpha Pattern Leman Russ Annihilator | Forge World Webstore[17] Image on nocookie.net[18] Hydra Flak Tank - 1d4chan[19] TallarnSentinel.JPG[20] Doomhammer[21] Image on googleusercontent.com[22] Image on deviantart.net[23] File:Waaagh Garaghak.jpg