Gacontay

Gacontay is an agri and shrine world in Segmentum Pacificus.

Geography
As an agri world, Gacontay's landscape is devoted entirely to the production of food and other resources gained through agriculture, such as cotton. The designated farming zones constantly receive replenishment elements to keep them fertile while the few urban areas are almost infintisemal compared to the rest of the planet. There are four contienents and several thousand islands. Volcanoes provide a constant replenishment of fertile soil. There are vast forested regions, which are usually used as military training grounds. Some areas of Gacontay have formed into acid lakes. The acid is used by the inhabitants but is not exported.

The main crops exported by Gacontay are the planet's equivalents of wheat, barley, apples, cotton, and feverfew. The world also has vast fungicultural facilities where mushrooms, especially the chanterelle, are grown and prepared for distribution. Gacontay also grows poisonous mushrooms, the spores of which are sometimes used on heretics..

Spaceport Thor is the main urban area and the main access to space. As well as space shuttles delivering goods to Space Station Vandire, space elevators provide regular links from the surface to the Space Station. Spaceport Thor also houses the seat of the Imperial Governor and the main Order of the Sacred Grove convent.

History
The first human settlers came to Gacontay during the Dark Age of Technology and formed a minor community living their lives through farming and minor industry. The world accepted the Emperor during the Great Crusade but saw relatively no action. There were several Dark Eldar raids during M30 but the Imperium repaired most of the damage. Gacontay suffered several invasions during the Horus Heresy when several Traitor Imperial Army regiments attempted to seize the food stored on the planet. No Chaos Space Marines ever invaded the planet but the Traitor Army was a dangerous enough opponent. Further, an Ork Waaagh! taking advantage of the Imperium's civil war towards the final stages of the Heresy. Fortunately, a Traitor Army force and a Dark Eldar raiding party arrived at the same time and effectively cancelled each other out. The surviving Dark Eldar were easy prey for the enraged people of Gacontay.

Gacontay rejected the rule of Nova Terra during that world's attempt to split the Imperium. The main Imperium used Gacontay as a supply base and so the world received honours when the Ecclesiarchy took charge. As a major contributor to the war effort, the Ecclesiarchy dedicated the world not to a specific saint but to the collective human population of the Imperium. Taking into account the sayings, "For every battle honor, a thousand heroes die unsung and unremembered," and "But the universe is a big place and, whatever happens, you will not be missed," the Ecclesiarchy set up Gacontay as a shrine world remembering all who have ever died in the Emperor's name but whose own name was forgotten.

In light of this upgrade to its status, Gacontay saw that a division of the Ecclesiarchy's private army, the Adepta Sororitas, was to set up as permanent protectors of both Gacontay and every rural world in the Imperium. The world gratefully received the Order of the Sacred Grove and the increased Imperial Fleet presence around the planet. Since M39, Gacontay has not suffered any invasion as devastating as the Dark Eldar raids on M30. However, in M40, a Khornate Warband known as the Pink Decimators launched a raid on the Imperial Fleet in an attempt to distract them from the Black Crusade of Glucon, a Khornate Space Marine leading the Berserkers of Stars warband. The Pink Decimators were not Space Marines but ordinary humans. The leadership wore power armour normally issued to Sisters of Battle but there is no evidence that any Sororitas had turned traitor at that point. Nonetheless, the Order took the fight to the Decimators, leading to what looked like a Sister vs Sister battle. Canoness Flora Muscarine caught up with the warband's leader, Aphrodite Bloodaxe. Flora and Aphrodite fought each other in the corridors of Spaceport Thor, with the Canonness overwhelming the Heretic by summoning the spirits of fallen Sisters to join the battle. The Imperial Fleet managed to beat off the rest of the Decimators but they were unable to respond in time to Glucon attacking several other nearby worlds.

After that time, there has been no notable events on Gacontay itself. However, the world again served as a base for the Imperium during the Night of a Thousand Rebellions in Segmentum Pacificus in the same way it did during the Nova Terra Interregnum.

Inhabitants
As well as a large argarian community, Gacontay also houses several Ecclesiarchal personnel due its status as a shrine world. This status also gives it a modest tourist industry in the form of pilgrims though this does lead to a presence of criminals, including smugglers. The population, numbering 2 billion, are faithful devotees to the Imperial Cult, with a few exceptions. Such exceptions often find themselves grabbed in the fields or streets and dragged into a yellow van for later judgement.

The animal life is varied. One notable creature is the ouhour, a large mammal that has been used as a draught animal. Ouhour genetic strains have been offered for export but there has been no buyers yet.

Military
The Planetary Defence Force and System Defence Force always has 10% of the population minimum under arms though the Order of the Sacred Grove and Imperial Fleet always takes the brunt of attacks. The PDF, though able to afford Cadian armour and weapons, cannot afford heavy fighting vehicles such as the Leman Russ and so makes do with adapted farming vehicles. A common sight is a 'techinal', a vehicle, often a pickup truck or work utility vehicle, with a heavy weapon mounted on the rear. Heavy stubbers, missile launchers, and even lascannons have all been carried in this manner.

Politics
The Ecclesiarchy shrines house various Confessors, Crusaders, and Priests. These individuals have to live alongside techpriests of the Adeptus Mechanicus and this often results in minor disputes. However, the PDF and the Order both work to discourage outright violence. As Gacontay is not a cardinal world, the planetary governor is not a Cardinal and there is no Cardinal based on the planet. However, Cardinals frequently visit the world, either on holiday or to assist the resident priesthood. The planetary governor is appointed by the Ecclesiarchy but is not a member of the Adeptus Ministorum and is always a native of the planet. Though democracy is limited to local matters, the Ecclesiarchy runs opinion polls to see who the populace thinks would be a suitable governor. Once done, the Ecclesiarchy compares the results of the poll to its own judgement and theoretically appoints whoever satisfies both parties the most. In practice, the Ecclesiarchy has often manipulated or simply ignored the poll altogether and then lied to populace about the result. A few governors appointed in this manner have often found themselves on the receiving end of death threats though no assassination attempt has succeeded.