"What did you think of your leader?" you ask the captured/surrendered/defected soldiers.
"He... was definitely someone who was in charge here," one of the surrendered soldiers replies evasively.
"If he had any ambition, we could have put the factories in here to use and become a regional power," one of the turncoats spat. "That's why we decided to join up with you."
"Factories?"
"Yeah. We're not the first people to inhabit The Shell. There's an underlevel to he city with factories I'd bet you could refit to produce almost anything you needed. Materials would be the real problem, but there are foundries and such down there, as well.
"Sir, did you
know about these...?"
You smile.
Lastly, you consult one of those who only stopped their (halfhearted) resistance when you brought out their leader.
"Honestly? I don't even know what title he's supposed to have," one of the fiercer fighters - an officer, you suspect - confesses. "We just call him James. He's a good enough administrator. Honestly, I'd rather not endanger all the families living in The Shell by using it as a center for a war effort... but if you're going to, I'd like to help head up whatever defense force we have. Also, do try to have mercy on James. He's a good man, if less than exceptional in performing his duties."
You nod.
"I've made my decision." Everything goes silent. A crowd has formed to watch. "James, I don't think anything needs to change here and I don't think you need to die. If you're willing to serve under me, you can be the executor of my will in this city. Your duties will be the same, but you will answer to me. Furthermore, we'll be retooling the resources beneath The Shell to support our war effort. Of course, I'm not a barbarian: if you don't accept our offer, you'll be exiled, but you
will receive survival gear and adequate rations to serve your journey to one of the relatively nearby towns." You extend your hand to the kneeling former administrator. "So, are you willing to join us?"
James the Administrator takes your hand and you haul him to his feet. "I couldn't burden my family with the journey to another town across this wilderness."
"He has a family?" one of the soldiers in his retinue asks. James shoots him a withering glare, met by a sheepish grin in return.
+2 Respect, +2 Loyalty, -1 Fear
The spectacle done, your favored Elite takes you aside for a moment and whispers to you.
"Commander, if you're up for a speech, we might be able to get more of The Shell on our side for the effort if we can give them a real cause to fight for. If you don't want to do that, we can start some preliminary recruiting and retooling of those factories."
What do you do?