A Traitor's Tale - An Imperial Navy Renegade Quest

A Traitor's Tale

Chapter 1 - Of K'Von and the Crusade

As with much of the Imperium, the Anthaladon sector is a region in turmoil. Situated on the edge of the warp anomaly known as "The Pit'', and stuck between an expanding Tau Empire, an Ork WAAAGH!!! and an Imperial Crusade and set ablaze by numerous uprising, rebellions and insurrections, it is most definitely not a nice place to be. But then, nowhere in the galaxy is right now. Despite its unsavoury nature, or rather because of it, the sector is exactly the place to be for any would-be legend to make their mark on the annals of history. The Anthaladon Crusade will forge many heroes, enshrine many legends and make countless martyrs. A loyal servant of the Imperium could find themselves thrust into glory and showered with the fruits of duty.

Corburast K'Von is not one of those loyal souls. Not anymore. Quite the contrary in fact. Born into the ruling family of a minor hive world, K'Von has always been the ambitious sort, and had his eyes set on the throne from the moment he could understand what it was. But when you have 3 brothers and 2 sisters ahead of you in the succession, even the most ambitious of men must realise that some things truly are out of reach. So when the opportunity arose to join the Imperial Navy as a captain of the Endeavour-class light cruiser Valorous using his father's connections, he took it without hesitation. Winning himself no small glory during the opening action of the Anthaladon, he was eventually elevated to the rank of Commodore, granted command over a small battlegroup. And it was at that rank he would stay for the next 30 years, as the crusade became bogged down by infighting, politics, and the ever increasing demands of other fronts. This stagnation would prove to be the cause but not the catalyst of his eventual treason. The catalyst was rather the battle of Aption, where the young (by Imperial Navy standards) Commodore would realise exactly how much him and his men were worth to the Imperium. How much?

Absolutely nothing.

In the gruelling battle, 2 of his ships would be lost with all hands, and the Commodore himself would be brought to the verge of death by a direct torpedo hit to the bridge of the Valorous. Repeated requests for reinforcements and support would be denied. It would only be by the chance intervention of an Adeptus Mechanicus Expeditionary Fleet that arrived in the system by accident, having been thrown off-course by a warp storm, that would prevent the complete destruction of the battlegroup. After a long recovery period, he would finally discover the truth of why he had been abandoned to die. Not because of any fault of his own. Not even because of any petty rivalry or feud between him and his peers. Those he would have been able to understand, even if he wouldn't be able to forgive. Rather it was the simple fact that his would-be reinforcements were occupied in the neighbouring system, in a battle that would prove far more prestigious than saving his life would have been. The ambitious Commodore would admit that there was a touch of humour to it. Left to die, because it simply wouldn't have been prestigious enough to save him. The final straw came soon after, when his taskforce was reassigned immediately upon recovery, without so much as a word of praise or thanks. Should he have known better than to expect any? Probably. But K'Von has always been a prideful man, and quite understandably considers his life to be worth at least a bit of gratitude. And so the seeds were sown, and the stage set for his treachery. Reaching out to the other captains and like-minded individuals in his battlegroup, he planned and he plotted and eventually he was ready to strike. Spitting on their oaths to the Imperial Navy, he and two of his fellow captains crossed over into treason. However, not everybody shared their enthusiasm. The captain of the escort frigate Zia would not follow his former comrades into damnation, and attempted to resist. After a brief but nonetheless pitched battle, K'Von emerged victorious. Now his renegade battlegroup floats in the void of deep space, awaiting their next moves. He is hungry. Hungry for battle. Hungry for glory.

But first things first. Before anyone can go anywhere, he needs to assess the situation and checkup on his ships.

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Well there you have the setup to this quest. Next update will focus more on the characters themselves and will actually get going with the story.
At the end of each chapter after this one I'll be putting a brief rundown of the assets K'Von has available.

Now for the vote on the specifics of the situation.

Select two boons (good stuff), and one curse (bad stuff). I'll generally use this system for events where actions can have significant drawbacks.


[ ] [BOON] Under the Radar

K'Von's treason hasn't yet been noticed by the wider Imperium, allowing his small fleet to evade notice and possibly prevent any significant retribution for some time.

[ ] [BOON] Renegade Astartes

Two squads of the Dune Snakes renegade Astartes chapter assisted K'Von with his desertion. They could prove to be a powerful tool if used well, but remember that they are angels and you are but a mortal man. You would do well not to anger them.

[ ] [BOON] Allied Militarum Force

Three regiments of the Astra Militarum that were being transported have, for the most part, thrown their lot in with the Commodore. This grants a solid ground force to complement the fleet, but the regiments' commanders will need to be kept loyal. (If this boon is not picked, the regiments' loyalties will be split and resources will have to be allocated to fully aligning them)

[ ] [BOON] Loyal Command crew

The majority of the command crew of the fleet has sided with their commanding officer, granting a strong command structure. However, the various personalities will need to be kept loyal if he is to retain their skills. (If this boon is not selected, then the command crew will be split and some will require replacements).

[ ] [BOON] Minimal damage

The battle against the *Zia* was short and little damage was inflicted, mostly being patched up with field repairs. (If this is not chosen then the fleet will take longer to get back to full operational capability and may require proper shipyard facilities)


[ ] [CURSE] Loud and Clear

News of K'Von's betrayal has spread far and wide across the sector, and already several would-be heroes have sworn to bring his head to the Warmaster. However, his newfound fame may prove useful in attracting fellow renegades and opportunists to his banner.

[ ] [CURSE] Militarum resistance

Three regiments of the Astra Militarum that were being transported have, for the most part, chosen not to follow the Commodore into damnation and are actively carrying out resistance actions in the lower decks, making a right nuisance of themselves.

[ ] [CURSE] Disloyal Command Crew

The majority of the command crew of the fleet has sided with their oaths, choosing not to betray the Navy. This is a significant organisational blow but does give the opportunity to put loyal individuals and yesmen in these command positions.

[ ] [CURSE] Major damage

The battle with the Zia was much more brutal than it had any right to be, and significant damage was inflicted on the Valorous. This will require a proper dockyard to repair and will give a significant combat malus until it can be properly repaired.

Will update from time to time, whenever I remember really. The various characters and small bits of relevant information will be put here for easy reference

"Well first things first, what's the situation looking like?"

K'Von looks around the table at the assembled figures. Arranged are the various individuals that make up the command crew of the Valorous, seated within his personal offices. As with most of his possessions, the rooms are overly large and overly ostentatious. The majority of key crew were at least sympathetic to his little rebellion, with the notable exception of the gunnery chief who opted to resist the change of allegiance and was subsequently dealt with.

"The Zia managed to get a distress signal out before we could disable its communications," begins Chief Astropath Tyles. "By now the Crusade force knows of our treachery and no doubt has already dispatched a force to bring our heads to the Warmaster."

"Our treachery?" spits Colonel Zelthe, "it was the Crusade and the Warmaster that betrayed us first when they threw our regiments through the grinder in Dwense." The other two Militarum colonels grumble in agreement.

"We can argue the specifics at a later date, right now we need to move."
This from Captain Auirme, a short, fidgety woman who is clearly uncomfortable being away from the bridge of the Valorous for so long. "They know what we've done and they know we're here. If we stay here any longer they'll send someone for our heads and they'll take them. We simply aren't ready for a fight."

"So what do you suggest?" questions K'Von.

"Galactic North. There's plenty of renegade groups and rebel planets there that the crusade hasn't reached yet. We could find allies, repair and refit and plan our next move from somewhere safe."

The three colonels erupt into protestations. "Cowardice! Why should we flee? The fact of the matter is, we aren't big enough of a problem for them to send overwhelming force. Throne, even if they bother to send anyone it won't be anything we can't handle. We need to show strength. We need to stay here for now."


K'Von finds himself agreeing. Dozens, hundred even, of Imperial officers defect and rebel every day. The crusade is too busy to assign any significant force to hunting him down because, as much as he hates to admit it, he really isn't important enough. Not yet anyway. Not to mention that crushing a punitive force sent after them, even if it's a small one, would be good for reputation and may be enough to attract others to his cause.


"East. We should go towards the galactic east."

Surprised glances flit around the table towards the previously silent speaker: the Master of Arms, Octarian Thume. As master of arms, Thume holds significant power in the ship with his armsmen being the only crew members able to bear arms on a regular basis.

"We need to go towards the Pit."

The Pit: the warp rift situated in the galactic east of the sector and the source of most of the sector's woes, periodically spewing forth warpspawn-infested space hulks, servants of the dark gods, and much more and much worse besides.

"Only there will we finally be free of the Imperium and its false god"

The mention of the God Emperor ushers a silence into the conversation. Even after their treachery, many aboard the ship still hold to their faith in the God Emperor, even if they do not have faith in his Imperium.

Perhaps sensing the tension in the room about to erupt, or maybe just bored of hearing voices other than his own, K'Von decides to propose a path of his own.

"How about we go west, towards the crusade?" Seeing the confused stares from around the table, he quickly continues. "Its the last place they'll think to look. Nobody in their right mind would expect us to go back towards the greatest concentration of Imperial ships this side of the galaxy has ever seen. We'd be undetected. Not to mention all the juicy backline shipping we could get our hands on. And if the heat gets too hot? Then we just slip out."

"The risks are much greater than you imply," remarks Tech-Priest Majoris Taha, "the Warmaster will not allow any disruption to her supply lines such as what you suggest. She would not risk critical shipments being cut off. She is an admirably logical woman, for a baseline human, and would sacrifice many ships before giving up on her supplies."

"And I suppose that by objecting, you have a better idea?"

"I do," the Tech-Priest retorts, their augmetic eyes gleaming, "I would concur with the Master of Arms, albeit for different reasons to his. Near the border of the Pit a warp storm recently subsided, revealing a fairly large region of space that has been untouched for several millennia. It is therefore within acceptable error margins to assume that there will be valuable relics and technology within that region, much of which may be directly beneficial or worth significant value on the black market."

K'Von perks up at the mention of money. He shifts in his chair, pondering the options laid out in front of him.

"I've decided. We're going…"

(Pick one)

[ ] [Movement] "... North."

This will bring the fleet into renegade space, where they will encounter rebels, renegades and pirates. This will take several weeks.

[ ] [Movement] "... West."

This will bring the fleet into crusade space, where they will encounter Imperial forces. This will take several weeks.

[ ] [Movement] "... East."

This will bring the fleet into the Gate Worlds region bordering the Pit, where they will encounter Imperial and Chaos forces. Tau forces may eventually be encountered if the fleet continues in this direction. This will take several weeks.

[ ] [Movement] "... nowhere."

The fleet will remain where it is, where it will be easily located by any forces wishing to find it. It may be several weeks before they encounter anyone.


During the several weeks that it will be before arrival, the fleet will need to keep busy. (Pick two)

[ ] [Fleet] Field Repairs

Using what resources are available, patch up whatever damage that can be repaired without a large scale dockyard or repair facility. This will take several weeks.

[ ] [Fleet] Quash Dissent

Comb through the fleet to find and eliminate any resistance or troublesome individuals that may still remain loyal to the Imperium. This will take several weeks.

[ ] [Fleet] Build Network

Start setting up and developing a system of informants and spies through the fleet to ensure that nothing can occur without the Commodore having heard of it beforehand. This will take several weeks.

[ ] [Fleet] Train Crew

Begin training menials and other low level workers in the more complicated operation aboard the ships to develop a larger skilled crew workforce. This will take several weeks and will reduce the effectiveness of the already trained crew during this period.

[ ] [Fleet] Train Soldiers

Using the Militarum troops aboard the Valorous, begin training menials and other low level workers in basic combat to develop a larger reserve force of armsmen. This will take several weeks and will reduce the effectiveness of the already trained armsmen and guardsmen during this period.

[ ] [Fleet] Set Ambush

Set up an ambush for any foes foolish enough to come after you. This will take several weeks. (Can only be chosen if "...nowhere" was selected in the previous selection.)