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In The Grimdark of Fanfiction -40k

Reader mode
On literally this first page, there is the Warhammer fanfiction discussion thread. The slightest bit of scrolling or checking would have shown you it.
 
Warhammer crossover where the Emperor and Perpetual Oll Persson are sent to different universes. Pairings for JL would be Diana of Themyscira (paired with the Emperor), pairing for a universe such as Elder Scrolls would be one of the Goddesses.

I use the Emperor and Perpetual Oll Persson mostly because they are much more willing to talk with aliens and so on than the current Imperium. The links below are permitted. Black Library is alright with it as the links are to their site.

Black Library - Mark of Calth (eBook)
Black Library - Know No Fear (eBook)
 
If I might be allowed to too my own horn a bit-

My fanfiction thread.

I've posted a ton of my shortform 40k stuff in this thread, short stories and blurbs written mostly over the last six years. The longest piece is just under 10k words but most clock in significantly below that. If you like space marine antics you might fight some of them enjoyable, and they can be read in pretty much any order.
 
*Not necroed yet, okay then*

I actually have to admit, I have some headcanon that I've worked out for a Warhammer 40,000/BSG Fusion Crossover Fic called So Say We All, that I am writing on SB, but I want some input on the headcanon in order to see if it's good or not.
 
Captain Orsai said:
Well, let's have a shufty then.
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Alright, here it is. I am going to put it in a spoiler because this thing is 3k+ words.

Hello everyone, this is supposed to be the first of several codex entries if you will regarding vehicles, military organization, and other key components that will play a role in So Say We All. Everything from the organization of the Legiones Astartes also known as the Space Marine Legions to the specifications of Colonial Infantry Weaponry will be discussed. In this particular Codex, we will be covering the Legiones Astartes and I will say right now that some fanon vehicles will be mentioned and I will be describing them in greater detail later. Also please note that this isn't a complete list but it more or less covers the basics of what you need to know.


[----]


I should note right now that my take on organization for the Space Marine Legions is very similar to canon there are in fact some major differences. The first major difference is actually on a organizational level, the canon Space Marine Legions had the following organization:

Legion -> Chapter -> Battalion -> Company -> Squad

In other words, it seems simple enough but there honestly could be some improvements to make handling the Legions easier which is also a plus for logistics. Thus in my personal headcanon for the Space Marine Legions, the organization is as follows:

Legion -> Cohorts -> Chapters -> Phalanxes/Battalions -> Companies/Centurias -> Lances -> Squads/Files

Now as we all know, size varied greatly between the various Legions and by extension the sizes of the units varied greatly as well going from Legion to Legion. But the overall structure of each Legion is the same in terms of top-level command format compared to canon. However below the Legion-level is when the changes start, each Cohort is led by a Cohort Master, however most Legions also have a 1st Cohort which like the Legions of the Ancient Roman Empire was a double strength Cohort and was led by a Primas Cohort Master and it contains the absolute elite of the Legion.

On average, the typical Cohort was composed of six Chapters and typical Chapter strength was about 2,500-Astartes although I will note that on average Chapter strength was more like 2,600-Astartes, meaning that your typical Cohort was composed of no-less than 15,000 to 15,600-Astartes.


However, the Chapters in First Cohort are double strength, which means they have about 5,000 to 5,200-Astartes. It should also be noted that the Battle Barge was actually built around Cohort organization originally, being designed to carry not only the Astartes that made up the Cohort but also all the Serfs, Servitors, Vehicles, Dropships, Drop Pods, and manufacturing equipment necessary to support said Cohort for long periods of time between resupply. Like in canon, Chapters are led by Chapter Masters.

Now let's take a Chapter from one of these Cohorts and further break it down starting with Phalanxes/Battalions and going all the way into the Squad Level. So, in this case we will start with 2,600-Astartes and now we divide that group into their respective Phalanxes/Battalions. This gives us four Phalanxes/Battalions each composed of 650-Astartes and we repeat the process with a Chapter from First Cohort. The Phalanxes/Battalions from First Cohort are much larger but there are still four of them, with each being composed of 1,300-Astartes. With these units being led by an Astartes Legate.

I will note right now that from here on out for the regular Cohorts if your using 2,500-Astartes for your Chapter Strength, here is where it gets a little difficult because 2,500 divided four times equals 625, a number that's difficult to further divide evenly.

So continuing right along, we will now divide our Phalanx of 650-Astartes into Companies/Centurias. So, in this case we divide them into units of five which results in 130-Astartes for a single Company/Centuria.


A First Cohort Company/Centuria however has to divide 1,300-Astartes up evenly, but like non-First Cohort Companies/Centurias they are divided up into units of five which results in a force of 260-Astartes. These units are led by Astartes Centurions.

This single Company/Centuria is finally divided up in Tactical Squads, which are sometimes called Files, at this final level of organization the differences between 1st Cohort and non-First Cohort units stops. A single Squad/File of Astartes is composed of ten Astartes and is typically led by an Astartes Sergeant.

The final unit used is called the Lance. It's roughly equal to an Imperial Army Platoon and is composed of 40-Astartes, so four full Tactical Squads. This means that a single Centuria is composed of four Lances which equals 120-Astartes and the Centuria Headquarters and Headquarters Lance is composed of ten additional Astartes. It's typically led by a Astartes Lieutenant.


A First Cohort Lance is a little different compared to a Lance from say 3rd Cohort, this is because of the fact that 260-Astartes is not a fun number to split into a number that works. Thus a First Cohort Lance is divided into a pair of Demi-Lances that are composed of 130-Astartes each, allowing for the organization used by non-First Cohort Lances.

The Command Squad in a Centuria's H&H Company has the Centuria's CO sometimes called a Force Commander who holds the rank of Centurion sometimes called Captain, the Centuria XO typically an Astartes Primis Lieutenant, the Centuria's senior-most NCO often referred to as a Primis Sergeant, a Vox-Operator, Auspex Operator, and finally a Demi-File of Five Veteran Astartes. This setup is used for all Centurias and is very similar to that used by larger formations.

Please note that the numbers involved are for Infantry Units only and do not reflect the numbers for Armored, Air-Defense, or Artillery formations, nor do these numbers include vehicle crew.

{-----}

Now then, here is where it gets really interesting, for now we are talking actual makeup of a main battle line Infantry Centuria for a Space Marine Legion. In this case, a Centuria from 2nd Cohort. Like all Companies/Centurias it's composed of 130-Astartes and divided up into four Lances plus a command section. With this in the mind, the standard vehicle composition is as follows:


  • Twelve Mark IC Deimos-Pattern Rhinos or Twelve Mark IC Mars-Pattern Rhinos, although a mix of the two is more common

  • One Land Raider Mandatum or Command Land Raider which gave up nearly all of it's transport capability to include all of the equipment within an Damocles Command Rhino along with the Explorator Array from the Land Raider Proteus as the Land Raider Mandatum was designed to replace the Land Raider Proteus in that function.

While the vehicle complement of a Centuria from 1st Cohort is as follows:


  • Twenty-Four Mark IC Rhinos, usually Deimos-Pattern Rhinos however Mars-Pattern Rhinos are also a possibility

  • Two Land Raider Mandatums in a command role
The composition of a standard Space Marine Legion Tactical squad is as follows:


  • One Sergeant, armed with a Combi-weapon (either a Bolter-Grenade Launcher, Bolter-Meltagun, Bolter-Plasma Gun, or Combi-Bolter) firing 19x60mm Bolts with the base weapon being a Crusade Pattern Bolter if equipped with a Power Fist then they often wield a Sunspite-Pattern Plasma Pistol as their main weapon instead, if equipped with a Combi-Weapon they are equipped Umbra-Pattern Bolt Pistol firing 19x45mm Bolts for their sidearm, a Sol-Pattern Combat Knife sometimes referred to as the Sol-Pattern Fighting Knife but is more like the "Ka-Bar" style Combat Knife used by the Sola Auxilla, a Power Sword or Power Fist, four Melta Charges, six hundred rounds of ammunition for the Crusade-Pattern Bolter or eight flaks of plasma fuel, and forty-eight rounds of ammunition for the Umbra-Pattern Bolt Pistol.

  • Seven Astartes each armed with a Crusade Pattern Bolter, a Umbra Pattern Bolt Pistol, a Legion-Pattern Chainsword, a Sol-Pattern Combat Knife, six-hundred rounds of ammunition for the Crusade Pattern Bolter, forty-eight rounds of ammunition for the Bolt Pistol, four Frag grenades, four Krak grenades, and two blind grenades.

  • One Astarte equipped with a Crusade Pattern Bolter, a Proteus Pattern Missile Launcher, a Legion-Pattern Chainsword, a Sol-Pattern Combat Knife, four hundred twenty rounds of Bolter ammunition, and a mix of Frag, Krak, Flakk, Blind, and Starflare Missiles.

  • One Astarte equipped with a Atlatl Pattern Marksman Bolt Rifle (MBR) using twenty-round straight magazines, a Umbra Pattern Bolt Pistol, a Legion-Pattern Chainsword, a Sol-Pattern Combat Knife, four hundred rounds of ammunition for the MBR, forty-eight rounds of ammunition for the Bolt Pistol, two Frag grenades, two Blind Grenades, and four Craymore Mines.

It should be noted that the squad size is almost a universal constant among the Space Marine Legions. With Assault, Tactical Support, Heavy Support sometimes called Devastators, Outrider, Reconnaissance, Destroyer, Terminator, Terminator Assault, Vanguard, and Sternguard Squads but the weaponry used varies drastically for each squad.


Each Lance in a single Battle Centuria in a Space Marine Legion is composed of three Tactical Squads and one Tactical Support Squad, with the fourth Lance being composed of four Devastator Squads.


The typical Tactical Support Squad Composition is as follows:


  • One Astartes Sergeant armed with a Thunderbolt Pattern Plasma Gun or a Hellshot Pattern Plasma Blaster, a Umbra-Pattern Bolt Pistol, a Sol-Pattern Combat Knife, a Power Sword, two Melta Charges, twenty plasma flasks, and forty-eight rounds for the Bolt Pistol.

  • Three Astartes armed with Proteus-Pattern Volkite Calivers, an Umbra-Pattern Bolt Pistol, a Legion-Pattern Chainsword, a Sol-Pattern Combat Knife, two Melta Charges, three Frag grenades, three Krak grenades, three Blind grenades, twenty energy cells, and forty-eight rounds for the bolt pistol.

  • Three Astartes armed with Red-Pattern Rotor Cannons, a Umbra-Pattern Bolt Pistol, a Sol-Pattern Combat Knife, ten thousand rounds of ammunition for the Rotor Cannon, and forty-eight rounds for the Bolt Pistol.

  • Three Astartes armed with Primus Mark II Melta Guns, a Umbra-Pattern Bolt Pistol, a Legion-Pattern Chainsword, a Sol-Pattern Combat Knife, two Melta Charges, three Frag grenades, three Krak grenades, three Blind grenades, fifteen fuel cells, and forty-eight rounds for the bolt pistol.

{-----}


Space Marine Legions that employ Armored Formations use a wide variety of vehicles from fast yet powerful tanks that are hit hard and are surprisingly durable to hulking monsters that can wade into enemy fire with absolutely no fear because very little can penetrate it's armor.


The mainstay of the Space Marine Legions is the Predator Tank comes in multiple flavors. With the most common one being the Predator Destructor, however it is often seen fighting side-by-side with the more advanced and complex Deimos Destructor Predator, Executioner Pattern Predator the turret of which is sometimes the Deimos Pattern Rhino Hull is used, but most often it's mated to a Mars Pattern Rhino hull which eases construction, and the Infernus Pattern Predator which like the Executioner Pattern Predator occasionally has it's turret mated to the hull of a Deimos Pattern Predator.


The primary heavy tank of the Space Marine Legions is the Land Raider, this fearsome machine comes in many variants. The most common variant is the Phobos Pattern Land Raider, which is more of a Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle than a dedicated tank. Being the only vehicle besides the Spartan Assault Tank that can carry Astartes Terminators, but unlike the Spartan Assault Tank it can't carry a full squad, only a fireteam.


However, the Land Raider's immense six meter width is problematic, since any vehicles that are narrower than the Land Raider that has armor that's durable enough to stop shots from the Heavy Bolter winds up directly in front of it can't be engaged by the Lascannons, naturally the Land Raider Proteus doesn't suffer from this problem if the hull-mounted Heavy Bolters are replaced with Lascannons but the Land Raider Phobos does. After several engagements against Xenos forces during the early years of the Great Crusade showed this vulnerability with lethal results, the Adeptus Mechanicus designed a new model of Land Raider that was christened the Land Raider Devastator. The Land Raider Devastator lost the entirety of it's transport capability because it was outfitted with a turret that had a Laser Destroyer and a coaxial autocannon (or heavy bolter depending on the Mark number). Which combined with it's forward mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters, sponson twin-linked Lascannons, and it's pintle weapon made for a terrifying foe that no longer had to fear getting out maneuvered as much. The Land Raider Devastator has also begun to be supplemented by the new Sicaran Battle Tank


The Space Marine Legions also have a number of Super-Heavy Tanks at their disposal. The Fellblade, Glaive, Falchion, Broadsword (like the Glaive, it's designed for crowd control but unlike the Glaive it isn't armed with a tremendous Volkite but instead a Vulcan Mega-Bolter as it's main weapon as such they are vastly more common), Stormshadow, and Stormblade Super-Heavies. However it should be noted that while the Falchion Super-Heavy Tank is compared to the Stormshadow Super-Heavy a vastly superior Titan killer. The resources required to produce one are vastly greater. Thus at best, the Falchion will only supplement the Stormshadow and never actually replace it.


It should be noted that Space Marine Legion Armored Centurias actually have considerably less Astartes per formation compared to infantry centurias but this is made up for by having additional centurias. This has to do with the fact that Predator Tanks have only a crew of two. Thus, Space Marine Legion Armored Centurias are typically broken into two Demi-Centurias, like the infantry formations, they are headed up by a Land Raider Mandatum.


It should be noted though that both variants of Land Raider have a crew of three although the newer Sicaran has a crew of two, since these vehicles form the backbone of Space Marine Heavy Armored Centurias they can vary dramatically in size.


Finally there is the Super-Heavy Armored Centurias, the backbone of these formations, the Fellblade and its variants are based upon the Baneblade and the Deathhammer Super-Heavy Tanks.


The typical Space Marine Armored Demi-Centuria has the following composition:


  • Two Athena Destructor Pattern Predator Tanks (it's a Predator Destructor that sacrifices some of it's ammunition stowage for a more powerful comms suite, in other words, it's a command tank) and like all squadron command tanks they are equipped with a Dozer Blade, Extra Armor Plating, Auxiliary Drive System, Searchlight, and Smoke Launchers.

  • Seven Executioner Predator Tanks or Seven Infernus Pattern Predator Tanks or Seven Obliterator Pattern Predator Tanks or a combination of the three tanks or in the case of the IXth Legion Baal Pattern Predator Tanks

  • Twenty-one Predator Destructor Tanks

Each Demi-Centuria is then further broken down into individual Squadrons, the composition of which is as follows:


  • Squadron Command Tank(x7)
    • The Squadron Command Tank could be a Executioner Predator Tank or a Infernus Predator Tank or a Obliterator Predator Tank
      • Loadout for the Executioner Predator Tank is a turret mounted Plasma Destroyer, a pintle mounted Combi-Bolter (often replaced with either a Heavy Bolter, Havoc Missile Launcher, or Heavy Flamer), and Sponson Heavy Bolters (sometimes replaced Lascannons or Heavy Flamers)

      • Loadout for Infernus Predator Tank is a turret mounted Flamestorm Cannon (often replaced with a Magma-Melta), a pintle Combi-Bolter (often replaced with a Heavy Bolter or Havoc Missile Launcher or Heavy Flamer), sponson mounted Heavy Flamers (sometimes replaced by Heavy Bolters or Lascannons)

      • Loadout for the Obliterator Predator Tank is a turret mounted Heavy Conversion Beamer (in canon, this weapon could replace the Plasma Destroyer on the Executioner Predator Tank, but I felt that the installation of the Heavy Conversion Beamer drastically changed the role of the tank to the point that a new designation was required), a pintle mounted Combi-Bolter (often replaced with either a Heavy Bolter, Havoc Missile Launcher, or Heavy Flamer), Sponson-Mounted Lascannons (sometimes replaced with Heavy Bolters or Heavy Flamers)
  • Squadron Tanks (x7)
    • Three Predator Destructors per Squadron
      • Loadout for the three tanks is as follows, one 70mm Predator Cannon; a Auxiliary Drive System, Extra Armor Plating, Searchlight, and Smoke Launchers. Common pintle weapons are Combi-Bolters, Multi-Meltas, and Heavy Bolters.

      • Two of the tanks have Lascannon Sponsons and the third Predator has Heavy Bolters.

The composition for a Space Marine Heavy Armored Centuria is similar in many respects to the regular Armored Centuria. It's typically broken up into two Demi-Centurias and is headed up by a Land Raider Mandatum.


However the composition does vary significantly, this is because Sicarans and Land Raider Devastators have different crew sizes, with the Sicaran having a crew of two, a Driver and Commander/Gunner while Land Raider Devastator has a crew of three: Driver, Secondary Weapon Gunner, and Commander/Main Gunner. Thus Sicaran is deployed in Demi-Centurias that have the same number of vehicles as Predator Demi-Centurias, but Land Raider Devastator Demi-Centurias have less vehicles, only twenty instead of thirty. With this in mind, a Sicaran Tank Demi-Centuria typically looks like this:


Demi-Centuria Command Squadron Tanks

  • Two Sicaran Komanda (sacrifices ammunition for a superior comms suite), their pintle weapon is typically a Heavy Bolter but is commonly replaced with a Havoc Missile Launcher and for the sponsons one tank has heavy bolters and the other has Lascannons, for equipment they are equipped similarly to the squadron command tanks they are equipped with a Dozer Blade, Extra Armor Plating, Auxiliary Drive System, Searchlight, and Smoke Launchers.
Sicaran Battle Tank Squadron (x7):

  • Three Sicaran Battle Tanks, one of which is the command tank, with two equipped with Lascannon Sponsons and one equipped with Heavy Bolter Sponsons

  • One Sicaran Punisher Assault Tank equipped with Heavy Bolter Sponsons

The command squadron of a Demi-Centuria that is composed of Land Raiders has two Land Raider Hermes Devastators, which have some of the space that would be taken up by ammunition for the secondary weapons replaced with improved comms equipment. There are also six individual squadrons each composed of three Land Raider Devastators, with two Devastators having twin-linked Lascannon sponsons and the third Devastator having Heavy Bolter sponsons. Thus Land Raider Demi-Centuria Command Squadron and Squadron would look like this on a TOE Chart:


Demi-Centuria Command Squadron:

  • Two Land Raider Hermes Devastators, comes equipped with an Auxiliary Drive System, Dozer Blade, and Extra Armor Plating, the pintle weapon was usually a Heavy Bolter but was often replaced with a Havoc Missile Launcher, forward hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters but sometimes were replaced with Heavy Flamers.

Demi-Centuria Land Raider Squadron(x6):

  • Three Land Raider Devastators (including the command tank)
    • One Land Raider Devastator, typically the command tank, is armed with sponson mounted Heavy Bolters in addition to it's Hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters, comes equipped with an Auxiliary Drive System, Dozer Blade, and Extra Armor Plating, pintle weapon is typically a combi-bolter but often replaced with something else

    • Two Land Raider Devastators armed with Lascannon Sponsons and hull-mounted twin-linked Heavy Bolters, the pintle weapon again was usually a combi-bolter but was often replaced with something else. Heavy duty equipment includes Auxiliary Drive System and Extra Armor.

Space Marine Legion Super Heavy Armored Centurias are terrifying sights on the battlefield and where ever they appear, the foe that they face is swept aside like a mist vanishing on a sunlit meadow. One thing that makes these vehicles unique is that unlike the other various machines used by the Legions, these formidable War Machines are manned by Legion Serfs not Space Marines.


Regardless, the typical Super-Heavy Tank Centuria is composed of no-less than seventeen of these behemoths. A typical Centuria formation might look something like this:


Command Squadron

  • One Fellblade Super-Heavy Tank

  • One Glaive Super-Heavy Special Weapons Tank or a Broadsword Super-Heavy Tank

Squadron Command Tanks (x3)

  • Squadrons are always led by a Titan-Killer Super-Heavy Tank: Stormblade, Stormshadow, or Falchion

Squadron Tanks (x3)

  • With three Squadrons each composed of four tanks not counting the Command Tank and five tanks including the command tank. The squadron composition is usually as follows:
    • One additional Titan Killer Super-Heavy Tank

    • Two Fellblade Super-Heavy Tanks

    • One Broadsword Super-Heavy Tank

So thoughts? Is it good, bad, ugly? And is there anything I can do to fix it?
 
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So i'm planning to take my zerg fic to the 40k verse at some point, where is a good place i learn the lore without having to spend a ton of money?
 
the Lexicanium is a good place to start, cross-comparing it with the Fandom Wiki is also helpful. if you want to include any easter-egg-ish nods to the fandom-at least the internet part of it- 1d4chan has a 'in-layman's/internet-memelord's terms' section on WH40k.
do note, however, that 40k is deliberately inconsistent about things, because the sheer breadth of the setting is enormous. as long as you get the basic broad-strokes stuff down, you can pretty much fudge the details as much as you want.

if using a specific character, though, I recommend consuming some of the media in which they appear, just to get a feel for the character. The DoW charicters are probobly the easiest, since you can find everything you need for them by watching cinematics and playthroughs on Youtube. the books...well, I recommend checking with your local library first, but you can probably find Ebooks either free or cheap if you wanted.

all else fails, you can ask the forum about it.
 
Playing TW:3k, it made me wonder if might be an idea to replicate the Romance to a smaller scale in 40k, specifically a Chapter civil war where initially the Companies are banding together against the First Captain who has elected the new Chapter Master as his obvious pawn, but end up differing on who ought to be in charge and suffer self-serving betrayals from their brothers that the Chapter even further disintegrates with Captains proclaiming their individual Companies as the true continuation of the Chapter.
 
Gul Damar said:
Playing TW:3k, it made me wonder if might be an idea to replicate the Romance to a smaller scale in 40k, specifically a Chapter civil war where initially the Companies are banding together against the First Captain who has elected the new Chapter Master as his obvious pawn, but end up differing on who ought to be in charge and suffer self-serving betrayals from their brothers that the Chapter even further disintegrates with Captains proclaiming their individual Companies as the true continuation of the Chapter.
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You mean like DoW:II?
 
... I was about to say, "Isn't that basically the Blood Raven's entire shtick?"

I mean, we've got Kyras and his buddies, Angelos and associates, probably Borele if he hadn't gotten himself killed in canon, etc, etc.

or just pick literally any of the nuttier Blood Angels successors. you've got plenty of choice there (Angels Resplendent/Penitent, Flesh Tearers, Flesh eaters, seriously the BA successors are full of Crazy even in the loyalists.)
 
Mechanis said:
seriously the BA successors are full of Crazy even in the loyalists.)
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And that's not even touching the Angels Vermillion, who purposefully butcher civilian populations for the purpose of bathing in their blood, and threatened to go to the more murder-happy Inquisitors about the Red Thirst if Dante so much as breathed one word about it.
 
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bool1989 said:
So i'm planning to take my zerg fic to the 40k verse at some point, where is a good place i learn the lore without having to spend a ton of money?
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Luetin has a playlist of pretty excellent long form lore videos which aren't just reading off a lexicanum page.
It also doesn't hurt that his voice is actually quite nice to listen to.

1d4chan also tends to be good at giving a general rundown of the setting, as well as occasionally having some pretty decent insight at times.
The All Guardsmen Party is also a must read.
 
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Ramble said:


Luetin has a playlist of pretty excellent long form lore videos which aren't just reading off a lexicanum page.
It also doesn't hurt that his voice is actually quite nice to listen to.

1d4chan also tends to be good at giving a general rundown of the setting, as well as occasionally having some pretty decent insight at times.
The All Guardsmen Party is also a must read.
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All Guardsman Party is legendary
 
A world engulfed in flame. Countless billions die screaming as the crust of the planet is shattered and the mantle exposed to the void, the atmosphere having burned off.


I witness the murder of a world from the bridge of a voidship. It had been done on my orders. As I watched the lifeblood of the world cool and die I could not help but think that with this single act I had committed genocide on a scale that all of the greatest monsters of Ea…


The nightmare ends and I wake up. Once when I was younger I would have woke screaming, a tangled mess of limbs. Now I simply snapped awake not having moved an inch since I went to sleep. I quickly get out of bed and begin to prepare for the day. Nightmares are an occupational hazard for all great leaders in the Imperium, especially those who seek to keep their humanity. However, warp travel makes it worse (as it does most everything), one could hardly expect anything less from the home of the Ruinous Powers.


"Tch!"


I need to get ahold of myself, can't let myself get caught up in melodrama or self-pity. I need to remember who I am.


After quickly washing and getting dressed I exit my rooms.


"Inquisitor," one of the officers had apparently been waiting outside my rooms to deliver a message.


"The Lord Admiral requests that you join him for breakfast in the wardroom, some of your retinue should be heading there themselves."


"Very well tell the Lord Admiral I shall be joining him soon." I said.


"Yes, Inquisitor."


As headed to the Lord Admiral's wardroom (reserved only for the very highest of officers and visiting dignitaries) two servo skulls quickly fell in line behind me.They are some of my greatest treasures and also most dangerous resource. If my puritanical colleagues knew the truth about the skulls they would probably condemn me as a heretic. While the more radical ones would probably try to murder me and take them for themselves. Still they are utterly invaluable and can get away with a lot by masquerading as "just" servo-skulls. These sort of problems just come with being an Inquisitor.


It took me almost half an hour to reach the wardroom, a time that speaks to the immensity of a voidship of the Imperium. I arrived at the door to the wardroom at the same time as two of my retinue a Sororitas and an Arch-Militant.


The Sister was someone who I had met on one of my earliest missions as a full fledged Inquisitor and who had traveled with me ever since. She is someone who honestly worries me at times. She is definitely a fanatic and the only one who can really control her is the Arch-Militant. However, she did swear herself to me and I know I can take her for her word.


She was wearing fairly standard wear for a Sororitas not expecting combat with one exception. She wore a sword strapped to her side (one I knew for a fact she never let out of arm's reach). It was of a style not overly common in the Imperium but still recognizable, a katana with what might be a nail imbedded in it near the hilt. I gave it to her after an encounter with a particularly nasty Chaos cult ended with us getting surrounded by hordes of daemons. Since that day it has not come even close to failing her. So, for now anyways, I can put my faith in her.


The Arch-Militant was different. Someone who had been with me since the beginning. Hell, before the beginning. Unlike myself he had come out more ruff for wear and had to get various augmetics to keep on going. He had a lot more scars and lost a lot more that day we were signed up with the Inquisition, but he was still the man I respected most in the world.


"Harry." Michael Carpenter was one of the few people on this ship who would even dare dream of calling my name without appending Inquisitor to it, and probably the only one who wouldn't just call me by my last name.


Despite everything the God-Forsaken Galaxy and time had thrown at him he was still the same pure-hearted paladin I had met all those years ago. The Sword of Love still strapped to his side and just as powerful as ever.


I smile and greet him in turn before walking through the door. It is time to start another day at this job.



My name is Inquisitor Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dreden of the Ordo Malleus. Conjure by it at your own risk.


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


This was something I just got the inspiration for one day and had to write down. It is based on a slight AU of Small Favors where Harry brought along Bob to Demonreach. During the escape from the island Harry, Michael, and Bob along with everything they are holding ends up getting pulled through a warp rift and ends up near a bunch of Chaos cultists cue them fighting there way out right as an Inquisitor shows up to deal with them. The Inquisitor (he leaned more to the radical side though he was never a true one) is impressed and decides to conscript them (if you asked he could never quite say why and could only really say that he had a good feeling).


Michael eventually is trained as an Arch-Militant, a title he earned through blood, sweat, and tears. While Harry is groomed to be an Inquisitor. After doing so he joins the Ordo Malleus.


It has been roughly two centuries since they ended up in the Imperium with Michael and Harry keeping up their youth with Juvenant treatments (and Harry's wizard lifespan). They ended up about a little over a century before the Thirteenth Black Crusade, so at this time Cadia has fallen and Guilliman is Regent.


Of the two Michael is the worse for wear physically, having to have various parts of his body replaced with machinery. However, his trying times through the Imperium have only made him stronger spiritually.


Harry on the other hand has all of his originally parts (well one or two are cloned copies), but has been hit harder by his time as an Inquisitor. He has had to declare Exterminatus on a world three times each time it was undoubtedly necessary but it still haunts him.


With regards to the murphyonic field. The techno-sorceries of the Mechanicus (of which there is actually some magic as Harry would recognize it) along with the deep faith imbued into each machine renders all well maintained Mechanicus products immune to all but directed effort.
 
I must admit not having read a Dresden novel in a loooong time with Changes being the last so he may have changed as a character, but I have a hard time seeing Harry tolerating the Imperium given how anti-authority and self-righteous he is, that he'd willingly work for the 'cruelest regime in history' let alone the Inquisition.
 
I always find it weird that the Imperium gets that title, TBH.

Given, you know.

The Dark Eldar are sitting over there as sweaty rape goblins. Along with Chaos's perennial backstabbing, and how Orks treat their slaves.

Strikes me as a bit silly.
 
ArchAIngel said:
I always find it weird that the Imperium gets that title, TBH.

Given, you know.

The Dark Eldar are sitting over there as sweaty rape goblins. Along with Chaos's perennial backstabbing, and how Orks treat their slaves.

Strikes me as a bit silly.
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Congratulations, you have stumbled upon one of the many criticisms of the direction 40k has moved since it was created; the imperium is the worst regime imaginable, but now we're going to spend decades justifying how it's actually not that at all.
 
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