Fallen
Bill.IVC
Kreadon stepped from the rhino, his helmet resting under his arm. He took in a deep breath, savoring the fresh clean air of this Imperial backwater of a planet. It had been a year since he stepped upon solid earth and breathed anything other than the stale air of the great ship, Angelic Emissary. He glanced over the rhino, his trusty vehicle that has carried his squad into a thousand conflicts. He looked at the spot where the Imperial Aquila once proudly displayed their allegiance to the Emperor of Mankind. A soft sigh escaped his lips, part of him missed that Aquila and yet part of him didn’t. He had dedicated his life to what that eagle symbolized and yet little good it counted for in the end.
Kreadon and his captain were still loyal Marines; they simply had lost the right to bear the double eagle. They had become like ghosts, drifting amongst the stars, avoiding attention, then erupting with a blitzkrieg that would shatter the enemy of mankind. They were Marines, yet not. Hiding and dodging their ‘enemy’, the Imperium, it was not a style of warfare he was accustomed to, yet it was a necessity if they were to truly stay loyal to the Emperor. The fewer Imperials he killed, the more of himself he held onto. Unfortunately with their excommunication, they also lost their near endless supply of ammunition and supplies. From time to time they would have to stop upon an Imperial planet to resupply the company. Though, with the title of heretic and traitor attached to their names, they were forced to take the supplies by force. For Kreadon it had become a balancing act, trying not to hurt the inhabitants of the planet, yet trying to keep all his men alive.
Each death in the company was felt ever more than before, for though they still harvested the gene-seed of their fallen, they had not yet worked out a system for recruiting and developing new Marines. Few loyal Imperial citizens would willingly give up their children to serve the Astartes of a company that had been stricken from the Chapter’s records and the company could not tarry for long in any sector or they would surely be targeted and hunted down by another Astartes Chapter or worse yet, their own brothers.
How had it come to this? The question often sprung up in the Sergeant’s mind. It had been upon a small moon on what was supposed to be a routine training mission and stop to show the Imperial’s presence upon a system that rarely needed it. It was upon this moon, this second moon of Ferin IV, that their company encountered a cult of Chaos. As with any such cults, they were dealt with rapidly and without prejudice. All were dealt with and cleansed in the name of the Emperor.
Later it was learned that one such cult member was more than a common citizen. His father had ties and was able to convince members of the Imperium that this company had fallen, that they had slaughtered innocent citizens. Normally Astartes would laugh at such accusations, but an inquisitor that had issue with this Chapter decided to embrace this opportunity to bring shame upon these noble warriors. It was arranged to eradicate the moon of all evidence of the cult’s actions and stage the scene to incriminate this company of warriors. Had prior history not already been looming over the heads of the Chapter, even this doctoring of the scene would not sway the Chapter Master and high Inquisitors would have dismissed these charges. As it was, it could not be ignored and the only option left to them was to eliminate the company.
Word darted ahead of the Inquisitor’s forces and reached the company, allowing them to divert long enough to plan their actions. Many Astartes wished to fight, to prove to the Emperor that they were innocent through their victory over the Inquisitor. Many though knew the truth of that action and knew that this would only bolster the charges against them and could bring further dishonor to the Chapter. Many wished to submit themselves to the Inquisition, hoping that cooler heads would prevail and their penance would be light.
Ultimately, the decision was made. They would detach, separate from the Chapter and yet continue to serve the Emperor. This is how their life had been for the last three decades. They had been hard decades; some brothers were beginning to lose faith. They all knew that things could not continue like this indefinitely.
Kreadon knew, as did his Captain, that they would need to discover a way to continue on as a company. They needed to secure a means of future Astartes. This was Kreadon’s mission. He and his squad were to scout the planet, to mark locations of supplies and to watch the population to discover members that would serve well within his company. His Captain had led the rest away, inserting a few other squads onto other systems and leading Imperial Navy away from his men. These systems were chosen in particular for their reputation of bravery and the possibility of accepting such a mission as this redefined company’s.
He looked down to the village of warriors. He had watched these men for the past month and was impressed by several. Today was the day he was to gather the prospects. He strode down the hill, leaving his squad around the rhino to cover him. His bolt pistol was left behind, his power sword hung at his side. He did not want to scare these people, yet he did not go anywhere without Relian. Things were changing, it was difficult for one as old and ingrained in his ways as Kreadon, but this was what matters had come to. Survival was necessary, their mission was not over. Only the Emperor could stand judgment over them. One day, that judgment would come, but that day was not here. That day was far off for these warriors. Until that day, the fight would go on.
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Ages have passed since the terrible events that have torn the Empire apart, since those days when Horus led his traitor legions against their brothers. The galaxy as they knew it was changed seemingly overnight. Though ten millennia have passed brothers still fight brothers, some slip further into despair and insanity as they struggle with the ever present taint and still some succumb to the constant call of Chaos. Though not well documented, many Marines answer the call of the traitor legions. Think for a moment, if you were an Astartes, what reasons could you come up with to ‘fall to Chaos’?
Ambition: Soldiers desire to move up in the ranks, when this move is stalled or appears at an end they tend to grow discontent. As an Astartes, they are vastly superior to any of the mortal commanders that lay out in the galaxy and it would not be hard to procure a position as the General of a planet that has slipped into Chaos or a war band out for pillage. They would have to make the decision between a lifetime of continued servitude with no apparent advance or taking control of a force that was greatly in need of the expertise that one of the demigod Astartes can bring. The most difficult part of this would be locating such a force, though I think in their travels they may be able to do such a thing. As with many other such situations, men under this Astartes command may wish to continue in such a capacity and will then follow their leader over and make the transition from fighting against Chaos to fighting for Chaos. Which I suppose brings us to our next option.
Loyalty: Strange how loyalty could cause someone to turn traitor, but it is definitely possible, and rather probable. Soldiers are bound together through common training and experiences. If you have fought beside someone for decades, perhaps even centuries, your loyalty will more than likely shift from Chapter to Sergeant. Sure there is still some loyalty to the overall picture, but their closest ties will be for those that they fight alongside day after day. If their sergeant presents them with an opportunity to gain glory and honor in a different way, or if he is able to obscure the exact mission or purpose of their actions, they will more than likely follow him into the warp if he so desired.
Power: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely… Even Primarchs fell to such a base desire to increase their power. An Astartes who has tasted power and glory, victory against all, may seek to increase their edge. This could be through the use of a strange weapon (think of Fulgrim) or perhaps even making a deal for increased powers. Whether knowingly or not many Space Marines will fall through their desires to be better warriors. Image a soldier that is undefeated in combat. After a spar with another warrior discovers that the other’s skill overshadows their own, or being wounded on the battlefield by a Berzerker, they realize that there is a way to grow in power and compete against those that have bested him before. Perhaps they believe in the next option…
Arrogance: The mightiest warriors mankind has ever known. Feared by all and fearing no one. What could possibly beyond the control of one such as this? The forces of Chaos are tricky and often seek to subtly persuade a warrior in bit by bit slipping more and more into their embrace. Through their own arrogance, they convince themselves that they are too good and too pure to fall to Chaos.
Misunderstanding: Probably the most unfortunate means that the Imperium will offer, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a common one. Think of Magnus. Yes, he also falls into the realm of a few of the other ones, such as Arrogance and Power, but he did not feel he was falling to Chaos and would have stood alongside the Emperor and fought against his brothers. He sought to divert the events that would lead to the Heresy and alter the course of history. Through his efforts, he raised the ire of the Emperor and would pay for it. With Inquisitors running around with competing agendas and rivalries, I would be surprised if it weren’t a frequents event that someone decides a Marine, a squad, perhaps even a Company, has fallen to the taint of Chaos and is declared an outcast. What choice would such a warrior have? They could accept their fate and be killed, much like Konrad Curze, or choose to fight, like Magnus finally does. Either way, the outcome is the same!
Dead Emperor: So this is my favorite. How long would you take orders from a group of men that “interpret the will of the Emperor”. Personally I am not sure I could handle that. The Emperor is dead. Now a group of men that have their own interpretations of the “will” are in charge. These men are just that, men. They are not the almighty Astartes, they are men that are probably enhanced and life extended but still mortal men. They have their own agendas and their own interpretations. Who are they to command Chapters of Astartes, the Emperor’s most perfect of creations?
So, no matter what option you choose, and I am sure there are some I didn’t explore, they offer for a fun and flavorful way to either have your Space Marines fall to Chaos, or start a Chaos Space Marine army that is not bound to the Heresy or the motives of the dark gods. Another aspect of this I have been thinking of exploring is the presence of more recent Marines in a Chaos army. I know others that do this and would not be totally adverse to such an option. For a myriad of reasons Marines are still falling to Chaos or perhaps more accurately rebelling against the Imperium. There is no reason that a rich fluff can’t be designed that incorporates elements of modern day Space Marines in a Chaos driven army. Explore your options and create that army that has turned away from the Imperium.
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