Red Dragons

[neosonichdghg]

A millennium and a half ago, a little-known world on the fringe of the Gothic Sector was nearly finished with an important project. The Red Dragons, a relatively young chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, were to become the first of the Wing Marines. The battle brothers of the chapter would be outfitted with modified jump packs and speeders, allowing them to fight in space. The spaceborne brothers would be released from their ship, the "Dragon's Claw", in a dispersed cloud, making a difficult target for capital ships to hit. They could then fire upon enemy ships with heavy weapons platforms or assault and board without requiring the Dragon's Claw to dock with the enemy vessel. This new innovation was expected to have a drastic effect on the fleet wars in the sector.

Their training and outfitting was nearly complete when a Dark Eldar raid interrupted a space combat training mission. The brothers of the chapter fought valiantly alongside the Claw, but the Dark Kin's forces were too powerful. The Dragons were forced to withdraw to the Warp. Unfortunately, the Claw was more damaged in the battle than they realized. An explosion in the warp drive killed the ship's Navigator and sent the Claw flying uncontrolled through the Immaterium. For some unknown period of time the Dragons worked to repair their wounded vessel, and eventually coaxed it into normal space near a dead planet.

The Dragon's Claw crash-landed on the planet, never to rise from the surface. A check of the star charts revealed the planet to be Gribaltar, a Forge World of the Adeptus Mechanicus on the eastern fringe of the galaxy. The Dragons salvaged what they could from the Claw and dug in to plan their next move. It was eventually decided that a new ship would be constructed, and that they would leave Gribaltar and return to the command of the Emperor as soon as possible. Work shortly began on the Emperor's Hope, and due to the large numbers of Techmarines in the spaceborne chapter the Dragons were optimistic about their eventual escape.

Then the Dark Eldar attacked. Somehow, a large raiding party had discovered that Gribaltar was not quite as abandoned as previously thought. The Dragons fought them off in a bloody conflict that lasted for weeks and ended in the Dark Kin limping away for reinforcements. And reinforcements came. For six hundred years, the planet was attacked again and again by Dark Eldar and each time they were driven off by the valiant Marines. Finally, the Emperor's Hope was complete and the Red Dragons left Gribaltar for the Macragge system to the south. They were welcomed with open arms by the Imperial forces upon arriving and restating their loyalty to the Emperor, and when the order eventually came they gladly went to battle at the call of the Ordo Hereticus, numbers swelled once more by new battle brothers.

It had been established that a cult of psykers had taken deep root on a planet west of the Macragge system. The Red Dragons vied against them for months before the Inquisitor at the head of the task force declared the planet beyond reach and called in an Exterminatus. At that time the seeds of heresy were planted. The Dragons, cut off for so long from the propaganda of the Emperor, had upheld their ideal of a benevolent ruler and this genocide seemed to clash with such a government. However, the brothers of the chapter shrugged the incident off, reasoning that there must have been a good reason for such drastic measures. But such actions continued. For another century and a half, the Dragons fought Eldar and Tau that did not seem so evil, watched as innocents were murdered in the name of the Emperor, and witnessed too many atrocities to be ignored. Finally, the Dragons announced their secession from the Imperium and fled in desperation and confusion to Gribaltar.

Clearly, something had gone wrong. The vision of the Imperium had been corrupted somehow. The benevolent system the Dragons remembered did not exist, and many now suspected it had not even before they left. As the Dragons fought off a clumsy counterassault on the part of the Imperium, they reeled from the realization and tried to decide on a course of action. Finally they remembered the Tau. Emboldened with the thought of working for a truly benevolent force, the Dragons sought out the nearest Tau planet to the north and sought to fight under the banner of the Greater Good. They were welcomed, and became the first force of Gue'vesa marines.

Since then they have served their new cause loyally, destroying those who would threaten the Tau Empire. In return, the Tau improved vastly upon the implanted organs of the Dragons and allowing them to live far longer than most other Marines. For over a century, the Red Dragons have sought a way to overthrough the corrupt government of the Imperium and restore a positive system once more, whether it be Man or Tau at the head.

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All right, what do you think? I know I probably screwed a lot of stuff up fluff wise, and I know for a fact that all of you loyalists out there hate me. Chaos guys probably hate me too for going Tau when I left the Imperium. Heck, the Tau are all probably rather wary of the concept as well. So...do I have any supporters at this point?

Anyway, whether you like the idea or not they're here to stay in spirit if not detail, and feedback is certainly appreciated.

[Lady Bastet]

Oh please no! Tau Space Marines?

Rebel Space Marines who have an understanding with the Tau could be interesting (like Mercenaries) but the idea of fully fledged Gue'vesa Marines?

Also another note- only the Eldar call the Dark Eldar their Dark Kin.

Other than that it works, certainly not the first case of Space Marines being disillusioned by the Imperium, this could also keep them loyal to the Emperor too.

[neosonichdghg]

Thanks for the tip on the Dark Kin thing.

What's wrong with having Marines become Gue'vesa? Anyway, I would do this just for the fact that I get to make Scouts in Fire Warrior armor with Tau-based sniper rifles. And Kroot camo capes and knives. I mean, come on. How sweet are those gonna be?

[Silver Wings]

Space Marines have always been zenocidal and I doubt the Imperiium was benevolent even during the reign of the Emperor. Space Marines are geneticaly programmed in obediance to the Imperial Creed, especialy with an Inquisitor present.

I am uncertain of the background of a vacuum fighting chapter, plus chapters only came about after the death of the Emperor and the Horus Heresy where things started downhill.

[Tubal]

Ah, the dangers of excessive compassion. This is precisely the reason space marines are supposed to be indoctrinated, the tech-adept in charge of the hypnotherapy equipment will be found and shot.

Originally Posted by neosonichdghg

The Dragon's Claw crash-landed on the planet, never to rise from the surface. A check of the star charts revealed the planet to be Gribaltar, a Forge World of the Adeptus Mechanicus on the eastern fringe of the galaxy.

A forgeworld would be inhabited unless it has been destroyed somehow but that is not mentioned in your fluff. Tech-marines aren't really trained to build an entire space ship so they would have to get help from the mechanicus for that but if the planet is inhabited I don't think the Adeptus Mechanicus would be very happy when the chapter returns with the inquisition hot on their heels

If I were you I'd either kill off the world or just not have it as a forgeworld at all since this gives a lot of problems. You could instead say that the ship was severly damaged but managed to hold orbit or land (relatively) safely and can be repaired with a LOT of work.

Originally Posted by Wings of Doom

Space Marines have always been zenocidal and I doubt the Imperiium was benevolent even during the reign of the Emperor. Space Marines are geneticaly programmed in obediance to the Imperial Creed, especialy with an Inquisitor present.

They are also taught that chaos is bad but nobody bats an eyelid when marines turn to chaos worship...

[numberofthebeastxxx]

1. Why did the DE go out of there way to fight the marines for so long? They must have some special agenda, b/c it is not like DE to attack a well defended planet in force. They usually just attack weak places and pick up slaves, etc.
2. How did they build a ship? Techmariens are good but not that good. They would have to have had help from the mechanicus on the planet.
3. Sorry I just don't believe marines would turn from the emperor so easily. At least with chaos their minds get warped and changed and even then it's extremely difficult. You need to think up a better reason than just "the Imperium was being bad so they stopped liking them".
4. BLASPHEMY! Tau cannot "vastly improve" space marines. Maybe give them better guns or something but not the organs. If they could do it so easily then why are they so wimpy? Why don't they make Tau super soldiers like marines? Hardly anyone in the Imperium knows how to create a space marine, and NO ONE save the emperor himself could even dream of any "improvments". Sorry the Tau being better at space marine technology than the Emperor himself is completely unfeasible.
5. Not liking the Imperium is one thing but nothing tau could do would make marines want to kill the emperor and let a tau rule the million worlds of the imperium. (like that would ever happen anyway).
6. How would you play such an army? I know very few people who would let you play them with an army made up of tau and space marines.

Sorry if this sounds overly critical but I don't like poeple taking liberty with fluff and twisting it. Make your story more believable.

[Kelnor]

A millennium and a half ago, a little-known world on the fringe of the Gothic Sector was nearly finished with an important project.

The creation of a new Space Marine Chapter is only possible by an order of the emperor (read: High Lords of Terra). Also, Terra and Mars have to provide the genesseed and the necessary technology. Things like that aren't done by "a little known forgeworld". Its one of the most important and complex development in the Imperium.

The spaceborne brothers would be released from their ship, the "Dragon's Claw", in a dispersed cloud, making a difficult target for capital ships to hit. They could then fire upon enemy ships with heavy weapons platforms or assault and board without requiring the Dragon's Claw to dock with the enemy vessel. This new innovation was expected to have a drastic effect on the fleet wars in the sector.

Assuming that we are talking about a Space Marine Chapter here, a vessel that could hold them all would be incredible large, as large as the Rock maybe. I doubt that the Imperium is even capable of building such ships anymore and if it can, they certainly would need some help with it.

Their training and outfitting was nearly complete when a Dark Eldar raid interrupted a space combat training mission. The brothers of the chapter fought valiantly alongside the Claw, but the Dark Kin's forces were too powerful. The Dragons were forced to withdraw to the Warp. Unfortunately, the Claw was more damaged in the battle than they realized. An explosion in the warp drive killed the ship's Navigator and sent the Claw flying uncontrolled through the Immaterium. For some unknown period of time the Dragons worked to repair their wounded vessel, and eventually coaxed it into normal space near a dead planet.

As it has been said, a ship of such size would not only been big, but also heavily armoured and armed, given the tasks you mentioned it has to fullfill. Therefore it seems highly unlikley that the Dark Eldar not only attacked a Space Marine Chapter (what for?) but also had the power to attack their fortress monastrey. Thats just not the way Dark Eldar work, unless there is something really important for them.

The Dragon's Claw crash-landed on the planet, never to rise from the surface. A check of the star charts revealed the planet to be Gribaltar, a Forge World of the Adeptus Mechanicus on the eastern fringe of the galaxy. The Dragons salvaged what they could from the Claw and dug in to plan their next move. It was eventually decided that a new ship would be constructed, and that they would leave Gribaltar and return to the command of the Emperor as soon as possible. Work shortly began on the Emperor's Hope, and due to the large numbers of Techmarines in the spaceborne chapter the Dragons were optimistic about their eventual escape.

Techmarines are capable of many things but building a ship that can a thousand marines home? Too much if you ask me. Besides, if it is a forge world, why just make the Libarians to set up a message for help?

Then the Dark Eldar attacked. Somehow, a large raiding party had discovered that Gribaltar was not quite as abandoned as previously thought. The Dragons fought them off in a bloody conflict that lasted for weeks and ended in the Dark Kin limping away for reinforcements. And reinforcements came. For six hundred years, the planet was attacked again and again by Dark Eldar and each time they were driven off by the valiant Marines. Finally, the Emperor's Hope was complete and the Red Dragons left Gribaltar for the Macragge system to the south. They were welcomed with open arms by the Imperial forces upon arriving and restating their loyalty to the Emperor, and when the order eventually came they gladly went to battle at the call of the Ordo Hereticus, numbers swelled once more by new battle brothers.

Again, thats not how Dark Eldar work. They attack only weak targets, catching slaves and fly off. There is just no reason for them to attack an abandoned forge world with some marines on it. Especially not for Six-Hundred years. Marines live long, but it is questionable if they could hold out for that period, without any reinforcments. Humans are hardly capable of using Eldar weapons, so how did they managed to defend themselves. There can hardly a hundred left. And why were they commanded by the Ordo Hereticus?

It had been established that a cult of psykers had taken deep root on a planet west of the Macragge system. The Red Dragons vied against them for months before the Inquisitor at the head of the task force declared the planet beyond reach and called in an Exterminatus. At that time the seeds of heresy were planted. The Dragons, cut off for so long from the propaganda of the Emperor, had upheld their ideal of a benevolent ruler and this genocide seemed to clash with such a government. However, the brothers of the chapter shrugged the incident off, reasoning that there must have been a good reason for such drastic measures. But such actions continued. For another century and a half, the Dragons fought Eldar and Tau that did not seem so evil, watched as innocents were murdered in the name of the Emperor, and witnessed too many atrocities to be ignored. Finally, the Dragons announced their secession from the Imperium and fled in desperation and confusion to Gribaltar.

The Eldar kill innocent humans just as likley as the Inqusition does and the Tau have no problem with sacrificing lives for the greater Good. Besides, how should they know the Dark Eldar aren't Eldar themselves? For a Space Marines, they are the same kin. Also, Space Marines are trained their whole lives to worship the Imperium, they wouldn't leave it for some dead heretics. They may protest and silently hate the Inqusition but certainly not leave the entire Imperium.

Clearly, something had gone wrong. The vision of the Imperium had been corrupted somehow. The benevolent system the Dragons remembered did not exist, and many now suspected it had not even before they left. As the Dragons fought off a clumsy counterassault on the part of the Imperium, they reeled from the realization and tried to decide on a course of action. Finally they remembered the Tau. Emboldened with the thought of working for a truly benevolent force, the Dragons sought out the nearest Tau planet to the north and sought to fight under the banner of the Greater Good. They were welcomed, and became the first force of Gue'vesa marines.

When a Space Marine Chapter goes renegade, the Imperium does everything in his power to destroy it. Remember the Badab War for that. So an attack by the Imperiums forces would be anything but clumsy. Finally, Space Marines maybe xenophobic and stubborn, but they certainly would not change the sides to the Tau just because they have a vague idea of their culture and behaivor.

Since then they have served their new cause loyally, destroying those who would threaten the Tau Empire. In return, the Tau improved vastly upon the implanted organs of the Dragons and allowing them to live far longer than most other Marines. For over a century, the Red Dragons have sought a way to overthrough the corrupt government of the Imperium and restore a positive system once more, whether it be Man or Tau at the head.

The Tau have no technology which can do this. Nor does anybody know how long normal Space Marines live.Most importanly, they can't help them maintaining their armour and equipment, or providing new geneseed. The chapter would effectiflly die out in a few hundred years.

[Grephaun]

Originally Posted by neosonichdghg

The battle brothers of the chapter would be outfitted with modified jump packs and speeders, allowing them to fight in space. The spaceborne brothers would be released from their ship, the "Dragon's Claw", in a dispersed cloud, making a difficult target for capital ships to hit. They could then fire upon enemy ships with heavy weapons platforms or assault and board without requiring the Dragon's Claw to dock with the enemy vessel. This new innovation was expected to have a drastic effect on the fleet wars in the sector.

I don’t think this new method of combat would prove very effective. A space-going ship is simply too enormous for men to attack without the aid of boarding craft, even Space Marines. Even with jump packs and speeders, they would still be too few and too small to seriously damage the ship; in fact, they would have difficulties even reaching the ship, considering the vast distances in space. I wonder if they could even penetrate the ship’s shields; their weapons certainly wouldn’t be able to.

Originally Posted by neosonichdghg

Clearly, something had gone wrong. The vision of the Imperium had been corrupted somehow. The benevolent system the Dragons remembered did not exist, and many now suspected it had not even before they left. As the Dragons fought off a clumsy counterassault on the part of the Imperium, they reeled from the realization and tried to decide on a course of action. Finally they remembered the Tau. Emboldened with the thought of working for a truly benevolent force, the Dragons sought out the nearest Tau planet to the north and sought to fight under the banner of the Greater Good. They were welcomed, and became the first force of Gue'vesa marines.

As others have already said, humanity and especially Space Marines are very xenophobic in the 41st millennium, and while Space Marines turn to Chaos on a regular basis, there has to my knowledge never been a single incident of Space Marines turning to an alien race. (Well, actually that’s a lie, because in the oldest of the old fluff, there were actually Space Marines working with the Tyranids. Or so the Tyranids claimed. But that was back when they could talk and weren’t satisfied with just eating everyone. )

Generally, I don’t think Space Marines would ever serve an alien master. They have been known to collaborate with xenos if absolutely necessary, both the Eldar and the Tau, and would probably tolerate being near them if no other options were available. If a renegade Space Marine Chapter was offered a territory on a planet in the Tau empire to build their Fortress-Monastery and had previously been allied with the Tau, they might accept it, and would probably help the Tau fight off attacks on the planet to defend themselves. Perhaps they would even lend the Tau a squad or two to take on off-planet missions in exchange for other favours, perhaps the use of Tau ships if they have few of their own. But I very much doubt that they would ever serve the Tau; they’re simply too proud of their human ancestry to ever take orders from xenos. The Tau, being the diplomatic race that they are, would probably find a way to work around this issue, though, and make it sound as if the Marines were actually in charge while doing whatever the Tau wanted them to.

~Grephaun.

[neosonichdghg]

Dang it all, I wouldn't be so upset but you're all so right.

I was confused as to the nature of the Dark Eldar. I thought they simply used hit-and-run, terrorist, and insurgent tactics. I didn't realize they only attacked weaker targets like that. Maybe Orks would work?

With the ship, I thought most Space Marine Chapters had ship that carry around the whole Chapter at once. Battle Barges?

The chapter was not formed solely for the project, they were called in for additional training and equipment. That was the project.

I was thinking that the planet had been purged of humans by xenos at some point, not that it had just been abandoned. However, as this does seem to raise a lot of problems, Gribaltar will no longer be a Forge World.

I kind of imagined that the Marines built the new ship with a lot of the major parts from the old one. Would that still be beyond their reach? Remember, the chapter's numbers have been drastically reduced at this point.

With Chaos, the mutations and mind effects came into play after they turned. The initial decision is of the Marines' own free will (or so I understand). If this is the case, why would it be any different from joining the Tau?

They may stop being Wing Marines. That whole thing was actually something totally different that the Dragons sort of evolved from, and it's really not essential anymore.

The reason they left the Imperium is not because they dislike the concept. On the contrary, they view the Imperium as a wonderful thing and are now fighting to restore it to its former glory under the Emperor.

As for the counterattack...Yeah. They may just flee to the Tau, that might be enough. But maybe not, if such a concentrated assault was on their heels. Would the Tau be able to help enough in a situation like this?

It seems like the Tau are advanced enough to deal with the whole gene-seed issue, although I admit I went overboard with the organ improvements. Maybe they wouldn't be able to recreate the requisite technology, but it seems like if they had a few centuries...remember, a lot of the Dragons at this point are relatively young recruits from the Macragge system and outlying.

The Eldar may be willing to sacrifice innocent humans, but not innocent Eldar. I thought the Tau avoided killing their own people, even if they don't mind sacrificing soldiers in battle. Both of those are a step up from the Imperium's methods.

Thanks for the criticism. I'm not trying to mess around with too much stuff already in place, I just admittedly don't know that much about the official fluff. Please keep the advice coming, it really helps.

[Alexei Vor Yaruk]

I like it, with a few important objections.
1: You should say it was a 'lost' or 'ruined' forge-world.
2: They would have to escape completely. As was pointed out the Imperium TRASHES rogue chapters.
3: They would remain loyal to the Emperor even if they were with the Tau. They would be fighting to restore the Imperium to the way He wanted it to be. Any insinuation that they had betrayed His vision would be met with a slap to the face at best. More likely a bolt to the back of the head.