Adeptus Astartes
"They shall be my finest warriors, these men who give of themselves to me. Like clay I shall mould them and in the furnace of war I shall forge them. They shall be of iron will and steely sinew. In great armor I shall clad them and with the mightiest weapons shall they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight them. They shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Terror. They are the Defenders of Humanity. They are my Space Marines...and they shall know no fear." -The Emperor of Mankind
Background
The Space Marines or Adeptus Astartes are foremost amongst the defenders of Humanity, the greatest of the God-Emperor of Mankind 's warriors. They have surpassed humanity; having been made superior in all respects to a normal man by a harsh regime of genetic modification, psycho-conditioning and rigorous training. Space Marines are untouched by plague or any natural disease and can suffer wounds that would kill a lesser being several times over, and live to fight again. Clad in ancient power armor and wielding the most potent weapons known to man, the Space Marines are terrifying foes and their devotion to the Emperor and the Imperium is unyielding. They are the God-Emperor's Angels of Death and they know no fear. The Astartes are physically stronger, far more resilient and often mentally far removed from the lot of most normal Human beings. In the presence of the Astartes, most people feel a combination of awe and fear, and many cultures on the more primitive worlds simply worship them outright as demigods or angels of the God-Emperor made flesh. They should feel so, for many Space Marines feel little compassion for those they have sometimes termed "mortals" in comparison to themselves, seeing the very people they were created to protect as little more than obstacles to a more efficient eradication of the Imperium's enemies.
The Primarchs
Of all the Space Marine Chapter currently in service, blessed few can trace their beginnings back to an age more than ten thousand standard years ago in the late 30th Millennium, when the Emperor of Mankind still walked amongst mortals. In those days, the Emperor first created the primarchs, 18 immortal superhumans blessed with extraordinary intelligence, charisma and sheer physical might who were to be His proconsuls, generals and closest comrades during the Great Crusade to reunite the scattered and long-isolated Human colony worlds, each leading an entire Space Marine Legion. Legions were massive self sufficient armies capable of subduing the entire galaxy in the Emperor's name. From the genetic template of the primarchs, the gene-seed was made and implanted into the Space Marines, transforming them into super human warriors and providing a genetic legacy. The primarch from which a Space Marine's gene seed is derived gives them strong engrained characteristics, doctrines, flaws and sometimes mutations.
First Born and Primaris
With the return of Roboute Guilliman as Imperial Regent, and with the assistance of High Magos Belisarius Cawl, a new breed of Space Marine has been made, the Primaris Marine. These marines possess even greater strength than their First Born brethren, more genetic organs to increase their effectiveness, deadliness and suppress many of the flaws in the original template. The initial wave of Primaris Space Marines emerged from over 10,000 standard years of stasis fully psychologically indoctrinated to each fulfil a single strategic role. They have upgraded and more specialized equipment compared to the First Born. Many Firstborn Chapter Masters have welcomed their Primaris brethren into their ranks, accepting the new reinforcements gladly. Others, though, view these new creations with suspicion or outright hostility, claiming that the Emperor's work should never have been meddled with by mere mortals.
Concordia Subsector Activity
In the Concordia subsector, a large battlefleet of Adeptus Astartes vessels belong to the Sons of the Deep Chapter , at least 2 companies worth, and attached Imperial Navy ships belonging to the Chapter are present, but have not committed to any warzone in large numbers. Small kill teams and patrols have been seen by Imperium forces, but so far have not communicated their objectives nor answered requests for assistance. They appear with little warning, and battles can often be heard in the direction they travel but with who, no answers have been forth coming. A different liveried Chapter in blue with white arms have rumored to been seen but these are unconfirmed reports and could be mistaken with Traitor Astartes in the area.
Type
Military Order
Friendly
The Mechanicus is technically an entity unto itself in the Imperium but maintains good relations with most Astartes Chapters.
Allied
The relations between Adeptus Astartes and the Inquisition is often complicated. Officially the Inquisition can call on the Astartes at any time but often must so due difference and respect to get anywhere. Frequently they have come to blows in the past over the Inquisitions unwillingness to bend.
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