Storm Stalkers

[InquisitorHayn]

Thanks to all who posted with C&C, especially NightrawenII. Hard, but wise :P Revised a lot to make this look less like a doughnut. Still working on a Chapter symbol and embellishing the armor pattern (thinking some Night Lords-esque lightning). As always, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Origins

We war with daemons of the warp.

With the failures of the weak.

With the Xenos.

With the unrelenting voice spreading the taint of Chaos.

But we are warriors of the Imperium, and one thing will always be certain.

We will be victorious!

-Colm Rentilius, Lord Malakath

I

n the 36th millennium, a great calamity struck the Imperium in the form of the mad tyrant, Goge Vandire. Brother waged war upon brother, entire systems were left disconnected from the galaxy at large, the Officio Assassinorum fell to internecine strife and even the vaunted High Lords of Terra were sundered and cast aside by the terrible storm of destruction that arose. Indeed, even after Sebastian Thor and the Sisters of Silence restored some semblance of order to the Adepta and their holdings, there still remained numerous threats barely held at bay by the struggling forces of the Imperial Guard and mighty Space Marines, threats that stood poised to strike while the dominion of Man lay broken and vulnerable. It was for this reason that the newly reconstituted High Lords decided that Humanity's defenses had to be re-fortified. It was for this reason that a new Chapter of the legendary warriors, the Adeptus Astartes, was to be born.

As part of an effort to reaffirm Imperial rule within Segmentum Ultima, a battlegroup of the Imperial Guard was sent to push into the Keldara sector, exterminate the Ork infestation that had taken root there and establish martial law over the colonies therein until such time as order was reinstated. A task force drawn from the penitent Executioners Chapter was seconded to the expedition and, over the course of nearly two decades of bloody war, the forces of Man drew Keldara back into the Imperial fold. Since resources at the time were stretched thin, the Guard regiments were redeployed and it was decided amongst the High Lords of Terra that a Chapter of Space Marines would be created to safeguard the region and act as a bulwark against threats from beyond. The valiant Battle-Brothers of the Executioners were granted the honor to train this new generation of warriors and stand guard over the sector until their apprentices of death took up the mantle for themselves.

The mission commander chose the death world Malakath as the site for his operational center. Located in a system on the edge of the sector, the planet was a breeding ground for fierce warriors and hardy survivalists. As the decades past, the fledgling Chapter grew to strength and became the Storm Stalkers of Malakath. Five thousand years hence, the Chapter continues to bring the Emperor's fury down upon the enemies of Mankind.

Homeworld

On Malakath where thunder rolls

And warriors are made,

Beware ye all, bedeviled souls

Of righteous storm and blade

-Malakathi poem

M

alakath is a harsh, unforgiving wasteland of a world that, with exception to its rich veins of rare and exotic minerals, bears no merit toward Human colonization. Desolate cobalt deserts cover the majority of the planet's surface, perforated by ranges of featureless jagged mountains that shimmer with the intense heat of the day. A shift in the world's orbit, eons past, brought it closer to its star, melting away and subsequently vaporizing the polar ice. The resultant increase in gravitational force provided the pressure necessary to form incredibly valuable metals and crystals, but also made dwelling on the surface a ponderous and wearying tribulation of an existence. Proximity to its unstable sun, in addition to the unbearable heat, causes frequent atmospheric anomalies which manifest in the form of vast and devastating ion storms that play havoc on vehicles and communication equipment alike.

The only native inhabitants of the planet to survive into its present state are microscopic lifeforms, cavern-dwelling lichens, herbivorous desert rodents akin to ancient Terran prairie dogs, and the deadly Balu serpents of the mountains. Solitary and fiercely territorial, the Balu only leave the safety of their rocky lairs to feed upon the creatures of the desert. Not being incredibly fickle beasts, this includes the Human population. Able to grow twice the length of a man, the infamous reptilian devils are incredibly strong with hides as thick as sheeted armaplas and fangs as long as a man's finger which produce a paralytic venom so that the prey is still warm and alive when the Balu consumes it.

Descendants of a long ago colonization, the Malakathi are a hardy, superstitious and embittered people. They are divided into twelve tribes, each member venerating his ancestors and the guardian spirits of the Twelve Hells. Each day on Malakath is a trial of will and the ability to survive to the next, and so the tribesmen have translated this mentality into their spirituality. After death, it is believed that the departed soul must face the trials posed by each of twelve infernal netherworlds. If they perform admirably, the guardians of those realms will grant passage and the fallen soul is led to his place at the Emperor's side. Prior to that, daily life on the planet occurs within the walls of self-contained, electrically and thermally insulated townships called Sulas. Ancient recycling machines whir and hum, filtering the thin, heavily ionized air. Those Malakathi of age who do not ply a trade within the Sulas are trained in the ways of the warrior-hunter. It is these brave individuals on whom the rest truly depend, for they venture forth into the wastes, swathed in robes and rebreather apparatus, to collect the moisture from the traps, hunt for food, and raid the other tribes for slaves, mates, and supplies.

Imperial surveyors also maintain a presence on Malakath, bartering with the nearest tribe for protection while their bonded workers, largely criminals on penal sentence, unearth the resources contained in the millennia-old mining tunnels. The work crews rely heavily on the locals as improperly shielded ships can only come and go as the planet's fearsome storms dictate. Since many of the miners are on the planet for life, this has resulted in a cultural transference of sorts. The miners tend to become even more violent and, fascinated by Malakathi honor duels and tribal wars, the foremen have introduced a dark underground of illicit entertainment in the form of brutal and invariably lethal pit fights.

This combination of oppressive natural environment and fierce competition for survival create prime candidates for Space Marine recruits. Aspirants are drawn from all walks of life, be they Sula-dwelling warrior or criminal scum. All are forged by their surroundings into creatures of singular will and impeccable talent for survival.

Organization

We brothers, we warriors, we bringers of death stride amongst the endless tide of our enemies undaunted, adorned with the flames of righteous hatred, ablaze with the vengeance of our ancestors, alight with the blinding illumination of our Emperor's truth. By the luminescence of our fiery vestment may our foes find us and, in so doing, find their path through the gates of oblivion.

-Veteran Sergeant Aillen

B

eneath the cliffs and crags of a lonely mountain amongst the azure sands, lies the fortress known as Thundergate, bastion of the Storm Stalkers. Within its hallowed chambers are extraordinary men forged into legendary figures of wrath and vengeance. Here lie armouries of destructive weaponry. Here rest tomes of knowledge both esoteric and ancient. Here are housed Space Marines of the Imperium of Man.

The Storm Stalkers retain a largely codex-adherent organizational structure, although they do inherit some minor deviations from their parent Chapter. Each company retains three chaplains, known as Death Speakers, as opposed to the standard of one. These marines bear the solemn duty to counsel their brothers in life and speak the tales of their heroism after death, as well as the responsibility to keep order among the quick-tempered and barbaric marines.

One devastator squad in each company is replaced with a unit of sternguard veterans to better facilitate the Chapter's penchant for close-in kills. Also, likely due to the desert terrain of their homeworld, the Chapter's marines prefer the versatility of speeders over land-bound bikes.

Governance of each company is left to the individual Captains who maintain a great degree of autonomy, but when matters affecting the Chapter arise, the Storm Stalkers call upon the Council of Twelve, consisting of the Chapter Master (Lord Malakath), the ten Captains, and the Chief Librarian. The Lord Speaker of the Dead is invariably in attendance, availing the Council of his wisdom, but primarily serves as an impartial peacekeeper. This is mostly only a nominal duty as leadership may be contested by any officer and, in such a case, the ensuing duel is often lethal.

Combat Doctrine

Your enemy may not harm what he cannot see. He cannot see if he is dead. The solution is obvious.

-Scout Sergeant Decius Cennedig, explaining battle theory to recruits

O

n the assault, the Storm Stalkers prefer to silently breach the enemy perimeter and execute fast, explosive strikes into critical points in the enemy defenses. Utilizing air and orbital drops as well as teleportation, the Malakathi warriors strike from the skies with the brutal efficiency of a thunderbolt. They appear, the hammer falls, and they are gone. The Chapter relies on its melee skills and extremely disciplined bolter fire to make its marines superb close-range fighters, though it will wage war on any front without hesitation.

Beliefs

Nihil est verum. Omnia licet.

-Motto inscribed upon the Librarium doors

T

he Storm Stalkers adhere to a system of ancestor worship that is something of a mixture of the religion of the wild peoples of Malakath and the teachings of the Executioners Chapter. Each warrior venerates Emperor, Primarch, Chapter heroes and Armour-Brothers (the line of Marines who wore a particular suit of power armour) as family, in addition to those of their human family. In this way, the Marine does not abandon his ancestors from his previous life, but merely includes them into this new progression of his existence. Carried over from the parent Chapter, chaplains known as Death Speakers take over the duties of a tribal shaman, recounting the tales of the fallen and acting as advisors to their brethren.

The Storm Stalkers not only utilize, but highly revere Librarians, a trait no doubt brought on by the role of the shaman in a Malakathi tribe They see the psykers as protectors against unseen dangers and hold them in great esteem for their ability to "consult the ancestors" via the Emperor's Tarot.

Another extremely defining trait of the Chapter is their superstitious fixation on the number twelve. Though even a Storm Stalker would admit that it makes no logical sense, they nevertheless hold to the belief that the "number of the Dread Lords" has an inherent power and, upon finding the number in an unexpected situation (scattered bones, a fleet of ships, etc.), see its occurrence as a good omen.

Hardened by a trying existence on Malakath and indoctrinated into the ways of their forefathers, the Storm Stalkers are exceptionally merciless and bloodthirsty. Extermination of the enemy equates to survival, awakening old instincts and a cold, emotionless killing streak. The marines of the Chapter have no qualms over slaughtering anything that stands between them and their objective, friend or foe. There are no innocents in the Malakathi view, only the weak and the strong.

Geneseed

Just as the incalculable powers of our ancestors flow through our veins, so too do their most terrible sins. Thus, we quest ever onward to atone for the decisions our fathers made.

-from the Annals of the Storm Stalkers

S

torm Stalkers draw their lineage to proud Rogal Dorn, the hammer of the Emperor. While denied the benefits of the Betcher's Gland and Sus-An Membrane, the Chapter's marines are extraordinarily stubborn and protective of their honour to the point of bloodshed.

Battle Cry

One: Onward!

All: Into Hell!!!

[NightrawenII]

Hello, I *think* you are familiar with the Liber open-minded approach, so I will not hold back... :rolleyes:

 

Origins

Word had spread in the galactic northeast of several Imperial Guard regiments who, far from the reach of the crippled Terran regime and hardened from decades of combat, had begun to claim worlds of the Keldara sector as their own, rightly conquered, secessionist states.

- The ending of this sentence is sloppy.

 

With the Imperium teetering on the brink of destruction, this display of insolence would only further stoke the political conflagration. However, resources were scarce and Imperial forces were already stretched too thin. So it was that a cadre of fierce and learned warriors from the Executioners Chapter were sent into the Ultima Segmentum with the means to create a new generation of Space Marines.

- Eh... It takes 55 years only to grow enough gene-seed, if we include the recruitment, transformation and training it's possibly a century or so since the order was given. Not very quick response if you ask me.

 

Homeworld

- Most of this section is, at the end of day, irrelevant to your Chapter.

- I don't think that just twelve marines will be enough to secure planet(s) from Ork hands.

- Where is the legend of messiah, who will lead the tribes in the bloody reconquest of what is rightfully theirs?

 

Organisation

Since the Battle of Khalkyn Gol (sidebar), the Storm Stalkers have reorganized from their original Codex formations.

- Did I told you that I hate We-don't-follow-codex-'cos-we-got-mauled-once-in-history Chapters with burning passion? No? Uh... well, now you know it.

- Also... Apparently the codex teachings doesn't include chapters dedicated to guerilla warfare. :P

 

The Reformation of Khalkyn Gol eliminated the veteran and scout companies, instead spreading their skills across the breadth of the Chapter and creating insular combat units that require little external support.

- Do you have Reserve Co's or not? Because, you know, the Reserves are here to keep your Battle Co's supplied with well-trained marines... something which would be highly sought during rebuilding.

 

Beliefs

Another extremely defining trait of the Chapter is their superstitious fixation on the number twelve. Though even a Storm Stalker would admit that it makes no logical sense, they nevertheless hold to the belief that the "number of the Dread Lords" has an inherent power and, upon finding the number in an unexpected situation (scattered bones, a fleet of ships, etc.), see its occurrence as a good omen.

- One must wonder, where this belief has come from... because Terminators operate in squads of ten. ;)

 

Cheers, NightrawenII

[SpecialIssue]

Nice, most stuff seems good and well thought-out and written. Like Nightrawen has pointed out, formation for transient reasons doesn't really work, even in a colossus like the Imperium.

 

Theme: I think the change in organisation/way of doing things due to disaster is overdone - seen it so many times. As a way of differentiating a chapter, it's kind of lazy. You need a theme first, a culture/collective choler to set these guys apart from every other xenos heretic-hating monastic marine chapter. Crusaders, Romans, Edgar E. Poe, religious fanatics... etc.

 

Homeworld: wall o' text, kind of off-putting, even if I'm also guilty of it. Trim down on homeworld, as most of it at the moment doesn't contribute to the 'collective chapter culture' I was taking about. Only include stuff that will directly build on the chapter's theme.

 

I do like the fixation/superstition on the numbers though - sounds very different. Play up this aspect?

[Banelord]

I do like the fixation/superstition on the numbers though - sounds very different. Play up this aspect?

 

 

Just be careful, the Chaos Marines had a superstition for numbers, it was said that each god had a Sacred Number and if the squad/pack bear that number they would gain that god favour. ((I think is was 9 for Tzeentch, 8 for Khorne, 7 for Nurgle and 6 for Slaanesh. :) ))

 

But saying that I read somewhere that the Eagle on the Land raider tracks appears on the 13 link. The first 12 links represent the twelve lords of terra and the thirteenth link represents the Emperor at their head. So you could say they are representing the 12 lords? or something along those lines :)

[InquisitorHayn]

Thanks to all for the criticism. It brought to mind some of the things nagging at the back of my head, much like a spouse that hasn't been fed recently.

 

@nightrawen: I appreciate your candor and you've struck right on the head with the rapid response issue. I'm just kind of sick of the Emperor's Ouija Board of Shiny Truth foretelling the creation of Space Marine Chapters. And I don't really think that just because an area exists is enough reason to plant an incredibly costly and ridiculously resource-consumptive unit of supermen there. Any thoughts as to what else would spur a Chapter's genesis?

 

Most of this section is, at the end of day, irrelevant to your Chapter.

Aside from depicting the harshness of the climate and the hardiness of the population, what else would be relevant about a Chapter's homeworld?

I don't think that just twelve marines will be enough to secure planet(s) from Ork hands.

Come now. It's a legend. Maybe I could do some rewording to make that more evident.

Where is the legend of messiah, who will lead the tribes in the bloody reconquest of what is rightfully theirs?

And you thought the whole cataclysmic reorganization thing was overdone? :woot:

Speaking of, I can see the point that both you and SpecialIssue made about the reorganisation, though by the sheer amount of ideas that have been created, anything is going to sound contrived.

Also... Apparently the codex teachings doesn't include chapters dedicated to guerilla warfare.

Read back through just to be certain...didn't mention anything about guerilla warfare. Next.

Do you have Reserve Co's or not? Because, you know, the Reserves are here to keep your Battle Co's supplied with well-trained marines... something which would be highly sought during rebuilding.

Coming from military service myself, it is typically not the purview of tactical reserves to train soldiers. They are a force that stands ready to support the main body by attacking/holding key points on the battlefield as they become apparent. Military forces usually train their soldiers to preparedness before sending them to line units, at which point they hone their previously acquired skills with their new comrades to improve cohesion. As Chapters typically do not enter battle as a whole, each company would more than likely establish a tactical reserve/Quick Reaction Force from their own ranks, making reserve companies rather redundant.

Another extremely defining trait of the Chapter is their superstitious fixation on the number twelve. Though even a Storm Stalker would admit that it makes no logical sense, they nevertheless hold to the belief that the "number of the Dread Lords" has an inherent power and, upon finding the number in an unexpected situation (scattered bones, a fleet of ships, etc.), see its occurrence as a good omen.

- One must wonder, where this belief has come from... because Terminators operate in squads of ten.

You have me there. It was just that worshipping the ubiquitous number ten is so blah :D

 

@SpecialIssueAmmo:

You need a theme first, a culture/collective choler to set these guys apart from every other xenos heretic-hating monastic marine chapter. Crusaders, Romans, Edgar E. Poe, religious fanatics... etc.

I find that to be very cookie cutter and, to use your earlier word choice, a little lazy. I would like them to stand alone without some anachronistic placeholder to define them. That said, I will take your advice and try to play up the numbers deal. I just have to figure out how...

 

@Banelord:

I appreciate the warning. In reality, however, it is not outside the realm of possibility for a culture to have a numeric fixation without it being related to evil. Some real cults have numbers they associate with daemonic personages, but that doesn't stop the numbers three and seven popping up everywhere in certain, some would say, more wholesome religious texts.

 

Thank you all again for your candor. If anyone has any suggestions as to how I might correct some of these issues, I could always use the help.

[Epistolary Exander]

@nightrawen: I appreciate your candor and you've struck right on the head with the rapid response issue. I'm just kind of sick of the Emperor's Ouija Board of Shiny Truth foretelling the creation of Space Marine Chapters. And I don't really think that just because an area exists is enough reason to plant an incredibly costly and ridiculously resource-consumptive unit of supermen there. Any thoughts as to what else would spur a Chapter's genesis?

 

What if the founding of the Storm Ravens had been ordered by Vandire himself after he siezed control of the Imperium. Vandire's paranoia could have easily led him to believe he needed better bodyguards than the Brides of the Emperor, so he abuses his position to order a founding of his own chapter of marines to act as his new uber bodyguards. Maybe there was an assassination attempt & the brides werent good enough to completely halt the assassin or Vandire orcered the creation of the chapter because he knew he would need a reliable force to prosecute rebelious systems that sided with Sebastion Thor etc. Obviously Vandire was ousted before the completion of the founding of the chapter, preferably before the 55 years limit it takes to start creating the new chapter's marine. By the time the chaos of Vandires rein has been cleared up by Sabastion Thor & the High Lords discover the Storm Stalkers their founding process is virtually complete. After much rangling Sabastion Thor argues the chapter should not be tarnished by Vandire as they had no connection to him. He decrees the new chapter should fight the Emperor's Emperor's by stalking his Warp Storms.

 

Maybe you could create a better speech by Thor? :)

[Ecritter]

@nightrawen: I appreciate your candor and you've struck right on the head with the rapid response issue. I'm just kind of sick of the Emperor's Ouija Board of Shiny Truth foretelling the creation of Space Marine Chapters. And I don't really think that just because an area exists is enough reason to plant an incredibly costly and ridiculously resource-consumptive unit of supermen there. Any thoughts as to what else would spur a Chapter's genesis?

 

What if the founding of the Storm Ravens had been ordered by Vandire himself after he siezed control of the Imperium. Vandire's paranoia could have easily led him to believe he needed better bodyguards than the Brides of the Emperor, so he abuses his position to order a founding of his own chapter of marines to act as his new uber bodyguards. Maybe there was an assassination attempt & the brides werent good enough to completely halt the assassin or Vandire orcered the creation of the chapter because he knew he would need a reliable force to prosecute rebelious systems that sided with Sebastion Thor etc. Obviously Vandire was ousted before the completion of the founding of the chapter, preferably before the 55 years limit it takes to start creating the new chapter's marine. By the time the chaos of Vandires rein has been cleared up by Sabastion Thor & the High Lords discover the Storm Stalkers their founding process is virtually complete. After much rangling Sabastion Thor argues the chapter should not be tarnished by Vandire as they had no connection to him. He decrees the new chapter should fight the Emperor's Emperor's by stalking his Warp Storms.

 

Maybe you could create a better speech by Thor? :)

 

An interesting idea ... and possibly workable. I can see it, although Vandire would have had to be insane to think a chapter that wouldn't be ready for a century would have been able to protect him.

[SpecialIssue]

I can see it, although Vandire would have had to be insane to think a chapter that wouldn't be ready for a century would have been able to protect him.

 

Was Vandire insane? :D :D

[InquisitorHayn]

What if the founding of the Storm Ravens had been ordered by Vandire himself after he siezed control of the Imperium. Vandire's paranoia could have easily led him to believe he needed better bodyguards than the Brides of the Emperor, so he abuses his position to order a founding of his own chapter of marines to act as his new uber bodyguards. Maybe there was an assassination attempt & the brides werent good enough to completely halt the assassin or Vandire orcered the creation of the chapter because he knew he would need a reliable force to prosecute rebelious systems that sided with Sebastion Thor etc. Obviously Vandire was ousted before the completion of the founding of the chapter, preferably before the 55 years limit it takes to start creating the new chapter's marine. By the time the chaos of Vandires rein has been cleared up by Sabastion Thor & the High Lords discover the Storm Stalkers their founding process is virtually complete. After much rangling Sabastion Thor argues the chapter should not be tarnished by Vandire as they had no connection to him. He decrees the new chapter should fight the Emperor's Emperor's by stalking his Warp Storms.

@Exander: I like it. It makes sense that Vandire might have commissioned such a project, patronizing the creation of a Chapter for his own purposes. It even creates a delightfully dark hook. The name of Vandire will forever be attached to the Chapter. Does it drive them to excel and dispel the stigma? Do they come into conflict with other Space Marines over their tarnished origins? Do they come under the scrutiny of the Adepta or, worse, the Inquisition? Lots of cool potential. I think stalking the warp storms is a little too literal, but I like the direction. Also, I don't want to go around rewriting established fluff. Thor said what he said and his involvement isn't necessary to validate the Chapter. On the contrary, leaving the mystery adds intrigue to the aforementioned hooks. Overall though, thanks for the input.

[NightrawenII]

Aside from depicting the harshness of the climate and the hardiness of the population, what else would be relevant about a Chapter's homeworld?

What *I* do with my homeworld section is:

Describe landscape (= aim is invoking a mind image) - weather - flora& fauna - people (= culture and way of living) - recruitment (= emphasise the desired or significant traits of recruits)

 

Come now. It's a legend. Maybe I could do some rewording to make that more evident.

Legend are usually based on real event, but thanks to the flow of time blown out of proportions. Legend languague also uses goblin math (uncountable, many, few) and poetic speech (... and with earth-shattering blow, he slew the mighty beast).

 

Read back through just to be certain...didn't mention anything about guerilla warfare. Next.

You have to read the Ravenguard copy, then. :tu:

 

Coming from military service myself, it is typically not the purview of tactical reserves to train soldiers. They are a force that stands ready to support the main body by attacking/holding key points on the battlefield as they become apparent. Military forces usually train their soldiers to preparedness before sending them to line units, at which point they hone their previously acquired skills with their new comrades to improve cohesion. As Chapters typically do not enter battle as a whole, each company would more than likely establish a tactical reserve/Quick Reaction Force from their own ranks, making reserve companies rather redundant.

Hmm, not exactly.

The Reserves are the formations, where the soldiers gain experience, before sending then into first line meatgrinder, ie. Battle Company. Although I agree with you in regards to 9th and 8th Co's. The tactical reserve you are talking here is the 1st Company.

The Chapter structure is therefore:

10th - total noobs

9th & 8h - inexperienced

7th and 6th - experienced, ready to preplace casualties

5th - 2nd - veterans

1st - elite

 

@nightrawen: I appreciate your candor and you've struck right on the head with the rapid response issue. I'm just kind of sick of the Emperor's Ouija Board of Shiny Truth foretelling the creation of Space Marine Chapters. And I don't really think that just because an area exists is enough reason to plant an incredibly costly and ridiculously resource-consumptive unit of supermen there. Any thoughts as to what else would spur a Chapter's genesis?

 

What if the founding of the Storm Ravens had been ordered by Vandire himself after he siezed control of the Imperium. Vandire's paranoia could have easily led him to believe he needed better bodyguards than the Brides of the Emperor, so he abuses his position to order a founding of his own chapter of marines to act as his new uber bodyguards. Maybe there was an assassination attempt & the brides werent good enough to completely halt the assassin or Vandire orcered the creation of the chapter because he knew he would need a reliable force to prosecute rebelious systems that sided with Sebastion Thor etc. Obviously Vandire was ousted before the completion of the founding of the chapter, preferably before the 55 years limit it takes to start creating the new chapter's marine. By the time the chaos of Vandires rein has been cleared up by Sabastion Thor & the High Lords discover the Storm Stalkers their founding process is virtually complete. After much rangling Sabastion Thor argues the chapter should not be tarnished by Vandire as they had no connection to him. He decrees the new chapter should fight the Emperor's Emperor's by stalking his Warp Storms.

 

Maybe you could create a better speech by Thor? :)

Lol, there is several holes in this.

#1 Vandire had a huge armada of Frateris Templars, these were "killed" by Storm of Emperor's Wrath.

#2 Space Marines treats the teachings of Ministorum as the ravings of madmen.

#3 Brides were fanatically loyal to Vandire.

#4 Adeptus Astartes + Adeptus Mechanicus were in opposition against Ministorum practically from the beginning of the Cult.

#5 The Fabricator-General and Vandire weren't the best buddies in the slightest and since the vaults of gene-seed are on Mars...

 

Cheers, NightrawenII.