Short story advice: Aurora Chapter and Novamarines chat

[Welcheren]

I was hoping to glean some advice on an idea for short story involving a Deathwatch Kill Team with one member from the Aurora Chapter and one from the Novamarines. I have two questions about a possible dialogue between these two regarding the moral future of the Imperium. The Aurora marine is intended to be a veteran of the Zeist Campaign, while the Novamarine is a veteran of the Damocles Gulf Crusade. Both have therefore encountered the Tau water caste in one form or another.

 

So to the first question:

 

I have it that the homeworld of the Aurora Chapter - Firestorm - is staffed by millions or billions of indentured menials labouring in the vast manufactora to supply said chapter's armour. What nags at me is the sense that Roboute Guilliman exhibited a talent for running Imperial worlds to the benefit of both the citizens as well as the Imperium at large - which is why Ultramar is at least tolerable in terms of living standards (and also why it sometimes seems odious and incompatible with 40K atmosphere). Would the Aurora Chapter not similarly run Firestorm more effectively? It would, of course, be no paradise, but even though the menials would have almost no life beyond their labour, could it not be at least more decent than most Hive worlds? Or is this a case of post-M31 GRIMDARK? The Silver Skulls are also a Second Founding Ultramarine Successor but do not show the above traits as far as I know?

 

 

My second question pertains to the Damocles Crusade:

 

According to Deathwatch: Rites of the Chapter page 55: "The Novamarines contributed a large force to the battle against the Tau Empire [...] This deployment surpassed normal operations and took on the character of a crusade, scouring the upstart aliens from several systems in and around the Lithesh Sector and earning many glorious battle honours in the process."

 

Could this be taken to mean that said chapter aided in inflicting at least two defeats on the Tau (possibly one space and one planet-side battle)... and possibly the kinds of military setbacks that the Tau might have deemed acceptable in exchange for intelligence on Imperial doctrine?

 

Thanks.

[ElectricPaladin]

I was hoping to glean some advice on an idea for short story involving a Deathwatch Kill Team with one member from the Aurora Chapter and one from the Novamarines. I have two questions about a possible dialogue between these two regarding the moral future of the Imperium. The Aurora marine is intended to be a veteran of the Zeist Campaign, while the Novamarine is a veteran of the Damocles Gulf Crusade. Both have therefore encountered the Tau water caste in one form or another.

 

So to the first question:

 

I have it that the homeworld of the Aurora Chapter - Firestorm - is staffed by millions or billions of indentured menials labouring in the vast manufactora to supply said chapter's armour. What nags at me is the sense that Roboute Guilliman exhibited a talent for running Imperial worlds to the benefit of both the citizens as well as the Imperium at large - which is why Ultramar is at least tolerable in terms of living standards (and also why it sometimes seems odious and incompatible with 40K atmosphere). Would the Aurora Chapter not similarly run Firestorm more effectively? It would, of course, be no paradise, but even though the menials would have almost no life beyond their labour, could it not be at least more decent than most Hive worlds? Or is this a case of post-M31 GRIMDARK? The Silver Skulls are also a Second Founding Ultramarine Successor but do not show the above traits as far as I know?

 

 

My second question pertains to the Damocles Crusade:

 

According to Deathwatch: Rites of the Chapter page 55: "The Novamarines contributed a large force to the battle against the Tau Empire [...] This deployment surpassed normal operations and took on the character of a crusade, scouring the upstart aliens from several systems in and around the Lithesh Sector and earning many glorious battle honours in the process."

 

Could this be taken to mean that said chapter aided in inflicting at least two defeats on the Tau (possibly one space and one planet-side battle)... and possibly the kinds of military setbacks that the Tau might have deemed acceptable in exchange for intelligence on Imperial doctrine?

 

Thanks.

 

To your first question:

1. I think that a lot of people overstate how grimdark every possible corner of the Imperium has to be at all times. That's not really supported by a lot of the texts that I have read. Check out Abnett, for example - he makes it really clear that pretty much everywhere, people work out how to live their lives in ways that make them reasonably happy. You don't have to overdo it. Exceptions to the rule of grimdarkness are not "odious."
2. So, relatedly, Firestorm doesn't have to be all that awful. It can be awful by our modern standards, but differ enough from the rest of the Imperium that it is also characteristic of a place run by descendants of Guilliman. For example, I don't know... what if the indentured menials of Firestorm are safe and well fed, but there are extremely limited opportunities for advancement, they live in tiny monklike cells, and they only have a few hours of free time a day. They work their lives away at a cause they believe in, and when they are too old and broken to work they are given peaceful retirements teaching the children or just puttering around, but in the end they are still slaves. In a galaxy where in other places, hive gangers die of preventable cancers at 16 while the planetary governor is 130 years old and still gets it on with his harem of catamites, that's pretty good. But in the context of what we expect for humans, what we see as a worthwhile human life, it's pretty awful.
3. Additionally, it's important to remember the Primarch's character does not fall equally upon every successor. In fact, it might not fall on the successors at all - it depends on how deeply you subscribe to certain setting elements that have never been confirmed and might well be superstition. Even if Ultramarines successors behave like Ultramarines for some genetic/spiritual reason, they might have "inherited" different aspects of Guilliman's personality. Maybe the Aurora Chapter is more about efficiency and infrastructure, to the point of sometimes being brutally efficient.

 

And to your second:

 

1. Sure. That's a valid interpretation.

[Welcheren]

Great answer. Thank you very much.

[Lucien Eilam]

The Aurora marine is intended to be a veteran of the Zeist Campaign, while the Novamarine is a veteran of the Damocles Gulf Crusade.

 

Might be obvious, but just in case, a couple of notes on what that implies:

 

Damocles Gulf was >250 years before Zeist. No real issue for Space Marine lifespans, but there's a good chance your Novamarine will be much older than the Aurora Marine. Most don't survive past 3-400 years.

 

Zeist was 997-999.M41, with the Space Marines only arriving in 999, so your Aurora Marine will have to have come pretty much direct from the front lines for this story to be set in the 40k timeline.

[Nineswords]

 

Additionally, it's important to remember the Primarch's character does not fall equally upon every successor. In fact, it might not fall on the successors at all - it depends on how deeply you subscribe to certain setting elements that have never been confirmed and might well be superstition. Even if Ultramarines successors behave like Ultramarines for some genetic/spiritual reason, they might have "inherited" different aspects of Guilliman's personality. Maybe the Aurora Chapter is more about efficiency and infrastructure, to the point of sometimes being brutally efficient.

 

This was the answer I was going to give. Everyone has different interpretations of the will of the Primarch  / Emperor. If you look at a lot of the fiction, named characters tend to take on a facet or aspect of the primarch, who is the sum of the entire legion/chapter. It's a great springboard for tension narratively if you have two chapters descended from the same genetic source but shall we say, interpret the primarch's will completely differently.

[Welcheren]

 

 

Additionally, it's important to remember the Primarch's character does not fall equally upon every successor. In fact, it might not fall on the successors at all - it depends on how deeply you subscribe to certain setting elements that have never been confirmed and might well be superstition. Even if Ultramarines successors behave like Ultramarines for some genetic/spiritual reason, they might have "inherited" different aspects of Guilliman's personality. Maybe the Aurora Chapter is more about efficiency and infrastructure, to the point of sometimes being brutally efficient.

 

This was the answer I was going to give. Everyone has different interpretations of the will of the Primarch  / Emperor. If you look at a lot of the fiction, named characters tend to take on a facet or aspect of the primarch, who is the sum of the entire legion/chapter. It's a great springboard for tension narratively if you have two chapters descended from the same genetic source but shall we say, interpret the primarch's will completely differently.

 

 

This is a great point and, as you said, a potential resource for developing themes. 

 

As to the age matter, it might be best to suggest that the Novamarine was a Scout during Damocles... not a veteran then, but after a scrap with some Pathfinders we can still engage a water caste diplomat from a downed Devilfish.

 

Thank everyone. 

[Lexington]

As an Aurora Chapter player/fan myself, I've had similar problems with that bit of background from the 6th Edition book. Beyond the fact that it makes the Auroras into strange slave master types (an odd role, since their name is meant to conjure hope), it doesn't really make much sense - even with three times the Land Raiders and Predators of the next Chapter, there's no need for a whole planet's worth of industrial production to churn out the parts and ammo for the Auroras' war machine. Like most other background birthed from 5th/6th Ed Codexes, it's slapdash, asinine and more concerned with creating a tabletop "theme" than creating a universe with some dimensionality. Given that, I think it's valid to just ignore it.

[Welcheren]

No challenges on the second interpretation?

[Lexington]

The Tau bit? I think it's pretty valid, and a fun interpretation of what would otherwise be a straightforward defeat for the Tau.

[Welcheren]

Thanks. Sorry for the reply. I think the Auroras are an under-explored chapter with oodles of potential.