IC: Dead On Arrival

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

When there's something strange, in the sub-sector, who you gonna call...? 

 

Index Cohors: Dead On Arrival

 

History:

The first recorded combat record of Dead On Arrival was in Second Hive of Jorvik, on the Maiden world of Normaica. It had seemed three young women encountered and promptly destroyed a small daemon that had somehow manifested near an investigating Inquisitor.  Impressed by their zeal and apparent combat capabilities, and desiring to find and purge whatever had spawned the daemon in the Emperor's name, Inquisitor Ladrostos took them under his wing as he prepared to conduct the cleansing. Three months, another recruit, a surprisingly fluffy Daemon Prince and a near Exterminatus later, the four women were officially requisitioned into the service of Ladrostos as the heroes of Normaica. 

 

In the following decades they would pass from heroes to legends, growing from a young squad who had little experience and much talent to a fully fledged commando unit in the Inquisition's service. Unlike most Inquisitorial actions, however, they were very much public faces, taking time to reassure the populace of the worlds in danger and when they had dealt with the incursion, reaffirming the people's faith in the Emperor and His servants. This was deemed a necessity by both the Inquisitor and the four warriors themselves, as the daemon tended to manifest in the form of lost loved ones and other notable figures long since passed from this life, in addition to the usual unsettling forms that daemons wore. Indeed, these four became so famed for their dedication and diligence that they were given an affectionate nickname, the (Name pending)s. They embraced the name wholeheartedly, which was most fortunate because it quickly became synonymous with their presence.

 

After a full century and over a hundred worlds saved by their intervention, the four became myths. Approaching their twilight years they simply couldn't fight for much longer, despite the best efforts of the Mechanicus and the Inquisition. The daemonic threats were only growing worse, and they couldn't abandon the people to the ravaging hordes lurking in the Immaterium. Thus, Dead On Arrival was born, a select few men and women who would eventually expand beyond just service to the Inquisition. Initially recruits flocked to them from many Sub-Sectors over, drawn to the chance to join such respected warriors. Training was harsh, as per Inquisitorial standards, and after the first round of initiates completed their training there were only about two hundred new members of Dead On Arrival. This number would grow to almost a thousand before the last of the founders passed into the Emperor's hands. They were entombed on Normaica, and a shrine was constructed in their honor. To this day it still stands as one of the most venerable churches in the sub-sector.

 

Following in their founders footsteps, Dead On Arrival spread out across the Eastern Fringe, though they did so a bit differently. They were now an organization, not one squad being ferried around by the Inquisition. Diligently they began to build recruitment centers and local bases across many systems, leaving a few squads in charge of a variety of tasks - gathering information for the Inquisition, keeping a watchful eye for any potential daemonic incursions, and generally maintaining the safety and stability of their assigned area as their talents demanded. For the past few centuries this is how they have operated, dozens of kill teams spread thin and stretching Dead On Arrival's influence and protection across swathes of the Imperium. 

 

Organization and Methodology

 

Dead On Arrival operates much like their Founders in terms of being both investigators and warriors, but while the original four were ferried across the stars by the Inquisition, each modern squad of Dead On Arrival stands vigil over a specific section of the Imperium. In this way they are able to ensure the wide swathe of the Imperium is constantly being watched over, and threats are seen and dealt with much quicker. Again, this is in opposition to the Founder's methods as a reactionary force, but it was they who had instructed their proteges to act thusly. In addition to maintaining peace and stability over their region, squads are instructed to recruit and bring any members who are deemed capable for the organization. When enough extra members are brought together, they are instructed by the Dead On Arrival high command to go to an area not yet protected by the organization.

 

This high command is located on the former Rogue Trader ship Bad News, originally seized and cleansed by the Inquisition. It is invaluable to Dead On Arrival, serving as an information hub, mobile recruitment center, and other purposes, most important of which is the liaison between the organization and the higher echelons of the Inquisition. This is where every emergency alert is received and passed on to the powers that be, who in turn marshal armies and even crusades to deal with whatever rising threat that brings itself against the Imperium. Indeed, this is considered the most vital function of Dead On Arrival - they are the ones who exist above local law to cut through any red tape a corrupted or incompetent governor might use to delay retribution, who know the signs of an impending Tyranid attack, when missing citizens mean Dark Eldar raiders, and when a cult is merely a group of crazed citizens and when it will summon something truly dangerous. The threats against the Imperium are many, and Dead On Arrival specializes in ensuring that when they come, the full might of the Imperium will be ready for them.

 

In addition to this, Bad News also makes sure that more and more of the mankind's dominion is under their watchful eye. The ship and High Command holds an ever-expanding map of the Imperium that Dead On Arrival considers under their protection, which is added to with information from the local squads. It only covers a small fraction of the Imperium, but it is a comprehensive and extremely up to date map of that section all the same.

 

 

Notable events:

The War of Hungering Shadows

Sometime during 112.M38, agents of Dead On Arrival began disappearing. At first, it was slow and spread out, and the affected squads were more concerned with the surprising amount of trouble they were having finding new recruits. However, within the next three years entire systems went dark to the organization, the entirety of the force deployed to protect them simply... gone. Shortly after Dark Eldar raiders began to strike en masse, capturing thousands of Imperial citizens before any retaliation could be brought to bear. By time the Imperial war machine had prepared itself against the vile xenos, they too had vanished.

 

Dead On Arrival high command, not content to allow their people to be taken without repercussions, spent significant resources and personnel into tracking these specific Dark Eldar, eventually compiling a list of the leaders of the raids. Over the next century these individuals were hunted down wherever they dared exit their twilight realm, often with the help of the Ordo Xenos and the Deathwatch, who had nominated them as priority targets. 98 years after the last Dead On Arrival agent had disappeared, the entire list of Dark Eldar leaders was confirmed dead. Those whose heads were still intact had them stuck upon pikes and mounted on board Bad News.

 

Death of the Silent Cartographer

 

For a short period of time Dead On Arrival operated from a different ship, the Silent Cartographer. It was discovered around 540.M38 and it was immediately apparent it had old, perhaps STC status technology that would allow the organization to truly keep an up to date map of all the systems they watched. Naturally, they handed this over to the Mechanicus with the promise of being able to use it themselves once the tech was reproduced. The Mechanicus was able to reproduce it two times, but midway through the third the Silent Cartographer was sabotaged by the Dark Mechanicus. Disgusted at the degradation the ship had suffered, it was deemed necessary to redeem it the traditional way - to give its life in the line of duty. Piloted by a number of similarly repentant officers and tech-priests, it found redemption fighting against Abaddon the Despoiler's Ninth Black Crusade. It was marked among the honored dead of Dead On Arrival thereafter. 

 

 

(OOC: I intend for them to be located among the worlds conquered by the Storm Krakens, and I'll expand on that in the Homeworld section. History is not finished. being rewritten. being expanded.)

[Conn Eremon]

There's a what now with the Ghostbusters? Tell me more! Or not, because it'd be off-topic. To Google!

 

First thing I can think of is that there might need to be more of a reason why it began as so few, only four sisters, as what I am so far seeing doesn't seem all that practical yet. The first paragraph's explanation seems reasonable enough, it's the bit where they remained that way after becoming an official unit for most of their remaining life. Wouldn't they have expanded upon becoming "official?" I'd suggest moving either their expansion forward, or their official status back.

 

As for names, words like ephemeral, ethereal, revenant, and elusive pop to mind. Hm. How about:

Order of the Last Revenant

Order of the Ephemeral Glory

Order of the Ethereal Majesty

 

As an aside, I also rather hope to see more IS in the future. At the very least, I will one day add the Orders of the Final Utterance, the Ashen Creed and the Perpetual Sorrows to the list. :wink:

[Lysimachus]

It's a fun idea, but I think if it's not meant as a joke Order you might need to pull it back from the film plot a little more?

 

An Order would be set up by the Ecclesiarchy, not the AdMech, and would never start as just 4 Sisters.

 

However, a bit more 40k-ifying and it could be great. An Imperial System/Subsector plagued by 'warp manifestations' that take the form of lost family members, comrades, etc, etc that proclaim the horrors of the afterlife and that the Emperor does not protect, and start killing those who go out after dark. The faith of the populace is shaken, and the Imperium's response? Send in the devout Sisters of Battle to combat both the spiritual and physical dangers.

 

Names?

 

Order of the Repudiated/Rejected/Disavowed Spirit/Spectre/Ghost?

[Ace Debonair]

Order of the Uncrossed Streams?

Order motto "I am unafraid of any spectres"?

More seriously, I'd agree that fresh recruits would probably come in pretty quickly once they were given official status. Having the original four instated as a sort of council rather than having a single canoness leading the order would be pretty interesting in and of itself, if you still want to put emphasis on the original four sisters.

[Banelord]

It would make more sense if they recued an Ordo Mallues Inquisitor, rather than a Tech-Magos, impressing him and being accepted as part of his retinue as acolytes or agents. Not being to mention the whole “Chaos/Deamon” thing, they cover it up be telling people its ghosts ect ect.... They  impress the Ecclesiarchy so much that an order is set up in their name. 

[Dosjetka]

Also, I'm pretty sure it's Adepta Sororitas.

[Knurd]

Order of the Ectoplasmic Blade

[Olis]

First thing that popped in my head: The Order of Burning Light. Sound any good?

 

I would also like to echo Banelord's sentiment in changing the tech-magos to an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor - it would be far more fitting what with an Inquisitor's connections and discretion (such as it is), I think. 

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

It would make more sense if they recued an Ordo Mallues Inquisitor, rather than a Tech-Magos, impressing him and being accepted as part of his retinue as acolytes or agents. Not being to mention the whole “Chaos/Deamon” thing, they cover it up be telling people its ghosts ect ect.... They impress the Ecclesiarchy so much that an order is set up in their name.

First thing that popped in my head: The Order of Burning Light. Sound any good?

I would also like to echo Banelord's sentiment in changing the tech-magos to an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor - it would be far more fitting what with an Inquisitor's connections and discretion (such as it is), I think.

I like this idea a lot, actually. I was going more for the Tech-Magos because it was simply the first thing that popped into my head who could give them the 40k equivalent of the Ghostbuster's signature weapons, but this works way better

Order of the Ectoplasmic Blade

Also, as far as this name and the others go, I want something that really keeps the spirit (no pun intended) of the original Ghostbusters. We already have the Ordo Malleus and the Grey Knights, so if they're just another 'alright we hunt daemons that's what makes us cool' I don't think the IS would really pay homage that well. This is especially because, again, the Ordo Malleus and Grey Knights are people who on a regular basis kill innocents simply for being the next door neighbour of a guy whose sister might have seen a Nurgling, which is a very gritty, dark and tragic theming. The Ghostbusters were none of those things, and I want to echo that.

Also, I'm pretty sure it's Adepta Sororitas.

Doh

Order of the Uncrossed Streams?

Order motto "I am unafraid of any spectres"?

More seriously, I'd agree that fresh recruits would probably come in pretty quickly once they were given official status. Having the original four instated as a sort of council rather than having a single canoness leading the order would be pretty interesting in and of itself, if you still want to put emphasis on the original four sisters.

What if they were sort of delayed as the public face? Originally I had in mind that the original four had the attitude of 'Look, we're too busy and frankly not interested in losing one of our members to go train more people', and people just accepted it, because it was their Order and they could do pretty much what they wanted. The new thought process I'm sort of going with is they acted as 'x Inquisitor's public squad who was able to handle the domestic daemon problems without an Exterminatus or Grey Knight intervention while also making the Inquisition look good', and eventually popular demand made them transfer into an Order.

There's a what now with the Ghostbusters? Tell me more! Or not, because it'd be off-topic. To Google!

First thing I can think of is that there might need to be more of a reason why it began as so few, only four sisters, as what I am so far seeing doesn't seem all that practical yet. The first paragraph's explanation seems reasonable enough, it's the bit where they remained that way after becoming an official unit for most of their remaining life. Wouldn't they have expanded upon becoming "official?" I'd suggest moving either their expansion forward, or their official status back.

As for names, words like ephemeral, ethereal, revenant, and elusive pop to mind. Hm. How about:

Order of the Last Revenant

Order of the Ephemeral Glory

Order of the Ethereal Majesty

As an aside, I also rather hope to see more IS in the future. At the very least, I will one day add the Orders of the Final Utterance, the Ashen Creed and the Perpetual Sorrows to the list.

See above, and those are amazing names! I look forward to helping them as well

It's a fun idea, but I think if it's not meant as a joke Order you might need to pull it back from the film plot a little more?

An Order would be set up by the Ecclesiarchy, not the AdMech, and would never start as just 4 Sisters.

However, a bit more 40k-ifying and it could be great. An Imperial System/Subsector plagued by 'warp manifestations' that take the form of lost family members, comrades, etc, etc that proclaim the horrors of the afterlife and that the Emperor does not protect, and start killing those who go out after dark. The faith of the populace is shaken, and the Imperium's response? Send in the devout Sisters of Battle to combat both the spiritual and physical dangers.

Names?

Order of the Repudiated/Rejected/Disavowed Spirit/Spectre/Ghost?

I like the Sub-sector plagued by these Warp manifestations shifting to memories of passed on loved ones idea, and I can mix the rest with my idea above. Disavowed Spirit is also the best name I've heard so far, but it still doesn't really capture the feel of 'Ghostbusters' to me.

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

History: The first recorded combat record of the (Name pending)s was in Second Hive of Jorvik, on the Maiden world of Normaica. It had seemed three young women encountered and promptly destroyed a small daemon that had somehow manifested near an investigating Inquisitor.  Impressed by their zeal and apparent combat capabilities, and desiring to find and purge whatever had spawned the daemon in the Emperor's name, Inquisitor Ladrostos took them under his wing as he prepared to conduct the cleansing. Three months, another recruit, a surprisingly fluffy Daemon Prince and a near Exterminatus later, the four women were officially requisitioned into the service of Ladrostos as the heroes of Normaica. 

 

In the following decades they would pass from heroes to legends, growing from a young squad who had little experience and much talent to a fully fledged commando unit in the Inquisition's service. Unlike most Inquisitorial actions, however, they were very much public faces, taking time to reassure the populace of the worlds in danger and when they had dealt with the incursion, reaffirming the people's faith in the Emperor and His servants. This was deemed a necessity by both the Inquisitor and the four warriors themselves, as the daemon tended to manifest in the form of lost loved ones and other notable figures long since passed from this life, in addition to the usual unsettling forms that daemons wore. Indeed, these four became so famed for their dedication and diligence that they were given an affectionate nickname, the (Name pending)s. They embraced the name wholeheartedly, which was most fortunate because it quickly became synonymous with their presence.

 

After a full century and over a hundred worlds saved by their intervention, the four became myths. Approaching their twilight years they simply couldn't fight for much longer, despite the best efforts of the Mechanicus and the Inquisition. The daemonic threats were only growing worse, and they couldn't abandon the people to the ravaging hordes lurking in the Immaterium. So it was that they requested to form a Sisters of Battle Order. It was perhaps a bit unorthodox to start with so few, but their celebrity status allowed them to continue on regardless with the Ecclesiarchy's blessing. Thus, the (Name pending) Order was born. Initially recruits flocked to them from many Sub-Sectors over, drawn to the chance to join such respected warriors. Training was harsh even by Sororitas standards, and after the first round of initiates completed their training there were only about two hundred new (Name pending)s. This number would grow to almost a thousand before the last of the founders passed into the Emperor's hands. They were entombed on Normaica, and a shrine was constructed in their honor. To this day it still stands as one of the most venerable churches in the sub-sector.

 

Following in their founders footsteps, the (Name pending)s spread out across the Eastern Fringe, though they did so a bit differently. They were now an organization, not one squad being ferried around by the Inquisition, and so they began to build recruitment centers and local bases across many systems, leaving a few squads in charge of protecting the area. For many years this is how they operated, dozens of kill teams spread thin and stretching the (Name pending)'s influence and protection across swathes of the Imperium. Initially this was merely a supplement to the Storm Krakens (the chapter of the Adeptus Astartes who had brought the region of space into the Imperium) own defenses and safeguards, but while they did try to follow the Krakens' path they also attempted to reach out to the rest of the Imperium. To this day the (Name pending)s are still planting outposts over much of the Imperium, using their unique methods as a small investigative force to maintain stability as best they can. 

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, History still is not done, however that's the majority of it and the basic gist of what I am trying to accomplish. I'll go more into it with Organization and Beliefs.

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

Alrighty then I'm going to assume that there were no objections to that, and thus I will continue onward.

 

Organization and Methodology:

 

As an echo to their founders, the (Name pending)s operate more akin to the Inquisition than a Sororitas Order. The (Name pending)s tend to shy away from large battle formations or indeed any kind of pitched combat. A typical convent stationed on a planet might hold thirty Sisters of the Order at most, although if the world frequently faces war or contributes to a nearby conflict, the (Name pending)s might form a purely militant subsection of their command. However, those Battle-Sisters are considered an exception to the (Name pending)'s methods. Instead, the Order's Sisters act more often as investigators than warriors, taking considerable time and effort tracking down any corruption and promptly rooting it out with the appropriate amount of military force. This is rendered much easier by their close ties to the Ordo Malleus and Ordo Hereticus. This also has the benefit of allowing the (Name pending)s to escape censure for many of their more unorthodox plans, such as the famed 'Walk of the Shrine to Saint Libertas'.

 

Indeed, many credit the rather open nature of the (Name pending)s recruitment as an explanation for their rather off-the-wall and indeed often unbelievable lengths to which they go to stop a daemonic menace and protect the citizens of the Imperium. Reformed gang lords, Arbites officers, Commissars, celebrities, tech-adepts, priestesses, servants, and many more walks of life have been abandoned to join the (Name pending)s. The tenets laid down by the Founders explicitly state that the Order welcome any woman who truly wishes to serve the Emperor and protect His people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel like that's a mess and I'm not quite getting across what my mental image is, but... I'm not sure? It's out there for you guys to pick apart at least

[Conn Eremon]

My only thing is that they kind of look like a duck, quack like a duck, act like a duck, but are treated as doves. First off, the history and organization is all good and interesting. But with it as it is, it feels kind of disjointed in how they become a Sisterhood. I rather think it would flow better if you kept them as part of the Inquisition, rather than introducing the Ecclesiarchy rather out of the blue and having them become an Order so abnormally. Basically, this sounds very much like it could be something similar to Dan Abnett's Distaff group, which started as a psychic blank Inquisitorial agent and ending up an agency that assisted more than just the original Inquisitor.

 

This group sounds really interesting to me. But I think that while you had originally intended to create a Sororitas order, it's become something more suited as something else. I like their Inquisitorial origin, and I feel that the transition away from that leaves a lot to be desired, and would be better removed. They don't have to remain part of this particular Inquisitor's staff, nor do they even have to be beholden to an Inquisitor at all. It can also remain a female-only group, in fact I believe the Distaff were too.

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

Ok, I think I can do that. Gave me an idea for a name anyways...

 

"So you think you got daemons? A real problem? Trust me, governor, if you had an incursion on your hands it'd be a lot more of a mess down there. But that doesn't mean they aren't coming. And if they're coming, you're going to want us, so that when they do show up, they'll be dead on arrival." - Adristia, Founder of Dead On Arrival, Inquisitorial Services

 

The idea is that they're the 'less scary' alternative. Just like daemons being already dead are less scary than a full-scale invasion, seeing a member of Dead On Arrival is a much better alternative than an Inquisitor on your door-step. One tends to follow the other, however...

 

What would this be, though? Index Inquisition? Inquisitionary Index? =][==][=?

[Conn Eremon]

Index Cohors, as in Inquisitorial Cohort? Cohort in Latin is Cohors, or the plural Cohortes, according to Google.

 

I rather like the idea of calling them the DOA, along the lines of the American FBI, CIA, DOJ, so forth.

 

 

There's also Index Agens, I suppose, for agent. Interesting that both words I looked up are the same in Latin, but minus the t.

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

Done. I'll rewrite Organization and actually get into beliefs, but later, when I don't need to sleep Much thanks, Conn

[Conn Eremon]

Glad I could help. And hey, now you get even more points, as this might be the very first Index Cohors, by any other name, done in the Liber.

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

Organization and Methodology

Dead On Arrival operates much like their Founders in terms of being both investigators and warriors, but while the original four were ferried across the stars by the Inquisition, each modern squad of Dead On Arrival stands vigil over a specific section of the Imperium. In this way they are able to ensure the wide swathe of the Imperium is constantly being watched over, and threats are seen and dealt with much quicker. Again, this is in opposition to the Founder's methods as a reactionary force, but it was they who had instructed their proteges to act thusly. In addition to maintaining peace and stability over their region, squads are instructed to recruit and bring any members who are deemed capable for the organization. When enough extra members are brought together, they are instructed by the Dead On Arrival high command to go to an area not yet protected by the organization.

This high command is located on the former Rogue Trader ship Bad News, originally seized and cleansed by the Inquisition. It is invaluable to Dead On Arrival, serving as an information hub, mobile recruitment center, and other purposes, most important of which is the liaison between the organization and the higher echelons of the Inquisition. This is where every emergency alert is received and passed on to the powers that be, who in turn marshal armies and even crusades to deal with whatever rising threat that brings itself against the Imperium. Indeed, this is considered the most vital function of Dead On Arrival - they are the ones who exist above local law to cut through any red tape a corrupted or incompetent governor might use to delay retribution, who know the signs of an impending Tyranid attack, when missing citizens mean Dark Eldar raiders, and when a cult is merely a group of crazed citizens and when it will summon something truly dangerous. The threats against the Imperium are many, and Dead On Arrival specializes in ensuring that when they come, the full might of the Imperium will be ready for them.

In addition to this, Bad News also makes sure that more and more of the mankind's dominion is under their watchful eye. The ship and High Command holds an ever-expanding map of the Imperium that Dead On Arrival considers under their protection, which is added to with information from the local squads. It only covers a small fraction of the Imperium, but it is a comprehensive and extremely up to date map of that section all the same.

Ok, this has drifted way off Ghostbusters, but I've kinda fallen in love with the direction this is taking so...

[Conn Eremon]

Some of my favorite articles ended up far different than their original themes, much to the article's benefit.

 

I like what I see. Only thing I would do is, instead of explaining their current distribution of agents as contrary to their Founders as a reactionary force, right after saying how similar they were, I would say it is in keeping. By spreading themselves wide, but no less thin than the original four, they have improved their reaction capabilities on a far greater scale.

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

Some of my favorite articles ended up far different than their original themes, much to the article's benefit.

 

I like what I see. Only thing I would do is, instead of explaining their current distribution of agents as contrary to their Founders as a reactionary force, right after saying how similar they were, I would say it is in keeping. By spreading themselves wide, but no less thin than the original four, they have improved their reaction capabilities on a far greater scale.

The idea I was getting at was that the original four had no solid base or area they were specifically trying to cover, simply going wherever the Inquisition pointed them. On the flipside, the current members of Dead On Arrival only have so much area that they need to take care of, trusting their brothers and sisters to watch over the rest. So basically, they're not as mobile. I'll rewrite that if that's not clear.

 

 

Notable events:

The War of Hungering Shadows

Sometime during 112.M38, agents of Dead On Arrival began disappearing. At first, it was slow and spread out, and the affected squads were more concerned with the surprising amount of trouble they were having finding new recruits. However, within the next three years entire systems went dark to the organization, the entirety of the force deployed to protect them simply... gone. Shortly after Dark Eldar raiders began to strike en masse, capturing thousands of Imperial citizens before any retaliation could be brought to bear. By time the Imperial war machine had prepared itself against the vile xenos, they too had vanished.

 

Dead On Arrival high command, not content to allow their people to be taken without repercussions, spent significant resources and personnel into tracking these specific Dark Eldar, eventually compiling a list of the leaders of the raids. Over the next century these individuals were hunted down wherever they dared exit their twilight realm, often with the help of the Ordo Xenos and the Deathwatch, who had nominated them as priority targets. 98 years after the last Dead On Arrival agent had disappeared, the entire list of Dark Eldar leaders was confirmed dead. Those whose heads were still intact had them stuck upon pikes and mounted on board Bad News.

 

Death of the Silent Cartographer

 

For a short period of time Dead On Arrival operated from a different ship, the Silent Cartographer. It was discovered around 540.M38 and it was immediately apparent it had old, perhaps STC status technology that would allow the organization to truly keep an up to date map of all the systems they watched. Naturally, they handed this over to the Mechanicus with the promise of being able to use it themselves once the tech was reproduced. The Mechanicus was able to reproduce it two times, but midway through the third the Silent Cartographer was sabotaged by the Dark Mechanicus. Disgusted at the degradation the ship had suffered, it was deemed necessary to redeem it the traditional way - to give its life in the line of duty. Piloted by a number of similarly repentant officers and tech-priests, it found redemption fighting against Abaddon the Despoiler's Ninth Black Crusade. It was marked among the honored dead of Dead On Arrival thereafter. 

 

 

 

 

Some ideas I had...

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

I've had a hard time fleshing out the beliefs of Dead On Arrival. I've become enthralled with the very specific niche they serve and how they've tried to accomplish their purpose, but not the unifying thought process behind it. The why they do the things they do. And to be honest, I don't have a special mentality in mind for them, I've always imagined them as a very diverse cast. So, this is how I came up with this...

 

Beliefs

 

Dead On Arrival has never been a people wholly united. The simple diversity of their recruitment - commissars, reformed gang lords, sanctioned psykers, Sororitas, demoted Inquisitors, Imperial Guard officers, Arbites, priests, and even the occasional Astarte has been granted leave to join the organization - has naturally led to a wide variety of mindsets and with it, some level of fractures between various members. Indeed, it would only seem natural that this would also lead to a number of heretics and renegades among Dead On Arrival. It is with this that again the close relations with the Inquisition benefits the organization. Knowing the power and influence a rogue Dead On Arrival agent could wield, the Inquisition makes irregular visits to ensure the loyalty to the Emperor and His Imperium, usually under the guise of aiding a particular investigation or getting information regarding a possible threat. If it is discovered an agent is heading down a dark road, said agent will be guided back and monitored for future signs of treachery. If they are deemed too far from the path of loyalty... The Inquisition performs its duty.

 

This is rarely necessary, however. The thought process of Dead On Arrival's people are not entirely disparate. Most if not all are aware that humanity can plunge to dark depths indeed, but all know just how much worse the terrors both within and without the Imperium's gates are. Some such as the Orks will obviously hold no sway for the agents of Dead On Arrival, but even the constant machinations of Chaos or the peaceful alternative a rare Eldar offers hold no temptation. Upon induction to the organization, a new member will be informed of every failure that Dead Or Arrival has accumulated over its history, and more importantly, the consequences of those failures. Daemonic invasion. Entire worlds given over to depraved Slaaneshi cultists. Ork butchers ravaging systems unprepared. To leave, to die, to fail, is to risk the lives of untold billions. To the wider Imperium, even to the Inquisition Dead On Arrival clings so tightly to, these lives may not matter, but to the agents charged with protecting them, they are everything. Sometimes it is their families. Sometimes it is simple goodness of spirit. Sometimes, it is the belief that only the Emperor has leave to take the lives of His people. Whatever it may be, this motivation to protect the citizens of the Imperium is the most fundamental beliefs of all of Dead On Arrival.