Dream Stalkers

"The Dream Stalkers are undermanned by fifty percent. Discipline and morale are at an all time low. We're short of equipment and munitions, and ressuply is a bad joke... And this is the only Imperial Outpost watching the Halo Zone."

- Lord-Legate Stone explaining the current state of the chapter

Founding
The Dream Stalkers are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter and a 26th Founding Successor Chapter of the Ultramarines. The Dream Stalker's name comes from the name of a now extinct psionic wolf-like predator animal that used to haunt their homeworld of Acratea. The Dream Stalkers are organized in ten standard company-sized units called "Sheltrons", with the commander of each sheltron carrying the rank of "Overseer". The Chapter Master is referred to as "Lord-Legate" while the second in command carries the rank of "Solar-Captain". The Third is the "Lunar-Captain" and the Fourth is the "Quad-Captain". This is done to ensure a strong chain of command incase one or more of the leaders are killed or go missing.

The Defense of Acratea
In the late 41st Millenium the homeworld of the Dream Stalkers came under attack by a splinter group of Emperor's Children backed by Traitor Guardsmen. Nearly half of the standing strenght of the Dream Stalkers were off the planet at the time. By the time the remnants of the chapter returned to Acratea to assist in the war effort, some of the most fierce fighting of the whole invasion was already underway. Eventualy the determination and the unbending will of the Dream Stalkers halted the unending advance of the traitors and with the help of Acratea's Planetary Defence Force the assault was repelled. Although it came at the cost of nearly a fourth of the Chapter's Marines and the loss of dozens of Chapter Relics and Armoured Vehicles when Fort Aeson was sacked.

Current state of the Chapter
After suffering a recent assault on their homeworld and Chapter-Monastery by a Chaos Warband, about a quarter of the Chapter was wiped out with the numbers of Marines in the Chapter being reduced to around a quarter of the usual strenght. On top of that a large amount of the Chapter's heavy armor vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles and ground support vehicles were taken heavily limiting the Dream Stalkers' ability to conduct armored and mechanized warfare in the years to come. Since then the Dream Stalkers have been slowly rebuilding their strenght, hoping for revenge.

Favored Weapons/Tactics
The Dream Stalkers base their doctrine on reconnaissance, adaptability, quick response and airborne insertions. Their combat role is usually of an elite infantry fighting force. Because of that and their ability to deploy relatively fast they usually function as a Quick-Reaction Force and have frequently pulled struggling Imperial Forces out of the deep. They've been known to use Codex-approved camoflauge patterns for their uniforms in particular operations. They field both long-range and close-range combat units, but they are severly lacking in armored vehicles, especially after the assault upon their homeworld, in which their armoury was sacked and most of the Chapter's armored vehicles were stolen. Due to this they've been known to field Leman Russes and other Imperial Guard vehicles in limited numbers. The Dream Stalkers have a profound use of jump packs as they are used as a primary insertion method into hostile territory. They tend to avoid melee combat in favour of ranged firefights although they are perfectly capable of going in and engaging the enemy up close. The Stalkers also have some experience in waging guerrila and asymmetrical warfare.

The Battle of Acratea
When the Chaos Warband descended upon Acratea a large number of Dream Stalkers were off planet, leaving only the 4th Company and some small detachments off of other companies to deal with the Heretics. The Dream Stalkers and the Acratean Military were initially overwhelmed but managed to conduct a rigorous guerilla warfare using the cold climate to their advantage. Despite taking casulties, they managed to stall the Chaos Marines long enough for the main Dream Stalker force to arrive and retake the planet. During the Battle, around a hundred and fifty Dream Stalkers lost their lives and the Armory of the Dream Stalkers was

sacked.

The Psychic Wars
The Psychic Wars began when all contact was lost with a planet near Acratea. After some observation, Dream Stalker intelligence determined that a Chaos cult was running rampant. The 4th Company deployed it's Task Force (elite unit composed of 12 marines) to assist the PDF with what seemed like a minor threat. That was far from the case though. Before perishing, the Task Force sent frantic communication signals with warnings of Chaos Sorcerers. Due to the significance of the threat, two Sheltrons of Dream Stalkers along with supporting Imperial Guard forces landed on the planet. What followed was a bloody conflict in which the Imperial force fought Chaos Sorcerers, Heretics and the enthralled populace. The Imperial force managed to claim a victory although it was marked by great casulties. The planet was later investigated by agents of the Inquisition.

Night of a Thousand Rebellions
During this event that scourged the Segmentum Pacificus, many Dream Stalkers served as support for the overwhelmed Imperial Guard and PDF forces and helped quell the riots and rebellions and well as repulse the Chaos Warbands that came to take advantage of the rebellions.

Sheltrons (Company-sized units)
Note that unlike regular Codex-compliant chapters, each Sheltron of the Dream Stalkers has a similar structure and size, and contains Scout infantry, Terminator units and vehicles, which are evenly spread out throughout the Sheltrons. This was done to make each Sheltron more self-sufficient so it could be deployed by itself and still function on it's own if necessary.

4th Sheltron "Lightning Wing"
The 4th Sheltron or the "Lightning Wing" as it is called, is essentially the Quick Reaction Force of the Dream Stalkers. It is usually stationed in a ship orbiting Acratea and is ready to deploy anywhere in the sector at any given time. Gear is kept constantly resupplied and mantained, and drills are ran to ensure readiness and the ability to deploy in a short amount of time. The "Lightning Wing" also serves as a "Coast" Guard of sorts in the sence that they board and inspect more obscure ships that attempt to approach Acratea. Because of those assigments they frequently work with the Armored Infantry Battalions of Acratea.

Selection
Being selected to become a Space Marine is no easy task although the Dream Stalker selection process is a bit easier than most. To become selected, an initiate is tested. The selection begins with standard tests including push-ups, sits up, a several-mile run and a crawl. The candidates are then put through a series of land navigation courses that include a 28 kilometer all-night navigation course while carrying a 19kg rucksack. The rucksack's weight and the distance of the courses are increased and the time standards to complete the task are shortened with every march. The physical testing ends with a 64 kilometer march with a 20kg rucksack.

On top of that there is a mental test that is similiar to an IQ test that every initiate must pass with a certain score.

Training
The Dream Stalker training is approximately one Terran year long. During the training the initiates are trained in the following fields: Marines also actively cross-train with members of the Acratea Defense Force.
 * Marksmanship
 * The trainees shoot at stationary targets at different rangers until they gain almost complete accuracy and then progress to moving targets.
 * Once their shooting skills are perfected, trainees move to a shooting house range and clear rooms of targets.
 * Demolitions and entry
 * Trainees learn how to pick different locks, including those on vehicles, doors and safes.
 * After that comes advanced demolition and breaching training.
 * Combined Skills - For this the trainees would actively train in actual buildings and vehicles including star ships.
 * The trainees use demolition and marksmanship at the range and other training facilities to train for hostage rescue and counter-insurgency operations with different units cordinating and working together.
 * All trainees learn how to set up sniper positions around a building containing hostages and insurgents. Although the Dream Stalkers have specialized sniper troops, all member go through this training.
 * Trade craft
 * Trainees learn different espionage-related skills.
 * Executive protection
 * Trainees take an advanced vehicle operating course learning how to use vehicles as offensive and defensive weapons.
 * Then they learn techniques for VIP and diplomatic protection.
 * Asymmetrical warfare
 * Trainees are thought various ways to wage guerrila warfare as well as setting traps and ambushes..
 * Reconnaissance and Pathfinding
 * Trainees are trained in various ways of conducting reconnaissance and pathfinding operations as well as concealment and wilderness survival.

Enemies
The Dream Stalkers have a particular hatred for Chaos Space Marines after suffering an assault against their homeworld, although they gladly fight any enemy of the Imperium if the need arises. The Chapter also developed a loathing for Dark Eldar after a Batallion(Platoon-sized unit) under a Overseer Deacon came under assault by a large force of Dark Eldar after being ambushed. The Batallion would have been destroyed if not for the timely intervention of Solar-Captain Hawthorne who managed to mount a succesful evacuation and conducted a fighting retreat.

Allies
The Chapter maintains some ties to it's progenitor, the Ultramarines, as well as to the several regiments of the Imperial Guard stationed near Acratea. Including really close ties and cooperation between the Dream Stalkers and the Armoured Infantry of Acratea, an Elite unit of the Acratean Military. Especially after the assault upon their homeworld, the Dream Stalkers have frequently received wargear and funding, free of charge, from a Rogue Trader, born and raised on Acratea, Peter McRaven.

Chapter Culture
The Chapter takes much of it's culture and believes from their homeworld of Acratea. This includes a zealous believe in an myth about the God-Emperor, possibly originating thousands of years ago back on Terra, which has warranted investigation from the Inquisition although no traces of heresy or taint were found. The myth is that the God-Emperor was the ancient entity known as the "Horseman of the Apocalypse". This belief has also been investigated by agents of the Ecclesiarchy but after a thorough investigation it was officially recognized as a non-heretical faith and variation of the standard Imperial Cult.

Exria Pattern Power Knife
The Exria Pattern Power Knife is a devastating close-combat weapon able to slice it's way through armor, flesh and bone with ease. Although It's blade is far shorter than that of a Power Sword, the Exria Pattern Power Knife makes for a formidable back-up weapon. A set back to it's use, however, is it's rarity and the fact that it is hard to maintain. It is usually deployed with sergeants leading tactical squads.

Another flaw of the blade is that it's energy source tends to give up during rigorous use. This still leaves the user with a sharpened blade, however, against armored opponents this can mean a certain death.

Burned Sierra
The Burned Sierra is an ancient suit of Mk3 Power Armor with most of the paint scorched off. While the suit's mechanisms are thoroughly mantained, no effort has been made to repaint it, thus the name.

Acratean Remnant
The Acratean Remnant is an ancient Storm Shield of an unknown pattern, supposedly a gift from the Ultramarines.

Somnium Talons
The Somnium Talons are an Angel's Talon pattern of Lightning Claws recovered from an abandoned outpost located upon a desert world.

Solar-Captain Hawthorne
Solar-Captain Hawhtorne is the son of a powerful and wealthy Rogue Trader which is thought to have helped his recruitment into the Chapter. After Hawthorne took part in fighting off an unindentified Chaos Warband, Hawthorne was noticed by the Lord-Legate and quickly rose through the ranks until he was promoted into the Solar-Captain of the Dream Stalkers. Hawthorne prefers to lead his men from the front and his wargear is fitted for that role.

Amongst his specialties are lighting-fast and overwhelming jump-pack assaults and heavy close-combat.

Amalric Anterius "Bolt Thrower"
Amalric Anterius or the "Bolt Thrower" as he is sometimes called does not hail from the Dream Stalkers. Once he was an Ultramarine Apothecary. Eventually he came to blows with fellow Ultramarines due to his approaches to warfare which were seen as too pragmatic and dishonorable. Eventually Amalric was sent to mentor the still fledgling Dream Stalkers Chapter. Due to his great succesess with working with the Dream Stalkers, the Dream Stalkers petitioned the Ultramarines for Anterius to become a full-fledged member of the Dream Stalkers. The Ultramarines accepted.

Lord-Legate Stone
As with most Dream Stalkers Lord-Legate Stone came from a noble family from the civilized world of Acratea. Stone is a veteran of centuries of war, coming close to death countless times but never being put down for long. Many of his brethren believe he is blessed by the Emperor and the Primarch, even that he is protected by some kind of an angelic entity. A Guardian Angel, as the Imperial Guardsmen have been prone to saying.



Overseer Graves
Overseer Graves is a venerable Dreadnought and the oldest living member of the Chapter able to take pride in the fact that he was one of the original founding members. After a somewhat heroic battle in which the Overseer suffered heavy injuries and had to be interred in a Dreadnought chasis, he was promoted to Overseer of the Third Sheltron. Graves has refused several promotions to the rank of Solar-Captain, so he could remain in direct command of the Third Sheltron.



Acratea
Acratea, the homeworld of the Dream Stalkers and the Acratean Armored Infantry, is located near (near being a relative term) the Halo Zone of the Segmentum Pacificus. It is a snowy and mountainous Ice world, but it is home to many wealthy nobles and Rogue Traders which ensures it's Planetary Defence Force, the Acratean Armored Infantry, is extremely well equipped and well trained. The Planet has endured one major siege which ended in a victory for the defenders.

Acratea has a natural satellite, a moon called Exria, which is covered with a score Anti-Ship firebases and is home to a few stellar harbors and docks. It also comes with it's own detachments of Dream Stalkers and Acratean Armored Infantry.

Acreatea was settled in the late M39 and existence there has been fairly peaceful, while the life standard-fairly high for every class of the populace.

Fort Aeson, Fortress-Monastery of the Dream Stalkers
Fort Aeson is the Fortress-Monastery of the Dream Stalkers. It is a former scientific outpost, now fortified and outfitted with various defence installations. It proudly stands on a mountain top in the Northern part of Acratea. For it's security, a Sheltron (which one is determined on a rotational basis) is constantly garrisoned in Fort Aeson, together with elements of the Acratean Armored Infantry.

A second base of operations of the Dream Stalkers also exists upon Acratea, called Valley Forge. It is located amidst a plateau in the southern part of Acratea and is usually manned by a skeleton crew. It's purpose is to serve as a fall-back site should anything happen to Fort Aeson.

Quotes
"Common Stalkers, let's earn our stories." - Solar Captain Hawthorne

"Strike swift and we'll be home in time for chow." - Specialist Jacob Castlemoore

"The Dream calls for Blood!"

"You can rest when you are dead, recruit! Move your ass!" - Protector Martin Walker

"The road to hell is paved with the bleached bones of Marines who fell by the wayside, Stalkers! Let's not join them!" - Defender Kimball

"As nice as the concept of "righteous zeal" may sound, that type of reckless behaviour has no place on my battlefield." - Lord-Legate Stone

About(Feel free to add your own)
"Oy! Dez Uumie, shineies ain't dat tough! Why'z you'z idiots not winnin? I'z tink it'z da cold, making da lots of ya soft! lettin dez Uumies act like Uumies and not fighen good n propa. C'mon Boyz we'ves gots ta go get tat ting dat Mek Owder'Oom wantzeded! WAAAAAAAAGHHH!"

- Warboss Mashin'toof leading his boyz on the blasta sie....ting of Fort Aeson