Imperium's Wyverns

"They'll stand and fight like Adeptus Astartes, or I will see to it have them die for the Emperor. There will be no quarter given, I promise you that."

- Drakon Hammel

The Imperium's Wyverns was founded within the 40th Millennium, coming from a 'unknown gene-seed'. Despite their origins being unknown, the gene-seed was largely stable letting many theorize the gene-seed had been taken from the Ultramarines. No matter where it had came from, it was agreed that the Imperium's Wyverns were meant to be an effective defense force even prior to their first day as a whole chapter, and to launch a counter offensive in the case of a siege being broken with a capable chapter fleet. As Drakon Hammel, their chapter master, describes them, "These marines are to sacrifice everything in the name of the Imperium and the Emperor, and keep his light shining."

Only being a thousand plus years old, the Imperium's Wyverns often lack powerful ancient equipment and artifacts, relying heavily on their techmarines and chapter serfs trained in manufacturing new weapons to keep their armory filled. Especially since they spread themselves out in order to respond to their most recent threat, the Tyranids.

Recruitment
The most crucial part of the Chapter in the present day is their recruitment. As the chapter further spreads itself thin and takes casualties, it must make faster recruitment- but still harsh -methods in order to rise up with new scouts, and later, marines. Recruitment takes place on their homeworld of Azakos despite it's rather soft population, rarely taking volunteers as they march into cities or towns and walk through the dark, gothic streets. Slums have been known to be popular for recruitment, as with poorer sections of the planet. The Chapter also recruits from a world within the homeworld's solar system, the recruitment planet's name being much alike to Azakos, the planet itself called Naz'akos. Notorious for it's massive hive cities and suffocating atmosphere.

While both worlds are recruited from (and the recruits varying in brutality when compared) the chapter would need to change any human in order to become a marine. Thus, the training process is harsh, requiring not only live combat against other soldiers, but simulations and war games, testing if the recruits can stand their ground against the opposing forces.

This training takes place within and around the homeworld, if not having enough resources (such as targets and/or manpower) recruits may be sent to Naz'akos to do various tasks. Such tasks often relating to taking out gangs, or standing against their assaults.

Armory and Production
With new recruits coming in every day and marines dropping dead every month, the Imperium's Wyverns require more than just a mere weapons rack, instead their fortress monastery like many, has a armory to store and help produce bolters, power armor and varying weapons and supplies needed to combat the threats that face the Imperium. It is no secret that the Wyvern's hold their specialists like techmarines in respect, as they maintain and construct new equipment so the chapter may fight onward. Even when not on the front line, anyone capable of construction power armor or chainswords is to be put at work, making sure that fresh recruits and damaged veterans can repair, restock and get back into fighting.

Relics
While the chapter rarely finds any relics of value since the majority of the chapter is busy in combat or being transported in the warp, there are special artifacts that they hold onto within the armory and may even utilize out in the field. Much of these relics is some form of armor, found in ancient ruins and decimated vessels. While guardsmen and other marines may find a Wyverns Veteran lacking in a astounding bolter, their armor is like their purpose, withstanding an attack so that the Imperium may push forward.

Organization
The chapter is split into six companies (Excluding the 10th) and follows the Codex Astartes closely on how to organize itself. While chapters may have full reserve companies, or battle barges bustling with marines, the Imperium Wyvern's numbers have been nearly cut in half. Thus, the chapter itself largely lacks reserves. Deployments are either delicate, and if a major battle occurs many companies would come together to combat the enemy in one mere sector.

The companies go as follows: Each name can be associated with history behind the company, or because of it's select individuals. The most notorious company is the reserved 6th Company, being the only one that survived the siege of Azakos. 7th, 8th and 9th companies were given names even after their destruction, for remembrance of the dead and how they died.
 * 1st Company "Rigorous Scales"
 * 2nd Company "Adaption"
 * 3rd Company "The Balanced"
 * 4th Company "Chapter's Teeth"
 * 5th Company "Wyvern's Song"
 * 6th Company "Defenders of Azakos"
 * 7th Company "Last One Out" (Decimated)
 * 8th Company "Rain of Fire" (Decimated)
 * 9th Company "Claws" (Decimated)
 * 10th Company "Wyvern's Hatching"

Mission and Deployments
The Imperium's Wyverns are seen within and beyond their sector at the fringes of the Imperium of Man's territory, claiming to attempt on recovering what was lost. While this has granted many- at first -to believe them to be kind, the chapter itself is not inclined on saving civilians themselves. Much rather, there have been numerous scenarios where a world was bombarded, killing almost all civilians for the sake of keeping said planet in the hands of humanity and the Imperium. If an enemy is too strong, the chapter's vessels will begin bombardment before assisting the local population. And even more so, the chapter itself would prioritize killing the enemy over helping many to escape the enemy, as the Wyverns culture goes, "Those worth saving are the ones who stand their ground and save themselves.".

While there is no "center" of activity for the Wyverns (Except for the chapter homeworld. Azakos houses a small part of the 6th Company and varying specialists, such as techmarines or apothecaries.) they're known to appear during sieges, or when the Imperium begins to lose territory rapidly. This makes them spread thin however, and while a guardsmen may see a squad of Imperium's Wyverns shooting down the enemy, they most likely wont see any more than that single squad. For the Wyverns cannot risk higher casualties.

Chapter Serfs
While chapter serfs stay on the homeworld for the majority of their time, battle barges and strike cruisers- along with other chapter fleet vessels -may have extra serfs on board to recover the dead or repair equipment, as the Wyverns consider their gene-seed to be sacred. Bombardments have been held off just so a squad of marines or group of serfs to pick up the corpse of a battle brother, and bring it aboard a Thunderhawk. This does not mean they are combatants however, and it is exceptionally rare for serfs to fight, unless if it is utilizing a ship's weapon systems against enemy vessels.

Key Battles
As the Imperium's Wyverns stand their ground and fight against the enemy, there is no end in the fight for human dominance. However, there have been significant fights that determined the future of the chapter, and such fights were recorded with energy and emotion, the most important of said battles would be the first. The Siege of Azakos. Studied and carefully reread so that the chapter would never allow it to happen again.

Siege of Azakos
While the chapter grew to it's new life as a freshly made chapter, organizing itself and finding sub-sectors within their sector to purge of heretics, xenos and mutants. Their own homeworld would experience a fight that changed the chapter's doctrine and numbers for a long time to come. Such was the Siege of Azakos, the smell of burnt flesh, the sound of bolter cartridges smashing into the concrete and the thudding of Tau boots went through the planet. The fighting was fierce, the planet's orbit even more so, with the chapters fleet, local Imperial warships and PDF vessels all engaging the massive Tau fleet. It was a battle that went on for two years, before ending in a blood drenched crater where the Tau initially landed on their first day on the surface.

Prior to the siege, the Tau had been encroaching on Azakos's solar system while spreading through the sector like wildfire. The initial months the chapter found itself being hit by plasma and shot by accurate snipers. Many sub-sectors fell as the promise of a offensive-proof chapter was failing quickly, disappointed in the chapter's work, many fleets would approach the sector and attempt to remove the rising Tau Presence. Regiments being tossed at worlds where the Wyverns once marched, and guardsmen finding burnt out remains of the PDFs from before.

However, little did the chapter and the local Imperial forces know of the Tau's build up. They had constructed a massive fleet using all their new resources and launched a massive strike through the Imperium's fleets, forming a hole and shaped like a spear. They stretched through the close-by solar systems before piercing Imperium's Wyverns space, the chapter fleet quickly scrambled and numerous vessels would enter the warp, attempting to combat the sudden Tau threat looming above their homeworld. The fleet was stalled within a quick few months by the Imperial Navy, granting the chapter time for it's escorts and barges to come through, sadly the ground was not granted such luxury. Much of the PDF had been eliminated swiftly during the initial attacks, and the Tau quickly hit numerous key targets...

The chapter itself seemed at loss.

However, the 6th Company was the first to arrive, and the first company to enter the fray. The Tau would quickly meet heavy resistance as they neared the Chapter's fortress monastery, the grassy fields turning to be mined, the towns set up with ambushes and the corners of streets hiding marines and guardsmen. While this gave much breathing room to the civilian populace, it did not turn the tide, even when the entire 10th company and part of the 7th arrived, the Tau were dug in well enough to hold their ground, much like the Wyverns.

Over the course of the next months, closing in at two years, the Wyvern's and it's serfs had defended their monastery, soon Rhino APCs were- for the first time -welcomed in the slums as it showed a sign of the siege's end. The Tau had begun to lose resources, their fleet crippled by having to constantly repair and resupply, the chapter's fleet too having suffered much, but the Imperial Navy soaked in more plasma fire than thought possible by the marines.

And eventually, the commanders whom lead the attack against the marines had been shot, 10th Company scouts crawling through the hills and grass, piercing the helmet of each commander as they would plot their next move. However, this was not before the Tau successfully bombed 7th, 8th and 9th company's positions, using the lack of guardsmen there to target the Adeptus Astartes specifically. Having moved in with infantry, the Tau claimed the territory with agility and numbers.

In the coming months, after the death of the Tau commanders, the forces were encircled, chased down or had evacuated. The Wyverns killed many along their way, and Tau officers were gifted to the Imperium as prisoners to interrogate. But Azakos itself was now ash, and for the next few centuries, it would rebuild and repopulate swiftly with the chapter's support.