Living Metal

"We must be proud of our humbling origins. Though we are different from most of our brothers and cousins. We still serve the Imperium."

- Marzan Gerron, Chapter Chaplain of the Living Metal

The Living Metal Space Marine Chapter is a successor chapter of the Iron Hands Space Marines. However, they are regarded to be one of the most advanced and progressive among the successors of the Iron Hands and the rest of the space marine chapters throughout the Imperium. This reputation brings the attention of the Adeptus Mechanicus and nearly considered their technological advancement heretical, this claim is yet to be proven. The Chapter Master of the Living Metal, Vertrud Soliman does not undermine the authority and the power of the Adeptus Mechanicus but he does not take interest with, what he considers, the stubbornness of their religiosity.

Origins
20 battle-brothers from the Clan Dorrvok of the Iron Hands Space Marine Chapter were sent to the Uhulis Sector aboard the battle barge “Guidance” during the final days of the Nova Terra Interregnum to search for more possible recruits and to deal with the Ork infestation plaguing the system as a form of an exercise. While in transit within the warp, their ship was thrown awry by a warp storm that abruptly appeared and disappeared, the ship suffered heavy damage and its Gellar field generator was compromised. It re-entered the material plane without suffering from warping effects, its crew slightly disoriented with the exception of its Navigators and Astropaths, and the 20 space marines only suffering a minor headache. The ship was locked to the gravity well of a terrestrial planet and was orbiting around it, the Navigators confirmed that they orbit is not from the Uhulis Sector but from the Ghoul Stars. The crew of the “Guidance” despaired while the space marines maintained their resolved, and decided to land the ship into the planet. If they weren’t going to find recruits and purge Orks then colonizing a planet in the name of the Imperium is an equal, if not a greater, equivalent, the space marines concluded. To their surprise, the scanner system of the “Guidance” still works despite the damage incurred and decided to use it to find a proper landing zone for the beaten battle barge.

The planet that the “Guidance” landed upon was given the name “Miracle” befitting for the circumstance that they all underwent. Despite the grasslands, and the beautiful scenery that would only rival that of a pleasure world, that surrounded the general vicinity of the landing site. Everyone inside the ship was still at unease, it would only worsen as they left the ship as everyone felt a certain feeling not found within the rest of the Imperium, comfort. A thorough inspection was done to ship once it had landed. Despite the tumultuous travel in the warp, the ship only suffered external damage while the internal structure remained intact. It was a miracle that they landed at all when everyone realized the real damage that their ship suffered. In order to straighten the minds of the of the human crew of the ship, the space marines immediately began maintaining the discipline amongst the ranks as to prepare them what is to, possibly, come.

It would not be long after creating a sizable settlement that they would discover the local beasts, and fauna and flora of the planet. Venerable thunderbeasts almost the size of a dreadnought, and plants brimming with life and color, the human crew of the ship learned the hard way which is which while the space marines merely looked on ever vigilant only to come to their aid when needed especially that most of their members are utilizing their mechanical knowledge and know-how in tending to the repairs of the ship. Along the way, they would find stray Ork warbands armed with weapons and a Nob leading their every step seeming prepared for a Waaaagghhh of sorts only to be devastated by roaming thunderbeasts that prey on Orkoid flesh and spores. “Miracle” became all the more stranger in their eyes as they realized that the locale of the planet has adapted to the Ork menace. This also meant that they would become the targets of the more savage beasts as well.

After some time into the repairs, the space marines tending to the ship found themselves disturbed by one of the thunderbeasts roaming in their area. The space marines and the many that remained to help in the repairs put up a strong resistance against the beast but it was not distraught with the sound of boltguns firing and its bullets striking against its hard hides, it would only be slain with a concentrated fire from multiple lascannons in its eyes. All of the space marines were caught aback with the effort they had to put to kill the beast, they were from the Iron Hands taught knowing that the flesh is weak and the metal is strong. This would only be the first of many encounters with the beasts of “Miracle”. The human crew celebrated as they now have a long supply of meat to consume to replace the ships now dwindling supply of military rations.

8 standard Terran years have finally passed since the ship had landed in “Miracle”, much of the surrounding area has been searched, raw materials harvested from the metal scrap left from Ork warbands victimized by thunderbeasts that they now have mastered in taming and domesticating to support their now dwindling arsenals, and the ship, “Guidance”, is at its near completion in repairs and yet they have only scratched the surface of what occurs in the planet. Not much has changed from the 20 space marines except only that they have begun to have a sense of respect for the flesh from all the manner of beasts and flora they have experienced but still have not lost their inclination to technology.

One evening, a space marine was leading a scouting operation with some members of the human crew when they witnessed upon a beaten body that resembled a human floating down a shallow river, they decided to recover the body and discovered that it was a human female, but with Eldar symbols tattooed across its back. The human coughed and came to only to faint once again upon seeing the faces of her rescuers. The space marine decided to return the human female to camp for further investigation, though it was suggested by one of his scouting members to take it easy. After educating the human female on High Imperial Gothic language, and asking questions. The situation of the planet that the members of “Guidance” reside becomes much more complicated as it not just filled with beasts, flora, and Orks but also Exodites, making “Guidance” an Exodite world. The female human, now named “Ines” as she proclaimed, would only recall memories of being born as a slave to a local Exodite clan, and is not aware if there are independent human tribes or other Exodite clans across the planet. Her stay within the settlement would only unnerve the other humans with her Eldar tattoos and her ‘disgraceful’ past.

The objectives now became clear to everyone, to destroy all the Exodites that reside, free all the humans and unite them, then claim the planet under the light of the God-Emperor of Mankind. In the 11th year since the battle barge “Guidance” would complete its repairs, but the duty undertaken still has to be done, the battle barge would take to the skies in low orbit as it was being guided to the location of the Exodite clan from which Ines had come from. The outlying vicinity was encircled with a “Steel Rain” to subjugate the Exodite clan, a valiant and violent battle commenced with the Imperium coming as victorious in not only defeating the Exodites but also liberating the enslaved humans as well. The planet then would be repeatedly scanned for Exodites but now crushed with the use of guerilla warfare and battle beasts by their side. The campaign took only 3 years to complete.

When the last Exodite in the planet was confirmed dead, a new united government was established upon the planet, and its capital would be the first settlement built on which the “Guidance” had first landed. The Iron Hands felt that their mission was complete and so did the rest of the ship’s crew, never have they felt a sense of liberation only for it to be quashed with the grim, dark reality that is the Imperium of Man itself. However, 1 of the 20 Iron Hands space marines and a handful of humans from the ship decided to remain in the planet with the reason that people still have to be left behind to teach the rest about the Imperium, its history, and culture.

At last the “Guidance” has now returned to open space, far from the gravity well of the newly-liberated planet of Miracle. There was one last hurdle to overcome, travelling through the warp without using the light of the Astronomican. It was their only shot to return home, and so they did. They tempted fate and defied all odds, they entered warp space and travelled there until the Navigators saw the light of the Astronomican, and from there they began their perilous journey home. The “Guidance” would re-enter the material space within close vicinity of the Telstarax, much commotion ensued as the battle barge was being guided into safety into an Iron Hands Chapter Monastery.

The information gathered and the achievements done by the crew and the space marines of the ship “Guidance” was reported to the Chapter Council found it pleasing except for the fact that 100 years had passed since their disappearance, such is the convoluted power of the warp. However, there was a problem, the space marines could no longer be registered as battle-brothers within the Iron Hands as it has reached full capacity, in Codex Astartes standards, this was met with the newfound sentiment of the said space marines having certain set of attitudes that are somewhat opposite to the hardline teaching of the Iron Hands. The 19 Iron Hands space marines, with the members of the battle barge “Guidance”, set out to establish a space marine chapter of their own.

The space marines traveled to the Decimaros system close to the edges of the Ultima Segmentum between the Asylus and Formund secotor, where the Astronomican still burns bright within the warp. It's capitol planet, Pyapandria Capitol was declared Chapter Homeworld, a forgeworld where it's largest manufactorum was refurbished into a fortress-monastery, still capable of production and manufacturing but with the aesthetic and facilities fitting for a Space Marine Chapter.