Stanium's Ghosts (Stanium PDF)

"I ask none of which you cannot, but I ask everything of which you can."

- Chapter Master Carrak Viristias, Silver Knights 3rd Chapter Master

Founding
The Argentum PDF is founded immediately by the Imperium after the Ork threat to Argentum has been decimated; Imperial Forces on the ground recruited all male nobles into service and trained them to be a competent fighting force of the planet. However due to the "Noble" status and the unwillingness of the Governors that came to handle the planet to help their own PDF in the upcoming years and in the new war that broke out of the planet, the men degraded into an incoherent, undisciplined and ineffective fighting force with lax and low recruitment and equipment's and war materiel poorly maintained and in a state of disrepair and men armed with stubbed weaponries rather than lasguns and most are even armed with nothing less than a sword.

Imperial Guard Service
Before the Silver Knights came, Argentum has an Imperial Guard formation of its own as it was of little to value in other things. The Argentumian Specters as they are called are specialist in both recon and hit and run tactics as well as behind enemy line insertion and sabotage. These men are quite well known as established marksmen albeit worryingly low in supply if not on support and is often found with Catachans if not Elysians or the common Cadian in some missions. The regiment is notoriously resourceful and flexible in any situation earning them quite a number of honors. However, after the Silver Knights arrival and rise to power over Argentum, the few surviving war materials and men are ordered to return home and serve as mentors and added boost to the now depleted but reformed PDF. The Banner is kept and is of currently used as the Standard of the Argentumian PDF and the few rare if not relic war machines are added to the growing pool of war equipment's the PDF has.

Reformation
"You men who succumbed to weakness show me your strength, You who watched on the suffering of your fellows."

- 2nd Chapter Master of the Silver Knights Space Marine Chapter

In the arrival of the Silver Knights Space Marine Chapter however, the PDF was then reformed ridding all of the men deemed a liability to the force through sheer war of attrition on the considerably advanced and out of control feral Ork population of the planet decimating the PDF, strength and equipment loss as the total evaluation after the war was the PDF at 95% Casualties and of the 5% that remained 3% are either wounded or dying.

After the event, that was known to the PDF as the Recreation, the chapter master then instituted a mass recruitment of all able bodied men and women in a form of volunteering themselves in. Half of the world's population took the offer and all were subjected to different tests, mentally, physically and spiritually. Many of those who participated instantly failed in the trials while those which were left became the core of the newly polished planetary defense force of Argentum. Factories came to life in the moon of Argentum, Platinum, and weapons and armor flood through the atmosphere as the Adepts of Mars came in, equipping the men and women of the Argentum PDF making it to become into one of the most hardened, disciplined and well equipped military might in the Segmentum.

Equipment
The Argentumian PDF comes with the standard guardsman equipment, albeit with the extra layer of Argentumian armor they apply beneath the black colored flak armor they always wear, giving them a distinct white glow on the sides as well as classifying them as heavy infantry type troops. The Argentumian blade is a rather famous and common choice for close quarter, a 3 to 4 feet diamond edged, silver teethed blade (coated in black if necessary) made from the teeth of a slain Silverius Rexius that can even pierce through Power Armor with the right amount of strength behind it. No PDF Member of Argentum has been found without one on his/her person, and should the owner of the blade is killed in battle, it was noted that troopers would brave their way towards the fallen owner to recover the blade and the fallen him/herself or whatever they can so that it could be given back to their family and be properly buried and the blade passed through the successor as per Argentumian culture. Argentumian PDF's are also noted to add on modified auxiliary shotguns on their weapons as a standard and always wear Cadian pattern, full faced cover headgear equipped with its own re-breather.

Optional Equipments

 * 2 Krak Grenades
 * 2 Photon Flash Grenades
 * 2 Smoke Grenades
 * Grenade Launcher
 * Needler Sniper Rifle
 * Autocannon
 * Mark XXXV Magnacore Pattern Plasma Gun
 * Godwyn Pattern Heavy Bolter
 * Achillan Mk III "Tread Feather" Missile Tube
 * Assault Shotgun
 * Flamer

Special Equipment

 * Nightmare Gas-Grenade - using the hallucinogenic venom extracted from the Argentumian Nightmare Spider, this liquid venom is then turned into colorless and odorless gaseous material. Anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the gas would experience severe hallucinations, crippling coherent organization as the victims are plunged into a nightmarish world and completely severe their capability to fight. It is usually delivered to the field not by throwing but by via special shotgun shell round or grenade launcher round.
 * Promethium Grenade - Introduced in the second battle of Argentum by accident and desperation, this flame based throwable weapon is firstly made of by gas canisters of a flamer which is thrown and shot with a las-gun to effectively make it explode and cover a large amount of area in flames. In two days this "technique" was introduced within the ranks and in two days introduced as a special weapon in the PDF arsenal. It is now consist of a special canister same shaped as the smoke grenades and uses the same mechanisms of a frag grenade albeit except of just an explosion, burning promethium would also cover the area and burn anything it touches until it would burn no more.

Vehicles
The PDF maintains considerable number of Sentinel Walkers and Sentry Turrets and also is noted to have a Dracosan Pattern Tank, Malcador Variants, Wyverns and at least 2 Hellbores as well as the Minotaur Tank and Taurox Prime assault vehicle, as well as the favored Motorcycle and Tauros ATV.

Tactical Doctrine
"With the right actions, one can win no matter the cost!"

- Captain Veriisium Vreigheir

Surprisingly, the Argentum PDF uses speed at a very high level and is often dropping out of Valkyries in Ork infestation control operations on the planet, a very different path of warfare than of the Chapter that watches over them. But many times over, speed was provided for as a liability, thus adaptation was in line with the PDF and in the years that passed, the natural jungle expertise of the planet's inhabitants was harnessed and honed to perfection to be used in the tactics and strategy as well as the open area warfare which is honed on the plains of Argentum of battles long lost to memory are also integrated to the PDF's use and is used as often as Valkyrie drops depending on the situation and place given to them.

Recruitment and Training
"You are weak and useless! Remember that well! But the reason why you are here is that you want to be strong and just how the Silver Knights made us strong. I WILL MAKE YOU STRONG!"

- Colonel Griffinior Silvire

The PDF's recruitment commences every year in thousands of batches and many of the males recruited once were participants of the earlier recruitment of the Silver Knights Chapter on the planets population. In the recruitment process, aspirants are tested in a series of mock battles, where all the possible horrors of the future battlefield will be presented to them and those who will pass the "Field Test" will be accepted to the Argentumian PDF.

The Training consist of the most basic need of any guardsman in the Imperium needs to know. All are subjected to a harsh training regime a human warrior, making such trainees to be well trained and well equipped, as well with morals that would be considered top class in PDF standards. They are trained to be one with each other to be able to know what the others think with just a mere glance and subtle signaling, But in the near end there will be 3 known separation to the Guardsman according to the trainers eyes on the different recruits natural ability and specialties, One will consist of the Specialist Drop Troops, troops who were exemplary in HACVIT (High Altitude Combat and Vertical Insertion Training), the Second will be Armored and Defense Specialists Troops, troops who showed great potential as field and tank commanders in the FOCAVT (Field Officer Command and Armored Vehicle Training) and the Third will be the Guerrilla and Sabotage Warfare Specialist Troops, chosen from those whose skill sets are too unique to be in normal battlefield situations which will show in the JAGWASP (Jungle and Guerrilla Warfare and Assassination/Sabotage Program). This Specialization will be then the finalized drills and training the PDF will have and upon completion will be directed to report to such Divisions they had trained to within their day of duty.

Notable Engagements
Planetary wide Ork decimation campaign also known as "The Recreation" - In the arrival of the Silver Knights Chapter and its assumed control of the world, then had found out how out of control the world is going, setting their eyes on the PDF they also found out how it was poorly and inadequately maintained, trained and equipped. Thus to make things straight. The chapter master of that time, ordered a planetary wide campaign against the Ork population which is considerably advanced than those of the planet. For bitter months the PDF was alone and is fighting for its survival on the very world they own. Their lowly maintained and poor quality equipment's proved nothing on the Ork physiology as many learned a harsh lesson that even emptying an entire autogun clip can almost always never put down an average Ork boy. Tanks and chimeras were no match as many Orks had managed to "control and tame" the fierce predators of Argentum as well as bringing their own Squiggoths to battle, even two Silverius Rexius were at the mercy of their Orkish masters which covered them in brass and armour looted from burning hulks of armor on the battlefield which was then crudely attached to their bodies, increasing their survival and is causing massive havoc and loss of life. Junka's noisily rushed the front along with considerably armored argentumian black wolves and the skies above are challenged by great armoured Sierrieas and their ork riders.

One by one and little by little, though facing countless enemies and many of their own dead, the PDF became a competent fighting force as those who are not fit to lead, to be a soldier had either died by the hands of the enemy or deserted, (which were hunted down by the overlooking chapter and executed afterwards as the remaining commissars were either died earlier in battle or murdered by their shaken soldiers who feared the enemy more than the commissars themselves and ran like a mob of terrified civilians from the battlefield) The command of the army changed so quick and seemed not to stop, leadership change seems to come every hour or two of the battle, but on the 125th change, 1st Sgt. Transitiore Silvire (great grandfather, the first to establish the undeniably powerful military house of Silvire in Taranis after the Recreation, to the now Commander Terrium Silvire), fresh from the front, got chosen as the new leader as the previous one was killed by a lobba round which was shot out straight the falling flank. Though never led more than a squad or two, He got the men together in a feat no other could imagine of doing in such a disorganized and chaotic situation, solving both military and logistic nightmare that was going on, he and his bold plans was and is able to stop and ultimately push the seemingly unending green tide back with strategy, deception and finesse, little by little, despite astounding loss of life and materiel, until all that remained was corpses and ruin. Those few whom survived and are able that remained after the war became hardened veterans of their own and became one of the pillars that was needed for the PDF's recreation under the strict rule of the new master of the planet.

2nd Battle of Argentum - In a wake of an Orkish Invasion, the SDF held tight for two days until the first Ork ship "landed" on the planet, Commander Terrium Silvire then ordered all of his force to mobilize as soon as possible, with Argentums PDF Drop troops dropping off to Valkyries, the immediate area was successfully contained and the Orks that poured out was held in bay and was simply annihilated after the arrival of the main force. This process was repeated on and on whenever a ship broke out and manage to land on the planet. The planet's jungle, mountain and fields became battlefronts as skirmishes escalates into a full scale war front and after 3 days and nights the Orks that came finally was slain to the last. The 3 day war on the surface inflicted at least 30 thousand casualties with another 50-80 thousand wounded and a good amount of material lost as the cunning and technology that the Orks bought with them was a danger not expected by the counter attacking forces of the PDF. The 2nd Battle of Argentum bought not only valuable experience to the soldiers that participated but also a grim reminder that there is still a big bad world out there and the Ork's might be not the worst but also not the best to underestimate in battle with.