Silver Dominators

"A lack of adaptability...is a lack of survivability. Survival is not based on who is the strongest or the smartest. It comes down to who can adapt."

- Kastor Ludenberg, Chapter Master of the Silver Dominators.

The Silver Dominators are a Semi-Codex Compliant Astartes Chapter of Marines Malevolent descent. Originating from the 13th "Dark" Founding, the Silver Dominators are deeply loyal to the God Emperor of Mankind and the eradication of His enemies. However, much like their parent Chapter, the Silver Dominators have at times shown a disturbing and callous disregard for the lives of the civilians of the Imperium as long as their mission objectives are achieved. This has brought them into conflict with many Imperial organizations, including the God Emperor's Holy Inquisition.

The Silver Dominators, unlike their parent Chapter, are equipped well and possess a fair number of relics to boot. Being one of the few Chapters to have 3 Battle Barges, the Silver Dominators hunt the enemies of Man across the galaxy in the name of their Emperor and their Unknown Primarch.

History
The 13th Founding, also known as the Dark Founding, occurred sometime between the 35th and 36th Millennium, and is one of the very rare Foundings of Space Marine Chapters that were not recorded in exact detail. Since the Horus Heresy, the Adeptus Terra has maintained a bank of original gene-seed tithed by every single Chapter ever created, with one notable exception: the 13th Founding. There are no reliable records that indicate how many Chapters were created during the Dark Founding or what became of them. Full disclosure of the exact details of this mysterious Founding may lie buried deep within the record office of the Adeptus Terra.

One such Chapter was the Silver Dominators. Made from the gene-seed of the terrifying and fearsome Marines Malevolent Chapter, the Silver Dominators were born hated. Being off-springs of the Marines Malevolent Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, the Silver Dominators were presupposed to be as brutal and disregarding as their parent Chapter and, by extension, despised by most Chapters they came into contact with. Left all alone in a galaxy of pain and misery, the Silver Dominators chose to be empowered by this hatred rather than let it devour them whole. Knowing that no one but their Emperor was willing to assist them, the Silver Dominators trained themselves in the art of tactical flexibility so that they would survive against their enemies all by themselves.

As the Silver Dominators continued forward, they realized that the nature of their parent Chapter synergized greatly with their tactical flexibility. Adopting the "ends justify the means" nature of their parent Chapter, the Silver Dominators were truly re-born out of the hatred their gene-kin had for them.

From the hatred, rose another army of monsters filled to the brim with that very same hatred...

Notable Campaigns

 * The Axaldian Havoc (324.M36): The Silver Dominators 4th Company is tasked with the elimination of the World Eaters forces occupying the Hive World of Axald IV.
 * The Jepsen War (964.M36): The Silver Dominators 1st and 2nd Companies deploy their forces to the planet of Jepsen Prime against the secessionist forces of Archmagos Serzkand.
 * To Kill A God (433.M37): The Silver Dominators 6th Company fights the heretical forces of an unnamed Heretic Astartes that claims to be the Fifth Chaos God, killing the unnamed Heretic Astartes and wiping out his forces.
 * The Atrocity (999.M37): +++REMOVED FROM IMPERIAL RECORDS+++
 * Gravewalkers' Rampage (234.M38): The entire Silver Dominators Chapter is fielded to fight against the Nurglite Warband called the Gravewalkers. Ven Dulce Morte, who was the Chapter Master of the Silver Dominators at the time, is interred into a Dreadnought after suffering fatal injuries at the hands of the Chaos Lord leading the Warband.
 * 9th Black Crusade (537.M38): The Silver Dominators are ordered to assist the Lamenters in their fight against the Black Legion, but never arrive.
 * The Liberation of Ekoroshia (125.M39): The Silver Dominators 5th Company is sent to make short work of the Slaaneshi forces ravaging the Hive World of Ekoroshia.
 * War Against The Anti-Emperor (752.M39): The Silver Dominators 6th, 7th and 8th Companies fight and chase the Slaaneshi Daemon Prince only known as "The Anti-Emperor" around the Segmentum Obscurus, eventually banishing the Prince back into the Warp.
 * Waaagh! Gobsmacka (215.M40): The Silver Dominators 9th Company engages the forces of Waagh! Gobsmacka on an unknown planet.
 * War Against The Condemned (982.M40): The Silver Dominators 1st, 2nd and 3rd Companies fight the Night Lords Warband known as The Condemned.
 * The Damning (032.M41): +++REMOVED FROM IMPERIAL RECORDS+++
 * 13th Black Crusade (999.M41): The Silver Dominators deploy at Chapter-strength to defend Cadia against the forces of Chaos. Chapter Master Archaius Lorz is slain and First Captain Kastor Ludenberg takes his place.
 * Indomitus Crusade (112.M42): The entire Silver Dominators Chapter takes part in the Indomitus Crusade and their numbers are bolstered by the Primaris Space Marines of the newly resurrected Roboute Guilliman.

Gene-Seed
The Silver Dominators bear the gene-seed of the Marines Malevolent. Like the gene-seed of their parent Chapter, very little is known about the gene-seed of the Silver Dominators. However, the few investigations made into their gene-seed shows that their gene-seed is stable with no singular notable mutation besides the expected pattern.

Recruitment
As the Silver Dominators have no homeworld to speak of, they draw their recruits from a variety of different Imperial planets, mainly those feudal worlds with a pre-industrial levels of technology. Representatives of the Silver Dominators visit each recruiting world once within a normal human's lifetime, and take the strongest juveniles from the population. Each Aspirant is thoroughly screened, and from the moment he is accepted into the Chapter as a Neophyte Space Marine, his past becomes irrelevant. Once the recruit is accepted he will undergo the normal rites to become a Space Marine, however the Chapter will keep no control over these rites and the recruit will be expected to adapt to any sudden changes. However, should he fail or not adapt well enough, his mind will be wiped clean and his body converted into that of a Servitor, the mindless cybernetic automatons that carry out the labourious tasks of the Chapter.

Chapter Beliefs
"You will all die. You will all die if you do not adapt to the situation at hand. Do you understand me, worm?"

- Ishamel Caesar, during the Indomitus Crusade.

As masters of adaptation, the Silver Dominators believe that there is no place in the galaxy for those that cannot adapt to the ever-changing state of their massive home. To a Silver Dominator, there is nothing more important in life than adapting and surviving. Even the strongest and the smartest will die if they do not adapt, and the Silver Dominators know this and make sure that they do not join the strongest and the smartest in their graves.

As successors of the Marines Malevolent, the Silver Dominators also believe that there is no such thing as "innocence", simply varying degrees of guilt, and that people who will not fight to defend themselves have no right to live as their freedom was purchased with others' blood. The Dominators will also go so far as to salvage equipment, weapons, ammunition and other resources from other fallen Space Marines of different Chapters, if they discover any.

Specialist Ranks

 * Mistress of the Serfs: A rank given to the supreme Serf of the Silver Dominators, the Mistress of the Serfs is tasked with maintaining order among the Serfs of the Chapter.


 * Lord Duelist: A rank given to the 10th Captain. The Lord Duelist is the greatest melee combatant and, by extension, duelist of the Chapter. The Lord Duelist is also the one that will, as expected, accept duels and challenges whenever possible.

The Class System
The Silver Dominators make use of a class system for their squads instead of giving them individual names. The highest class in the system is A and the lowest is C. Because this system does not put limitations on what Class any type of squad can be, every squad is capable of being considered A-Class and, by extension, veterans. The classes and their contents are as follows: The Grand Sire, Company Sires, specialists like Chaplains and serfs are not put into specific ranks as the Grand Sire and the Company Sires are considered above Classes. As for the specialists and serfs, they come from both A and B classes and thus cannot be classed accordingly without it being unfair and are considered below Classes respectively. The serf rule excludes Celestia Proditor, who is the Master of the Serfs, as she is also considered above Classes.
 * A-Class: Veterans of the Chapter such as Terminators, Venerable Dreadnoughts, Honor Guard and squads of veterans.
 * B-Class: The rank-and-file of the Chapter like Dreadnoughts, Tactical Marines and Devastator Marines.
 * C-Class: Scout Marines.

Combat Doctrine
The Silver Dominators, unlike many other Chapters, have no set combat doctrine to speak of. Instead, each and every Astartes simply adapts themselves according to the enemy they are pitted against. However, the way the Silver Dominators adapt is still very notable to say the least.

During the beginning of a battle, the Silver Dominators will fight every defensively, holding their ground and creating kill-zones whenever possible. In this phase, the Silver Dominators will carefully inspect the tactics of their enemies and plan their moves accordingly.

As the battle continues, the Silver Dominators will begin their slow shift from defense to offense. During this phase, the Silver Dominators will begin showing signs of adaptation to the enemy's tactics.

And, finally, during the climax of the battle, the Silver Dominators will fall upon their foe like a whirlwind of death and destruction. Having fully adapted to the combat doctrine of their enemies, the proud successors of the Marines Malevolent will begin to mercilessly incapacitate the enemy's decision making through sheer force in order to prevent them from adapting back. During this phase, the Silver Dominators will mimick their parent Chapter in that they will be relentless to the point of being callously disregarding to those around them. Leaving nothing but smoking corpses and ruined lands in their path, the Silver Dominators will relentlessly ensure victories for the Imperium through their adaptation and relentless application of it.

Deathwatch Service
Despite having had a rocky relationship with the Inquisition for millenia, the Silver Dominators still send a their brothers to the Holy Deathwatch. Kastor Ludenberg, the current Great Sire of the Silver Dominators, is one of the more famous Silver Dominators that served in the Deathwatch. The Silver Dominators are begrudgingly favored by Deathwatch fortresses for their skills at adapting, which makes them perfect for Kill-Teams that rarely fight the same foe twice.

Notable Members

 * Kastor Ludenberg: The current Grand Sire of the Silver Dominators. An experienced Astartes, Kastor appears collected, cold and cunning by nature. Kastor is a very ambitious man, as he declared that he will do anything it takes to win a war, and is ready to go as far as "removing those cursed with tardiness" or bombing civilian encampments. He is extremely selfish and values himself and his Chapter over the lives of others, stating he has no problem sacrificing others in order to save himself and his Brothers. He also has a lot of pride, refusing to surrender no matter how far into a corner he's pushed, as long as the chance for victory remains.
 * Archaiuz Lorz: The previous Grand Sire of the Silver Dominators. Considered by outsiders to have been the exact opposite of Kastor, Archaiuz possessed the ability to manipulate others to do his bidding and can lie with a straight face. After suffering fatal injuries during the Indomitus Crusade, he was entombed in a Dreadnought chassis and now serves as a part of the 1st Company.
 * Ven Dulce Morte: A former Grand Sire of the Silver Dominators. For unexplained reasons, every record relating to him has been removed from the Silver Dominators' records and he hasn't spoken ever since he was entombed in a Dreadnought chassis and integrated into 1st Company.

By the Silver Dominators
Feel free to add your own!"Hey! HEY! Do a flip, damn you!"

- 1st Company Sire Kobold Bub, to a flying civilian corpse. "What? Has your resolve softened? Have you lost confidence, or are you afraid of being killed? Don't you have faith in your Primarch?"

- Archaiuz Lorz, to a Black Legionnaire during the 13th Black Crusade.

About the Silver Dominators
Feel free to add your own!"I cannot believe someone would allow you to exist, let alone serve the Imperium."

- An unknown Salamander Astartes