Reviews:
ThousandSonSorcere: Thank you! I'm glad the story is enjoyable. I did rewrite the first chapter a bit but I think it should be fine. And thank you for answering my questions. I do genuinely appreciate the input and will take it into account! :)
Spartan-666: The Death Watch is not a chapter in its own right. Rather it is an organization serving the Ordos Xenos of the Inquisition and numerous different Space Marine Chapters send battle brothers to join it, albeit temporarily. Though it becomes longer term the higher rank you are in the Death Watch. So the Black Templars do have battle brothers in the Death Watch and in this story they have a Chaplain in Watch Company Secundus, which is the Watch company who saved the Spartans. So, yes some spartans will be recruited by the Black Templars.
giblo126: I'm glad you enjoy the story and that I'm doing both franchises justice! And yeah, I have to agree with the Geas thing. It would probably be more interesting without the extra evolution stuff, especially since we aren't really sure what that evolution entails and I would basically have to make it up.
Brother Bov: You bring up good points and I agree with you. To that end I did rewrite the first chapter a bit. I know this version isn't perfect either and it could probably be improved but I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to implement some of what you said into the story in a way that feels natural. The techpriest studying the Mjolnir armor, for example, or the more detailed inquiries by the Lord Inquisitor or other Inquisitors. Still, I did try to take your advice and slow down the pacing a bit. That being said, I think the next chapter is going to be a time skip because there are multiple centuries of things happening all over the galaxy to cover and it would be a bit tedious to cover all of it in their own chapters. Besides which the spartans' times as scouts was never intended to be the main focus of the story. So expect something along the lines of the Chronology of Events section of the W40k fandom wiki. Sorry about that. :/
darpa-air-force: You're absolutely right they wouldn't. However I have to take a few liberties otherwise they would just straight up join the Imperial Guard and would never split up. That being said, I did rewrite the first chapter a bit and wrote the beginning of this chapter specifically to give them somewhat of a reason to do just that. Even if that reason isn't exactly the best.
As the Spartans slept they each had dreams unlike anything they had ever experienced before. Their dreams were filled with visions of death and destruction on an unimaginable scale, entire worlds burning and being consumed by a veritable flood of horrific monstrosities unlike anything they had seen before. Humans, metallic skeletal beings, aliens, and even unholy monstrosities that could only exist within the depths of a madman's worst nightmares all fight to stop this tide as it is an existential threat to them all.
Then came yet another all consuming tide and the two clashed until one came out the victor and the other was completely subsumed. The one that lost attempted to flee but even then the victor chased them down and devoured them as it devoured everything else. The result is a monster even more powerful than either one had been alone.
Then space and time screamed in agony as the nightmare creatures tore open a great pink rift in an attempt to slow the unending flood. And six ancient monsters return to lead them in combating this existential threat.
Stars explode en masse as the metal skeletal creatures deploy a weapon of unimaginable destructive power in an attempt to stop the parasitic flood and shards of shattered gods are deployed upon the battlefield to slow the parasite's relentless advance.
Two factions of the same species of humanoid aliens deploy ancient weapons that they have not used in millions of years.
The Orks battle the endless unstoppable tide with glee and grow to monolithic sizes until they become something else entirely. Something significantly more powerful and intelligent than what the Orks currently were.
Soldiers clad in iridescent golden armor are sent to the front lines to fight for mankind's survival. Seven ancient warriors return and lead mankind in combating this existential threat. And monolithic walking fortresses of truly terrifying psychic might are deployed to combat the endless sea of creatures. Locked in millennia long technological stagnation and decay Humanity holds out against the abyssal creatures unable to develop anything new to stop them.
However, nothing that is deployed by any species works. All living things were consumed by this unending tide, humans with extreme levels of augmentations and skeletal metallic beings who were unable to be consumed were inflicted with a plague of logic forcing them to serve this parasitic monstrosity's will, and even the unholy nightmares wither and die as the source of their power is fully consumed.
Suddenly the Spartans' dreams were filled with a brilliant, warm, comforting golden light and a booming voice filled their minds. "This is but one future. This need not come to pass."
Suddenly their dreams shifted to images of themselves. For the males they all saw images of eight or nine foot tall warriors clad in the armor of the astartes though which chapter they each belonged to seemed to have been intentionally obscured. For the females most saw themselves fighting alongside the Imperial Guard or Adepta Sororitas, while two saw themselves as members of the Inquisition.
Each one saw different battlefields upon which they fought the monstrosities and they saw their weapons and armor rapidly being replaced with pieces of technology significantly more advanced than anything they had ever seen before. With this they burn away the corrupted parasitic mass of biomass. However there are only thirty of them and thirty warriors are insufficient to fight a galaxy spanning threat. Thus while their respective roles in combating it are all absolutely crucial in their own ways they would not be the only warriors fighting nor necessarily even the most important. They would only be a few of the countless trillions all fighting to stop the spread of this evil.
This dream burned itself permanently into their subconsciouses and thus even when they finally awoke they still felt the sense of urgency the dream instilled in them.
As he woke up John tried his hardest to remember the dream knowing it was vitally important but try as he might it was as if something had intentionally obscured the dream from his mind. Thus he could only remember fragments and certain key elements. Specifically there was some sort of threat coming and it was vitally important that he and the other male Spartans become Astartes in order to combat it.
Standing up he looked around and saw that the other spartans were all just waking up at the exact same time.
"Spartans, form up. We need to talk." He ordered.
The other spartans obeyed and made another loose circle in order to speak. "First things first… Did anyone else here have strange dreams last night?" He inquired. He was uncertain as to why but for some reason he felt it was important that he ask them this.
"I did." Frederic stated.
"I did too." Maria-062 said.
The other spartans all said effectively the same things, confirming that each and every last one of them had strange dreams.
"Alright… I can't remember much but in my dream there was some sort of existential threat coming and we had to stop it. And to that end it seemed like it was important that me and all of our brothers join the Astartes. I also remember some sort of golden light… If your dreams were the same or similar, say 'I'." John told them all.
""""I."""" Echoed all of the Spartans.
"How is that possible? How could we all have had the exact same dream?" Jai inquired.
"Well yesterday we fought honest to god demons and we saw undeniable evidence that magic is real. Maybe this was some sort of psychic phenomenon?" August suggested.
"If that's the case then the question is, do we believe it or do we ignore it?" John asked. "I say we put it to a vote. All in favor of believing the dream, say 'aye'."
""""Aye."""" Echoed the majority of the Spartans. Only a handful didn't.
John sighed and said, "You all realize that means we'll have to split up, right? Our brothers and I will have to join the Astartes."
Everyone who said "aye" nodded.
"John, I don't like this either but if this dream was true… We have to do it. The fate of humanity is more important than our personal feelings." Frederic stated stoically.
John nodded. "Alright. Then when the time comes, we'll join the astartes. Before that happens I guess we should all say our goodbyes. I think it will be a very long time before any of us see eachother again, except those of us who join the same chapters and organizations."
The Spartans then proceeded to say their goodbyes and spent as much time with each other as they could until eventually representatives from the Imperial Guard, Adepta Sororitas, and the Lord Inquisitor came.
Already knowing what organizations they needed to join due to the fragments of the dreams they still remembered, about half of the female spartans joined the Adepta Sororitas while the other half joined the Imperial Guard and two of them joined the Inquisition. The male spartans all remained where they were, knowing they were destined for other things as much as most of them didn't particularly like it.
A few hours later after some troop transports returned to the ship with more Astartes all the male Spartans were lined up as a brother from each chapter that had at least one member in Watch Company Secundus examined them and gave their own speeches.
First was a chaplain of the Black Templars. "So… You are the children that the Watch Captain and the Librarius found on the surface of the planet fighting Orks… And the males among you are looking to become astartes. Hmph… I suppose some of you look to have some potential, but I will have to see you in combat before I can vouch for any of you. Regardless, your crew, your brothers, and your sisters are dead. Some fell victim to the malicious machinations of the warp. Others died while escaping your crashing ship. And more still died fighting the Orks. So I have but one question for you. Are you angry? Do you feel righteous fury burning in your hearts?! A desire to seek vengeance against those foul xenos and daemon scum who murdered your comrads and kin?! Do you wish to serve mankind and exterminate every last xenos and daemon you possibly can so nothing like this can ever happen again?! Do you wish to honor your fallen brothers and sisters as proud servants of Humanity?! If so, then you may yet have a place as sons of Dorn. Should such a prospect sound appealing to you, come line up before me and you shall accompany my kill team on our next mission so I may gauge your skills and decide if you are worthy."
Four of the spartans were particularly affected by his speech and immediately moved to stand before him. All of them had clenched fists and were radiating a cold fury. Those that were not currently wearing their helmets all had very grim, serious, or angry expressions.
The Black Templar nodded. "Very well. Come with me and we shall discuss what our chapter stands for in more detail." He then led the group before him off to a side of the hanger bay.
The next up was a Space Wolf. "I'll keep this brief. You are all whelps barely off yer mother's teat and we normally only recruit from Fenris. But according to the Watch Captain you're all fine warriors worthy of becoming battle brothers. We'll see about that on the battlefield. However, if you want to refine your craft even further. If you would like to become some of the finest warriors this galaxy has seen. If you have a desire to protect the common folk of Humanity from the worst evils and horrors this galaxy has to offer. If you truly believe you are strong enough to survive some of the harshest, most lethal trials of any chapter, then come line up before me. The brothers of the Vlka Fenryka, the Space Wolves, may welcome you with open arms should you prove yourselves. We are the Emperor's executioners and are the bane of all enemies of mankind."
Three spartans stepped forwards and lined up in front of him. The Space Wolf smiled at them and chuckled. "I'm glad to see at least some of you have a spine. Come, I would like to learn your names before we deploy to the planet's surface." He then led them off to another area of the hanger.
Next was a member of the Raven Guard. "I won't give you an inspirational speech in hopes of enticing you to want to join my chapter. Rather I will be honest and will tell you how my chapter truly operates. The sons of Corvus Corax are masters of stealth and espionage. We value stealth and precision over brute force and aggression. That being said, we are still more than capable of facing our enemies in head on combat if necessary. We simply choose to fight smarter, not harder. If our methods appeal to you, line up before me. I will conduct an exercise with you to evaluate your skills in stealth before our next deployment. Then I will test your skills when in actual combat." The Raven Guard said in a no nonsense tone.
Four more spartans lined up in front of him and he led them to a different section of the ship entirely for his test.
Next a member of the Dark Angels stepped forwards. "There aren't many of you left. No matter. If you seek honor or glory you will not find it here for our chapter has already failed. Ten thousand years ago when the Imperium was betrayed by nine of our cousin legions we were not at Terra fighting alongside our loyal cousins as we should have been. And for that we are known as the Unforgiven. We must forever bear the shame of the failure of our predecessors. That being said, we are the sons of Lion El'Jonson, the Lord of the First. And that in and of itself is something to be proud of. While our chapter bears the burden of this shame we still uphold the honor of our primarch and fight to earn his forgiveness. We are also some of the foremost warriors amongst the astartes, are more effective than even the Ultramarines, and are the best equipped of any chapter. While the Space Wolves may be the Emperor's executioners, the Dark Angels are his exterminators. So if you believe you can uphold the honor of our Primarch and are capable of keeping our chapter's secrets, lineup before me."
Four more Spartans stepped forwards and lined up in front of the Dark Angel. The astartes regarded them all and took a moment to examine them. "Hmph… If you wish to receive my recommendation you have your work cut out for you. The Watch Captain has claimed you are worthy. So I will be holding you to much higher standards than normal humans. If you fail to impress you can forget joining my chapter. Come, I will test you all in hand to hand combat before we deploy. Depending on how poorly you do, I may dismiss you even before deployment." The Dark Angel then led the four of them off elsewhere.
Finally the Watch Captain himself stepped forwards. "I have seen you all in combat and know you are all worthy of joining my chapter. So if you wish to join one of the most prestigious chapters in the Imperium. If you wish to fight for honor and glory. If you believe yourself worthy of being a son of the angel, then line up before me. I may believe you worthy already but I will still take you on my next deployment just to ensure I am not making a mistake in thinking so highly of your skills and trusting the word of brother Ruhiel." The Watch Captain stated.
Having already fought alongside him and already having a small amount of trust for him, John, James, and Jorge all lined up in front of the Watch Captain. The Watch Captain took a moment to regard them and said, "I look forward to fighting alongside you once more. I certainly hope you all survive the trials once you are on Baal. Regardless, we deploy in two hours. I would recommend preparing however necessary before then as I expect us to be down there for several days at minimum."
"Understood. Permission to speak, sir?" Jorge requested.
"Granted." The Watch Captain stated.
"When I was reading up on history I got the sense that the Imperium doesn't like the use of alien technology. That it's heretical? With that in mind, what should we do when we run out of ammo?" Jorge inquired.
"A fair question. Hm… You will not be provided bolters so it isn't as though we could share ammunition… I suppose we can provide you with Hot-shot Lasguns and possibly Hot-shot Volley Guns. Both are more powerful variants of the standard lasguns typically utilized by the Astra Militarum. The Lord Inquisitor's retinue of Tempestus Scions have a stock of such weapons on board the ship and I'm certain a few can be spared for you and your brothers. Ammunition will be somewhat less of a concern with those. And a few chapters in this Watch Company specialize in close quarters combat so I may requisition a few chainswords as well so we may judge your skills with such weapons and better determine which chapters you would be best suited for. Wait here, I will requisition the weapons from the ship's quartermaster." The Watch Captain said before turning and walking away.
[Later on the planet's surface]
"DIE XENOS SCUM!" The Black Templars chaplain roared as he proceeded to cave in the skull of an Ork with his Crozius Arcanum. He then looked back at the Spartans under his care and shouted, "You see?! THIS is how a true son of Dorn fights!"
He watched as most of them followed his lead and rushed forwards with chainswords in hand before cleaving into the Orks with righteous fury. All of them except for one. Kurt-051 remained back and hid behind cover whilst taking his time to aim and snipe the Orks from a ways back with his hot-shot lasgun. He took note of this. Not that there was anything wrong with the tactic but the Black Templars were close combat specialists. That tactic was more along the lines of what the Raven Guard did. The other battle brothers in the kill team noticed this as well.
When that group of Orks was slain one of the battle brothers approached the Chaplain and said, "You saw that, right? The boy that stayed back and sniped the Orks from behind cover? He's been doing that exact same thing for a few hours now. He only uses that chainsword on his back when the Orks get too close to him. I don't think he suits your chapter at all."
"I would agree… You there, boy. Kurt, I believe your name was. Come here." The Chaplain ordered.
Kurt approached the chaplain.
"Why do you hide behind cover, boy? Do you not have faith in the strength of your armor?" The chaplain inquired.
"No, sir. My armor is fine." Kurt stated.
"Then what is the issue? Do you fear the Orks?" The Chaplain asked.
"No, sir. They're tough but they can die just like everything else. I just don't think rushing head first into enemy fire is particularly wise as it leaves you exposed unnecessarily." Kurt responded.
The Chaplain nodded and said, "I see… Then I'm afraid I do not think the Black Templars is the right chapter for you, boy. The Raven Guard will suit you far better. I will request a transport to come pick you up and have you sent to join your brothers who seek to join the Raven Guard. Until it arrives you shall continue to provide fire support for our kill team."
Kurt saluted and said, "Understood, sir! I'm sorry I let you down, sir."
"It's fine, boy. You are still a fine warrior and shall make for an excellent Astartes, it's just that your skills are better suited to another chapter. There is no shame in that." The chaplain stated.
"Thank you, sir." Kurt stated.
The Chaplain nodded before turning and leading the kill team further into enemy lines.
[Elsewhere]
John's hot-shot volley gun's energy cell died as he used up the last of its charge trying to take down a particularly heavily armored Ork Mekboy. Reaching back he tried to grab a fresh energy cell only to discover he was completely out.
Seeing a plasma rifle like the ones being used by a couple Astartes in the kill team on the ground next to the corpse of an Imperial Guard, he dropped his hotshot lasgun, ran over, and picked up the Plasma Rifle. He then turned and fired the plasma rifle at the Ork Weirdboy that the librarius Ruhiel was currently battling. The plasma splashed harmlessly across the Ork's psychic barrier but this proved to be enough of a distraction for Ruhiel to press the advantage and shatter the Ork's barrier with a blast of psychic lightning and rip it to shreds.
Another Ork charged John only for Jorge to stab it in the back and cut it in half before it could even get close to him.
Meanwhile, James charged forwards and began hacking his way through as many of the Orks as he could. He did not escape from this unwounded but even so he continued to fight with just as much ferocity if not more so.
They were currently assisting the Imperial Guard in fending off a a key military base. Thus the battle lasted almost the entire day. John did not drop the plasma rifle that he had picked up for the rest of the duration of the siege.
When it was over he was approached by the Watch Captain. "Spartan-117. I see you acquired a plasma rifle. Do you enjoy using it?"
"Yes, sir. As long as you make sure to let it vent every ten shots or so, it's an excellent weapon. I nearly got incinerated once or twice at first but I got lucky and quickly learned how to use it safely." John explained.
The Watch Captain nodded. "And you don't seem to favor shock warfare or rapid assault tactics, which the Blood Angels specialize in. So perhaps you would do better with the Dark Angels as they make extensive use of plasma weaponry and the like. A transport will be coming in a few minutes to pick you up and bring you to your brothers who are seeking to join the Dark Angels."
John saluted and said, "Understood, sir."
"I hope you do well as a son of the Lion." The Watch Captain stated before turning and walking back towards the edge of the wall, presumably to watch for further Ork attacks.
[Elsewhere]
"I have an idea, sir." Jai stated, looking at the Raven Guard.
"What is it, and keep your damn voice down." The Raven Guard whispered back.
"Sorry, sir." Jai responded in a whisper this time. "My idea is that I could act as a distraction. You and the others could hide in strategic locations and I could lead the Orks there so we could effectively ambush them. They seem dumb enough to fall for that sort of thing."
"Hm… It's worth considering. Do you have locations in mind for us to lay in wait? Or do you expect us to find them ourselves?" The Raven Guard inquired.
"You see that building over there? I think that two of us could wait on the second and fourth floors. Probably you Astartes since your weapons have a bit more range. Then one of us could wait in the rubble over there. I'm thinking a spartan would be better suited to that location since we're smaller and will have an easier time hiding there. Then one of us could hide behind that fallen statue, probably another spartan. Then one or two of you astartes could wait on those rooftops over there. Then another Spartan could hide behind that broken Leman Russ tank over there." Jai explained.
The Raven guard nodded. "A good plan. I'll message the others and inform them of this. You wait here for about five minutes so we have time to get into position."
Jai saluted and said, "Understood, sir."
The Raven Guard then snuck off and messaged the other members of the kill team.
Jai waited for exactly five minutes before emerging from cover. He then ran ahead towards where he knew the next group of Orks were. Upon getting within visual range of the Orks he raised his chainsword and revved it loudly before shouting, "Hey, green skins! Over here! You wanna fight?! Come on then! Or are you too scared?!"
The Orks seemed to take exception to his insistence of cowardice and began running towards him. Those that had guns started shooting at him as they ran.
"Come on, this way you big green idiots! My platoon of guardsmen is this way! Don't tell me you're afraid of a few dozen humans!" Jai shouted, firing his hot-shot lasgun into the crowd of Orks that were chasing after him.
"SHUT IT! WE AIN'T 'FRAID OF NO ZOGGIN' 'UMIES!" One of the Orks roared back at him.
After a moment Jai arrived back at the designated area and so did the Orks. At that point he put away his hot-shot lasgun and instead drew his chainsword. "Now!" He shouted over his helmet's built-in communications systems.
Suddenly the rest of the spartans and astartes in the kill-team emerged from their hiding places and opened fire. Meanwhile Jai charged straight at the Orks and began cutting into them with his chainsword.
"'E tricked us ladz! Deze aren't da guard boys! Deze are shpaysh muhreens!" One Ork shouted over the gun fire.
"Shut it, ya git! It don't matter if dey are shpaysh muhreens, we'll krump 'em like every other 'umie! Startin' with this 'un!" An Ork MegaNob shouted back before rushing towards Jai, only to get his head blasted off by one of the Astartes.
The battle continued on for several minutes until the Orks were all dead. Jai had taken a few injuries but nothing that was truly life threatening or that would even slow him down if he didn't let them.
Once it was over, Joshua stepped out from behind cover and picked up a plasma rifle that one of the Orks had been carrying. "Hey, this looks like an Imperial Weapon."
"That's because it is." An Astartes stated as he approached. "Freshly looted from the corpse of a guardsman by the looks of it."
"Would it be tech heresy to, uh… reclaim it for the Imperium? I don't mind this hot-shot lasgun but it's a bit lacking in terms of damage in my opinion. At least compared to some of the aliens we're facing. They're tough bastards and some of 'em have even tougher armor." Joshua asked, examining the plasma weapon.
"Hm… Let me take a look at it." An astartes ordered.
Joshua complied and handed him the weapon.
The astartes examined it for a moment. He then pressed a button to vent the excess heat before aiming it at the corpse of a random Ork and pulling the trigger. It fired with absolutely no issues whatsoever. The astartes then nodded in satisfaction and handed it back to Joshua. "It doesn't appear to have any xenos modifications whatsoever so it's fine. Just be careful to vent it frequently otherwise it will incinerate you when it inevitably vents on its own. Doing so every ten shots would be smart."
"Understood, sir." Joshua stated.
The kill team then continued on and repeated the same tactic a few times until eventually the Raven Guard leading the kill team finally called both Jai and Joshua over to him.
"You two are doing quite well. However, I'm afraid I have to question if the Raven Guard is right for either of you. Jai, you seem to prefer close combat tactics thus I believe the Black Templars, Blood Angels, or Space Wolves would likely be better choices for you. And you, Joshua, seem to have grown quite fond of that plasma rifle and I saw you leave cover early a few times. So perhaps the Dark Angels would be a better choice for you." The Raven Guard stated. "Jai, I will give you an option. Which of those three chapters would you prefer to join?"
"The Black Templars, sir." Jai responded.
"Very well. Then I will call a transport to come pick both of you up and bring you to your brothers who are joining those respective chapters. Though we are not currently in an area accessible to a transport ship so until we reach a viable area we will continue as we have been." The Raven Guard told them. "And Jai, your wounds appear to be piling up. Does your armor still have biofoam in its reservoir?"
Jai shook his head. "No, sir. It just ran out in that last fight."
"Hm… Then you need to fight a bit more carefully from this point forward. You're useless if you are dead or too injured to fight." The Raven Guard ordered.
Jai saluted. "Understood, sir."
[Elsewhere]
The Dark Angel in charge of the kill team watched the spartans attached to the kill team like a hawk. If they fought even slightly below his expectations he did not plan to send them to join another chapter, but instead planned to send them to join the Imperial Guard with their sisters who did not join the Adepta Sororitas. The other battle brothers in his kill team all insisted that he was being too strict but he disagreed. The Astartes only ever recruited the best of the best humans as aspirants and these children were super soldiers rather than normal humans. Thus his expectations scaled with the advantages their augmentations gave them and if they performed below those expectations then he firmly believed that they should be rejected just as any other subpar aspirant would be. That being said he was indeed paying attention to their strengths and weaknesses as well. If they performed within his expectations but showed aptitude for other forms of combat than those typically employed by his chapter then he would indeed send them to join another chapter.
Frederic cut an Ork in two with his chainsword before raising his hot-shot lasgun with his other hand and blasting another Ork's head off.
Malcom had climbed up on the ruins of a building and was using it as a perch to snipe the Orks from a distance while remaining in cover.
Meanwhile Leon and William were just following his lead, though they did so exceptionally well especially for the tools they had at their disposal.
They were currently assaulting an Ork camp with a battalion of Imperial Guardsmen thus the battle lasted for several hours.
Eventually the Dark Angel in charge of the Kill Team saw the Warboss of this particular group of Orks engaged with a particularly brave commissar of the Imperial Guard. He then raised his plasma rifle and shot the Warboss, vaporizing his head. The commissar then had to jump out of the way before the giant alien's corpse could fall on top of him.
"Da boss iz dead! I'm in charge now ya gits!" Shouted a particularly large Ork Mekboy.
"Ha! You're not da boss! I am!" Shouted an Ork MegaNob.
"Oh, yeah?! Why don't yah come say dat to my power klaw, yah zoggin' git!" The Mekboy shouted back.
"WAAAAAGH!" Shouted the MegaNob as he charged straight at the Mekboy. The two then began a vicious brawl to determine who was in charge.
With the Warboss dead the rest of the Orks cohesion broke and they all began fighting each other as much as they were fighting the Imperial Guard, Spartans, and Astartes.
In total the battle lasted around an hour. It would have lasted longer had the Warboss not died.
Once it was over the Dark Angel turned to face the Spartans who were now walking over to him and said, "You all performed within my expectations. That is good. I will not be sending any of you to join the Imperial Guard. However, there are a few things I noticed. First and foremost, you, Malcolm was it? You appear to favor stealth and guerilla warfare. Thus you would be better suited towards the Raven Guard. And you, Frederic, appear to favor shock warfare and rapid assault tactics. Thus you would be better suited towards the Blood Angels. I will be sending you two to join your brothers seeking to join those respective chapters."
"Understood, sir." Frederic stated, snapping a salute. Malcom snapped a salute right alongside him.
After that about two weeks passed and none of the Spartans ended up being truly rejected by the Astartes. They each successfully earned their recommendations. Meanwhile the Techmarines scavenged absolutely everything they possibly could from the wreckage of the UNSC Commonwealth. And almost miraculously as if it had been protected by the hand of the Emperor himself, the ship's slipspace drive was completely undamaged. And the techmarines were able to fully repair and salvage the ship's Slipspace Communications systems as well. They were also able to recover several empty Archer Missile Pods, a few Warthogs, one M808 Scorpion, one slightly damaged M850 Grizzly, a Pelican Dropship, several hundred canisters of Biofoam, several dozen suits of standard marine and ODST armor, numerous weapons of all different kinds with the accompanying ammo, and multiple tons of Titanium A alloy that made up the armor of the ship.
The majority of the weapons and ammo were donated to the Imperial Guard that was present on the planet as most were designated as autoguns. However, several such as the M41 SPNKR, M90 shotgun, M319 grenade launcher, a prototype M6 Laser, along with the weapons and energy shield technology John and Kelly brought back after infiltrating the covenant ship, could potentially have uses outside of the Imperial Guard. The techmarines had no idea some of the weapons and technology they found were of xenos origin otherwise they would have destroyed it on the spot rather than having brought it back for reverse engineering.
Several Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus were already reverse engineering the suits of Mjolnir Mk. IV power armor and the two neural implants that they were allowed to harvest from the corpses of the Spartans who died before help could arrive.
The Spartans were given the same form of credit for bringing all of this ancient archeotech to the Imperium as if they had discovered functioning STC fragments for each device. As a result they were offered a multitude of things, especially for the Slipspace Drive and Slipspace Communications systems. The male spartans requested further supplies for the chapters they were to join, the female Spartans who were to join the Adepta Sororitas didn't really request anything nor did the two who joined the Lord Inquisitor, whereas the female spartans who joined the Imperial Guard requested to be allowed to become their own particularly well funded and well trained special operations force within the Imperial Guard. Their requests were all readily accepted.
After a while the male Spartans were placed in stasis units to prevent them from aging while they were transported back to the Watch Tower to await transport to the specific chapters they joined. The female Spartans who decided to join the Adepta Sororitas were transported off-world to a Schola Progenium. The female spartans who joined the Lord Inquisitor stayed with the Lord Inquisitor on the planet and assisted in fighting the Orks until the Lord Inquisitor thought the Ork threat had died down enough to move on. And the female spartans who joined the Imperial Guard also stayed on the planet fighting the Orks until the Orks had died down enough for the Local PDF to deal with them and the Imperial Guard moved on.
End Notes: I hope this version of the story is a bit better! I know the Emperor giving all of the Spartans visions while they slept is a literal deus ex machina to force the plot to advance but I'm trying my best to make it at least somewhat realistic for Warhammer 40k. And yeah, I'm sure you can guess the direction the story is going at this point.
Will the Flood get to Silentium levels and will the Imperium survive such a thing is the real question at this point. And yes, the flood has the potential to get to Silentium levels since the Flood is literally the Precursors and can make Precursor technology if it grows large enough and gains enough resources. It is not strictly limited to the technology of the species it infects. Remember the flood is highly intelligent.
Edit: Note that I said potential. It isn't guaranteed to get to that point, that just means they have the possibility of it. I know full well what it means if it did get to that point.
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