Threat assessment by Lady Inquisitor Von Hellfire *comments and review by Inquisitor Barnaby of the Ordo Ciaphas*

*While it is often considered uncouth for members of different Ordos to commentate On and critique each other's work, this is an appropriate time for me to do so. Lady Inquisitor Von Hellfire is trying her best to create an accurate report, at least from her perspective but is also blinded by her preconceptions. This is not a condemnation of the Lady Inquisitor, as she is much more used to dealing with heretical forces which do not possess the institutional manipulation that the GUN poses. Instead, my Ordo and I have inserted our comments into the work, to shed some more light on what we feel would otherwise be an incredibly misleading report.*

Gendameries of United Nusquam

Allegiance: The Cainite Protectorate

Tactical Threat Level: Minor

Strategic Threat Level: Supreme, Exterminatus is encouraged! *Moderate: Exterminatus is Prohibited*

The Imperial Guard is not unfamiliar with the concept of creating garrison forces to ensure that the local population doesn't rise against the rightful rulers, especially when the deceptions of the great enemy or the corrupting influence of the Xeno have misled them. The Mordian Iron Guard are famous for their stoic demeanour and willingness to use appropriate amounts of force to maintain the Emperor's peace on worlds that resist his rule. However, these fools sworn to the Black Commissar and his vile Protectorate are an altogether different force and represent an incredibly concerning pattern. This is especially true for the Imperium's inevitable reconquest of its lost territory, which will naturally occur once approximate resources can be allocated to such a campaign. Instead of the use of judicial force to subjugate the lower orders of a planet, these regiments are almost completely composed of soldiers specializing in maintaining civil order as opposed to providing effective firepower to the Black Commissars' missions. It can be fairly safely concluded that realms of the protectorate are highly riven by intern strife as internal units such as these are being raised to squash the rebellion of those loyal sons of the Imperium who long to return to the fold.

The planet Nusquam Fundimentibus was a fairly unremarkable world, with little industrial capacity, and the fact that it was an ice world that subsisted primarily on geothermal energy was its only truly interesting feature. It produced not nearly enough crops, fabrics or luxury items to feed, clothe or entertain its population. The population had even failed to produce sufficiently notable PDF regiments to warrant tithing the population for Imperial Guard recruits. It was simply put, a frozen hellhole that was a significant drain on the resources of the Imperium, without providing anything of any significance. Thus, the news that an Ork "Freebooter" fleet was moving towards the world was not met with alarm. Rather, it was acknowledged as requiring a far greater allocation of resources to defeat, than the world or its people warranted. *An announcement which didn't do much for the fighting spirit and patriotism of the people who had just been informed that they were not worth saving. Generally, people tend to find that the plan is for all of them to die, and that they shouldn't feel too bad about it, to not be an uplifting message. Especially when broadcast so bluntly, as this decree was.*

While the Governor dithered away her time, making repeated requests for aid that she had already been informed were not going to be accepted, the local arms of the Administratum and Ecchliarcy busied themselves with a far more important task. Namely, working to ensure all valuable resources and investments by the Imperium as a whole could be recouped or compensated for. Important pieces of technology, holy artefacts and much Munitorum infrastructure had been built or placed on the planet, in the hopes that the planet would eventually be a hub for the Imperium in the Subsector. Unfortunately, these plans were rendered unreasonable before the planet had even raised its first Imperial Guard Regiment. Thus, the only humane solution was to simply reallocate as many Imperial resources as possible to more favoured worlds. *This was done while the world itself was still savable and did nothing to improve the overall image of the Imperium as completely indifferent to the planet's suffering and needs. In the future, inquisitorial oversight should be employed to ensure that we don't accidentally turn an entire world of loyal citizens into enemies, by simply announcing that "You are all going to die, we're taking your stuff and any complaints will be met with execution".*

When the order was given to withdraw from Nusquam, the local administration made the correct decision to also withdraw any assets of value from the planet, so that they wouldn't be lost alongside the population. This included such significant assets as the orbital stations, the artefacts at the famous Ice Cathedral, the Ice Cathedral itself and as many of the planet's Geothermal plants as possible. Many of these major assets were taken without significant issue, largely due to the lack of comparable forces to the Imperial Guard Stormtroopers used to secure them. This did, however, lead to a growing awareness of the Imperium strategy in regard to the oncoming Ork fleet and caused some degree of strife among the ignorant and shortsighted population. Appropriate information was released to the public to explain their world sacrifice to the ignorant masses, and why the Imperium as a whole would not be able to provide them with relief in the form of very valuable Imperial Guard regiments or navy assets.

This awareness of the lack of value their world truly possessed was made more apparent due to the announcement of planetary conscription. Much of the military assets of the Planetary Defense Forces and as many able-bodied men from the planet were announced to be conscripted into a new task force, which would be removed from the planet before the world was destroyed. The Defense force was ordered to assist in this endeavor, and then to begin the construction of fortifications for their holding action against the orcs. This was so that the planet itself would draw as much enemy attention as possible, while significant resources and important personnel were removed from the planet and relocated to less doomed worlds. To compensate the Mechanicus for the technology that would inevitably have to be left behind, a significant portion of the population was also allocated for conversion into servitors or reassigned as menials on Forgeworlds. *No significant attempt to soften the blow from these proclamations was made. Some literature was released to the public but did not have a positive effect on the general mood. The pamphlets which informed the population of their incoming Doom, the prospect of being turned into a servitor or being conscripted into the Penal Legions were widely distributed. It appears that the Administration officials in charge of public relations and civil order were either not present or just didn't feel like working for this campaign as they talked about the situation in cold and unsympathetic tones, focusing more on the Imperium's needs rather than those of the planets.*

This caused an unacceptable level of local objection, within the population rising in defiance of Imperial order. The planetary defence forces actively refused to assist in the conscription effort, and as such it fell to inquisitorial stormtroopers to secure the Imperium's equipment and population for processing. We can see here that the early warning signs of corruption were already in place and had the Imperium had enough time to investigate, the agitators likely could have been discovered and removed before any further corruption. Unfortunately, the order had been given to withdraw from the system and as such, there was no time to perform a full investigation and purge of local dissidents. The decision was made to simply order an orbital bombardment of those engaged in disorderly conduct, as punishment for their lack of cooperation and refusal to obey Imperial commands.

After this withdrawal, it was concluded that the world had been effectively lost, and the system was declared off-limits until an appropriately sized task force could be formed to retake the planet, cleanse it and re-populate the world. It was decided that if any of the human population survived by the time the light of the Emperor returned to their globe, they would be removed. Their continued actions in resisting the administratum had made them all traitors to the Emperor and thus they would have to be purged once the world was retaken if they survived. The planet's population had effectively revolted against the betterment of the Emperor's domain and was not worthy of imperial protection, even if it had been feasible. The Imperium withdrew in order to reallocate the resources the world had been mistakenly blessed with, in order to protect more important worlds

At this point, it was assumed that the world would either fall to the orcs or would be assisted by some other imperial force, such as an inquisitor or a space marine chapter. If either of those forces believed the world was worth saving, then it would perhaps be spared, despite its numerous failures. If the God-Emperor chose to bless the world with continued life, concessions to its continued existence might be made. However, it appears at this moment that it took a darker turn. The people claim that they still pray to the Emperor for salvation, however, considering who showed up in an attempt to steal yet another world which rightfully belonged to the Emperor, I can only assume that they were, in fact, heretics on this world that had managed to avoid official scrutiny. Instead of their call being heard by the appropriate avenues, and given the same consideration that their previous requests had been given, it appears that the Protectorate of the Black Commissar heard them. In the earliest accounts from those members of the Administratum, who were not worth enough to be evacuated, and thus were still reporting from the surface, it appears that preachers in the street began speaking of an army coming to the world, sworn to the service of one who held the love of a great spirit. that her lady had heard their cries for salvation, and had insured that they would not go unanswered. Typical nonsense of redemptionists, who claimed that their world is somehow significant, and their people blessed by the emperor enough to be saved. You see the same thing on most worlds which are due to die, with the typical lies being repeated over and over again, in order to provide some comfort to the doomed and the damned.

At this point, our records become significantly more conjectural as it appears that many of the administrative personnel still on the planet stop recording at this point. It is hypothesized that with the capability of intercepting communication, some of them may have discontinued their reporting in order to try and safeguard their own lives. It is clearly true then, that they are in fact traitors, just as much as those who seem to have defected to the heretical cause directly. To not provide the officers of the God Emperor's most faithful servant with constant information is both treasonous and borders upon conspiracy. Their refusal to act in the interest of the Imperium shows that they were never truly loyal, damned for their treason, done in order to preserve their own worthless lives.

Surprisingly we do have a somewhat accurate list of enemy formations, and what they chose to call themselves, as this was provided to government officials and planetary defence force officers in a heretical document, stolen from by some of our few remaining loyal agents. *It was in fact, a widely distributed and colourful pamphlet by the name of "The Protectorate and You: Some Cultural Insights of Those Forces Here to Help You and How to Avoid Confrontation."* . Through this heavily censored and controlled document, we know that the formation was made up of multiple regiments, claiming to be Valhallen in nature. These regiments which claim to be a Valhallan in origin did not correspond to any recently defected Imperial Guard units, nor have any commanders in surrounding subsectors announced the mass desertion of Valhallens from their formations. It would also perhaps suggest that the heretics have simply begun adopting the image of Valhallens as a no doubt superior force to the local designs of their soldiers. In essence, it is likely that many of these regiments had nothing linking them back to the ice world of Valhalla, but instead, were simply dressing up and pretending to be from the world. This makes a good deal of sense, and could even be assumed to be an attempt to gain an undue amount of trust from the population. After all, Slawkenberg is a known heretical world, whereas Valhalla has millennia of honour, and a tradition of loyal service to the God Emperor, and thus would naturally hold a great deal more value securing their rule over the world. *Or, just as Cadian is a pattern of equipment and training rather than exclusively referring to the planet, we may be seeing the next generation of units which have already defected, taking up their forefather's identity.*

Regardless of where these regiments had come from they would occupy the world for the coming years, with the entirety of the planetary Administration falling under their domain. the orc Fleet would presumably be dealt with, however as so many of our agents stopped reporting around this time, it is impossible for us to know the exact details of the event. Notably, we did receive some reports that there was a major Discovery beneath the capital city of Primadelving, with later reports noting that the capital had been destroyed by some kind of major detonation. While the exact reason for this is unknown, It is theorized by my colleagues and I that it was some loyalist elements attempting to retake the planet for the emperor, and being destroyed alongside the capital itself. If so, This truly shows the sheer length of these monsters would go to in order to prevent the god Emperor's rule of their world.

When a localized attempt to regain control of some of these lost worlds was approved by the Inquisition, the reclamation fleet was shocked to discover that the planet's orbital infrastructure had been co-opted by the forces of the protectorate, who had established their own base on what was rightfully the worlds of the God Emperor. A vast fleet of protectorate ships had moved into the system, with a Battlecruiser at its head, nine Heavy frigates and hundreds of escorts surrounding it, the protectorate had clearly moved in force in order to attempt to claim this world. *According to recovered records, the actual composition of the Protectorate fleet was four vessels, plus a handful of PDF customs Corvettes. These were three Light Cruisers, and one converted merchant ship.* This can leave no doubt that even the initial acts of minor Rebellion which the planet attempted when Imperial Authority was attempting to extract necessary value from it, were in fact the machinations of this hated cabal of vile heretics. Their presence over this world shows that there was no local resentment towards the Imperium for what was a necessary action. instead, all of it was instigated and arranged by The Protectorate in order to try and destroy Imperial morale and damage much-needed infrastructure. *A novel, but largely unfounded conclusion. It is tempting to blame the system's fall to chaos on a single force, but it is perhaps overly simplistic to Simply declare that our enemies planned it all, and not examine our own actions.*

The Reclamation fleet, composed primarily of the neighbouring systems governor's crafts, his personal Battleship serving as the Flagship along with several escorting vessels and a number of colony ships were presented with the clear choice of whether to retreat in the face of the enemy or to engage this force and attempt to overwhelm them in the name of the emperor. To the fleet's eternal credit, they bravely attempted to reclaim the world for the Imperium, and free the globe of the tyrannical rule of the Protectorate, despite the clear risk to all their lives. *Recovered records actually show a large number of Naval Commissar executions taking place before this decision was reached. Not to mention, the governor's fleet was actually almost eight times larger than the defending Fleet. The Lady Inquisitor either misread the report or is intentionally misrepresenting the size of the forces involved.* Unfortunately, on top of the four previously amassed vessels, the system had also been reinforced with large numbers of attack fighters and orbital defences. The brave reclamation fleet was simply outgunned and outnumbered by their heretical opponents, who crippled the vessels and began boarding actions in order to claim them for themselves. The four lead heavy warships exacted a heavy toll upon the Imperial Fleet, with their names now being recorded in infamy for their despicable actions and clear descent into the madness of Chaos. One of our remaining chroniclers who had previously served in the planet's early warning system, claims to have identified the vessels. The leader, now infamous in the subsector for its accompaniment of Traitor Marines "The Kennel", was joined by three other battleships of lesser, but equally foul reputation. These ships, lacking proper designations by registered imperial authorities, apparently were given their name by their crews and were known as the "Solemn Pledge", "Brotherhood of Shared Tribulation", and the "Boot to the Head". While it is laudable that his attempt at succinct reporting included these names, I only include them for the purposes of giving the undoubtedly slain man some recognition for the intelligence, that he will certainly have been executed for providing. *Notably, these were light Cruisers as opposed to the full battleships they are implied to be in this list, and they were some of the only vessels in the system that could truly be counted as dedicated combat vessels. The Imperial Fleet which accompanied the governor's ill-fated expedition favoured boarding actions as their primary method of warfare. Understandably these boarders quickly found themselves outmatched when they went up against a vessel known to house close-quarter combat specialists like the "Dogcatchers" and literal Space Marines. They didn't stand a chance, despite what the Lady Inquisitor claims.*

While the noble crews of the escorting frigates began to duel with these heretical behemoths, a detachment of landing vessels broke through the Heretics' defensive lines and began deploying their crew of Naval armsmen to the planet. Once there, despite the difficult environment so different from what they were used to, these armsmen would have encountered one of the most vile Creations the heretic has ever made. In the icy caves of this blighted world, a new breed of warrior had been born who cared for nothing more than serving the protectorate, and their Black Commissar. Despite the creature having never set foot on their world, their fanaticism in support of him knows no bounds, so much so that they foreswear effective tools of war in order to show their Devotion to that monstrosity better. The GUN Soldier would stand ready to meet the armies of the emperor, in the name of their vile blood god. When the navel armsmen landed on the planet's surface, they were greeted by the heretical hordes and were cut down as they bravely attempted to disembark and reclaim the world for the emperor. *Had any of the Armsmen made it down to the planet, I'm confident there would be at least some record of this on the Nusquam side, whether from ship's logs, Communications reports or even the Protectorate offering the captured people back to their commanders as they have been known to do on occasion when there is no longer any strategic or social value in continuing to hold them prisoner. This appears to be entirely fictional. Likely a form of pre-invasion propaganda which was hastily repurposed by the Governors successors.*

The GUN soldier is a strange creature indeed, as it does not appear to follow either imperial doctrine, or what has theorised to be the doctrine of the USA. Instead, the soldiers are predominantly lightly armed and are equipped more closely in comparison to planetary defence force troopers. It has been concluded that this is in fact where these regiments got their start as lowly troopers, conscripted out of those planetary defence troopers, who were deemed to be insufficiently talented or devoted to be conscripted during the administration's pull-out. These forces were then heavily augmented and brainwashed with the particular flavour of chaos cult on the world of Nusquam, before being given inferior equipment in order to show their Devotion to their new dark masters. *I can find no citation for these claims, which does not mean that they are not accurate, but does raise some questions about where this information is coming from.*

The use of Flak armour or Carapace armour equivalent is significantly more favoured amongst the GUN ranks, rather than the power armour that more traditional Protectorate Units use. The lack of power armour is especially interesting as it has been heavily suggested that the soldiers of the Protectorate are almost universally equipped with the power armour as standard. While nowhere near as effective as the power armour of Space Marines, it is still a formidable tool and not one to be discarded lightly. This decision seems to be an informed choice by the Black Comissar rather than some kind of accident. It is speculated by several of my colleagues that the decision to keep the USA at a comparatively tiny size is to ensure that all members of this band can be equipped with power. The GUN not being equipped with such that perhaps, the protectorate has run out of this powered armor, and is now resorting to a much cheaper solution in order to equip its legions. alternatively, it may be an intentional choice in order to prevent these units from being able to threaten the USA. Regardless of the reasoning, this use of flak armour, while possessing alternatives is not the only instance of the GUN using less than optimal equipment.

The Nusquam Las gun, a variant of Slawkenberg's heretical creation, is wielded by these heretical bands and is notable for the sheer quantity of them produced. So much so that it is very commonly found in the hands of other forces aligned with the Protectorate. It is one of their most frequently distributed tools of the enemy, being found across the Damoclese Gulf. The local variant of the Cain Pattern Lasgun is also notable for its continued overfocus on sturdy construction, able to survive a multitude of temperature extremes which border on the absurd. The standard setting for these weapons is also for half-strength shots, rather than the ordained output of properly created Imperial Guard Lasguns. This is often done with skirmish regiments to ensure that they have enough charge for a protracted campaign. However, the GUN units do not seem to engage in protracted campaigns very often and instead are more commonly deployed in incredibly short suppression missions. It would appear that the weapon is not developed to be effective, but to try and avoid killing many of their opponents and be longer lasting, due to their reduced power. Perhaps even the injuries that these weapons inflict, are meant as some debased tribute to their dark powers. *Much more likely, the Gendarmerie is not setting out with the intention to kill.*

It has been noted that a disproportionate amount of the GUN soldiers are women, which is consistent with their pre-treason PDF statistics. However, noticeably this is to a much more significant degree than was seen pre-treason. It boggles the mind as to why such a deliberate effort to specifically Target a single gender for military recruitment, and indoctrination would be chosen, and so strictly enforced. While there are male members of the GUN, they are much fewer than other regiments and also come primarily from the younger generation. It appears as if the entirety of the GUN recruiting pool suffers from a lack of male applicants to recruit. How this could happen in the world is alarming, and perhaps suggests that there was a mass culling of the population in order to prevent rebellion against the protectorate. If so, this would suggest that their rule over the world is nowhere near as strong as they have previously suggested, and could be undermined with enough time and resources. *An interesting theory, however, this may have more to do with the fact that so many of the planet's male population were harvested during the Imperial withdrawal from the world, Along with the planets long-standing cultural inclination towards women in such roles. What the lady inquisitor sees as manipulation and plotting is once again much easier to explain by the simple experience of culture, and circumstance. Also the Imperium itself does employ mono-gendered regiments or mixed regiments, so this is not all that odd either.*

The GUN soldier, typically speaking, is an overly enthusiastic expert in urban warfare and prefers fighting in relatively close-quarters battles. They have limited armour, and seemingly adhore artillery support, which means that they are often brutally well trained in city fighting environments and will often enter combat scenarios where the imperial guard would rightfully simply level the city in order to prevent their forces from being bogged down in meaningless street to street battles. For the followers of the Dark God, one can only assume that this is in some way, a reflection of their devotion to the Blood God in their ceaseless desire to see unnecessary combat for no meaningful gain. They appear to enjoy methodically moving through devastated cities, setting up their own twisted organisational structures in each of the regions that they see controller as if staking out their own individual territories. Their lack of ritualism, meaning from claiming cities by their own hand to not understanding the tactical significance of possessing such a vehicle, or being too consumed by their dark gods' influence to permit themselves these Tools. Clearly, these followers of the dark gods are fools beyond measure.

*My colleague appeared to come to a conclusion and then found the justification for that conclusion afterwards. The reason for the lack of artillery support for the GUN regiments is the fact that the pre-invasion planetary defence forces had almost none of it to speak of. The underground cities in which they resided were naturally protected from such weapons by the fact that they were buried in the actual bedrock. With multiple levels being divided by metres of load-bearing cave structures, artillery support would've been next to useless and suicidal to possess. The only reason that they even possessed aircraft was that the vast distances between cities would raise the possibility of air combat. But most of the ground regiments would almost never engage in combat in the open.

The fact that the GUN forces are experts at city fighting is also a result of the environment in which they were created. Many of the experienced regiments having been effectively destroyed in their attempts to prevent the agents of the imperium from literally kidnapping Most of the citizenry. Adhoc units were formed out of the remainder, including reserve units, civil troops, and second-line formations, which would not otherwise be expected to see combat. These were formed as a desperate attempt to hold back the invading greenskins, as well as provide some degree of law and order for the planet's population. On top of the disruptions that a typical invasion causes, the fact that multiple geothermal generators had been stolen, rendered many of the cities effectively uninhabitable. Many of the people were relocated to other population centres, swelling their populations with refugees. Large amounts of soldiers would have been required to rapidly learn how to fight in an environment that was full of enemies, but also civilians and without heavy armour.

This initial lack of armour is due to the fact that almost all of it was taken by the Imperium on its withdrawal from the planet. Most of the active regimental stockpiles were completely looted, along with most of the trained operators. Of the reserve stockpile records we have, of the 700 Leman Russ tanks which were reportedly in their arsenal before the imperial withdrawal, three remained afterwards. The continued lack of armour, such as tanks, is because they are not a frontline regiment, expected to engage enemy armour or even coordinated infantry and mechanized formations. These are internal security, who are meant to keep the peace and put down localized resistance. Tank support is entirely unnecessary for their duties. Also; very good at =/= enjoys. No evidence of the GUN enjoying city fighting or fighting in general, has been observed. Regiments with a significantly less confrontational nature have often noted that they can avoid unnecessary battles with the GUN, especially when they are already either pulling out from an area or there are larger threats to deal with.*

Communication also appears to be something of an obsession with These heretics, as one of their most commonly noted features is an abundance of technology and methods. On top of the standard hand signals which they appear to have stolen from the imperial guard, they also use paint and other implements to create markings on structures in order to convey messages to each other. It is suspected that these messages are some degree of psycho-indoctrinated code that the soldiers are treated with before they are deployed, so they reinforce their own conditioning when away from their bases for extended periods. * No. These are hazard signs. This is something of a standard practice operating in potentially hostile territory. According to a colleague in the Ordo Militarum, they're actually a fairly standard and simple system of shorthand in order to convey unofficial information and reminders. Examples include; common ambush areas (Caution), friendly locals, or Holy Sites be respectful* The use of individual radios is far from a sanctioned and approved act in the ranks of the planetary defence forces, and shows the clear influence of the USA on the doctrine. However, noticeably these communication devices are not the approved short-range communication of the Imperial Guard but instead have medium-range communication capabilities. It appears that a great deal of effort and expense has gone into making sure that any member of a squad can communicate with command, as opposed to ensuring that such matters are handled by the sanctioned individual in charge of the squad. I speculate that this might be an attempt to try and encourage betrayal and subterfuge Within individual units, as there is nothing to ensure the squad leader cannot simply be removed by their underlings in order to gain further accolades. * or, as is much more likely, a Professional Organization values communication, and effective redundancies to ensure that there are always ways to communicate with units in the field. The extra expense and time is likely viewed as Justified due to this reliability*

Something odd about these soldiers is their tendency to avoid kill shots even when engaging enemies. For the most part, these soldiers seem to favour wounding and capturing their opponents rather than simply killing or executing them. It is unclear as to what purpose this serves, but it is highly suspected that they have advanced interrogation facilities for extracting information from their victims. Curiously, they have shown this tendency far more when dealing with conscripted units, members of penal units or those with enhancements to the methodology of warfare such as "Chem Dogs" regiments. It has been theorized that the members of these regiments may fear encountering their former kin on the battlefield and are attempting to avoid harming them.

*Once more it appears my colleague does not seem to comprehend that there may be both entirely practical reasons for these actions, as well as basic empathy. It is often assumed that the followers of Chaos are incapable of such an emotion, but it would be foolish to assume that fellow humans would be incapable of the full range of human emotions and reasoning. Many of these people do likely wish to find and rescue their kin, but it might also be that they sympathise with those who are pressed into Imperial service. Considering the fate of their world, they might see themselves in these penals, conscripts and unfortunates. While this might be a weakness that can be exploited in a military matter, it is also a strength which has allowed them to recruit from Imperial prisoners, and raise new units, who are often far more motivated to fight for the Protectorate than they were for their Imperial masters. Empathy is not weakness any more than cruelty is strength*

Another odd feature of the GUN formations is their tendency to be deployed in an administrative role. It has been noted by several respected intelligence sources that officers and administrative staff of GUN regiments have shown up on multiple imperial worlds that were temporarily abandoned after the pullout of fleets from the Subsector. These officers appear to be acting as advisors and consultants to planetary governments that are advancing their own independence causes. This includes everything from strategic level operations to small unit tactics, to local administration and policy. These agents and any who take guidance from them are engaging in heresy, Clear to see and even go so far as to wear their official uniforms openly and in public. They are another vector of heresy that must be found and purged, although their actual effectiveness is unlikely to be anywhere near that of the more subdued agents. Rarely do these supposedly critical agents travel with anything larger than a squad or two of security, Making them quite easy to eliminate once we have the time and resources. Their advice is a little better than overt sabotage from the protectorate and any world that takes their advice will fall into disarray, confusion and fail. Without the light of the Emperor, so-called advisers are little more than a gift from the protector to the imperial with how they sabotage the world that has turned away from the emperor's guidance.

*This is one of the few times that I agree with my colleague, but I also firmly disagree with his assessment. These advisers are perhaps the greatest threat we have ever seen to the continued rule of the imperium over these worlds. These advisors are highly motivated, highly skilled and incredibly effective. They have turned backwater PDF units into professional formations resembling the GUN regiments discussed throughout this report. They have a track record of turning long-standing worlds which were drains of imperial resources, into productive members of heretical movements. Their plentifulness is a severe issue as it is almost meaningless to kill one, as the GUN will simply send another. These advisors are capable of being replaced at a higher rate than typical chaos infiltrators and all appear to be working towards the goal of having these planets fully secede from the imperium.

Their normalcy and extreme competence are perhaps two of their most dangerous features. Often coming highly recommended from other planetary governors in nearby systems, these advisors are almost universally well-mannered, intelligent, and very capable of their job, as well as keeping a very professional decorum. On top of their complete lack of interest in opposing the governor's rule, or favouring a political candidate, many governors have gladly accepted what they see as incredibly reliable, incredibly effective and very loyal advisors into their inner circles. Many of these planetary governors appear to trust and even admire some of these officers. Often they are seen as more reliable than their more imperially aligned family members, who often occupy the positions of power within the planet's government. Repeated incidents of these officers arriving on the world and effectively seizing control of vital apparatuses of the planet's Government from otherwise loyal imperial officials have been noted with largely no action being taken by the imperium to counteract it. Even more disturbingly is the fact that attempts to remove them are more often than not, alienate much of the population. For much of the population, they are simply advisors who happen to be quiet, non-confrontational and don't appear to spend an inordinate amount of questionably earned wealth on embellishing their own Soldiers with gold-plated armour. Typically the employment of these very same personal militaries to deal with what is viewed by many as a boring but reliable administrator is not viewed favourably by the population.*

In recent years, these regiments have become an increasingly common site on worlds that the imperium has attempted to reclaim from the vile Protectorate. They are often the most deranged defenders of their corrupted cattle. Their defence of these worlds often goes beyond duty or pay as any of those who are not gifted with the joy of service to the emperor would experience, but instead expanding into fanatical last stands and foolish destruction of their own forces in order to delay the inevitable reconquest of these worlds by the righteous forces of the Imperium. They will often defend bunkers which have almost no strategic advantage and instead simply contain large amounts of unskilled labourers from the planet's manufacturing facilities, even if doing so will cost them their own lives. These defences suggest madness and self-delusion run rampant within their ranks, believing that they may stand against the Imperium. *... Or they are attempting to protect their people and have been caught in a last stand. As the Imperial Guard, Sisters of Battle, Space Marines and every other branch of the Emperors armed forces have been forced to engage in on occasion.*

Another clear example of the madness that has overtaken these regiments is the decision to not use the most effective weapons available to them. For example, many of the regiments will not employ systems such as tanks, plasma rifles, or melta guns, unless explicitly required to. These deviations are truly mindboggling in their oddity and strangeness, as line regiments should naturally prefer to use such equipment whenever possible. Refusal to do so suggests a clear disruption to their ability to think rationally. It is likely that this is in some way, an act of twisted devotion to the Black Commissar. Perhaps it is an attempt to show that they may still fight, even without the full complement of the Protectorates arsenal.

*The idea that certain regiments may simply choose not to take particular weapons that do not help or benefit their mission seems to escape the Lady Inquisitor. For Light skirmish and Peacekeeping infantry, a Company of Cain Pattern Tanks would likely be more trouble than they would be worth. If my esteemed fellow Inquisitor doesn't understand, I would ask that she approach the nearest member of a Tallarn Light Infantry Regiment, and ask about how their Patrol Boats and Superheavy Tanks are doing.*

It is undeniable that these upstarts are becoming an increasing threat on the galactic stage, as they appear on more and more worlds and infect more planets with their particular brand of heresy. Their prevalence has not been ignored by the Inquisition, even if they still only represent a very minor consideration in the grand role which we inquisitors are privileged to play. Their rise to such an undeserved place of prominence cannot be a natural phenomenon, and thus only one conclusion can be reached…

*At this point, my colleague diverges completely from the previous points they were trying to make and begins listing conspiracy theories about how the Protectorate is secretly being given vast amounts of resources by their enemies in a subsection of Ordo Hereticus. I will spare you from that, as there is no commentary I can effectively offer besides writing in "No" or "What?" every couple of lines. Also this goes on for roughly 13 pages, so I'll end this commentated version here to save space on your Datapads.*

Note: Wanted to make something similar to the GUN from Sonic the Hedgehog. Hope people like it.