Chapter of the Forlorn Hope

The Maverick Marines are a homebrew Chapter of Space Marines created by The True Maverick, one of the hosts for the Drunk Alaska Warcouncil. Check out the shitstorm Codex Maverick Marines for some hilarious 8th edition playable rules and units; the Adventures of Admiral Floppycock and Rogue Trader Skullsfuckington III; or Tales from the Deathwatch. For more 'Fluffy/Kosher' Maverick Marines rules, check out the Tome of Three.

Maverick Marines
Battle Cry	'BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!!!' / 'For Humanity!'
Number	Unknown
Founding	Unknown
Successors of	Unknown
Successor Chapters	None
Chapter Master	The True Maverick (a.k.a. "Daddy")
Primarch	Unknown
Homeworld	None
Strength	Unknown (Suspected 1000+)
Specialty	Close combat and siege (officially)
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Varies throughout the Chapter

The Chapter

The Founding

    "We were outcast, no legion to call our own, thrown to the darkest parts of the void along the galactic edge to the far flung east. Coming to our senses to late we were not counted 'brother' among those loyal to Horus nor were we redeemable in the eyes of our kin following the Emperor of Mankind. Our numbers once were five hundred and sixty-four when we reached the edge. Three hundred jumped off the abyssal edge into the great unknown in search for new beginnings. We waited years for response and word finally came in the screams of the dead and dying. Amidst the screams came a coded message detailing worlds beyond the boarders of the Imperium and strange xenos races and even are flung remints of humanity long lost to time. The transmission ended with a spark of all tactical data that could be sent and coordinates of their present location. We, now seventy-two, vowed to better ourselves to create a legion and one day follow in the footsteps of our brave brethren and strike off into the unknown for the betterment of humanity and the glory of the Imperium whether they accepted us or not." - Kroskim, The First (Exert from the Tomes of Three: Legend of The First)

    "Our time here on the edge of the unknown has been one of great trials, testing each and every one of us in ways never before conceived. Years have been spent fighting formidable xenos warriors, none more so than the Eldar. If it had not been for the Rogue Trader House from the nearby Profanus Sector, we all would have been annihilated and our legacy, experience, and knowledge would have been lost for all time. Our armor and weapons were of a bygone age and what remained were scrapped together from our fallen brethren in years past. With what was at hand, Brother Loritus has and continues to work tirelessly to maintain what supplies and armor we have acquired. I had managed to extract their gene seeds and the gene seeds of fallen Astarties that had fallen in battle. We were mere carrion picking on the corpses of the dead to bolster our meager number. Even so, in the end, it was not enough. Though we bore the markings of legions long lost, our former brothers turned traitor, we were accepted by the humans of the sector and treated with compassion. It was then that we truly learned the strength of humanity lay within the individuals that made up its structure, and not its military or technological might alone." - Cospirious, The Suicidal Apothecary (Exert from the Tomes of Three: Tome of the Suicidal Doc)

    "Very little supplies, many hidden spaces, our hope is to never have to utilize these hidden vaults and deep dungeons. All throughout the Great Crusade we fought the xenos, abhorred their culter, customs, and weapons. Now as we are, we embrace them out of ironic necessity. When we are found upon the field of battle, Cospirious extracts the gene-seed from fallen brethren while it is my task to collect anything of perceived value; this includes xenos weapons. In order for our armory to remain strong, we must all adapt our knowledge and skills to that of what we find." - Loritus, The Reborn (Exert from the Tomes of Three: Mechanicum Opus Primus of Loritus)

Very little is known of the Chapter by the outside. They exist within the annals of the Imperium but their exact date of founding is unknown. According to the Tome of Three, the Chapter was founded some time after the Heresy in the confusion of the aftermath when records were often misfiled, misplaced, or missing entirely. In addition to the records of the Chapter's founders, they were a band of Astarties that had at first aligned themselves with the Warmaster Horus only to later regret their decision and defect. During this course of action, however, it was found that they would be unable or unwelcome to join the forces of the Imperium once again and thusly struck out into the unknown to find whatever purpose they could. It was during this time that a large number of their forces attempted to cross the great expanse between galaxies and perhaps even exceeded but were killed soon upon arrival. Disheartened, but determined to one day venture out across the unknown blackness as their brothers had done before they began planning. Though this notion may be long forgotten by the Chapter as a whole, the True Maverick strives ever onward to fulfill this uncompleted task.

Appearance

The primary color chosen is a chameleon style shimmer over a medium silver. This varies throughout the chapter with some choosing single colors, while other choose many more colors changing their color of amour depending on lighting and angle they are seen from. The Chapter possesses no single icon or symbol indicative of the Chapter, instead one or both shoulders are coated with a silver dust and polished to a mirror finish. The right shoulder further identifies rank and office with varied colored trim:

Trim Color	Office/Rank	Description
Silver	The True Maverick	Dark blue power armor and ashen grey robes.
Dark Blue	Captain, Lieutenants, Techmarine	The trim of the captains and Reborn (Techmarines) are always the same color of the artificer power armor that the current True Maverick dawns with the silver armor and ashen grey robes of the Aspirants.
Black	Chaplin	Silver power armor and ashen grey robes of the Aspirants.
Green	Weird	Librarian's wear either the silver armor of that Aspirant or dawn on pure black armor with green trim on their right shoulder and the polished mirrored surface of the pauldron. They do not typically wear the robes of the Aspirant.
White	Suicidal Doc	Apothecary's dress in the silver power armor of the Aspirant but not in the robes as it hinders their movement needed to save a brother's life.
Gold	Higher Ranking Squad member	Sergeants and squad leaders
Red	Lower Ranking Squad Members	The Squad

Most of the Chapter ornate muscle etched breastplates and long ashen-grey robes. However, there are exceptions. Many of the battle brothers that have fallen prey to the Chapter's Curse are driven insane by process of mental degradation. This effects their thinking and leave them little more than a mentality similar to that of Orks. The Marked are made up into Clans and dawn standard sets of power armor and given standard weapons that are reliable but easy to replace. These Clan further more divide themselves from the Chapter by adopting their own color schemes according to their Clan and Gang, leaving only their mirror polished shoulders distinguishing them as belonging to the Maverick Marines.

Chapter Structure

The Chapter is divided into two Clans: Aspirants and the Marked. Aspirants are those that do not posses any signs of the Chapter's curse and have a virtual 0% chance of falling to it. The Marked are those that posses the flaws in the gene seed that lead to mental degradation to the point that the battle brother exhibits the same mental capacity and behavior to that of an Ork. Clan Maverick is broken down further by the chosen path that an Aspirant chooses to follow provided they also meet the qualifications. The Clan of the Marked further break themselves up into smaller clans that exhibit the same likes and dislikes as their fellow battle brothers: Thrasher Clan (Assault), Shoota Boys Clans (Ranged), 'Evy Clan (Heavy weapons and support), etc. There does exist one other Clan known as the Heresy Riders that make up the Second Company.

The True Maverick
   The First
      The Reborn (Techmarines)
          Chapter Officers (Chaplains, Weirds, Captains)
              Aspirants
                  The Marked

The True Maverick This is the title given the Chapter Master of Maverick Marines. Upon ascension to the rank, the name of the individual taking on the role is never again used instead being replaced by the name 'Maverick' whenever addressing him.

The First The first captain embodies what every Aspirant should aspire to becoming. Dawning power armor from times before the Horus Heresy, he is one that has walked upon many paths during his time as an Aspirant. As is tradition, he is Reborn and a follower if the Serpent Path wielding the Chapter relic known as Serpent's Tongue.

Aspirants First and foremost, an Aspirant cannot possess any genetic flaws that would rank him among The Marked. Second, an Aspirant must possess the mental fortitude to walk along many paths by himself and with a squad. Third and lastly, he must possess some understanding and ability as a psyker though this degree varies greatly.

The Marked Those that possess a genetic flaw, most commonly that of mental degradation, are placed within the companies below that of the 3rd company. They often see combat long before an Aspirant and there have been cases where one of the Marked has risen to the rank of Aspirant after showing he possessed the willpower to overcome the curses of mental degradation.

Doctrines and Specialties

Officially, the Maverick Marines are a specialized in close combat and siege warfare in Imperial documents. However, an imbedded Inquisitor attempted to report the following before the transmission was intercepted and the Inquisitor vanished:

         "During my time among the serfs of the Maverick Marines Chapter, I was perplexed at the odd natures and blatant heretical actions they committed in the name of mankind and the God-Emperor. Although many of the battle brothers are clearly insane, from what I cannot be sure of, it is my profound belief that the Chapter hides its true self behind the mask of its cursed founding gene seed. This 'curse', should one call it that, has been obvious since the Chapters creation. It does appear to have affected a majority of its number but equally not the others. Those that are unaffected form the bulwark of its fighting forces leaving those that bare the marks of the curse to their own devices and further still as cannon fodder upon the field of battle. I have witnessed first hand the true might of the Chapter. Entire companies of psykers have been deployed into battle but in the aftermath there is no trace they had been there at all. I have seen special operation forces of battle brothers darken their armor and weapons and seek out a target on the field of battle and rogue mission alike, and again there is no trace of these units when their deed is done. Where they do excel in close combat and siege warfare I cannot help but feel they are more diverse and cleaver than I previous believed. They must hold a secret close to their breast that could rip the Imperium asunder."
         (Transmission Intercepted)

The truth of the Mavericks is that they are a force organized into elite units used to serve as an augmenting force to an already existing one. This does not mean that they are not capable of fielding their own companies. Taken from their study of the Eldar Path System, the Chapter has adopted this channeling of its forces onto their desired paths. Those that start on these paths are called Aspirants and bare no mark of insanity or mental degradation. As they progress along their respected path of choice they are able to change their path and join another after having reached a certain level of understanding and training. This allows them to bring new skills and experience from one path to another, further enhancing the effectiveness of these units. As of the current date within 8th edition the Maverick Marines follow the main paths of Paths:

Path	Appearance	Description
Aspirant	Base Silver	Those that are seen fit to choose their Path are given their muscle etched silver breastplates. As of this point they have not chosen their desired path and as such have not been granted the ability to add a chameleon overlay.
Shadow of Death	Varies according to mission	These units specialize in special operations of assassination and subterfuge.
Serpent's Lash	Base silver with green chameleon overlay	Those that wish to earn the right to carry the Serpent's Tongue, a Chapter Relic, they must first master this path on their way to becoming The First. It focuses on the quick and fluid motions of a power spear to not only keep an enemy at arms length but to strike it down with brutal efficiency. This is also the Path that its Aspirants who make up the ranks of the first company.
The Truth	Base silver with black chameleon overlay	Those that embark on the path to becoming a Chaplin.
Reborn	Base silver with blue chameleon overlay	Those that embark on the path to becoming a Techmarine.
Power	Base silver with purple chameleon overlay	those that embark on the path to becoming Weirds.

There are many Paths open to the Chapter but many will fall into the categories listed above.

Interactions

Organization/Faction	Standing	Description
House Bellend	Allies	House Bellend has a symbiotic relationship with the Maverick Marines and supply them with recruits for their chapter and further Imperial support and supplies the Chapter desperately needs in order to continue their existence within the void. The Rogue Trader house is led by Lord Bellend II the Imperial Governor of Profanus Prime. His son Bellend III has the most interaction with the Chapter in their quest to trade and uncover lost technologies. Due to the similar objectives of the two the Chapter and crew of the Boner Erect are never far behind the other.
Mechanicum	Uneasy Allies	Often strained at best, the Mechanicum desires nothing less than the complete destruction of the Maverick Marines for their techno-heresy. As such, with the exception of the eccentric few Magos and Forgeworlds the Mechanicum at large refuses to join forces with these Space Marines and frequently come to blows. Mechanicum forces of the Profanus Sector treat the Maverick Marines as heroes to aspire towards.
Imperial Guard/ Imperial Navy	Allies	The Maverick Marines have the utmost respect for the men and women of the Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy and place great value on each of their lives. However, they have a distinct hate and loathing of commissars not sanctioned by the battle brothers themselves. They believe these enforcers are assholes and loathsome beings for brutally and publicly executing members in their charge to 'improve moral'. Commissars under the watch of the Maverick Marines lead from the front and act as rallying points inspiring those under their charge forward to greater feats of bravery and glory. Due to their dislike of these individuals the Chapter refuses to utilizes bolt pistols as they are used only by assholes.
Other Chapters	Allies	Relations are tenuous at best even under the most dire of circumstances. With the exception of the few other outcast Space Marine Chapters the Maverick Marines must rely on themselves and support of the House of Bellend.
Deathwatch	'Allies'	It is seen as a great honor and privilege to serve within the Deathwatch. The Maverick Marines supply a generous number of their forces to take the oath of the Long Watch. Most of those supplied are drawn from the 1st company or more specialized and stable battle brothers.
Inquisition/Grey Knights	Enemy	If the role of "Mortal Enemy" was not previously occupied by the Hipsters of Chaos, all forms of non-ordo xenos would be put into this grand title and loathsome position. Whenever encountering a member of the Inquisition it is everything a battle brother can do to not lash out and snatch their meaningless lives from them. This hatred continues further out into the Grey Knights and any other organization that would consider themselves close to the Inquisition. More often than not, Inquisitors, Inquisition Representatives, assassins, operatives, and occasionally even Grey Knights meet mysterious ends.
Hipsters of Chaos	Mortal Enemy	The mortal enemies of the Maverick Marines. The Chapter actively hunts down these heretics and brutally murders them out of sear annoyance.

Exploits of the Maverick Marines

The Cumasutra Incident

Ol' One Eye, the techpriest accompanying the Rogue Trader Bellend III, uncovered the potential whereabouts of a long lost STC. Held in the clutches of a semi-technologically advanced warlike xenos race, the Rogue Trader inadvertently caused a war by insulting their leader when calling her an 'asshole prick' when she refused to relinquish possession of their prize. With the fleet away on another mission, the Boner Erect sent a distress call of the impending danger to their Rogue Trader and affirmation of uncovering of a STC. A nearby Maverick ship responded deploying a single gang of Thrashers armed with nothing but chain swords and an unquenchable thirst for battle. Two drop pods were deployed into the center of their main city. Accounts by the xenos say that upon their thunderous landing the pods reverberated with a roaring sound and rising pitch of "BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII". As the ramps fell, giant battle hungry warriors charged into the streets finishing their cry "IIIIIIIIIIIIIICH". Though the xenos possessed rocket and projectile technology, their previously overly exaggerated threat level left the Thrashers underwhelmed and at a loss. Angered over the scratches to their newly painted armor they began to attack every structure within sight. So devastating was the local infrastructure that within hours the xenos surrendered the STC and the Thrasher Gang was recalled. No casualties resulted from the conflict on either side. The gang vowed that upon returning to the fleet someone was to receive a righteous boot up the ass for wasting their time to recover an STC for the manufacturing of sex robots.

Battle at Trasnetor

Trasnetor is an Imperial world located on the edge of the Profanus Sector fiercely guarded by the Maverick Marines Chapter and their allies. Led by Warboss Grotz McThunda an Orc Waaagh! had appeared on the doorstep of Trasna Prime, one of the six hive cities on the planet. Led by Screaming Bitch Brathious, the 3rd company of the Maverick Marines made planet fall to reinforce the cities and beat back the green tide. After months of fighting Brathious led a charge deep into the heart of the Waaaagh! where he encountered Big Mek Dakka McThunda and bested him in combat. During their epic duel however, a fragment of Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth entered orbit and began assailing the world. Knowing that neither the Imperium nor the Orcs had a chance at defeating this new threat on their own their forces were joined. For an entire year the two unlikely allies drove back the Tyranid forces retaking three of the lost hive cities. With the death of Warboss Grotz McThunda, Big Mek Dakka McThunda took the role of Warboss and counted the Maverick Marines as "Good Zoggin' Buddz!" From that point the Orc Clan McThunda has vowed to not attack any worlds under the protection of the Maverick Marines but instead aid in the protection of their worlds provided they were always on the forefront of a war and that Screaming Bitch Vroom Vroom would pay them a visit from time to time.

Mavericks in the Deathwatch

Davious

Before rising to the rank of True Maverick Daddy and foregoing his old name, Davious followed the path of the Aspirant and quickly rose to a position of prominence. With the blessing of the True Maverick he took the Vow of the Long Watch joining the ranks of the Deathwatch as a Techmarine for over 140 years before returning to his Chapter.

Flight of the Cursed Happenstance

While on route to the Watch Fortress to begin his service to the Deathwatch he insulted the young female 1st Officer Sasha Kromisha. To make amends for his rude behavior he fashioned a master crafted sword blade from a light blue tinted metal the servants of the Maverick Marines mined from the Profanus asteroid belts. The grip was fashioned from a hard redwood that was oddly warm to the touch even in cold environments said to have been taken by Davious from an Eldar Maiden World. The pommel was then fashioned from shining silver and a precious gem. Finally, stamped on the blade in the language spoken by the Maverick Marines:

       "Every great river begins with a single drop of water"

The blade was presented to the 1st Officer while eating in the officer's mess. The exchange was looked upon by the other officers with Looked greed and jelousy. Sasha Kromisha broke down in shock and tears and told the Space Marine she had ment no disrespect and her actions were equally to blame. She further continued with a brief tale of The Curse of the Happenstance, and why she had been posted to a ship so cursed. Emotions from the crew came to a peak drawing the attention of several Demonetts. In their jealousy they were overcome by the demons of Slannesh and slaughtered the crew within the mess. Drawing his modified thunderhammers Davious pushed the 1st Officer behind him for protection and battled the demons with all the might and fury he could muster. However, one demon managed to slip past the defenses and lash out at Sasha mortally wounding her before turning back to the Maverick. With the last bit of life Sasha had she launched forward slaying the demonett with the sword crafter by Davious before it could inflict a damaging strike on her savior. At that point the rest of what would later become Talon Squad burst into the room taking the attention of the demons from Davious and the wounded officer. In a desperate effort to save her life he applied a ceranmite paste to the wounds until medics could arrive and see to Sasha's full recovery.

Bugs of Xon

A deathworld locally known as Xon within the Jericho Reach Sector was a forward outpost to monitor the movement of the Tyranid Hive Fleet. Talon Squad was dispatched to aid the Imperial Guard stationed on this remote world and link up with an Inquisitor on the hunt of a supposed ancient and powerful artifact. Upon arrival it was found that the officer in command was not fit for duty and hated by his men. Davious personally saw to the relinquishment of his command and field promotion of Sergeant Kell to oversee the defense of the station. Before long he was tasked with the aid in repair and outfitting tanks and weapons batteries. As the day closed out the first wave of Tyranids arrived. The night was lit with streams of promethium and the screams and popping of bugs. Passing not far above an Imperial flyer wavered and disappeared in the mountains to the south and luckily the opposite direction of the invading xenos. While traveling up the back hill along the crude roads along the cliffs a spore dropped from orbit depositing a Tyranid Tyrant in the path knocking the tank nearly off the end of the cliff. Thinking quickly and with the aid of Jo'Rana of the White Scars, Davious dove into combat beneath the legs of the hulking beast while Jo'Rana distracted it. Throwing all his might into a single blow Davious managed to destabilize the Tyranid leaving it open for Jo'Rana to launch his full weight from the cliff side above sending it over the edge. Claws lashed out and caught hold of Davious dragging him over the edge as well. Determined to die fighting, Davious pummeled the falling Tyranid before latching onto a ledge with his servo arm before falling to his death. He then climbed down the rest of the way and pulped the creature - just to be sure it was really dead and not faking it. Unable to bring himself to rejoin his brothers immediately he charged into the faltering lines of the Imperial Guardsmen. Witnessed by his fellow brothers, the Maverick continued to carve out a sufficient swath of bugs allowing the Guardsmen to reinforce their lines and bring up more supplies before being joined by his squad mates. In a later report submitted by Jo'Rana stated the following:

         ... Furthermore, Brother Davious of the Maverick Marines Chapter disobeyed direct orders when charged with the duty of retrieval of the Imperial Inquisitor and her Storm Trooper escort by abandoning Talon Squad after battling with a Tyranid Tyrant where he rejoined the Imperial forces at Outpost 465. However, it is with strong recommendation that his actions be commended rather than admonished. If aid had not been rendered to the Imperial lines in that moment, the line would have broken, every Guardsman slaughtered, and the Tyranids would have been at our heels for the entire operation. There is very little doubt within my mind that if his actions had been to follow orders that the mission would have failed...

Suicidal Doc Tavirous

Rescue of Jo'Rana

Captured by a heretic cult, Jo'Rana was taken prisoner and drug behind a convoy of cultist tanks. Fueled by rage Tavirous charged the convoy on bike ahead of Raven Squad. As he neared he threw himself onto the back of the last vehicle of the procession climbing on top. With minimal effort he peeled a hatch open and threw a grenade inside and jumped to the next vehicle. By the time he reached the third vehicle carrying Jo'Rana a turret had marked his progress and opened fire ripping into his right side. Body flooding with combat stimulants Tavirous pulled himself up and took hold of the turret. Pressing his bolter into the viewing ports killing the turret operator and driver halting the tank. The three tanks in the lead formed a circle around the apothecary and rescued Jo'Rana. The quick action of the rest of Raven Squad brought a quick end to the cult forces giving the Maverick Marine the nickname of the Suicide Doc Tavirous, or Suicide for short among his squad mates. In report the Imperial Fist squad leader filed:

         "... it was an unbelievable sight to witness, the strength and will of the Emperor seemed to fill his very being. Riding ahead of Raven Squad, Brother Apothecary Tavirous of the Maverick Marines Chapter single handedly took out the three rear tanks of a cultist convoy while attempting to rescue Brother Jo'Rana of the White Scars after his capture. For one that holds the position of healing and medical aid, nothing more can be said for the seemingly suicidal nature of this Battle Brother. I must commend him for his actions I pray I see more heroic deeds done of such caliber or greater before passing from this life..."

Travesty in Korma Hive City

The deployment of Raven Squad to Korma Hive City occurred when contact with the city had been lost. Deployed in the ash wastes their thunderhawk gunship was attacked by an unknown entity causing to crash on the deployed unit. The Blood Drinker assault marine activated his jump pack which promptly malfunctioned sending the battle brother headfirst into the outer wall of the city with such force it was a wonder he was still alive. Acting quickly, Tavirous deployed the use of his Chapter's healing shivs saving the life of the Blood Drinker through repeated stabbings. The Suicidal Doc continued to aid the squad as they walked into several traps and received several wounds in the ensuing battles.