Aprior Sector Timeline

The following article is a /tg/ related story or fanfic. Should you continue, expect to find tl;dr and an occasional amount of awesome.

This timeline lists events pertaining to the Knights Inductor and the Aprior Sector, and includes links to any stories referenced. Obviously, there's loads more going on, but this should give you an idea of the general course of Apriori history.

Ancient History

A very long time ago

The rise and fall of the Necrontyr Empire. The Tranzekh Dynasty is of particular significance, as it controls the space later called the Aprior Sector.

M31

Great Crusade era

The colony ship "Icarus" is launched to probe the furthest reaches of the galaxy; the early-generation Warp drive is unable to handle the turbulence at the edge of the Astronomican's reach, so they are forced to make an unplanned Realspace transition, which leaves them damaged and unable to continue, which, in turn, forces them to make an emergency landing on the nearest planet (what turns out to be Aprior). The Icarus was built to run lean, so the emergency strains their resources to their ultimate limits, leading to infighting among the colonists, and eventually civil war; they fall into an uneasy truce as they become aware of the threats of the Eastern Fringe, but are unable to unite. New arrivals (the occasional Explorator, a Sororitas Missionary Fleet, other colony ships that got lost) bring new technology and some stability, but for the next nine millennia, the world of Aprior is little more than a barely Civilized World forever on the brink of collapse.

There's a lot of room for more events here, but in general, things are pretty grimdark for the Apriori.

M36

Early M36

The "Cursed" Twenty-First Founding is held, in which the Knights Inductor are founded, using gene-seed from the Desert Fangs ("Angry Marines") which has been modified to restore the Warp resistance property. The Warp resistance works perfectly, at the cost of the Omophagea and hypnotherapy; as other side-effects, the Knights Inductor are extremely level-headed under fire, but they seem to lack the proper hatred for the enemies of the Imperium. To harden their hearts, they are sent to put down a rebellion on the hive world of Kronos VI. There, they encounter and are mentored by Captain Carolus Norys, of the Salamanders Second Company. The Knights learn the art of conflict resolution, and decide to model themselves after the Salamanders, by making the protection of Imperial citizens their highest priority, no matter what actions they have to take.

Mid-M36

The Age of Apostasy and Reign of Blood begin when High Lord Goge Vandire becomes the head of the Administratum and the Ecclesiarchy, and the Imperium is wracked with turmoil under his tyranny. The Knights Inductor resolve to include decentralization and democratization in their reform programs, as it is clear that, when one man (or one group of men) wields great power, he is inevitably corrupted. Most worlds they subsequently pacify implement some form of democratic or parliamentary government, and even the most feudal and oligarchical worlds have power divided among several councils and ruling bodies.

M37

010.M37

The Knights Inductor perform their first independent action, pacifying the borderline-rebellious hive world of Jemax. Their hands-off approach and focus on maintaining order results in resentment among the populace, which eventually erupts into a series of riots. These riots require decades to resolve, with millions of lives lost through the direct violence and resultant transit network disruption. The Knights realize that they were too aloof and isolated; they create the post of "Master of the Deal" to handle negotiations and diplomacy, and future pacification efforts include more leeway for civilian discourse and liaisons with the Knights, so that the Knights can identify and address popular grievances before they boil over. Additional required training is added for Captainship involving negotiation methods and oration methods.

495.M37

A Chaos cult takes control of the world of Nescio, and the Knights Inductor are the first force to respond. To their surprise, the cult has little to no knowledge of Chaos, lacking even the names of the Dark Gods – their rituals are little more than communal sessions which tap the emotions of the Ruinous Powers in a formalized manner, while summoned daemons handle the sorcery.

There's a lot of room in here for more events, but in general, the Knights' crusade takes them out towards the Eastern Fringe.

M39

109.M39

Genestealers from Hive Fleet Colossus invade and subvert the world of Erewhon, and the Knights Inductor fleet is the closest Space Marine detachment available; their First Company destroys the Brood and evacuates the remaining populace. A postmortem genetic analysis of the corpses reveals extensive alterations from human baseline; when the refugees are examined, no less than two thousand latent infected are detected, of whom approximately one in ten were caught early enough to be cured. The Knights resolve to implement frequent genetic screening programs in worlds which they reform.

Mid M39

The Adepta Sororitas Order of the Sacred Rose launches several Missionary Fleets to bring the light of the God-Emperor to the furthest reaches of the galaxy. One fleet stumbles on the Aprior Sector, and settles the Marion system, founding the Aprior Commandery.

977.M39

Dark Eldar Kabal of the Hand of Fate raids the Sororitas Convent on Dvi-Marion, and kidnap several Sororitas Initiates before being repelled.

978.M39

Eldar attempt to colonize the Maiden World of Chatur-Marion, where they are contested by the Order of the Sacred Rose. The Eldar are fended off.

998.M39

After repelling Necrons and decimating a Tomb before a full scale incursion could occur in a system not far from the outskirts of the Aprior Sector, it is discovered that several Knights were captured in battle after retrieving a helmet and its recorded vid feed in Knight Xerxes' last moments before he was teleported away. From this point on all Knight Inductor forces practice extreme caution in their future encounters with the Necrons, to avoid losing more Knights.

Unbeknownst to the Knights Inductor, the Necrons that had planted the Pariah gene within their Primarch are pleased with the results their plan has borne, having encountered the Desert Fangs on Voralia long ago. They begin to kidnap more Knights into mid M40 until they stopped for unknown reasons.

M40

244.M40

The Knights Inductor fleet enters the Aprior Sector, and begins to pacify and unify the world of Aprior Regius.

253.M40

The Warp turbulence in and around the Aprior Sector erupts into a full storm system, called the Veil Storms, preventing (Imperial) entry to or exit from the Sector. The Knights Inductor decide that, since they can't leave, and are in the unique position of being able to build a Sector from the ground up, they will apply their millennia of experience and build the Sector to be a model of their ideals.

254.M40

The Aprior Commandery of the Order of the Sacred Rose attempts to put the Sector to the torch, once they learn of the Knights' intentions; they are stopped on the world of Dvi-Marion, and despite multiple attempts by the Knights Inductor and their Battlefleet Aprior to convince them to surrender and consider the Apriori ways, fight to the bitter end. None surrender, none survive.

261.M40

The first revision of the Aprior Sector Charter is written and ratified by the Apriori, and under that document, the other worlds of the Aprior System are colonized over the next decades, with the Aprior Subsector and Sector following over the next three centuries.

277.M40

The first Null Knight, formerly Knight Sergeant Xerxes, is discovered to the horror of the Knights whilst investigating cases of insurrection in the Polaris system in the furthest reaches of subsector Aprior. The now Necron-loyal Knight nearly caused the collapse of the entire system single-handedly before Chapter Master Zakis Randi himself intervened and brought back order to the system in its death throes.

Against all odds Null Knight Xerxes is captured and brought back to the Aprior System for interrogation and rehabilitation efforts

279.M40

Null Knight Xerxes attempts to break out of containment, after having fooled the scientists working with him into thinking that he was recovering to his normal self, and sensing that a suitable transport was nearby. Two whole Tactical squads of 6th Company and many more human personnel are lost to Xerxes' rampage before Knight Xavion stopped him with an extreme-range bolter shot.

The relatively "new" Knight vows to eradicate the Necrons and his tainted brethren, joining the task force made to hunt such individuals formed from elements of 6th Company.

Room for more events in here.

M41

Early M41

The Shadow in the Warp, advancing ahead of the approaching Tyranid Hive Fleets, dampens the Veil Storms, restoring contact between the Imperium of Man and the Aprior Sector over the period of a couple of decades. Contact is still limited, due to the distance between the Aprior Sector and the major star-routes, but the Aprior Sector Imperial Guard and Knights Inductor send their tithed Regiments and a couple of Companies, respectively, into the Imperium proper, where they attract the Inquisition's attention.

ca. 200.M41

Roland Darren is recruited by the Knights Inductor.

404.M41

Over the course of several decades, the government of the world of Archos makes a deal with the Dark Eldar pirates endemic to the region, the Kabal of the Hand of Fate. The Hand of Fate demands living, young, and healthy tributes, which Archos supplies from their PDF. The Hand of Fate pumps their tributes for information, and eventually learns the secrets of Archos' defenses. Within the space of a few hours, all contact is lost with Archos, and when the Apriori Guard Regiments and Knights Inductor investigate, they realize that the Dark Eldar have taken Archos and begun to kidnap every human being on the planet. The Hand of Fate is repelled and Archos is recaptured, but millions of soldiers and civilians perish in the process, and millions more are taken back to Commorragh. Realizing that their central authority lacked the power to prevent such atrocities, the Apriori create Aprior Sector Internal Security, an organization similar in focus to the Inquisition, with the task of coordinating investigations of threats to the Sector. The Knights Inductor, Apriori Imperial Guard and PDF, and Battlefleet Aprior form the Aprior Sector Executive Council, an advisory body with the task of coordinating military responses to those threats. The Aprior Sector Charter is revised to slightly reduce the autonomy of individual worlds by requiring all dealings with outsiders to be conducted by Sector-level authorities.

472.M41

The Kobol Branch of ASIS, under Director Janus Doscaras, massively exceeds its authority, influencing the Kobol government through blackmail, establishing shell corporations to manipulate the public, and eventually instituting martial law in response to a "clear and present danger" of Chaos-backed rebellion. Kobol becomes fractious as people are driven to be deeply suspicious of each other, and in the ensuing mayhem and societal discord, Chaos-aligned forces are able to infiltrate Kobol and instigate a rebellion. Thanks to the ASEC and Sector loyalists on Kobol, the Sector-level response arrives in a more timely manner than it did to Archos, but hundreds of thousands still die due to violence and disruption before order is restored; the process of purging the forces of Chaos from Kobol takes many years more. The Apriori implement transparency measures to prevent one organization from gathering so much power, as well as expanding public education programs to include brief lessons on threats to the Imperium and civil defense training, so that Apriori citizens are better able to identify and deal with them without becoming paranoid.

506.M41

ASIS's experiments with treating heretics pay off, leading to the first apparently "cured" heretics. Upon departure from the Panopticon's warded zone, some of them are immediately possessed by daemons – their souls had, apparently, been marked somehow during their servitude to the Ruinous Powers. Five Silencers are required to halt the incursion; several dozen security personnel were killed or injured containing the involuntary daemonhosts until they arrived. From then on, captured heretics are confined indefinitely to warded zones.

572.M41

"An Investigation into the Heresy of the Reasonable Marines," in which Inquisitor Rightina Immam is dispatched by the Conclave Astartum (of Ordo Hereticus) to investigate the Aprior Sector and report on what, if anything, has changed. She leaves with the distinct impression that the Apriori are hiding a lot. Pending the results of the Inquisition's verdict, and aware of the shaky ground on which they stand, the Apriori decide to keep to themselves, beyond their legal commitments.

742.M41

The Imperium launches the Damocles Crusade against the Tau Empire; three Companies of Knights Inductor and forty Regiments of the Aprior Sector Imperial Guard join the Imperial forces. Several hundred Tau prisoners of war and defectors are taken back to the Aprior Sector, where they are surgically freed from Ethereal control and rehabilitated (for example, training the Fire Warriors to keep their violent instincts under control). In the Crusade's aftermath, the Tau commence their Second Phase Expansion, including the world of N'dras – which is abandoned shortly thereafter, for unclear reasons.

785-788.M41

Inquisitor Immam arrives at Nemesis Tessera to give her report to the Inquisitorial Panel Regarding the Knights Inductor and Aprior Sector. The verdict, due to bureaucratic inertia, and the fact that the Aprior Sector doesn't seem to be too much of a threat (compared to the many other known threats in the galaxy), is that the Sector and its Chapter are loyal, if unorthodox, and that Rightina should return to the Sector to keep further watch for irregularities. Monodominant Inquisitor Lord Avius Damnos is not convinced; he begins contacting allies to send a Crusade against the Aprior Sector, code-naming his Crusade Fleet "Task Force Dagger." His need to operate secretly means that it will not mobilize for many decades or centuries.

801.M41

Tech Maestro Gajet's greatest technological achievement is completed after 200 years of development. The MkI Damocles Power Armor is quickly spread throughout the Knights Inductor forces, with old power armor systems repurposed with the new technology. Artificer armor and Tactical Dreadnought Armor are not modified due to their special nature.

Late M41

The Ecclesiarchy sends several pilgrimages and expeditions to the Aprior Sector, hoping to return it to mainstream Imperial policy. At first, their ostentatious, rigidly hierarchical style repulses the practical-minded Apriori, but later expeditions from the "Confederation of Light" sect, whose beliefs emphasize humility and service rather than inherited titles and impressive ornamentation, are more successful. They are especially successful in the border systems, as the Order of Reason's Light are more active in that region, which makes it easier for the Ecclesiarchy to move in, and the Imperial Cult's rhetoric of mankind constantly at war with aliens, mutants, and heretics resonates with the people living there, as they tend to bear the brunt of alien invasions.

898.M41

Ardi is summoned by a Slaaneshi cult on Aprior Secundus; upon learning that the cult practices human sacrifice, she blows the whistle on them to Aprior Sector Internal Security. Some ASIS agents become convinced that Ardi is evidence that the gods of Chaos have their positive sides, and that by worshiping those positive aspects, the galaxy will be put on a path to improvement. Those who go public with their plan are rejected; others continue their worship in secret, calling themselves the "Adepts of Unified Order," leaving the Sector to spread their beliefs throughout the galaxy. A few tech-priests, two squads of Knights Inductor (re-naming themselves Knights Reductor), and a Regiment of Apriori Imperial Guard fall with them.

899.M41

Hive Fleet Gorgon invades the galaxy. The Apriori screening programs keep them mostly free of Genestealer cults, and so most of the Hive Fleet passes them by.

901-912.M41

After Lufgt Huron takes control of the Maelstrom Zone, he decides that he is not getting enough Imperial support and secedes, starting the Badab War. Many see parallels between this event and the Aprior Sector, and Lord Damnos's Crusade gains much more support.

902.M41

A Genestealer Cult on Tarquin Ventrus manages to avoid detection and attract a splinter of Gorgon, designated "Draco." The fleet consumes the Blank gene, severing them from the Hive Mind. The warrior organisms starve without its overriding drive, and the Norn Queen becomes self-aware; the Librarius of the Knights Inductor establishes tentative psychic contact, designating the Norn Queen "Adelind."

915.M41

"The Mines of Death" (coming soon), in which mining efforts on a to-be-named Dead World uncover the remnants of the Tranzekh Dynasty and trigger the reactivation sequence. The expedition finds itself caught in the crossfire of an eons-old rivalry, with the fate of the Sector in the balance.

920.M41

"The Defense of Lida" (coming soon), in which Battlefleet Aprior detects the Emperor's Children Strike Cruiser “Circus of Envy” on an intercept course with the Eldar Exodite World of Lida. A stealthy RKV attack delays the vessel and leaves it without orbital attack capability, forcing the Strike Cruiser to make a ground assault. A rapid-response force consisting of Apriori PDF and a Knights Inductor leadership and diplomacy team is dispatched to render assistance to the Eldar defenders, while a strike team of Silencers neutralizes the ritual sites on the ground and on the Circus of Envy. The Eldar learn that they cannot scry the Silencers, which convinces them to consider closer cooperation with the Apriori in the future – a decision reinforced when their prognostications reveal that neither the Apriori nor the Lidans will survive the coming millennia on their own. They also give a cryptic warning to the Apriori: among other things, they will be beset by "daggers and hounds."

951.M41

Da Green Shadow arrives in the Aprior Sector; they quickly take up residence in the eastern border, eager to fight the encroaching Tyranid forces.

964.M41

The border system of Norion, wracked by damage from recent xenos incursions, suffers an economic depression. Puritan Preachers claim the disaster to be a sign of the Emperor's displeasure, and undercurrents of discontent come to the surface and buoy them to power. Matters come to a head when Joachim Urian, Pontifex Mundus of Norion V, limits his sanction to those Cults Imperial which support him (the Puritan sects), using the others as scapegoats for the social woes of the Imperium. Urian and his appointed Preachers advocate intolerance against 'anyone who threatens the dominance of mankind,' which included most advocates of Apriori social reforms and outsiders of any sort. Violence ensues, especially as Radical Preachers arrive from other planets and attempt to counter Urian's influence, which attracts the attention of the whole Sector, leading to hearings before the Aprior Sector Legislative Assembly; in the end, the Aprior Sector Charter is modified to have stronger protections for the individual, and Urian is relieved of his duties.

977.M41

In response to a string of daring raids by the Dark Eldar Kabal of the Hand of Fate, Battlefleet Aprior plants a false distress signal on a Q-ship, and disables the unsuspecting Dark Eldar fleet with an ambush. A Knights Inductor termination force (led by a Silencer strike team) infiltrates the stranded ships, annihilating the Dark Eldar aboard and rescuing several thousand prisoners.

987.M41

A Genestealer Cult on Tarquin Dorsus is identified (thanks to a warning from Adelind) and destroyed, resulting in several infectees being captured.

994.M41

The Hunter Cadre "Doom Seekers" discovers ancient structures on the abandoned world of N'dras; this discovery prompts the Ethereal in charge to order the Cadre to kill itself, but, unexpectedly, they resist. Instead, the Cadre is marked for mind-wiping and re-conditioning.

997.M41

The Tau Empire launches its Third Phase Expansion, and sends (among other things) a full Contingent to probe the Aprior Sector. More to be said on this topic.

999.M41

The Zeist Campaign; the Knights Inductor supply two Companies (equivalent to five or six Companies of most Chapters), and the Aprior Sector Imperial Guard sends twenty Regiments to hold territory behind the Space Marine spearhead. The campaign includes an attack on a Tau re-education camp, where the remnants of the Doom Seekers (among others) are imprisoned. The Apriori 223rd take as many prisoners as possible back to the Aprior Sector, where they are surgically liberated and rehabilitated. Fio'El Vral (or Underminer, as he came to be known) chooses to join the Aprior Sector Mechanicus.

000.M41

"Tales from the Aprior Sector: For The Greater Good" (coming soon), in which a former Fire Warrior learns that not all Apriori are in favor of tolerating xenos.

M42

001.M42

"Return of the Reasonable Marines" (in progress), in which Inquisitor Rightina returns to the Aprior Sector for further investigation, on the orders of the Inquisitorial Panel Regarding the Knights Inductor and Aprior Sector. She finds extensive deviations from Imperial norms (to say the least), but is forced to confront the fact that the Apriori have been extremely successful; she eventually concludes that, while most of the Imperium is not ready for many Apriori policies, some policies would be extremely valuable if expanded to the whole Imperium, and that the Imperium is better off with the Sector than without.

"Tales from the Aprior Sector: Shadows in the Forest," in which Da Green Shadow intercepts an Inquisitorial Stormtrooper team about to sabotage a munitions factory.

Early M42

"From Darkness, Light" (coming soon), the story of the Aprior Sector's darkest hour, being beset on all sides from the Tau Empire, the Necrons (pending the next Codex), the Dark Eldar, the forces of Chaos, and, of course, Inquisitor Damnos' Crusade. Fortunately, the Apriori's diplomacy has earned them several allies, including the Eldar of Lida, the Farsight Enclaves (pending future Tau information), friendly Necrons (pending the next Codex), and Inquisitor Rightina.

I realize that Rightina is apparently alive both in 572.M41 and 001.M42, but if you assume that she spends most of that time in the Warp (not unreasonable, as Nemesis Tessera is near the Eye of Terror, while the Aprior Sector is beyond the Tau Empire and Ultramar; these locations are just about diametrically opposite from each other) then she only experiences 30 to 40 years (per Lexicanum, one day in the Warp is about equal to 12 days in Real-space). The four-hundred-plus-year gap also explains any discrepancies between "An Investigation into the Heresy of the Reasonable Marines" and "Return of the Reasonable Marines."

"The Twin Crusades: The Black Crusade on Marion," in which the Chaos Undivided warfleet "The Bloodied Coil," dispatched from the Eye of Terror by Abaddon and led by a fallen Sister of Battle, attacks the world of Dvi-Marion.

"Tales from the Aprior Sector: The Emperasque's Verdict," in which the Emperasque delivers His verdict on the Aprior Sector. He initially concurs with Inquisitor Rightina's conclusion, but upon being presented with a Unity-pattern Grav-Driver (specially modified so that He could wield it Himself), He warms to the Knights' "eccentricities."