Editing Quest:The Long Night:Volume One:Life in the Storm (section)

=New forces=

A few of your agents are caught on Vanaheim trying to manipulate public opinion in Quartok favor. Olaf, the Governor, isn't too offended, but the public and his opposition are, requiring a couple of backroom deals to make it appear as if he wrangled some proper compensation out of you.

On the brighter side, a Strike Cruiser has entered the Warp Storm and is currently orbiting Alfheim. It carries thirty Ultramarines.

Some might question whether the presence of [[Ultrasmurfs]] is a good thing. Normally, it might not be, but it seems that in the nine centuries that have passed for the rest of the galaxy (ten times as long as for you, once again), Ultramar was forced to pull a good portion of the sticks out of its collective ass. For these guys, most of that time was spent in constant fighting away from home, so presumably even more sticks were pulled out.

In any case, these are the remnants of the Second and Seventh companies of the Ultramarine Chapter. Fifteen are original veterans, the rest are newer recruits. Since Grey Knight [[Gene-seed]] is too complex for you to grow right now, you need these guys if you want a proper Astartes force.

After a bit of debate in an emergency High Council meeting, it is decided that the Astartes can settle upon that world you've cleared of Dark Eldar years ago, with the right to recruit from any world in the Trust. Also, the worlds are sending people and resources to settle the planet properly, and once the Chapter and the World are sufficiently developed, they get the appropriate Council seats.

A bit too much for some newcomer stragglers, but it seems the Trust still has a good portion of the Imperium's respect toward Astartes. Well, they certainly won't be complaining about the recruit quality...

The Marines accept, rename themselves to Varangian Guard, rename the planet to Byzantium, and ask that you divine whether Ultramar is okay.

According to their reports of the outside, most of the Sector is taken over by Orks, divided between three Warlords including Garkill, except for the Sector's core, which is an Abomination polity. A sector or so away, there is an Astartes polity called Dragon's Nest, run by a Blood Angels successor Chapter.

Ridcully, as requested, divines the status of Ultramar. Turns out they are now a fifty-sector confederacy with a hundred Marine Chapters. The Tau are their main problem, forcing them to adapt to the extent of reverse-engineering Xeno tech. Your new neighbours, it seems, are also willing to make some adjustments to the Codex Astartes, even asking for knowledge about the newer tech use.

In the meantime, Jane decides to create an elite operative force close to the [[Vindicare]] level. A few years are spent requesting data from other planets about possible implants, training regimens, equipment... finally, she selects a thousand orphaned babies and begins.

Then, a few problems strike. Caroline dies to a Gnaw Worm, your head of Biologis dies as well, one of the Grey Knights vanishes in a manner so mysterious that none of Rids' divinations tell anything except “he suddenly faded away”, Jane almost dies (and is left with irremovable scars) after fighting a rogue Beta...

Most importantly, however, Ridcully states that in a few years, the Warp Storm is going to dissipate.

An emergency meeting of the Council concludes that the planets of the Trust are quite well defended, except for Alfheim, which still didn't move that far from the Agri-World status. Also, Byzantium is yet to build any significant orbital defences. Avernus, as a stopgap measure, hands over some Orbital Defence Platforms which it had mothballed after the recent tech upgrades.
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