Editing Setting:Cloudburst/Septiim (section)

===Septiim Guard===

The Septiim Guard are the Imperial Guard forces of the Septiim system, with three regiments in the system as of the turn of the year.  Because of their constant challenges, excellent record of success, longstanding ties to the Astartes and Mechanicus, and broad recruitment profile, the Septiim Guard serve as the template for military forces across the Cloudburst Sector.  Septiim Guard regiments divide into 10 battalions, each with 5 companies.  1st and 2nd battalion are always heavy infantry, regardless of regimental specialization, 3rd through 6th are always specialized (mechanized infantry, heavy infantry, scout infantry, sharpshooters, artillery, or other roles).  7th and 8th are contingent on a specific mission profile.  If fighting within Imperial territory, these battalions consist of support, logistics, medical, recruiters, trainers, liaison personnel, target acquisition specialists, rangefinders, spotters, etc.  If fighting outside the Imperium, and therefore outside its logistics network, the 7th and 8th battalions usually consist of a mixture of dedicated support and repair units and field ranger units.  The 9th and 10th battalions are the regimental vehicle pool regardless of specialization.
Specialized regiments do exist, though they are typically no larger than the generalized regiments.  For example, the 9th Artillery Regiment consists exclusively of indirect fire units, flak guns, and vehicles to tow them around, but is still ten thousand heads strong, and therefore rarely all deployed to a single theater unless they represent the sole contributing force of artillery in an Imperial campaign.

The Septiimi military forces rarely employ paratroopers, thanks to their lack of useful training grounds in Septiim itself, and their total reliance on Navy and SDF assets for transport in air and space.  Septiimi forces instead, at least for the most part, rely on the use of heavily upgraded ground transports.  Equipping bolters on transports and combat vehicles is expected of all unit commanders, with special emphasis placed on pintle and coaxial bolters – these, after all, can be used as rangefinders as well as weapons.  Conversely, Septiimi heavy weapon teams avoid the use of bolters whenever possible, both because their vehicles already mount so many, and because it lends their infantry more flexibility.
Likewise, Septiimi regiments are enamored with artillery, but are more ambivalent regarding mortars.  Rocket artillery and heavy shell artillery are their preferred strength, and commonly attach at least some Basilisks or Earthshakers to all of their regimental-strength ground forces.  Less common are heavy guided missile artillery such as Deathstrikes.  Septiimi officers view them as being extravagant and superfluous in a world that contains orbital guns, though this can leave them lacking in long-range firepower if orbital support is cut off.
Mostly, the Septiim Guard prefers joint strike tactics when possible, for the sake of preventing tactical inflexibility.  However, in combat scenarios where forces must be deployed in less than regimental strength, this is not always a viable possibility.  As such, Septiimi forces have a significant decline in capability when faced with small-unit breaking tactics by the foe, and prefer to fight in company strength or higher at all times.  When this is not possible, by default, the Septiimi Guardsmen fall back on their upgraded equipment and staunch courage to carry them through difficult engagements.

One quirk of the Septiimi recruitment process, which relies near-exclusively on volunteers drawn from the Economic Zone, is that its officer and enlisted populations are historically raised from different population groups.  The military draws enlisted men mostly from the working classes and middle classes, while officers draw from the upper classes and the populations of the other systems in the Economic Zone.  This is not doctrinal, however, and it is not enforced.  Officers who began in the enlisted ranks are usually welcomed into command positions.  However, all officers below the rank of Lieutenant Colonel are expected to participate in combat when called upon to do so, regardless of their occupation.

This can manifest in a certain disregard for the survival odds of the enlisted by their commanders.  While the presence of the Commissariat ensures that this disregard doesn’t overly impair unit survivability, not all Septiim Guard units are prevented from seeing class issues infiltrate the regiment.  Units overseen by the Blue Daggers rarely suffer this problem, given the Daggers’ total lack of patience for such superficial issues.  The problem is worse in PDF outfits that are drafted directly into the Guard.  Sometimes, the system military command will break up units and reassign problem officers when the issue becomes crucial, but not as often as the rank-and-file would prefer.


Within the force organization system of the Septiim Imperial Guard, operation at most levels is divided into “Conventional” and “Specialist” groups.  Conventional forces include typical artillery spotters and crews, infantry, squad sharpshooters, squad support gunners, tank crewers, and garrison troops.  Specialist forces are not part of the conventional squad or fireteam structure, and instead company command groups them or attaches them singly as needed.  They consist of heavy weapon teams, dedicated sniper teams, special recon teams, battlefield controllers, military police, special operations troopers (not Stormtroopers, they have their own formations), and heavier anti-tank weapon operators.  Since the number of these specialists is static per company, regiments are able to afford some flexibility in their composition.  An artillery company, for instance, can rarely make use of battlefield controllers; they may instead employ special recon units, outfitted with the best camouflage and optics the regiment can afford, and equipped with satellite vox gear.  An anti-tank company, consisting of tank destroyers and accompanying infantry, may attach a mix of sniper teams and battlefield controllers, to pick off enemy infantry or lay down detcord on a battlefield in advance of the tank destroyers’ arrival.

Septiimi combat doctrine does not emphasize special operations or psychic warfare.  As a flexible and well-funded Guard force, however, they are aware of the value of both, and deploy either their own special operations troops or Scholastica Psykana loaners as needed.  Most psykers in Septiimi battle groups serve as either advisors to the commanding officers, or local force multipliers.  They are issued standard Septiimi battle uniforms and pistols, and conceal their presence amongst the regular troops until they are needed, at which time they reveal themselves in a storm of psychic lightning.  The Septiim Guard avoids the use of Rough Riders, especially biological ones, though they may allow the use of armed snowmobiles.

Septiimi armored tactics tend to be reliant on numbers and speed.  The possibility of fighting inferior local equipment if fielded against local rebels or traitors is easily accounted for by the quality of their Leman Russ tanks, while heavier Ork and Chaotic equipment can be neutralized by the application of tank hunter squads.  The presence of Vindicator, Eradicator, and Executioner variants in Septiimi regiments is helpful in this task, though these are rare variants.  Part of the Septiimi doctrine, then, calls for individual tanks to be as capable of holding off dangerous opponents as they can be while Navy or anti-tank support fields.  To accomplish this, Septiimi tanks equip their sponsons, pintles, and turrets with as many rapid-fire weapons as they can mount.  Multilasers, bolters, stubbers, and autocannons festoon Septiimi armored vehicles.  This serves three purposes: first to allow the tank to engage multiple targets concurrently, second to strip enemy tank units of their infantry cover, and third to allow for focused fire against enemy armor that outclasses them in weapon damage per shot.  Though this is nearly useless against Titans and other superheavies, it is highly effective against Ork mobz, which tend to have many infantry and slow vehicles.  The choice to replace the hull lascannon of the Russ with another heavy bolter means that the Septiimi Armored Spear formations are somewhat less able to engage heavy vehicles in parity.  The morale and suppression effect on the enemy of being fired on by three or more bolters per vehicle per formation makes up for it, in the Septiimi tactical mindset.  Likewise, frequent use of smoke dischargers allows Septiimi vehicles to close gaps quickly.

Though Septiim is a wealthy system compared to most, it lacks the raw industrial power and money of a Hive system, and therefore can afford only infrequent superheavy vehicles.  The largest vehicle frequently attached to Septiim regiments is the Praetor Assault Launcher, while some also have Gorgon Carriers in low numbers.  On those occasions that the regiments in question can afford a more combat-oriented superheavy vehicle, they gravitate towards tank-killers, decorated as always with extra rapid-fire weapons.  As such, the Baneblade, the Shadowsword, and the absurdly rare Stormhammer are the preferred variants of the Bane-chassis.  Septiimi regiments do not field Crassus or Macharius tanks.  Malcador tanks are also found in older regiments.  Rank systems in armored units are different from Cadian and Terran standards, however.  Where Cadian and Terran tank crewers tend to all be non-commissioned officers at least, Septiimi Armored units use the same system of Privates and Corporals that infantry units use, at least at first.  After training is over and a tank crew wins a few battles, the entire crew may be promoted to serve as Corporals with a single Sergeant leading them, though this is meritorious and not automatic.

Septiim-based regiments most prefer the use of Leman Russ variants that excel at engaging enemy armor with their turret guns, while leaving the sponson and pintle mounts to engage infantry.  That said, the Punisher, Conqueror, and Exterminator variants are effective against both infantry and vehicles, and are quite popular, though their cost diminishes their commonality among the regiments.  The Conqueror can mount six independent rapid-fire weapons per vehicle, plus a missile launcher, rendering it highly desirable by the quartermasters of the Septiim regiments.

Light armored vehicle and recon vehicle tactics tend to focus on collecting information on the enemy, harassing enemy infantry and tanks, and then rapidly withdrawing.  The Septiimi combat style of mass-equipping of bolters, stubbers, autocannons, and multilasers lends itself well to light vehicle tactics, and allows even recon units to put up a solid fight against enemy vehicles in the same weight class.  However, their job is to acquire recon and leave at once, rather than trying to engage against superior forces.  Recon infantry often disembark from their transports on foot, and are usually equipped with at least one lascannon or anti-tank missile per fireteam, though this is not universal.  In addition, it is both common and encouraged by their tactics manual for any group of recon soldiers larger than four troops to carry at least one long-las or hotshot long-las, equipped with both a rangefinder and a target designator beacon for calling airstrikes or artillery.  Their mechanized forces follow a similar pattern.  Their Chimaeras are traditionally outfitted with single or twin-linked heavy bolters, autocannons, or multilasers on the turret, a hull-mounted rapid-fire weapon of some kind, and whatever other upgrades are at hand – usually a pintle gun.  One favored tactic of recon companies is to send camouflaged trucks and Tauroses forward in a widely dispersed formation, looking for points of enemy contact, then send heavily armed Chimaera variants behind them in a second line, and then call the forward line back to the APCs if contact is made.

Infantry tactics for Septiim Guards usually follow the pattern of older, more successful Terran or Cadian formations, with the focus being on small-scale flexibility and massive formations.  Creativity in finding solutions to tactical problems is accepted if it is successful, but failed improvisation is punished.  Likewise, while a squad or platoon may be able to stray from their base mission if needed to complete a tactical objective, they are not to do so if the unit’s ability to complete larger goals is jeopardized.  The highest-ranking person in any given formation carries out command decisions, with the chain of command decided clearly down to the fireteam level.  Fireteams that absorb individual survivors from other fireteams may have that survivor breveted to corporal to serve as an advisor or potential replacement for existing corporals.

Given their expertise in garrisoning an entire sector against Glasian invasion, Septiimi regiments often emphasize garrison training for their infantry and vehicle units.  This includes the frequent use of smoke, searchlight, dozer blade, and track guard upgrades for their vehicles.  Between that factor and the high use of extra weapon upgrades, the average Septiimi vehicle is rather expensive.  If Septiim didn’t have multiple Garden worlds and a Forge Moon in it, they would certainly not be able to supply themselves with as many vehicles as they do.  Forge Masters from the Septiim system are glad that Septiimi officers don’t have a fixation on more expensive weapons, like meltas or plasma.  It is indeed partly because of their largely defensive nature that Septiim Guard make frequent use of stationary weapon platforms; Earthshaker and Manticore variants are perennially popular.
Septiim does not generally field penal legions, though it is not without precedent.  The small number of Sororitas in the system prevents them from taking an active role in offensives by the Septiim militaries.

Regiments of Septiim Guard are not retired upon depletion.  Instead, survivors of a depleted regiment are folded into other regiments, and the number recycled on Septiim.  At most, the Septiim zone has supported forty full-strength regiments, with the others partially depleted or awaiting their recycling.  Numbers may be retired only if their regiment is deployed as the new PDF of a freshly conquered world, which has only happened a few dozen times in the Cloudburst Circuit and elsewhere.  This means that the senior PDF officers and trainers (and their families) of these worlds have ties to Septiim beyond just simple Imperial loyalty, but also bloodlines as well.

Special operations troops are never fielded at Regimental strength, and are rarely raised as anything more than a battalion tacked onto the existing battalion structure.  They are outfitted with the very highest quality hotshot weapons and camouflage, and emphasize stealth above all else.  They are not Stormtroopers, nor are they Scions, but they do train to infiltrate enemy encampments prior to outright assault by conventional forces.  There, they liberate slaves, blow up ammo caches, sabotage vehicles, steal fuel, and assassinate officers.  The integration of Septiim Stormtroopers and Scions into the normal Guard is not always without acrimony, but High Command tolerates it thanks to the lack of alternatives.  The Septiim Scion contingent is referred to as the Septiim Sharks.

While the Septiim military respects the Adeptus Mechanicus, they do not allow the Mechanicus any discretionary control over their deployments.  Mechanicus personnel who accompany Septiimi Guardsmen into the field do so as enginseers, servitor controllers, and repair mechanics at most.  Given how many Skitarii are stationed on Solstice, however (and this number never seems static when Guard officers ask), this is rarely a concern.  Above the petty emotions of the flesh the Mechanicus may be, but few Cohort Masters will refuse the opportunity to wow and awe Guard regiments on nearby assignments with their superior firepower and discipline.

Generally, the composition of a full-sized Septiim regiment is reflective of the assets needed to overcome the obstacle for which the regiment was raised.  As such, regiments that survive their first campaign tend to be specialized in some way, especially if they were raised over-strength or with a focus on a specific equipment type.  The ten general categories into which the most common Septiim Guard regiments are organized are as follows:

# 	Conservators: Garrison and armored hybrid regiments, with a heavy emphasis on combined-arms tank and infantry disposition.  Generally lacking in heavy artillery, but equipped with as much in the way of rapid-fire and flak AA as they can get their hands on.  On the offensive, their job is to punch a hole in a city’s defenses, then become impossible to dislodge.  Their heavy infantry and light tanks then serve as garrison and ground control forces.
# 	Grenadiers: Though this term means ‘elite infantry’ to some planets, the Septiimi use it to refer to specialized heavy infantry, universally equipped with explosives.  These infantry are outfitted with as much body armor and personal supplies as they can carry without limiting their offensive capability, and freely mix special and individually portable heavy weapons into their infantry fireteams.  These regiments prefer the use of rocket artillery, and mechanized transports to move their forces into the battlezones.  Crack sharpshooter teams with anti-vehicular rifles and hotshots flank or precede infantry advances, in order to soften up defenses and pick off potential threats.
# 	Defenders: As the name suggests, these regiments focus on holding actions, whether within or without a city’s limits.  Sometimes this involves the mechanization of forces with vehicles, but Defenders train in building fights and room clearing, and carry at least three flamers per platoon as a general course of action.  Heavy use of anti-air vehicles, such as Hydras, is standard to all Defender Regiments.  Super-heavy transports are more common in these regiments.  They also serve as the PDF for the worlds of the Zone.
# 	Spearman: These expensive and potent regiments focus nigh-exclusively on vehicular combat.  Whether that entails tank battles, towed artillery, self-propelled guns, or AA vehicles, the Spearmen are equipped for it.  Their forces consist of hundreds of Leman Russes, Manticores, Chimaeras, Salamanders, Basilisks, Hydras, Gorgons, and Tauros variants, often with a dizzying variety of upgrades and equipment.  These are the only regiments that can reliably gain a super-heavy combat tank.  Occasionally, Spearman regiments even deploy Ragnarok tanks.  Infantry are relegated to making flanker and cover formations in these regiments, taking and holding terrain or buildings the tank has cleared, and spotting targets.
# 	Cavalry: These regiments serve as the mechanized force of the Septiim Guard.  Relying on Chimaera, Taurox, and Gorgon class vehicles, these regiments cross open ground under curtains of smoke from their launchers and artillery.  These are the regiments most likely to employ breachers in any large number outside of dedicated siege units.  Cavalry regiments generally pair upgraded Salamander vehicles with other Chimaera-chassis vehicles, so their formations aren’t bottlenecked by the speed of their escorts.  These regiments also rely heavily on the use of Hunter-Killer missiles, to compensate for their lack of heavy armor.  Septiim Guard avoid deploying Rough Riders in general, but if any regimental specialization has Rough Riders, it is this one.
# 	Paratrooper: Specializing in airdrops and light infantry tactics, these regiments are raised to rain from above.  Their combination of grav-tech, parachutes, and gunships allow them incredible mobility.  Lacking their own, organic aircraft, they are reliant on the Navy for the transport and insertions for their troops, but also employ Tauroses and Sentinels for their own use.  As Septiim Tertius has several extremely high mountains at its equator (with smaller ones on Septiim Secundus), there are some native opportunities for high-altitude drop training for Septiimi regiments, though they lack the experience and prestige of Elysian and Harakoni Drop Troopers.
# 	Artillery: A self-explanatory designation if ever there was one, artillery regiments rely on long-range weapons to level their enemies from far away.  Employing the full extent of Imperial Guard indirect weapons, from the classic Earthshaker to the archaic Medusa, from the Manticore MRLS to the Gorgon, there are no indirect fire weapons the Septiimi won’t use in their artillery regiments.  In fact, these are the only Septiimi regiments that employ the Deathstrike missile system.  They are also, coincidentally, the only Cloudburst regiment outside of Hapster ever to be issued the dazzlingly rare Ballista energy artillery weapon, which – at least in the Cloudburst Sector – is manufactured exclusively on the Solstice Forge Moon.  Thudd and Bombard weapons make infrequent appearances here, as do simple field guns.  The most numerous non-indirect units in these forces are the Salamander, the Sentinel, and the Tauros, which can quickly carry out recon and spotting missions, then fade away, or deliver withering defensive fire if needed.
# 	Stormtrooper: Septiimi Stormtrooper regiments are far smaller than their conventional counterparts are.  The use of heavy and special weapons folds into squad-level deployment, while vehicles are crewed exclusively by conventional troopers trained in their support.  Generally, Septiimi Stormtroopers fold into conventional regiments, despite their differing chains of command.  Within larger forces, Stormtroopers are often used to either augment existing Special Operations units, or lead them directly; though officers are rarely stupid enough to field them as basic infantry, they certainly can be.
# 	Scion: Technically, the Scions raised in the Septiim Economic Zone’s area are not Septiimi, but belong to the Officio Munitorum proper.  In practice, the clusters of inhabitable stars of the Cloudburst Sector are so far apart that there is little reason to stand on this regulation, and so it is not impossible for Scions to field alongside the conventional infantry or even Stormtroopers.  As the average Guardsman can’t tell a Stormtrooper from a Scion anyway, this may seem to be of little distinction.  However, it is a point of pride for Scions that they are the product of two straight decades of unrelenting training and hard work in the Schola Progenum.  They are equipped exclusively with the output of the Solstice Forge Moon; it is the only place for fifty light years to produce the Taurox in sufficient volume for their needs, and they employ all of its variants.
# 	Garrison: Rarely, the Imperium calls upon Septiim to tithe up large regiments of standing troops to hold territory that is already under Imperial control.  When called upon to do so, the regiments thus raised are equipped and staffed as variable infantry.  Light infantry in their fast vehicles, recon infantry with their expensive optics and active camo, medium infantry with their IFVs and APCs, and heavy infantry in their carapace armor all have a place in garrison duty.  Garrison regiments are the most lightly armored of all Septiim Guard regiments, and attach few, if any, artillery pieces.  Perhaps understandably, these regiments have fewer dedicated Specialists in their ranks, but have disproportionally large Minesweeper teams.

The integration of the Commissariat and Scions into the command structure of the Septiim Guard is thorough, and it is rare for any thousand-plus unit of Septiim Guard to have no Commissar at all.  Given the defensive nature of most Septiim wars, ascertaining the death of officers and other types whose progeny are eligible for Schola Progenum membership is not difficult; Glasians do not take prisoners.  The Commissars and Stormtroopers, Scions and even occasional Space Marine Librarian that these facilities produce are generally attached to regiments that are not raised from the same world from which they hailed, to reduce the likelihood of unrest.  Likewise, the Inquisition and Adepta Sororitas (and the larger Adeptus Terra) heartily recruit from the Schola system of the Economic Zone, as do the Arbites, the Imperial Navy, the Ecclesiarchy, and even the Mechanicus.  The Zone’s lesser participants also provide the ubiquitous Sabre gun platforms for the Guard and PDF, lightening the logistical demands of the region on Cognomen.

Relations between the Officio Munitorum of Septiim and other branches of the Adeptus are cordial.  The enormous mineral and tax wealth of the system, the presence of a Forge Moon, Monastery, and Space Marine Chapter Headquarters in one system, and the iron grip of the Arbites on dissenters ensures that the mechanism of liaison between the military and the other armed Imperial branches is smooth.  Combat psykers, advisory psykers, Ministorum priests, Commissars, the occasional Scion advisor, and on the rarest of occasions, a Blue Dagger, will accompany officers of Septiim regiments into the field to provide encouragement, advice, and spiritual shielding from the rigors of facing humanity’s anathemas.  The Daggers who sometimes accompany the regiments generally are present solely to assess the defensibility of conquered alien worlds, newly pacified planets, or other potential human colony sites, as they will inevitably be tested against the Glasian menace.  That said, the Inquisition is ever vigilant for signs of Tzeentchian manipulation of Septiim officers; more than one Septiim Techpriest or officer has met a brutal death for pocketing Warp-tainted war trophies.

As of M41.999, there are three full-strength regiments of the Septiim Guard assembled in the system.
The 109th Defenders have 3rd through 6th battalions consisting of defensive infantry, with lots of sappers, sharpshooters, flamer troops, anti-nonconventional weapons experts, and no breachers.  They have a small number of Gorgons.  Their principle vehicle is the Chimera, but they are not properly mechanized.  They use the Chimaeras as a combination vox-relay, fire-support platform, field hospital, command hub, emergency troop carrier, and sensor net-deployment station.  They do have a few Tauroses, which they use as defensive runners and scouts, and employ two platoons of Sentinels.  They field a force of thirty Hydras, as well, for fighting enemy aircraft and infantry, and a squad of Bane Wolves, just in case they are attacked by Tyranids – always a risk in the Segmentum Ultima.  Finally, they have six Praetor Assault Launchers and two Wyverns.<br>

The 119th Conservators have their 3rd through 6th battalions equipped with formations of tanks and light infantry, scouts, target spotters, and minesweepers, with Special Forces.  They field a few Vanquishers and a few Exterminators, but most of their tanks are either baseline Russes, or simple variants, like Conquerors, Demolishers, Annihilators, and a small group of Executioners.  They only have four Punishers, but they do employ a large number of Hellhounds, Devil Dogs, and other Chimera-chassis vehicles, like Salamanders and Basilisks, and a fair number of normal Chimeras and Sentinels.  They generally do not use Tauroxes, Tauroses, or mortars, but they do field several platoons of Hydras, and they have a support unit consisting exclusively of Centaurs and Trojans.  They have no superheavy vehicles, and no Malcadors.<br>

The 129th Grenadiers have six full battalions of heavy infantry, with some Salamander Scouts and upgraded Chimaeras for transports, but most of their vehicle force consists of several hundred basic Chimaeras, Trojans, and other simple transports.  They are generally mechanized, and their focus is on anti-infantry units and explosives – Demolishers, Punishers, Exterminators, Devil Dogs, and two Malcadors.  The regiment fields no Baneblade variants, though they do have a single Doomhammer.  Like all Septiimi forces, they have the tendency to outfit all of their vehicles with as many bolters as they can, be it on pintles, sponsons, or hull mounts.  This is to ensure that the principally infantry-based Septiimi forces are never outmatched by enemy infantry forces, and retain the ability to force enemy light vehicles back if needed.  This regiment also has a few dedicated special operations platoons, though they are also mechanized.

Two more regiments are under generation on the planet at the time, those being the 135th Artillery Regiment and the 136th Stormtrooper Regiment.  Both are bound for the Cloudburst Circuit, to pacify small alien strongholds that Rogue Traders have found there.  As an example of the order of battle, a typical Armored Division of Septiimi Guard consists of 3,600 tanks of various models, roughly as many APCs and IFVs, 1,300 various mobile artillery platforms, 300 reconnaissance vehicles, and 40 missile AA platforms.  The number of flak and rapid-fire AA units is hugely variable, but averages 60 medium to heavy units per division, with as many heavy weapons squads outfitted with their own missile or laser AA.  A smattering of Sabres with quad-stubbers, light autocannons, or proximity-fused flak burster guns are mandatory for nearly all regimental makeups, including the headquarters detachments of the paradrop regiments.


====Institution====

Most Imperial institutions have at least one outpost in Septiim.  The closest allies of the Chapter are the star-sailors, aviators, and seamen of the Imperial Navy, alongside whom the Daggers have shed and spilled blood, slaughtered aliens, crushed pirates, and generally defended the Imperium.  As a rule of thumb, the Imperial Guard and various Planetary agencies view the Astartes of the Daggers as somewhere between high nobles and terribly violent angels, though the flag-grade officers of the actual Septiimi Guard and system forces tend to understand them as people, instead of religious figures.  The Ecclesiarchy holds them in a measure of mingled respect for their loyalty to the Emperor and His citizens, revulsion for their flesh-twisting augmentations, and awe at their unmatchable combat skill.  There are temples and chapels in every major settlement in Septiim, but only one convent, and it has a mere handful of Sacred Rose Battle Sister Sororitas, who respect the Blue Daggers to their faces and glare at their backs.

The Adeptus Mechanicus is much more open to the Daggers, and share some assets and equipment with them for the common good of the Imperium.  The Daggers have never hesitated to pay the Mechanicus their tithe, even though as an Astartes Home System, the Septiimi are allowed to exempt themselves from it.  The Daggers, however, know how the Imperium is teetering on the brink, and do not want to be responsible, even indirectly, for the loss of a system or world because they did not contribute to the supplies of the Imperium.  Because of this generosity, and because of the Daggers’ inherited respect for their equipment (due to their Novamarine heritage), the Adeptus Mechanicus works alongside the Daggers when they are asked to do so.  The Daggers are also actively encouraging of the Mechanicus dig on Solstice, and their efforts to turn the gradually hollowing moon into a true Forge Moon.  At present, the number of Mechanicus personnel (as opposed to mere laborers) on Solstice is highly classified, but Lord Jonas Neverember’s office lowballs the number in the nine-digit range.

The Inquisition allows the Chapter a degree of discretion and leeway in the direction and guidance of their system, though they do not go so far as to allow the Chapter to administrate the Septiim system directly.  The Daggers have a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the Ordo Xenos, and get along about as well with the Ordo Malleus as any Astartes can after their harassment of the Chapters who defied them in the three wars of Armageddon.  The Ordo Hereticus has no particular special vision for the Daggers, since few are stupid enough to be openly heretical in a system with an entire Chapter based within.  The minor Ordos are generally not interested in the Chapter, either.

The Officio Assassinorum doesn’t greatly concern itself with a backwater Chapter in a backwater sector, even one in an extremely wealthy system like Septiim.  Likewise, the great distance between Septiim and most major Warp storms prevent there from being a significant number of psychic births or mutations locally, and so the Adeptus Astra Telepathica pays them little heed.  The Adeptus Arbites are given free rein to enforce Imperial law and judgment throughout the Septiim system and all adjacent systems by their administrators and the Daggers, and so their relationship is rather comfortable, if formal.

Likewise, the Imperial Estate and Administratum pay lip service to the Chapter, and in turn are allowed to rule the system as long as they do not abuse their positions to the extent that the defenses of the sector are compromised by bureaucratic nonsense.  The Chartist Captains and Rogue Traders of the sector were delighted to learn of the presence of a new Chapter, since there are few more ominous portents for local pirates than an entire Chapter moving into their back yards, and will generally assist the Daggers at-cost if extra evacuation craft are needed.  If there are any small-scale alien empires or colonies in proximity to the Septiim system, nobody really cares what they think.