With their orders, the military staff and representatives from the various Imperial institutions filed out of the tent to begin their tasks. Arik then diverted his attention to the iterators and remembrancers.
Arik Taranis: Iterators, how are the ongoing indoctrination attempts on the captured Saderan soldiers.
According to the practices laid down by the Emperor and his other Primarchs, once an enemy had been defeated and was not deemed irredeemable, then they were to be incorporated into the Imperium so long as they acknowledged Imperial Law and the Imperial Truth. This was what the Iterators were currently attempting with the Saderans that had been sent and were being kept on Terra. In response the Head Iterator assigned to Expeditionary Army Cataegis replied.
Head Iterator: My Lord, most of the Saderans were initially resistant to accepting the principals of the Imperial Truth, which is unsurprising due to their lack of education and their pagan beliefs. Eventually, we resorted to less subtle methods and had the prisoners were shown a small military parade with Imperial Army soldiers and vehicles with a cruiser soaring overhead. This seemed to mollify most of the Saderans, but a few of the officers are still resisting all efforts at compliance and are clearly fanatics.
Arik Taranis nodded; it was what he expected to hear.
Arik Taranis: Have the more compliant prisoners help with our logistical situation overseen by Discipline Masters. As for those who are resistant, keep them, for now, they may prove useful later.
When he finished speaking, he was about to dismiss those who remained in the command tent, but then the Head Remembrancer interjected.
Head Remembrancer: My Lord, if we are to document the glories of this conquest, then we must give this planet a name.
"Hmm" Arik pondered, the remembrancer had a good point. Looking to Count Formal again he asked.
Arik Taranis: Count Formal, does this world already have a name?
Count Formal wondered for a second before answering.
Count Formal: The planet as a whole does not have a name, but the continent we are currently standing on is known as Falmart, although other continents do exist.
Arik Taranis: Then you have your answer remembrancer, for now this planet will be referred to as Falmart, with this matter settled this meeting is hereby adjourned.
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Expeditionary Army Cataegis-Imperial Army Camp
Second-Lieutenant Minerva Antioch was a member of the reformed 31st "Cthonian Wolves" Combined Arms Regiment from the planet of Cthonia.
(This is what I imagine the Cthonian Wolves to look like, just replace the shoulder pad symbol with that of a wolf's head looking straight at you.
Author's note: The Imperial Army in Imperium Ascendent uses combined arms regiments, unlike the Imperial Guard in 40k, only one out of six regiments in the Imperial Army are specialized around a single type of operation [https://img.wattpad.com/e1403f64ed400c093bdf6277addbf6c50c48c5ad/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f5444735f544b586c7a6a693639673d3d2d313336363235353036312e313737353363333030343934376638353935303938313836323130312e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Author's note: The Imperial Army in Imperium Ascendent uses combined arms regiments, unlike the Imperial Guard in 40k, only one out of six regiments in the Imperial Army are specialized around a single type of operation. Cthonia in Imperium Ascendent was rebuilt from a Feral World into a Recruiting World, basically a Fortress World, but that is no longer on the front lines because of the Imperium's ever-expanding borders. These worlds' primary purpose is to raise Imperial Army regiments and, if a Primarch chooses to, act as a source of aspirants for their legion.
The original 31st had been wiped out fighting the Orks in the Ullanor Crusade, pinning down an Ork Beast Boss and its warband before it was slain by the Emperor and the Warmaster. The Regiment was later reformed with young volunteers from the PDF and sent to Terra to be equipped and given extra training.
Her older brother had been the Colonel of the Regiment at the time, he originally wanted to become a Space Marine, joining the Legion of Horus Lupercali, the Lunar Templars. However, he had failed the geneseed cambatbility test and was rejected. Undeterred, her brother didn't let that stop him from his dream of being a part of the greatest endeavor in mankind's history.
He joined the PDF before volunteering for the Imperial Army. Slowly, battle after battle, he clawed his way up the ranks before becoming the Colonel of the Regiment. Destiny caught with him though, and he along with the entire 31st were killed in the campaign against the Ork Ullanor Empire.
She had decided to follow in her brother's footsteps, always wanting to be like him, brave and defending weak. She joined the PDF right after she was old enough to sign the recruitment form and then volunteered to join the Imperial Army. By a stroke of luck, she joined the reassembled 31st and they made way for Terra. There she was singled out as an officer candidate for her quick thinking and her brother's heroics, granting her a ticket into officer training school.
Unexpectedly, just as the Cthonian Wolves were about to be deployed to join the Emperor's Great Crusade, the Gate appeared. After that, the Regiment was ordered to land back on the planet from their transport and was swiftly reassigned to Expeditionary Army Cataegis.
Most of the Regiment was ecstatic, they were about to see combat for the first time and under the command of the Lightning Bearer no less. To the average Imperial citizen, the Primarchs were beings of myth and legend, this was even more true for Arik Taranis, the fabled Primarch of the Emperor's first super soldiers and unitor of Terra.
Minerva Antioch was not among those exited, she had signed up to fight xenos, heretics and the daemons of the false gods, not on some backwater feudal world!
She grunted in frustration just as a private came into her tent with a message. Saluting he reported.
Private: Ma'am, the Colonel wanted to see you.
Returning the salute, she dismissed the private and made her way to the Colonel's tent. The Colonel's name was Domitius Faustus, and he was probably the only veteran in the whole Regiment. His original regiment had been badly mauled and he himself had lost an arm in the process. He was given a bionic and sent back to Cthonia to recover where he eventually took command of the rebuilt 31st.
When she entered his tent, he was sitting at his desk looking at a data-slate. Hearing her enter he looked up and she gave him her best parade ground salute. He stood up and returned the salute before speaking.
Colonel Domitius Faustus: Lieutenant Antioch, how are you.
Minerva Antioch: I'm in good health sir.
Nodding, the Colonel sat down and gestured for her to do the same. She did so and then he began to speak again.
Colonel Domitius Faustus: You see lieutenant, the Primarch has ordered reconnaissance detachments be formed to make first contact, five in total, and our regiment has been chosen to contribute troops for one of them.
Minerva had a feeling she wouldn't like where this was going.
Colonel Domitius Faustus: Lieutenant, I want you to lead that detachment.