Steel Confessors

The Steel Confessors are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter secretly Founded in the 36th Millennium by the Adeptus Mechanicus for its own use from the gene-seed of the Iron Hands. After their discovery by the Inquisition, the Steel Conffessors were forced to become an independent Chapter of the Adeptus Mechanicus, but they still maintain unusually close ties with the Mechanicum of Mars. They recently successfully defended their homeworld, the Forge World of Kalevala, from an attack by the Tyranid Hive Fleet Leviathan, though at great cost to the Chapter.

Secret Beginnings
The Steel Confessors Space Marine Chapter had very inauspicious beginnings when it was first created during the 19th Founding in the 36th Millennium. In an effort to better protect their Forge Worlds and private interests, the Adeptus Mechanicus took it upon themselves to create a secret Chapter of Space Marines that only bore loyalty to Mars and the Cult Mechanicum. Using Iron Hands’ gene-seed collected from that Chapter's tithes to Mars, the Mechanicus began work on a Chapter that was intended to rival the strength and power of any other Imperial force in the galaxy. The Chapter is an unintended Successor Chapter of the Iron Hands since the Steel Confessors were created from their gene-seed because the Iron Hands were the First Founding Space Marine Legion that had the closest ties and beliefs to those of the Adeptus Mechanicus and so were considered to be a good source material for the creation of the Mechanicus' own private army of Astartes. Feeling that they were were often forced to follow unfair rules and regulations as laid down by the High Lords of Terra, the Adeptus Mechanicus named their newly created Chapter the Steel Confessors. One of the most promising of the newly created Mechanicus Astartes, a warrior named Avonis, was appointed as the Steel Confessors' first Chapter Master.

Discovery
Unfortunately for the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Inquisition discovered their secret machinations to create a private Space Marine Chapter and reported the act to the High Lords of Terra. After much deliberation, the High Lords decreed that despite the Adeptus Mechanicus having greatly over-stepped their mandate, they would be allowed to keep their newly-created Chapter, with certain limitations. The Steel Confessors were first required to take the same vows of fealty and loyalty to the Imperium of Man that bound all other Space Marine Chapters and to separate itself organisationally from the Adeptus Mechanicus so that it operated as a truly independent Chapter, just like all the others. Though the Mechanicus was not well-pleased by these edicts of the High Lords, they begrudgingly agreed to Terra's terms so as to avoid a potential conflict which both Mars and Terra could ill afford in the tumultuous days of the 36th Millennium and the Age of Apostasy.

Notable Campaigns

 * Battle of Kracsis IV (745.M41) - The Steel Confessors valiantly defended their original Chapter homeworld, the Forge World of Kracsis IV, from the attack of the first Tyranid assault upon the Imperium, Hive Fleet Behemoth. Unfortunately, the Tyranids proved to be too much for the Steel Confessors and despite the valiant defence put up against these xenos horrors by the Confessors, they were forced to retreat from Kracsis IV and watch as all of its biomass was absorbed by the Hive Fleet before moving on. The battle was costly for the Chapter and cost the life of its Chapter Master at that time, Protonus. Yet the Chapter survived and built a new home upon the Forge World of Kalevala.
 * Battle for Kalevala (997.M41) - In 997.M41, the Steel Confessors faced a new Tyranid menace, this time in the form of Hive Fleet Leviathan. The Battle for Kalevala was once again fought on the Steel Confessors' own homeworld against the invading Tyranids, though this time the Chapter determined that there would be a very different outcome when they faced off against the Great Devourer. The entire Chapter of the Steel Confessors successfully engaged in battle against the Tyranids of the Leviathan. The world of Kalevala was home to the Steel Confessors' fortress-monastery, their Chapter's gene-seed stores, a major Adeptus Mechanicus manufactorum complex as well as a psychic choir that boosted the Astronomican to allow navigation through the difficult currents in the Immaterium created by the Tyranid Hive Mind's psychic shadow in the Warp. This being the Chapter's homeworld, there was no other choice, other than to defend it in open battle from the forces of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Leviathan. The battle was colossal and brutally straightforward, with each of the ten companies of the Steel Confessors taking up defensive positions around the Mechanicus manufactorums and their fortress-monastery while the Tyranid horde attacked unrelentingly in an attempt to overwhelm the Astartes' firing lines. Despite the incalculable number of Tyranids present on Kalevala, the disciplined regimen of volley fire from the Steel Confessors Tactical Marines and Devastator Squads, combined with surgical counterattacks by the Veteran Squads of the 1st Company, Assault Squads and Land Speeder Squadrons flying between battlefield locations to lend their firepower to those companies that were struggling, eventually thinned the Tyranid horde while minimizing Space Marine casualties, and the Tyranids exhausted their own numbers throwing themselves into the teeth of the Imperials' guns. At the end of the battle, the 8th and 10th Companies of the Steel Confessors had been destroyed to a man, the 1st Company was at 40% operational strength, the 3rd and 6th Companies remained at 60%, while the rest of the Chapter's companies were between 20-40% operational strength. Yet Kalevala had held against the swarm and the Leviathan soon moved on to seek easier prey. The Steel Confessors had held their homeworld and their would be no repeat of the humiliation that had been suffered on Kracsis IV.

Chapter Homeworld
In 745.M41, the Imperium encountered the first Tyranid Hive Fleet, which was designated Hive Fleet Behemoth. This encounter was also the first contact the Imperium had with the Tyranids as a race. Hive Fleet Behemoth emerged from the galactic south-east of the Eastern Fringe in the Ultima Segmentum without warning and ploughed like an unstoppable juggernaut into the realms of the Imperium, devastating hundreds of star systems and devouring everything in its path. Compared to later Hive Fleets that adopted variable strategies as they faced Imperial resistance, Behemoth showed no subtlety in its nearly berserk initial advance.

Unfortunately for the Steel Confessors, their original Chapter homeworld, the Forge World of Kracsis IV, stood in the path of the Great Devourer and was soon attacked by the ravenous swarms of these foul xenos. Though they fought valiantly, Kracsis IV soon fell to the Behemoth, forcing the Confessors to make a hasty withdrawal, lest they suffer the complete annihilation of their Chapter. Chapter Master Protonus was killed during the defence of Kracsis IV, valiantly holding the line so the last of his Battle-Brothers could escape the doomed world. His body was recovered and would later be buried on Kalevala alongside the remains of the Steel Confessors' first Chapter Master, Avonis. When the Tyranid menace was finally stopped and defeated at the Battle of Macragge in 745.M41 by the Ultramarines and the Imperial Navy's Battlefleet Ultima, the Steel Confessors were granted a new homeworld by the Imperium (through the intervention of the Adeptus Mechanicus) upon the Forge World of Kalevala.

Chapter Organisation
Unlike their genetic forebears, the Steel Confessors are organised predominantly according to the tenets of the Codex Astartes, though they do incorporate some of the atypical organisational elements used by the Iron Hands. The Steel Confessors divide the Chapter up into 10 standard Astartes companies, rather than into Clan Companies as the Iron Hands do. The Steel Confessors do not incorporate the specialist rank of the Iron Hands known as the Iron Fathers within their Chapter, preferring to keep the two traditional Astartes specialties of Chaplains and Techmarines separate as in most other Chapters. However all of the Steel Confessors' company Captains are also trained to serve as both Artificers and Techmarines. The Chapter Master of the Steel Confessors is traditionally chosen by a council composed of all of the Chapter’s company Captains, Chaplains, Librarians and Dreadnoughts. In the event of a tie vote between two candidates, the five most senior sergeants within the Chapter then cast their vote.

The Steel Confessors’ relationship with the Adeptus Mechanicus, due to the nature of their illicit Founding, is rumoured to be even closer than that enjoyed by the Iron Hands. Because of this close relationship, the Steel Confessors are provided with an excellent supply of the finest heavy arms, armour, war machines and equipment that the manufactorums of Mars can currently produce.

Like all true scions of Ferrus Manus, the Steel Confessors are notoriously harsh on their Neophytes, brooking no sign of weakness or failure within them. Those who do not live up to the harsh training regimine of the Chapter or those that falter or fail in judgment will either die in the process or be lobotomised and transformed into a Servitor to continue to serve the Chapter in some fashion.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
The Steel Confessors fight with renowned intensity and cold, calculating determination. The Chapter’s cold fury as it goes to battle is fearful to witness, and deadly in its effectiveness. The disciplined regimen of volley fire from their Tactical Marines and Devastators, combined with surgical counterattacks from their Veteran Squads, Assault Squads and officers, with Land Speeder Squadrons flying between battlefield locations to lend their firepower and reinforce the lines of battle are brutally effective against Mankind’s foes.

Chapter Beliefs
Like their forebears among the Iron Hands, the Steel Confessors are utterly intolerant of physical or mental weaknesses in others and least of all in themselves. One notable incident occurred when the Chapter actually destroyed the Tallarn 54th Regiment of the Imperial Guard, for “failure to achieve objectives.” For taking up arms against the Emperor's servants, the Steel Confessors have once again found themselves under investigation by the Inquisition. This intolerance for weakness manifests most notably in a distinct preference for the high levels of cybernetic replacement of the healthy portions of their bodies with augmetic bionics, which is quite a common place practice within the Chapter as it is in other Iron Hands Successors as well. Spiritually, the Chapter believes in a divine trinity that is a modified version of the faith held by the Adeptus Mechanicus. This trinity is composed of the Machine God, the universal spirit of knowledge that provides succor and strength to all, the Emperor of Mankind, who stands as the physical embodiment of knowledge incarnate and the Machine God in the universe as the Omnissiah, and their Primarch Ferrus Manus, the greatest prophet of the Machine God. The Steel Confessors still maintain extremely close ties with the Adeptus Mechanicus embracing all the primary beliefs of the Cult Mechanicus wholeheartedly. The majority of other Space Marine Chapters frown upon the Steel Confessors’ obscene reverence for the mechanical and the physical embodiment of knowledge, just as they frown upon those Chapters who adopt the Imperial Creed and revere the Emperor as a God rather than as a father, an inspiration and humanity's greatest guide.

Notable Steel Confessors

 * Chapter Master Avonis – First Chapter Master of the Steel Confessors. Buried on the Chapter’s original home world of Kracsis IV. Chapter legends maintain that Avonis is said to be kept within statis until such time as his Chapter needs him.
 * Chapter Master Protonus - Chapter Master Protonus was killed during the defence of Kracsis IV from Hive Fleet Behemoth in 745.M41 . He would later be buried on Kalevala alongside the original Chapter Master Avonis.

Chapter Colours
The Steel Confessors wear silver Power Armour with bone-coloured knee pads and shoulder plates with dark green-coloured trim. Unusually, they wear their chaper iconography on their right shoulder pad, while their squad type and number are worn on the left shoulder pad.

Chapter Badge
The Steel Confessors' Chapter badge consists of a black cross surmounted in the middle by a lightning bolt in the center of a red circle.