Mentors

The Mentors, sometimes called in Imperial records the Mentor Legion, are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown origin created during the 26th Founding in 738.M41, making them one of the most recently Founded Chapters in the Imperium of Man. Little is known about this Chapter in Imperial records, though the Mentors are known to be a reclusive and suspicious Chapter of Astartes who no longer trust other Space Marine Chapters or the Imperial government, preferring to work alone and unobserved by all save the foes of Mankind and the Emperor.

Chapter History
Often referred to as the Mentor Legion in Imperial records, the Mentors are a 26th Founding Chapter created from an unknown source of gene-seed in 738.M41 and are the second Chapter of Astartes to be designated number 888 (the first being the now-lost Star Scorpions). This came about because the Star Scorpions, a Chapter created during the 25th Founding, suffered from both a high rate of mutation within its gene-seed and had the terrible misfortune of becoming lost in the Warp after coming under attack from very powerful daemonic entities. Though the Star Scorpions' ultimate fate remains unknown to the Imperium, the High Lords of Terra, acting in the name of the Emperor, declared the Chapter lost. While stocks of the Star Scorpions' gene-seed had survived the loss of the Chapter, the high rate of mutation found within it made it useless when the Adeptus Mechanicus moved to try to reconstitute the Chapter. During the 26th Founding, the Mechanicus created the Mentors Chapter from gene-seed drawn from a variety of different Chapters and originally assigned them the Chapter number, badge and colours of the Star Scorpions, though the badge was later changed to provide the Mentors with more of their own identity.

Notable Conflicts

 * Biel-Tan - Imperial records indicate that elements of the Mentors Chapter are currently engaged against the Eldar of the Biel-Tan Craftworld.
 * Battle of Charadon - Several whole companies of the Chapter are currently deployed alongside the Imperial forces engaged against the massive Ork WAAAGH! in the Charadon System.

Chapter Doctrine
The Mentors do not follow the standard Astartes tactical doctrines because these Space Marines do not fight as a single force or even usually as full companies but instead second squads drawn from the Chapter's companies to supplement other Imperial forces. This is because one of the unusual traits of Mentors Astartes which may derive from an unforeseen mutation within their gene-seed is that every Mentors Astartes possesses a near-genius ability to observe, memorize and elaborate upon the tactical doctrines of other peoples and xenos species. This extraordinary boon means that every Mentors Astartes is the equivalent of a professor of military science with many years of combat experience. As a result, squads of Mentors Space Marines can serve as force multipliers when they are embedded in other Imperial military forces, such as with the regiments of the Imperial Guard or the starship squadrons of the Imperial Navy. Mentors Space Marines are thus deployed at the request of the various Imperial Segmentum Commands all across the galaxy wherever their particular talents would prove to be most useful.

As a result of this uniquely varied combat record, the Mentors have added enough citations to their Roll of Honour to make many far more ancient Chapters of Astartes envious. The Mentors are based in a highly-secret fortress-monastery complex that is located on an unknown world. Most of the Chapter remains within this complex at any one time, constantly training and distilling down to their essence all of the military knowledge they have gained. Select squads are chosen to leave and carry out their missions for the Emperor and the competition is intense within the Chapter to be chosen for these missions. The most experienced and skilled Mentors Astartes are Veterans who belong to a special group somewhat similar to standard Chapters' elite 1st Companies that is known as the Elite Cadre. The Elite Cadre are some of the most skilled warriors to have ever operated in the galaxy. They are usually deployed to carry out highly specialised military roles that would normally be considered the role of special operations troops or commandos in other forces, such as counter-terrorism, demolitions, infiltration and behind-enemy-lines reconnaissance. Elite Cadre members are expected to be able to be deployed to deal with threats that would normally lie outside the scope of a Space Marine Chapter's standard tactical doctrines, much like a Deathwatch Kill-team. When squads of the Elite Cadre are deployed to aid Imperial Commanders across the galaxy, they are either used as traditional special operations troops to carry out crucial missions that other warriors cannot or they are broken up, with each Astartes used as a force multiplier by becoming the commander of an individual unit of frontline combat troops.

The Mentors Chapter enjoys close links with the Adeptus Mechanicus, and is known to be unusually technologically innovative in its own right. The Chapter also acts as a test bed for new Imperial technology recently developed by the Mechanicus. Consequently, the Mentors' equipment is of a superior standard in terms of reliability and technical complexity to that of the average Space Marine Chapter, if such a thing can be said to exist.

Chapter Colours
The Mentors' Power Armour is painted dark green on the torso and helmet, with white arm, shoulders and leg plates.

Chapter Badge
The Chapter's badge was originally the stylised face of an owl, but was later changed to that of a plain red falcon's head, seen in profile.

Notable Mentors

 * Nisk Ran-Thwall - The Chapter Master of the Mentors, named Nisk Ran-Thawll, has visited Terra, and is rumoured to have been granted an audience with the Emperor of Mankind himself, though for what reason remains unknown.