Board Thread:Warhammer 40k Roleplay/@comment-28917471-20150603055254/@comment-25177957-20150607060712

And here's some more you should be reading from that page, it mentions about how some Imperial Guard veterans might be re-trained to be an IST.

Although the vast majority of Storm Troopers are Progena'', orphans trained at the Schola Progenium, at times a senior official of the Imperium (such as an Inquisitor) uses his authority to have an individual inducted into the Storm Trooper training course of the Schola Progenium. In these situations, the Schola Progenium's Drill Abbots make no distinction between a barely-teenage new recruit and a grizzled veteran with years of service, and any complaints those veterans may have are quickly crushed under the weight of training. When (or if) those recruits emerge as Storm Troopers, they are often removed from their squad and assigned to their patron Inquisitor, instead. ''

''To be selected to become a Storm Trooper in this manner happens but rarely, usually after some act of outstanding courage and dedication. The candidate must show developed martial skills, a strong mind resistant to terror and panic, and a deep faith in the Imperial Creed. Naturally, the sponsoring Inquisitor has his own, often obscure, agenda for sponsoring an Acolyte into this training as well. Storm Troopers make excellent Throne Agents, often serving as an Inquisitor's bodyguard in extremely dangerous situations and they are highly valued for their martial training and military knowledge. ''

Often, such an unusual candidate is examined carefully by the Drill Abbot instructors before being declared fit to train with the Storm Trooper Progena''. Rigourous study with the Inquisition is also required for the candidate in order to acquire the same knowledge already learnt by the other Progena -- this often includes a deep understanding of the Tactica Imperialis, advanced stealth techniques, and a method to ensure basic and successful communion with the Machine Spirits of their special wargear, such as digital targeters and Grav-Chutes. In most cases, the "proper" Storm Trooper Progena never recognise the qualities of the outsider candidate, and prefer to remain aloof. The Inquisitorial candidate, after all, has entered the training from the sponsorship of a higher power, and many of the other Progena will doubt his own personal qualifications for such an honour. Traditionally, the Drill Abbots stand apart from the social aspects of their charges, and provide the candidate with no more and no less instruction than that given to any other Progena. Many a grizzled Imperial veteran may find his pride difficult to swallow when treated no differently than a raw and untested recruit by the Drill Abbots. However, swallow it they must if they are to complete their training and fulfil the expectations of their sponsor. ''