During the Conquests of Lord Commander Solar Macharius a new branch of intelligence was found in a dilapidated STC (Standard Template Construct) nodule that was liberated from Goff Orks on the planet Kallastin. The STC remains carried the knowledge of cloning, the replication of living beings.
This was seen as a great boon to several forward thinking Lords of Terra as the new planets of the Segmentum Pacificus and specifically planets in the Halo Zone came under constant attack from threats unknown. On the orders of the Fabricator General of the Adeptus Mechanicus with the assistance of the Master of the Administratum an entire chapter of Space Marines was conceived and created using the DNA and tissue samples of living Space Marines. Multiple clones of the greatest warriors of the Imperium were conceived in the labs of the Adeptus Mechanicus based on Kallistin. The project remained a secret from the remaining High Lords and from the Adeptus Ministorum and the Inquisition.
The Adeptus Mechanicus needed defenders of this new knowledge, and quickly. Clones were able to reach a state of physical maturity in two years with Augmentation Cloning Modules and during that time they were constantly fed information through the modules' systems. With the cloning procedure, a Space Marine candidate could be ready for Implantation with no fear of genetic or mental rejection at the end of his two years of growth. Many times implantation of Marine Zygotes was unnecessary as the cloning included these new organs. The Marines sprang fully-grown and instructed from the Augmentation Cloning Modules with the false childhoods given to them by the Genetors of the Adeptus Mechanicus. All of the clones were mem-planted that they were the last survivors of their home world, many of them from the same tribes and hence the similarity in appearance. With no population to recruit from, the Marines were led to believe that the Emperor bestowed his blessings on the process of cloning. The Anvil of Mechanicus chapter of Space Marines was born.
They were the pet chapter of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The new chapter was fully equipped with the best equipment available and sent to defend the labs and cities newly claimed by the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Anvil of Mechanicus Chapter was given orders by the Fabricator General representing himself as the Emperor. Time and again the Anvil of Mechanicus fought against a foe that would appear and then disappear in a random manner. The Chapter was used as a defense force to slow this new threat to the Empire. Reports came to the Fabricator that the Marines fought against machines. Robots that could sustain massive damage and then vaporize as they were destroyed. The Anvil of Mechanicus also fought against Ork raiders and at least one Tyranid attack on Adrantis V.
Rumors began to reach the High Lords of Terra. All knew that there had not been any Adeptus Astartes sent to that part of the Segmentum Pacifica and yet Space Marines were partaking in combat along that front. Imperial Navy ships were sent to investigate from Imperial Navy Base Battlefleet Pacificus on Hydraphur. Inquisitor Visien was sent to accompany the Imperial Navy on the flagship Nordahl.
The Inquisitor used his Privilege of Inspection to tour the Anvil of Mechanicus base on Kallastin.
The Inquisitor immediately noticed the similarity of appearance of the Marines and began to question Lord Commander Urqueil Calgar about the Chapter and its charter. Though Lord Calgar was able to answer many of the Inquisitor's questions many more went unanswered. The holes in the Lord Commander's memory and knowledge prompted the Inquistitor to delve further into the enigmatic history of this new and unheard of chapter.
The Fabricator General, upon hearing of the Inquisition's involvement, detached the entire Adeptus Mechanicus from the Anvil of Mechanicus Chapter. Records and files pertaining to them were destroyed and deleted. Only the slightest ghost of a link could lead the Inquisition back to the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The small bit of knowledge that was unearthed led Inquisitor Visien to brand the Chapter heretical and outlaw. The creation of life in a lab was deemed unethical and sacrilegious for even the Emperor had come of a mortal woman. The Chapter was declared non-citizens and expelled from the Imperium. All members of the Chapter and its support staff would be summarily executed as deviations from Humanity. The Adeptus Mechanicus upper level command was suspected for the unethical activity and questioned but lack of evidence and political intrigue clouded investigations. Several lower functionaries were publicly executed and the incident was logged away.
Lord Commander Urqueil spent many long weeks in talks with the Inquisitor. The knowledge of his and his men's creation came as a shock to him and the entire chapter. The Inquisitor took pity on the misled creations and extended them an offer of grace. The Chapter would be permitted to live based on the exemplary record of service that the Marines had attained in defending the Imperium. Several strict rules were applied to the Chapter as a sign of their acceptance of the Emperor's beneficence. They would be allowed to depart from the labs of Kallastin with only what they could carry in two space barges. The Augmentation Cloning Modules would be destroyed and the knowledge of their creation be mind wiped from the Tech Marines of the Chapter. They would lose all rights as a Chapter until such time as the entire chapter was filled by naturally born replacements to the clones. They could wear no insignia declaring a Chapter name. They would strip all equipment of Chapter colors being afforded only the primer grey of new equipment until such time as they would be readmitted to the Imperium. They would remain loyal to the Emporer and to Humanity.
The chapter was set afloat in a universe it did not understand or belong in. They packed supplies and weapons onto the Space barges and retreated beyond the Astronomican Beacon. They carried with them over 1,350 loyal Space Marine brethren as well as nearly 700 Adeptus Mechanicus personnel that were similarly banned. The loyalty and belief in the Emperor stayed with the chapter as they explored the outer reaches of space beyond Humanity. They faced horrors and terrors of alien races and fought valiantly to rescue and defend the few human inhabited planets that they encountered, bringing the word and light of the Emperor to the Barbaric peoples they found there.
The cast out Marines created a base on a planet they named Civilica, a temperate world with a native human population. The planet was seeded by the Eldar long before the fall and was indeed a Maiden World. The local humans were in awe of the Space Marines and became servile to them. The Marines took wives and concubines in hopes of creating genetically adaptive hosts for their geneseed.
The exiled Adeptus Mechanicus followed their creations into the far reaches of space and set up labs and factories on Civilica. They took in the brightest of the natives and taught them the mysteries of Technology and have raised new generations of Tech Priests to follow in their footsteps.
THE CHAPTER TODAY:
The Chapter has adapted well to its imposed exile. They continue to train and fight as an effective unit. The clones have an unnaturally long life span ranging from 200 up to nearly 1,000 years due to improvements made in their genetic makeup during cloning. Sadly, the fertility of the Marines was affected by the cloning process, and few Marines are able to beget children upon wives and concubines. Even out of these few, more than 60% are female and unable to accept the implantation of geneseed zygotes. Some few natives have been gene tested and found acceptable to implantation but the occurrence is rare as the zygotes are also genetically suited to the clones' DNA. The children of the Marines are indeed going to be the next generation of the chapter. However as the children grow, the Grey Legion continues to wage war and defend Humanity from outside forces. Lately, Eldar, claiming the world as theirs, have visited the Grey Legion's home world. Though the Eldar have not, as yet, become violent, the threat of further war looms over the Grey legion and their families.
The Grey Legion have become accustomed to a life outside of the Imperium and yet some inner drive forces them back into the Empire of Humanity now and again. Two chapters of the Adeptus Astartes and one force of the Imperial Army have attacked the Grey Legion mistakenly assuming them to be a Chaos or Traitor Legion. The Grey Legion defends itself as well as possible as it withdraws and attempts to avoid contact with other Imperial forces. The Shame of the Grey Legion is known to only a few and their existence will only be made known to the general populace when the Inquisition has given it's recommendation for re-entry of the Chapter into Imperial space to the High Lords of Terra.
The Grey Legion is the only chapter to have an Adeptus Mechanicus conclave within its chapter hierarchy. The new generations of Adeptus Mechanicus have continued to supply and support the Grey Legion. They have accepted samples of current technology and replicated it. Several newer additions have even attempted to improve technology and without the strict enforcement of the rest of the Adeptus Mechanicus to curb the desire for research, Grey Legion Tech Priests are attempting to invent new machines and sciences. Reports of success have been few. Using the knowledge of their predecessors has led the Grey Legion into battle driving Leman Russ Tanks as well as Imperial Chimeras and Sentinels. There is no distinction for the Grey Legion as to Marine vs. Imperial Guard vehicles. All the Machine Spirits are to be revered.
The human natives of Civilica have adapted to serving the Grey Legion. Most wish to be honored by becoming Marines though as previously stated this is rare. Being a child bearer of a Marine is of great status and many families bring their female children to the chapter house to become bearers. The girl children born of these unions have greater strength and endurance than "normal" men and have become a warrior sub-elite. They are trained in battle by their fathers and have become a home guard when the Grey Legion is away. These Legiona are skilled warriors and have been known to accompany the Legion on short missions on rare occasions. As the numbers of Marines declines, the number of Legiona accompanying them will continue to increase until the Chapter fills with new generations of Marines.
The adoration of the natives has led some Marines on the path of gluttony and debauchery. These few Marines are dangerous links to Chaos and there is a great fear that the Chapter may fall to that evil temptation. The Chaplaincy has been enlarged to bring the Marines back under tight control and each fighting squad is assigned a Chaplain Accolyte to lead them in spiritual matters. The Accolytes are natural-born Marines in each squad with Chaplain markings that lecture and teach of the Emperor reawakening the loyalty that all Space Marines bear towards the Empire. The long exile and knowledge that they are creations and not true men eats at the souls of many. The sense of incompleteness dogs many with depression and confusion. The Chapter is at a great crossroads and the Chapter Masters and Chaplains hope to lead the Marines along the correct path.