Non-Chaos Traitor Marines (?)

[Warlok]

Hopefully a fun ponderance.

In the lore, have there ever been Space Marines that betrayed the Emperor, but not for Chaos? Any Marines - despite their genetics and brainwashing - ever see the Empire for what it is and join a group of Imperial Guard (& colonists) and head for Tau space or something similar?

[Stardustfire]

Well, not really, the nearest thing you coud get in that direction are some of the Fallen (they where more misleaded than drawn to chaos) with a very special case among them being Cypher.
Also its not clear what all the other "Hereticus" Branded Chapters (not the Legions of the great war, but Chapters founded after the restructoring of SMs, there are some that got completly whiped out with no clear explanation, mostly by other SM Chapters) done to earn so much missthrust. not all of them gone to chaos, some where only suspicious or a thorn in the side of a higher up on terra.

[Still River]

I have read a book about neutral Space Marines. There were loyal ish Carcharodons chapter and traitor ish Ashen Claws chapter. None of these two chapters were allies neither to Imperium nor to Chaos.

[hellheaven1987]

Carcharodons is clearly loyalist, Astral Claws is complicated but Lugft Huron was probably on the side of Chaos during Badab War.

Besides meme such as Alpha Legion, there is Renegade Chapter such as Soul Drinkers (with a novel series about them) or Sons of Malice. There are also some Night Lords members who hated both sides.

[Cursed Hawkins]

Originally posted by Stardustfire:

Well, not really, the nearest thing you coud get in that direction are some of the Fallen (they where more misleaded than drawn to chaos) with a very special case among them being Cypher.

When it comes to Tau, unless this is just straight up wrong but I recall seeing an image of a Space Marine with Tau colors on their armor but I wouldn't be surprised if some managed to sneak away to the Tau Empire and take their equipment with them, the only Space Marines that we can say for sure are still in somewhat contact with the Tau Empire are the DeathWatch Marines whenever an Inquisitor needs to speak with a Tau leader.

[Stardustfire]

he asked for SM not alligned to the Imperium or Chaos, not for Tau Marines. so stop pulling things out of context.

[Ashardalon]

night lords use chaos only as a tool
they serve themself, atleast as long as they can keep their sanity
many have gone over to chaos after millenia of seeing the truth, but there are still a decent number that follow their primarchs teachings
the raptor squads while heavily changed by chaos exposure live for the hunt, also not really serving chaos
most renegade marines start off as fighting for themself, tho its rare they dont eventually fall to chaos since you can deny the truth of the galaxy only for so long
the soul drinkers are a pretty famous chapter of renegade marines
in some way you can even technically say the iron warriors dont really fight for chaos
but they are also demonsmiths, so even if you dont do it for chaos if your hanging around demons all day i dont know how true that really is
but its technically correct wich is the best kind of correct

[Cursed Hawkins]

Originally posted by Warlok:

Non-Chaos Traitor Marines (?)
In the lore, have there ever been Space Marines that betrayed the Emperor, but not for Chaos? Any Marines - despite their genetics and brainwashing - ever see the Empire for what it is and join a group of Imperial Guard (& colonists) and head for Tau space or something similar?

Originally posted by Stardustfire:

so stop pulling things out of context.

Really you're going to say I'M out of context when they ASK IF ANY WENT TO THE ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ TAU EMPIRE!

[Stardustfire]

"or something similar"
read complete sentence, not only half....

and you taken my text, ripped a piece out of it, quoted it and than bend the answer with something i not even mentioned. so dont say you dont take things out of context.

[Ashardalon]

the watercaste does often mention even marines joining them
but ofcourse your not going to read it in a book about the imperium because that would mean the super special super guys did bad
and modern writers cant write that anymore

[Warlok]

Interesting. Nice to know lore folk have dabbled with that.

I could imagine a huge bounty put on heads of such Marines... be a good mission plot for an fps. :)

Regarding Gladius, perhaps Tau auxiliaries - an entire army themselves! - might feature the occasional such "convert". :)

[Ashardalon]

you just need kroot
the second best faction in the lore
but a few floating polarbears are understandable to include

[Stardustfire]

Warlok if you want such a mission plot it woud be enove for the basics of Dark Angels.
Rumors of a Single Space Marine in an Antique Black Armor seighted on a Remote Planet: Ravenwing Squads will drop in like Rain, if they find more concrete Clues, several White Armored Terminator Units will Teleport in.
make it more than one sayed Marine in out of Time Armor and your Planet will have to deal with most of the Ravenwing, the complete Deathwing, and maybe the 3th Chapter plus Fill ins from other Chapters. And as a local your only hope is that it wasnt a Dark Angels Legion Armor you seen. The Dark Angels Chapters take no chances that such rumors can spread. Not to mentation you dont want a "personal talk" with a Dark Angel Chaplain as a normal citizien.
enove plot for your FPS?

Point is that Fallen that are not corrupted by Chaos only try to hide and live a "normal live" . They cant take an active role in any conflicts, or they have a good chance word of them makes the round. its hard enove to blend in as a 3 meter human (and without wearing your old armor and hide the interface at your back) with a very long livespan if you cant convince the locals that you came from a planet where this was a normal enviroment mution.