Can Chaos Marines be converted back to the Imperium?

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**calamarialldayerrday**

Why would they want to go back to the IoM? Once they've seen the light, once they've liberated themselves from the dreadful service to a false god and they've seen all that their new found freedom has to offer, why would they ever go back? They are free now, free to think for themselves, free to spill the blood of whomever they choose, and free to experience all the pleasures of the warp. Would you go back?

**Bronzefists42**

Chaos traitors (specifically) I assume cannot rejoin the chapter mostly due to ostracizing/tainted gene seed/lack of trust

**dusara217**

TiamatRoar wrote:
I know of two cases in the fluff where a CSM decides to repent, but both were a "Redemption equals death" case. That Ultramarine from Daemonifuge mentioned above and a Ravenclaw in the Ultramarines novel series. Again, for both, the final redemption was in death and I'd be surprised if the Imperium would have it any other way. In the case of the Ravenclaw, the redemption WAS recognized at least (not sure if by the Imperium, but by fellow Space Marines at least)

livingdeadkid wrote:
I don't know but I swear that while reading the deathwatch rpg book I read something about former traitors becoming apart of the deathwatch as a black shield. I decided to check lexacanum and they strongly hint that former traitors do become members of the deathwatch.

That death watch snippet says that Black Shields can be marines who's BATTLE BROTHERS turned traitor, not them themselves. For example, an Astral Claw who remained loyal to the Imperium and never betrayed in the first place would become a Black Shield after the Badab War happened. It's up in the air whether ACTUAL traitors could become Black Shields.

If a Traitor Marine was a good enough liar and wasnt't mutated, then he could just say that he was from an obscure Chapter that had gone renegade and be let in as a Black Shield

**Zewrath**

"There is no greater transgression than to betray the Emperor's will; for a normal man there may be atonement for such a sin in death, but for a member of the Astartes, even the grave cannot hold suffering enough to pay for this crime."
— Lord High Commander Carab Culln

Nah, it doesn't sound like they are cool with traitors.

**Deadshot**

dusara217 wrote:
TiamatRoar wrote:
I know of two cases in the fluff where a CSM decides to repent, but both were a "Redemption equals death" case. That Ultramarine from Daemonifuge mentioned above and a Ravenclaw in the Ultramarines novel series. Again, for both, the final redemption was in death and I'd be surprised if the Imperium would have it any other way. In the case of the Ravenclaw, the redemption WAS recognized at least (not sure if by the Imperium, but by fellow Space Marines at least)

livingdeadkid wrote:
I don't know but I swear that while reading the deathwatch rpg book I read something about former traitors becoming apart of the deathwatch as a black shield. I decided to check lexacanum and they strongly hint that former traitors do become members of the deathwatch.

That death watch snippet says that Black Shields can be marines who's BATTLE BROTHERS turned traitor, not them themselves. For example, an Astral Claw who remained loyal to the Imperium and never betrayed in the first place would become a Black Shield after the Badab War happened. It's up in the air whether ACTUAL traitors could become Black Shields.

If a Traitor Marine was a good enough liar and wasnt't mutated, then he could just say that he was from an obscure Chapter that had gone renegade and be let in as a Black Shield

I would assume that the DW would use a Librarian or 3 to screen him and make sure he wasn't tainted.

**Harriticus**

Once you fall to Chaos, legitimate redemption is impossible. There really isn't a single case of it happening. It's true Horus temporarily regained his Heresy right before the Emperor killed him, but he there's no indication it was anything permanent.

**Coldstream**

calamarialldayerrday wrote:
Why would they want to go back to the IoM? Once they've seen the light, once they've liberated themselves from the dreadful service to a false god and they've seen all that their new found freedom has to offer, why would they ever go back? They are free now, free to think for themselves, free to spill the blood of whomever they choose, and free to experience all the pleasures of the warp. Would you go back?

Well, once they realize their freedom is even more an illusion under Chaos than it might have been in the IoM, I could see a few having regrets. That is until they go cuckoo-for-cocoa puffs as a means of dealing with it.

**TiamatRoar**

Deadshot wrote:
dusara217 wrote:
TiamatRoar wrote:
I know of two cases in the fluff where a CSM decides to repent, but both were a "Redemption equals death" case. That Ultramarine from Daemonifuge mentioned above and a Ravenclaw in the Ultramarines novel series. Again, for both, the final redemption was in death and I'd be surprised if the Imperium would have it any other way. In the case of the Ravenclaw, the redemption WAS recognized at least (not sure if by the Imperium, but by fellow Space Marines at least)

livingdeadkid wrote:
I don't know but I swear that while reading the deathwatch rpg book I read something about former traitors becoming apart of the deathwatch as a black shield. I decided to check lexacanum and they strongly hint that former traitors do become members of the deathwatch.

That death watch snippet says that Black Shields can be marines who's BATTLE BROTHERS turned traitor, not them themselves. For example, an Astral Claw who remained loyal to the Imperium and never betrayed in the first place would become a Black Shield after the Badab War happened. It's up in the air whether ACTUAL traitors could become Black Shields.

If a Traitor Marine was a good enough liar and wasnt't mutated, then he could just say that he was from an obscure Chapter that had gone renegade and be let in as a Black Shield

I would assume that the DW would use a Librarian or 3 to screen him and make sure he wasn't tainted.

Yea, I doubt the Death Watch is so stupid that they'd just trust some random stranger marine's word without doing SOMETHING to check it (be it psykers or a background check with the presumably large amount of authorization resources at their disposal)

Also, there's no such thing as an "obscure chapter" to the Deathwatch. ALL Space Marine chapters take the Deathwatch oath to contribute marines to the Deathwatch (even Carcharodons!), so if any organization knows what's up with Space Marine chapters, obscure or otherwise, it's them. Pretending you're from some obscure chapter and hoping they never heard about it or don't have the resources to contact it is probably not going to work.

**EmperorsChampion**

I believe there was a heretic and or traitor serving under an Inquisitor in The Emperor's Gift. It is also noted how the main character simply hates the mere presence of him. He isn't a marine, but a human in that case.

**brendan**

This is picky but...

The Lamenters, Executioners and Mantis Warriors (and likely elements of the Astral Claws) were deceived by a corrupt (although not necessarily chaotic) Lugft Huron. The conflict over the maelstrom wardenship (Badab) started as one of Astartes supremacy versus allegedly corrupt Imperial/bureaucratic overstepping. I think the fluff is fairly clear that the other combatants supporting Huron did not realize they were rebelling against the IoM, rather than defending their Astartes brethren. That the aforementioned chapters were allowed to continue breathing at the conclusion of fighting supports this view.

**master of asgard**

There's a pretty good fanfic where this scenario happens.
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8666609/1/Child-of-the-Emperor
It's quite nicely written but I think the reactions of some of the people he comes across would have been much more extreme!