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I'm looking for some in formation on what makes an Imperial self sustaining explorer/crusade, colonization fleet.

Basically I'm planing a small story that consists of a mixed fleet of Imperial Guard, SOBs, Space Marines and Ad Mech forces getting sent elsewhere by the Emperor before the fall of Cadia and all that that entails.

So I'd like to hear your thoughts on my question.

Stay safe out there folks because things are only going to get worse as far as I can tell.

Kargan3033 wrote:
I'm looking for some in formation on what makes an Imperial self sustaining explorer/crusade, colonization fleet.

Basically I'm planing a small story that consists of a mixed fleet of Imperial Guard, SOBs, Space Marines and Ad Mech forces getting sent elsewhere by the Emperor before the fall of Cadia and all that that entails.

So I'd like to hear your thoughts on my question.

Stay safe out there folks because things are only going to get worse as far as I can tell.

Exploration tends to fall under the purview of the Rogue Traders who can command just a single ship or entire fleets.
However, the Adeptus Mechanicus also operates Explorator fleets within the Basilikon Astra (the Mechanicus version of the Imperial Navy) to enable them to follow the Quest for Knowledge. Magos Explorators lead fleets of the Basilikon Astra into uncharted space to discover and retrieve lost Archeotech. Depending on the Magos in question the fleet could be small with one Cruiser size capital ship and a squadron of Escort vessels or it could be a grand undertaking with a large fleet of many Capital ships, Escorts, and even a rare Ark Mechanicus class ship. Regardless of size, an Explorator fleet will be better equipped than an equivalent Imperial Navy sized battlegroup due to the Mechanicus' knowledge of the machine and secret technologies.

As for a Crusade fleet, this gets complicated. A Crusade can be anything from retaking a planet to an entire sector. The Sabbat Worlds Crusade lists over 165 Imperial Guard Regiments, elements from 6 Space Marine Chapters, a massive Navy battlegroup, ships from the Basilikon Astra, and elements of the Legio Invicta.
Generally, a Crusade cannot be self-sustaining. The aforementioned Sabbat Crusade liberated many worlds which then, in turn, started producing arms, equipment, food, and even further reinforcing Guard Regiments to the campaign.

Also, just as a side note. The Emperor Himself doesn't direct anything in the Imperium because He is little more than a corpse on the Golden Throne. The Crusade could have been called by an individual claiming to have been sent a vision by the Emperor though, this sort of thing happens quite a lot.

 Gert wrote:

Kargan3033 wrote:
I'm looking for some in formation on what makes an Imperial self sustaining explorer/crusade, colonization fleet.

Basically I'm planing a small story that consists of a mixed fleet of Imperial Guard, SOBs, Space Marines and Ad Mech forces getting sent elsewhere by the Emperor before the fall of Cadia and all that that entails.

So I'd like to hear your thoughts on my question.

Stay safe out there folks because things are only going to get worse as far as I can tell.

Exploration tends to fall under the purview of the Rogue Traders who can command just a single ship or entire fleets.
However, the Adeptus Mechanicus also operates Explorator fleets within the Basilikon Astra (the Mechanicus version of the Imperial Navy) to enable them to follow the Quest for Knowledge. Magos Explorators lead fleets of the Basilikon Astra into uncharted space to discover and retrieve lost Archeotech. Depending on the Magos in question the fleet could be small with one Cruiser size capital ship and a squadron of Escort vessels or it could be a grand undertaking with a large fleet of many Capital ships, Escorts, and even a rare Ark Mechanicus class ship. Regardless of size, an Explorator fleet will be better equipped than an equivalent Imperial Navy sized battlegroup due to the Mechanicus' knowledge of the machine and secret technologies.

As for a Crusade fleet, this gets complicated. A Crusade can be anything from retaking a planet to an entire sector. The Sabbat Worlds Crusade lists over 165 Imperial Guard Regiments, elements from 6 Space Marine Chapters, a massive Navy battlegroup, ships from the Basilikon Astra, and elements of the Legio Invicta.
Generally, a Crusade cannot be self-sustaining. The aforementioned Sabbat Crusade liberated many worlds which then, in turn, started producing arms, equipment, food, and even further reinforcing Guard Regiments to the campaign.

Also, just as a side note. The Emperor Himself doesn't direct anything in the Imperium because He is little more than a corpse on the Golden Throne. The Crusade could have been called by an individual claiming to have been sent a vision by the Emperor though, this sort of thing happens quite a lot.

Ok that is very interesting, the plot for the story I'm planing is that the Emperor realized that humanity is doomed and has ordered a *Fleet* to be assembled and told to go else where outside of the galaxy so that some reminat of humanity would survive the end of the know galaxy and has ordered the sub factions of the Imperum(Guard, SOBs, SMs and Ad mech forces and so on) to become a combined force in the *fleet* and are just *warping* out of the galaxy just as Caida is destroyed and the Great Rift is created and sends the *fleet* some where other then the new galaxy that the Emperor was trying to send them to.

So basically how would I swing that from a lore wise stand point?

Kargan3033 wrote:
Ok that is very interesting, the plot for the story I'm planing is that the Emperor realized that humanity is doomed and has ordered a *Fleet* to be assembled and told to go else where outside of the galaxy so that some reminat of humanity would survive the end of the know galaxy and has ordered the sub factions of the Imperum(Guard, SOBs, SMs and Ad mech forces and so on) to become a combined force in the *fleet* and are just *warping* out of the galaxy just as Caida is destroyed and the Great Rift is created and sends the *fleet* some where other then the new galaxy that the Emperor was trying to send them to.

So basically how would I swing that from a lore wise stand point?

Your biggest problem is the fact it's the Emperor doing this. As I noted earlier, He doesn't do much and at best uses His powerful psychic abilities to send "visions" or "emissaries" (note the quotation marks because everything the Emperor does is surrounded by religious interpretation) to instruct those within the Imperium. The High Lords are the real rulers of the Imperium with the Emperor as essentially nothing more than a state figurehead, sort of like Queen Elizabeth II. Nominally He controls the Imperium but in reality, not at all because He is basically dead.
If you did want to go for the "The God-Emperor told me to do it" angle, then the fleet would likely have to be based around the Ecclesiarchy, the Imperial religious body. A particularly excentric Bishop/Abbot/Cardinal could claim that the Emperor has commanded his world to leave this galaxy to prevent the destruction of humanity. They could then rally the local Fraeteris Militia and Adepta Sororitas to lead the faithful on an exodus to their new home. You'd be hard-pressed to fit the Mechanicus in and even more so a contingent of Space Marines, who are famously not religious outside of some fringe cases such as the Black Templars or the Hospitallers.

Something you also need to understand is that the Imperium is not one big monolith where everyone agrees and is always on the same side.
The Mechanicus largely considers itself to be beyond the reach of the Imperium in many cases, often acting as a sort of client state within the wider empire. Forgeworlds maintain their own fleets, armies, and tithes with entire sectors sometimes being given over to the Mechanicus.
Space Marines are also very isolationist and serve the Emperor, not the Imperium. Each Chapter decides where it fights and who it helps with the only real influence on their actions coming from pacts, promises, vows or debts. Every time another Imperial institution tries to hamper Astartes autonomy, it doesn't end well for that institution.
The Ecclesiarchy has entire wars spanning decades over the interpretation of a footnote in a version of the Lectitio Divinitatus. Priests often pervert the Imperial Faith to suit their own ends and often use it as a weapon against their enemies.
The Imperial Guard can't invade worlds without the Imperial Navy and the Navy can't hold territory without the Guard.
The Sisters of Battle nominally fall under the control of the Ecclesiarchy but often exert their own control because they have the guns. Their job is to be the militant arm of the Faith while also ensuring the Church follows the laws and legislation set out by the High Lords after the Age of Apostasy. If a member of the Church breaks the rules, it's the Sisters job to punish them.
Let's not even get into the Inquisition which is just a big hot mess.

 Gert wrote:

Kargan3033 wrote:
Ok that is very interesting, the plot for the story I'm planing is that the Emperor realized that humanity is doomed and has ordered a *Fleet* to be assembled and told to go else where outside of the galaxy so that some reminat of humanity would survive the end of the know galaxy and has ordered the sub factions of the Imperum(Guard, SOBs, SMs and Ad mech forces and so on) to become a combined force in the *fleet* and are just *warping* out of the galaxy just as Caida is destroyed and the Great Rift is created and sends the *fleet* some where other then the new galaxy that the Emperor was trying to send them to.

So basically how would I swing that from a lore wise stand point?

Your biggest problem is the fact it's the Emperor doing this. As I noted earlier, He doesn't do much and at best uses His powerful psychic abilities to send "visions" or "emissaries" (note the quotation marks because everything the Emperor does is surrounded by religious interpretation) to instruct those within the Imperium. The High Lords are the real rulers of the Imperium with the Emperor as essentially nothing more than a state figurehead, sort of like Queen Elizabeth II. Nominally He controls the Imperium but in reality, not at all because He is basically dead.
If you did want to go for the "The God-Emperor told me to do it" angle, then the fleet would likely have to be based around the Ecclesiarchy, the Imperial religious body. A particularly excentric Bishop/Abbot/Cardinal could claim that the Emperor has commanded his world to leave this galaxy to prevent the destruction of humanity. They could then rally the local Fraeteris Militia and Adepta Sororitas to lead the faithful on an exodus to their new home. You'd be hard-pressed to fit the Mechanicus in and even more so a contingent of Space Marines, who are famously not religious outside of some fringe cases such as the Black Templars or the Hospitallers.

Something you also need to understand is that the Imperium is not one big monolith where everyone agrees and is always on the same side.
The Mechanicus largely considers itself to be beyond the reach of the Imperium in many cases, often acting as a sort of client state within the wider empire. Forgeworlds maintain their own fleets, armies, and tithes with entire sectors sometimes being given over to the Mechanicus.
Space Marines are also very isolationist and serve the Emperor, not the Imperium. Each Chapter decides where it fights and who it helps with the only real influence on their actions coming from pacts, promises, vows or debts. Every time another Imperial institution tries to hamper Astartes autonomy, it doesn't end well for that institution.
The Ecclesiarchy has entire wars spanning decades over the interpretation of a footnote in a version of the Lectitio Divinitatus. Priests often pervert the Imperial Faith to suit their own ends and often use it as a weapon against their enemies.
The Imperial Guard can't invade worlds without the Imperial Navy and the Navy can't hold territory without the Guard.
The Sisters of Battle nominally fall under the control of the Ecclesiarchy but often exert their own control because they have the guns. Their job is to be the militant arm of the Faith while also ensuring the Church follows the laws and legislation set out by the High Lords after the Age of Apostasy. If a member of the Church breaks the rules, it's the Sisters job to punish them.
Let's not even get into the Inquisition which is just a big hot mess.

What you say is true and I do agree with you on much of what you have said, but you have also said the Emperor *communicates* through dreams and visions and given how much the faith of the Emperor has a hold over the majority of humanity it could said that if the Emperor what something and wanted to clearly communicate with humanity all he would have to do is make mental contact with the highers up in the Imperial food chain(if he is able to) and clearly tell them what he wants done.

Which also begers the question, if the Emperor was capable of such clear communications even if just for a short time and with a few humans then *WHY?* hasn't he done so before instead of being all cryptic in his limited communications with humanity?

Kargan3033 wrote:
What you say is true and I do agree with you on much of what you have said, but you have also said the Emperor *communicates* through dreams and visions and given how much the faith of the Emperor has a hold over the majority of humanity it could said that if the Emperor what something and wanted to clearly communicate with humanity all he would have to do is make mental contact with the highers up in the Imperial food chain(if he is able to) and clearly tell them what he wants done.

Which also begers the question, if the Emperor was capable of such clear communications even if just for a short time and with a few humans then *WHY?* hasn't he done so before instead of being all cryptic in his limited communications with humanity?

The Emperor can't do that though, it's kind of the point of Him being a figurehead that communicates in mysterious ways rather than just an immobile version of His Great Crusade self.
With regards to the visions and dreams, it goes back to the point I made about the different Imperial institutions. While faith is one of the pillars of Imperial society and the Ecclesiarchy does hold a permanent seat in the High Lords, it is not the strongest nor is it the most influential institution with the Imperium. The higher up the chain of power you go the more skeptical the people get of the Ecclesiarchy. Your average Joe will take a priest's word as gospel (pun intended) but a Lord Militant, Rear Admiral, High Magos, or Chapter Master? Not a chance. The High Lords might just even decide the Ecclesiarch is insane and order the Assasinorum to remove them from office. The rest of the Ecclesiarchy wouldn't even be likely to support it, declare the Ecclesiarch a Heretic, and have them removed. The Imperium runs on the status quo and events that could potentially cause great change are buried and silenced, with the exception being the return of Guilliman and even then there was an attempted coup.

 Gert wrote:

Kargan3033 wrote:
What you say is true and I do agree with you on much of what you have said, but you have also said the Emperor *communicates* through dreams and visions and given how much the faith of the Emperor has a hold over the majority of humanity it could said that if the Emperor what something and wanted to clearly communicate with humanity all he would have to do is make mental contact with the highers up in the Imperial food chain(if he is able to) and clearly tell them what he wants done.

Which also begers the question, if the Emperor was capable of such clear communications even if just for a short time and with a few humans then *WHY?* hasn't he done so before instead of being all cryptic in his limited communications with humanity?

The Emperor can't do that though, it's kind of the point of Him being a figurehead that communicates in mysterious ways rather than just an immobile version of His Great Crusade self.
With regards to the visions and dreams, it goes back to the point I made about the different Imperial institutions. While faith is one of the pillars of Imperial society and the Ecclesiarchy does hold a permanent seat in the High Lords, it is not the strongest nor is it the most influential institution with the Imperium. The higher up the chain of power you go the more skeptical the people get of the Ecclesiarchy. Your average Joe will take a priest's word as gospel (pun intended) but a Lord Militant, Rear Admiral, High Magos, or Chapter Master? Not a chance. The High Lords might just even decide the Ecclesiarch is insane and order the Assasinorum to remove them from office. The rest of the Ecclesiarchy wouldn't even be likely to support it, declare the Ecclesiarch a Heretic, and have them removed. The Imperium runs on the status quo and events that could potentially cause great change are buried and silenced, with the exception being the return of Guilliman and even then there was an attempted coup.

Hmm, you do make some very interesting points, going to need to do some heavy thinking.