Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Let's assume that an Iron Hands' clan arrived late in Istvaan V's orbit (as the Iron Hands' fleet was damaged by the Emperor's Children) and quickly fled with some survivors, separated from the Imperium of Man for the next years and leading a small guerrilla war on Traitors' asses.
Years after the Siege of Terra, they are finally reunited with the Iron Hands (after The Tempering) and, learning of The Tempering, decide that the Legion betrayed Ferrus Manus original ideals and refuse to be reintegrated.

Would the Iron Hands let them go, open fire or try to capture them ?

It would depend on their strength, and who was leading them. For example, Autek Mor and the Morragul Clan became the Red Talons Successor Chapter.

Keep in mind that this is happening before the Second Founding.

I was thinking of a small clan, with a few ships. Maybe a Battle Barge and two or three Cruisers.

While you are free to design an army as you please, it does sound like the 'if this happened, we would have known about it' kind of thing.

 Ashiraya wrote:
While you are free to design an army as you please, it does sound like the 'if this happened, we would have known about it' kind of thing.

That's why I'm asking people about it in the Background subforum.

But imo, the Iron Hands would be a bit shy at the idea of yelling "We have traitors in our ranks!", especially just after the Emperor's "death".

The Tempering and the Second Founding were roughly the same time, weren't they?

Given that during the Moirae Schism the dissenters were exiled, I would guess something similar would happen.

They are also the kind of people who are very unlikely to have any traitors, simply because... why? They're so obsessed with purity and self-guilt even the other chapters consider them a bit extreme.

 Ashiraya wrote:
They are also the kind of people who are very unlikely to have any traitors, simply because... why? They're so obsessed with purity and self-guilt even the other chapters consider them a bit extreme.

Because they are constantly flipping the bird at their Primarch since the Tempering ? I recall Ferrus Manus wanted to get rid of his hands and didn't supported the extensive replacement of one's limbs by bionics.

(Let's be clear : By "traitors" I don't mean "supporting Chaos")

As noted, the Moriae Schism is the best example we have of the Iron Hands in this specific situation.

The schismatics were exiled - but provided with warships and war material - and subsequently became the Sons Of Medusa chapter.

As long as both sides were convinced the other weren't traitors to the Imperium, they just had irreconcilable philosophical differences, I would imagine the same thing happening. If the only way to bring the other iron hands back into the fold was to open fire, they'd probably be hesitant because the last thing the Imperium needed at this point was for two 'loyalist' factions to start shooting at one another.

Before the Heresy the Iron Hands were lenient to those who thought differently - look at Bion Henricos and the founding of the Chainveil.

This has already happened. Not only with the Iron Hands, but with every legion. Every legion, traitor and loyalist had separatist elements who broke off and did their own thing for any one of a thousand different reasons. The example we have for the Iron Hands is detailed in the story, Riven, and followed up on in the story The Keys of Hel. Ferrus Manus had locked away all sorts of profane technology that he felt to be too dangerous for humanity to use. With his death, a small number of marines took this as a sign (or some might say, an opportunity) to unlock the Keys of Hel vault on Medusa and unleash the tech within. Those Iron Hands are still out in the galaxy as of 010.M31, still fighting with their dark tech.

That aside, the Iron Hands did arrive at Istvaan V in two groups, the early force of clan Avernii, who went down on the planet, and the second group who were caught in the space battle and never landed. This second group did scatter across the galaxy and its been the Shadrak Meduson storyline that's been gathering them back together into an effective guerilla fight force, and they've actually done a pretty good job, pulling together around 30,000 marines from across the Shattered Legions.