Unlike the vessels of the Imperial Navy, a Space
Marine ship has a relatively small crew. A Space
Marine is far too valuable to waste in manning a
gun or watching a surveyor screen, and so only
the officers aboard a vessel are likely to be
Space Marines, as well as the few Techmarines
who oversee the engines and perform other
mechanical duties. Almost all the ship’s systems
are run and monitored by servitors; half-human
cyborgs who are wired into the vessel’s
weapons, engines and communications
apparatus. There are also a few hundred
Chapter serfs to attend to other duties, such as
routine cleaning and maintenance, serving the
Space Marines during meal times and other
such honoured tasks. These serfs come from the
Chapter’s home planet or the enclave they
protect, many of them Novitiates or applicants
who have failed some part of the recruiting or
training process. These serfs are fanatically loyal
to their superhuman masters, and indoctrinated
into many of the lesser orders of the Chapter’s
Cult. Although human, they still benefit from
remarkable training and access to superior
weaponry than is usually found on a naval
vessel, making them a fearsome prospect in a
boarding action – even without the support of
their genetically modified lords.