Gemia's Second Sons & Daughters

A custom regiment of Imperial Guard.

I'm creating this while reading through this article on the 40k Fanon wiki.

Everything has moved to here as of 01Feb2024.

My initial idea is the regiment is made up of the second (and third, fourth, etc.) sons and daughters from an Imperial world, aka the bonus heirs. This gets them out of the picture on their home world, allowing the eldest child to focus on learning their future role without risk of backstabbing or being shown up by a younger sibling with better talents or aptitude. However, the actual second-born are not called bonus heirs for nothing, so the regiment is split between the well-equipped and safely-deployed command-level seconds and the actually-fighting-the-war thirds/fourths/etc. and regular conscripts.

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Background

Homeworld

The regiment hails from the Imperial Hive world of Gemia (oblique resemblance to Gemini is on purpose). Gemia is part of the same binary star system as Prismata, the homeworld of the Ignis Stellaris chapter of the Adeptus Astartes (Starfire Space Marines). Unusual crystals within the planet's crust are mined to produce highly valuable war materiel. They also emit a low-level of radiation that has led to a very high incidence of twins, triplets, and more among Gemians. High-born children are indelibly marked with the birth order symbol of their house or family moments after birth, usually on the left side of the face or forehead.

Raison d'etre

Gemia's Second Sons is a standing regiment as a result of Imperial tithe. The nobles of Gemia wield what influence they can to station the Second Sons outside the thickest fighting but that's about all they can accomplish.

Recruitment

Gemia's Second Sons is a dichotomous regiment. The leadership is recruited from the Spire-born elite while the rank and file are press-ganged from the dregs of the Underhive. (I feel really bad this is essentially the exact example the article uses but I had already outlined it above, so I wasn't just stealing.) This clear distinction between the haves and the have-nots leads to a heavy emphasis on keeping the riff-raff in line, so Gemia uses particularly hard-nosed Commissars.

Reinforcement

All officers and most enlisted are recruited and trained on Gemia. The graduates are then loaded onto the traditional transport ship, Heaven's Chariot, which many call by its less savory name, Charon's Ferry, to meet up with the main body of the regiment.

Gender

No special consideration. Though often called Gemia's Second Sons and Gemia's Second Suns, the regiment's official name is Gemia's Second Sons and Daughters.

Colors and Livery

Gemia's crystal formations occur in natural hues of blue, green, pink, yellow, and purple. The rarest and most valuable of these are purple, so the officers adopted its hue for their uniforms. The rank and file wear blue and NCOs are in grey. Each uniform bears the dual starburst seal of Gemia on the left shoulder. Unit patches are worn on the right shoulder.

Dual Starburst Seal of Gemia

Characters

Lord Commander Honorato "The Lion" Roca (Colonel)

The Regimental Commander of Gemia's Second Sons is the young Lord Commander Honorato "The Lion" Roca. Roca's rise to command was forged in the fires of war. The fourth son of House Roca, he was assigned to lead forces on the front lines. As he had little opportunity back home on Gemia, he threw himself into battle, inspiring his unit to great feats of glory. His earned his nickname, The Lion, during a losing battle on Chellov. The enemy had shattered the Imperial lines and guardsmen fled before the thundering tide. Knowing that the loss of the line would spell doom for the entire operation, Roca leapt atop a broken outcropping and roared a primal cry that stunned his fleeing forces and turned all eyes upon him. Raising his chainsword to the sky, he rallied Gemia's Second Sons and countercharged, stunting the enemy advance in a meat-grinder melee. Though the losses were heavy, the line held and the battle was eventually won.

Roca lacks the cynicism and resentment of his elite peers. While they view their service in the Guard as an unjust punishment for an accident of their birth, Roca accepts that this is his lot in life and he serves the Emperor and those under his command to the best of his ability. Hidden deep within, however, he harbors almost a death wish. Not to escape his life and circumstances through the ultimate end; rather, he seeks a fitting conclusion for his life's story as a Spire-born noble of Gemia.

The Lion's Pride (Command Squad)

Roca's personal guard are called the Lion's Pride. Unlike the class divide that permeates much of the Second Sons, the honor of joining the Lion's Pride is entirely merit-based and, as such, many if not most of the members ascend from the lower ranks. The Pride as a whole is very new and does not have the history of other units. However, it seems destined for greatness on the back of the deeds of its individual members.

Sergeant: 

Unit Strength: 

Unit Icon: 

(I'll fill in some members after checking out the rules for making a command squad or personal guard.)

Captain Trinidá "La Capitana" Estébanez (Captain)

Known as La Capitana by her troops, and disparaged as La Perra Diamante by those jealous of her station, Trinidá is an exemplar of the Spire-born elite, hailing from the highest house on Gemia. She graduated from training directly into an officership with the Diamond Dogs, the most elite unit in Gemia's Second Sons that previously served as the personal guard of the Lord Commander. Under her command, the Diamond Dogs have begun to replace its mostly veteran membership with younger Spire-born who are hungry for valor. Trinidá resents that her unit has been relegated to second string by the Lion's Pride and takes every opportunity to show them up on the battlefield.

The Diamond Dogs (Stormtroopers/Grenadiers)

Prior to the Lion's Pride, the Diamond Dogs were the elite unit in Gemia's Second Sons who served directly under the Lord Commander. Composed entirely of Spire-born elites, the Diamond Dogs are given the best equipment and training and are relied upon for key battlefield objectives. They are led by La Capitana, Trinidá Estébanez, a glory-hound who resents her unit's relegation to second place under the new Lord Commander and is dead set on showing them up.

Sergeant: Laude De La Caballería

Unit Strength: 9

Unit Icon: Growling black dog head on blue diamond background

Commander Terencio Alcalá (Leman Russ Tank Commander)

Terencio is the oldest of the current commanders but his age has done little to temper his energy and bravado. He rumbles through the battlefield in his Leman Russ Tank, nicknamed El Diablo de Hierro (The Iron Devil), patiently waiting for an opening before punching holes through the enemy line with daring abandon, his trademark "A ellos!" ringing through the vox. Terencio likes to think he is above the childish posturing of the other Spire-born but, in reality, he just thinks his greater experience should be given automatic deference.

Commissar Mischa Van De Waal

Mischa is the orphaned daughter of an Imperial Guard officer from Ocury VII. She is incredibly beautiful for someone who endured the grueling training of the Commissariat. Though she hails from a higher social class and graduated from the prestigious Schola Progenium, Mischa prefers the company of the rank and file and views the Spire-born as spoiled brats. The combination of her beauty and her attitude have inspired a zealous loyalty in her troops (and a fierce jealousy among some officers). Ironically, it was her lack of zeal that led to her joining the Commissariat instead of the Adepta Sororitas; Mischa pays lip service to the Imperial faith but she knows the safety of the Imperium is secured by the flesh and blood of the Guard, not by some all-powerful God-Emperor.

In the heat of battle, armed with her chainsword and bolt pistol, Mischa displays remarkable bravery, skill, intelligence ... and abject cruelty. While the mission and the safety of her troops are paramount, she rarely passes up the opportunity to inflict any additional pain and suffering on the enemy. This stems not from any particular hatred or xenophobia; she is simply a sadist with enough self-control to only indulge herself on acceptable targets.

Belián Baldovinos

Belián