The Prosperitas Commissariat and Stormtrooper Regiments

Raised as war orphans in the Schola Progenium system, the Commissars and Storm Troopers are the elite of the Imperium - their parents were often taken from them at a young age in Military Service and they are drilled with years of military training and indoctrinated with loyalty to the Imperium from a young age.

They sit outside the ordinary Guard and Navy chain of command. Commissars enforcing adherence to Imperial standards of loyalty, courage and piety, with powers to discipline those who fall short, up to and including summary execution - while Stormtroopers serve as Imperial Special Forces, launching daring strikes on their enemies as well as providing bodyguard and lifeward duties for high ranking Imperial Officials.

Five Things To Know About Commissars

They are varied in their approach to discipline. It is popular to think of Commissars as individuals willing to execute a Trooper at the drop of a hat for the slightest infraction. But in reality those Commissars do not last very long without the love of the troops they are assigned to, every Commissar has their own approach to morale and while some prefer the gauntlet others rely on a softer touch and inspiration to rally troops before they turn to the tools of punishment.

They are highly educated and trained. As graduates of the Schola Progenium, Commissars are refined, can read and write High Gothic, understand Administratum bureaucracy and have a good grasp of Imperial theology and doctrine. They are often a cut above the troops and even some of the officers they are assigned to, enjoying refined pursuits and entertainments in their free time.

They do not answer to the military chain of command. The wise Commissar will choose to adhere to the wishes of a ship’s Captain or a regimental Colonel out of courtesy and for tactical purposes, but they have no obligation to do so. As such, though junior officers and their subordinates must salute Commissars, they are under no obligation to Return The Compliment.

They have the power of life and death over their troops. A Commissar can enact summary punishment, including execution, on any trooper or voidfarer they judge to be shirking their duty or acting contrary to good order and discipline. For this reason they are often feared and hated in the Regiments and aboard ships – though always given rigid, even obsequious courtesy to their faces.

They are morale officers, not command officers. While any Commissar has the military training to lead a charge, and many tales of martyred heroes feature Commissars doing just that, their primary duty is to maintain morale and discipline among the troops. Though Commissars will have the training and aptitude to fulfill the role of the officer, they will only ever directly assume that role in the event that no officer is available and, even then, only ever as a temporary measure until a replacement officer can be found.

Five Things to Know about Imperial Stormtroopers

They have other titles. Stormtroopers, are usually addressed as 'Scions', rather than by the low gothic designation of their role in the Imperial military, Scion is the most appropriate form of address for a Stormtrooper who has not given you their rank.

They Rarely deploy en-Mass Though they are divided into various Regiments for the purpose of Officio Munitorum accounting, Scions are usually scattered across the galaxy as individual Squads and rarely spend time with the rest of their parent Regiment serving warzones apart in the duties that their squads have been assigned.

They are the elite troops by which all other elite troops are measured. Scions alongside their Sisters in the Adepta Sororitas are the best unaugmented fighters humanity has to offer, when Imperial Guard Regiments and Naval Armsfolk are formed into 'elite' divisions they often pattern their equipment and training off of the training given to these elite soldiers. These 'copycat' units are only ever referred to as 'Stormtroopers' by the ill-educated with most adopting their own titles, such as 'Grenadiers', as not to offend the Scions.

They do not answer to the military and civilian chain of command. Scions answer directly to the Commissariat and while they are often 'attached' to various Military units and Commanders they are not obligated to follow their command especially in bodyguard duties where they will often override the will of their charge if they believe their life to be at risk.

They serve many masters. While some serve under the command of Commissars and others Imperial Military Commanders, the Stormtrooper Regiments often serve more unusual masters. No more true is this the case than in their service to the Inquisition where 'Black Units' of Stormtroopers often form the core of a Chamber Militant.

Five Things To Know About the Commissariat Prosperitas and the Prosperitas Stormtrooper Divisions

It is run by council. In the absence of the appointment of a Lord Commissar the senior-most Commissars of the Prosperitas Crusade have formed a Council of sorts that oversees the activities of the Commissariat and the Stormtrooper Regiments in the Prosperitas Sector and makes recommendations to the Commissar of Polarnus Station who in turn is responsible for relaying the Council's recommendations to the Warmaster and High Command.

They are not based on Polarnus. Unlike other divisions of the Imperial Military the Prosperitas Commissariat and Stormtrooper Regiments are not based on Polarnus Station but rather make their headquarters in a facility known as The Aquila on Duroverum which also serves as the largest Military prison in the Prosperitas Sector and the barracks for many Scion Regiments in Crusade service.

They are not simply interested in discipline. The bulk of public relations and propaganda duties in the Prosperitas Sector falls to the Commissariat who provide the bulk of public programming to the citizens of the Sector - this has led to the Prosperitas Commissariat having a rather more sizeable and active Propaganda Division and one of the reasons it is based on Duroverum

There are few Scions in the Prosperitas Sector. With the bulk of their number co-opted by the Prosperitas Conclave there is only one Regiment of Scions in the Prosperitas Sector, its elite Scions scattered across the Sector on various attached duties to Salient Commanders with a good number assigned to the personal guard of the Warmaster.

They have been riven by internal political strife. There has been recent political turmoil at the head of the Prosperitas Commissariat with formerly prominent Commissars being politically denounced by rivals and accusations of enemy forces masquerading as Scions. These have been put down internally as 'minor disagreements' but the Ordo Hereticus knows better.

The Prosperitas Commissariat

In a Sector riven by strife the Order supplied by the Commissariat is sometimes a welcome balm in the eyes of the Commanders of the Prosperitas Crusade. The Commissariat, based in its headquarters of The Aquila on Duroverum which also serves as the largest Military prison in the Sector as well as the headquarters of the Stormtrooper Scions of the 303rd Deltic Jackals. Unlike other branches of the Imperial Military the Commissariat has had a relatively less prominent role in the Prosperitas Crusade until the last two centuries. The reasons for this are myriad, but most fundamentally Warmaster Durovera I who founded the Crusade was notably not fond of the Commissariats traditional influences and tried to keep it away from what was for her a very personal mission to retake the sector and so kept its presence minimal during her time as Warmaster.

Though the Commissariat has increased its role in recent times it does focus on being the political face of the Crusade this is one of the many reasons it bases its headquarters on the Sector Capital of Duroverum rather than alongside Crusade High Command. This has created tensions with the Crusade who do perceive the Commissariat as cosying up to the Noble Houses rather than attending to the Crusade. This was particularly a cause of tension as many of the Commissariat's leadership were close to Warmaster Khan's predecessor and former Sector Governor, Armelius Durovera and while they do not continue these ties with the current Sector Governor this association with a man who tried to bring an end to the Crusade and abandon expansionist ambitions has caused some to question the Commissariat's drive.

Of course, bad perceptions aside most Commissars of the Prosperitas Sector are hard-working individuals who do their best for the Prosperitas Crusade. The Commissariat possesses a notably large 'Morale' division that sees to the production of propaganda not just for the servants of the Crusade but also for the indoctrination and entertainment of the common citizens of the Prosperitas Sector who often rely on the propo-reels as their only source of education and entertainment where mass media can be found.

A variety of dramatic holovid series are produced by the Prosperitas Commissariat venerating various fictional heroes including Lance Durovera, Flying Officer of the Cosmonautica Imperialis and Trooper Trapper, Hero of the 18th Duroveran Rifles that have become popular characters amongst civilian populations following the progress of the Crusade from the safety of worlds distant from the front lines.

Commissars

Trained from birth to be the political arm of the Imperial Military, Commissars are entrusted with a myriad of duties looking into discipline issues, morale and the surrounding duties of public relations with citizens and the production of propaganda. The Commissariat is often mistakenly taken to be iconicised by the image of a grim-faced individual in a peaked cap who looms behind her troops daring them to show fear in the face of the enemy, or the more heroic example who leads charges with swords drawn on foot or from the back of a battle tank.

In reality, the Commissariat has a vast array of duties some of which do not even call for Commissars to take to the battlefield as its responsibilities stretch to all corners of life in the Imperial Military rather than the frontline Commissars who represent the iconic imagery of a Commissar.

Guard Commissars

Commissars assigned to the Imperial Guard represent the most famous examples of their kind. These front line Commissars serve primarily in a discipline and moral role. Every Regiment, without question, is assigned a Commissar with some particularly large or troublesome Regiments attracting more than one.

Usually deployed in the Regimental Headquarters when the Regiment takes the field, they are often to be found striding about the battlespace, encouraging the troops with stirring Imperial credos and prayers. Relied upon to bolster the will and courage of their Regiments, Commissars nevertheless are expected to stand as a bastion against desertion and disobedience, where forced to Guard Commissars can and will use their disciplinary rights to make examples of those who disobey including making battlefield executions and promotions where necessary.

Each regiment has its own relationship with the branch. Some regiments are hostile towards their presence having heard horror stories of their punishments or having suffered under particularly harsh members of the Commissariat at a time, it is not unknown for particularly harsh Commissars to become victims of 'fragging' in particularly violent and disobedient regiments. In some Regiments, however Commissars who inspire and earn the respect of their troops become beloved, with some even choosing to wear portions of the uniform or insignia of their attached Regiment; this is usually seen as a sign of respect and fondness for the Regiment, and taken as a compliment by its Commander.

Abhuman and Penal units are often directly led by a member of the Commissariat in one of the few examples outside of Scion units and rare cases where Commissars are given Guard rank where members of this division are placed in command of military units.

Fleet Commissars

Fleet Commissars, like terrestrial Commissars, are political officers responsible for maintaining morale on naval vessels through a programme of inspiration and fear. Commissars are often found on the bridge during transit, so that they might respond to isolated pockets of unrest within a voidship as quickly as possible. During naval engagements, Fleet Commissars can be found either orating over the ship’s Laud Hailers, or directly inspiring the crew by helping repel boarding actions.

As with terrestrial Commissars, Fleet Commissars do not Pay the Compliment as they are not technically part of the military hierarchy. Conversely, ratings and junior officers are expected to Pay the Compliment to a Commissar, as a show of respect for their station.

Fleet Commissars tend to greet each other with handshakes rather than salutes, given that they are not, technically speaking, military personnel.

Non-Frontline Commissars

While Fleet and Guard Commissars are no doubt important it falls to a myriad of less celebrated members of the Commissariat to tend to its other duties;

Provost Commissars or simply Military Provosts are the police force of the Imperial Military, they operated a military code of justice and law that is a parallel to that enforced on regular citizens by the Adeptus Arbites. Their jurisdictions often clash with that latter branch but it is standard practice for Arbites to coordinate with Provosts when military personnel are believed to be involved in crimes. The ever-watchful eyes of the Commissariat Provosts are universally disliked as they represent the disciplinary side above all else and any Trooper subjected to a Provost Investigation is bound to be resentful of these suspicious, sometimes paranoid, individuals. In addition to acting as police and judiciary for the Military, the Provosts also maintain vast prisons, such as the Aquila, on Duroverum.

Commissars of the Propaganda Division are responsible for controlling the output of information and propaganda from the Prosperitas Crusade - though 'true' artists rankle about being ranked alongside individuals who fanatically hold to the 'approved' forms of art of the Imperium, these are Commissars who have demonstrated a talent for art and messaging forging propaganda posters, pamphlets and holovid reels.

Stormtroopers

Shock assault troops without peer, Stormtroopers are elite special operations soldiers used to enact missions that the regular Imperial Guard or Navy cannot accomplish alone. These Scions of the Schola Progenia have undergone a brutally uncompromising training regime and are armed with some of the best weapons available to the Imperial Military. Their violent potential is enhanced by rigid discipline, so that the dictates of their superiors are enacted swiftly and accurately, regardless of how inhuman such orders may seem.

Scions are trained to ensure that commands are carried out with a merciless pragmatism. Moreover, their indoctrinated sense of obedience and duty overrides any instincts of personal safety. No matter what the foe or the challenge, no matter how catastrophic the situation, Scions will stop at nothing to fulfill their orders. They are fully prepared to sacrifice their own lives in the process so long as it sees their mission completed.

As a consequence of the Scions' reputation for glorious conduct in battle, the common soldiery of the Imperial Guard often resents or even loathes them. Some of the more ill-disciplined rank and file may exhibit a dangerous insouciance towards orders, and regularly indulge in raucous mess hall antics, so the Scions' unequivocal servitude and absolutism does not endear them to their comrades. In fact, the average Imperial Guardsman sees them as little more than over-privileged bullyboys with their mag-boots on the throats of good, honest soldiers.

That Scions remain oblivious to such mutterings may be mistaken for arrogance. However, the truth is that they are simply indifferent to the opinions of the common Imperial soldiery, so long as their missions are successful, and they are not kept idle long between deployments.

In the Prosperitas Sector all Scions are part of the 303rd Deltic Jackals Regiment.

The Schola Progenium

Every Commissar and Scion attended a Schola Progenium – a highly elite educational institutions that take on orphaned children from the Imperium’s officer classes (the “Progenia”). The Schola themselves offer extremely gruelling, regimented programmes designed to instill total loyalty to the Imperium and its institutions. Every student that survives the dangerous, and, sometimes, fatal, gauntlet of indoctrination and ruthless physical and mental examinations will be assigned to one of the Imperium’s elite institutions. Those assigned to the Commissariat or Stormtroopers will, more often than not, have exhibited a level of loyalty and combat aptitude which made them stand out even amongst the Progenia themselves.

Rank and Status in the Commissariat and Stormtroopers

The Prosperitas Sector Commissariat has little in the way of a formal hierarchy. The prestige of one’s assigned Regiment or Ship, patronage networks and impenetrable Officio Praefectus bureaucracy all have a part to play in an individual Commissar’s assignment, but once assigned they are a law unto themselves; few can question their decisions or direct their efforts but the most senior military commanders.

In turn Scion rank structure is a little more rigid following a similar structure to that of the Imperial Guard even though their ranks are not equivalent and they exist outside those chains of command.