Can a Marine Chapter do this?

[gwensdad]

This was a background theory I was thinking of doing, maybe as a RPG thing or an army idea...

Let's say there's a Astartes chapter on a high-population world. They have a good sized PDF and can recruit their marines at a fairly good rate but one day the chapter master figures out that he's missing out on recruiting half the good warriors out there-the women. So he decides to "sponsor" (via providing equipment and facilities) a minor Adepta Sororitas order (a new one, not an existing one) in the same system. The theory is that they could accompany the marines (the PDF can't) on some battles or could be asked to go alone if there's a situation in a nearby system and the chapter doesn't feel it needs their attention.

The Good:
Both have a solid backup
The "talent" doesn't go to waste in fighting the enemies of the Imperium
A chance to model matching power armor in 2 very different armies

The Bad:
Who is really in charge? The sisters would hate having a marine chapter master bossing them around.
The Ecclesiarchy would probably have a problem with it.
There's the religious differences of the 2 groups.

So does any of this work? Or make sense? Or is...HERESY?

[modelguyicmt]

Well, Sororitas are only recruited from the orphans of imperial servants, just like commissars and storm troopers.

[Mr.Pickelz]

The biggest issue is the recognition of the Sororitas, are they tied to the church or to the Astartes? The church will have lots of issues with a Marine chapter being permanently in charge, as the Sorrita's are there for the church's goals and interests, and the marines will have different ones as well as approach tactics. Not all chapters like flamer-happy women... Now, to have a Chapter suggest to the church, as well as support (with craft and man-power) the establishment of a new order, you may find their (church) support for it and indeed start the Order, but it will be under the leadership of the Church, and not the Chapter.

[ElectricPaladin]

I think it's more likely that a Marines chapter could, over time, gradually come to develop a close association with a group of Sisters to the point that their hierarchies become enmeshed. The Ecclesiarchy wouldn't like it, but as the Marines are officially part of the Imperium, they can't do much more than frown about it.

What's more interesting to me is how the Marines and Sisters will deal with each other. Don't forget, most Marines are basically atheists. They have a fetish for rituals, but they're pretty clear on the "truth:" the Emperor was nothing more than an abnormally awesome human who founded the Imperium for the good of all after spending decades wiping out religion. The Sisters are the military arm of the church that has made a religion about the Emperor. How do they manage that?

[Wolfshade]

If they worked together with an historic common goal, like purging witches then you can see a good argument why they would be workign together.

[Psychosplodge]

Surely they can equip and take their serfs however and wherever they want, so they wouldn't need to found a minor order.

[DarkDesigner]

I don't see why they need to be anything to do with the Sisters of Battle, they could just be a well armoured (due to being sponsored by a marine chapter), highly disciplined force that just happen to be all female.

So, you use the SoB list, but don't include any of the Ecclesiarchal stuff to make it as fem-mariney as possible.

From a fluff point of view, the Sisters of Silence who were around during the Heresy wouldn't worship the Emperor, so hopefully over the 10,000 years since there may still be some of that order who are still more of the mindset of SM.

The only thing you can't really do is say that they've been genhanced in the same way as marines, as there is no technological advancement in 40k, and back in the day the Emperor, whatever else he may have been, was also a massive chauvinist to whom it never occured that he could have a female primarch.

Unless...

[Psychosplodge]

It's not chauvinism, he started with his male DNA and worked backwards....hence all male primachs...

[DarkDesigner]

It's not chauvinism, he started with his male DNA and worked backwards....hence all male primachs...

The man has the most impressive science in the world, not to mention a pact with the Chaos gods, and he can't be bothered to take two X chromosomes and make a daughter?

He's already gone to the trouble of making each of them a specialise in a different facet of war, from running in headlong, siege warfare, espionage, so why not?

[Wildeybeast]

The man has the most impressive science in the world, not to mention a pact with the Chaos gods, and he can't be bothered to take two X chromosomes and make a daughter?

He's already gone to the trouble of making each of them a specialise in a different facet of war, from running in headlong, siege warfare, espionage, so why not?

And don't forget all vertebrates are inherently female so genetically speaking it's not that hard. We are more less at a stage where we can engineer gender now, so the Emperor could have easily do so.

As to the OP, Chapter Masters are a law unto themselves and can do more or less what they want, so they could easily create such an organisation. As others have mentioned, it's highly doubtful the Ecclesiarchy would ever accept an order being under the permanent command of the SM, so you would struggle to say they are 'true' Sisters. Better to make them an all female PDF force.