Rift Jumpers

The 13th Rapid Deployment Force aka “The Rift Jumpers” are a unique Drop Regiment from Neptune. They are stationed close to Holy Terra so orders can reach them quickly- they are supposedly able to deploy to anywhere in the Imperium within 24 hours. Using a secret warp gate these “jumpers” hurl themselves into the warp in small ships and attempt to reach whatever critical destination they are required to travel to.
Because of their dangerous and unpredictable method of travel they have a staggeringly high rate of both attrition and failure in their missions. However, when the chips are down and there is no other option the Rift Jumpers pray to the Emperor and brave the warp in service of his empire.
== The Perils of the Warp ==
Going through the warp is a difficult and traumatic experience. Few jumpers make it through several successful deployments without some mutations or corruption. The lives of jumpers are considered expendable and they are killed when they are judged too far gone. However, there is a greater leniency with jumpers than in other parts of the Imperial Guard due to their role. When a jumper must eventually be put down their death is not recorded as being due to corruption or mutation but due to “Combat Hazards” and are posthumously given honors.
Because of their high level of mutation many have bodyparts removed that have begun to mutate and are replaced with (often lowgrade) mechanical parts. This has earned them the nickname of "Metal Zombies".
== Guiding the Jump ==
While little is known about the warp gate they must go through it is clear that they use psykers from the Adeptus Astra Telepathica to stabilize it and guide the jumpers to their destination as much as possible. Because of this the jumpers and the Astra Telepathica have a strong bond of loyalty and many of the jumpers are, in fact, low grade psykers themselves.
== Flipping the Coin ==
Deploying the Rift Jumpers is a gamble. There is a very real chance that they will not reach their destination and even if they do there is no guarantee they will reach it at the right time or in a state where they would be able to help. They are often part of a larger plan to face a threat. If they arrive they are most commonly used to secure key objectives quickly and hold them, protect VIPs, obtain & deliver vital intel or objects, and generally bolster Imperial forces.
The Rift Jumpers will send an advanced force and once they have confirmed their arrival they will continue to deploy troops until the quota is met.
== Training for The Rift ==
Recruitment for the 13th Rapid Deployment Force is primarily done on Neptune though recruits are accepted from many sources. The assignment to the Rift Jumpers is often a punishment as it is a promotion as the survival rates for the regiment are so low. When numbers are low they are often given hive scum or inmates from prisons to refresh their ranks.
The regiment is technically a drop regiment, though it does not have the elite reputation of the more illustrious drop regiments like the Elysian Drop Troops. They are generally regarded as the “worst drop regiment in the Imperium” but no one is complaining when they get their 2 years before other reinforcements do. They are not issued advanced equipment like grav-shoots so many use more conventional HALO equipment like parachutes or drop shuttles.
Soldiers are trained to be largely self-sufficient and come with an abundance of supplies to both aid existing forces and fight on their own for a long time. Their training is often rushed so, while they can make their jumps, they often are little better than conscripts in the actual field.
== Third Time’s a Charm ==
Jumpers who make it through 3 jumps without corruption, mutation, or serious injury are given a choice for their service: they can transfer out, accept a promotion to Sergeant, or apply to officer training school. Inmates and heretics who make their 3rd jump are said to have been “Killed in Action” and are “reborn” as a new person with a clean slate.
Those who stay are valued greatly and are treated with respect even by the officers above them. They're referred to as “Trismegistus” (“Thrice Blessed”) and comprise elite squads or take command of jump teams.
Officers are required to jump with their men and if they survive 3 jumps they are promoted 2 steps but are required to stay with the Rift Jumpers. After reaching Trismegistus status they are no longer required to jump with their men but many chose to continue to do so.
== Regiment Size & Organization ==
The size of the 13th Rapid Deployment Force is “as big as it needs to be” and is extremely large by regimental standards. Pre-deployment they could be as large as 20-30,000 men but only 7,000 men may arrive at their destination due to the nature of their deployment. After a deployment they may drop to 1,000 or less men (mostly senior staff and support elements) and the regiment must effectively be rebuilt.
Because of the high expectation of casualties the organization of the regiment is somewhat unusual. Everyone is given a tattooed number on their body in one of three colors: black, red, or green. This is their “rank”, as determined by their higher ups, within their bracket of command. Black numbers indicate grunts, red is for NCOs, and green is for officers. The number generally reflects rank and seniority within that rank. Once on the ground units will form and officers will assign provisional ranks accordingly. They effectively build their ORBAT and command structure once they arrive. Many people try to fake their number and do so successfully in order to get more prestige, benefits, and better supplies. This is just a way of life in the Rift Jumpers but officers do check IDs against numbers and those found “jumping in line” are generally demoted to the lowest available number. These numbers are much easier to remember than names so most people simply become their number during a campaign.
== Edicts and Orders ==
The Rift Jumpers are nominally under the normal chain of command of the Astra Militarum though their marching orders are often given to them by Inquisitors or even high ranking officials of the Astra Telepathica. This is because the labyrinthine workings of the ancient bureaucracy of Holy Terra can take years to move on any new information they receive. The original idea for them was established by the Sivenite Inquisitor Jacob Herschel of the Ordo Xenos after he came across a warp gate early in his career. Because of this the Rift Jumpers keep a close relationship with the Ordo Xenos and most of their orders to jump come from them in one form or another.
== Notable Campaigns ==
The Battle of Crashing Waves: 8,500 soldiers from the 13th Rapid Deployment Force arrived to support regiments of the 1st Somnium Battlegroup against Klan Nork.
The Battle of Blood Bridge: During a campaign on an industrial world against an onslaught by the Deathskulls ork clan a key bridge needed to be held and Homo Sacer was assigned to hold it for a week. Two days in and the garrison assigned to support them fled in terror and eighty four days later help finally arrived in the form of 6,500 Rift Jumpers. The Homo Sacer are said to have killed over 600 orks, two traitorous guardsmen, and drank the entirety of the considerable stockpile of the garrison's beer while doing so. For their gallant efforts three of them were court-martialed for unnecessary expenditure of Imperial foodstuffs but only one was executed. The Rift Jumpers were decimated but held the orks at bay until more reinforcements could arrive.
== Era Indomitus ==
In Era Indomitus the life of a Rift Jumper is even shorter and their value even higher. The Rift Jumpers are some of the only units that can be quickly deployed, though at great cost and with limited accuracy, from Imperium Sanctus to Imperium Nihilus. There is no guarantee that they will arrive at the correct location due in equal parts to the Great Rift and lack of Astronomican, but when all hope is lost there is still a chance that the Rift Jumpers can arrive to save the Imperium.
File:RiftJumper1.jpeg|A Rift Jumper Grunt
File:RiftJumper2.jpeg|A Rift Jumper Sgt
File:RiftJumper3.jpeg|A Rift Jumper Conscript