Darke's Company
History
While working for Imperial Trader House Sansom & Sansom, Janus Darke convinced them to give him command of his own ship, and a force of Mercenaries, with the House underwriting the costs of his first voyage and Darke's application to become a Rogue Trader. His voyage was a great success, and Darke soon started to recruit and equip the best force of Mercenaries that money could buy.[1a]
They took part in a string of unbroken victories across Medusa's Sector, including putting down a rebellion on the Ice World Winterhome IX. While commissioned to wipe out the Dorian Corsairs, Darke recruited and tamed their best reavers and killed the rest. They discovered an Ork migration route that led to the Sector, and destroyed three Ork Space Hulks.[1a]
With the success of Darke's ventures, the Company increased to a regiment of about eight hundred soldiers, making up for what they lacked in numbers by sheer skill, ferocity and the quality of their equipment. They became legendary in their part of Segmentum Obscurus, with some saying that they were almost as feared and respected as the Space Marines.[1a]
However, after Darke was targetted by the Cult of Slaanesh on Medusa, he began to lose everything that he had built. In an attempt to reverse his fortunes, Darke led the Company to the Quarantined World Typhon in search of a Standard Template Construct,[1a] and nearly all of the Company were killed.[1b]
The survivors returned to Medusa, but as Darke could not afford to repair and refit his ship the Star of Venam, it was impounded by the Medusan Syndics.[1b] Despite this, when Darke and his Navigator Simon Belisarius got the ship back several months later, with funds from Eldar Farseer Auric Stormcloud, the remains of Darke's Company reformed and joined him on their journey to the Crone World Belial IV.[1c]