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Originating from [[Terra]], the Imperial Expeditionary Fleets dispersed all over the [[galaxy]], carrying out the [[Emperor|Emperor's]] vision of uniting known space under the banner of [[Humanity]]. Expedition Fleets had a wide remit. Their primary mission was to find lost human colony worlds and bring them into the bosom of the [[Imperium]]. Secondary missions involved the exploration of space, the cataloging of everything found, the claiming of resources in the name of the Emperor and the elimination of any [[alien]] threats.{{CMEFn|1a}}

The unification of human worlds did not always proceed without incident, as not all lost worlds showed immediate interest in making themselves subservient to the Imperium. In these cases, compliance with Imperial directives was enacted with the use of military force. These situations, as well as the ever-present alien threat, resulted in Expedition Fleets having a strong armed contingent, and were usually under the command of a military officer of the [[Imperial Army]], a [[Lord Commander]]. In addition to a Lord Commander, each Expedition had a [[Master of the Fleet]] who was in charge of the Imperial Navy ships in the Expedition. Each of the [[Primarchs]] was able to, and often did, command an Expeditionary Fleet, attaching to it the majority of their [[Legion]]. Most Fleets had no [[Astartes]] presence at all, although some Primarchs split their Legions into small detachments that they parcelled out to various expeditionary forces.{{CMEFn|1a}}