The Alternate Heresy - IA: Ultramarines

[Aurelius Rex]

Forgive the slight threadomancy, but I have finally got round to writing the two extra colourpieces I wanted to include to illustrate why the Ultramarines haven't advanced their technology more. For more background to the discussions that led to these inclusions - particularly prompted by Mordray and others - you can check back to post 26. The reason for doing this now is that the B&C Legio Imprint e-zine is due for release in April, which features the first ten articles in this Dornian Heresy, and I have spent the last few weeks intensively proofing and editing everything. These extra colourpieces, along with the Alt-IA: Space Wolves, Thousand Sons and White Scars will be available then, but because this thread prompted such a good and productive discussion, I thought I would flag up the new UM bits ahead of time.

 

“My brothers, we have become complacent. Yes, our technology is superior to that of the Imperium, but our advances have come in tiny increments – continual evolutionary improvements - rather than the leaps forward that will be required to defeat the next hive-fleet, or to finally break the stalemate with the Imperium and reclaim Terra for all humanity.

 

First up, a quote, then a follow up of what Calgar did about things.

 

“Look to the Tau. In the millennia that we have been facing down the Imperium and the Ruinous Powers they have grown from dwelling in caves to mastering technology that in some cases exceeds even our own understanding. By their unprovoked attacks across the Damocles Gulf, the Tau have rendered their treaties with us null and void, including those about the use of their weaponry.

 

“The time has come to put aside our pride and our preconceptions and use this new source of technology to strengthen our fleets, our defences and our Astartes. If we do not, if we instead blindly and timidly continue as we always have, we will inevitably fall to the enemies that surround us.”

 

- Chapter Master Marneus Calgar, after the First Tyrannic War.

 

 

Chapter Master Calgar felt the buzz of anticipation among his bridge crew as the Seditio Opprimere came to full battle-readiness. The battle barge’s last action had been in the defence of Prandium from Hive-Fleet Kraken, and while she had served valiantly, not even her ultimate sacrifice had been enough to save the planet from consumption. She had needed more firepower, and this was now just what she had been given. Not just another upgrade to her lances and gun-decks, but a wholesale refit with completely new technology. The super-heavy rail-guns had astonishing rates of fire, and were as devastating at extreme range as when firing point blank at a target.

 

Calgar had warned his fellow chapter masters after the First Tyrannic War, but only a few of them had been willing to listen. Mastery of the Macragge Chapter brought with it a great deal of influence over the other chapters, but he did not control them. According to tradition going back to Guilliman’s defiance of Consul Gallan, each chapter master had ultimate authority within his own realm, and the inertia of history could not easily be overcome. The concept of gradual evolution had become the norm within Ultramar Segmentum, and even in the face of dire threats, revolutionary ideas and approaches were shunned, despite Guilliman himself carrying out such actions on countless occasions. Even on Macragge alone, Calgar’s scribes had returned from the archives bearing reports of groundbreaking developments in weaponry that had been rejected by chapter masters down the ages as being too radical. Advances that could have saved countless lives had been quietly filed away and forgotten. He could only imagine what wonders lay mouldering in the vaults of the other chapters...

 

It felt like a betrayal of his primarch to even think such a thing, but in part he blamed the Codex Ultramar. Guilliman’s master-work was so useful and all-encompassing that in some cases it seemed to have replaced the need for independent thought. He had applied the most promising innovations, combined with the best insights gleaned from the Tau, to resurrect the Seditio Opprimere. In the face of such scepticism, though, it seemed that only a comprehensive and overwhelmingly successful field-test would shake the other chapter masters out of their complacency.

 

As predicted by their enhanced auger array, the trio of Imperial cruisers broke out of the warp. It was time to put his new ship - and the principle in general - to the test.

 

 

I hope that this helps to explain why technological advances have been slower in Ultramar Segmentum than you might have thought. :devil:

 

Regards,

Aurelius.

[Ace Debonair]

Cool! :devil:

 

So the idea is that the Ultramarines have only just started adopting the Tau's weaponry and moving significantly forward, then?

[Aurelius Rex]

So the idea is that the Ultramarines have only just started adopting the Tau's weaponry and moving significantly forward, then?

 

That's right. Any Tau influences would be subtle - a shield drone with a 'U' symbol here, a Predator with a heavy railgun turret there. Not wholesale implementation by all means.

 

I wanted to put over that their greatest strength - Guilliman's Codex Ultramar - was the thing that was now holding them back from being bold. They had become victims of their own success.

 

I also wanted to show that only some of the chapters would have started taking the leap forward that Calgar has started taking for the Macragge chapter. He tried to push things forward after the First Tyrannic War, and it has taken about another 250 years and another attacking hive fleet (which destroyed Prandium and gutted the Seditio Opprimere) to get him to really force the issue.

 

That would put the second colourpiece a few years after Kraken attacked, and to all intents and purposes as the 'present day' - bang up to date.

 

It leaves the storyline wide open, so that if he survives the assault of the Imperial cruisers and convinces the rest of the legion of how useful and important these advances are, Calgar could kickstart a new golden age for them.

[Ace Debonair]

That would put the second colourpiece a few years after Kraken attacked, and to all intents and purposes as the 'present day' - bang up to date.

 

It leaves the storyline wide open, so that if he survives the assault of the Imperial cruisers, Calgar could kickstart a new golden age for them.

 

Pah, as if the Tau could ever devise something that could stop three Imperial cruisers...

 

Realistically then, while Ultramar certainly has the best technology, there's no guarantee they'd be a match for either the Chaos forces or the Imperium at this point in time, regardless of Calgar's survival or not.

Very cool - I think that makes the Ultramarines a very viable third Human faction, without making them too dangerous.

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

One thing I have to say I like is the fact of your Alternate Heresy offering another route if you want to be human but not necissarily Imperial either. This is something the 'vanilla' universe is severely lacking.

 

The way you've explained it and carried it off is very convincing and I have really enjoyed all of the Alternate History IA's so far. I also have an inkling what you're going to do with the Grey Knights and that has peaked my interest.

 

Personally, I dislike the Tau heavily but - and this is a big but for me - I think you've worked in Ultramarine adaptation rather well. Less of the 'Tau dominance' and more 'Oh look what they made, we're going to take that for ourselves', which I like a lot.

 

Much, much kudos for this stunning amount of work Rex.

[Gridlocked]

Sooooo will we be seeing the IA: DA comming out with Cypher the Asscended carrying around the Helm of the Lion?

Hehehe.

[Ace Debonair]

Sooooo will we be seeing the IA: DA comming out with Cypher the Asscended carrying around the Helm of the Lion?

Hehehe.

 

Nothing saying Cypher isn't still a bad guy. He might be in charge of the Dark Angels, for instance.

[chriscrowing]

Cypher isn't a bad guy - he's a formerly Fallen DA who is making his way towards the Emperor to make amends. That's how I always read him anyways...

 

Aside from that...

 

I have to say that I'm loving this Alternate Heresy thing. The five chapters already covered have been written about with more verve, detail and passion than in their official fluff - this is especially true for the much ignored (by GW) Raven Guard, and I can only assume that the Night Lords, Alpha Legion, White Scars, Salamanders and Iron Hands (all of whom have suffered with much less attention than the Norm-verse chaos power chapters and over-attended to Blood Angels Dark Angels and Space Wolves) will receive similar treatment.

 

The schism where the Ultramarines rule their own segmentum is great, as it gves us their uber-organised Roman legion feel, without reduced other more characterful chapters to in-universe miscreants and minorities - it also makes the Ultramarines much more interesting...

 

Tangent: I've always kinda hated how GW's standard fluff kinda pushed the Codex Astartes down your throat - it makes for unbalanced gaming - if 90% of chapters are Codex compliant, why do I spend as much time fighting against Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Dark Angels and Black Templar armies?

 

This setting gives the remaining loyalists - the Emperor's Children, Black Templars (Sons of Horus), World Eaters, Word Bearers and Alpha legion a bit more time and loving care and attention - I applaud that.

 

So what to look forward to?

 

Oh...how does the Khan fall to Slaanesh?

What series of events leads to the Nurgling Blood Angels? (Although I'll make a guess and say it's because Sanguinius is discovered by the 'wrong' kind of Baal natives, as opposed to the relatively pure Blood...)

How awesome are the loyalist Night Lords gonna be?

The Iron Hands descent to Chaos (or is it a more Necron thing..., I think it might be...)

 

So much goodness. Well done AR, and all your contributors - more please.

[Ace Debonair]

Oh...how does the Khan fall to Slaanesh?

 

Ferrata already wrote up the DH White Scars IA. You might want to check that out. ;)

EDIT: There's also been the Iron Warriors, since them too.

 

How awesome are the loyalist Night Lords gonna be?

Buddy, do not get me started. :D

I'm already afraid of reading it in case the sheer amount of awesome involved makes my head explode.

[IvanKolak]

I have one question,what are the improvments of the Mk.16 power armor to the Mk.8 power armor.Will this be ever revealed?

P.S

Sorry for necromancy.

[Ace Debonair]

I have one question,what are the improvments of the Mk.16 power armor to the Mk.8 power armor.Will this be ever revealed?

P.S

Sorry for necromancy.

 

It looks way, way cooler. :P

It's also probably a bit tougher and fast and so on, but the looking cool is the important difference.

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

In the grim darkness of the far future, aesthetics make ALL the difference. Right Ace? ^_^

[Ace Debonair]

In the grim darkness of the far future, aesthetics make ALL the difference. Right Ace? ;)

 

Well, it's how you tell the good guys from the bad guys, for one thing. :lol:

[IvanKolak]

I only see one error,the Ultramarine ship fitted with railguns

Imperium already has railguns,read BFG so I wonder why should they put them there since I don't see their railguns being more powerful than the Imperial.

In short read this it might help,it debunks Tau thoughts.

http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic.php?t=123201

EDIT:Sorry for the language,being on the debate sites where people regularly use worse insults does that to you