Ordo Xenos radicals?

[AGPO]

When I first read the Inquisitor rulebook all those years ago, it was always the Ordo Xenos and the Deathwatch that caught my imagination. In particular, the notion of radicals, seizing alien tech and anything else they could get their mits on to save mankind really appeals. Back in 28mm land however, whilst there has been plenty of love given to those inquisitors obsessed with burning people at the stake or fighting gribbly creatures, nobody really spends much time looking at the guys who seem to have twigged that marines with rail rifles and land raiders packing d-cannons would actually be pretty awesome. All we got was a lousy WD article in 3rd ed and a conversion kit.

 

With all the talk of Relictors, it got me to thinking whether a space marine commander might take a similar attitude to alien tech. Maybe a chapter master, having served with a radical ordo xenos inquisitor in the death watch gets the idea that getting hold of some of those shiny guns those squishy blue aliens are packing and giving them to his battle brothers might give them an edge on the battle for humanity's survival. Maybe he's been messed around by the Mechanicus a few times too many and has a homeworld capable of supplying him whether they like it or not.

 

My first thought was maybe an Iron Hands successor with their love of all things technological, or maybe a blood angels successor, their relationship with the AM already shot ver the whole Baal Predator situation, looking for a solution to the flaw and wider issues by looking outside conventional Imperial knowledge. What do you guys think, would this idea fly? It'd be a pain to represent in games but as a modelling and fluff project it could be awesome.

[Nassi]

Such Heresy! :)

 

But i see what you mean. It would be interesting to paint and model i guess, but getting any kinda game out of it would be a nightmare, because your effectively picking the best things from all races.

 

Fluff-wise, i'd probably say these things have a failsafe that stops other species using them, for the most part

[Olis]

Well, fluffwise you'd have to telegraph that punch, imho. Make it an extreme example of space marines who had literally no other choice. I think it would seem fishy otherwise...

[SpecialIssue]

t'is heresay, i say!

 

Marines using it would be almost unacceptable. Remember that this ban on xenos tech is not just out of spite for the xenos, but a religion to those in the Imperium. The mechanicus, and thus the Imperium at large believe that alien machine spirits are evil, straight up. You are in essence collaborating with the enemy when you use their weaponry, siding with evil spirits. Not only that, but you are breaking the Admech's stranglehold on technology - they don't like that very much.

 

The only reason inquisitors get away with using these devices is because they mostly do it low key, in shadowed places, small battles, away from the ignorant public, etc. and are thus tolerated. And even then, they are known as, well, radicals. Thus, Marines going on an open battlefield waving pulse rifles and D-cannons are going to be found out and branded heretics, not just because of the principle and the religion of it, but also to stop giving the general imperial public and other SM chapters similar ideas...

 

Remember, the mechanicus holds all the cards, and wants to keep holding them - piss them off and you piss off the entire Imperium essentially.

[AGPO]

Yeah, I'm guessing if anyone found out they'd be excominicated pretty damn sharp. That said, with the sheer size of the Imperium it wouldn't be too hard to keep it on the downlow. Don't forget the vast majority of Imperial citizens have never seen a space marine. They're the stuff of legends not to mention that many of the less civilised worlds don't even get the whole space travel bit - just look at Fenris.

 

The original Deathwatch article says they pinch alien tech fairly freely. That's how the culexus got that nifty C'tan phase sword. I imagine they'd go about it in much the same way as the Relictors go about using daemon kit. Keep it to senior officers and veterans, and battles where you're not likely to be fighting alongside anyone who'd recognise it. The Dark Angels and Blood Angels have kept the fallen and the flaw secret respectively, and the Relictors only got caught because they messed with the wrong Inquisitor at the wrong time. To most it'd be a case of 'my, that's a damn fine relic blade your Captain is wielding' or 'funny how that chapter's plasma weapons never seem to overheat. From a modelling perspective I'm thinking something like Dornian Heresy Ultramarines would look awesome.

[Inache]

I went through every Astartes chapter on Lexicanum today combing for fluff for an idea I had, and there have been several instances of certain chapters diverging from the "normal" train of thought about a variety of subjects. It'd totally be within the realm of possibility that a chapter far removed from the Imperium as a whole that either works with an Ordo Xenos radical or had several members seconded to the Deathwatch over the years would pick up a liking for xenotech. Most chapters take trophies anyways, and if so inclined could reverse engineer equipment. You probably wouldn't see many outright wielding xenos weaponry though.

[Losfer Werds]

That's pretty much what the Ultramarines did in the alternate "Dornian Heresy" 40k-verse. Upgraded their armor and weapons using Tau tech.