IA - Balletus Cael

[Iron_Aquilifer]

THE BALLETUS CAEL - First Among The Five

[/td][td=90%]CHAPTER NAME: .............. THE BALLETUS CAEL
FOUNDING: ..................11th
CHAPTER WORLD: .............VELLAX-FOUR
FORTRESS MONASTERY: ........DAMNATION SPIRE
GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR): ...AQUILIFERS
KNOWN DESCENDANTS: .........NONE

"Sing the song of the Legion brothers.  Protect.  Defend.  Shield."

C

onsidered first among the Bastion Sentries, the Balletus Cael have been heralded as the saviours of a hundred Imperial planets and the liberators of a hundred systems.  Distant from their fellow brothers in the greater expanses of the Imperium, the Balletus Cael have been called again and again to look internally for enemies.  Each time the requests were declined, the silver-clad marines going further in to the darkness to seek out new worlds for the Emperor's light to grace.

With a stable homeworld and a formerly formidable fleet at their disposal, the chapter has acted as a distant symbol of what the Astartes were.  For the imperials who relied on their for protection, these marines have acted in accordance to every child's fever-dreams of the Emperor's will.

 

 

ORIGINS of the CHAPTER

 

Chapter Colour Scheme

The Aquilifers, following their successful proposal for the creation of another chapter to operate alongside them, contributed a score of marines to the leadership and training of their first descendants.  Intended to operate as a supporting force for Aquilifer activities within the Veiled Region, the Balletus Cael were furnished with a feral world from which they could recruit from a calibre of humans necessary for the task of bringing the Imperium’s light to the unmapped region.  This feral world was in the same system as the Adeptus Mechanicus forge-world of Vellax-Two, one of the primary fabricating worlds in its sector.  As a result, a close tie was made between Techpriest and Space Marine from their beginning.  This relationship allowed the Balletus Cael to arm themselves with as much heavy equipment as their elder brethren.

 

It was made evident shortly after their baptism during the Ferroto Escapade that the Balletus Cael would come in to their own, learning through failure the importance of flexible doctrine and mobile battlelines in order to overcome the enemy.  Their ability to adapt to the changing landscape of the battlefield, as well as their uncommon neglect for contemporary value of Imperial resources - such as memorials and shrines - in devising strategy means that many potential friends have turned their backs on the Balletus, confused and worried about what they perceive as a distasteful lack of respect.

 

CHAPTER HOMEWORLD

 

Vellax-Four is a high-gravity planet with ninety-five percent of the total surface covered in water.  There is only one continent and no tectonic plates, resulting in a series of great underwater volcanoes which vent periodically.  On the continent of Ulter, located in the southern hemisphere, great valleys mark now dormant volcanoes, fertile fields accommodate millions of beasts and thick forests stretch in all directions.

Sergeant Zargo after refusing terms of a ceasefire 

"You asked me why?  I ask you why not?  What is freedom compared to the love of the Emperor?  Go back to your heretic father and tell him he is next."

The humans are divided into various ethnic and social groupings, clans as large as tribes and tribes encompassing nations.  The beginnings of modern civilisation, of the true formation of agricultural societies, is seen in the coastal clans and tribes.  Their settlements, no comparison to even a feudal town on other outlying planets, are recorded as being methodically laid out.  No space is wasted as crops are planted on rooftops and at the side of the street, domestic animals being penned beside the fish gutting houses, and lumber mills are built upriver of the carpenters.

 

Damnation Spire sits astride the volcano responsible for the creation of much of the continent’s landmass.  A coiled tower almost touching the clouds and completely encompassing the volcano’s fissure lipped opening.  Mined deep into the heart of the mountain, much of the Spire’s energy is derived from the magma beneath.  Great reactors utilise the heat to power the fortress-monastery, reducing much of the need for imported resources.

 

Stretching out in to a thick web of interlocking barracks and factories, Damnation Spire is most impressive the further in to the planet’s core you go.  Hangars stretch for kilometres in every direction, capable of housing the vast magnitude of armoured vehicles and gunships the chapter keep close at hand.  Shrines to the Emperor, more gilded gladiatorial areas than places for silent worship, are built in to the catacombs of the volcano, majestic ulcers within the fortress.

 

PRESENT ACTIVITIES

 

As one of the founding members of the Bastion Sentries, the chapter has had a great deal of interest within the Veiled Region.  For the more paranoid members of Imperial society, this has been a cause for concern.  Too long from the true light of the Emperor, the chapter has been in direct contact with such Xeno civilisations as to dispel many false notions about the galaxy.  To many, this is where heresy is first formulated.

 

The Balletus Cael have been operating against Hive-Fleet Leviathan.  Having recalled all their forces from within the Veiled Region, the chapter has for the first time in a century deployed in their entirety in the defense of the Imperial worlds.  For many this is seen as one of many signs that they are currently in a dire situation.

 

Chief Librarian Re-Alaigh Xough commands the defense of the Oi’Pwai System, the 1st, 4th and 6th Companies under his direct leadership.  Overall command was held by Admiral Tiran de Waltz before his death aboard a gunship as it was brought down by Tyranid spores.  Re-Alaigh’s ability to operate flexibly in terms of goals and value of resources at hand has allowed for numerous small-scale victories over the invasion fleet.

 

Chief Apothecary Donaldain Argyll, together with a dozen Ancients in their dreadnought suits and detachments from the 5th, 7th and 8th Companies have been tasked with preparing the Damnation Spire for the inevitable Tyranid assault.  Donaldain has been personally tasked with readying the chapter’s gene-seed factories for transport to the Bastion itself.  He has also received secret orders if Tagri falls and the Octarius Cordon break.

 

Chapter Master Tagri Khan on the other hand commands the rest of the chapter as part of the cordon force around the Octarius Empire, attempting to ensure that the Tyranids and Orks continue to wage war against each other.  As a result he and his marines have been deployed to various battlefields in an effort to wear away the Tyranid’s overall biomass.

Sergeant Cerlyn on the loss of the Everlasting Penitence 

"That ship has been guarding the Emperor's realm for six thousand years and you believe it mattered to you?  Look at that nebula.  The galaxy weeps over its demise."

COMBAT DOCTRINE

 

Following on from centuries of being the primary defensive element of the Bastion and the outlying Imperial systems, the Bellatus Cael have become very adept at fluid defense.  For them defensive warfare grants them the most advantages, but only if applied correctly.  Fortifications and firebases are to be used as anchors, as beacons for the enemy to attack.  The marines should not be limited to fighting in the trenches, acting as the ocean's waves rather than the immovable cliff-face.

 

The Balletus Cael are known for fighting to the death to hold a position as often as they are known for withdrawing from it without firing a shot.  They will defend city walls with assault marines and speeders while attacking through a storm with devastators and vindicators, just to turn around and vacate the city to hold the overlooking ridge-line.  Battlelines are rewritten every minute with squads operating almost completely independently as they hold, withdraw, counter-attack, redeploy, dozens of times throughout a battle.

 

With the Leviathan Fleet encroaching on Imperial worlds, the Balletus Cael have been forced to operate as an entirely mobile formation, knowing that every defense is simply the set-up for another only a little distance behind.  Every counter-attack is just a pinprick, to be followed by another on the opposite side of the battlefield.  This is true in space as it is on the few worlds the Imperials have deployed to defend.

 

Given that they have a good standing with the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Balletus Cael have been capable of arming themselves with a great deal of tanks and heavy weaponry, allowing for the regular deployment of Centurion squads and armoured formations.  While the Centurions are generally seen as being too slow-moving for the Cael’s generally accepted methods of fast movement, specifically assigned Thunderhawks ferry the squads from battlezone to battlezone.  To many observers, the Centurions - all drawn from Devestator squads - act in very much the same way as assault marines, spearheading the assault and methodically closing with the enemy’s greatest champions.

 

With Tagri Khan in command of the chapter, the common use of chemicals and general terror tactics have become more acceptable with the ever-changing stratagems of the  Balletus Cael.  Given that such devices allow for maximum casualties among the enemy for limited damage in return, the chapter as a whole are beginning to incorporate them in primary arsenals, as opposed to secondary and tertiary options.

 

ROLL of HONOURS

 

Chapter Sigil

- Oi’Pwai Insurgency

Captain Uian Togon and the 3rd Company, returning to Vallax-Four following the liberation of PL-13-W2 in the Veiled Region redeployed to the resource-rich Oi’Pwai system.  Over the course of three years, the marines deployed fifty times against anti-Imperial forces in the capital and outlying settlements and planets.  The death toll was in the region of nine hundred and forty-three thousand, of which three were marines.  The lives lost ensured two decades of peace.

 

- Listening Post F-3-A2

The first documented encounter between Bellatus Cael and Necrons, the space satellite had been more fortress than probe, housing over eighty thousand Mechanicus tech-priests and their servants.  A mobile factory and command center, F-3-A2 drifted into one of the unmapped zones of the Veiled Region where it was promptly attacked from within.  Chief Librarian Ryla Alan and elements of the 2nd and 10th Companies responded to the disturbance, deploying to the station and ensuring that the evacuation of the Mechanicus forces went successfully.  Reinforcements from the 1st and 6th Companies allowed Ryla to destroy the Necron forces.

 

- Conquest of Cersyl-Five

A habitable planet within the Veiled Region, Cersyl-Five was inhabited by a small population of Orks.  Chapter Master Kreen Gilleon and three companies deployed to the surface in order to wipe out the menace in short order.  Very quickly the greenskins were eliminated and human settlers allowed access.

 

- Pronos-Ulteron Scouring

The Governor-General of the Hive-World of Pronos, a lifelong ally of the Bellatus Cael, was forced into exile during a popular revolt against his rule.  In his absence the revolutionaries established a democratic system and attempted to reopen connections with the Imperium at large.  However, the rebels were in turn wiped out in short order by the forces still loyal to the governor.  What followed was a full scale war between the Governor’s advisors and chief supporters who no longer recognised his authority over the planet.  The fighting was so disruptive that the 7th Company was forced to deploy to the capital in an attempt to reinstall the governor.

 

- Oi’Pwai Rebellion

The Imperial garrison of Oi’Pwai, now settled down and fully integrated into society, supported the Prophet Ascension in his rebellion against the legal authority.  Eventually the entire system had declared for the Prophet who seceded from the Imperium.  Successfully persuading the rest of the Sentries to support a retaliatory mission, the Bellatus Cael’s 2nd and 9th Companies were supported by the 2nd from the Aquilifers and 4th from the Inculaptors.  The fighting lasted several months, quickly dying out after the capture and public execution of Prophet Ascension.

 

- Ya’an Homage

Chief Techmarine Darneus Sayle, alongside a dozen other specialists and three squads from the 10th Company oversaw the subdugation of the Ya’an system.  While the Imperial forces drove back the Ork natives, the Bellatus Cael marines in turn held back the Dark Eldar forces until they disappeared from the region back to whence they had come.

 

- Defense of Oi’Pwai

Chief Librarian Re-Alaigh Xough commands the defense of the Oi’Pwai System, the 1st, 4th and 6th Companies under his direct leadership.  Overall command was held by Admiral Tiran de Waltz before his death aboard a gunship as it was brought down by Tyranid spores.  Despite numerous small-scale victories, the immense size of the Tyranid forces has meant that a successful defense of the systems is out of the question.

 

CHAPTER ORGANISATION

 

The chapter is mostly Codex Adherent, aside from the fact that the specialists wear their branch on the shoulderguard, instead of the other way around.  The chapter advocates such flexibility among their companies that there is no formal distinction between tactical, assault and devastator marines.  This explains the appearance of Bellatus Cael battle companies deploying split evenly between tactical and assault squads, or alternatively with no tactical marines.

 

Captain Bhehand Tev explaining the chapter's symbol 

"We are the guardians of the galaxy initiate.  The Sword is in front of the Shield for a reason.  Can you explain that?  No?  Astartes do not hide behind their shield.  A sword in the blackness, a bloodied symbol of defiance.  That is what that sigil represents."

Given that they have a large number of support vehicles and heavy equipment, it is generally accepted that each company goes in to combat supported by at least five tanks and armed with on average thirty heavy or special weapons spread across the squads, as well as upwards of four Thunderhawk gunships a company.

 

Before the arrival of Hive Fleet Leviathan, as was universal among the distant Bastion Sentinels, the Balletus Cael were over-strength, some estimates putting them at twice the strength of a standard chapter.  Whatever the truth of their number once was, as the Tyranid menace proves itself to be possibly the single-greatest threat to the Imperium since Chaos, the chapter is once more below strength.

 

FLEET ASSETS

 

Elegy of Respite, Battle Barge, flagship for the Bellatus Cael

Epiphany of Sol, Battle Barge, sustained damage against the Tyranids

 

Willowed Blaze, Strike Cruiser, severely damaged against the Tyranids, redeployed to Vellax-Four

Champion of Trust, Strike Cruiser, sustained mild damage against the Orks

Gilded Arrow, Strike Cruiser, undermanned due to Tyranid boarders

Pilfering of Sol, Strike Cruiser, mildly damaged against the Tyranids

Silent Witness, Strike Cruiser, seconded to the Bastion Holding Fleet

 

*Uncited source* 

"Bring us about sharp!  Those are no loyalists!"

Damned Lancepoint, Nova Frigate, Sunburst Squadron, escorting Silent Witness

Tyrant’s Credential, Nova Frigate, Sunburst Squadron, escorting Silent Witness

Questions of Wrath, Hunter Destroyer, Sunburst Squadron, escorting Silent Witness

Sorrows of Failure, Nova Frigate, Cohort Squadron, escorting Elegy of Respite

White Deliverance, Nova Frigate, Cohort Squadron, escorting Elegy of Respite

Broad Lash, Gladius Frigate, Archer Squadron, escorting Epiphany of Sol

Peaceful Horrors, Nova Frigate, Archer Squadron, escorting Epiphany of Sol

Resolute Argument, Hunter Destroyer, Falcon Squadron, escorting Willowed Blaze

Irregular Worship, Gladius Frigate, Killigan Squadron, escorting Champion of Trust

Sanctified Duty, Gladius Frigate, Killigan Squadron, escorting Champion of Trust

Crematorium Desire, Gladius Frigate, Defiance Squadron, undergoing repair

Deliverance of Pleasure, Gladius Frigate, Indomitable Squadron, escorting Gilded Arrow

Yearning Terra, Nova Frigate, Litany Squadron, escorting Pilfering of Sol

 

Somewhere in the region of thirty Thunderhawks.

 

CHAPTER BELIEFS

 

The Balletus Cael consider themselves to be the true authority over the humans within their sector, operating as both hard mediators and unflinching executioners.  This is extended towards the Xenos, which they believe should be treated with uncompromising hostility.  This is doubly true for the Tyranids, whom they consider to be a threat to everything they have created.

 

To the chapter, the Emperor is the divine judge over the galaxy.  Given that he chose to lead humanity to the stars shows them that, clearly, the Imperium is meant to rule the stars.  Anyone or anything which would get in the way of that should be eliminated.

 

RECRUITMENT

 

New members are recruited from the tribal humans of Vellax-Four, with marines deploying across the continent to watch for capable initiates.  They also periodically enter villages and settlements to recruit volunteers.  These are then taken to ocean platforms built specifically for the training of the new batches of possible marines.

Brother Tagri Khan's reply to the entity known as D'a'l

"Maybe in a thousand generations, when the light is snuffed out of the galaxy.  Maybe after a thousand defeats, when there are no more bodies to put between inevitability and destruction.  Maybe as our bolters run dry, and our chainswords splutter to a halt.  Maybe when our hearts no longer beat, when our minds no longer remember the Emperor.  Are you willing to risk it all on a maybe?."

Once they have gathered enough humans, the boys are forced into a series of physical exercises which plays on their mental abilities as well as their bodily capabilities.  Those weeded out either become serfs or are repurposed as servitors.  Gladiatorial fights becomes the next stage, with those displaying team-work being fast-tracked and those who disdain such being kept on as gladiators for the next batches to fight.

 

Following this the initiates are deposited back on the mainland and forced to scale Damnation Spire.  The members are encouraged to work together, with those succeeding through deceit and treachery given public executions in the place of their birth.  Upon arrival at the Spire, the initiates undergo surgery.

 

LOCAL RITUALS

 

The Balletus Cael place great emphasis on the histories of their weapons, going as far as creating shires to their equipment to which the marines place offerings on a daily basis.  This is, surprisingly, one of the few aspects of the Balletus Cael where they place emphasis on anything other than their own being Adeptus Astartes.

 

RELICS and AWARDS

 

The Balletus Cael have a large number of suits of Centurion armour suit, moreso than the Terminator armour suits.  They are also in possession of a number of relic blades, granted to the Vanguard Veterans of their 1st company.

 

Despite this, or because of it, the chapter does not possess many honours or awards for service, indeed seeing being elevated to the Adeptus Astartes as the single greatest honour anyone can achieve.

 

Even so, there are several titles within the chapter, relating to specialist formations and unique tasks which are granted only to the more experienced and respected elements of the chapter.  These include:

- Latic Ascendant

Sometimes referred to as a Demi-Captain, these veterans and trusted sergeants are granted sole command of a detachment comprised of marines from one or more companies with armoured and air support for extended operations outwith the primary area of operations of the chapter

- Clavic Ascendant

One of the newer titles, solely reserved for veterans sergeants of the 1st company, these marines are given extended rights over company captains.  This permits them to form small task forces in order to seek out chapter objectives nominally considered secondary to the primary engagement.

- Evoran Mute

With their command named the "Ascendant Evoran Mute", these are marines from across the entirety of the chapter who have, or are currently operating as part of the Sentry's "Legion Brotherhood".  The Legion Brotherhood is a secretive group of space marines tasked with carrying out unsavoury tasks that most Astartes would baulk at carrying out.

- Promache

Currently Techmarine Charac is the sole holder of this title, granting his the unique authority to command the entirety of the chapter's contingent of armoured vehicles.  Generally the chapter master holds this title between the appointment of a trusted marine, however most recently Tagri Khan left the position vacant when the previous holders Veteran-Sergeant Yohn Paulinox and Apothecary Nathaniel died.

 

GENE-SEED

 

Drawn from the Aquilifers, the Balletus Cael do not know the true origin of their gene-seed.  However most consider it to be the Imperial Fists due to their stubborn loyalty to what they perceive as the Emperor’s realm.  Several Magos Biologis believe that, instead, they share many traits with the Iron Hands.  Despite the arguments for and against their gene’s origin, for as long as they remain loyal it is simply one of a thousand mysteries to be solved at a later date.

 

There is little visible mutation within the gene-seed, aside from those tell-tale signs often exhibited by the Sons of Dorn.

 

CHAMPIONS of the CHAPTER

 

Chapter Master Tagri Khan

- Has led the chapter for three centuries, during which he was able to claw the Balletus Cael from the brink and increased the chapter to almost twice the codex standard strength.  It is often noted that without his fiery leadership, the Sentinels themselves would never have been able to achieve the successes they have in redoubling Imperium crusade efforts.  While a captain, Tagri favoured using chemical warfare and terror tactics, a strategy which has since seen a resurgence within the chapter as a whole.

 

Chief Librarian Re-Alaigh Xough

- Master of the Librarian for only twenty years, he has been instrumental in opposing not only the forces of the Warp, but also the Tyranid menace.  His most noteworthy exploits have since been expunged from the records, with many years of service redacted to the very barest of reports.  Many consider this to be linked with the half-guessed rumours relating to the existence of a secretive task force of marines drawn from all Sentry chapters.

 

Ancient Varro

- Former captain of the 1st, Varro was one of the first initiates into the chapter, making him the oldest surviving marine not only within the Bellatus Cael, but also in the entire Bastion Sentry.  While he has little credit to his name as a battle-brother, a natural occurrence among a chapter who do not glorify individual actions, while entombed in his sarcophagus Varro has proved himself to be a capable tactical commander.  In addition, his ability to reassure his comrades both before and during battle is matched only by the Chaplains themselves.

 

Techmarine Charac

- Responsible for the maintenance of almost half of the chapter’s functioning Land Raiders, Charac has become renowned for his ability to turn husks into combat-capable tanks.  When he is not slaving over a crater within one of the chapter's tanks, Charac is given the singular honour of commanding the Balletus Cael's Land Raider "Phalanx" formation.