The Cadian 177th Combined Arms Regiment

[Brother Captain Ed]

INCOMING TRANSMISSION:PRIORITY ALPHA
CLASSIFICATION: Primus Ultra

MESSAGE BEGINS:

 

To: Governor Primus, Cadian Sector

 

Effective as of 0785998.M41 the 177th Cadian Shock Regiment is constituted, Colonel William N. Shanus, commanding (See Personnel Order 239CA-N388).   The Governor Primus is tasked to fill the 177th CSR out to full strength based on Deparmento Munitorum regulation AM 1-1067 and local custom.  Material will be routed from forge worlds AM273, AM983, and AM299 via Solar Mariatus (see Attachment A23.8 for details) to Kasr Partox Assembly Area 23C.

 

Colonel Shanus will immediately relocate to Kasr Partox with the remaining personnel of the Cadian 856th Auxiliary Corps and begin preparation for off-world deployment.  Direct correspondence between commanders concerned is authorized.  A report will be submitted to this office showing the assignment of existing units.

 

By order of the Lord Commander Militant,

--Original Signed---

 

 

Thought for the day: Only in death does duty end.

TRANSMISSION ENDS

 

-----------------------

INCOMING TRANSMISSION:PRIORITY ALPHA EXTREMIS
CLASSIFICATION: Primus Extremis

 

WARNING!  SCRAPCODE DETECTED.  Countermeasures deployed.

 

Translating...

 

+++TRANSM23Dc#&s32ISSION BEGINScccccccc27cccccvs23+++
--CLEAs45*xxRANCE LEVEL: Maximus0cx34Ultra

 

 

2xxxkduvS#dr4#Massive Traitor presence detected DJ@#$M#XSDDDDddas All systems under attack.  Astropathic capabil#djf$% F#22 disrupted.  Heavy losses.  Possible x*djDW3$dack Crusade underway.  Emperor preserve @#8dsC*DD#$ 

---TRANSMISSION ENDS---

 

----------------------------------------

The normally staid scriptorium buzzed with frantic activity.  Servo-skull and servitor alike darted through the mountainous stacks of records and cogitator storage systems carrying information to thousands of administratum clerks who could not hope to keep up with it.  It had been many days since any of them slept after the news of a Black Crusade electrified the bureaucracy on Terra.  One of the many sat at his station, scribbling with one hand under the mix of flickering candlelight and a blinking cogitator screen while two protruding servo-arms scratched out words on the other documents across his lecturn. 

"Oh bother...now what?" he muttered to himself as the cogitator spit out yet more information to process.

 

INTELLIGENCE SITUATION ASSESSMENT

---Clearance Level: Primus Extremis---

 

Traitor forces striking from the Eye of Terror have decisively engaged all Imperial Forces, including elements of 29 Space Marine chapters and Battlefleets Solar and Gothic, in and around the Cadian Subsector (aka "The Cadian Gate").  Departmento Munitorum orders 297DD-89CV through 587DD-9DS are no longer feasible.  Begin reissue protocols.

 

"...through 587DD-9DS??  Emperor preserve us.  Well, let's begin.  Show me order 405SO-22C."

"Order 405SO-CC" the feminine machine spirit purred back.  "177th Cadian Shock Regiment.  Status: Inactive.  Supply: Disrupted.  Personnel Record: Known errors detected."

"Define known personnel errors," the clerk instructed.

"Searching datastreams," the machine spirit replied.  "Colonel William Shanus and staff, killed in action en route to Cadian Subsystem in demonic incursion.  Cadian 856th Auxiliary Corps, reported destroyed in running void and ground actions.  Combat ineffective at this time."

The clerk sighed and one servo stopped writing abruptly.  "Well, let's close the record on this one, then."  Another unit swallowed by the vortex of destruction surrounding Cadia.

"Negative," the cogitator's voice came back.  "Parameters insufficient for deactivation. Orders required."   

"Insufficient?  Blasted machine, there is no regiment!  Define Error."

"Defining...  Supplies earmarked for 177 CSR partially diverted to surplus centers on Cadia Prime." 

"Hmmm..." the clerk thought to himself for a moment as a series of munitions and casualty reports flitted across the screen.  The merciless bureaucracy of the Imperium required the tracking of every las-cell and now it needed them elsewhere.  The mountain of orders and instructions grew ever larger, including one seemingly insignificant requisition form that was now sending much needed war material away from the front.

 

--------------

 

"They've got to be mad!" Lord Castellan Creed fumed.  "I need every damned bullet and they are actually sending ships to REMOVE my supplies!?"

"Yes, sir," his aide-de-camp replied.  "The Munitorum claims that the unit that needs them doesn't exist."

"We all need them!" he yelled.  Color Sergeant Kell stood in the corner, a respectful distance from the Lord Castellan's desk and nodded in agreement.

Eager to keep the meeting moving and try to get a topic that infuriated his boss a bit less, the aide continued. "In other news, sir, the survivors of the 562th Artillery Regiment have regrouped with squads of the 896th, 701st, and 333rd here and here," he said as he pointed to the holo-map covering the Lord Castellan's desk.  Creed shook his head.  Spending lives didn't bother him, but the continued trickle of men to the rear meant his combat effectiveness was waning, and he knew it. 

"A group of Youth Guards is also present after seeing action near the Umber Fens.  They are being inducted into the regular Army today as a result."

"Good," said Creed.  "What regiment?"

"Ummm..." the aide flipped through his notes looking for the answer.

"The 177th, sir!" Kell growled from where he was listening.

Creed scowled.  "What are you talking about, sergeant?"

"Sir...all those munitorum pukes care about is the numbers.  I have an idea..."

 

-----

 

INCOMING TRANSMISSION:PRIORITY ALPHA
CLASSIFICATION: Primus Ultra

MESSAGE BEGINS:

Attachment 234-C: Change to order #405SO-22C, Cadian 177th Shock Regiment. 

 

To: Departmento Munitorum Office 1534-C, Cadian Subector Affairs

 

Effective as of 0564999.M41 the 177th Cadian Shock Regiment is re-designated the 177th Cadian Combined Arms Regiment.  Previously requisitioned material is to be routed accordingly.  See attachments for personnel assignments. 

 

By order of the Lord Castellan,

--Original Signed---

 

Thought for the day: Faith in Emperor is our mightiest weapon.

 

Pictures (and more backstory!) to follow.

[P3AKHOUR]

Pics or it didn't happen. 
Promising fluff tho.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I'm looking forward to seeing what you do...

[Brother Captain Ed]

Thanks, gents.  Hobby activity moves slowly here (I have a one year old and a two month old scampering about).  But I have a couple (bad) pics of some grey plastic Guardsmen and my captain of artillery, who will be introduced as soon as I edit the next fluff installment.  

[Brother Captain Ed]

Captain Alek Kendrew paced outside the command Chimera that served as the Lord Castellan’s forward command post while he toured the sector.  Kendrew had received the vox summons only a few hours before and his mind was in two places at the same time. 

 

The first was back at the rally point where the battered remains of his regiment had finally been able to catch their breath after several weeks of non-stop contact with the warp-spawned menace that now threatened to engulf his homeworld.  The second was casting glances at the still sealed door of the Chimera trying to discern what the Lord Castellan would require his presence for.  Creed had a well-earned reputation as a soldier’s commander and his personal presence in combat zones that most Militarum flag officers would avoid was not uncommon.  However, it was still odd to be summoned the distance that he was, and Kendrew wondered if it meant his career was over. 

 

His weary mind retraced the action of the previous weeks.  Though it had only been a month ago, Kendrew looked back on what might as well have been a previous life.  He was an artilleryman.  From his time in the Youth Guard, Kendrew had shown both enthusiasm for, and skill with, the guns of a Basilisk battery.  Before long, he was taken aside for officer’s training and had found himself a company commander in the 562nd Cadian Artillery Regiment when hell, literally, broke loose upon the world.  Traitors, demons, and fallen space marines seemed everywhere and the 562nd’s colonel was paralyzed by the non-linear battle.  After two days of ordering more “strategic repositioning” orders than fire missions, the regimental commissar’s patience finally broke. 

A band of cultists breached the perimeter and, desperate for orders, the Commissar Vanar and Captain Kendrew found Colonel Keel cowering behind storage containers, unable to reach his Chimera to retreat again. 

“Captain Kender, do you have a course of action for this regiment?” Vanar growled as he towered over a disgraced colonel trying to explain that this “is all part of the big picture.” 
“You’re goddamn right, I do,” Kendrew replied.
“Then I suggest you do it…commander.”  His bolt pistol barked once and Keel’s protestations ceased.

Not needing any more inspiration, Kendrew grabbed his vox-operator and began issuing orders.

 

Abandoning the forward firing positions, Kendrew’s rearward guns began firing.  The missions were sloppy and many were simply the coordinates of known friendly positions that were probably overrun.  Kendrew hoped that they were overrun anyway.  He tried to put that thought out of his mind. 

 

Now that the traitor attack lulled, the haggard remnants of infantry platoons began to stream back through his lines.  Vanar stalked their groups, like a wolf evaluating sheep.  Where he found an officer or an NCO, he was able to restore order, or his bolter was, at any rate.  For the next two hours, ever more inventive uses of danger-close missions held the line.  But, while friendly infantry had stopped coming, the traitors had not. 

“Sir!  Tubes Alpha 1 and 3 have stopped firing.  I also have reports that Beta 4, 7, and 8 have suffered catastrophic failure and their positions are overrun.”
Kendrew took half a moment to consider while firing his laspistol at a group of cultists who came over the sandbags.  “Order Delta’s batteries to fire on those guns, sergeant.”
“Sir…” the vox operator hesitated, “There is no response from Delta company at all.”
Kendrew glanced at the commissar.  The commissar locked eyes with Kendrew, nodded curtly, and then spun around swinging his power sword in a wide arc to catch a daemon that had materialized behind him. 

 

Captain Alek Kendrew, in command for less than three hours, gave the order to disengage.

 

Three weeks later, he had no illusions about his situation.  He was a regimental commander in name only.  He had only three Basilisks, two Wyvern mortars, and a single Manticore missile system.  Not a single vehicle had a full strength crew and one Bassy was so badly damaged that Kendrew had just given the order to part it out.   A handful of infantrymen were also with his regiment, but many were walking wounded and none of them had a more experienced officer than a lieutenant.  A small team of ratling snipers had appeared from somewhere along the way.  No one was really certain when.  Commissar Vanar had been invaluable in first days, but was soon wounded and evacuated to the rear.  And now, after weeks fighting the very fiends of hell, Kendrew stood in a field, waiting on the Lord Castellan to give a report of retreat, failure, and the loss of Cadia’s sons to the Great Enemy.  Kendrew did not expect to command anything greater than janitorial detail ever again…assuming they all survived this war, anyway.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by the Lord Castellan descending the Chimera’s ramp.  Creed’s aide-de-camp and a Lord Commissar followed closely while Color Sergeant Kell peeled off to take reports from the junior NCOs working various tasks in the command post and the small squad of kasrkin providing the Lord Castellan’s security detail. 

“Alright, captain, begin your report.”  Creed, like most Cadian officers, did not waste time on pleasantries. 

 

A small cloud of servo-skulls and auto-reliquaries darted about the space between the two officers, creating a holo-map that updated as Kendrew narrated the series of actions that ground down the 562nd.  Creed said nothing, except for the occasional clarifying point.  Kendrew got the distinct impression that he was not saying anything the Lord Castellan didn’t already know and that the questions were designed to teach and not gain information. 

 

When Kendrew finished there was thirty seconds of silence as Creed gazed at the holo-map.  Creed exhaled.  “Son,” for a moment, the formality fled his voice, “I wish you had brought more men back with you.  But I don’t know very many officers who could have brought as many as you did.  Your tactics were unconventional and your close order support missions could not have been performed by a lesser officer who gave his men lesser training.  Your action in the Stygian Draw may have saved this entire sector.  Firing on the cliffs to bring them down was brilliant.  I only wish that Keel had been removed from command sooner.” 

 

At this, Creed shot a disapproving glare to the glowering Lord Commissar. 
“Commissar Vanar has been…reminded…about the necessity of scrutinizing senior officers,” interjected the commissar.  He was clearly irritated at having to defend his subordinates, rather than questioning others. 
“See that your men do, commissar,” Creed instructed, “But I expect them not to get too zealous with my officer corps.”
The commissar lord’s cheek began to tick, but he said nothing.
“My lord,” Kendrew spoke up, “Will Vanar be returning to us?  His experience was…invaluable.”  Kendrew looked for the right word, hoping to get the commissar back without calling his own competence into question.
“Indeed,” the commissar sneered, “Commissar Vanar’s medicae and rejuvenation treatments are nearly complete, even for the shockingly slow pace they were administered.  He spoke of nothing else but returning, despite being warned against such attachments.  If it were up to me he would be reassigned and-“
Creed cut him off.  “It is NOT up to you, my lord commissar.  The matter is settled.”
The commissar again held his tongue.

“As for you, captain,” Creed waved his hand and the map flickered out as the little machines retreated back to the Chimera.  “For the act of retreating without orders, you are relieved of command.”
Kendrew was not surprised, but it still felt like a physical blow.  “The 562nd, after unsustainable losses, is decommissioned.”

Kendrew flinched.  His first command was no more.  He had failed.

“Did you save the standard, Captain Kendrew?”
“Yes, my lord.” Kendrew gestured to one of the soldiers nearby who brought the folded guideon to the Lord Castellan. 
“Then the honor of the regiment remains intact.  The 562nd will rest beneath the Emperor’s gaze at the Eternity Gate upon Holy Terra.” The men bowed their heads and made the sign of the Aquila as the Lord Castellan formally laid the regiment to rest.

Creed looked up and continued, “For conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy, you are awarded the Silver Aquila with valor device.”  Creed gestured to the commissar who moved forward to pin the medal on Kendrew.  He was clearly unhappy with this duty.
“Furthermore, the Cadian High Command has found you deserving of the trust, duties, and responsibilities of the grade of major.  Your promotion is effective immediately.”  Lord Castellan Creed produced the new rank and pinned it on Kendrew himself. 
This was not the outcome Kendrew expected.

“My aide is producing the necessary orders, but I expect you to act ahead of them.  Take what men you have, and those who have joined you, and report to the muster grounds near Kasr Derth.  You are reflagging and I need your men back in the fight.”
“I don’t understand, my lord.  The men with me are not artillerymen.  There are at least 5 different regiments, represented there.  They would only get in the way in an artillery regiment.”
“You aren’t going to build one,” Creed replied.  “I have hand-selected you for this particular regiment because I need units who can do what you just did: utilize every branch of the Cadian military at the tactical level.  This is a new type of regiment that will travel from crisis to crisis, using every tool available to stabilize and counterattack.  Lord Commissar!” Creed turned and addressed the man.  “What is the duty of every Imperial Guardsman in the absence of orders?”
“To hold the Emperor’s line or die trying,” The commissar responded automatically. 
“That’s right.  But this regiment, major, has new standing orders.  In the absence of orders, you will seek the enemy and attack.  You will not have to wait for an artillery battery, you will have one.  You will not have to request the support of a tank company, your commander will have one at their disposal.  You will not rely on a shock regiment to protect your guns, you will have two companies of infantry.  I am even placing a squadron of Valkyries in this regiment.  You will seize the initiative, keep the enemy unbalanced, and give me time to bring the full might of the Emperor’s Hammer down on these heretics.  To realize this vision I need an artillery battery commander who can support soldiers, not just drop explosive on the enemy.”

Kendrew realized that meant he would not be leading this regiment.  He was more relieved than disappointed.  

Creed motioned to his aide, who produced a silver gilded swagger stick.  “It is customary for regimental commanders and former regimental commanders to be given a baton symbolizing their office.  Since you have no senior officer to give you one, I have undertaken this duty myself.  This once belonged to Castellan Andrei Volkov.  Bear it with pride.”  Creed leaned in and whispered, “It has a hidden shockfield built in.  Might come in handy, in this assignment.”  He straightened back up and Major Kendrew saluted sharply, ready to move out.

Creed returned the salute.  “One more thing, major.  Unusual assignments need unusual officers.  I recalled your commander for this specific task.  I expect you to get along with her.”
“’Her,’ my lord?”
Creed smiled.

[Brother Captain Ed]

Hmmm...  Gonna hafta keep playing with the pics.  Apparently this phone creates files that are too large for the B&C Gallery.  Need a new approach.

[WarriorFish]

You should have a basic image editor to shrink them down to size? You can't keep us in suspense too long ;)

[Brother Captain Ed]

Well, it's an even worse picture than I'd thought, but it's grey plastic. So it'll do for now. Here we have Major Kendrew with his shiny new (old) swagger stick. We also have the intrepid, and unnamed, vox operator who kept the guns working to save the 562nd, and the soon-to-be fleshed out Color Sergeant of the 177th.

http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii544/alaricgu/15218251_10154405416586263_394128885_n_zpslbnn76gt.jpg

And here is Alpha Squad, First Platoon, Company Primus. I did wind up going with the grenade launcher. We'll see if that changes down the line.

http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii544/alaricgu/15175405_10154405463846263_378224265_n_zpseum92mua.jpg

Anyway, sorry for the awful pictures. I was going to hurry some paint on these guys buuuuuuuuut, I just picked up Witcher 3 and the holidays are busy. So I may save these for the next Lutum campaign after the New Year.

When I get home I'll snap the last picture and introduce Colonel Elizabeth von Strohm.

[WarriorFish]

A good start, these pictures are more than good enough to show your builds :) Looking forward to seeing more :tu:

[duz_]

I use this app on my phone to resize images for b&c

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simplemobilephotoresizer

[Brother Captain Ed]

http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii544/alaricgu/15209122_10154406825671263_1587243765_n_zpsf2gagtas.jpg

 

+++Officer Record Initiated+++
Scanning Records…
Access Granted – Commissariat Level Primus

Welcome, Commissar.

Record follows:

Grade/Name: Colonel Elizabeth von Strohm, Baroness of Ibileen
Service Number – CA-05-506-79
Sex: Female
Age: 108 Standard Terran Years
Place of Birth: Kasr Kerak, Barony of Ibileen, Cadia Prime
Current Assignment: 177th Cadian Combined Arms Regiment, Commanding
Previous Assignments: See Attached
Medical Status: Fit for Duty
Decorations: Honorifica Imperialis
Silver Aquila
Macharian Cross
Order of the Eagle’s Claw
Order of the Scarlet Wing
Merit of Terra
Ribbon Intrinsic (Multiple Awards)
Triple Skull
Eagle Ordinary
Duelist Honors

Accessing Commissarial Assessment…
===Standby===
Access Granted
Beginning complete profile…

Elizabeth von Strohm is the eldest daughter of an old branch of Cadian nobility.  The Strohm’s claim to the province of Ibileen stretches back to the initial settlement and fortification of Cadia following the Horus Heresy.  Military merit and ability are strongly valued traits among Cadians and it is unusual for a noble family to have roots that deep.  For nearly 10 millennia, the Strohm family has produced dozens of Astra Millitarum and Imperial Navy officers and commissars, including two Lord Castellans of Cadia.  Lesser branches of the House have also produced Arbites and at least 4 known members of the Adepta Sororitas.  A cold and ruthless pragmatism, combined with rigid devotion to the Emperor, has kept the family fortunes intact for most of the Imperial Age.  A Strohm, regardless of distinction, is regarded by his or her family as a greenhorn until they are awarded their first Merit of Terra, as they expect to spend their entire lives in Imperial service.

 

Colonel von Strohm’s childhood was typical of a Cadian youth, with the added pressure of growing into a soldier worthy of her bloodline.  However, von Strohm seems to have thrived in this environment, no doubt aided by her family’s ability to provide generous enhancements and hypno-therapy.  Her Youth Guard, and later Cadian Officer’s Academy, assessment reports indicate that she was a young cadet who performed her tasks admirably, but was often reprimanded for acting outside of orders and utilizing tactics and strategies that deviated too far from Imperial doctrine.  The only category she truly excelled in was close quarter combatives.  A master of the blade and several martial arts (courtesy of expensive imported teachers), von Strohm was awarded Duelist Honors before leaving the Academy, an impressive, though not unheard of, feat. 

 

As a young lieutenant, she displayed a knack for teambuilding and small-unit leadership, earning several awards and acquitting herself admirably in several warzones including the defense of Cartoris III against the Grotkilla Waaaagh and the Suppression of Narthex V. 

 

After her promotion to captain, von Strohm began using her influence to obtain varied, and dangerous, assignments.  Needless to say, this is unusual for wealthy officers with high social status.  In hindsight, it is obvious to see that von Strohm’s designs were calculated to increase her mastery of warfare, though at the time several commissars noted concerns for her unorthodox requests.  Her first company command was with a grav-shute insertion company where, though wounded in the drop, she successfully secured the theater’s major landing zones during the planetstrike of Mettelus II.  After the conclusion of operations on Mettelus, she secured assignment to the anti-pirate operations in the Hajax Gulf where she displayed a grasp of ship-based void actions that is rare for officers without a naval background.  She was then transferred an artillery battery during the protracted Siege of Hive Jerillis on Bedar Prime, and led a mechanized company across the plains of Yrel IV as part of the Nadian Blitz that secured the world from separatists.  She even secured a stint as a mission commander in a Kasrkin commando force and successfully planned and executed a decapitation strike that ended the threat of Waaagh Bitz-Steala.

 

Around this time, her father gifted her with an ancient masterwork chainsword that she dubbed “Celeritas” for its extraordinary lightweight and handling.  If you are ever required to engage von Strohm in close combat, DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE HER.  Her grace and technique are far beyond all but the most dedicated swordsmen and one of her previous commissars noted in his report that she moves “like she’s part Eldar.”  Shoot first, if possible.

 

Von Strohm’s regimental commands have all displayed the same traits she had as a cadet, though now tempered by experience: eager, quick actions that are often unorthodox.  When at the head of units she’s trained, they generally acquit themselves well.  However, she was formally reprimanded during the Letuq Campaign when her regiment moved out of its zone against orders to block the Tau egress route and caused a major friendly fire incident.  The reprimand stuck, but the incident was swept under the rug because her action led to the enemy being trapped and destroyed rather than allowed to continue their hit-and-run campaign. 

 

Von Strohm was awarded the Honorifica Imperialis en route to Cadia when the Emperor’s Light lost its Gellar Field for 3/10s of a second and was boarded by daemons and a small band of traitor marines.  She was the only officer not taken by surprise and skillfully used her small escort to reach the bridge and kill the traitor marine leader, blade to blade. 

 

Von Strohm was made Baroness of Ibileen mere weeks ago, when she arrived to the Cadian warzone. 
+++Entry Redacted+++
=][= Information restricted, Inquisitorial Seal detected =][=
The Emperor is Our Shield and Our Protector
+++Redaction Ends+++

Resuming assessment…

 

Commissars are instructed to use caution while in service to Colonel von Strohm.  Her tactical acumen is difficult to challenge and her ability to breed loyalty to herself among her subordinates would be disturbing in other circumstances.  Unlike many senior officers, she is often found where the fighting is hardest.  Her staff is comprised of seasoned veterans, some who have been with her since she was lieutenant, armed with expensive plasma technology, ready to ride, walk, or jump into combat and filled with confidence in her leadership. 

 

Remind her soldiers that her continued successes are proof of the Emperor’s Favor and do not spare the lash: She tolerates a lax atmosphere among her men, but violently punishes incompetence.  It is our duty to see to these matters before she does.  Ensure that you remain at peak physical readiness.  She is a fast moving commander and failing to keep up with her demanding tempo will result in immediate relief and retraining.

 

Her current assignment is unique and handpicked by Lord Castellan Creed.  Do not worry about adherence to doctrine, but focus on keeping morale high and be extra vigilant for heresy in this dark times.

 

+++Report Ends+++
Thought of the day: Fear denies faith.

 

 

So here she is.  A slightly converted Raging Heroes model, I dig her look and am looking forward to getting paint on her.  And here she is with her fire support officer, Major Kendrew, who is perpetually yelling at some poor Guardsman.

 

http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii544/alaricgu/15218478_10154406826321263_316481588_n_zpsdwpnrjkm.jpg

[WarriorFish]

Better than most of the Raging Hormones line, the chainsword adds a lot. Now let's see some paint on them ;)

[Brother Captain Ed]

Better than most of the Raging Hormones line, the chainsword adds a lot. Now let's see some paint on them

Oh, I will. But with the holidays taking so much time, I think these will be my vow for the next phase of the Lutum campaign series. ...which works out perfectly because I have an inquisitor I've been meaning to kitbash as well.

[Brother Captain Ed]

+++Incoming Data Packet+++

Ordo Hereticus encryption detected. 

=][= Inquisitiorial protocols deployed =][=

 

Rosette verified.  Emperor protect you, Inquisitor.

 

Field cipher Sigma Secundus applied.

Decrypting…..

 

Surveillance Team Tertius:  Intelligence Summary 173, Cadian Incursion, Day 234, Interrogator Regius reporting.

 

Inquisitor, the situation in Sector 16 remains largely stable.  The local populace remains remarkably resistant to heretical ideas taking root, even under the shadow of intense warp activity.  However, since Summary 172, several human and signals based sources indicated possible aberrant activity taking place in Ibileen.  Because of the barony’s proximity to this sector’s pylon, two teams were dispatched to confirm or deny any heretical presence. 

 

Both teams reported very little unusual activity (for a warzone embroiled with the Enemy anyway).  Team Alpha was instructed to look into the von Strohm family, along with the rest of the local Administratum.  After several days of discreet investigations, Agent Rho-3 reported his belief that the cooperation he was receiving from the baron’s estate was actually funneling his team into meaningless information.  On Day 229, I authorized upgrading the surveillance to a direct Inquisitorial inquiry.  On Day 231, Rho-3 relayed a routine status report and indicated that he accepted a baronial invitation to open the aristocratic record books to the Inquisition.  No further reports were received by Rho-3 or Team Alpha.

 

Team Beta remained in place to observe when Colonel Elizabeth von Strohm’s arrival prompted a minor traditional homecoming celebration throughout the kasr, disrupting normal movement and bringing the additional hazard of avoiding 53 veterans of the colonel’s previous assignment who travelled with her to Cadia now in the baronial estate. 

 

That night a general security lockdown was implemented in the palace.  Transmissions were immediately jammed and no signals intelligence was able to be gathered.  Team Beta’s efforts at visual surveillance were stymied by von Strohm’s veterans who set up an effective perimeter and politely refused the aid of a unit of Arbites who responded to the scene.  I denied Team Beta permission to reveal their presence and did not attempt to breach the perimeter.  Intense fires obviously raged through the estate and the discharge of las-weaponry was confirmed, but we have no further firsthand accounts of the evening. 

 

By morning, the automated succession protocols had activated, and indicated Baron and Baroness von Strohm and their eldest son and heir, Karl, and his wife and children were dead, making Colonel von Strohm, by right of birth and the Emperor’s favor, Baroness of Ibileen.  The Colonel-Baroness and her soldiers left immediately and have moved to take command of her new regiment. 

 

We have intercepted Colonel von Strohm’s official report of the incident.  It is attached, but the summation is that while en route to her new command, the baronial compound was attacked by a strong daemonic incursion, of which many of been seen in the Cadian War, and the Baron and his household were taken by surprise.  Giving credit to her men, she rallied appropriately and purged the entire site by flame once the attackers overpowered her father and brother’s internal defenses.  My sources say this report has been accepted by the Cadian Command without question due to Colonel von Strohm’s exceptional service and the relatively routine nature of such attacks as the Enemy seeks to cripple the Cadian command structure.

 

Of the estate itself, little remains and the events of the evening remain unclear.  The palace is a smoldering ruin.  Team Beta’s on-the-ground report indicates that the building sustained several hours of sustained promethium attack, consistent with a typical Inferno-pattern Hellhound.  Two were known to be with Colonel von Strohm and her retinue.  Most of the outbuildings suffered a similar fate, though to a lesser degree.  Evidence of warp-tainted activity is present, though thin.  Some physical evidence does suggest a traitorous force was present, though much of it is destroyed.  Agent Eta-7 is doubtful that the evidence shows the Chaos force would be powerful enough to penetrate such a hardened position as the von Strohm ancestral home on its own without a significant tear in reality.  Team Beta’s psykers do note some activity on the site, but not consistent with a significant incursion. 

 

It is difficult to give even a tentative assessment, with so little information to us.  However, there only a few plausible explanations.

 

Assessment A.) Elizabeth von Strohm’s report was truthful and her family was the victim of a targeted attack by the Archenemy. 
Likelihood: Moderate.  It is plausible that Team Beta was unable to find physical evidence to corroborate this account due to its destruction.  However, even accounting for the unpredictability of the warp, the psychic residue of a warp rift was far too low for a major rift that occurred only a few hours previously.  It is also strange that an Imperial unit under attack would jam communications, rather than call for aid and turn it away when it did arrive.  Furthermore, Team Alpha disappeared on the estate before the attack.  This course of events fails to explain why the team would disappear in routine investigation of a friendly site.  It seems more likely that the account is either in error, or deliberately incorrect.

 

Assessment B.)  Elizabeth von Strohm used her sudden proximity and access to battle-hardened, personally loyal Guardsmen to violently resolve a succession dispute in her favor.

Likelihood: Low.  Such an act is extremely out of character for the Colonel-Baroness.  Commissariat records indicate a good relationship with her family and an aversion for, not aspiration to, her father’s title.  And, as with Assessment A, Team Alpha disappeared on the estate before Colonel von Strohm’s arrival.  It is unlikely they perished as collateral damage in a aristocratic dispute that had not even happened yet. 

 

Assessment C.)  Elizabeth von Strohm is a traitor and used sudden proximity and access to battle-hardened, personally loyal Guardsmen to murder her family and take control of a militarily significant zone in the middle of the war for Cadia. 
Likelihood: Moderate, though unsubstantiated.  The Enemy can twist the mind, especially over time.  Poisoning a servant of the Emperor is all too common, as is betrayal on Cadia.  However, no commissar assigned to the colonel has reported any deviant behavior or activity and her commissorial survival rate has been in line with Munitorum projections, which would be unlikely if she was successfully fostering a cult within her ranks.  Furthermore, there are no records of unusual behavior from troops who have been reassigned after her campaigns.  If she is fostering an illegal warrior cult, she is remarkably good at hiding it.  This also fails to explain why Team Alpha went dark before Colonel von Strom’s arrival and not after.

 

Assessment D.)  The chaotic activity was already occurring when Colonel von Strohm arrived. 
Likelihood: High.  Traitorous activity within the palace could have occurred on a long-term, low grade level, thus masking psychic activity against the background of the greater heretical incursion.  It would also explain Rho-3’s suspicions about the deliberate misdirection from the provincial government and why they disappeared before the events of the night of Day 232-233.  What physical evidence Eta-7 recovered is also in line with a small cult that was deliberately purged.  However the evidence is not conclusive and it is conjecture.  If true, crucially, it does not tell us if Colonel von Strohm was involved in the activity or if she uncovered it when she arrived.  Nor do we know if the previous baron and his family were taken by surprise as the Colonel-Baroness claims or if they were behind the subversive activity.  It would also mean that Colonel von Strohm deliberately filed a false report; an action that is out of character but possibly explainable due to the involvement of her family or their negligence in preventing a cult from forming inside their own home. 

 

Since Colonel von Strohm is a key player in the Lord Castellan’s new defensive strategy, I am requesting further resources to be devoted to this, specifically.  If she is a traitor, she will be uniquely positioned to subvert the Imperial defense of Cadia. 

+++Transmission Ends+++

 

 

The green holo-read out flickered and closed as the interrogator’s assessment ended.  The hooded figure reading it leaned back in his chair and shadows consumed his visage from any onlookers.  He considered for a moment while dozens of other cogitators worked all around his lair, each producing information and reports from a dozen agents spread across the entire system.   Almost imperceptibly, he came to a conclusion.  Without waiting to be prompted another robed figure stepped out of the shadows that hid much of room.
“My lord?” He asked.
“Ajax, prepare my shuttle.  And notify the chamber militant.  …we are going to the front.”
“Very good, my lord.”

 

 

 

So here we have a teaser for the next character in the ongoing 177th drama!  The advent of C:IA and the fortuitousness of the next AM Forum Campaign involving the Inquisition is just too much to pass up!  So we’ll have a kitbashed Inquisitor Lord taking personal interest in the colonel as she attempts to defend Cadia, her men, and her family honor, all while rewriting the book on counterattack doctrine. 

Stay Tuned!

[WarriorFish]

Great stuff Ed, looking forward to seeing more :tu:

[Brother Captain Ed]

Thank you, commissar! I have some ideas for the remaining characters: the color sergeant, medicae, and platoon commanders. But I need to create this inquisitor first. Hopefully I'll have him primed and ready for the campaign in January. I'm looking forward to it!

[KasrkinRyu]

Wow looking wonderful, I really like the raging heroes conversion too! I am looking forward to seeing what she looks like all painted up.

 

I think dark times are approaching the Cadian sector and we need all the able bodies we can get. If you regiment ever needs some Kasrkin my boys would love to join you. May the Emperor protect the 177th!

[Brother Captain Ed]

Wow looking wonderful, I really like the raging heroes conversion too! I am looking forward to seeing what she looks like all painted up.

 

I think dark times are approaching the Cadian sector and we need all the able bodies we can get. If you regiment ever needs some Kasrkin my boys would love to join you. May the Emperor protect the 177th!

Thank you!  We will see you boys on the objective! :)

[Wolf_Lord_Hardrada]

Need....more....This is really good!

 

One day I will write up my own fluff >.<