The Pursuit: Chaos Meets Startrek

[Hasoroth]

I was watching reruns of Star Trek with a couple of friends when one of them made a joke about what the Star Trek mission statement would sound like if Starfleet was run by Chaos worshipers:
 
Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to conquer strange new worlds, to seek out new life and experiment upon it, to boldly corrupt what no man has corrupted before.
 
 
From that joke came an idea: Chaos meets High Tech, the Warp meets Star Trek. I wanted to create a small collection of models that I could use in smaller scale games (such as Shadow War: Armageddon), in roleplay (specifically for Rogue Trader), and in dioramas. As a proof of concept I fiddled around with a leftover Sentinel kit that I had in storage and created this: 
 
http://i.imgur.com/Ny1rM3a.jpg
 

'Outlaw' Pattern Light Assault Walker

The design elements that I wanted to highlight were the obvious Imperial base with various technological modifications, as well as a subtle Chaos influence (tiny stars, minimal spikes etc). 
 
I hate modelling without any fluff to back it up. Below you'll find a list of WIP models that I intend to add to create as well as a little bit of lore behind the crew of the starship Pursuit. 
 
 

It is the year 634.M41 and the Archon Nadzybar, fresh from establishing his dominance over his competitors, begins to eye the rest of the Sabbat World's with a conqueror's gaze. With sharp intellect and cruel machinations Nadzybar has begun to prepare for open warfare with the Imperium and has set in motion numerous plans in order to better secure the success of the Ruinous Powers in the war to come.

 

One of the Archon's more unorthodox schemes is the formation of the 'Nargrek Dalwar' or (translated roughly into Lower Gothic) 'Exploration Groups'. These Exploration Groups are built around the crew and complement of light escort ships sent in every direction to discretely search for anything that might benefit the impending war effort: ancient weapons, powerful allies, or even loot and plunder.

 

For years the predations of these Exploration Groups were assumed to be the isolated actions of pirates and renegades but it is only now, with the successful completion of the Sabbat World's Crusade, that we have come to realize that all of these incidents were in fact part of a greater plan.

 

In some cases the ships of these Exploration Groups returned empty handed, in others they returned fat with new worshipers, new technologies, and new weapons. In other cases they returned too late to aid the Archon and were destroyed piecemeal by Imperial patrols. Sometimes they never returned at all. This is the tale of one of those lost ships, the Pursuit and her crew.

 
Models to come:

 

The Ship:

 

The Pursuit - Iconoclast-class Escort ship

Favored by pirates, renegades, and heretics alike the Iconoclast is a small, ubiquitous, and powerful light ship.

Length: 1.5 km

Width: 0.5km

Mass: 6.5 megatonnes

Crew: ~14,000 souls

 

Officers:  

 

Jesdin Etogaur - Captain of the Pursuit

One of Magister Gaur’s worthiest followers. His natural curiosity is matched only by his cruelty.

  

Tybalt Damogaur - First Officer of the Pursuit

A former Guardsman, Tybalt left the Imperium for the promised freedom of the Archenemy.  

 

Moro Damogaur - Second Officer of the Pursuit

Born into the Blood Pact he seeks this assignment to benefit his clan's standing.   

 

Tek-Lord Dustmont - Chief Engineer of the Pursuit

One of Heritor Asphodel’s would be challengers, Dustmont was exiled in all but name.  

 

The Butcher - Chief Medical Officer of the Pursuit

Seeming a kindly, old man he is in fact an ex-convict from an Imperial max-security prison facility.  

 

Lieutenant Heremius - Helmsman of the Pursuit

A defector from the Imperial Navy with a habit for warp infused narcotics and darker pleasures.  

 

Ain’chy’eath the All-Mouth - Chief Communications Officer of the Pursuit

A minor daemon of Tzeentch, bound into the cogitators of the Pursuit by Dustmont.  

 

Karkaxes of House Canteworth - Navigator of the Pursuit

His house is bound by obscene pacts to Archon Nadzybar. Reclusive and misshapen.  

 

Sirdar Akriles - Chief Security Officer of the Pursuit

Blademaster of the Blood Pact, bedecked in tattoos derived from the burnt bones of his enemies.   

 

Tek-Lord Ozila - Chief Science Officer of the Pursuit

An insane hybrid of daemon, man, and machine who seeks to experiment on alien life.

 

Crew:

 

Blood Pact Troopers - 3,000 aboard the Pursuit (planning on making ~10)

Cultist warriors ceremonially bonded to their leader by scarring their hands upon his bladed power armor.

 

Death Brigade Troopers - 45 aboard the Pursuit (planning on making ~10)

As Stormtroopers are to Imperial Guardsmen, so too the Death Brigade are to regular Blood Pact Troopers.

 

Heretek Coven - 500 aboard the Pursuit (planning on making ~10)

Followers, acolytes, and warriors of Heritor Asphodel's cult; they follow Tek-Lords Dustmont and Ozila and serve as skilled workers aboard the Pursuit

 

Menial Workers, Gun-serfs, and Galley-Slaves - 10,000 aboard the Pursuit (planning on making ~10)

Useful menials live lives of relative safety aboard the Pursuit while others are likely to end up served in the mess.

 

Armory:  

 

'Brigand' AT83 Super Tank - 5 aboard the Pursuit (planning on making ~1)

Equivalent in firepower to the Leman Russ, the Brigand was rare in the forces of the Archenemy prior to the fall of Urdesh.

 

Stalk Tank - 30 aboard the Pursuit (planning on making ~1-3)

Horrifying amalgamations of man and machine, the Stalk Tank combined the fire power of an infantry squad with the armor of a light tank.

 

'Raider' Heretek Pattern Guncutter - 15 aboard the Pursuit (planning on making ~1)

Used alternatively as transports for high ranking officials, and as close air support.

 

'Outlaw' Heretek Pattern Walker - 200 aboard the Pursuit (planning on making 1-3)

Lightly armored perversions of the Sentinel Walker, the Outlaw was used for reconnaissance and infantry support.

 

Background Timeline:

 

• 634.M41 - Archon Nadzybar seizes power over the squabbling magisters of the Sanguinary Worlds
• 655.M41 - The first wave of Exploration Groups set forth.
• 698.M41 - The eight and final wave of Exploration Group set forth, the Pursuit among them.
• 737.M41 - The Pursuit emerges from the Warp almost four decades later although for the crew only weeks have passed in travel.
• 741.M41 - The Sabbat Worlds have officially fallen to the forces of Chaos
• 742.M41 - The Damocles Gulf Crusade begins.
• 743.M41 - After years of plunder, hit and run raids, and exploration, the Pursuit arrives in the Eastern fringe.
• 743-745.M41 - Posing as mercenaries the Pursuit aid the Tau Empire in exchange for access to alien weapons technologies.
• 745.M41 - The Damocles Gulf Crusade ends with Imperial retreat.
• 746.M41-754.M41 - The Pursuit continues to pose as a ship for hire, amassing a wealth of weapons and slaves.
• 755.M41 - The Imperium officially begins the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.
• 765.M41 - Archon Gaur is slain at Balhaut.
• 771.M41 - Archon Urlock Gaur seizes power.
• 772.M41 - The Pursuit is driven out of Tau territory as the horrific experiments of it's Hereteks are revealed.
• 773.M41 - Archon Gaur is slain at Herodor.
• 773.M41 - Present - The Pursuit remains at large, having avoided returning to the now Imperial held Sabbat Worlds.

Edited June 21, 2017 by Hasoroth

[Sandlemad]

Brilliant idea! Are you planning on making these officers versions of particular Star Trek characters?

[Hasoroth]

Brilliant idea! Are you planning on making these officers versions of particular Star Trek characters?

 

To some degree all of the officers will hold a reference to particular characters in Star Trek. I intend to start with the Chief of Security modeled with a bat'leth.