A Brother's Confession and a taste of RobMac's Ultramarines

[DogWelder]

https://www.blacklibrary.com/new-titles/featured/a-brothers-confession-eshort.html

 

I just finished the short story 'A Brother's Confession' and as a longtime Ultramarines fan, I really like how he's handling them.

 

The Ultramarines aren't just made out to be plain vanilla marines with no distinct features but given a unique identity. They're much more tactical and 'operator'-like than how many other Chapters are represented in 40k literature.

 

Contrasting them to RobMac's Space Sharks I get the impression of a highly-disciplined special forces team or unit of soldiers focused on accomplishing the highest priority objective above all else instead of the standard Space Marine Warrior Monk or Berserker.

 

He also humanizes them in a way that highlights their hopefulness for the future and care for common humanity without making them look like boyscouts or having them make poor strategic decisions due to their morals (as was the case with Nick Kyme's Salamanders in the oft-criticized 'Rebirth' novel'.)

 

It is a short story after all but it's quality makes me look forward to his future Ultramarines novel.

Edited December 18, 2017 by DogWelder

[deathspectersgt7]

I liked it . He made me  like Ultras A little .  Just alittle .

[cheywood]

I'm excited to see the relationship between Kastor and Polixis develop more, and I hope we get some more descriptions of how Primaris tech works. The description of the narthecium in action reminds me of Haley's fluency in describing the more technical aspects of the Imperium. Just deep enough to explore the processes by which specific things work without complicating understanding. Edited December 17, 2017 by cheywood

[Marshal Rohr]

What do you mean by tactical and operator like?

[cheywood]

What do you mean by tactical and operator like?

Curious about this myself. There's a few moments where a fire team makes use of fire and maneuver, plus the Primaris seem to have pretty advanced location mapping in their suits (I think Haley also emphasized this in Dark Imperium?), but the way the story's written I only really got a feel for the protagonist, not the Ultramarines as a whole.

Edited December 17, 2017 by cheywood

[Marshal Loss]

 (as was the case with Josh Reynold's Salamanders in the oft-criticized 'Rebirth' novel'.)

 

Nick Kyme, not Josh Reynolds.

[DogWelder]

 

 (as was the case with Josh Reynold's Salamanders in the oft-criticized 'Rebirth' novel'.)

 

Nick Kyme, not Josh Reynolds.

 

 

Thanks, fixed it.

[Biscuittzz]

 

Contrasting them to RobMac's Space Sharks I get the impression of a highly-disciplined special forces team or unit of soldiers focused on accomplishing the highest priority objective above all else instead of the standard Space Marine Warrior Monk or Berserker.

 

 

 

 

Sorry RG and AL already have that gig. They'll need to rethink some other way of getting theoretical and practical into the same sentence over and over.

 

But in all seriousness, I'm glad they've finally started to try of differentiating the UM from the others.

[DogWelder]

 

 

Contrasting them to RobMac's Space Sharks I get the impression of a highly-disciplined special forces team or unit of soldiers focused on accomplishing the highest priority objective above all else instead of the standard Space Marine Warrior Monk or Berserker.

 

 

 

 

Sorry RG and AL already have that gig. They'll need to rethink some other way of getting theoretical and practical into the same sentence over and over.

 

But in all seriousness, I'm glad they've finally started to try of differentiating the UM from the others.

 

 

Ik you were joking but RG strike me more of an assassins/headhunters than soldiers. And the Alpha Legion as infiltration units above all else. The Ultras are more 'general, all-purpose military' if you get my meaning. 

 

I'd argue they did so with the 30k Ultras already in terms of differentiation. The 40k Ultras don't have too much content though so there hasn't been much room for characterization (the Ultramarine Omnibus was more of a Uriel Ventris driven story). 

[RobMac]

Glad folks think I've not disgraced the Chapter. Regarding "differentiation," although the novel is about Kastor and Polixis adventures, I wanted to bring the whole company (or in this case, a demi-company of five squads of Primaris) into play as much as possible, so there's quite a lot going on with the captain, lieutenant, a bunch of sergeants and a very grumpy reiver. It's not quite Gaunt's Ghosts level of awesome interactions across a regiment, but by the end hopefully you have a flavour of a lot of different characters. 

 

 

I liked it . He made me  like Ultras A little .  Just alittle .

Objective achieved. Next up, "a lot" 

[deathspectersgt7]

Are you willing to take up that Challenge .

[DogWelder]

Glad folks think I've not disgraced the Chapter. Regarding "differentiation," although the novel is about Kastor and Polixis adventures, I wanted to bring the whole company (or in this case, a demi-company of five squads of Primaris) into play as much as possible, so there's quite a lot going on with the captain, lieutenant, a bunch of sergeants and a very grumpy reiver. It's not quite Gaunt's Ghosts level of awesome interactions across a regiment, but by the end hopefully you have a flavour of a lot of different characters. 

 

 

50 extra Marines existing outside the formal structure of the Chapter organized into a strike force...wow quite a radical departure from the codex. Though it does make sense since Guilliman did mention he was going to make major revisions to the Codex Astartes.

[RobMac]

 

Glad folks think I've not disgraced the Chapter. Regarding "differentiation," although the novel is about Kastor and Polixis adventures, I wanted to bring the whole company (or in this case, a demi-company of five squads of Primaris) into play as much as possible, so there's quite a lot going on with the captain, lieutenant, a bunch of sergeants and a very grumpy reiver. It's not quite Gaunt's Ghosts level of awesome interactions across a regiment, but by the end hopefully you have a flavour of a lot of different characters. 

 

 

50 extra Marines existing outside the formal structure of the Chapter organized into a strike force...wow quite a radical departure from the codex. Though it does make sense since Guilliman did mention he was going to make major revisions to the Codex Astartes.

 

Yep. The arrival of the Primaris is going to subvert a Chapter's Codex structure no matter what, either adding them to the companies brings them over 100 Space Marines, or forming new companies pushes them over ten in a Chapter. The Fulminata ("Thunderbolts") are a composite strike force outside the usual ten-company structure. I explore the impact all this change has on Ultramarine philosophy a bit, there's essentially a split between old and new, with a lot of the previous command echelons none too pleased with the new additions, which are understandably championed by the Primaris. 

[DogWelder]

 

 

Glad folks think I've not disgraced the Chapter. Regarding "differentiation," although the novel is about Kastor and Polixis adventures, I wanted to bring the whole company (or in this case, a demi-company of five squads of Primaris) into play as much as possible, so there's quite a lot going on with the captain, lieutenant, a bunch of sergeants and a very grumpy reiver. It's not quite Gaunt's Ghosts level of awesome interactions across a regiment, but by the end hopefully you have a flavour of a lot of different characters. 

 

 

50 extra Marines existing outside the formal structure of the Chapter organized into a strike force...wow quite a radical departure from the codex. Though it does make sense since Guilliman did mention he was going to make major revisions to the Codex Astartes.

 

Yep. The arrival of the Primaris is going to subvert a Chapter's Codex structure no matter what, either adding them to the companies brings them over 100 Space Marines, or forming new companies pushes them over ten in a Chapter. The Fulminata ("Thunderbolts") are a composite strike force outside the usual ten-company structure. I explore the impact all this change has on Ultramarine philosophy a bit, there's essentially a split between old and new, with a lot of the previous command echelons none too pleased with the new additions, which are understandably championed by the Primaris. 

 

 

Gonna make a prediction based on the Ultramarine books in the Space Marine Battles series.

 

Ixion, Severus Agemman, Mikael Fabian, Epathus and Sinon oppose

 

Uriel Ventris, Torias Telion and Numitor approve

[Marshal Rohr]

Considering it’s a hundred years after Guilliman wakes up most of those captains should be dead.

[DogWelder]

Considering it’s a hundred years after Guilliman wakes up most of those captains should be dead.

 

Mhm, should have considered that. The 8th Edition Codex lists them as alive but that is dated to the start of the Indomitus Crusade not the latest timeline.

 

Ventris, Telion and Agemman are definitely alive though since they all participated in the Plague Wars.

[Marshal Rohr]

That sucks as Agemman was captain of the second company during the battle of Macragge.

[DogWelder]

That sucks as Agemman was captain of the second company during the battle of Macragge.

 

Surprisingly most of the Ultramarine special characters are relatively young by Astartes standards. None of them besides Calgar and Telion (about 500 and 600 respectively) are above 400 years old with the youngest (Uriel) being just 236 even with the timeskip. 

[Marshal Rohr]

Agemman would be over four hundred years old if he’s alive by the time of the nurgle campaign.

[Morovir]

I don't see why most of them should be dead. It's only been an extra 100 years on top of what they've all already been through.

[Sete]

Need to start killing them to introduce new Primaris special chars ;)

[Plaguecaster]

Considering it’s a hundred years after Guilliman wakes up most of those captains should be dead.

But why????

I don't see why any of the Ultramarine heroes should be dead,after all astartes don't die of old age just look at Dante who is still alive and over 1000 years old

[Servant of Dante]

Remember that Blood Angels are especially long lived, so Dante isn’t an especially good example. Add to that that being ridiculously old but somehow still able bodied is part of his gimmick as a special character.

 

That being said, even a 400 year old ultramarine would probably live another hundred years if they didn’t die in Battle I’d think.

Edited December 19, 2017 by Servant of Dante

[Marshal Rohr]

 

Considering it’s a hundred years after Guilliman wakes up most of those captains should be dead.

But why????

I don't see why any of the Ultramarine heroes should be dead,after all astartes don't die of old age just look at Dante who is still alive and over 1000 years old

You’re telling me that you think these captains are just so amazing none of them have died in combat in a hundred years of the Imperium falling apart?

[Kelborn]

So this and Rob's coming novel will deal with a strike force consisting of Primaris Marines, right?

 

Will we see some interactions with regular Marines as well or is it rather focusing on Primaris only?