The Salient Cluster- Phatsquirre1's WIP

[Phatsquirre1]

The Salient Cluster

++++++++

Welcome to the Salient Cluster.

For thousands of years, since the dawn of the Imperium, the Salient Cluster has stood resolute against the terrors of the galaxy, its billions of citizens across dozens of worlds paying fealty to the God-Emperor of Mankind through blood, sweat, and tears; always ready to sacrifice for Him-on-Earth.

To the naked eye, it is a place of stability, its worlds prosperous and lively, its populace humble and stoic, despite their aloof and isolated nature. To many, this is a pocket of peace in a war-ravaged galaxy, a dull gem in a sea of mud.

This “peace” is not one born of idle chance or a lack of strength, for its battle-tested Guard regiments are some of the finest in the sector, always on alert for the signs of the heretic, the alien, or worse. But behind them stands the true face of the Cluster’s power, the Omydan Mechanicum, a potent force in its own right, who themselves enjoy compacts and writs from bygone eras that ensure their supremacy is never in question.

Beside them, the greatest Engines of the Imperium walk to war, with Omyda itself maintaining the patronage and fealty of not only the Questoris Knight House Ataman, but even a small detachment of Legio Crucius God-Engines, their mighty tread felt only in the times of greatest need, or celebration.

But for every soldier, every Skitarius, there are those who operate in the shadows, dozens of Inquisitorial Cells and Storm-trooper units prosecuting unseen wars on the Emperor’s behalf in the bowels of the Cluster’s hive-cities, their own ranks both bolstered and threatened at times by the power of various other enigmatic armies, whose allegiances lies either with their house, clan, or more commonly, the highest bidder.

Above them all stands the Astral Guard Astartes Chapter, paragons of battle, their lineage and duty as wardens to the Salient Cluster dating back thousands of years, their histories replete with great and terrible wars across the galaxy, each victory claimed marking another ancient oath fulfilled.

Together, these mighty forces stand as the Cluster’s shield, repelling any foe brazen enough to try their luck.

Understandably, as guarded as the Cluster is by such honorable soldiers, the attitude of its citizens is one of prideful security, believing themselves safe behind such legions, their only worry; the two routes into the Cluster. Imperial Proclamations spread across void do nothing to cast doubt on that belief, praising the Cluster and its accomplishments across the breadth of the Imperium. But not all is as it seems…

Indeed, those who recognize the propaganda for what it is are cursed, forced to see the truths they have uncovered, the myriad of threats that face the Cluster on a usual basis repulsed only through the expenditure of thousands of lives, each one paying the blood-price for the safety of those who will never know their struggle. They know of the dark omens and portents that shroud the Cluster, violence reaching levels unseen since the Emperor’s Great Crusade and the slaughter of the Heresy. They can see the unseen talons of anarchy closing in, each beginning to squeeze the Cluster like a vice.

These enlightened few know of the Cluster's civil war, its outbreak brutally suppressed by pogroms initiated by the Inquisition. Once thought unimaginable, a full third of the Astral Guard Chapter turned on the Emperor’s Light in pursuit of some unknown aim. Beside them marched a sizable force of Omydan Janissaries and Guard forces, all at the behest of a mad prophet, his lunatic ravings casting a dark pall over the Cluster’s elite.

They see the rise in cult activity on Hakann, which plunged the world into chaos, while reports began to emerge of a new Orkoid threat growing along the Cluster’s western edge, a region previously thought to have no connection to the rest of the galaxy outside the hyper-fortified Beshkorian Path. Meanwhile, on Turiz, a new menace emerged to threaten the Cluster’s worlds, while an ominous silence from Tuumonsha clouded Imperial efforts there, the extensive network of agents and monitoring stations mysteriously unresponsive to Imperial hails.

This was the state of the Cluster in 999.M41, its warriors already hard-pressed to contain their foes, embattled in dozens of silent wars against foes most people knew nothing about.

Then, the Cicatrix Maledictum opened.

Like a raw and bloody wound, it tore across part of the cluster, its backlash sending thousands across the sector into fits of madness. From this wound in reality spilled the forces of the Iron Warriors Legion, seeking to settle a grudge that has festered in their black hearts for ten millennia.

For sixty years, the Cluster fought a brutal war on all fronts, their soldiers dying in droves for a sheer seconds of strategic control. Entire battlegroups were sacrificed to the meatgrinder of war, and only the vast numerical strength of the Omydan Janissariate proved capable of keeping the horrors beyond at bay, millions of Skitarii dying just to hold back the wave of insanity that now crashed at their borders.

For their part, the surviving Astral Guard fought bravely, coming out of their self-imposed exile to stem the tide that threatened their legacy, selling their lives dearly in one last bid to keep the oaths forged in the days of the Primarchs. Alas, the toll on their already battered numbers was too high, and now, whatever remains of the Astral Guard limps across the stars of the Cluster, bound eternally to their once proud fleet.

However, hope remains, as a small force of Space Marines from the Raptors Chapter, arrived through pure chance, joined the war in time to battle viciously against their traitorous kin, holding the Vylian Rift against all odds while Imperial Generals fortified the world of Samarghast. Behind them came a sizable force of Greyshield Primaris, who fought hard to repel the Cluster’s invaders, only departing when the main Iron Warriors’ attack had been blunted and the Rift fortified against further encroachment.

Their departure was marked by one final gift to the Cluster- a new Chapter, known as the Void Shrikes, formed to shield its vulnerable worlds. They wasted no time in throwing themselves into conflicts across the Cluster. Sons of the Khan, they proved adept at rooting out the Cults that had taken hold across the Cluster, and purged a number of enemy strongholds before returning to their vigil over the pathways into the Cluster, taking up the mantle of Wardens to the Cluster, so recently vacated by the remnants of the Astral Guard.

20 years of relative peace have passed since then. The Void Shrikes remain watchful, and their gene-cousins in the Raptors Garrison remaining to train alongside their brethren, their own numbers bolstered by Primaris reinforcements. Even the Astral Guard have made their presence felt in minor skirmishes across the realm, coming out of seclusion for the first time in decades.

For their part, the battered Mechanicum has come back to fighting strength quickly, and across the Cluster new Guard regiments are being raised, nominally in honor of Lord Guilliman’s successful completion of the Indomitus Crusade. Only the highest generals and tacticians know the true reason behind this muster, and hushed conversations abound of the storm about to break upon the Cluster's shores.

As it stands, the Salient Cluster sits in the eye, primed for war on a colossal scale. Armies and fleets moving in strengths unseen since the days of the Heresy are readying themselves to make the Cluster a battleground of epic proportions.

The countdown has begun, and it will not be long before blood is shed…

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Welcome, everyone, to something I've debated starting before, but never got around to until now!

Some of you may know me from my 30k logs- my tales of The Wayward Sons of the 52nd Grand Battalion, and the 209th Company of the Thousand Sons, outcast children of Magnus.

Both are still active (despite a lack of new content... ) and will continue to be updated, serving as the home for those armies. But, as I am a strict devotee to the Great Hobby Butterfly and constantly changing armies, I figured one primary log would do better service to both my armies and my sanity, than a dozen new ones that would pop in and out of use.

Therefore, I present the Salient Cluster, a small group of worlds that I have claimed as my own, where my resin-and-plastic-and-very-occasionally-metal hordes can duke it out. Here, both my future 30k and 40k armies will reside, in both a fluff and WIP state, accompanied by small one-off projects, concepts, ETL pledges (Go AOD!) and whatever other shenanigans my warp-tainted mind can come up with.

If you have any questions, please, feel free to ask, and I look forward to any C&C you may have.

Edited April 7, 2021 by Phatsquirre1

[Phatsquirre1]

Forces of the Salient Cluster (30k)

 

Legiones Astartes:

• The Wayward Sons, 52nd Grand Battalion, IVth Legion Astartes

 

Mechanicum:

• The Taghmata Omyda
• The Janissariate
• The Legios Cyberneticae
• Omyda-Khortan War Covenant, Ordo Reductor
• House Makabius, Ataman Sub-Clade
• The God-Engines of Legio Crucius, Umbra Preadator Maniple

Imperialis Auxilia:

• The 2032nd 'Void Wolves' Solar Auxilia Regiment
• The 23rd Streltzhii Life-sworn

Edited March 27, 2019 by Phatsquirre1

[Phatsquirre1]

Forces of the Salient Cluster (40k)

 

Imperial:

 

Adeptus Astartes:

• The Astral Guard, Penitent Crusaders, Scions of Ferrus Manus and Fallen Wardens of the Cluster
• The Void Shrikes, Inheritors of the Mantle, Sons of the Khan
• Red Scorpions, Salient Reinforcement Strike Force

 

Imperial Guard:

• The 9th Salient Voltigeurs
• 361st Krieg Mechanized

Mechanicum:

• The Janissariate, Guardian-Armies of Omyda
• The Legio Crucius, Salient Demi-Legio
• House Ataman, Oath-sworn Vassals of Omyda
• Kataphractoi-Elite, Hidden Hand of the Magi Omyda

Other:

• The Ragged Sons, Void Nomads

Chaos:

 

Heretic Astartes:

• The Iron Warriors

 

Xenos:

 

Aeldari:

• The Craftworld Yviel-Tann, Herald of the Twilight

Drukhari:

• The Kabal of the Azure Veil

Orks:

• The Ripklaw Raiderz, Orkoid Menace, Hunted Butchers of Sardeth

Other:

• [Redacted- Access Restricted. Magenta-level Clearance Required]
• [unknown]

Edited April 7, 2021 by Phatsquirre1

[Phatsquirre1]

Hey everyone,

 

So now we get to the real thing: actual models instead of text!  I figured it would be best to start with the unbidden heroes of the Salient Cluster, those astartes of the Raptors Chapter whose arrival helped turn the tide. Better yet, why not start with the humble Tactical Marine, so often forgotten in a world full of Primaris?

 

Anyways, I digress. Enjoy, and please, let me know what you think!

 

-Phatsquirre1

 

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Record Begins:

...

...

...

 

Taleas Tactical Squad

Raptors Chapter, VIIth Company, Salient Cadre

Heroes of Hive Korelian

 

'I have seen death. I have seen loss. I have stood by as good brothers died and innocent people burned, all sacrificed in the name of victory.

 

I watched a hive die to save a planet, a brother give his life for mine. I have seen my Captain stare certain death in the face, and followed him into a hell you cannot fathom.

 

 I have fought alongside real heroes, real martyrs. Men and women who will be more than you ever can, despite what you may think. Yet you dare speak of glory, of honor, of recognition, despite knowing nothing of what that entails.

 

I have no patience for such things.

 

Remember that.'

-Veteran Sergeant Falke Taleas, Taleas Tactical Squad, to General Terba Sovun, 16th Icarian Grenadiers.

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Data-file intercept: audio-vis capture.

Timestamp origin: +23.20.33.37

[error…date corrupt.] (crossref. 0899-09Gr3-2a34)

Samarghast, Korelian Sub-Hive Spread

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…

(+23.20.33.37): Vid-feed opens on a street, two trucks idling on the road as seventeen hostile targets surround them. They carry light firearms, a mix of lasguns and autoguns, in a relaxed spread.+

…

(+23.20.35.26): Sudden gunfire erupts from bottom of feed, patterns and damage estimates matching closely with astartes grade war-gear (ref. Bolter). Seven targets are dropped in seconds.+

…

(+23.20.36.00): Screams fill the air, and hostiles break, moving away from the vid-feed source in panic. Sporadic fire is returned, before the camera dims as a sudden burst of light fills the screen from center-left, a large explosion impacting the rear-most truck and sending shrapnel into the fleeing hostiles. Follow up shots execute the survivors of the convoy.+

…

(+23.20.36.12): All contacts are eliminated. Silence fills the roadway, only the wreck of the truck making any noise as it burns.+

…

(+23.20.33.37): Three shadowy figures fill the bottom of the vid-feed. Analysis finds silhouettes which match identifiers of astartes, within probability of 88.67%.+

…

(+23.20.33.45): Two more figures appear on screen from the right side, one carrying a heavier weapon.+

…

+(/error): Feed cuts out.

…

Record Ends.

++++++++

 

Seen here is Taleas Tactical Squad of the Raptors 7^thCompany, a veteran unit of the Salient Cadre, and one of a few surviving units from the original taskforce to have made it out of the inferno of battle.

 

 

Some of the last of their kind in-theater since the arrival of the Primaris Astartes, Taleas Tactical is a legacy unit from the arrival of the Raptors at Samarghast, a holdout from the Taskforce’s original objective of harassing the T’au after the Imperial defeat at Taros. Appropriately, Taleas Tactical bears a number of mismatched armor systems and unusual weapons that were likely salvaged from the remnant of the Astral Guard's armories at Vyloas following the cessation of combat operations.

 

 

This would certainly explain the presence of the Proteus Pattern Missile Launcher wielded by Temalaan Sargot, who is seen here accompanying Squad Taleas, Second Talon, during resumed operations on Icarus. He, and other members of the Cadre, utilized its increased ammunition capacity to great effect during the aftermath of the victory at Samarghast, reaping a fearsome tally against Traitor armor units. 

 

 

Indeed, in a theater where the prospect of re-supply was limited at best, such measures proved undeniably effective, and it quickly became common practice for the astartes of the Raptors Chapter to affix extra ammunition and equipment wherever they could, as shown above by First Talon. This also highlights the adoption of the plasma gun, in this case a Mk. V Mars Pattern, into routine use by the cadre and Squad Taleas in particular. The power and effectiveness of such weapons systems proved invaluable during operations against heavily armored infantry or Heretic Astartes, and was responsible for a number of confirmed armor kills, despite the propensity for such weapons to overheat.

 

 

Of note is the lack of unit or campaign iconography, which was a decision adopted by the majority of the Cadre after they deemed their original mission scrubbed. Only the Chapter's iconography is present, as shown above by First Talon. Why the Cadre never adopted any other iconography or re-instated tactical markings is unknown, but analysts believe it may have been done purposely to confuse enemy forces in theater, allowing the Raptors to project an image of greater force than what was actually present on Samarghast.

 

Like most of the Raptors contingent, Squad Taleas joined the Cadre in garrisoning Vyloas after Iron Warriors had been driven from the region. Only since the arrival of the Primaris has the Squad returned to combat duties, actively engaging enemy holdouts and conducting reconnaissance sweeps with an unnatural vigor, seemingly shunning the company of their new brethren. Regardless, when called upon, it is Taleas Tactical that serves as the Cadre's lynchpin, a flexible and experienced unit capable of doing whatever is required by Commander Amarich.

 

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[Bjorn Firewalker]

Your Raptors are well done.

[Phatsquirre1]

Thanks Bjorn, much appreciated! 

[Phatsquirre1]

The Shrouded Hammer

The Lone Hunter, Queen of the Samarghast Cadre

Predator II-A

 

'She is our Queen of Battle, our Sole Hunter, our Shrouded Hammer; a legacy and promise of our wrath.

 

Bless her, Him-on-Earth, and may your hand guide her to victory in the ruins of this world'

-Sevitael Kardyn, Epistolary, Raptors Chapter, prior to the Battle of Samarghast.

 

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Timestamp origin: +09.44.06.25

[error…date corrupt.] (crossref. 0899-09Gr3-2a34)

Samarghast,  Acastian Causeway

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Static squealed over the comm-net as Kerth Zarabas squinted through the gun-sights in front of him, his eyes glued to the viewscreen as the Shrouded Hammer crept through the fog.

 

The causeway was eerily silent, and Zarabas could only imagine what it had been like before it had been hit by the war, thousands of ground-cars and mass-haulers locked in an intricate pattern on the highway that Zarabas could only be a nightmare for those stuck in the morass.

 

Many of those same vehicles dotted the causeway’s surface, most of them burned out husks, some still carrying the charred and blackened bodies of civilians that had borne them to and from their livelihoods on a daily basis.

 

In a way, it was sobering to the astartes, as for all the training, all the battles he had fought across dozens of worlds, he still could not imagine the lives of the people he had been born and raised to defend, and not for the first time, he felt the pangs of disconnection between himself and those he defended, their existence as utterly alien to him as his was undoubtedly to them.

 

Indeed, the picture in front of him was easy for his disciplined mind to comprehend. The hulks of mass-transit haulers were not destroyed vehicles or the unexpected graves to its passengers, but cover for which the enemy could hide behind. The bodies he saw strewn across the roadway, and the vehicles sitting in their path were not flash-frozen depictions of the last moments of these peoples’ lives, but warning signs, his enhanced eyes wary of improvised explosives or hidden threats that a normal person might miss.

 

As if to make his point, Amalaxes, his senior and overall master of the Shrouded Hammer, keyed his comms, his eyes catching something in the morning mists from his vantage point outside the Predator’s cupola. The battle-tank stopped, and as the Commander fed elevation adjustments and bearings to Zarabas’ HUD, he rotated her turret, ever so slightly, the slight whine of servos a familiar sound.

 

+Possible Target sitting on off-ramp Sigma-36-ii-a. Slight break in roadway, silhouette matches Archenemy profiles, light armor. Load AP, hold for command.+

 

+Affirmative.+

 

The word was out of Zarabas’ mouth with barely a thought, his ingrained reflexes and enhanced cognitive functions easily adjusting to the data being fed to him without serious thought, the other half of his brain searching for the foe-armor’s outline.

 

After a few microseconds, he caught it, its hull hidden by the wreck of a groundcar in front of them, only visible thanks to the angle he had under it from his position, where he could faintly make out the sleek silhouette of a Tac-6 Anti-Tank Self-Propelled Gun-Carriage. They were familiar to him, a constant thorn in his side here on Samarghast, and he cursed at himself for letting his curiosity get the better of him. A few more seconds and there mighthave been trouble.

 

+Commander, I have a shot, primary system. Recommend two rounds+

 

Once again, he spoke, his body responding to the immediacy of the situation without requiring his full attention. Without a word, his eyes still on the target before them, Commander Amalaxes keyed his vox, the order clear.

 

Kill it.

 

Letting out a faint breath, Zarabas took a second to reconfirm his targeting data before depressing the trigger, the thump-crackof two heavy rounds following almost immediately.

 

As he expected, they zipped under bottom of the groundcar and slammed into the Tac-6, the shells more than a match for the light armor of the hunter-killer vehicles. A dull crump reached his ears and the innards of the gun-carriage bulged, smoke billowing out of her hatches a moment later.

 

+Target neutralized. Continue on to objective Primus. Zarabas, flag the wreck down for follow up+

 

The clanking of the Predator’s tracks resumed as Zarabas transmitted the engagement’s coordinates to forces behind them, flagging it for investigation by the 9^th Voltigeurs, whose armored column was only about a half-klom behind them.

 

He sighed inwardly, his mind now wandering again now that the danger had passed, the battle-tank trundling away into the morning fog.

 

Behind them lay more bodies, fresh to the grave, joining for eternity those ghosts already here. More unwanted graves, forever linked to this desolate tomb.

++++++++

-Extract taken from Gunner Kerth Zarabas, Predator II-Psi-Alpha ‘Shrouded Hammer’. Psychiatric evaluation recommended to Chaplain Sarthan Kjel.

 

Depicted here operating in support of Taleas tactical is Predator II-Psi-Alpha, the Shrouded Hammer, Sole Hunter of the Salient Cadre.

 

 

As the only battle-tank in the Cadre's armory, she and her crew are commonly tasked with hunting down enemy armor units in-theater, allowing the rest of the cadre to advance unperturbed by enemy heavy weapons.

 

 

Accordingly, she is armed for such a task, her primary turret autocannon and sponson lascannons allowing her to engage and destroy many times her number in battle, each system well suited to taking down a variety of medium-to-light vehicles. While this might nominally leave her vulnerable to infantry attack, the presence of Squad Taleas in support is usually more than enough to dissuade any attempts to close on her, while her pintle storm bolter acts as a reliable backup should Taleas be otherwise occupied.

 

 

Without a doubt, Predator II-Psi-Alpha earned her name many times over during the Samarghast campaign in its aftermath, scoring a respectable tally of armor kills during combat operations. She wears this as a point of pride, both in her demeanor and in regards to the obscure iconography adorning her flanks. Significantly, this makes her one of only a few survivors of the initial taskforce to ignore the order to erase their combat markings, her Commander, Lajos Amalaxes, arguing that such honors do more to unnerve the foe than anything else.

 

For his part, Commander Amarich seems to respect the decision, the Shrouded Hammer's kill-tallies speaking volumes in favor of Amalaxes' choice.

 

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Edited March 29, 2019 by Phatsquirre1

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work on the Shrouded Hunter.

[Phatsquirre1]

Thanks man! 

[Pearson73]

Really nice clean paintwork on these Raptors, I'm enjoying the attached narrative passages too.

 

The black rear section of the Predator's turret is a smart way to break up the green and make the model more visually interesting.

[Phatsquirre1]

Thanks, Pearson73! I always try to include some fluff with each unit, hopefully it stays interesting! 

[Phatsquirre1]

Khamadael Bayne

Lieutenant, Primaris Astartes

Raptors Chapter, Salient Cadre

++++++++

+Taleas Tactical to Talon 1-6. Sector Gamma cleared. 11, I repeat 1-1 targets KIA. Sweep complete, pushing to Tertiary.+

 

The voice hailed him over his vox even as his armor's systems transcribed new tactical data into into his HUD. He sighed softly. Another one, it seemed.

 

With barely a sound, he pulled his combat knife from his foe's chest, a slim arc of reddish-black blood spilling from the wound as he did so. He keyed his comms, the crackle of static foreshadowing his message even as he mindlessly reloaded his Bolt Rifle.

 

+Negative, hold position. Hostile units have moved to counter-attack at Section 66-01-1-a, downhive sprawl. Move to contact and report.+

 

A quick acknowledgement met him, and he grunted as he lifted himself over a section of rubble. He knew this was what he had signed up for. He recognized that. It was, after all, his responsibility. Kjel, Kardyn, even Commander Amarich, they all had their own roles. This was his.

 

His armored form moved quietly around the next corner, hie eyes scanning the road even as he directed the Shrouded Hammer to engage an armored company to the Raptors' far right. Camisthartes' ident-signs were close by, only a hundred meters off. He would be with them soon.

 

He had almost broken from cover when he noticed them, six figures in ragged hides and leathers, all of them obviously non-imperial. Of them, one stood out in particular, a great pair of horns jutting from his forehead, contrasting impressively with the iron-colored power armor that he wore.

 

It was one of them, the arch-enemy, his battered and worn war-gear dimly recognizable as Mark III plate. An Iron Warrior, ravager of the Cluster, architect of the maelstrom around them.

 

The lieutenant swore quietly. He would have loved to kill them all, use his weapons to carve their throats and hearts out. He could have done it, too, given enough time. Sadly, that was something he did not have.

 

He input their coordinates into his data-feed, broadcasting it to nearby Imperial forces for a sweep even as he transmitted it to Command. With a huff, he started moving on, closing in to Squad Camisthartes' position.

 

Behind him, exactly four-point-zero-three seconds later, the sound of earthshaker shells erupted, fire and thunder blowing whatever had once been there to ashes. For the first time in a while, a dim smile found its way onto his lips.

 

Sure, he couldn't slit their throats himself.

 

But that would do.

++++++++

-Mem-log transcription of Khamadael Bayne, Lieutenant, Raptors Chapter, Salient Cadre.

 

Seen here in operations on Hakann, Lieutenant Khamadael Bayne is the Salient Cadre's second-in-command, responsible for the Cadre and direct successor to Commander Rhys Amarich.

 

 

While this favor has caused some friction between the new Primaris Astartes and the original astartes of the Salient Cadre, Bayne's extensive experience fighting alongside Lord Commander Guilliman as an Unnumbered Son has done much to quell resistance, despite the strenuous objections of Zemital Ehrentraud, Sergeant of Ehrentraud Terminator Squad.

 

For his part, Bayne has shown great skill and practicality since his elevation to the rank of Lieutenant, putting to good use the haphazard organization of the Cadre's various squads. 

 

 

Indeed, it seems on the surface that Bayne is a flawless example of an astartes, a true and noble scion of the Raptors Chapter and their Father, the Raven-Lord Corax. However, a deeper look highlights Bayne's flaws; the Lieutenant proving his preference for close-quarters combat time-and-again, often willing to engage in brutal close-quarters combat at the cost of tactical flexibility.

 

For now, this shadow on his soul has proven to be tempered by the responsibility he now wields, his brothers' trust in him suppressing his darker urges for the moment. As to the question of whether he can escape the trappings of his nature, or fall prey to them, only time will tell.

 

++++++++

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work on LT Bayne. Is his namesake Tom Hardy's character in The Dark Knight Rises?

[Phatsquirre1]

Ironically, considering how close the model looks to his big-screen counterpart, when I chose the name, The Dark Knight Rises wasn't something I had thought of.

 

With that said, I think now I may have to convert a defeated Night Lord to accompany him, with obvious broken back, of course.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

If you have the necessary skills, attach a Night Lords helmet to a piece of wire, sculpt green stuff backbone around the wire (with an obvious crack in some of the vertebrae), and have LT Bayne wear this gruesome trophy.

[Phatsquirre1]

That, I gotta say, is an awesome idea. I'll see what I can do. 

[Phatsquirre1]

So, for a little more of a WIP, I thought I'd show you guys some ideas for my 30k Militia/Solar Auxilia army, the 23rd Streltzii. 

 

The idea for them is to be 30k/40k compatible, so they'll most likely be conversion heavy. I drew a lot of inspiration from the Hyenidae's excellent Baja Sur Caballeros, and from tales_from_new_aurora's militia on Instagram.

 

That said, I still need to figure out what color scheme I should use for them. For now, I'm leaning purple/grey, but considering that's the color of my eldar craftworld perhaps something else is in order.

 

What Lies Beneath

Records of the 23rd Streltzii Life-sworn

++++++++

 

Ghetain panted as he hid behind the blasted ruins of the hab-block, his heart hammering in his chest.

 

What in the hells was he doing?

 

Numbly, the Strelets-Grenadier fumbled with the magazine on his weapon, the shaking fingers in his padded gloves struggling to check the magazine on his battered rifle. He loved the thing, no matter how crude people considered it, the heavy 8.63mm, 40-round magazines of the VIPR mk.16 auto-carbine more than capable of killing whatever the frak dared cross his path. He didn't even mind the recoil such a heavy gun brought, as it had always managed to see him through, making mincemeat of whatever frakking xenos monstrosity had tried to take his head.

 

Of course, that was before today.

 

He, and likely whoever had armed him and his regiment, had probably never expected to be facing transhuman demi-gods in combat. That same slug, so effective against Orkoid armor and Physsian hard-plate, was far less useful against astartes battle-plate.

 

Still, he thought, it was better than the alternative. He remembered watching an entire platoon of Serf-Miltia unload into six of the frakking giants, thousands of autogun rounds and las-charges hammering them in a fusillade Ghetain had rarely ever seen before.

 

Yet, not a single one of the bastards had dropped.

 

They spent the next thirty-seconds tearing through the platoon, six monsters tossing them around like ragdolls. So far as he knew, only about ten or so had escaped, and he had watched them be hunted down like game-animals, sheer sport for the astartes.

 

That had been less than three minutes ago, the rest of the serf-militia platoons routing, overwhelming their discipline-masters and breaking from the fight. He and his squad were the second line, and each of them hugged whatever cover they could find, spread out across three separate avenues that forced the astartes into a funnel. Ghetain, for his part, had been stupid enough to take lead point on Chokepoint Theta. It fell to him to open the counter-assault. 

 

Slowly, he peeked over the lip of the rockcrete wall, his cracked visor skewing his vision in a way that would have pissed him off, had he not already been ready to piss himself.

 

About sixty meters away were two of the giants, one's head swiveling back and forth as he scanned the ruins for survivors. The massive shape of the second astartes followed close behind, the dark sound of laughter undercutting the chain-blade he held that roared with fury, its blood-flecked teeth spattering gore all over the surrounding rubble. In his other hand was the brutally broken body of one of the serf-militia, his legs missing entirely and blood leaving a slick trail on the ground below.

 

Ghetain choked back vomit, the sight of the corpse making him sick. He had seen death before, but the casual way they toyed with it unnerved him more than he cared to admit. He knew to throw up in his respirator would only make matters worse, but by the Light, this was borderline unbearable. 

 

He focused on the mission, his left hand slowly creeping back to flash a series of signals to the rest of his fire-team. He was almost done when the sound of shifting rubble hit his ears.

 

Like lightning, the two forms looked directly at Rotara's position, his movement giving away their ambush. The one with the body dropped it, hand going for a frag grenade Ghetain could barely make out at his waist.

 

Ghetain swallowed hard. Now or never.

 

With a roar, he opened fire.

++++++++

-Mem-log record, Strelets-Grenadier Aurmand Ghetain, Guards-Decurion Battle, Century IV, 23rd Streltzii. Icarian Theater, Tidal Sub-Wash, 925.007.M31

 

Edited April 4, 2019 by Phatsquirre1

[Marshal Rohr]

Really enjoying this log. Very evocative. 

[Phatsquirre1]

Thanks Rohr, I'm a huge fluff junkie at heart, so I can't imagine building/painting a unit without having some kind of written piece to accompany it. 

[Marshal Rohr]

Same here. 

[Phatsquirre1]

The Unbidden, Unwelcome, and Unwanted

The Ragged Sons of Salient

Void Nomads, Reavers-Princes of the Cluster

 

++++++++

 

'They came out of nowhere.

 

I had heard of them before, these wanderers in the dark, taught as a child of our resident bogeymen, who took what they wanted, when they wanted.

 

They followed no orders, paid homage to no Governor or System Lords. They contributed little, took much, and cost us heavily to contain.

 

Even after I had grown up, and been told the truth behind the Nomad Fleet, I never understood their existence. A necessity? Hardly. A plague? Most certainly. I was certain that once the threats we faced were taken care of, we could finally purge these vile pirates from our worlds.

 

We never wanted them here.

 

Thank the God-Emperor they came anyway.'

 

- Colonel Tora Orphailon, 21st Salient Voltigeurs, post-Schism.

 

 

 

 

Pict.-record of Skithikoi Grenadiers, unknown designation. Recorded [Timestamp error; anomalous data].

 

++++++++

[Phatsquirre1]

Hey everyone,

Here's the first of my guardsmen, members of the vaunted 9th Salient Voltigeurs! These guys have done me proud in their games, and I tried to reflect that a bit in their fluff.

Anyways, enjoy, and I'll hopefully have more of the regiment up soon!


 

From Hell, Victory

Squad 1-1, Aegis Company, 9th Salient Voltigeurs

 

++++++++

'The room went quiet.

 

I remember it like it was yesterday. It had been more of the typical inter-barracks rivalries, pranks, and other 'misconduct' that came of regiments mixing. I had done time, knew the job. Nothing new, really.

 

I was breaking up a fight in one of the bays when these wiry, pale bastards walked in the room.

 

It was like watching a pack of wolves, the way they were sizing the other Guardsmen up. The air in the room went from hot fury to an ice-cold tension in a heartbeat. These guys oozed lethality.

 

 

I've handled Catachans and Savlar trash before, been in some serious riots, and never once felt nervous. But by the Throne, these guys spooked me bad.

One of them barked something, and in a heartbeat, the other guardsmen grabbed their gear and bolted. I'm not sure why, but my team and I followed.

 

No one went near their bays after that.'

++++++++

 

- Sustus Arturao, Senior Armsman, on the Salient Voltigeurs

 

Seen here is Infantry Squad 1-1, of Aegis Company, 9th Salient Voltigeurs, during the opening phases of the Icarian Suppression Campaign.
 

 

Led by Sergeant Sartov, Aegis 1-1 conducted itself admirably during its first phase operations, sustaining minor casualties while holding their sector against insurrectionist assaults. Of note is the silver skull badge worn on Sergeant Sartov's left shoulder, marking him as a veteran and survivor of the Manasqeuri Drop, an ill-fated operation against Aeldari pirates in the outer fringes of the Salient Cluster.
 

 

Like most Voltigeur units, Aegis 1-1 includes a vox and munitions specialist, who provide the squad with a link to nearby forces and extra ammunition, which is invaluable in the isolated battlefields the airmobile Voltigeurs tend to favor.
 

 

Aegis 1-1's weapons specialist also carries a Plasma gun, in this case a MkIIe Accatran pattern variant, its usefulness against heavy armor and light vehicles making it a favored weapon of the Voltigeur units, whose operations are often conducted without Artillery and Armored support. The Voltigeurs' continued access to such invaluable weapons is made possible only thanks to their long-standing ties to the Omydan Mechanicum.
 

 

As with all Voltigeur units, Aegis 1-1's guardsmen also carry extra equipment with them into battle, as each extra power-cell or ration-pack can potentially mean life-or-death in the high-risk battles they often find themselves. This tactic would prove invaluable in the closing stages of the campaign, as increasingly, Voltigeur units found themselves cut-off and isolated from nearby support. In Aegis 1-1's case, it would directly contribute to their survival during the insurrectionist counter-attack at Tolmaghtan Sprawl, as their platoon held Complex Gamma-28-05a for three days before armored support could relieve them.

++++++++

Edited October 3, 2019 by Phatsquirre1

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job on the models.

[Phatsquirre1]

Thanks Bjorn!

[Phatsquirre1]

From Hell, Victory

Squad 1-2, Aegis Company, 9th Salient Voltigeurs

 

++++++++

 

Trooper Semyon watched the smoke from his lho-stick curl and whorl in the air before him, swirling like the sink-pools in mid-tide did back on Salient.

 

He missed home, a bit. It was fugging cold there, and given time, the place would almost certainly kill you, either through exposure, encounters with wildlife, or through the machinations of the range-scavs that prowled the deepcaves along the high peaks, but still, it was beautiful back home. Long vistas and endless seas, it was even peaceful under the right circumstances.

 

Not like this feth-wipe of a planet.

 

As if to punctuate his thought, a smoke-stack nearby burped thick smog into the air, its soupy mass joining the eternally present layer of rad-clouds above. Icarus was disgusting, a real dump of a planet. He couldn't wait to get off world.

 

It also reminded him that he needed to put his respirator back on soon. The medicae had told them when they first arrived that they should limit their exposure to the air on the planet's western hemisphere, as even medium air conditions could leave them with poisoned lungs, and any amount of time breathing the open air during a rad-wash would be a death sentence. 

 

He was jealous of the units stationed up-hive, or over on the eastern 'sphere, but simultaneously thankful his company hadn't been tasked with sweeping the sinks. He'd heard plenty of backchannel chatter over Battle Company's comms, and none of it seemed good. 

 

Then again, nothing about this op was good. The Voltigeurs were airmobile, agile troops, not suited to suppression campaigns like this one. Everything about this campaign stunk of bad planning, and morale was hurting as a result.

 

His comm-bead startled him as orders came through, and begrudgingly, he snuffed the lho on his boot, stashing the rest of it in a pouch for later even as he re-sealed his respirator. His hands quickly found his las, and he shook Zouran awake as orders continued to come through. Sixteen footmobiles, sighted three blocks away, headed down the concourse.

 

His training took over, and as he and Zouran watched their lanes, Aegis 1-2 passed out information to one another, calling out distances and movements as they shifted into a battle-ready posture. They sat like this for twelve long minutes, eyes peeled, before another order came down:

 

'False alarm, targets mis-identified. Reset.' 

 

It was the sixth time this had happened in two weeks.

 

Semyon growled and sat back, angrily ripping his mask off and re-lighting the lho he had stashed away. His fingers fumbled with the light, and he gritted his teeth as he struggled to light the damn thing.

 

Zouran turned to him, his eyes furrowed in confusion behind his mask. 

 

'Hey, Sem, I thought you hated that stuff?'

 

He nodded, once again watching the curls of smoke waft into the air.

 

'Yeah, I do.'

 

++++++++

-Mem-log of Trooper Tanasq Semyon, Aegis 1-2. (KIA)

 

 

Seen here is Squad 1-2 of Aegis Company, 9th Salient Voltigeurs.

 

 

Led by Sergeant Askaryev, Squad 1-2 is outfitted identically to the rest of its sister squads, including vox, munitions, and weapons specialists. 

 

 

Like Sergeant Sartov of Squad 1-1, Vox-Specialist Endekar bears the silver skull of the Manasqueri Drop on his right shoulder, marking him out as a veteran and one of the most experienced Voltigeur's in the 9th's ranks. 

 

 

Squad 1-2 also favors the MkIIe Accatran pattern Plasma gun, and many of its troopers similarly carry extra munitions and equipment into battle.

 

 

Of note are the bandages around Trooper Zeraf's arms, marking this pict as one that was captured prior to the siege of complex Gamma-28-05a by insurrectionist forces. During the three day siege, Aegis 1-2 was tasked with defending the complex gates, and as a result would suffer the brunt of the insurrectionist assault, suffering 70% casualties before being relieved. For their actions, including the destruction of an enemy battle-tank, made possible only through Trooper Semyon's sacrifice, the survivors were later awarded the Ribbon Intrinsic and Eagle Ordinary by Salient High Command.

Edited November 16, 2019 by Phatsquirre1