The Burden of Duty: Imperial Fists, VII-284BTN

[Soldier of Dorn]

Ours is the Burden of Duty

- Unit words, VII-284BTN

...inload 1...

G

arrus Klyne wakes up choking, eye obscured by clotting blood, post-human physiology rapidly compensating for injuries received. Awarness comes back in a rush, scrolling signis-runes and voxchatter filling his remaining eye and ears, barraging him with situation information that would be overwhelming for a baseline human. But Garrus Klyne is not human. He hasn't been for over twenty-three years.

With a grunt, the rockcrete slab fallen over him is pushed aside, power-armor servoes whirring with the strain of the effort, and he rises to his feet, dust clouds billowing around him. Blinking, the sight that greets him confirms what the runes and vox have already told him.

Traitor forces have breached the Khangchen Tjulwa perimeter, their columns far advanced beyond the bombed-out post where Klyne had been stationed. Battlegroup Nehvra was broken, Imperial Army units routed, and without support, Astartes forces were faltering against the onrushing hordes. His unit was unaccounted for, missing or more likely dead in the chaos. A scene that was being repeated a thousand times over in the other districts of the Imperial Palace. Loyalist forces scattering, falling back to secondary positions, giving ground to the Warmaster's invasion force.

Overall situation? Dire.

Odds? Untenable.

Victory? Impossible.

Klyne's combi-disintegrator lies on the ground where he fell, crushed by the same slab of rockcrete that crushed him, complex archeotech ravaged by blunt force trauma. Still not worth leaving behind. The archeotech is only half of a whole, and the half that is left is a boltgun: hardy, rugged, dependable. Deadly. The Gun that Would Win the Galaxy, they called it during the Crusade. A good name for a good weapon. The perfect weapon. It would take more than a falling building to disable a bolter, and with a score of campaigns fought in the zones mortalis Klyne attested to the fact. It wouldn't do to leave such a weapon behind, not while trapped in occupied territory, behind enemy lines.

He quickly runs through a field check, practiced from two decades of warfare. The bolt-thrower is intact, simple mechanics still functioning in perfect alignment. There are seven mass-reactives remaining in the reserve with integrity intact. Satisfactory.

Klyne shoulders the weapon and surveys the north, the thunder of artillery and other munitions a locus for where the invaders have marched. They're miles off, of course, but distant through the haze, the guns are still visible, liveried in gunmetal and black. Perturabo's Fourth, of course. There would be no other. Only the Iron Warriors would bring their artillery in this close, past the perimeter, as if to show the defenders ultimate superiority in siege warfare, self-redemption for decades of being sidelined in favor of the Seventh. Arrogance has blinded them to the possibility of survivors among the defeated radial outposts. Either that, or they simply no longer care what happens.

Shaking his head, Klyne starts on the long march towards the traitor lines. He's dead, as dead as corpsestarch for sure, but there's still work to be done. Doesn't matter if he's dead, doesn't matter if the day is lost, doesn't matter that whoreson Lupercal is already sitting in the Golden Throne. He still has his duty to fulfill. He's Legiones Astartes, an Imperial Fist, 284BTN Ranger, and he still has seven rounds left. That’s an oversight. Somehow, somewhere in that bitter IV Legion horde, seven dead men are still walking, and oversights like that require correction.

No one can see it, but under his helmet, the barest hint of a smile twitches...

... inload 1 ends ...

Pictured: Garrus Klyne, Ranger unit, Imperial Fists 284 Storm Battalion.

The Rangers were a hand-picked unit of veterans within the ranks of VII-284BTN, drawn in relatively equal measure from the ranks of the Reconnaissance squads and the Legion's Seeker Marines. Trusted with difficult to maintain disintegrator weapons, they served as a light infantry/scout counterpart to similar veteran infantry formations found throughout the Legions as well as within the 284 Storm Battalion itself. Sadly, like so many of those deployed to the front-line of the Siege of Terra, the Rangers suffered crippling losses during the fighting and afterwards were never reconstituted.

Garrus Klyne had a particular reputation for taking vicious glee in killing, a tic surviving from formative years raised to join an Aranean gang. For the most part, the intense discipline of VII Legion doctrine hid this from view, but according to his closest brothers in the Legion, those who knew him quickly learned to recognize certain mannerisms -- a glint in the eye here, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, never quite a smile -- that would broadcast emotions leagues beyond the stoicism normally attributed to an Imperial Fist. He is shown here armed with a combi-disintegrator rifle, the standard equipment issued to a member of the Rangers within the ranks of 284BTN, and armored in the usual mix of power armor marks common to many Storm Battalion units, attrition warfare eating away at attempts at standardization.

Edited August 14, 2020 by Soldier of Dorn

[Mr. Oddity]

Excellent writing, and great framing of the chaos of the Siege.

[Kolgrim DeathHowl]

good stuff so far, nice read!

[Son of Carnelian]

Stunning! Can't wait for more!

[Dosjetka]

Utterly fantastic. Very glad you're back with some VII Legion goodness. :tu:

[Soldier of Dorn]

Excellent writing, and great framing of the chaos of the Siege.

good stuff so far, nice read!

Thanks mates! There has been a bit of a revision (well, maybe more than simply a bit if we're being strictly honest!) after consultation with my editor, as I posted the first one in a 4AM creative spasm of bleariness and willpower with all the errors that come with a half-asleep unedited first draft, so with any luck, our efforts have not been in vain and we will have improved upon initial quality. Thanks for the high praise, and I hope the revisited fluff feels slightly more coherent!

Stunning! Can't wait for more!

Thanks brother, your support and writing critique are invaluable! I'll have more coming soon, promise (terms and conditions may apply.)

Utterly fantastic. Very glad you're back with some VII Legion goodness.

Thank you brother, I always appreciate it. It's damn good to be back.

+++

Starting fresh is a big deal. Some of you reading this might remember an old thread by the same name I had a couple years ago documenting "progress" on my original 284th Storm Battalion, and some of you may remember that I ended the project because it had gotten out of hand for me creatively -- it was draining, my original ideas constraining me from where I wanted to take the army as a project that started out as creative catharsis from stress quickly because a source of stress in and of itself. So I put a stop to it, the story of the 284th Storm Battalion ending just over two years ago. But I left it with a promise of a reborn army and project thread, rewritten and restructured from the ground up -- to follow in, and I quote, "in a couple weeks." Evidently the most accurate prediction I've ever made.

It's taken two years of thought and development, of an evolving vision in my head for what I want them to be, of being, for the most part, away from the hobby table, but this is that promised return. The rebirth. A lot of who the 284th were has been thrown out. A lot of new ideas have come to me, solidifying over time. But it's not time to reveal my full hand yet, if for no other reason than I want to have it malleable still, in my head and in my notes.

Right now, as it stands, I really have no dedicated hobby space for painting. Most of my paints have long since walked the lonely path to a cold, dry death. But those are both solutions that are accounted for: hobby space has been planned for and reorganization is happening soon, paints have been budgeted for over the course of the next couple months. Models are in the works. Writings are being drafted. There is a plan. We will return, as the Black Legion did, from death.

(I also impulse ordered an AnyCubic Photon today so it's more than likely 3d printed stuff will find its way into the thread, whether as fullscale stuff or an Epic mirror to the 28mm 284BTN.)

In any event, I'm looking forward to returning to the B&C, of returning to the hobby. It's good to be back. I can't promise frequent updates, and I almost certainly can't promise any painted stuff until... March, or so? But I can promise you that I am back, and I'm back to stay.

It would be remiss of course to leave you with this much text and nothing of substance, so here's a model I built in my prodigal days and never posted anywhere (that I can remember, at least.) He was originally intended to be a Legion Armistos, but he may just get a demotion to Heavy Support Sergeant if I build an Armistos I'm happier with. I'm not totally certain yet.

[Soulhunter1995]

It's good to see you back good sir  your models and writing have been missed 

[DaBoiKyknos]

Cool conversion of the Imperial Space Marine!

[Soldier of Dorn]

"To serve without doubt. To strike without hesitation. To live without fear of death."

- "The Catechism of Service," Marshal Hadrian Hoare, VII-284BTN.

Catechisms of the Imperial Fists, vol XXI, no. CDLVII.

... inload 2 begins ...

Men of Iron, Men of Stone, they fall down all the same.
Time will rot the trenches as the Legions burn away.
Iron breaketh Iron, and war consume them all,
After all are ashes, the Last Wall will fall.

Iron are the bodies, who overwhelming drowned
Bleeding out oceans for every inch of ground
Fill their forts with corpses, the last heard sound
Of guns pounding thunder, echoing in cairns.

Gold are the bodies, on whose shoulder bore
The frontiers of Empire, until forevermore
Their corpses form the brickwork, mortar from their blood
Scrimshaw making certain that the legend liveth on.

Traitor and the Steadfast, spiraling to fate
Arrogance gave birth to a never-ending hate
Gold with Iron intertwined, proven to the death
Tyrants spit their hatred with the final breath.

Men of Iron, Men of Stone, they fall down all the same.
Time will rot the trenches as the Legions burn away.
Iron breaketh Iron, and war consume them all,
After all are ashes, the Last Wall will fall.

- author unknown, c. 014.M31 (cross-ref Siege of Terra)

... inload 2 ends ...

Pictured: Members of a Tactical unit lead by Sergeant Alc

[Pearson73]

Liking the wide mix of armour marks and weapons, they look every inch the group of war-torn, battered veterans.

[Soldier of Dorn]

Liking the wide mix of armour marks and weapons, they look every inch the group of war-torn, battered veterans.

Thanks Pearson! Exactly the feeling I wanted to convey, to be honest. I'm trying (though not necessarily succeeding in every case) to bring out a real sense of that into my bits choices and posing. These guys are attrition fighters, their armor is beaten and battered, and it should have an almost jury-rigged appearance to it, in general. It's something that goes beyond mere bits choice, if we're being honest, and into composition as a whole --silhouette, line, all that jazz. Studded plates, especially, are extremely dominant on models where they appear (the previously posted Tactical Marines are not the first or the only squad I've started on, I've actually got most of the rest of the Ranger squad built and a few Breachers too, but those'll come in time.) Contrast that with a few allies I'm building for them, a few Blood Angels of the 65th Airborne Company, and the difference should be stark, even without the benefit of color.

These Blood Angels are clean. Their armor fits established expectations, and is (for the most part, despite using several different sculpts and interpretations of Mark VI) consistent across the squad in this regard, uniting them. For me, it's the best compromise between the elegance of the IX Legion and the aesthetic of the pragmatic that has served as a direction for me as I return to modeling 30k Marines. It's a bit understated, I suppose, for the sons of Sanguinius, but I myself prefer it more that way. They might still be veterans of the Heresy, but they're fresh for this new fight, recently resupplied and re-equipped with standard-issue gear, and just dropped in on top of the enemy.

That's not the approach I'm taking with the Fists. In my mind, these guys have been fighting for ages and, without a proper return to base to evaluate such things, equipment has become decidedly non-standard, repairing armor and getting bits wherever they can. It fits with the story I want to tell with them, and perhaps, more importantly, it aligns with the character of the VII Legion. Pragmatic, not overly concerned with appearances for appearances sake, so long as it gets the job done. That is, at least, how I view them. Individual opinions may of course vary.

I suppose, then, next in the pipeline will be some paints. It is high time I started to relearn how to do it after a bit of time away from a brush, and I feel I've built enough grey plastic and resin (and some metal, too, actually) for a while.

Thank you to Kynthos and Soulhunter1995 as well! Your compliments are extremely humbling, and I truly do appreciate them.

Edited February 13, 2020 by Soldier of Dorn

[Soulhunter1995]

Your more than welcome good sir :) Now to look forward to your painted minis 

[Son of Carnelian]

I'm eager to see more of your take on the Blood Angels! I think your vision of them in the Heresy is very different from my own and I'm excited to see more of your ideas for them. Keep it up!

[Soldier of Dorn]

Ah... well. Hm. Things didn't go quite according to plan. That being said, they never do when it comes to me and paint. I wish I had some eloquent explanation to give, some lovely excuse as to why things didn't get painted. Unfortunately, it's been... what, six months? I honestly can't remember what happened then that kept me from the brushes. Most likely just laziness. Hopefully not this time.

I recently got some lovely Mark I (Saturnine, though I dislike that appellation personally) Terminators from a fellow on Instagram, and have been slowly assembling them over the course of a few days. It's slow going -- I haven't hobbied for a while and it shows in my speed -- so I'm only really managing to assemble one a day or so, but they are coming. I'm also rather excited at the prospect of actually painting them! With any luck, that excitement will transfer into actually (maybe) getting these painted. Probably not, but there's hope yet!

The heads are a bit small, but overall they size up well against other Terminators and are -- proportionally -- the best modern interpretations of that old Terminator on the market today. That is -- if they were still on the market today. Unfortunately the chap I purchased them from received a cease and desist from our friends up in Nottingham and no longer can produce them.

And they scale well against the forumware Rogue Trader dreadnought that's been available from time to time over the past couple years (I don't think I've ever mentioned having this dude on the forum but I have one -- well, two, actually. But more on that another time.)

They aren't the only retro-tastic Terminators I have, as I also have some of these, based on Bob Naismith's old Rogue Trader design, from when they were available a couple years ago. And a half-painted Colossus robot as well. I'll be digging all of these out of their place in the lead pile as I'm not 100% where they've gotten themselves to.

Anyways, I'll try and have something proper to update this thread with in a bit as this seems a bit sparse. But I'm going to try and get back into the swing of things -- this is more serving as a sort of "yeah, I'm alive." sort of post. And also to give me a reason to use the new camera I bought earlier this year to take more photos of my miniatures and get the hang of lightroom.

Edited August 14, 2020 by Soldier of Dorn

[Brother Dallo]

I have to say, I’m glad you posted again today or I would’ve missed this thread. Your fluff is something else.

 

I’m looking forward to seeing where you go with this log. Good luck getting some paint on plastic.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Dallo

[KBA]

Loving the retro feel of those minis, SoD! Your making me want to scratch that heresy itch. Can’t wait to read your fluff blurbs on those guys.

 

I totally get the allergies to paint we seem to share. The hardest part is getting started I find, then you’re in the paint groove. That being said... *rushes off to convert and add to his legion of grey plastic and resin*

[Shield-Captain]

Your work here is stunning and quite frankly some of the most fully-realized stuff I've read here on the B&C. I look forward to seeing these guys painted and can't wait to read your take on the Angels.

[BadgersinHills]

Incredible fluff and models, glad you're back. 

[Son of Carnelian]

Can't wait to see those robots in the colors of the Fists!

[Soldier of Dorn]

Hey y'all, just popping in to say that I'm very much alive. Haven't really been working on my Imperial Fists or been active on the forum much, but that's what New Year's resolutions are for, aren't they? Not really much of an update -- every time I post, it's the same old story, it seems. Life happens and plans, where my great 30k love is concerned, seem to go awry... Not this time, though. By Jove, I swear by this time next year I'll have at least some semblance (1500 points) of an army -- among a couple other non-40k projects that have the gears turning. No more sticking around waiting for the desire or the inspiration to paint to hit before I start, just got to start doing it, as KBA mentioned, to "get into the groove."

 

Anyways thanks as ever for the appreciative posts! As much as they're not necessarily the impetus of motivation (yet!) I am truly grateful and humble for the outpouring of undeserved praise I receive for the meager work I do on this project every once in a blue moon.

 

[Dosjetka]

Chop, chop; we're waiting! ;)