A little Fluff: Vatarian Plate

This post is born from a discussion we had during Dark Heresy after getting spaced. Several times. It goes into light detail of the various suits of Vatarian plate Armour. On a side note, expect more posts soon.





Mark I-A - The Vatarian Mark I-A suit of armour is a reliable design from early M.37. It is expensive, but is durable, easy to maintain, and strong enough to withstand most types of ballistic weaponry.Additionally, the power cables on the suit are covered by a light carapace coating. The joints are also reinforced with additional padding to protect the wearer from shrapnel. It's internal systems give it the ability to track targets, provide multiple vision settings to see in a higher spectrum, and allows the wearer to patch into local computer and navigation networks. More recent upgrades have increased the vox range to nearly a kilometer without having to tap into an external vox link.

The suit also has capacity to go into space for limited time. The wearer can comfortable stay in an airless/toxic environment for about forty five minutes without having to find another air supply. Along with the internal air unit, the suit also has mag-boots to allow the wearer to walk in a Zero-G area. This is the suit preferred by spacers, assassins, and units on long-range missions that expect little to no supply.

Mark I-B - The Mark I-B suit has all the aforementioned capabilities, with the edition of an improved logic engine. This suit can track multiple targets at once, provide an improved HUD for the wearer, as well as increased motor units that allow the wearer to better move around and fight.


Mark II - The Mark II suit loses some of its internal systems, but has gains in mobility. Now unable to track more than one target at a time, it now can allow the wearer to run faster, just higher, and have overall better gyroscopic control.

The upgrades also mean that Zero-g movement has become much simpler with the addition of Mag-gauntlets. However, this comes with a sacrifice: The suit is only able to operate in airless environments for half of an hour. The power consumption of the suit is also led to exposed power cables along the chest and back. Normally the wearer of the suit would be a scout, a medic, or a light infantryman.

Mark III -  The Mark III suit was developed in mid M.38 as a replacement for the aging, and flawed Mark I and II suits. It has an extended battery life to allow to the wearer to operate for several days without having to recharge. It's internal systems were improved to allow the wearer to track multiple targets at once, have an integrated HUD system that connects directly to the user's weaponry, improved communication and navigations modules, and a wireless logic tool that can hack into various frequencies and signals. The power cables on this suit have been covered by several layers of Carapace plating, and the joins have been reinforced with flak/carapace fibers to protect the wearer from explosive and ballistics damage.

This suit also has external hardpoints to mount various devices and equipment, further freeing the wearer from having to carry cumbersome bags and pouches. There is also an optional Vox Caster unit that can be mounted on the back of the suit, but this would definitely limit the wearer's mobility and maneuverability. This suit is preferred by Commanders, Vanguard Units, and Technicians.

Vatarian XII: Meet Lord Commissar Django

 Lord Commisar Django has always been a very strict individual. Rumor has it that even as a child, he would attempt to discipline other childen in the Schola Progenium where he was trained. As a discipline master, he is unrivaled within the Legion, and is feared among all the Companies as the fiercest Commissar possibly to ever live. He wears a angle long black trench coat with gold frogging, and has a signature carapace chest piece said to be made from the gold of all the bolt shells he's ever fired. He supposedly forged his own sword upon his promotion to lord commissar, using some technique taught to him by his mentor. The

blade cackles with energies from some power source deep within the blade itself. There is only one unofficial rule with him, one rule that no warnings are given until it is to late. The rule is, the D is Silent.

Arrakian Accord pt 6, Battle for Outpost Idaho

[After MUCH, MUCH, MUCH delay. I present to you: Arrakian Accord VI]



Segmentum Tempestus 999.M41

Harkonnen IV System; Planet Arrakia
 
Days on planet: 25

 Situation: Stable

From the diary of Major Carpenter: I'm going to kill that damned Inquisitor. "Guard duty combined with rest and relaxation" he says. Hah! Guard duty to this place is better suited for Catachans! This place is like a little piece of a death world! It's constantly humid, the trees and foliage here are so thick that you can't even get a vehicle through them. Hell, the only way we came in is by the weekly supply Valkyrie. To make matters worse, there are flying razorworms that have nested in a majority of the trees here. These little buggers are like the sand worms except instead of burrowing in sand, if disturbed they burrow into your skin. On top of that there is a poisonous fog that rolls in every morning and every evening, rending the air unbreathable without respiration equipment. We can't find the source of the fog, but it can only be assumed as something not very good.

 Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. There is a single road that leads out of the jungle, but we're at least an hour or so from any kind of reinforcements. Emperor preserve us if we are attacked.

It was a cool morning when Aelgafar stepped out of his quarters and onto the outpost grounds. He took a deep breathe from his respirator and stretched. "Sir, glad to see you're up and recovering." Rielly had snuck up beside him holding a datapad and adjusting his uniform. Carpenter cleared his throat for a reply. "Good Morning, Sergeant. How goes the men's R and R?"
Rielly gave Aelgafar a look. "Sir, You're kidding, right? This place is some sort of awful."
"Heh. Yeah, I know. Reminds me of back home on Vatar." Aelgafar looked towards the sky. It was a hazy yellow morning, but the sun could not clearly be seen due to the poisonous haze that covered the outpost.
"Sir, if you don't mind my asking, which Hive are you from on Vatar?"
Aelgafar chuckled and began making a B line to the mess hall. "Not from a hive, sergeant. The closest hive was Throla, nearly a hundred miles away. I lived in the Agri-plains with my wife and son."
Rielly was shocked. "You were married sir?"
Aelgafar nodded. "Yeah. I was. They were both killed several, several years ago when the insurrection burned down my family home. That's when I decided to enlist in the Legion."
"Ah, I see." Rielly paused for a moment. "I'm sorry for bringing it up, sir."
"No worries Rielly. It was long ago."

They entered the mess hall and removed their respirators. There was only a few guardsmen up this early, and they quickly stood to attention as Carpenter walked in.
"Officer on the deck!"
Carpenter waved them down. "As you were. Continue eating."
They sat down as Carpenter and Rielly took a trays of food from a nearby serving line and sat in a back corner of the mess hall. Aelgafar began to rub his gut.
"Are you alright, sir?"
"Yeah Rielly, just still getting used to bionics. Truthfully it feels like I've got an itch I just can't reach."
Rielly nodded. "I've heard of that. It has something to do with your nerves firing off and trying to reach the missing parts. Very biologically confusing."
Carpenter began to eat his food bite by bite.
Rielly started to eat as well, but stopped mid bite. "Look sharp sir, here come Captain Uylesses."
Uylesses sat down almost right after and began to dig into his food.
He talked between bites to Rielly and Aelgafar. "Morning Aelgafar, Morning Rielly."
Rielly spoke as Carpenter continued to eat and only waved as acknowledgement. "Good morning sir, How are you doing?"
"Three of my troopers are out for respirators not working properly. Two of them are expected to make it, but the third is not looking good. Another big problem is the damned RAZORBEES."

Aelgafar looked up from his meal. "Why put emphasis on the razorbees?"

Uylesses looked livid. "Because I HATE those damned RAZORBEES. Have you been attacked by one yet?"

Carpenter shook his head

"Well Aelgafar, it hurts. I'm not talking a little pain, I'm talking like i'd prefer to be shot by a lasgun."

"We could maybe arrange that if you'd like?"

Uylesses simply glared at him before resuming his meal.

They were still eating when the alarm sounded. All the guardsmen in the mess hall shot up and darted out. A patrol of guardsmen had come back several men short, and the survivors were badly wounded. Carpenter approached the sergeant who quickly saluted.
"Sergeant, what happened here?'
"Its the Black Legion sir, they're here."
"Alright, take care of your men. The rest of you to defensive stations!"

The Imperials scrambled to the ramparts that surrounded the small outpost. There was a sharp crack as suddenly three full squads of Steel Nightmare space marines teleported to the middle of the outpost. Their leader, Chapter Master McCormick quickly approached Major Carpenter.
"Major, I am here to assist in the defense of this Outpost. If it falls, we lose a major staging ground for future operations in this region."
"Thank you for the help, McCormick. If you could station your men along the southern wall that would greatly balance out from the lack of turrets."
"Very well, I have sent two squads to the south, as well as a third to the northern pass."
"Thank you sir."
"Also Major, we will have more allies in this battle yet. Keep clear the eastern approach and they will be here within a few moments."

As if on cue there was a flash, followed by the appearance of Eldar Warriors. Their Farseer was silent as she climbed the ramparts on the southern wall."

"Well damn, I guess we got reinforced." Rielly said over the micro vox. "We'll need all the help we can get, sir."
"Why's that Rielly?"
"Come up to the tower."

They were surrounded. From the south a group of Khornate Beserkers were charging. From the North, A group of Chaotic Cultists. From the east and west, Several units of Traitor Marines. "Here they come! Open fire!"
The guardsmen on all sides began to unleash volley after volley of lasgun fire. The Astartes and Eldar held their fire patiently, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Like ghosts the Traitor marines came from the morning fog. They silently raised their bolters and began to cut into the guardsmen. Men fell left and right as the bolt rounds exploded all

around the imperial positions. Without hesitation the Eldar returned fire against the traitors. Out of nowhere, a squad of corrupted terminators unleashed lethal volleys of storm bolter fire against the weak Eldar armour. The Farseer, seeing that the line was threatening to collapse drove the Terminator's minds into a fray. They turned on each other and destroyed themselves. Seeing this precious advantage, Major Carpenter ordered his men to stand and fire with their First and Second rank drill. As the western flank began strengthen, Both the Astartes and the guardsmen to the south were butchered by Khornate Beserkers. "Damn them! Fight for all you're worth soldiers!" Carpenter lept from his position high on the battlements and took position along the southern road. "To me men! Prepare to beat back the enemy!" A handful of guardsmen rallied behind him as he began to fire at the rapidly approaching Beserkers.

 

      On the other side of the battlefield, Chapter Master McCormick was single-handedly cutting a bloody swath through the ranks of cultists. As he stood among the gore that was the enemy formation, a long figure in power armour approached him. The two warriors stood silent as they looked each other over. The figure raised a power sword of unknown make as a challenge to McCormick.

 The chapter master raised his two chainswords in return and revved their adamentium teeth. A thunderous clap filled the air as the two swordsmen collided, striking each other with a strength that would break lesser men. Then McCormick struck a lucky blow, severing the other warrior's arm at the elbow. As he stood over his defeated rival, he raised his chain swords and brought them down upon the man's head.  The battle for the north wall was over, but the rest of the outpost was still raging on.




At the southern approach, Major carpenter was leading his men in a charge against the Khornate Beserkers. "Steel yourselves for battle! We must stop them from taking the outpost!" He and a few handful charged like men possessed against the Beserkers, striking a few of the devils down in the process.

 As his guardsmen fell around him, Carpenter managed to fight his way to the centre of the Khornate formation. There stood a chaos champion, red plume hanging proudly from his helmet. He rushed at Carpenter with a bloodthirsty roar. Carpenter was barely able to parry him using his power sword. The Champion raised his power fist and brought it down upon Carpenter's power sword. There was a crack of lightning as the sword snapped from the superior strength of the power fist. Carpenter panicked as he realized just how bad of a situation he was in. He made one last desperate jab at the Champion with the broken hilt of the sword. The last thing he felt was the blade pierce the Champion's power armour. Then, with a thunderous bang, the world went black.

The mob of Khornate Beserkers had been annihilated. From the southern road that led to the outpost, a column of Leman Russ tanks had appeared. "Sorry we're late, boys." A voice emitted from the lead tank, "Got held up about a mile back by some pesky cultists."
Chapter master McCormick vox'd the tank back. "Identify yourself"
"Knight Commander Thomas Venture of the 180th Mantaeus Regiment. Got your distress Signal and sallied up to reinforce you."
McCormick chuckled. "Glad to have the help, Commander Venture."

2nd Company (No pictures yet, save 1)

      Before I get started, the picture is from a recent game I had with a few mates of mine. It was supposed to be part of the Arrakian Campaign, but this is the only picture I got from it all. Technical difficulties are a beech. I'll probably end up either repeating the battle, or reenacting what happened with my own forces. Moving on.

I began a project of mine as my numbers are filling out a little more. Second Company. Identifiable only by a red stripe on the armour.
After thinking about it for a while, the red stripe idea just didn't seem like it was enough. I began to go through my bitz box and my "Throwaway models bin" (Models that are broken an unsalvageable on their own) and scrapped up two platoons of Catachans. After some tinkering and kitbashing, I'd made a squad of troopers that looked especially rough. I liked the look, truth be told. Added personality. A type of Veteran-like look that made these guys look like they've seen it all. Armour that is beaten and battered, cyber enhancements, non-regulation looking uniforms. The works. These guys just look like they've seen it all, and don't care. I've determined that will be the look I go for with this company. Hardened Front-Line fighters. I will be able to post pictures as soon as the command squad is finished, so hopefully soon. I'm very very excited about how they've all turned out!

Short Story, 2nd Company Deployment

(The following takes place between the first and second battle of Arrakia)
Segmentum Tempestus 997.M41

Fetian System, Planet Maracha




　

It was another quiet morning at the Vatarian XII's Field Command headquarters in the southern hemisphere of Maracha. Lord-General Von Sica sat in his command tent patiently awaiting the arrival of the Legion's six company commanders. He heard footsteps outside his tent as Knight Commander Zaros entered swiftly and snapped to attention. "Sir, Reporting as ordered." Von Sica motioned him to sit in a chair next to him. "Come now Zaros, no need for the formalities of rank today." The knight commander hesitated for a moment then sat down. "The other company commanders should be along shortly." Zaros took a breath before he spoke. "Sir, the other commanders are unavailable. As you only made planetfall yesterday, it seemed fitting to fill you in today after a night's rest." The General seemed to go still for a moment before uttering a simple "Continue." "Well sir, My own first Company is tied up retaking the Pass to the north. companies four, five, and six are in the hive of Del-Onigrav trying to secure a space port to bring down heavier firepower. Company three is trying to clear an Oasis due west of here from an ork Infestation. Early reports are saying it's like a miniature death world there." "What about second Company?" Zaros showed a small hint of uneasiness across his face. "Well sir, They are here but they just came off the line a few days ago. They were the spearhead for the invasion. Pretty badly beaten up and quite.. Irregular." "Irregular, Zaros?" He nodded. "Yes sir. Since making planetfall they have made alterations to their uniform, Began to carry non-issue equipment, Have become less engaged in the formalities of rank, an-" The general raised a hand to cut him off. "They have adapted to the war that is being fought here, Zaros. You may not understand having come from an Academy, But when a unit fights a war as vicious as the one here it begins to adapt in order to survive. Think Zaros. Between the unholy heat, the ork raids at day, chaos incursions at night, and daily shellings, They must do what they deem necessary to survive. Give me the company records." "Yes sir." Zaros handed him a datapad with the Legion Information on it.
Vatarian Armed Forces, 8th Battlegroup

XII Legion, 2nd Company 'Backbreakers'

Current Deployment: Marachan Crusade

Previous Actions: Damocles Gulf Crusade, Kieldar Rebellion, Daratar Offensive, Siege of Grotzka

Decorations: Honour Company (x8), Occupation Medallion (x2), Assault Commendation (x8), Multiple Unit Citations

Commanding Officer: Major Aelgafar Carpenter
"Zaros, what do you know about Major Carpenter." Zaros scratched his chin. "Only what I know sir. Former Royal Marine. Taught at the Airborne Academy after that. Over three dozen decorations, No record of ever having lost a position, No record of ever having a man being declared MIA either. Met him once. He's a bit.. off." The general nodded. "To be expected. I believe i've made my choice." "Choice, sir?" "As of 0047 this morning, the planet of Arrakia has come under major threat from the Forces of Chaos. The capital has been overrun, and the PDF, along with Astartes and Localized Regiments are fighting a guerilla war in the countryside. They have called for any and all available reinforcements. I intend to Oblige them." Zaros looked shocked. "Sir!? We are barely holding the line here, and you intend to send a company, An entire company off planet?! The VII Legion is already being beaten back by the heretics on this planet and you intend to weaken our forces even more?" General Von Sica stood and spoke loudly. "Do not think because I do away with formalities that you may disrespect me so! If Arrakia falls, as does our supply line! And if that falls there is no point in continuing this lovely little war of ours! If we can assist in defending Arrakia, they will be more than obliged to send us reinforcements and the aid we so desperately need." Zaros began to speak but the General cut him off. "I do not need to hear any more of your comments. Inform Carpenter he is to pull his men back to the Naval Lifters at once. They are off planet by sunset. Dismissed."

Arrakia: Just what the heck is it?

      Arrakia. Interesting name, isn't it? Derived from Arrakis, a planet in Frank Herbert's 'Dune'. But just why the heck are we even here? Well, it began on a regular warhammer Thursday. Myself, the guy who owns the renegade chapter, and a few friends were just laughing and joking around while we were playing. The running joke became Abbadon starting another failing crusade in some system near the eye. Just humor, good times and whatnot. Afterwards though, we began really talking about it, since the game had no true end, what if we have a continuation of what's going on? What if we keep playing until it's resolved? Thus, the Arrakian campaign was born. Field Marshall Peach, which started as a joke, Became the source of the finest quotes of the battles we play, and may possibly make an appearance in future games with his own model. However,since my Imperial Guard Army is being massively reorganized and repainted, It gives me a chance to try out my Marines and see what works and what doesn't. By no means though have I abandoned the Marachan Crusade though. The reason no progress has been made on that is because the VII Legion's CO has gone off to college for the Fall Semester. We will be able to play, but not until whenever he comes back to visit. We have everything lined up for it, too. And I apologize if this seems rambly, ive been up for quite some time. If you haveany suggestions for Organization, the campaign, or anything really, leave a comment. All are welcome. Otherwise, see you all On The Bounce.

 

Glory to Vatar! Glory to the Legions!

 

Vatarian XII: Meet Sergeant Fontaine

    Gunnery Sergeant Fontaine is veteran of both previous crusades and a no-nonsense squad leader. He has walked away from brutal ambushes and deadly firefights, often as the sole survivor of his unit. This has given him a reputation of being unlucky to be around and as a result most units who serve under him tend to be extremely cautious of their surroundings. He and his unit often act as forward sentries; moving ahead of the main force and equipped with snare mines and camo cloaks.
This combined with Fonraine's knowledge of guerrilla warfare makes the squad a lethal and hard to kill force.

Before he joined the Vatarian Guard, Fontaine was a professional fighter on Vatar. Never losing a single fight made him into a symbol of imperial might and once he answered the call of the guard, it was like a hero joining the ranks. The younger guardsmen looked up to him as an idol and symbol of what an imperial soldier should be.

Blood Angels vs Vatarian Guard: Round 1 Part 5 (Finale)

Turn Five
It was crunch time. My ally moved up her terminators and tore the infantry squad with the objective apart. My vets used their meltas and fried the chimera that had delivered the enemy squad. I got into range to use my psyker's lightening arc against the assault marines and the one time I finally use it and it suffers a Perils of the Warp attack, Killing it outright. The Tora fired its Demolisher cannon and killed off the rest of the assault marines. My remaining chimera opens fire on a scout squad and kills one.

The poor squad that were torn apart by terminator Bolter fire

From his position, Knight-Commander Zaros could see the allied terminators moving up against the Blood Angel's guardsmen that had secured the disc. When they opened fire, the men around the disc disappeared into a red mist. On the left flank about thirty metres out, the chimera that had dropped the enemy off was illuminated briefly as it turned into a pile of molten metal. He scanned his perimeter and noticed a new shell crater with assault marines scattered around it. A hush fell over the battlefield as the Blood Angels began pulling back.

Luckily for me it was around 22:30 and my opponent had to leave. He submitted and we shook hands and agreed to have a rematch. It was a fun game, not too demanding and it kept me on my toes. The lesson I learned from this game is defiantly don't underestimate the cover saves an aegis defence line can give you. A would also like to thank my ally, without her it would've been a bad time with those hostile speeders.

Blood Angels vs Vatarian Guard: Round 1 Part 4

Giants clad in shining red armour decended upon first platoon in an instant. Spouts if flame covered most of first platoon. Men screamed as the assault marines fired their bolt pistols into the survivors. Zaros could only watch as his own squad was being cut down from the distant fire of assault cannons. A bright beam of light cut through the air and the only piece of armour in the company was struck on its hull plating. Luckily the beam lacked the power to penetrate the thick frontal armour of the leman russ. From less than a kilometre away, Zaros heard reports of an infiltrator wreaking havoc on the allied scout snipers.

Turn Three
With my remaining first platoon, I ordered a first rank fire, second rank fire into the squad of assault marines. The platoon managed to score two kills and the rest were armour saved. My ally was able to disable two of the three hostile land speeders, this was a very large relief as they had been giving my infantry a hard time most of the match. With the Tora I decided to rotate the turret and fire into the assault marines. Four of them were killed. With Sergeant Fontaine, his squad, and the remaining chimera I also opened fire on the assault marine squad. Unfortunatly none of them were taken out. The allied space marines were able to eliminate Marbo (after scaring the daylights out of my ally. She thought Marbo would destroy her terminators and her scouts) and managed to force a hostile sniper team to retreat off the board.

The one remaining speeder to the left. Centre is destroyed
One on the right exploded with a penning shot

 Turn Three - Hostiles

My opponent quickly choose to manoeuvre a chimera close and deploy infantry to secure the relic. With his assault marines, he multi-assaulted my Tora and the remaining first platoon. He immobilised my tank with a melts bomb, and cut down my infantry in close combat. (Go figure). Unfortunately, he was now in possession of the relic. This was very very bad for my team because we only had two turns to stop him and get it away from him. He decided to try and eliminate Fontaine and his squad, but thanks to my 3+ cover save, no one was hurt. 

Screams of men filled the air as chainswords swept through the entirety of first platoon. The Blood Angels had retaliated with lethal force. A bright explosion and terrific heat filled the air around the Tora. The tank commander checked all of his monitors and found that the right tread and sponson were completely melted to glowing slag. The tank was immobilised. Through his Vox, the commander heard reports of enemy infantry setting up a defensive perimeter around the mysterious floating disc that caused all this bloodshed.

Blood Angels vs Vatarian Guard: Round 1 Part 3

"Out of the machine men! Move!" First squad of second platoon rushed out of the rear access hatch of their chimera. The sergeant was rushing his men forward in an attempt to relieve Fontaine and his men. The sergeant looked to his rear after hearing a commanding voice. The voice was calling for the chimera to fire on his target, but it was too muffled by the sounds of war to get through to the APC commander. To his left, he heard a massive boom and saw a flume of flame and smoke. One of his troopers was heard screaming "The tank got a kill!" He squinted through the haze of the rising sun and saw a large plume of smoke rising from a hostile chimera.

Turn Two -Hostiles (AKA Hurt Time)
      My opponent was not very happy about the loss of one of his vehicles. He fired a las cannon at my Tank, scoring a glancing hit. Sniper fire from behind his lines cut my second platoon's forst squad to nothing, and then he proceeded to fire his land speeder's assault cannons at my command squad effectively eliminating all but my Primaris Psyker and my commander. If that wasn't enough, he deepstriked with his assault marines with a priest and a librarian. My first platoon got roasted by his flamers and bolt pistols, effectivly cutting down the entire unit to less than half it's twenty five man strength. He also deployed a Marbo Unit to my ally's scout/sniper position and threw a demolition charge. No scouts were harmed.

                                          

 

Blood Angels vs Vatarian Guard: Round 1 Part 2

      "Knight-commander Zaros, this is the Tora, we believe we may see something up ahead. Requesting orders, sir." Zaros motioned for his routine to halt at a small wall, and brought up his binoculars to scan the horizon. Against the rising sun, he observed slight movement amongst boxy shapes. "Tora, this is Zaros. Put a round into those shadows, see if there's any movement after that." There was no reply, only a large fireball that consumed the front of one of the boxes. With the illumination, Zaros saw men scattering around the explosion. Immediately he got on the Vox. "First company to arms! To arms! We have hostiles ahead!" There was various responses from commanders and sergeants as the company slowed to a halt. There was a brief silence followed by the chattering of second Platoon's heavy bolters being fired in the direction of the enemy. From far on the right flank, Zaros saw more bolters being fired at the area ahead. The allied Space Marine Chapter had caught on with what was happening.

Turn One -Hostiles

      The enemy player returned this fire with his own. His one leman russ fired a highly damaging battle cannon shot that knocked out one of my Chimeras. Well, I say knocked out. It got a pin and a six was rolled. The squad that climbed out only had six men remaining, including Sargeant Fontaine. 

Sergeant Fontaine and his Vets. We had no craters so we used Dragon's Teeth

      My opponents own snipers and chimeras began opening fire on the survivors, but luckily they had the forward sentries doctrine, plus barkers stealth, plus night fighting at long range. This gave them a 2+ cover save, so no one was harmed and my opponent had wasted his valuable shooting phase. 

"Get down!" There was a loud crack of a distant battle cannon as the chimera closest to the command squad enveloped in flames. Zaros feared that all was lost until he saw Sergeant Fontaine hefting the door to the troop compartment off it's hinges for the survivors to evacuate. As they escape the burning vehicle the flames ignited the fuel and ammunition compartment. Again he feared the veterans were lost but when the smoke cleared they were in the crater of the once-was chimera. Bolts were screaming over their heads as they kept low to the ground. Amazingly, no one was hit by the torrent of fire being put on their position.

                                                                         Turn Two

      I quickly seized the advantage of not having lost any more of my men by pushing forward more with my First platoon and the tank. The remaining squad of second platoon disembarked their chimera and began to push forward as I approached the hostile Aegis line from the left flank with my infantry/Armour combo. Once again noted that again I was in range with the Demolisher cannon and now the infantry heavy weapons had a clear line of fire on the fortifications. I opened fire.

First platoon moves toward the enemy

Blood Angels vs Vatarian Guard: Round 1 Part 1

Knight-Commander and his routine

      It was mid afternoon in one of the many oasis' on the desert world of Maracha. Knight-Commander Zaros was personally leading the Legion's 1st Company on a patrol to secure the flank against aggressors. The patrol came across a mysterious hover disc and chaos ensued as the blood angels arrived to contest the ground.

                                                                        The Game
      The game was a simple Capture the relic game. The relic, or "Mysterious Hover Disc" was an old poker chip I had in my back pocket at the time. It was a 1400 v 1400 point game, on team 1 was myself and my Space Marine Allies. On team 2 was Blood angels with Catachan allies. Deployment was quick and we took the initiative.

Turn One

      

 First platoon moved up on the left flank with the Tora. Second platoon (mounted) rolled up in Chimeras down the centre area. Down range, the enemy Aegis line was visible with the objective inches away. The upside to this deployment was that though they were closer to the objective, there was no way they could take it without exposing themselves to my firepower, and if they got past that, my allies' terminators and land speeder. It wasn't long after our advance that the front of the enemy's line was in range of my longer-range weaponry. Since it was night fighting, they would have 2+ saves at the range I was at. Caution was thrown to the wind and I let fire with my weaponry. As I did, my ally also decided to unleash her assault cannons, missiles, and sniper rifles. Total, we scored three kills against a well dug in enemy formation.

Warhammer Thursdays Tonight

       My local games store holds warhammer Thursdays on Thursday, and that's today :) Wish me luck guys, hopefully I'll have a battle report for tomorrow! For the crusade!

Vatarian XII: Meet Knight-Commander Zaros

Knight-Commander Zaros

     Knight-Commander Zaros is the the third Commander of the XII legion. He has been in the Imperial guard since he was 17 years old and served honourably in the infantry, and later on, the Vatarian Special Forces. He was awarded the Valoris Imperatora for his lengthy service throughout his life. He retired at the age of 50, as required by the Vatarian command for all frontline personnel, and was given a position at the Vatarian military Academy. He taught a majority of the officers who currently serve in the Vatarian Guard and is considered a highly professional leader and strategist. 

      Throughout his career, Zaros has earned many awards and medals for his lengthy service in the Vatarian Guard. He earned the Vatarian Ferro Cornu. The Steel Wing. This was earned for his unit's combat jump with the Cadian 76th Light Infantry against an Ork encroachment in a nearby system. He has earned numerous citations for Bravery and courage in combat. He has four Aquilla Mundanis medals and even a Knight of Vatar medal. It is a medal that exlemprifies an officer for high standards and extreme service. No other man is suited to lead the Legion like him.

Maracha: A Brief History

      Maracha is a desert world that is spotted with various sizes of oasis'. The only city on the planet has completely fallen under chaos influence and the valuable promethium refineries that dot the surface have come under the control of various chaos cults. These cults have converted most of the population to the dark gods and killed all those who opposed them.

      The desert that covers the world is incredibly harsh, and the few bits of life that exist are incredibly vicious predators. Things like giant sand spiders, Burrowing worms, and Leark hawks constantly stalk anything that moves in hopes that they will get another meal. Luckily, these beasts are repelled by liquid water, and once a creature nears an oasis it may rest easy from the perils of the
desert.

History: Vatarian XII

      The XII Vatarian Legion is from a medium sized hive world called Vatar. Vatar is in a system only a few light years away from Cadia, so chaos is a major threat that is faced. (More so now thanks to the 13th Black Crusade) The Legion is under the command of Knight-Commander Zaros (equivalent of a colonel), who used to be an instructor at the Vatarian military academy until the call to arms came from the Planetary Governor. He is the third Knight-Commander of the Legion, and has trained most of his officers personally.
      The Legion's number one method of filling its ranks is drafting all Vatarian males by the solar age of 17. Officers are taken from Vatar's high class officials, and are often well connected with the local political families in the city in which they are recruited. The training for the legion is a one year period in which troopers familiarise themselves with the equipment of the guard. Las guns, las pistols, chainswords, grenades, and basic heavy weapon maintenance are part of the training, as well as close combat drills and assault training. Each trooper is expected to find a field in which he excels and perfect himself in it. This leads to professional unit organisation within each platoon and company. 
      The XII legion has fought in two major crusades since its formation. The Demovolan Crusade against the Orks on the death world of Demovola and the Thyros crusade rooting out chaos in the hives of Thyro. The Legion briefly fought against the blood angels on Vatar itself due to a confusion from segmentum command. This led to the first Knight-Commander, Relio, to be forcefully retired after being shot with a heavy Bolter round in the back. They are currently engaged in a Crusage against Chaos and Orks on the desert world of Maracha alongside the VII and III Vatarian Legions. They have entered the Marachan Crusade.

Finally Starting

      Well, here it is. My blog is finally moving forward. This will be a primarily Warhammer 40k blog, so it'll be full of images, battle reports, fluff, etc. I ask that whoever follows it In the future to be patient because I've got to figure all this stuff out.