STRIKE FORCE DIRE ANGELS By Stephen King (Brother Gideon) |
BATTLE COMPANY STRIKE FORCES |
These images have been reproduced with the kind permission of Stephen King. |
Strike force Dire Angels Mission Primary: Attack the heart of the Eldar invasion. Secondary: Provide a buffer between Eldar Forces and Strike Force Lion's Blade Tertiary: Provide the Galinus Mining Camp with sufficient protection. May the lion be with you. |
Galinus' Background Founded by premier Marcadius Galinus during the age of strife, this small colony on Merquedis Prime began during the age of strife. With little more worth than farms bringing in meager crops and a few dusty roads, Galinus was sure to be forgotten by the imperium. Not long after Marcadius' death, a man wearing white armor with gold emblems and featuring a twin-headed eagle on his breastplate arrived upon a chariot of fire that roared as a dragon.(1) The staff he had brought with him to estimate the value of the planet quickly discovered a large quantity of Irridium Ore. It was this precious mineral that was used to create Adamantium Alloys. A mine was established shortly after the man (who was presumably the Emperor) left the planet. Village craftsmen tried to reproduce the vehicles they had seen, but were quite incapable of reproducing the design. The planet itself is located in the Hell Maw system, about a Billion Light Years from Terra. Other planets in the system include Destima, an agricultural planet, and Tevestas, an imperial outpost. (1) It is presumable that the third generation recorded this passage, and therefore had not seen transports capable of flight. Lacking the vocabulary to describe the machines, they called them the "Trechost lasc flay, dregoon ast bellowed, or roughly translated, a chariot of fire that roared as a dragon Irridium ore is also used in the purification process of wraithbone, drawing the interest of Eldar forces to the planet. With the precious mineral coming up short in several sectors because of rival governments, alien invasion, and natural depletion, preserving what remand of Irridium Ore mines became of great importance. A new imperial jurisdiction demanded the immediate and un-relentless protection of any imperial forces containing an irridium mine that falls under attack. While passing through the sector, Astro Telepathicus aboard the rock picked up psychic reverberations from a vessel emerging from the warp. The master Telepathicus on board (Gemidius Gerrant) recognized the reverberations to be of Eldar origin, and called a meeting of the Inner Circle. It seemed obvious they would be en-route to Galinus for its Irridium Ore. A unanimous vote called for immediate action, not for the protection of the mine, but the challenge presented by an alien force within the Imperium's Space. |
Name: Taechalius (Honored) Rank: Captain (Grandmaster) Wargear: Lion Helm, Angel Ex Mortus, Storm Bolter (Pattern XXII), Artificer's Armor. Notes: Taechalius is a motivated and clever leader. The tactics he employs rivals that of the Lion himself and made him the recipient of the Angel Ex Mortus. This potent blade is not unlike the revered Sword of Secrets, though it is crafted from an un-known metal. The energy field flows around the edge of the sword, creating a powerful saw that rends through armor with great speed, regardless of the thickness or alloy type. Taechalius was also awarded |
Name: Servaus Rank: Grandmaster Wargear: Master Crafted Plasma Pistol, Heart Stopper, Iron Halo, Jump Pack. Notes: For un-known reasons, the Inner Circle dispatched Grandmaster Servaus to fight along side the Dire Angels. No matter the reason, Servaus is a powerful warrior, and rumored to be next in line for Supreme Grandmaster. He carries the heart stopper, a potent sword that has similar characteristics to the Sword of Secrets. |
Taechalius readied his command squad for deployment. Behind them stood three full tactical squads, a devastator squad, two dreadnoughts, a raven wing bike squad, and attack bike, and two predator destructors. Six Thunderhawks waited with their cargo doors open near the hanger entrance. "Brother Tachalius, are your men ready for combat?" asked Interrogator-Chaplain Asmodai. "Yes Brother Asmodai. They have spoken with their armor, and given faith to the lion, followed by thanks to the Emperor. They are prepared for your sermon," replied Taechalius, in a calm tone. Asmodai turned to the waiting marines, who promptly kneeled in to pray once more. "Oh father, thy Emperor, guide us true," spoke the Chaplain. He lowered his voice and listened to the younger marines. |
"Let not fear stay our hand from delivering death, nor forgiveness keep us from the true ends of our duty. May our master, the Lion, give us strength. Let not weakness find us death, nor the un-faithful curse our souls to damnation," they said in perfect chorus. "You have trained them true," whispered Asmodai to Taechalius. "you will succeed." "The Lion would have it no other way," replied the Grand Master. Asmodai nodded, then moved on to strike force Lion's Blade. "Dire Angels...mount up!" shouted Taechalius. "Aye, Sir," his men shouted, then turned on their heels and headed for the waiting thunderhawks. |
temporary watch over the Lion Helm while Supreme Grandmaster Azrael is interrogating Luther within the Rock. His Storm Bolter was handed down from it previous owner, Grand Master Markellan after his honorable death at Centennial Keep. Its craftsmanship is spectacular, and is theorized to have been created long before the age of strife. |
