The Dark Angels series is one of those I find that is 'better' than average Space Marines becuase it seems to try to be more than a 'kill em up' story. Like the Ultramarines, or Rynn's World, or the Night Lord's trilogy, it tries to explore the nature of the Dark Angels and their obsession with secrecy, redemption, and their own pride/honor. Indeed, the first novel, Angels of Darkness, is something of a tragedy in that respect, as the almighty Dark Angels ultimately get tricked because of their arrogance and pride.
Angels of Darkness, the first novel and a sort of 'prequel' was written way back in the past and has onyl recently been 'picked up' both in terms of the aformentioend series as well as in the horus Heresy novels (some of the characters like Astelan make an appearance there, as do some of the underlying themes like 'The Lion is a paranoid asshole.') It deals with a Dark Angels Chaplain and member of the Deathwing, Boreas, who is basically a total asshole. The series comes in two parts - the present day, where Boreas and his squad are drawn into a pursuit of the Fallen (renegade Dark Angels) whilst in guardianship over a recruiting world. The second part is the past, where we witness Boreas conducting an interrogation with Astelan, a captured Fallen.
The interplay between the 'past' and the 'present' is what is the compelling part about the series. Over the course of the book we see Boreas progress from a sanctimonous, self-certain prick to being something more humble, more human, and generally more likable and respectable. The interactions with Astelan provide a contrast to the 'Present' Boreas, and we see through both that Boreas gradually comes to question the Essential Rightness of the Dark Angels cause. He's ultimately forced to a choice - the Chapter's Honor (or at least how its perceived honor) and its duty (rather the duty to those they protect.) It is, in its essence, a story about transition and revelation and choices, both for Astelan and Boreas. As one surrenders to the tortures of the Deathwing and 'repents', so does Boreas come to believe the Dark Angel way is wrong and seeks his own sort of atonement.
The Ravenwing novel, which I'll go into detail later, seems to continue that thread, although it treats Boreas' revelations as being less certain, as there is conflict between the prevailing Dark Angel attitudes and Boreas interpretation of matters. It will be interesting to see how that story progresses.
Like most of my stuff I'll be trying to chuck it out fairly fast, because I'm wanting to push thorugh a bunch of stuff and continue clearing out as much backlog as I can. wish I'd started this sooner, but we're making progress!
Page 11
Watcher in the Dark.Turning right at one particular junction, a peripheral movement caught Astelan's eye and he glanced to his left. In the shadows he saw a diminutive being, no higher than his waist, almost hidden in the darkness. It was little more than a small robe, but from the depths of the black hood two eyes glittered with a cold, blue light as the strange creature regarded Astelan. As suddenly as he had spotted it, the watcher in the dark faded back into the shadows and was gone.
Page 13-14
Psyker forces Astelan into unconsciousness. Also psyker force lightning trick."Arcanatum energis!" Samiel spat. Blue bolts of lightning leapt from the psyker's fingertips and struck Astelan full in the chest, hurling him across the room to slam into the wall. Ancient stone cracked and splintered under the impact and Astelan grimaced with pain from the blow.
...
"Sleep!" Samiel exerted his will again, and this time Astelan's resistance was stronger and he fought off the urge to close his eyes for several seconds. His gaze caught that of the Librarian, and in that moment, the full force of the psyker's mind was unleashed.
...
His attention was locked and he felt his will draining away, leeching into the witchfires that burned in the psyker's eyes.
"Sleep..." Samiel repeated and Astelan fell into unconsciousness.
Page 15
A reference I think, to Bill King's "Deathwing" short story, which is, I think, partly or mostly non canon, but is still homaged in various sources and in various ways....the Chaplain, Boreas, had arrived, flanked by Space Marines in white heavy Terminator armour. The unconventional form of their livery and the barbaric decorations of bones and feathers had only added to Astelan's confusion, as had the term Boreas had used to describe them - the Deathwing.
Page 15
Power armored marine cannot breack "thick chains of titanium"He had not resisted, in his ignorance, when they had manacled his hands with thick chains of titanium, so that even in his armour he could not break the links.
Page 15
If we assume around 1200 LY (a figure mentioned eariler, but not for that precise destination) speed would be somewhere i the vicinity of tens of thousands of c. The figure would fit in roughly with "hundreds or thousands of LY" between worlds, anyhow.Astelan was unsure how long the journey had taken, several weeks at least, before Boreas had returned with the gag and the hood, and the shuttle had brought him to the hidden landing pad.
Page 19
If we're talking about a legion,that's between 10-100 serfs per Astartes. I suspect its an approximation, since Caliban had a far greater population than that (of course not all of them may have been devoted to the AStartes in particular, but to the military effort in general.)"You forget that a million serfs toiled in the fields of our homeworld to keep us clothed and fed, and in the forges and machine shops to arm us, and on our ships and in the factories."
Page 20
- Astelan notes that Heresy-era Space Marine Chapters were still 1000 men (they just had higher organization into Legions. It's an interesting commentary on the conflicting viewpoints of Heresy Era Marines and Modern, which is one of the key and interesting points about the novel. It's especially interesting in context ot the HEresy series. You'd have to wonder how this novel would be if it was re-written to reflect current events like that (we know Astelan shows up quite a bit)"The Legions were broken up so that no single man could wield that kind of power again."
"An act done by weak-willed men who were jealous of us, and afraid of what we were," said Astelan, moving his head to keep Boreas in sight. "I commanded a thousand Space Marines, just one of many Dark Angels Chapter commanders, and whole worlds fell before our wrath. I would have taken Tharsis in a single day, but you waged war upon me for ten times as long."
Page 21
- The Imperium stretches over "more than a million worlds" and "millions of billions" of people inside that Imperium.. eg Quadrillions.. and that's just an estimate. It does fit well with current edition fluff numbers, though."A world that laboured for your pride? Ten million souls in chains to fuel your ambition? Indentured workers, conscript soldiers, all the fettered minions of your greed."
"I have learnt that the realm of the Emperor stretches over more than a million worlds," explained Astelan, as he pictured the vast factory-cities of Tharsis. "The numbers of humanity are beyond counting, millions of billions of them teeming across star systems, in space ports and on ships. Crammed atop each other in the hive cities, scattered beneath the rocks of the mining worlds, imprisoned in floating reformatories. I say again that we are all slaves to the will of the Emperor."
Page 26
Multi barreld-wing mounted gunship weapons.Alert to any possible danger, multi-barrelled weapons tracked back and forth beneath the gunship's wings as it pulled up from the screaming dive and levelled out barely ten metres above the tops of the trees.
Page 27
- Power armour described: The large shoulder pads on Space Marine armor is meant to protect the head against attack from the flank. They're mounted on actuators that allow them to be moved to trade visibility for protection. His suit is also powered by a "backpack" power source plugged into the armor's spine and linked to his nervous system, allowing for instinctive/automatic regulation. There are also varied stimulants that can be injected into the bloodstream by the armor (such as pain-suppressing.)Clad in his black power armour, he was an imposing sight. Thick plates of dense alloys covered with ablative ceramite protected his entire body. Beneath the crushing weight of the armour, bundles of muscle-like fibres expanded and contracted in response to his every moment, allowing him to move as swiftly as if unencumbered. His skull-helmeted head was flanked by two immense shoulder pads, mounted on actuators that constantly changed their position, allowing him free movement and all-round visibility, but providing a near-impenetrable shield against attack from the flank. All of this was powered by the backpack plugged into the spine of his armour, linked directly into his own nervous system so that he could regulate the power to his suit as effortlessly as he controlled the beating of his twin hearts or the combat stimulants his armour could pump into his bloodstream at a moment's notice.
Page 27
Boreas is "many times stronger and faster" than normal humans, and can penetrate tank armour with a punch. Hundreds of relays for senses, and all that data is subconsciously processed (part of the astartes creation process seems to have been optimized specifically for interacting iwth power armor. not surprising, really.)Even without the strength-boosting properties of his armour, Boreas's genetically enhanced physiology made him many times stronger and faster than a normal human. ARmoured for battle he could crush a man's skull in his fist and punch through the armour of a tank. Hundreds of relays within the armour bolstered his already acute senses, feeding him a constant stream of information from extra senses, his specially developed brain assessing them all subconsciously as a normal man might look with his eyes and hear with his ears.
Page 27-28
Terrorsight described.. sounds basically like radar or maybe a sophisitcated preysight."Terrorsight," Boreas muttered, his armour's audio pick-up detecting the sub-vocal command. His view blurred and changed. The people of the village now stood out as stark outlines, and he could see their organs and their veins pulsing with life beneath their skin. It took a moment for Boreas's straining eyes to discern the overlapping shapes and colours, until he could make sense of his surroundings again. To the villagers who stared open-mouthed at him, the eyes of his helmet turned from a dull red to a blaze of energy and an awed murmur rippled over the settlement.
Boreas calmly looked around the caldera, his enhanced vision passing through the rock to gaze at the people concealed within the caves, at their crude bedding and furniture all picked out as a maze of grey and green lines.
I've heard it said Gav intended it to be like some sort of terahertz sensor or something.
Page 28
- Boreas' chaplain armour seems with more "auxiliariy" systems than standard armour, including the "terrorsight".When he had first been gifted with his armour, more finely crafted and filled with auxiliary systems than even standard power armour, he had thought the terrorsight a miracle. However, he had soon learned that to use it for too long could lead to severe disorientation and nausea, despite the many months of training and his centuries of experience.
Page 29
Would suggest the Dark Angles recruit from a given world once a generation or so."Twice now in my life the warriors of the stars have visited my people, and twice now they have taken the best of our sons to fight with them."
Page 29
Vox amplification of voice (External address) and confirmation about the generation thing."External address," Boreas sub-vocalised, his helmet amplifying his voice so that it reached across the whole village. Reaching into his memory, Boreas recalled the name of the leader of this particular tribe.
..
"A generation of our strongest have passed while your eyes were elsewhere, but the next worthy ascendants are ready to prove themselves to you."
Page 30
Like in the "Spear of Vengeance" campaign we learn that the planet has the magical geothermal power sources that can devastate the whole world in a nasty way.The geothermal energy stations that had once leeched energy from the planet's core had fallen into disrepair and malfunctioned. The planet had been wracked by massive earthquakes that destroyed the mighty cities, killed the population by the million, plunging the world into a new age of barbarism.
Now Piscina V was dominated by immense volcanoes, the belching fumes from their fiery outbursts replacing the smog of a hundred thousand factories.
Also the place has a hundred thousand factories, so this isnt exactly a super-primitive system the Dark Angels watch over.
Page 31
Imperial tech....was a shape that Boreas recognised, crafted from long-forgotten materials resistant to the planet's harsh environment - fan blades, gears and wheels, circuitry drawn with intricate crystal layers, ceramic bottles that glowed with their own light.
Page 39
12-13 years old is ideal age for Astartes recruits.Boreas reckoned him to be little more than twelve or thirteen Terran years of age - perfect for the Dark Angels purposes.
Page 40
Narthecium bracer on Nestor's arm taking the samples and tests needed to evaluate the genetic compatibility of a potential recruit. Also deliberate brutality, i suspect, to weed out the weak willed (given what happens shortly after.As Varsin writhed, Nestor stood there calmly while the narthecium took what it needed. Automatic probes scored samples from the boy's stomach lining, extracted blood, bile and other fluids, measured blood pressure and pulse rate, injected anti-toxicants and cauterised wounds. The glowing amber light on the back of the device turned red and Nestor withdrew his fist. With a quick movement, a web of needles extended and stitched the wound shut in a matter of seconds. Varsin lay there covered with sweat, tears running down his face, his chest heaving under Nestor's palm.
Page 40
an ideal Astartes candidate."ninety-eight per cent tissue match for suitability," The apothecary told him, consulting the green display on his arm. "No endemic illnesses or inherited disorders. Acceptable tolerance levels of toxic influences, average life signals and pain response. The boy is perfect, physically speaking."
Page 43
the Blade of Caliban, a Dark Angels escort (rapid strike vessel). It presents us with an interesting quandry, as at half a km long, it is smaller than any Naval escort that has warp capability, yet it is fast (powerful engines), well armed (able to take on any other escort, including one larger like a destroyer or frigate I wager), and it can carry half a company of marines and still operate across a considerable distance. So apparently, no tradeoffs, despite the smallest warp capable ship in the navy being 1 km long.Sharp prowed and sleek, dominated by its massive engines, the Blade of Caliban looked like a space-borne predator. It was not so far from the truth; one of the fastest ships in the sector, the rapid strike vessel was built for extended patrols across dozens of explored and uncharted star systems, to respond with speed to any situation, and yet carried enough firepower to destroy anything of similar size.
Though considered small for a warp-capable vessel, it was nearly half a kilometre in length and could in theory carry half a company of Space Marines, although its primary function was to act as the Chapter's eyes and ears, the duty of transportation and war falling to the larger Strike cruisers and immense battle barges.
Fully a third of the starship's length was taken up by its powerful plasma engines and the reactors to drive them, almost the entirety of the rest of the structure was pin-pricked with gun emplacements, scanning areas, and launch bays. At the fore, the heavily armoured prow was pierced by the dark holes of its torpedo tubes.
And if that isn't enough, the ship is not particularily fast when considered against other novels (EG Sabbat Martyr) its travle speeds topping out at hundreds, perhaps thousands of km/s.
Several possibilities to explain this are: Its a high tech ship cuz its Astartes (which are usually able to pack in the durability and firepower of a larger shp into a smaller package), it's packing powerful engines with short legs (EG it can accelerate fast, but its top speed is limited) and it has a quick warp drive. It may also lack combat endurance (throw a heavy weight but not for very long.) I also suspect it has a smaller crew than normal, as most Astartes ships do, which can cut on its combat endurance. Limited facilities onboard (EG small hangar, etc.) probably would also save on space.
Page 44
Feral worlders can suffer adversely when exposed to higher tech Imperial society. This tends to undercut, IMHO their value as troopers as well. The insane get turned into servitors.It was not unusual for an aspirant from a feral world to suffer such catastrophic culture shock and Nestor had quietened him with a narcolepsia. If the boy did not recover his senses soon, he would be useless as a recruit and the techpriests would take him, scrub his mind of the traumas and turn him into a servitor so that he might still be of service to the Chapter.
Page 44
- the space Marine backpack power sources can be disconnected and recharged from the powerplant of a Thunderhawk (and presumably other powerplants as well.) The armour still has an "internal power source" independent of this that allows the armour to function (but presumably at reduced capability.) This indicates a certain amount of redundancy. It also tends to suggest that, unlike other sources, these suits aren't running off reactors.The Space Marines had discarded their helmets, and their backpacks were locked into stowage positions to recharge from the gunship's engines while their armour functioned on its own internal power source.
Page 45
Probably does. This can either be because a.) MArines take hefty attrition and cna often fall below chapter maximums even with frequent recruiting and b.) some sources indicate millions if not billions of worlds exist in the Imperium."It is said that the Imperium of the Emperor holds more worlds than it does Space Marines. You have passed only the first tests, there are many more to come. Some do not survive, but those who fail and live to tell of it will serve the Chapter in other ways, as do these serfs."
Page 45
Black Carapace is armor as wellas an interface. Also it took 5-6 years to make an Astartes."If, and it is only if, you become a Space Marine it takes years of training and surgery. I myself was twelve summers old when I was chosen, but I was eighteen before I received my black carapace."
"What is that? Your armour?" asked Varsin.
"Yes and no"
Page 46
Space Marine enhancements."My brethren in the apothecarion will change your body, making it grow strong like ours. You will be given new lungs to breathe poison, and a second heart so that your blood might continue to flow in the heat of battle despite grievous wounds. We will give you the precious gene-seed of the Lion, and his greatness will flow through your veins and be bound into your bones.You will feel no pain, you shall have the strength of ten men, you will see in the dark as clearly as day and you will hear an assassin's breath over the thunder of a storm. Lastly, you shall have the black carapace that melds your body to your armour so that you can wear it as you might a second skin."
Page 47
- it took the Rapid Strike vessel several days to travel from the fifth to the fourth planet of the Piscina system. We don't know the exact distances involved. If they are adjacent and passing near by each other (shortest-time route) they can't be more than an aU or so apart (habitable zone) 2 gees for 2 days of constant burn, and a 1700 kps max velocity. Were it half an AU, the velocity and acceleration will be halved. Neither of which is particularily fast, even by rogue trader RPG standards.It took several days for the Blade of Caliban to return to Piscina IV. Unlike the feral fifth world, Piscina IV had maintained a veneer of civilisation through the Age of Strife, and when the Dark Angels had reclaimed the world during the Great Crusade, they had been welcomed with open arms by the humans living there. In many ways, Piscina was perfect for the Dark Angels' purposes. The barbaric warriors of the fifth planet provided excellent recruits - natural and hardy warriors that could only be found on such deathworlds, or in the savage depths of a hive-world. But the semi-cultured fourth world gave them a place for their outpost, a haven they could dwell in without interfering with the development of the tribesmen of Piscina V.
If the planets are on opposite ends of the system (multiple AU apart) the situation is different. For example at 2 AU acceleration would be 4 gees and 1.1% of the speed of light (3300 kps) at 3 AU 5000 kps and 6 gees. 5 au can nab us 10 gees and nealy 3% of c (8000-9000 kps). I doubt it would be much beyond that, 3-4 AU would be closer to the limit, even allowing for a curving course around the star. This is not neccesarily upper limit for the ship's performance, of course, but its still going to pale performance wise to a good many other starships in other novels. Gav Thorpe does this fairly often actually
Page 47
Geothermal power is common on the Piscina Planets, much as we saw in Spear of Vengeance.Long dormant, the same geo-thermal activity that had created such a world now provided the inhabitants with much of their power, and Boreas could see the thermal venting from the power stations hanging as a thick haze over the island, obscuring the ground below the tips of the volcanoes.
Page 48
Power armour comms boosted by the Thunderhawk's relays."Thunderhawk communication," Boreas commanded the comms pick-up in his armour, which was then boosted by the gunship's longer ranged array. "This is Interrogator-Chaplain Boreas, how may we be of assistance, colonel?"
Page 48
IG Garrison forces on the planet.. 3 infantry platoons and 3 armoured fist platoons who have APcs and "light tanks"." have three infantry platoons already at the battle zone, and three armoured fist platoons en route, but the greenskins will be well and truly dug in by the time they arrive. "
..
Brade's men were currently outnumbered, Boreas calculated quickly, and despite the armoured personnel carriers and light support tanks of the armoured fist platoon, they would find it hard to establish any foothold with which to launch a concerted effort on the mine head.
Page 49
Thunderhawks, or at least Boreas's thunderhawk, carries its own jump packs."Engage machine-spirit to take us in. Open the armoury and distribute jump packs.'"
Page 49
The thunderhawk is AI controlled, basically.His large hands danced quickly over the controls of the gunship before he stood up and made his way to the armoured section at the back of the Thunderhawk. Controlled by its own artificial mind, the gunship steered its way down through the clouds towards Vartoth.
Page 53
- Boreas's rosarius shield seems to auto-activate in reaction to be swarmed by orks and repels them (throws them back.) This MAY imply the shield is sensor operated/activated (reactive to the presence of enemy or weapons fire it would seem) and that it cna repel significant mass/momentum as well as smaller ones (the mass of several orks.), but it's also possible they were simply dirven back by the blinding effect and shock (suggesting this Rosarius has an effect like a conversion field rather than a refractor field.)The orks mobbed him, battered at his armour with the butts of their stolen guns, but were thrown back as his rosarius burst into life, blinding them with its white glare.
Page 53
- Boreas uses his bolt pistol to blow off an Ork's head in a single shot. Rather curious, as we see later in this and other examples, the bolt pistol doesn't always do explosive damage (or does less damage). This may be due to the kinetic/impact effects of the bolt (overpenetrating before detonating) in some cases. Alternately Boreas' pistol has a selector option or he just carries different kinds of ammo.Boreas blew the head off another ork with a close range shot from his bolt pistol, while behind him Zaul and Nestor battered their way through the green-skinned aliens with their fists, smashing bones and tearing at flesh with their inhumanly strong hands. The orks were no weaklings, their slab-like muscles more than capable of viciously wounding a normal man, their tusks and claws capable of tearing flesh from the bone. But they were as children when matched against the armoured might of the Dark Angels.
It is also indicated that while the Orks are strong, these ones aren't nearly as strong as Space MArines. They can, of course, grow much tougher.
Page 54
- Space marine grenade shreds two Orks. That's going to be more powreufl than a modern grenade based on the difference in Ork size/mass alone.There were eight more orks in the room, but as they prepared to charge, Zaul appeared at Boreas's side and tossed a grenade forward. Two were shredded instantly in the blast, the others hurled to the ground
Page 55
Not quite true, although this sounds more like dark Angel arrogance than anything. some worlds have had Space Marine Garrisons, but it is uncommon. And usually only recruiting worlds have it. The vast majority are too busy out fighting in space.Though always respectful and well meaning, Brade's frequent requests for more Dark Angels to be stationed on Piscina were beginning to wear Boreas's patience. He had explained numerous times that Space Marines were not intended to garrison worlds en masse, and were it not for the recruiting world of Piscina V, the Imperial Guard would have been left to defend the planet on their own without even the aid of Boreas and his squad.
Page 61
Astelan talks about the Emperor's vision in the Heresy Era."My word is the word of the Emperor himself. My sword is his sword. Every battle I have fought has been in his name. He had a vision - to drive back the aliens and the mutants, to unite mankind under his rule and guidance. He strove for humanity, to take back the stars that had once been ours, a vision we had thrown away for petty-minded goals and the worship of technology. From the ashes of the Age of Strife, the Emperor arose to lead us back into the galaxy, to conquer the stars and to safeguard our future. He alone saw this, and it was the Emperor who created us to fulfil his vision. It was we, the Space Marines, who were to be the instrument of creation. It was our duty, our whole purpose, to forge the Emperor's dream into a reality"
Page 61
Astelan comments on the Great Crusade. This is pretty interesting, considering that at the start of Horus rising we were seeing the inevitable conflicts betwene the offensive minded Expeditionary fleets, the Astartes and Primarchs ruling them, and the bureacratic and adminsitrative elements of the Imperium that were slowly starting to infiltrate and gain control."The Great Crusade was not intended to be an event; it is a state of mind. The crusade never finishes, it is never complete while there is an alien alive to threaten our worlds, and while discord lingers in the heart of the Imperium."
Page 62
Astelan uses his own equipment and knoweldge to forge useful military forces on this planet... five Space marines were still better than 60 of those (1 marine = 12 men)"On my own I could not win the war purely by martial effort. But my skills, my knowledge, could still save Tharsis from the renegades. I handed my weapons over to the Imperial commander's techpriests so that they might study them and turn the munitions factories over to production of superior arms. I had the hundred best soldiers sent to me at the capital. There I trained them in everything I knew. For half a year, I pushed and pushed them. Many did not survive, and at first there were doubts. The Imperial commander had full faith in me, but his aides expressed concerns over my methods. Their self-importance was galling - who were they, bureaucrats and priests, to argue with a Chapter commander of the Dark Angels on military matters? I ignored them, and the protests were silenced when I led my elite company into battle for the first time. They were not Space Marines - five of my battle-brothers could have achieved what those sixty men did - but they were better equipped and more deadly than anything the rebels had faced before."
Page 63
Astelan and Boreas argue.. Again its hard to argue against Astelan's point about hive worlds. Interesting that he notes that hives commonly strip their worlds of every usable resource (which as I've noted in other novels, can mean trillions or quadrillions of tons of material mined/consumed from a world annually. This is probably not an average or a standar,d but it shows how - if they're not caring about conservation or only care about the tithes, they can strip a world bare in a matter of cneturies or millenia, which they have done before.)"As the number of sacred bands grew, the demand for bolters, ammunition, carapace armour, grenades and other weapons stretched the factories beyond capacity. The Imperial commander implemented my recommendation that we build more, for what use is farmland when the foe's hand is at your throat?"
..
"When we liberated Tharsis from your tyranny, you had turned it into a wasteland. The sprawling factory-cities you had built were rife with destitution and crime. Is that what you bring for humanity?"
..
"Do not judge me on this, I have seen the Imperium you protect. Hive-worlds covered in desolate ash wastes, the populace crammed into kilometre-high spires like insects, labouring every hour, leeching every last handful of resource from their dead worlds to supply other planets with metal ore, machine parts, chemicals. And, of course, weapons and warriors for the armies of the Emperor."
Also Astelan equipped his "sacred bands" with carapace, bolters and other equipment based off his own gear, suggesting a similarity.
Page 63
Astelan does have a point, but so does Boreas. And at the same time both are wrong too. The Imperium DOES have a fair degree of inter-dependence and mutual need, and it is a fragile structure, because of specialization (EG forge and hive worlds need food and resources from mining and agri worlds to sustain themselves, which means that the former cna be taken out if denied the latter.) And at the same time, that "mutual need" creates the sorts of bonds and unity that hold the Imperium together, particularily at the sector/subsector level (economic and political bonds, especially.) At the same time, though, not all worlds like hive or forge worlds.. many are quite self sufficient in most respects, some may be totally self sufficient (even some hive and industrial worlds) They may still need or desire certain products, resources, etc from offworld, and this can still create inter-dependence."It is through mutual need that the Imperium is held together," said Boreas. "Each planet dependent upon another for food, or machines, or protection."
"And that is its weakness, for it is a fragile structure," declared Astelan, sitting up again as far as he could, filled with a resurgence of energy. "Self-serving Imperial commanders compete with each other, risking the defence of the Emperor's domains to further their own ends. The most heavily guarded system can fall if its neighbours are overrun, its food or water supplies taken away. It is a teetering labyrinth supported by self-interest and mutual fear, no longer driven by the great ideal that drove us to create it."
And Astelan is right about the corruption - it's gotten relatively worse now than it was, when Primarchs and Space Marines had authority and there was still an Emperor. But tahts what happens when you have no single, unifying authority, and you created a culture that is both reactive, defensively minded, and is designed to resist change (sort of like America)
Page 68
And this.. is where we see the drawbacks of the Crusade era Astartes. There is very much an "ends justify the means" attitude to Astelan, and he is definitely a reflection of the Astartes at that time - witness how they reacted to contemplating an ending to the Great Crusade. They are warriors bred for fighting wars.. but they will no longer have those sorts of wars very soon. Astelan drives to meet his goals, and succeeds.. but he devastates the planet to do so (something that happens often and is commented on in the HH series in fact.) and considers this an acceptable cost - something that is quite obviously abhorrent to Boreas' mindset. We get "old" vs "new" Astartes types, the offensively minded vs the defensively minded, and both make good arguments. Who is right?"There was an Administratum census-taker on Tharsis less than a decade before you arrived, before there was any war, before your bloodthirsty regime. The records we examined listed the population of Tharsis at just less than eight hundred million people. When you took power, you kept very good records. You listed your soldiers, the workers, the supervisors and their families. Your sacred bands controlled everything, and it was all noted down. I saw those records before I left. You were right to say a generation gave its life for you. Your own scribes estimated the population to be between two hundred and two hundred and fifty million, a quarter of the people you proclaim to have saved!"
I have to admit I like Boreas. While he is pompous and the Dakr Angels are pretty big asses in general, Gav did a good job of making him a sympathetic character even when being annoying - the fact he can care about human life (or seem to) even while pursuing his pet vendetta is rather credible.
Page 69
1 trooper per 200 civilians. Oh and Boreas hit the mark pretty close, although he's being a bit cruel since Astelan is and never was a maniac, or bloodthirsty. Hell that's even a sort of irony here - Astelan is standing in for the Crusade era Astartes who were pretty much as Boreas described, but Astelan himself (in the Crusade era) wasn't quite like that (cf Tales of Heresy short story.)" There was no shared vision of the great Imperium, no collective effort to serve the Emperor. There were two million hired killers and two hundred million terrified slaves! How could a Chapter commander have fallen so low? Or perhaps you have always been like this. Perhaps blood-hungry maniacs were needed during the Great Crusade."
Page 72
Astelan comments on the very accurate fact that Space Marines demand quite a hefty logistical tail to be able to do what they do. Some of which is organic to them and their planet, but in war they may have to rely on the Imperial allies to support them. Which is a subtle and interesting way of controlling the astartes (if they don't have the resources they can't conquer.)"Even now, your power leeched away, the Legions divided, how many of the people within the Tower of Angels are not Space Marines. Tens, hundreds, thousands?"
"'The Chapter is maintained by roughly five hundred serfs, servitors and tech-priests," Boreas answered cautiously.
"Five hundred people for a thousand Space Marines, that does not sound too much," Astelan said with a wry look. "But what about beyond the walls of this fortress, on ships and in distant garrisons? The same number again? Probably many more. And the food you eat, the ammunition in your weapons, even the paint for your armour, where does this come from? Thousands, tens of thousands, labour every day so that you stand ready to fight, to guard them from the perils of the galaxy."
Page 72
Here we get to the "warriors vs bureacrats" subplot in many a Heresy novel, and one can see the derision that Astelan has for the modern Imperium (influenced by his own early experiences with the bureacrats.) In the Imperium's defense Astelan is wrong in blaming it all on humans, since it was Guilliman who was instrumental in making many of thse changes (particulariyl when it comes to the military and marines) - and much of it was pushed precisely because of the Heresy he was caught up in - those divisions were meant to keep the Imperium from falling apart again in civil war like it did. And, without a single cohesive leader like the Emperor, I'm not sure it could have survived maintaining the Great Crusade. Not with the sort of weak, petty men he despises in charge."The weak men in power feared the Legions, broke them apart so that now they are thrown to the corners of the galaxy, strewn across the stars and rendered impotent. The regiments of the Imperial Guard are clumsy, unwieldy weapons. I learnt much about them during my time on Tharsis, and I came to despise what they represent. They rely on the ships of the Navy, which are controlled by a different organisation. A whole branch of the Administratum, the Departmento Munitorium, is dedicated to the sole matter of shipping regiments to war zones, and providing them with supplies. This you know, but you don't really understand what it means. Scribes and bookkeepers wage the wars of the Emperor now, not military officers. It is a shameful pile of politics and hierarchy, bogged down by its own complexity. Where has the vision gone? It was like my army on Tharsis had been, growing more unwieldy every passing day in an attempt to deal with its own unwieldiness. Who is there to carry on the Emperor's quest for a human galaxy free from danger? Clerks? Farmers? Miners?"
Besides, the Imperium learned to adapt. It may not use Expeditionary fleets of the Astartes anymore, but it still has ways it carries out conquest and colonisation. Crusades, Rogue Trader armadas, even the Astartes Chapters have their own option to do these sorts of things. Much of what Astelan says has merit, because many of the flaws in the Imperium can be traced to "weak, petty men" and the politics and conflicts between the different organs of the Imperium. But Astelan is seeing this all through the eyes of someone nostalgic for and predisposed to favor the Great Crusade era, and he isn't seeing or acknowledging the inherent flaws in that.
It's interesting that Astelan considers the Guard to be vastly different from the Army, too.
Page 73-74
Again Astelan is right here.. the HH series shows the Emperor didnt think himself ag od or wnat to be. That said, while Space Marines can fill a role as Planetary governmor (on their homeworlds), such a practice can have drawbacks (EG Badab War comes to mind.)"Driven by meaningless dogma, they refused to endorse my claim as Imperial commander because I would not agree with them that the Emperor is a god," argued Astelan, struggling against the tightening of the chains. "Hah! I have walked alongside the Emperor, I have listened to Him speak, I have seen Him angry and sad. What do they know, with their carvings and paintings, their idolatry and superstitions? The Emperor is certainly more than a normal man, but a god? That was not his intent, and the fools who founded this Ecclesiarchy committed a grave error. The Emperor is not some distant figure to be worshipped, He is the will behind us all, the power that drives man to surmount the trials that face us. It was He who said that mankind must furnish itself with a destiny, and now that message has been thrown aside, so that the weak-willed can blame a god for their own shortcomings."
Page 74
There were at least several thousand Chapters even prior to finding the Primarchs (when the Leginos expanded, at least doubling if not tripling in size.) that means millions of Marines pre-Primarch. Again (and this is another subplot) we see Astelan has a nostalgic view of things - he was a "terran-born" Marine, so he's obviously got different perspectives than a Marine who may originate from somewhere else (like Caliban.) This is something else that gets mentioned frequently in the HH series.Astelan shook his head. "I was one of several thousand Chapter Masters, proud of my achievements, but no more worthy of His attention then any other. I met the Emperor just once, on Sheridan's World, and then only briefly. Whenever I have doubts, I recall that meeting and the memory gives me purpose again. He spoke only a few words to me, praising the campaign, complimenting the fervour of my Chapter. It is the one true regret I have that I was not with him when they rediscovered Caliban. Perhaps if I had been there, things might have been different. But with the return of the primarchs everything changed, it was never the same as it had been when we followed the Emperor alone."
Page 82-83
A bit of discussion about the Dark Angels manufacturing capability."These days, having worked with your armour so much, I have learnt much of Mandeus's techniques, and now I will only be content if I make a suit as good as this one!"
"Would you not prefer to better Mandeus's work?" Boreas asked, walking to the bench and looking at the scattered pieces of servos and artificial muscle-fibres that Hephaestus had removed from the breastplate.
"If I can emulate his skill with the tools I have here and the time I have, then I will judge myself the better artisan," Hephaestus said quietly. Boreas gave him a questioning look and the Techmarine continued. "The great artificers Mandeus, Geneon, Aster and their like all worked in the Tower of Angels, amongst the brethren, with acolytes to perform many of the duties that fill my days. You have seen the great armorium of our Chapter. It dwarfs the entirety of this keep!"
Page 84
Augmetic maintenance on Boreas' eye, as well as the roving nature of the dark Angels and the rarity of visits.Seeing the determined looked in the Techmarine's eye, Boreas gave a resigned nod and sat on the bench. Hephaestus bent over him, his fingers working deftly at the mechanism of the bionic organ, and with an audible click, the main part of its workings came free. Simultaneously, Boreas lost the sight in his right eye. It was not worrying for him - once a year Hephaestus would remove the eye to ensure it still worked smoothly. It was odd, however, that the Techmarine had asked to do so now, though, barely two months from his last check.
Taking a complex tool from his bench, Hephaestus unlocked the casing of the eye and slid the interior free. He delicately pulled free the lenses, polishing them on his cloth and setting them to one side, before delving inside the eye's innards with fine tweezers. Boreas studied Hephaestus with his good eye as the Techmarine continued his work, watching the intensity on the artisan's face as he examined his own construction. If Hephaestus was becoming overly concerned about Boreas's well-being, then perhaps the others had noticed his change of mood as well. The Interrogator-Chaplain resolved to speak to them when he was done here, to gauge their mood and ask them some pertinent questions. The inactivity and routine, though they had trained for it, had become monotonous. It had been two years since the Tower of Angels had last visited and the isolation from the rest of the Chapter might well have started taking its toll on them as it had done on Boreas.
Page 86
- mention of the gene-seed and "progenoid glands". According to Boreas, new gene-seed was "all but impossible to create." and that he had never heard of any Chapter managing to do so, so new Space Marines were invariably created from the recovered progenoid glands. Each Marine has two glands, and could in theory create two new marines. Despite this, however, Boreas notes that "all too many progenoids were lost on the battlefield" before they could be recovered.New gene-seed was all but impossible to create - certainly no Chapter Boreas knew of had ever achieved such a feat - and so future generations of Space Marines relied solely on the vital gene-seed storage organs that every Space Marine was implanted with. Every Marine had two progenoids, and in theory his death could help create two replacements. But despite the daring and brave efforts of the Apothecaries, too many progenoids were lost on the field of battle before they could be harvested to ever ensure the continued existence of a Chapter. It was the task of the Chaplains to teach every Space Marine of the legacy he held within himself, to educate them in their duty to the continued glory of the Chapter. A Space Marine was taught that although he may be asked to sacrifice his life at any moment, he should never sell his life in vain, for by doing so he betrayed those who would come after him.
....
In death they lived on in newly created Space Marines. Some, those whose physical bodies could not be saved, might be interred in the mighty walking tanks called dreadnoughts, to live on for a thousand years as gigantic warriors encased in an unliving body of plasteel, adamandum and ceramite. In such a way, over ten thousand years of the Imperium, there was a bond of brotherhood from the very first Space Marines to those who had only just been ordained as Scouts of the Tenth Company. It was this very physical relationship that bound together every warrior of the Chapter. Not merely for tradition's sake were they called battle-brothers.
Superhuman as they are, in many of the novels Space Marines tend to take substnatial losses (less than some Guard regiments, but still) Given their fewer numbers, ,and the ffact they are constantly running around, its kind of surprising that Space marines aren't wiped out by attirtion, given the decades it takes to grow new organs (55 years IIRC Index Astartes.)
Those interred in Dreadnoughts can live on for "a thousand years", but probably longer in many cases.
Page 87
- Nestor is noted here as one of the oldest members of the Chapter at over six hundred. This puts the dark Angels closely on par with the Space wolves for age. Not as old as the Blood Angels or White consuls perhaps, but close.Boreas had served as one of the Dark Angels for nearly three hundred years, but at over six hundred years old Nestor was one of the oldest members of the Chapter. Boreas did not know why the veteran had not risen higher, why he had never been admitted to the Deathwing. Nestor was one of the finest Apothecaries on the field of battle, and Boreas owed his life to him when he had been wounded in the battle for the basilica. Nestor had also been honoured for his heroic fighting during the first ork assault on Koth Ridge.
In looks, the Apothecary was even more grizzled than Boreas. His thick, waxy skin was pitted and scarred across his face, and six service studs were hammered into his forehead, one for every century of service. His eyes were dark and his head shaved bald, giving the medic a menacing appearance that was entirely at odds with the conscientious, caring man Boreas knew him to be.
Page 88
Boreas augmetic has a graft of (cauterised) artificial flesh. Oddly the flesh seems to behave alot like real flesh.. it can get infections, it can necrotise, and it can die off (having capillariies and presumably lacking blood flow due to tearing.) It might be vat grown flesh, or it might be artifiical skin (synth skin).Nestor disappeared for a moment before returning with one of his instruments, with which he gently probed at the cauterised flesh on the right side of Boreas's face. Most of it was in fact artificial flesh grafted on the metal plate that replaced much of Boreas's temple, cheek and brow. He could feel the point dully prodding at his face as the Apothecary examined the old wound.
...
"There seems to be some tearing on the graft, nothing serious,"
....
"Do you think it could worsen?"
"Over time, yes it will. Some of the capillaries have retracted, others have collapsed, and the flesh is dying off slowly. It would require a new graft to heal completely" Nestor glanced around the apothecarion for a moment before continuing. "I do not have the facilities here to perform such a procedure, I am afraid. I will provide you with a solution to bathe your face in each morning, which should hopefully slow the necrofication. There is no need to worry about infection, your body is already more than capable of cleansing itself of any kind of disease you might pick up on Piscina."
Page 90
Nestor seems to think he might live to be 800.. whether that is the limit of aging and he dies (suggesting Astartes really aren't immortal - or they aren't anymore) or he considers that the limit of his lifespan in battle (He wont be combat effective and will likely die out)"I have served the Emperor and the Lion for six centuries, and perhaps if I am fortunate I may serve him yet for two more."
Page 91
I beileve this is the Spar of Vengeance campaign... using remotely transmitted power relays to work the teleporter.He, along with his Scout squad and the now legendary Sergeant Naaman, had infiltrated the ork lines and, after gathering vital intelligence on the enemy, destroyed one of the relays the aliens had been using to power their massive orbital teleporter.
Page 92
Damas "half again" as tall as a child. Also AStartes fighting abilities.Damas was amongst the fourteen youths under his tutelage. Nearly half as tall again as his charges, even without his armour, he was a giant even by the standards of the Space Marines.
..
"Even before you are given bones and muscles like mine, I can teach you how to break a man's neck with a single blow. I can show you how to crush his internal organs with your fists, disable him with your fingers and cripple him with your elbows and knees."
He bent down and placed his plate-sized hand on the head of one of the youths.
"With the strength given to me by the Apothecaries and my faith, I can pulp your brain in a second," he told the boy, who laughed nervously, eliciting more laughter from the others. "More than that, I can withstand any attack you might make on me."
Page 92
Black carapace provides significant protection against unarmed blows.Chastened, the boy charged with a shrill yell and flung his fist at Damas's abdomen. The blow would have merely winded an ordinary man, by Boreas's reckoning, and it failed to even rock Damas on his heels. The boy gave a squeal and clutched his bruised knuckles. Boreas chuckled, along with the aspirants. The only vital part of a Space Marine not protected by his black carapace was his head. Hearts, lungs, stomach, chest, all were impervious to any unarmed blow from even the strongest assailant.
Page 93
The Sergeant notes that if they'd widened their recruiting pool they might gain more recruits, but Boreas refuses to let "savages" in. They have quotas too, which makes sense."But only fourteen this season? The Tower of Angels will be here in less than half a year, and they will be expecting thirty recruits for second-stage testing."
"Would you rather we fell short of our quota, than passed on boys who will fail within minutes?" asked Boreas. "If the quality is not there, it is not there."
Page 93
DArk angels have limits to what they would endure from humans."I have told you before that they are too bloodthirsty, even for our purposes. If we still had a whole company stationed here I would exterminate them. Some of their practices are, well, bordering on the intolerable. They have stopped worshipping the Emperor, and have reverted to a barbarism I fear even we cannot strip them of with a decade of training."
Page 95-96
Industrial facilities on planet. Million stron gworkforsce.Here was the industrial heart of Kadillus Harbour. Here were the massive docks where the enormous ocean-going harvesters came and went, and the high cranes and gantries that criss-crossed the bay to unload their cargoes of gas and minerals dredged from the sea floor. Factories spilt around the harbour like a stain, gouting smoke as they processed ore and smelted metals for transportation off-planet. Here were the hab-blocks, vast rockcrete structures crammed with the million-strong workforce of Kadillus Harbour. Night was closing in and soon the loud klaxons and sirens would signal the end of the day shift and the start of the night watch. When dark descended, the thousands of furnaces and smelting works would light the sky with red.
Page 96
Was once temporary facility for a full company, now less than a squad.Once, an entire company had been stationed here under the command of Master Belial. Now, only he and a handful of the campaign's veterans were left to defend the future of the Chapter. The Tower of Angels returned less and less frequently, and Boreas wondered how quickly those great deeds might be forgotten.
Page 96
Weekly trips to distant systems.. we odnt know how far away.. if within a sector subsecotr we could be talking tens or hundreds of Ly. and hundreds or thousands of C. Maybe tens of thousands depending on distance (esp if thousands of LY)The first thing he saw was the massive open apron of North-port, where starships landed and took off every week, bringing vital supplies and in return taking the mineral wealth of the planet away to distant systems.
Page 98
Space marine cycles.It was to the bikes that he went. With huge reinforced tyres, armour plating and built-in bolters, each was closer in size to a small roadcar than a motorcycle, designed for Space Marines to make rapid hit-and-run strikes inside enemy-held territory.
Page 98
The bikes have built in viewscreens/sensors and transponders."I have your tracker on the oracle-screen," confirmed the battle-brother. The transponder built into the bike's chassis would transmit its position every few seconds, allowing the other Space Marines to home in on its location rapidly should the rider encounter danger or fail to report on schedule.
Page 99
Enforcer. Whether this is arbites or PDF I dont know.He spotted the dark red uniform of a Kadillus security enforcer, and swung the bike over next to her. The woman, her head and eyes concealed behind a reflective glass visor, gaped openly as he came to a stop just ahead of her. In her hands she held a lasgun, which began to tremble in her nervous grasp.
