Eagles of the Void

Chapter Info
The Eagles of the Void were a loyalist space marine chapter that known for air based combat. While well versed in standard Astartes tactics they placed an extra emphasis on air superiority. As the doomed chapter was a successor of The Ultramarines they were Codex compliant- divided into ten companies of one hundred battle brothers.

Founding
They requested that be assigned to a fleet remembering how their ancestors fought from the decks of airships. They received a fairly small number of ships-  three Strike Cruisers and twice that number of Gladius Frigates.

A Chapter Falls
facing a large Rak'gol fleet in orbit of the dying planet Nimiset.

Their small force of only nine ships could not hope for victory against such odds but they swore to destroy as many of their enemy as they could before they were lost. In the ensuing battle all of their ships were destroyed but so were 27 of the enemy's 36- forcing them to withdraw and it can be said that their final battle, while they lost they denied victory to their enemies.

They received a memorial worthy of them- the debris from their destroyed fleet was pulled into the atmosphere, becoming shooting stars as it burned up.

Notable Battles

Scyria
The crew of the strike cruiser Heavenly Hawk was on patrol near the gas giant Scyria when they encountered a small pirate fleet hiding in the upper atmosphere,lying in wait for any merchant vessels to cross their path. The space marines took advantage of the situation, entering atmosphere and launching several gunships. The pirate vessels, operating without void shields, were caught totally off guard by the sudden attack- the lead vessel took crippling damage with the first two hits and Scyria's heavy gravity pulled her in- the other two were torn apart by equally precise cannon fire. They recovered the survivors and turned them over to the local Adeptus Arbites.

Chapter Combat system
"It is well known that the army which holds the high ground is at an advantage- there is nothing higher than space."

- Chapter Master Tar'kim Mendox

Unusually for Astartes they maintained a strangely high number of Stormtalon gunships. In keeping with the ten man squads recommended by The Codex Astartes they were divided into squadrons of ten with the squad's sergeant in command. This informed their tactical doctrine- those chosen to fly air support did so-covering those chosen to fight from inside their vehicles or on foot long enough for them to secure landing sites from which to operate.

The first waves of pilots would then join those on the ground, trading the task of future air support missions with other squads. Trained extensively in both air and ground warfare The Eagles of the Void were known to be an unpredictable enemy- their foes would prepare for an attack from above only to face an overwhelming infantry assault or prepare for a frontal attack and be destroyed by precision bombing and pinpoint orbital strikes from the chapter fleet.

Chapter Culture
Despite being a fleet based chapter they drew recruits primarily from the planet Cavernis Terrae and they fought much as their ancestors did.

Their homeworld's unique geography, miles high towers of rock hundreds of miles across led their own internal conflicts to be decided almost entirely by airborne battles. Squadrons of fighter craft stored and launched from airborne carriers and battleships fought to clear the path for similar airships carrying infantry and armored vehicles. In time the weapons became more advanced and more deadly- prop driven fighter craft gave way jet engines as they slowly relearned how to build such technology.

The Eagles of The Void honored these lessons, incorporating them into their training. Their squadrons fought as a unit- while encouraged to think independently, a trait necessary for air combat, they were also taught to communicate and never break audio contact with their wingman.

Competition was fierce, whether in the air or on the ground every Battle Brother was known to keep meticulous count of slain enemies and destroyed vehicles- pilots and crewmen painted a silhouettes on the sides of their craft for each victory. If they ran out of space they would simply repaint them in red- each red silhouette meaning 20.

Tar'kim Mendox
The scion of the countless generations of fighter aces-he looked to the stars hoping for higher glory than any of them ever achieved. He would not be disappointed. Accepted into the chapter as a scout he longed to fly a Stormtalon for decades for being confirmed as a full battle brother.

His skills as a pilot were unmatched and so he was chosen as wingman to his squad's Sergeant, rising to command it upon his death in battle almost a century later. He would more than 600 confirmed aerial victories before becoming Chapter Master and giving it up to his great regret. He would become Chapter Master at age 215 and lead for more than a century before his death- personally killing forty six Rak'gol Marauders when they boarded his vessel.