Night Scorpions

"Brothers, it is true that we are young, but we are not weak. A time will always come when a child must step from the shadows of its parent and rise stronger. Brothers, this is that time! Fight hard, for the eyes of the Emperor are upon you.""

- Battle Captain Tarius addressing the First Scorpion Company, 764.M41

The “Night Scorpions” Chapter were formed in the 26th Founding, 738.M41, with the task of insuring against the threat of xenos incursion in the Reductus Sector between the Chapters of the Crimson Fists, the Marines Exemplar and the Dark Hunters. The Chapter was formed from the gene-seed of Rogal Dorn, provided from the stocks of the Crimson Fists. They would be based upon the lush jungle death worlds of Paethon and Cleon. A pair of Gemini planets nestled within the Cerberus stars, a small system comprising important agri-worlds that even the might of the Crimson fists would be spread too thin to defend were it to come under any sort of sustained attack from the nearby Ork menace. Paethon, the larger of the two worlds, would act as the main base of the Chapter, and its sister world, Cleon, would allow for further recruitment to the Chapter,

Late M41 - The Alpha III Delta Incident
In 764.M41 seismic disturbances were registered all across the northern hemisphere of Paethon. The full might of the 10th Scout Company, lead by Captain Helios and his command team, were sent on an exploratory mission to discover the causes of these disturbances. It was expected that only natural causes were the root of the problem and as such only kit and supplies were taken and the force consisted only of scouts. Even Commander Helios donned his old suit of scout armour.

Three weeks into their mission no further activity had been recorded, however the tribes of the surrounding region were uneasy. Flayed bodies of animals were beginning to be found in the deeper areas of the jungle, huge natural predators that even the hardy population of the deathworlds feared. By the middle of the fourth week villages and towns began to drop out of contact, the population suffering the same fate as the wildlife the week before. At this point, fearing a xenos incursion, Commander Helios radioed in for help before his own communications were cut.

Responding quickly, Chapter Master Hyperion summoned up the remainder of the 10th Company along with the 1st, 5th and 6th Companies, the only companies available to respond, and began deployment to the northern continent. As the thunderhawks swooped in to Helios' last transmission area they took in the full horror of what was unfolding on their world. The few remaining scouts were fighting back to back, a mortally wounded commander in their midst; their foe, metallic skeletons, firing relentless green bolts of energy into their ranks. Quickly dismounting the reinforcements tried to surround the enemy, pouring massively disciplined bolter fire into them. This assault, however, proved largely ineffective as the xenos seemed to simply shrug off damage that would kill even a space Marine, dragging shattered body parts back into alignment. Brother Astartes began to fall in droves against this relentless attack.

The Terminator squads of the 1st were moved in and proved more successful, powerfists ripping apart the metallic bodies of their enemies. With this success the combined might of three Companies managed to destroy the alien threat. The remaining Scouts were rapidly sent out in strictly covert reconnaissance and returned with grave news, an archaic tomb structure had opened up deep within the jungle. A council of war was convened with all of the ten Companies and their Commanders (excluding Commander Helios who was in a critical condition with the Chapter's Apothecaries) to draw up a plan of battle. It was eventually concluded that the enemy was too strong to be tackled head on. Even the ever-adaptable Space Marines struggled against this unknown foe, the Codex Astartes bearing no advice on such an implacable foe. Only the Terminators with their heavy weapons, the sternguard with their advanced bolters and the prowess of the veteran Marines could truly match them. This proved to be hugely contentious, especially for the companies who lacked any Terminator squads. It was therefore decided that, given the power of the veterans against the threat, the 1st Company's Tactical Dreadnought suits and veterans would be reassigned between the remaining companies to form self-sufficient battle groups. It was however unanimously agreed that no help would be sought; this would serve two purposes. First, the Chapter would fight to the end to retain its honour against this unknown enemy. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the Chapter Council feared that this unknown enemy may have somehow tainted their home world. Instead of opening themselves up to Inquisitorial scrutiny they would deal with the problem themselves, a Marine's business was ultimately his own. Having pin-pointed the tomb, battle plans were drawn. The remainder of the 10th Company, supported by the rest of the Chapter, would act as a diversion to draw the xenos away their tombs and the reactors that lay within. Each Battle Company would then fight running battles with their foes, using their newly acquired Terminator armour to its best effect. While this was happening the Chapter's First and Second battle companies, led by the Chapter Master himself, would fight their way into the tomb and rig its very heart with melta bombs, destroying it from the inside. The fighting was bloodier than any had imagined. The 3rd Battle Company in particular sold their lives dearly keeping the enemy at bay, a valour for which their insignia is still applied in gold. The First and Second companies were, however, able to battle their way to the core of the tomb, and as those not in Terminator armour exfiltrated out melta bombs were rigged to the archaic structures, the Terminators teleporting out as the explosives ripped their way through the crypt. The titanic explosion ripped a hole in the side of the planet, permanently scarring its luscious surface, but the deed was done and the aliens had been destroyed or scattered. It would be almost two centuries before the Night Scorpions report would find its way to being read by members of the Ordo Xenos and by this time the Necrons, as they were now called, would be a dominant force in the galaxy.

Home Worlds
Paethon was once a lush jungle deathworld located in the southern segment of the Reductus Sector, nestled within the Cerberus stars, home to hardy tribes of humans who lead a life of constant struggle against the denizens of the vast jungles that surrounded their small encampments. The most feared inhabitant of these places was a massive species of scorpion that resided only in the darkest of places, distinguished by its luminescent green eyes. It is this creature that townsmen had to slay to become part of a tribe's council or even its leader. Similar practices were found across Cleon and, although the planet lacked the larger breed of nocturnal scorpions that prospered on Paethon, similarly large breeds of scorpion are hunted which, while smaller, are faster and, arguably, more deadly.

[leftsidebar=Paethon & Cleon][IMG]http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/1940/planets.gif[/IMG][/leftsidebar]These practices found favour with the Imperium. Paethon and its inhabitants were quickly chosen to become the home world for a new Space Marine Chapter, designated the Night Scorpions after the jungle creature, with a Marine's armour incorporating a mix of its shell and eyes. Indeed, the Chapter Master distinguished himself from the other inhabitants of Paethon by killing the largest recorded scorpion while Imperial scouts were assessing the suitability of the planet.

Since the massive blast from the Alpha III Delta Incident the planet has been thrown out of orbit with its sister world Cleon. The explosion stripped much of Paethon's atmosphere away, and what was left on the other side of the world was slowly lost within a few months. The Astartes undertook a huge effort to relocate those human inhabitants of the world that survived to Cleon, along with a handful of the planet's wildlife including the Scorpion so that the refugees of Paethon may continue their initiation rites. The lop-sided planet still continues to rotate haphazardly, its light cycles taking up to 6 Terran days to complete.

The Night Scorpions' Fortress-Monastery resided deep within the jungle but is now located among the miles of snowy tundra which cloth Paethon. Their Monastery is named the Aegle Proteus, it is here that the inhabitants of Paethon believe that men first came and populated their planet. It is said in folklore that a being of immense power, robed in gold and flanked by silvery angels visited the twin planets, perhaps even the Emperor himself. The monastery is constructed on top of and around an ancient temple whose ruins marked the spot of this event. It is considered a sacred relic of past times that none but the most honoured Astartes may enter. It is, however, restricted to all those who are not within the Night Scorpion Chapter, proving a point of contention between them and the Ordo Xenos who fear that it holds a more sinister secret. The outside of the Fortress-Monastery is caked in a permanent frost that makes it glitter in the moonlight, providing a beautiful and terrible sight to recruits.

Since Cleon became the Chapter's main recruitment world the Chapter outpost there as been vast improvements, bringing it close to the majesty of the Aegle Proteus. Potential recruits are still required to slay creatures of the jungle and bring them to the Outpost, to prove themselves worthy of becoming a space Marine. Those that kill either the newly introduced Paethon Scorpion that now resides on Cleon or the faster Cleon Scorpion are prized most highly of all. Those original inhabitants of Cleon have proven incredibly quick to adapt to this new predator, it is not uncommon for those arriving at the outpost with this dead beast to be of an equal split between Cleons and Paethons.

There is, however, still a certain amount of competition between the two peoples. While this unease rarely breaks out into violence it is nevertheless a factor on the planet. It is not uncommon for certain tribes to insist that their prized aspirant only kills the right type of scorpion for entry into the Astartes. Cleons advocate that only their native scorpion is a true test of an aspirant's worth, being fast and deadly. Paethons counter that the Paethon Scorpion requires more strength due to its greater size, the true sign of a true warrior. It is not uncommon for such prejudices to carry over into the Chapter proper with the Cleonite Companies boasting of their speed while the Paethonite Companies boast of their greater physical power. This competition is put to the test annually when champions from each of the tribes represented in the Chapter will spar in competitions of martial prowess.

Organisation
The Night Scorpions were raised from Crimson Fist geneseed and thus their lineage lies with Imperial Fists. Unlike their progenitor Chapter, however, they deviate significantly from the Codex Astartes in Chapter organization. The Chapter is organized into ten Companies; each of these is raised from different clans on their home world of Cleon who are then made responsible for their own equipment and recruiting. This independence means that each of the Companies can operate by itself as a separate force of war if the need arises. While exact numbers of men and specialists varies between each Company all ten maintain at least some suits of tactical dreadnaught armour as well as squads of neophytes. This means at on average each company contains two squads of terminators, two veteran squads, four tactical squads, one devasator squad, one assault squad and two ten man scout squads. [imageright][img]http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/1639/term2.jpg[/img][/imageright]

Due to this independent structure of the Chapter each Company will operate largely on its own, direct co-operation is by no means unusual but the frequency is certainly below that of a 'codex' chapter. This, however, is not to say that the Chapter is fragmented or relationships are anything less than cordial. Each brother marine values each and everyone of his comrades equally, regardless of their background and the Chapter Command is careful to keep an eye on each of their Company's deployment. In the current climate with increased xenos threat throughout the galaxy, at least four Companies are on patrol throughout the Reductus Sector at any one time while the at least one company guards the twin planets and yet another Company continues routine missions between the Night Scorpions protected human worlds. Like a regular Company each Scorpion Company will benefit from the tactical prowess of a captain in the form of a "Company Captain", within the Company each Chaplain and Librarian will possess the rank of "Company Lieutenant" and will often act as the leaders of any form of smaller battle group formed from within the Company. While Librarians still remain part of the Librariam officially recruits will be assigned to a Company upon entry with whom they will likely see out their service. The rank of second in command will traditionally be filled by a Veteran Sergeant from the Company who will act as tactician for the company’s four tactical squads. This sergeant will bear the rank of "Master Sergeant" and will be the likely the successor to "Company Captain" should the current Captain become incapacitated. Within the Chapter, the ranks of Sergeant and above will have the status of 'Veteran' and be permitted to don completely green helmets as a mark of their rank. Beyond this, particularly venerated Astartes will receive the wreath of honour, an award which permits them to further enhance their status by donning a wreath of Olive leaves around their head, or to paint them onto the helm.

Like all Space Marines the Night Scorpions will train thoroughly in all the various theatres of war. Because of the state of Paethon the Night Scorpions feel that it is also vital for each warrior to be a master of the arctic battlefield. This need for thorough cold weather training means that each recruit is put through an extensive cold climate survival course. Each recruit, having first passed the arduous initiation ritual on Cleon must survive the night and sub zero temperatures of Paethon in a 10km hike within a mere five days with meagre and little shelter. After these trials by ice, a specialization in the cold and its effects on the machinery of war must be undertaken. Even a suit of power armour may become caked in ice under such conditions. It is therefore imperative that each recruit has a beyond average (for a space Marine) knowledge of his weapon and his suit, and it is for this reason that the Chapter maintains less tech Marines than other more codex Chapters. Indeed this specialization for cold weather deployment extends beyond the mere personal equipment of a brother Marine. Each recruit must also have a certain level of working knowledge with each of the vehicles at the Chapter's disposal. It is those recruits that show the best working knowledge of such instruments of war that become trained for assault squads or the small amount of Land Speeder squadrons. Within the Night Scorpions the vast majority will miss out on a distinctly assault squad orientated training, instead engaging in close combat training within their tactical squad training. As Neophytes are trained from within due to the altered Company structure the scout squads attached to a Company are highly respected members of the organization, bonded by genealogy and tribal links. Each scout knows that this is the Company he will likely be serving with for the rest of his life and so will give his all to earn the praise of his elders, while this attitude means the tactical Marines of the Company value their dedication and central role in sabotage and stealth capable within the arctic terrain.

Combat doctrine
The Night Scorpions' mission was ultimately to be a defence against any would-be Waagghh! or other xenos threat that could slip through the current defences assembled in the Reductus sector. This threat would traditionally have been met with a large emphasis on tanks, infantry discipline and a great reliance on the heavy bolter.

Their tactics have begun to change following the explosion that plunged their prima-world into a perma-frost. Some of the larger tracked vehicles such as predators struggle in the thick snow drifts across the planet. Similarly the icy winds make the use of jump packs and Land Speeders difficult as air vents begin to freeze over or the kerosene begins to solidify. Thus, the Night Scorpions have developed an emphasis on the use of drop pod assaults more than most codex Chapters so that they might reach their enemy without delay. This does not however mean that they have abandoned their roots, the Night Scorpions are still as slick an infantry machine as they ever were if not more so. Marines will practice for hours on end honing a precise bolter discipline on the ranges while the Companies will regularly perform exercises in cohesion and massed bolter fire. This new tactic was put to the test when an Ork warband designation Skar'got landed on Paethon's dark side. Quick to react the entire 5th Company deployed via drop pod assault, as they emerged from their pods a withering hail of fire was laid down, wiping the enemy out before the dawn came two standard days later.

Past their initial assaults the Night Scorpions are known for their precise bolter fire in the face of the large hordes often seen when facing the green skinned menace. This has also lead to the wide employment of specialized bolter shells. Such deployment has meant that many tactical squads have forgone the use of longer ranged firepower to deal with mechanized enemies, instead using melta technology to cripple a maneuverable foe before overwhelming them. They will also employ a wide use of plasma technology, weapons that proved highly effective against their Necron foes and for whom the Scorpions still hold a special hatred.

Like many Chapters the Scorpions refuse to adopt camouflage even if it means that they are at a tactical disadvantage. This is particularly prevalent when the Marines are fighting in the sub zero temperatures that they are so famed for. This however does not strictly apply to the scout squads present within each Company. While their armour remains black and green, honouring their Chapter colours, the scouts will adopt a lighter coloured under armour while sporting camouflaged cloaks to help conceal them among the eddying snow drifts. Before an attack is launched scouts from the Company will regularly adopt observation posts to direct the main spearhead of drop pods to their target. They will often use modified Land Speeder Storms to achieve this task, specially adpted to cope in even the coldest of conditions.

The ultimate doctrine, like many Marines, is that attack will provide strong defence, plunging quickly to the heart of the enemy and eradicating them before it can react or sectioning off small groups for destruction. This has proved hugely effective throughout the years and vital in many of their theatres of war.

Beliefs
The Night Scorpions value hardiness and versatility above all else, only Marines with these qualities can stand up to the struggle of living in the intense heat of the jungle and then operating as an Astartes in the intense cold of the snow. The youth of the Scorpions has also led to a huge belief in perseverance to succeed and a zealous love of their Chapter. This has manifested itself into a sometimes foolhardy doggedness in battle, refusing to give ground except in death.

Due to the low turn over of new equipment from Mars and the low ranking of the Night Scorpions in receiving this equipment the Chapter is taught to venerate each and every piece of armour or weaponry that passes through the brother ranks. Each ceramite plate is lovingly protected by its owner and usually by the end of a brother's career highly embossed and engraved.

The same is true of a brother's bolter, which is seen as their most important piece of equipment, each Astartes is trained to wield their weapon with a single hand if the situation calls for it, allowing for the use of close combat weapons while retaining the strength of the holy weapon. For a Brother to lose his bolter in battle is the greatest shame he can bring upon himself, not even breaking in the face of the enemy will bring such condemnation. As such any Scorpion will fight with his utmost vigour to reclaim the weapon if it is lost in the heat of the battle, if however they are for some reason forced to leave without it they will more often than not begin a penance, withdrawing from their brothers into thought and meditation as they begin the slow and painful process of creating a new weapon for themselves.

The peoples of the twin planets believe that in their ancient history the Emperor himself breathed life into their homes. He brought with him the basic technology and education that allowed humanity to flourish even in this desolate area of galaxy, even surviving the dark night. Such a vehement belief in the divinity and right of the God Emperor it is almost impossible to breed out of a new recruit. Indeed the veneration of the God Emperor is such a pervasive force within the chapter that it is all but accepted as the true religion of the Chapter, only the most vehement brothers give up their belief and refuse to believe in the apotheosis of the Emperor. It is for this reason that the Night Scorpions believe the Emperor is in fact, as the Ecclesiarch would have the Imperium believe, a deity. The ruins scattered across Paethon, and to a lesser extent Cleon, are littered with fragments of text and hieroglyphics that the Librarium tirelessly attempts to decipher and understand. As research progresses the the picture the ruins paint seems to get clearer, indicating a time of "Rapture" in which gods will once more walk the planets. Many members of the Chapter believe that this must surely refer to God-Emperor, and that he will one day return to his planet and claim its inhabitants as his own. Thus the brother Astartes believe that the Emperor will eventually be liberated from his eternal slumber on the golden throne and lead his armies to retake the increasingly desolate Imperium. Some members of the Chapter fear that these ruins may have some darker purpose, but as the research continues and the Chapter delves deeper into the bowels of the Aegle Proteus, their past and, perhaps, their future, such voices are stifled. Such views on the Emperor's Divinity have however have lead to them being viewed as somewhat backwards by many of their fellow Astartes. Nothing though seems to have dimmed the Scorpions' belief, indeed they keep good Company with many other Chapters being of a similar philosophy who follow the majority of Mankind in their reverence of the Emperor.