User:SpankHammer III

Introduction

The Jalvene System

- Jalvene Prime

- Little Bad Rock

- The Asteroids

The History

- The Heresey and “the Shame”

- Age of Apostasy

- Vorokan Campaign

- Tale of Many Gamers including the Madeline Offensive

The Task Force

- Outlanders – 33rd Jalvene Infantry

Regimental Command - General Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn

1st Company - Col. Theodore Lynch - Capt Isambard "Grievous" Greeves - Lt Lawrence Pickett - Lt Felix Nobel - Sgt Major Otto Karmon - Sgt Marion Hondo - Corporal Neb (MIA) - Commissar Captain Lucius Genk - Commissar Niles Von Impe - Commissar Klaus Rügger

2nd Company - Captain Books (KIA)

Rangers – 12th Jalvene Recon - Morning Breath & Joy Girls Kiss - The Bullies (Armoured) - Bush Whackers (Scouts) - The Vets

Iron Steeds – 2nd Jalvene Cavalry - Marilyn & Grendal - Purgation of the Wicked

Long Horns – 76th Jalvene Artillery -- Major Varn Röcker (MoO)

Navy- Cmd Lewis Nielson - Simpkin

The List

Conclusion

Introduction

Hi All

I’ve been a member of Dakka since I started the hobby and I’ve finally decided to use my article. The article is about my army the “Jalvene” it’s mostly the fluff that I’ve created for them. So its probably not that interesting to anyone else, but I’ve been meaning to get this stuff down on paper for a while. (Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.)

The Jalvene System

The Jalvene System is located in the Eastern Fringe it consists of two planets. Jalvene Prime & Little Bad Rock, plus an extensive asteroid field circling a yellow sun. It is of little strategic or economic importance.

Jalvene Prime

Jalvene Prime is the closest planet to the sun. It is approximately earth sized and for the most part desert; however it is also the most populated planet in the system with approximately 25 billion of the systems 40 billion inhabitants. It is also the seat of the system governance. The planets temperate zones, located at the poles, are the most heavily populated areas of the planet. Even with the temperate polar regions water is still one of the most valuable commodities and it is often used as currency. The only mountain ranges of note are located on the borders of the temperate zones. They help to minimize the effects of the severe sandstorms that are prone in the neighbouring desert region. The desert winds are slowly wearing the last mountains down so a programme of mountain renewal to shore up the natural defences has been instituted. The cities of Jalvene Prime are for the most part crammed into the temperate zones, protect by the mountains and close to the largest sources of water. The cities are so close together that they merge seamlessly into one giant metropolis. The two poles are linked by an ancient underground rail network. Built sometime in 30th Millennium, after the planet was brought under the control of the Imperium and a new wave of colonisation started. Due to the violent and unpredictable nature of the sandstorms there is little low level flying on Jalvene, so the rail network has become the main trade route between the poles. There are a few other population centres scattered in the desert. Each built on a renewable source of water, however they all fall under martial law and many are more like fortresses than townships. In the desert proper the PDF has total control of all known water sources. It is joked that, “If you piss in the desert the military will have an armed guard on you in 5 minutes in case you turn out to be a new well”. The desert townships are all joined by a lesser rail network and tribal caravan routes. The vast majority of the desert dwellers are descendents of the planet’s original settlers from before the age of strife and are often referred to as “the natives” or “outlanders”. These hardy individuals have adapted to the desert; they make their living trading, farming sand wheat and herding giant fowl called leather feet, or a native breed of horse called sand runners. Sand wheat is a particularly resilient type of grass that is the sole source of grain on Jalvene. It has extremely deep roots and requires little in the way of moisture. While the bread it produces is of a poor quality it is a firm favourite among the natives and makes up a large portion of their diet. Leather feet are the largest indigenous creature on Jalvene. They are so named due their thick heat resistant hides. They stand approximately 8 feet high and although they have wild natures, seem to adapt to domestication well. They are farmed for their meat, feathers and hides; however it is not uncommon for them to be used as mounts or pack animals. Sand runners are strangely abundant in the deserts. They are believed to be a native breed of horse however, it is more likely that they were introduced to the planet during the original human colonisation before the age of strife. They are extremely economical in their water usage and are able to go without water for extended periods of time. They also have the ability to spread the soles of their feet to reduce sinking. Apart from these minor adaptations they remain similar to horse breeds across the Imperium. Jalvene prime has a single moon which is about 100th the size of the planet and,apart from a small navy installation is completely devoid of life.

Little Bad Rock

Little Bad Rock is the second planet in the Jalvene system. It is about a quarter the size of its neighbour and has no breathable atmosphere; however it is teeming with life, with a planetary population of approximately 15 billion. Visitors to the system often misunderstand the origins of the planet’s name and assume, probably due to it stark landscape and lack of atmosphere, the planet is a “Small, Bad, Rock”. However the name was originally given to the planet because after it was surveyed it was found that there was little in the way of waste/unusable material and was in fact rich in a number of rare elements. owing to its rich mineral deposits the planet has become a giant mining facility and houses the vast majority of the system industry. These qualities have made “Little Bad Rock” important to a number of official bodies. It is governed by a council consisting of munitorium officials, representatives of the systems governors and tech priests of the Adeptas Mechanicus. Life on Little Bad Rock is made possible by a series of interlinked hab domes across the surface and artificial atmosphere generators in the underground mines. Industrial accidents and atmospheric failure, although not common place, are a fact of life for the inhabitants. Because of this the Citizens often display what would be considered by most as split personalities. They are sour and unflinching in their duties; caution and preparedness are their watch words. However as soon as they are given free time they become self indulgent and carefree often indulging in narcotics and other forms of substance abuse in an attempt to live life to the fullest. Drug abuse has become a serious problem and has been directly attributed to a 0.000743% decrease in overall production. Needless to say strict screening has been introduced to ensure that intoxicated individuals are not allowed on to the factory floors or into the mine shafts.

The Asteroids

The whole of the outer system is thick with asteroids making warp transit into the system perilous. It is rumoured that the asteroids are all that is left of the 3rd and 4th planets of the system which were destroyed during the “Shame”. Due to the difficulty in policing the asteroids, the inhabitants of the asteroids few permanent settlements have developed a rebellious attitude and often skirt the edge of imperial law. The asteroids contain a scattered population of miners, salvage teams and pirates. The asteroids are mined for their mineral content as well as for water in the form of ice, which is then shipped back to Jalvene Prime or Little Bad Rock to be processed. Unfortunately the asteroids provide numerous bolt holes and hide ways for pirates of both Human and Xeno origin. Orks are the most common Xenos to be found in the asteroid field but their numbers are relatively small. Rumours are rife about the presence of other Xeno species but have yet to be confirmed.

History

The Heresy and “the Shame”

The Jalvene system was re-discovered during the later years of the Great Crusade and brought back into the fold of the Imperium with no resistance. The humans population, “the natives” or “outlanders”, claimed to have been waiting for liberation. Shortly after it rediscovery a new wave of settlements and restructure began. The “Shame” is one of the most significant events in the Jalvene system history and is believed to have occurred around the time that the traitor Horus started his rebellion. The records of this period are incomplete, in fact such large amounts of data is missing that it is widely believed that the records have been deliberately expunged from history.

The most popular rumours include;

- That the “Shame” is the cause of, or result of the destruction of Jalvene III and IV.

- That whether for good or ill the “Natives” played an instrumental part.

The most common story incorporates both of the above rumours. It is suggested the newly appointed governor and the new settlers of the Jalvene system either by action or in action aided the warmaster’s rebellion. The outlanders led an uprising which saw the system collapse into a civil war that lasted until after the warmaster had been slain and the Imperium exerted it authority over the system once again by destroying planets III and IV. There is no evidence to support this theory, as there isn’t even any evidence Jalvene III and IV ever existed.

Although the actual details of the “shame” can only be guessed at, the consequences are widely known. - A permanent Inquisitorial residence is maintained within the northern temperate zone of Jalvene. - The role of system governor has been replaced by three lesser positions, one of whom is always appointed from outside the system and another from the “native” population. - There is a specific stipulation within the tithe charter of the system that forbids the Munitorium merging Jalvene regiments with those of any other system lest the “shame” be spread to others. As such there are a smaller number of regiments than one might expect given the levels of conscription as the conscripts are used to reinforce existing regiments. - Regiments contain an above average number of commissars. - Permits must be applied for by both parties before any individuals are allowed to trade with the system and then all trades are strictly monitored. - Every 5 years citizens must make a journey on foot to one of the many desert missions and ask for forgiveness.

Age of Apostasy

During the age of apostasy the Jalvene system played little part as they were fending off a major Ork incursion into the system. The remnants of which are still found in the asteroid fields.

The 36th Millennium was a dark time for Jalvene and the 33rd in particular, up to this point they had served with distinction in numerous campaigns, earning the praises on numerous other regiments and even a commendation from an Adeptas Astartes chapter. However during this period the 33rd was engaged in a bitter battle with an Ork Waaagh led by a War Boss by the name of Mo’ Dakka GutStompa. During their campaign to stop the Waaaghs advance the 33rd suffered horrendous casualties, the “Combat Companies” were decimated and the “Reserve Companies” all but exhausted. The 33rd was forced to withdraw to the Jalvene system and rejoin “the lottery” veterans so that the regiment could be brought back to full strength. Upon entering their home system it became evident that they had been followed, the remnants of Warboss Mo’ Dakka GutStompa Waaagh were hot on their tails. The small navy flotilla guarding the system were hideously outnumbered and forced to withdraw or face complete destruction. Thanks to the chaos caused by the Age of Apostasy, help was unlikely to arrive and although greatly depleted, even with the addition of the “lottery” veterans, the 33rd were one of the few regiments in the system at the time and thus were pressed into the most vital defence of their homeland. During the Battle for Junction 56, where a large force, led by the Ork Warboss himself, gained entry into the underground transit network the 33rd along with elements of the PDF, fought for 12 days continuously in order to seal the breach. When the fighting was done and the smoke had cleared, the Warboss was found dead surrounded by the last remnants of the 33rd. They had fought to their last in order to defend their home and to end the vile beast’s life. With the death of the Warboss the Waaagh collapsed and the Orks on Jalvene prime were destroyed, although remnants still remain in the system to this day. However, the 33rd earned the onerous honour of being the first regiment in Jalvene history to be wiped out to a man. The 33rd had lost its living history and with devastation caused by wrath of an Ork invasion a great deal of its records and traditions were lost as well. In the wake of the purging of the Orks the regiment was reformed from elements of the PDF regiments who had served beside them during the Battle for Junction 56. What many would see as a noble sacrifice the Jalvene considered the loss of their history as reminder of the “shame”, the new regiment grieved for a past they would never know and swore to forge their history anew. Since this day the 33rd have become prodigious record keepers, in attempt to make up for gaps in their early history. They deploy large numbers of helmet mounted pict recorders, gun cams and servo skulls even on occasion deploying battlefield scribes to document their actions in full detail. These recorders are highly prized by the regiment and many a man has given his life in the protection or reclamation of these devices.

The Vorokan Campaign

For the last decade the Jalvene 33rd and the other regiments of the 112th task force have been operating in the “Vorokan” system, what started as a simple garrison duty escalated greatly. Scouts elements from 1st company were dispatched to investigate the persistent raiding of the eastern caravans on the planet of Kohl, a primarily desert planet in the Vorokan System. When the scout elements failed to report in a large force under the command of Captain Thedore Lynch was dispatched with Support Elements from the other regiments of 112th Task force. After weeks of hunting the 33rd finally discovered the true nature of the bandits. The bandits turned out to be a small force of Orks, what followed was a series of running battles across the planet’s surface. At great cost the 33rd tracked down and eliminated the majority of the Xeno’s lairs, purging the sites with holy fire. However the tables turned when it was discovered that the Orks were mere cat paws. During a scouting mission into the dilapidated industrial complex on the western coast of Kohl’s Southern continent, Sergeant Hondo reported that he had spotted the Orks in talks with a group of renegade Astartes. The Renegades had been using the Orks to sow confusion, paying them in equipment and relying on the Orks innate desire for blood shed in order to hide their own activities. Whether it was because the Renegades believed the Orks could no longer be trusted to carry out their orders or because the time for subterfuge was over will never be known the renegades launched a series of attacks against the 33rd. The outlanders lacked the equipment to deal with the forces of the traitor astartes and it was only thanks to the armoured elements of the Ranger, Iron Steed and Longhorns that prevented complete disaster. The 33rd suffered defeat after defeat at the hands Orks and their renegade masters, and soon found themselves withdrawing to the deserts once again. On the brink of defeat the emperor blessed the Jalvene with their salvation. A mixed force Imperial Battle Group arrived in the system and launched a devastating counter attack on the renegade strong holds and with their assistance the 112th Taskforce were soon pushing back into the Industrial complex. The war culminated in the battle of the “crooked fist”, where elements of the 112th with there marine allies wiped out the last enemy stronghold. The success was partially thanks to a dangerous outflanking manoeuvre, undertaken by elements of the 33rd, which resulted in a wedge being driven between the Orks and their masters. The Jalvene command structure suffered many casualties and Lynch and many of the survivors were promoted to fill the gaps in the command structure.

Tale of Many Gamers

In the later stages of M41 the 112th Task force, led by Col R Cogburn, was dispatched as part of a mixed Imperial Battle Group, the same Battle group that came to their aid in the Vorokan Campaign, including representatives from numerous space marine chapters, to a system designated NR2 1AT 12/14 to investigate rumours of possible Xeno incursion or warp taint. Communications with the system had been dead for sometime and the battle groups commanders feared the worse. Unfortunately due to unforeseen warp storms the Battle Group arrived piecemeal to discover the system was rife with Xenos and heretics of all kinds and breeds. The commander’s worse fears could not compare to the unspeakable horrors unfolding within the system. It was as if the galaxy had conspired against them by gathering all of humanity’s enemies to one location. Billions of Imperial Citizens had already perished and the Battle groups commanders felt that only a systematic scourging of all of the system’s planets would ensure the salvation of the system, and by the emperor divine grace they would have VICTORY! With the most of the imperial forces scattered across the system or yet to arrive from warp space, the would be liberators were forced to seek allies where they could and form ad hoc battle formations that on occasion skirted on the edge of heresy.

The Madeline Offensive

The following is a short story based on the first game in the Tale of Many Gamers. It was a planetstrike game that saw the 33rd, battling along side some unlikely allies against a mixed enemy force of Xeno's and heretics.

The Bastion was wreathed in flames, the intensity so great that it was as if the sky itself was ablaze. The air was filled with the stink of ozone and cordite, it reverberated with the sound of distant thunder and the popping of munitions that were stored within the now ruined fortification. It was then, lying on his back in the mud staring at his destroyed command post, that Col Reuben Cogburn realised that it was no mere illusion, the sky was on fire. The thunder was the screams of an atmosphere being torn asunder by orbital bombardment and waves of landers punching their way through. “Colonel Sir?” a raspy voice screeched through the smoke “Are you alive sir?” Cogburn recognised the distinctive voice even though his ears were ringing and his head spinning. It was the voice of one of his men, an Outlander. “I’m here” he coughed, a black shadow made its way through the smoke towards his prone form. “Thank the emperor, you’re alive sir!” the figure rasped as it helped the Colonel to his feet.“I thought you were a goner, the command centre took a direct hit.” “I’m fine, a little banged up but I’ll be ok”, Cogburn looked at the figure before him. The man had once been hansome although you’d never believe it now. Captain Greeves was a veteran and a hero of the Vorokan campaign, but it had cost him dearly. While leading his platoon in a bold outflanking manoeuvre through a chemical dump a lucky shot from an Ork shoota had destroyed his rebreather, exposing the man to the toxic fumes. The foul environment scorched his skin and burned his throat but he had not faulted in his advance. Since then he had been forced to wear a specially modified rebreather at all times, his once strong voice reduced to a rasp and his strong patrician features now a jigsaw of scaring and synth skin. His eyes still shone as they always had but now they were clouded with anger and an underlying sadness of a man who’d seen too much horror. “For throne’s sake I thought this sector was meant to be clear, where was our early warning, the Navy was supposed to monitoring the Gakking surface?” Greeves rasped angrily as he tested the weight of his power sword. “I do not know Captain, but let us not dwell on things we cannot change” replied the Colonel as he wiped the soot and filth from his spectacles. “Yes Sir!” croaked Greeves, the taint of frustration still evident in his voice. The Colonel, having cleaned his glasses, looked at the destruction wrought around him, the landscape was a miasma of ruination. The sour stink of death filled the Colonels nostrils and smoke stung his eyes, turning back to Greeves his face was a picture of concern, worry written clearly across it. “What’s our current situation? Where are my men Captain?” “We’re scattered sir. Luckily most of our men are still at our original drop site but with all the atmospheric interference being thrown up by our orbital bombardment, coupled with the loss of the vox array in the command centre, long range communication is gakked to the warp and back. The men should be advancing to point Madeline but we have no way of coordinating with the other elements of the 112th let alone the battle group as a whole. Last I heard there were some marines at the fuel depot with some of our boys, but that was before all this” “That’s fine Captain I have faith in our men, they’ll make for the rally point like they’ve been trained.” The Colonel smiled “Especially if the enemy foolishly forgot to kill Genk” The Captain laughed, if it could be called a laugh. The closest approximation that the Captain’s ruined larynx could produce was a sound similar to dried leaves and static electricity. “It will take more than an orbital bombardment to kill that son of grox” the captain’s eyes smiled. Cogburn grinned back, placing his hand on the Captain’s shoulder. “That it will Captain, the good Commissar Captain wouldn’t be caught dead slacking off, and I don’t think he would consider death a good enough reason to stop you performing your duty”. The moment of levity passed quickly and the colonel’s face turned serious once again as the fires of the burning bastion were reflected in his glasses, “Gather up who you can Captain, join up with the Marines if they are still there and head for Madeline, I will follow shortly.” “Yes Sir”, Captain Greeves began to jog back into the smoke towards the depot, until Cogburn shouted causing him to turn. “Oh and Captain if you should happen across my command squad would you be so kind as to them tell them to get the Gak over here!” Greeves nodded and was then swallowed by the rolling banks of smoke. Alone the Colonel checked the charge of his laspistols and sighed. “I’m getting too old for this”. He then knelt in the mud making the sign of the Aquilla across his chest and recited the Litany of Protection. “Mighty emperor, spread Your divine light to protect me from the darkness”

Point Madeline was a bastion within the ruins of one of the many decimated imperial cities that littered the planets surface. The heretics and Xenos had not been kind to this world. The Bastion had been chosen as a rally point for imperial forces in the area in the event of a loss of communications. Madeline housed a number of cogitators, sensor arrays and vox transmitters that if captured would aid the imperial efforts greatly and provide them a strong foot hold in the region; at the very least it would allow Col. Cogburn to communicate with his regiment again. It was also reportedly unoccupied as the enemy were believed to have just bypassed it during their rampage across the planet. Madeline however was a double edged sword, should she fall into the hands of the enemy it would be potentially catastrophic to the war effort. As Col Cogburn stood atop the ruins on the outskirts of the city he could make out Madeline in the distance. He realised it may very well be a day of catastrophes. Through the ruins he could just make out Captain Greeves command with 20 veterans from his own HQ company advancing on Madeline, supported by a sentinel from the 12th Recon and the Marines from some chapter or other. A sight that would normally cause his heart to leap with joy was however tainted by the shadows he could make out moving in the ruins to the north of Madeline. The enemy had got here first. Apparently someone in high command, having finally got off their butts and decided to look at the tactical readouts, had noticed the situation and decided it would be better to destroy the bastion than allow it to fall to the enemy, because at that moment the air was split by a thunderous roar and shells started to slam into the bastions outer walls. Cogburn’s swearing was drowned out by the explosions, two minutes later and those shells would have been danger close to his men. Obviously command weren’t paying that much attention or they just didn’t care. Before the dust and smoke had even cleared it was obvious to Cogburn that Madeline remained unscathed. She’d been built of stronger stuff than his command post and could shrug off most attacks, which was why she’d been chosen as a forward base. “Gak” the Col sighed, drawing his pistol.“Looks like we’re doing this the hard way, can someone try and contact Command and tell them to stop shelling, last thing I need is to be blown up by our own Gakking side. Oh and someone tell Greeves he’s walking into a trap” “But long range vox is still down sir” Corporal Gutes replied “Fine its going to be like that then” the Colonel muttered to himself.“Ok, Gutes pop green smoke. Hopefully that will let command know we’re in the area and then we need to get into coms range with Greeves”, and with that he turned and marched towards the stairs. “I’m getting too old for this”, he mumbled as he headed for the ground floor.

“Careful men, maintain you distances”, growled Greeves over the squad vox “And for throne’s sake stay alert! I don’t like the feel of this.” Greeves was hunkered down in the ground floor of a ruin with line of sight to Madeline. The bombardment had been a surprise, but it was starting to look like it had been a waste of ammunition. There was no sign of movement, although if he was honest he couldn’t see much with all the dust thrown up by the shelling. He didn’t care what Intelligence said, the enemy had to know how important this sight was so why weren’t they guarding it? Before he could ponder further on the issue from his left he heard a roar of “FOR THE EMPEROR!” The marines they’d been travelling with broke into a run, smashing their way through the ruins and stormed towards the Bastion using the last of the smoke and dust thrown up by the shelling as cover. “For throne’s sake!” swore Greeves.“Ok, lads guess that means we’re advancing, CHARGE!” With that the men of the Jalvene broke from cover and ran towards the bastion and into the dust. From out of the dust and smoke came the staccato roar of a heavy bolter unable to see Greeves and his men he just kept moving forwards and hoped. “No need to worry boys just keep your heads down!” Greeves yelled to his squad,“It’s only the automated defences, you can tell because they shoot worse than you Folker!” The chuckles of the squad were cut off when two rounds exploded in Folker’s chest, throwing him off his feet.He landed in a broken heap of meat. “Gak! move, move, move boys that’s an order!” Greeves and his men quickened their pace. “Sir this is Sergeant Roche, we‘ve got movement on the left flank”, the vox crackled in Greeves’ ear. “Friend or Foe?” panted Greeves as he kept running. “Looks like marines oooh emperor sav………” “Roche, Roche come in Roche throne damn you come in!” “Captain keep heading for the Bastion we’re in over watch,” cut in Cogburn “It’s good to hear your voice Colonel, can you see what the Gak is going on?” “A force of Traitor Astartes and Tau are moving in, I’ve also had scattered reports of Tyranids but the reports make no sense” “They’re Xenos, of course they don’t make sense” said Greeves panting with exhaustion as he finally reached the bottom of the bastion. “Normally I’d agree Captain but the reports claim that the nids seem to be helping us”. Greeves momentarily was stopped in his tracks as his mind attempted to deal with the information he’d just received. “What? Please repeat your last transmission sir,” he finally managed to utter when he’d regained his composure. “Captain, it doesn’t matter now, get in that bastion, enemy reinforcements are incoming, we must hold that objective until relief arrives!” Cogburn screamed over the vox. Greeves reminded of his duty moved around the base of the bastion towards the entrance. At the entrance he found the troops of Squad Vesk. “It’s locked Sir and we haven’t got anything that’ll scratch it”. Greeves roared and slammed into the bastion’s door but it was sealed tight. Enraged by this last obstacle he fired his plasma pistol into the door and then drove his power sword into the lock. With a crack the door’s lock broke and he kicked his way in. As his squad piled through the door he heard the high powered whine of an assault cannon powering up behind him. “Get to Cover!” he yelled. The last four men of Squad Vesk, who hadn’t made it inside yet, were shredded by a torrent of incoming fire. Greeves and the other survivors divided for cover as the bullets streamed through the still open door. Suddenly the stream of incoming fire coming through the door ceased but the sound of fire was unabated. Greeves saw that the lone armoured sentinel from the 12th had stepped into the hail of fire in an attempt to block the tank’s view of the squad. The sentinel unleashed the power of a small sun as it fired its plasma cannon at the enemy tank but the thick front armour of the vehicle had been designed to take such punishment and hold. The Sentinel was bucking under the relentless fire but was standing its ground until a lucky shot must have hit some vital part of the Sentinel’s plasma cannon. It became engulfed in a bright burning light and exploded. All Greeves witnessed of the sentinel’s brave demise was a bright light through the ruined lock of the door as he slammed it shut. “Vesk, you and your men keep the entrance secure! We’ll secure the rest of the building”, Greeves yelled over his shoulder as he made for the stairs that lead to the upper levels of the Bastion. “You can count on us Sir!” Vesk replied As Greeves led his command squad deeper into the Bastion he could hear the Sergeant bellowing orders to his men to barricade the door, and he could also hear the renewed sound of enemy rounds slamming into the bastion.

Madeline proved to be empty and apart from firing a few pot shots at enemy vehicles the taking of the bastion by the 33rd seemed have signalled the end of the battle, Whatever enemy forces remained withdrew only leaving their dead behind. From the observation point atop the bastion Captain Greaves and Colonel Cogburn surveyed the battlefield. The area around the Bastion was covered in the wreckage of war machines and littered with bodies of friends and foe alike. The Marines had begun to build a huge bonfire from the enemy corpses, and the officers of the 33rd could not help but notice more than a few nid bodies. “We found survivors from squad Roche,” said Colonel as he lit a Tabac stick. “That is good news”, rasped Greeves. “Yes………it is”, replied Cogburn lost in thought “they’ve made some disturbing claims though”. “Disturbing, how?” asked Greeves raising an eyebrow, although he already knew the answer. “Well Roche reported seeing the Nids engage both the Tau and the Renegades” “Tyranids are mindless beasts Sir, they’ll attack anything”, it was a knee jerk response but Greeves’ ruined voice was lacking conviction. “Yes they are Captain and yes they do”, they both knew what was coming, they’d both heard the reports. “But they seemed to be helping us” The conversation up to this point had simply been a dance, a hope that by skirting the subject it might make more sense, as if avoiding talking about it directly would shed some previously unseen insight. “Just because they didn’t attack us, doesn’t mean they were helping us sir”. “I know that Greeves but that alone is unlike the nid. They make no exceptions, see no difference between one race and another we are all just food to them, but these nids overlooked our wounded, fought alongside marines and secured the entire western flank. As much as it pains me to say it, whether by intent or by accident I do not think we would have held the line without their intervention” “Sir what you say is bordering on heresy. I do not think we should discuss this anymore. We won the day and by the emperor’s grace we were spared because the enemies of man turned upon each other as they are known to do, expecting anything less from such base creatures would be a falsity.” “You are right Captain, but I can’t help but wonder what we’ve let ourselves in for by entering this accursed system.”, Cogburn stubbed out his tabac stick on the bastion parapet. “I fear we risk damnation”.

The Taskforce

As part of the recompense for the “shame” Jalvene Regiments work on a system of reinforcement rather than merging, this has an impact on the composition of the regiments it produces. The typical Jalvene regiment consists of 11 companies including 1 regimental command, 7 combat companies and 3 reserve companies. The reserve companies are the newest recruits from Jalvene and are rarely deployed as a company; they exist only to provide replacements to the combat companies. The reserve companies normally consist of between 600 – 800 troops compared to the 250 – 320 of the combat companies. Thanks to the reinforcing, it is rare for an entire regiment to be lost, but not impossible. To ensure the entire history of a regiment is not lost a lottery is held every 10 years where 1 out 100 soldiers is given passage back to Jalvene. Should the regiment be wiped out these winners will form the core of the new regiment. Whether it is due to another part of the tithe charter or because other regiments are often reluctant to serve with them Jalvene regiments will often serve together as a Task Force. One such Task force is the 112th. The 112th currently consists of four Jalvene Regiments but has contained as many as 10. The current regiments of the 112th Taskforce are, “The Outlanders” – 33rd Jalvene Infantry, “The Rangers” – 12th Jalvene Recon, “Iron Steeds” – 2nd Jalvene Armoured Cavalry and the “Long Horns” – 76th Jalvene Artillery.

All Jalvene regiments they wear a uniform of blue and yellow. The blue represents water, a commodity the Jalvenes value more than any other, and is the Jalvene colour of life. New borns are traditionally wrapped in blue cloth to bring luck and protection. In most Jalvene representations of the emperor he is depicted as wearing a Blue cloak or as having blue eyes. The yellow, or gold for officers, represents the Desert or Sun and is the Jalvene colour for death. Yellow is traditionally worn at funerals and on days of mourning. The presence of both colours on all Jalvene Imperial Guard uniforms is deliberate and symbolises that although the Guard takes lives, they fight in order to save lives of the countless billions of imperial citizens. This is why blue is the predominant colour, with yellow only being a highlight, as the safe guarding of the Imperium is seen as the predominant role of the regiments.

The Outlanders – 33rd Jalvene Infantry

The 33rd regiment to be founded on Jalvene, “the outlanders”, were the first regiment to consist exclusively of Jalvene “Natives” or “Outlanders” (Native being the pre age of strife population). It is believed they were founded during late M31, however, for the reasons explained earlier the exact date can not be confirmed.

Regimental Command

General Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn

Fluff: “The Rooster” as he is affectionately known is the current Regimental Commander of the 33rd Jalvene and the current senior officer for the 112th Task force. He is a veteran of many campaigns and a legend among the Jalvene. Due to his age, around 100, and at the insistence of his staff he does not lead from the front as often as he used to. Instead uses his years of experience to guide the Jalvene to victory from the rear echelons. He served as Lynch’s superior during Lynch’s early career and is considered his mentor. Despite the stigma of being a Jalvene he has developed a number of contacts and friends within the many organisations of the Imperium.

Model: Cogburn is a model I made that was meant to look like me. He was created as part of a local tournament at my friendly local gaming store called. “the tale of many gamers”. I intend to use him as a “counts as Creed”. For the most part he is a basic Cadian officer except for the head I used a catachan sentinel pilot (the one with sunglasses and bandana). I filed off the bandana and then used green stuff to create a beard and hair. I then painted the Sunglasses with ice blue to make them look a little more like glasses. He doesn’t look a lot like me (accidentally gave him a receding hair line) but he’s close enough. To make him more like creed I modelled him with two laspistols.

1st Company

Col. Theodore Lynch Fluff: Lynch is a “native” of Jalvene; he grew up in a small village in the southern hemisphere. His Father was a baker and his mother a teacher. He enlisted at the age of 18 and graduated with honours from the military academy. He was quickly rotated out of the reserve companies and into a combat company. He served as a Lieutenant in the 1st Company under the direct command of the then Colonel Cogburn. After the battle of Tygon, where he was essential in the defeat of a rogue space marine chapter, he was promoted to captain of the 2nd company. Later during the Vorokan Campaign the regiment suffered tremendous losses at the hands of the Orks, and like many of the survivors he was promoted to fill the roles left by the dead.

Model: Lynch is a basic Cadian Commander with Las pistol, Swagger stick and Coat. He’s not that interesting a model but is one of the first I modelled and painted and has been used in every battle I’ve had. Both of his shoulder pads are painted gold to show that he is the Company Commander. He acts as a basic CCS.

Capt Isambard "Grievous" Greeves

Fluff: Is the second officer of the 1st Company, like Lynch he is a “native” of Jalvene but he grew up in the desert caravans. He is a charismatic character who is loved by his men even though he often volunteers them for what many see as dangerous duties. He was a Lieutenant under Lynch in the Vorokan Campaign; in the battle of Crooked Fist he led his platoon in an outflanking manoeuvre through a chemical dump to attack the Orks rear. Although his platoon suffered heavy losses from both enemy fire and the chemicals they were forced to wade through his actions led to an imperial victory. During the final stages of the charge his rebreather was damaged resulting in the permanent scaring of his lungs, larynx and face. As a result he, like many under his command that day, is forced to wear a modified rebreather at all times. For his heroism, General Cogburn rewarded him with a Plasma Pistol and Power Sword.

Model: Greaves is a kit bashed model I made using the Cadian command squad box and the Catachan command squad box. He is basically a Cadian CCS with a rebreather , a Catachan power sword and Plasma Pistol. He also has a rolled up blanket on his back. The Plan was to use him as a “counts as Al’rahem”, and use him to outflank a large power blob, with his PCS taking either Plasma or melta’s. I haven’t as yet had a chance to use him.

Lt Lawrence Pickett

Fluff: Pickett grew up in the northern hemisphere temperate zones and is a relatively new addition to the Jalvene 1st Company. He is a confident young officer who does not shy away from a fight.

Model: He’s a made up from the Cadian Command box, except his head which is a vehicle commanders, originally from my basilisk kit. He is normally found in a chimera with 4 flamers. His left shoulder pad is painted gold to denote he is a Junior officer.

Lt Felix Nobel Fluff: Nobel was born and raised on Little Bad Rock, where he apprenticed for 2 years in the mines. It was during this time he discovered his love of explosives, quickly realising that the explosions he would be allowed to make as a miner paled into insignificance compared to those he could make as a soldier. He put down his pick and picked up a Las gun. His knowledge of explosives saw him rise through the ranks quickly.

Model: He’s a made up from the Cadian Command box, except his head which is a vehicle commanders, he has the grenade throwing arm from the normal shock troopers box (instead of a drawn pistol) and I represent his love of explosive I stuck a load of grenades to his belt. His left shoulder pad painted gold to denote he is a Junior officer. Like Pickett I mostly run him in a Chimera with 4 flamers.

Sgt Major Otto Karmon Fluff: A stalwart Sergeant who serves under captain Greaves, he is the company’s highest ranking NCO.

Model: I only named him because I used the name in the fluff of one of my battle reports and the model I made looks slightly different to a normal sergeant. He has the head with eye patch from the Command Squad, a commander’s torso with flak armour and gorget, his legs are from my basilisk kit and he has a power sword I made from a chain sword and Catachan knife.

Sgt Marion Hondo Fluff: While technically part of Lynch’s Command Squad, Hondo acts independently. He grew up in the asteroids of the Jalvene system where his parents were salvagers. His life as a scav taught him valuable skills that have served him well in the guard. A youth spent hiding from pirates and blowing holes in derelicts means he is an expert in stealth and explosives. When one trooper asked why his parents had named him Marion, he simply replied, “To make me hard, shortly after breaking the soldiers nose and arm for using his given name.

Model: Hondo is my “counts as Marbo”, for the most part he’s a Catachan. The legs are the ones standing on a skull and he has a Catachan, “look at my washer board, torso. His head is a Cadian smoking a cigar. I modelled him with a bow I inherited from a friend so he looks more like Rambo. I modelled his other arm so it looked a little bit like he was whispering “pssst behind you”

Corporal Neb (MIA) Fluff Corporal Neb, is Col Lynch’s adjutant and has been with Lynch since his commission. He has an easy friendship with his commander and is allowed to speak plainly, and forgiven minor infractions. Having grown up in the southern slums he has a gutter mouth and is considered by many to be uncouth. As the Col’s adjutant and a veteran he has access to a number of specials weapons but is most fond of his grenade launcher. During the battle of the Red Aquila when the Jalvene force was decimated by Orks he was separated from Col Lynch and is now considered MIA. Lynch has refused to allow his status to be changed to KIA as he holds out the hope he is still alive.

Model: Neb is a basic Cadian with a Catachan sentinel pilots head and grenade launcher. Like Sgt Major Otto Karmon, he was named mainly due to fluff in my battle reports rather than standing out.

Commissar Captain Lucius Genk Fluff Commissar Captain Lucius Genk has been with the Jalvene 33rd for decades and has the honorary rank of captain within the regiment. His upbringing was typical for someone of position, however his attitude is not. Years of service with the Regiment have taught him to pick his battles, often overlooking minor infractions for the sake of overall morale. However, he will not suffer cowardice or any actions that would endanger the wellbeing of the regiment or Imperium. His honorary rank was granted to him upon Cogburn’s ascension to the rank of General although he has not had much call to use it. It is quite possible for him to be given direct command of a platoon should the need arise. He served with Captain Greaves in the Vorokan campaign and is often still found attached to his platoon. He suffered a terrible throat injury early in his career and his vocal chords were destroyed, most of his throat has been replaced and he now has a vox caster for a voice.

Model Genk is a Cadian Commander with a hellhound commander’s head and arms, a Catachan knife (used as a power weapons) attached to a green stuff sash. The fluff behind Genk came about when I was reading the Codex entry on Chenkov and a couple of things struck me. One he has a bolt pistol (like a commissar) and two he gives squads within 12” stubborn (not exactly like a commissar but close). Being a big fan of Gaunt Ghost books and as I needed a Power Sword Commissar for my power blob and I wanted to give Chenkov a try, so I cobbled together my own “counts as.”

Commissar Niles Von Impe Fluff Von Impe is one of the few Jalvene to have become Commissars. He is the newest Commissar in the company having recently transferred from the 2nd Company and is a hardliner. He believes that his people do not deserve leniency but must be reminded of their debt to the Imperium.

Model Basic Metal Commissar with Bolt Pistol

Commissar Klaus Rügger Fluff Very much Genk’s protégé, he strives to impress Genk and has adopted a similar attitude to his mentor’s. He often butts heads with Von Impe as Genk usually assigns them to the same platoon.

Model Basic Metal Commissar with Bolt Pistol

2nd Company Captain Books (KIA) Fluff Commander of 2nd Company was KIA during a planetary invasion.

Model I don’t have one. Again purely fluff from one of my battle reports.

Rangers – 12th Jalvene Recon

I haven’t come up with much fluff for these guys yet, just names, but they consist of all of my fast attack options and my two squads of Mech vets.

Morning Breath & Joy Girls Kiss are my two hellhounds or hellhound variants.

The Bullies (Armoured) – are my pair of armoured Sentinels, I normally put Plasma Cannons on them but they are magnetised, so in theory, can be anything.

Bush Whackers (Scouts) – are my trio of scout sentinels, two of them are magnetised the third has an AC. The one with the AC was my first got I a little over excited and glued it.

The Vets – I currently have two squads of vets. One squad is Plasma Gunners; the Las gunners in the squad have all been modelled without helmets to make them stand out. The second squad are melta vets; the las gun have been replaced with Shotguns which are space marine scout shotguns. In hindsight I wish I had bought the forge world kits.

Iron Steeds – 2nd Jalvene Cavalry

Marilyn & Grendal – are my two Leeman Russ Battle tanks, they are the old kits so I can’t swap the battle canon but thanks to some magnets and some bits conversion I can change the hull weapon and add heavy bolter sponsons. Grendal was originally going to be called Ugly as he was the first one I made.He didn’t come with instructions and the bottom of the hull had warped slightly so I had to use a fair bit of green stuff to patch the gaps. Marilyn was originally going to be called Beauty as a counterpoint to Ugly, the kit went together a lot better and I used two sentinel spotlights instead of the one large one which kind of looks like eyes.

Purgation of the Wicked – The latest addition to my army, purgation is a Stormlord/Shadowsword kit. I’m currently in the middle of magnetising it.

The regiment also contains my demolisher, I haven’t thought of name for it yet. I was going to name it after the Mrs as she bought it for me but she said if I did she’d leave me. The Demolisher is magnetised as well so can be any thing in the demolisher kit.

Long Horns – 76th Jalvene Artillery

Major Varn Röcker (MoO) Fluff Röcker is the second officer of the 76th, born in to nobility he is highly educated. He often acts as liaison with the other regiments within the taskforce.

Model I originally kit bashed a MoO but I recently bought the metal advisors blister pack. My original MoO m=now acts as a Vox in the CCS.

The 76th also contains a Basilisk and a Griffon I converted from a Basilisk kit. Neither has been named as of yet.

Navy

The 112th task force has a small flotilla of navy vessels in tow and from time to time members of the fleet are required to liaise with troops on the ground.

Commander Lewis Nielson Is my officer of the fleet, I haven’t come up with a back story for him yet.

Simpkin Is my Astropath, it made more sense to me for him to be on loan from the navy than, a permanent member of the regiment.

The List This is a list I threw together in an attempt to use every model in my collection. It comes to about 3800 points.

The List CCS ML Standard Vox Astropath Officer of the fleet Chimera

Marbo

Vets 3 melta Shotguns Chimera

Vets 3 Plasma Grenadiers Chimera

PCS Al'rahem 4 Melta

4 Inf Squad 4 melta 4 Melta bombs 4 PW Commissar PW

SWS 3 Flamer

SWS 3 Flamer

PCS Melta Bomb 4 Flamers

3 Inf Squad 3 AC 3 GL 3 Melta bombs Vox Commissar

HWS 3 Lascannons

HWS 3 Mortar

PCS Melta Bomb 4 Flamers

3 Inf Squad 3 AC 3 GL 3 Melta bombs Vox Commissar

HWS 3 Lascannons

SWS 3 GL

3 Sct Sentinels 1 Ac

2 Armoured Sentinels 2 Plasma Cannons

Hell Hound Hell Hound

LRBT LRBT Demolisher

Griffin

Basilisk

StormSword

The Conclusion I will update this article whenever I come up with new fluff or get a new model. Also if I ever get the digital camera back off the Mrs, I’ll try and attach some photos.

Thanks for reading and happy gaming.

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