Chapter Structure
Recruitment and Promotion
New aspirants to the chapter are largely gathered through the widely celebrated ‘choosing ceremony’ held once a year at Cyo’s capital city. After initial processing to weed out those with no hope of succeeding the deadly trials to come, aspirants will fight in a widely spectated tournament against one another including a variety of different challenges with only the top few percentage being accepted for further training. In times where casualties are high the chapter will also send out aged non-combat members of the chapter to look for compatible youths amongst the populace of surrounding worlds, particularly those from the hives of Naigra or the feudal world of gias.
After this those few who are deemed worthy are subjected to the chapter’s ‘real’ initiation ceremony. Aspirants are dumped on the edge of the moor surrounding the chapter’s fortress monastery and instructed to ‘find the biggest volcano’ being given only a knife by way of equipment. The aspirants will have to endure an extremely challenging trek of over 100 miles in some of the planet’s most hostile conditions, being forced to gather all food themselves and frequently fight off the many predators of the moor. The few who survive the trek can now at last be classified as neophytes of the chapter and will undergo all the training and implantation that is typical to a space marine chapter, where again many more will be weeded out due to either mental or physical weakness. Along with the many biological implants common to most space marines, neophytes can also be expected to receive some level of choice over any additional cybernetic implants they desire appropriate to their new roles as astartes thanks to the chapter’s close ties with the ad mech. While full limb replacement is uncommon, other less externally obvious implants are far more common place such as sub-dermal armour, MIU augments for weapons and a variety of brain implants designed to aid in machine interface and information retention. The chapter is blessed to have relatively untainted gene seed, though the betchers gland and omophagea implants are no longer operable. A mutation in the occulobe also can cause many marines to experience vastly heightened eyesight, even above the already exceptional level of an astartes, though this is often detrimental as it can often serve to make marines much more susceptible to bright lights or other strong visual stimuli. This mutation is often offset through the application of bionics, whereby marines suffering from this condition have one eye (or sometimes both eyes) replaced by an augment in order to compensate.
Those neophytes who cannot become space marines but are still remain mentally stable are almost always recruited by the chapter as a serf, who will undergo further training and cybernetic modification to better suit their preferred role (mostly involving the maintenance/running of the chapter monastery and fleet). Some however are given the option to return to their prior families without shame should they so wish. Those who are truly broken by the process however are usually converted into servitors.
Those few who emerge from all the training and implantation intact are immediately recruited into the 10th company where they will undergo their first heavy frontline combat, learning the fundaments of close, mid and long-range combat as well as the operation of bikes and land speeders.
Upon being deemed worthy, a scout will be elevated to the position of full battle brother and implanted with black carapace and will receive an often ancient suit of power armour (or more recently a set of modular mk 10 armor) as well as the honour of choosing a personal close combat weapon from the chapter’s armoury. Most scouts will be placed in a company most closely befitting their preferred style of combat, e.g long range specialists being inducted into the (9th) Devastator Company and close range into the (8th) Assault Company. Most however remain quite balanced in their approach to warfare and will therefore be placed in whatever company is in most need of new recruits, usually being one of the four main ‘battle’ companies. Those recruits who display an exceptional understanding of vehicles are instead transferred into the chapter forge where they will train as dedicated tank commanders and later on as full techmarines of the chapter. Those few who likewise show exceptional ability in administering medicine will instead be inducted into the apothicarian.
A marine will spend most of their fighting career as a battle brother within one of the 8 main companies, with efforts made to keep squad formations together, though in times of high casualties squads may be broken up or re-combined as needed. All squads are kept with at least a few members (beside the sergeant) being more experienced in order to help out new inductees. In the case of battle companies, members who excel at one particular area of warfare will often be transferred to the companies’ devastator or assault squads as casualties dictate, making these squads somewhat more experienced than the tactical formations.
Eventually through a feat of heroic valor or many years of exemplary service a marine will earn the honour of the imperial laurel, marking the marine as a veteran of the chapter and eligible to wear terminator amour. When a position presents itself, a laurel recipient will either be inducted into the 1st company as part of a veteran squad or into his original companies’ command squad. These marines are permitted to paint their helmets white and may be given the honor to carry the company standard or act as a company champion. Most veterans will have also earned the ‘marksman’s honor’ or the ‘warrior’s honor’ and these are used to determine whether the veteran is better suited to a close range or long range formation.
Eventually a truly exceptional warrior may earn the ‘iron skull’ as a recognition of their exceptional leadership abilities and will be transferred to their original company or scout company to lead a squad as a sergeant when a position presents itself, or if truly exceptional to lead a 1st company veteran squad. Some of the most inspiring sergeants are occasionally offered the position of company chaplain instead.
If a sergeant continues to serve with distinction and the position presents itself he may be selected to lead his company command squad alongside his captain as a lieutenant. If his captain is killed, the company lieutenant will be promoted to captain. 1st lieutenant and therefore first captain are instead recruited from the most worthy sergeants of any company and members of the 1st company command squad are handpicked veterans from the 1st company by the 1st captain.
A new chapter master is selected by vote from all the captains, though the 1st captain usually receives this honor. The chapter master retains the right to hand pick members of his honor guard from any other member of the chapter with veteran rank or higher.
Company Heraldry
Originally company heraldry was indicated on a marine’s armor in a similar manner to that of the Ultramarines, with the marines shoulder pad trim indicating the color of the company he was in. Fairly early on in the chapter’s history however this practice changed, instead being that all marines would bear the same silver trim on their pauldrons as the color of the aquila on their breast plates, with company heraldry instead signified by the left knee pad bearing the company color and number. Some marines however (especially in the first company) still prefer to paint the trim of one or both shoulder pads to match their company color depending on personal preference.
Marines who fall outside the 10 main companies instead have their position signified by the color of their entire armor according to common astartes tradition; this being red armour for the forge, sky blue for the librarius, black for the reclusiam and white for the apothicarium.
Helmet color signifies a marine’s overall position in the chain of command, with the same blue as the armor being the standard for a line marine. A white helmet signifies veterancy honors have been earned, while a red helmet (usually paired with an iron skull on the forehead) indicates squad sergeant status. A red helmet with a sliver/gold laurel painted on the crown signifies captaincy whilst a red helm with a white face plate signifies lieutenant rank. If a helm is not worn, rank is still usually indicated by the color of a marine’s rebreather. If wearing stealthier phobos or scout armor, bright helmet colors tend to be more limited or subdued. The chapter honour guard instead wear a unique set of inscribed and psychically warded silver helms in accordance with this particular units unique traditions.
Organizational Combat Ethos
Though every company in the chapter can operate independently to a high degree of efficiency if needed, this practice has rarely been encouraged like it might be in some other chapters. Every company is reliant on the skills and expertise of the others. Therefore all strike forces on campaign are made up of marines from many different companies, dependent on the threat posed. Indeed it is not uncommon for a captain to command a strike force with almost no men from his own company. While this may sound like a disadvantage in several ways, it does a great deal to bind each company together in unity. The Cyclopes chapter hopes that other imperial organizations seeing the chapter in battle may learn the value of this style of warfare.
On most campaigns, like most codex chapters an assault force is usually comprised of one main ‘battle’ company with many support elements from the other companies and chapter departments as needed. Most usually this allows the chapter to deploy four different ‘campaign forces’ of about 250 marines each, 100 of which are from a single battle company and the other 150 from all other ‘reserve’ companies as well as scouts and veterans as needed. These can then be further broken down into strike forces, depending on the threat posed, usually however these consist of about 5 further ‘demi companies’ of about 50 marines each in whatever makeup is most suited for the mission at hand. This means the chapter is reluctant to commit to more than four different campaigns at once, though in practice it is more common for only three to be undertaken at once with the other quarter of the chapter re-supplying at the chapter HQ. It is also the practice of the chapter to deploy certain chapter elements (rarely more than a couple of squads) away from the main chapter forces for long periods of time to act as elite liaisons and frontline commanders for other imperial forces.
While the chapter was originally founded using the codex astartes chapter organization as a template (1 veteran company, 1 scout company, 4 battle companies and 4 reserve companies each of about 100 marines) this practice has become more and more diluted over time, especially after each individual company was re-organized early in the chapter’s history to focus on a specific role. After this point in time the lines between what classed as a ‘battle’ company and what classed as a ‘reserve’ company started to become blurred to the point that in the current time there is little actual distinction between each half of the chapter in preference for battlefield deployment. This has especially become true given the introduction of new primaris unit formations with the return of Guilliman, with any codex defined company squad makeup being largely abandoned for more overall individual company structural versatility, geared toward their individual company specialty. Even the stipulation of maintaining about 100 marines in each company has (temporarily at least) been retired owing to the recent heavy losses the chapter has suffered. This measure however is likely to be rescinded after the chapter returns to about full strength. As a result unlike in many other codex chapters, losses from the main 4 ‘battle companies’ are usually not replaced by members of the ‘reserve companies’ but are in most cases replaced directly from the scout company. This practice has led to the chapter maintaining a tradition of a brother endeavoring to not leave his originally assigned company/chapter department for another, save for promotion to 1st company or odyssian guard. Under times of especially heavy casualties however this chapter tradition tends to be relaxed in order to allow the chapter companies not to become unbalanced in terms of numbers or be too heavily made up of newly elevated former scouts. In these cases individuals or sometimes entire squads may be re-assigned to a different company if needed, though care is always taken to ensure that new transfers are put into companies at least somewhat similar to the role of their former company or individual combat specialty. Due to their generally lower level of overall casualties due to their more ‘defensive’ combat specialties, members of the 6th and 9th companies tend to be the most commonly transferred to other companies.
Although the chapter certainly has its secrets, it is very open in its relations to other imperial organizations. It is extremely common to find the chapter working alongside other chapters or imperial guard regiments. After all, each imperial organization had its own specializations and weaknesses and fighting individually only lessens the effectiveness of the imperial war machine. Since the chapter’s inception the general approach of the Astartes towards other mortals and common citizens has been as friendly and protective as possible, maintaining that though they may be elevated to a level beyond human, they are still human at their core and thus should strive to be the protective champions of common humanity that the Emperor intended.
The chapter tries not to overly heavily favor one particular style of warfare over another, preferring to be flexible to the situation presented. The chapter does however lean towards an emphasis on very swift orbital assaults, jumping into the heart of an ongoing battle in a surgical strike to destroy/disable some vital unit or installation before withdrawing and repeating the tactic until victory is achieved (all in closely co-operating with other local imperial forces). As a result the chapter tends to prefer to not engage in long defensive battles and especially not battles of attrition. To facilitate rapid orbital deployment the chapter makes very frequent usage of drop pod, teleport and thunderhawk assaults. Thanks to this mid-close range units are often preferred in the opening stages of an assault with only more heavily armed infantry and heavier vehicles tending to be deployed after a firm beachhead is achieved. Due to this heavier tanks tend to be somewhat rarely used in the chapter when compared with many others, dreadnoughts however see very heavy usage thanks to their ability to be deployed via drop pod (and the chapter’s relatively high degree of technical lore) and thus support the initial assault with heavier firepower. Bikes and especially landspeeders also see fairly common usage thanks to their ease of deployment via thunderhawk/low orbital insertion which help support the hit and run style of warfare preferred by the chapter. The chapter will if at all possible try to secure both orbital and air supremacy over a battle before heavily committing and will try to neutralize as many enemy vessels over a planet as possible through mass boarding actions.
Although the chapter abides by the teachings of the Codex Astartes, it tends to treat them more as a set of useful guidelines rather than a hard and fast ruleset. Even Roboute Guilliman, who had the benefit of many centuries of warfare on thousands of worlds in almost every situation, did not see everything, especially relating to the newly emerged xenos threats on the eastern fringe. The Primarch’s recent return and statement that he dislikes the treatment of his codex as gospel and not thinking for themselves has only confirmed the chapter’s conviction that their approach to the codex is ‘best’. The chapter is also slightly unusual in its more liberal attitude toward Xenos. Though all xenos are by their nature inferior to the kin of the glorious Emperor, not all are equal in their wickedness. Some can never be trusted or even interacted with at any level but some few xenos show qualities more noble than others. These can sometimes be exploited when co-operating against a common enemy. While the chapter may find it distasteful to co-operate with the alien, when the protection of the imperium is at stake, almost any option is preferable to destruction or corruption.
1st Company
This like most codex chapters is the chapter Veteran Company. As veterans are drawn from every other company (except the 10th) there is a wide range of skills displayed by members of the 1st company. It is only members of the 1st company who are allowed the honor of choosing almost any weaponry from the armory deemed suitable for the mission. Most will equip themselves depending on their combat preference but are allowed access to even rarer and more deadly equipment than any other company, including Tactical Dreadnought Armor. Currently the 1st company maintains 45 suits of TDA (not including those reserved for the captains). This company has recently also widely adopted the usage of the newly produced gravis mark of armor, with the new aggressor formations being utilized to complement the existing terminator forces. This company also most frequently makes usage of Venerable Dreadnoughts. Their company color is gold (in honor of the emperor himself) and symbol is a sword.
2nd Company
This is the first of the 4 former chapter ‘battle’ companies and as such contains 6 line squads, 2 fire support and close support squads. This company is known as the ‘shock’ company with its members being selected from scouts who, whilst maintaining an excellent all around skill for combat tend to excel in fast, surgical assaults at the head of a formation, in essence the very paragons of what a space marine is designed to be. Being commonly as close to the battlefront as possible this company makes common usage of a good deal of bikes and land speeders for accurate reconnaissance as well as rhino’s and drop pods for rapid assaults. Though this company also utilized many dreadnoughts in its drop pod assaults it tends to lack some of the heavier tanks and artillery of other companies due to the speed and mobility they often require. Their company color is blue and symbol is an arrow.
3rd Company
The third company is the only company who does not share any specific specialization, they are valued as “all rounders”. However due to their unwavering resilience in the heaviest of combats they have also become known as the ‘iron’ company, fighting to the bitter end at all costs. Due to this they often serve as the core of many campaigns and receive the highest number of casualties in warfare. They therefore tend to be the company who produces the most veterans. Due to their high attrition rate and “non specific” style of warfare, they tend to receive the highest number of scout recruits. The 3rd therefore is a curious mixture of older veterans and fresh initiates. They tend to not favor any particular tactic over another in warfare, and frequently listen to advice given by the other more specialized companies when on campaign. Arguably therefore they are the most “adaptable” under any situation and serve as a good example to other members of the chapter. Their color is silver and their symbol is a skull.
4th Company
This company excels in all forms of space warfare, whether it is boarding actions ship defense or orbital assault. Scouts who show great aptitude in the cramped conditions of a spaceship and null G actions are often allocated to this company. This company more than any other makes much more use of shotguns and flamers and boarding shields than any other and often modifies its heavy weapons to be lighter and more maneuverable. As well as being the prime company in space warfare, the 4th also specializes in orbital assaults and landing operations. As a result this company makes far more use of drop pods and thunderhawks than any other. This company therefore also can only make very limited use of vehicles or dreadnoughts. They are also admirable in confined urban warfare, second only to the 6th company in this regard. Their company color is orange (that of the blazing stars themselves) and their symbol is a star.
5th Company
The last former ‘battle’ company excels in all forms of mechanized warfare and as such shares the closest link with the chapter forge. Any scout that shows excellence in assault from a rhino or close range tank hunting is often elevated to this company. It is the 5th who makes by far the greatest use of rhinos, predators and vindicators. Due to its rapid advance they tend to also make much use of bikes. This company is also expert in using meltas, krak grenades and demo charges to eliminate enemy fighting vehicles. Due to its close links with the forge, the 5th usually receives the most destructive weaponry on campaign (next to the 1st) and always has a large number of techmarines working alongside them. Their company color is red/magenta (no doubt in honor of Mars) and symbol is a wing.
6th Company
The first of the two tactical ‘reserve’ companies (though recent developments have blurred the lines between ‘battle’ and ‘reserve’ companies), this company maintains 10 line squads, though very often allows its squads to deploy as fire support if the need arises. Their specialization is all forms of urban warfare and defense. If a scout shows excellence in urban warfare of bunker defense he will likely be inducted into the 6th. This company usually works in very close contact with the 9th, in fortifying defensive positions and garrison duties. This company also has the very large responsibility of defending the chapter fortress monastery and as such spends the most time of any company at home. This company also tends to have the most contact with civilian forces and along with the 2nd company helps to maintain diplomatic relationships. Its company color is green (that of the unbreakable metal ademantite) and their symbol is a tower.
7th Company
The second former tactical ‘reserve’ company serves as experts is stealth and reconnaissance. Scouts who excel above all others in “scouting” and espionage are often inducted into this company. This is the only company other than the 10th which uses carapace armor on a regular basis and serve as “veteran” reconnaissance experts. More recently this company has been organized to almost completely consist of rievers or infiltrators. As such they work very closely with the 10th company and provide much needed stealth expertise to the young neophytes. Due to their frequent reconnaissance and hit and run tactics, the 7th make somewhat frequent use of landspeeders and bikes but rarely use heavier vehicles. They are often work deep behind enemy lines and prepare for the rest of the chapter to attack the weakened front. Marines of this company also commonly paint their armor a more concealable black, rather than the blue and white of most of their brother marines. Their company color is purple and their symbol is a wolf. This company color was apparently assigned due to the chapter’s early wars with orks and the orkish belief that purple is the most ‘sneaky’ colour.
8th Company
The assault ‘reserve’ company serves as the “fast attack company”. Any scout who shows proficiency with bikes, landspeeders and jump packs as well as in the swirling mêlée of close combat will be inducted into this company. They often serve along side the 4th as vanguard for planetary invasions or the 5th for rapid armored assault. Although both the 5th and 7th make much use of bikes and landspeeders, the 8th makes the most use. While the others might modify their bikes or speeders to hold reconnaissance equipment for scouting, the 8th are modified purely for battle. As such the 8th contains the largest number of “heavy” bike or speeder variants. This company also makes the most use of the new stormraven and stormtalon gunships to quickly support their advance, as most tanks are often not fast enough to keep up with their advance or can’t hold bulky jump packs. More recently many members of this company have begun making usage of the heavy gravis jump armor as ‘inceptors’. Their company color is black and their symbol is a lightning bolt.
9th Company
The devastator ‘reserve’ company shares no particular specialization except utter long-range destruction, as would be expected with 10 squads of devastators. Any scout who shows excellence with heavy weapons or sniping is inducted into this company. They often work in very close concert with the 6th in defending fortified positions. Due to the slow moving nature of devastators the 9th is very reliant on rhinos for transport. Next to the 5th company the 9th makes the most use of heavy tanks (particularly whirlwinds and vindicators) to compliment their already destructive capabilities. In addition the company has begun making usage of formations of centurions and aggressors for more close range fortified destructive capability, as well as the more recently introduced suppressors and eliminators for more rapid/precise long range fire applications. Their company color is yellow and their symbol is fire/an explosion.
10th Company
Like all codex chapters, Cyclops maintains a strong reserve scout company needed to train the young neophytes. Among the neophytes are experienced veterans and elders responsible for the strict training of the scouts on the battlefield. It is they who will dictate which company a scout will be inducted into and thus influence the entire future of the scout. While in the scout company a neophyte will learn all the necessary skills for life as a full battle brother. Cyclops chapter scouts tend to spend a marked amount more time within the scout company than in many other chapters as the concept of ‘battle’ and ‘reserve’ companies no longer exists within the chapter. Due to the relative demands of the other companies, the numbers of scouts are the most subject for change, in times of significant war scout numbers can vary from about 50 to over 200. At the current time the 10th company actually slightly exceeds 300 members due to the chapter markedly stepping up their recruitment program in the wake of the devastating wars at the end of M41/early M42.
Unlike the majority of the rest of the chapter, those in the scout company often paint their armor in camouflage patterns to match their environment of operation to better aid in stealth, though a simple black/grey tends to be the ‘normal’ uniform for scouts in urban environments. The standard astartes carapace armour used by the scouts is also often supplemented by the sallet style helmets usually worn by skitarii vanguard, thanks to the chapter ties to the ad mech forges on Nigra. Many scouts deployed in the role of snipers also make usage of the ad mech galvanic rifle as a dedicated sniping weapon.
The Odyssian Guard
The chapter’s ceremonial name for its elite band of honour guard, handpicked from any of the chapter veterans by the chapter master himself. Until the middle of the 40th millennium the chapter maintained a fairly standard terminator honor guard, though the experiences shared by captain Ulysses and his men during their infamous voyage home helped shape this band of warriors into something a little more unique. The guard has no official size and varies in numbers of members depending on chapter circumstance, varying from as few as ten to as many as fifty. At the current time the chapter has the most amount of guard members in its history (despite being officially under full strength) thanks to the many veterans and heroes born in the fires of the many grueling conflicts the chapter has endured in the closing years of M41 and early years of M42.
After being singled out as appropriate for the role by the chapter master, the new aspirant must complete three challenges before he can be officially accepted as a member of the guard, each based after a major challenge faced by master Ulysses in his voyage. Firstly in the normal line of duty the aspirant must defeat a particularly deadly enemy via the application of ‘unconventional’ tactics, mimicking master Ulysses defeat of the great bloodthirster.
After this the aspirant will meet with the chapter librarians and must resist a relentless mental assault of psychic power designed to completely incapacitate all but the strongest willed with visions of terror and despair, proving they are still able to move and function to at least an adequate degree under this relentless assault. This mimics master Ulysses strength of will in resisting the mental psychic attacks of the greater daemon of tzeench.
Finally the aspirant is given an ancient and broken suit of power armor and only given limited time and equipment to repair it without outside help. The aspirant must then don this armor and use it to defeat an existing/former member of the guard (wearing his fully working normal suit of power armor) in a close combat duel to first blood. This challenge imitates the grueling years of tough survival Ulysses and his men were forced to experience in the latter stages of their journey. Only once these three challenges are completed sequentially may an aspirant gain a position in the guard. Failing any challenge after the first (which has no set time limit) requires the aspirant to re-take the challenge at a later date once they believe they are ready.
Members of the Odyssian guard are provided with access to all the most valuable artefacts of the chapter including an especially rare selection of artificer crafted armor and weapons but may equip themselves individually however they best see fit (though a preference for close combat equipment tends to be common) and decorate their equipment as wanted (though traditional chapter colors are still required to form the ‘base’ of their uniform). No matter what equipment they choose, members of the guard are always distinguishable from other marines by their unique silver helms, inscribed with runes of warding to resist warp based attacks. The majority also tend to wear cloaks and/or robes of dark crimson, common to the most senior members of the chapter. Any member of the guard may choose to voluntarily return to the first company/company command squad at any point, though are usually some of the first marines considered when a lieutenant position becomes available. Many however choose to remain within the guard for many years, as the position is second only in importance and honor to the chapter lieutenants and captains. Some however (usually those who have received grievous physical injury) voluntarily choose to become a sergeant in the first, tenth or their original company in order to pass on their experience. These marines who have chosen to move onto other chapter positions always maintain a runed silver ‘halo’ on their helmets as symbol of their completion of the trials of Ulysses. Some marines even seek to undertake these trials even if they have little desire to be in the honor guard purely as a mark of supreme achievement.
The Forge
Arguably the most important department in the chapter, the forge is responsible for the maintenance of all of the chapter’s equipment and wargear. Vehicle crews and techmarines both serve as direct members of the forge. Other than the fleet and the household, the forge contains the most human serfs, techpriests of the ad mech and servitors. These are of vital importance to help the techmarines in all their work as well as offering a close outside link to the Mechanicum. Most serfs in this department will receive a very high level in technological training and may even become eligible for promotion to a full techpriest with the local ad mech. The most important of these serfs are the Artificers, responsible for maintaining individual battle brothers amour and weapons (though these responsibilities are of course expected of a battle brother). The artificers are able to act as liaisons to the outside world and secure all the munitions and materials required by the chapter, a very important responsibility. Many are also given a large degree of freedom in tracking down rare pieces of technology for the forge. Although this has brought them into disagreement with the Mechanicum more than once, the close ties the chapter maintains with the Ad Mech and the occasional sharing of technological knowledge and the chapter’s common assistance in aiding the ad mech in its eternal hunt for STCs has allowed the Mechanicum to usually look the other way. Despite this the chapter is somewhat flexible in regards to the usage of technology, especially compared to such puritan chapters as the Iron Hands. The chapter even allows the study and occasional usage of Xenos technology when deemed necessary. In recent years the chapter has had an ever-increasing respect for the usage of effective Tau technology to supplement their already formidable arsenal. As the wider Imperium weakens and the chapter becomes more and more isolated, less heed has been paid to the strict edicts of the outside Ad Mech. It is a likelihood that if the chapter and ad mech departments of local space were not so isolated from the wider goings on of the galaxy then the inquisition would likely have a few worlds on the behest of the ad mech. Luckily the actions of the radical ordo xenos inquisitor Daniel Rahus has done much to ensure whatever little scrutiny is thrown at the cyacis sector and the chapter is deflected.
In regards to vehicle usage, no one company controls any vehicle, instead they are requested on an as need basis from the forge. Tanks will have dedicated independent crews (consisting usually of a dedicated astartes commander and highly trained human crewmen) but bikes and land speeders are usually crewed by the members of the companies themselves. Recent losses to the more experienced company pilots of the chapter’s land speeders has however seen the majority of landspeeder crews filled by forge astartes and chapter serfs. Like most chapters, forge members’ paint their armor red in respect to the home of the Ad Mech on Mars. The cog is also used as their symbol.
The Fleet
Due to the large amount of crew each imperial ship requires this is by far the largest out of all the chapter departments with nearly 1 million various crewmen, pilots, servitors, techpriests and dock crew required to keep the fleet in full working order. The fleet is heavily linked with the forge, as technical experts, such as techmarines and artificers are required to maintain the ships. However the fleet trains a very large amount of highly skilled ratings and crew who are more than able to maintain the ship on their own. Most of these are drawn from the same recruitment pools of the local imperial navy, though many more senior roles are filled by dedicated chapter serfs or mechanicum adepts. Many Mechanicum Techpriests oversee the maintenance of the fleet in co-operation with those that oversee the maintenance of the chapter’s fortress monastery and ground vehicles. The fleet has grown significantly since the chapter’s founding. In those days the chapter was given a long since decommissioned battle barge (“Master”) as well as two brand new strike cruisers (“Iron Warden” and “Dominator”) and several escort vessels to serve as the start of the chapter’s fleet. Since the founding “Master” has been fully retrofitted and upgraded into a full modern battle barge, renamed “Tzar” and many other imperial vessels have either been manufactured or “acquired” and then converted into full strike cruisers. Currently the fleet contains 1 battle barge (Tzar), 7 strike cruisers (Iron Warden, Bale Angel, Firestorm, Troezen, Lycaon, Makhai, Pelops) 21 escort vessels and one new ‘experimental’ vessel classified as a ‘heavy strike cruiser’ (Vortigern). Until recently It was the practice for each company to have near sole possession of a single strike cruiser and heavily modify them to suit the companies’ combat tactics, however recent losses have forced the chapter to move to a more flexible and multipurpose fleet makeup, typical of most chapters. The fleet also controls all the chapters’ aerospace vehicles, such as thunderhawks, shuttles and stormravens as well as several wings of imperial fighters and bombers. These, like in the forge are requested by the companies on an as need basis. These however are not crewed by Astartes, they are instead crewed by dedicated chapter serf human pilots. At some point in their career most of these will have undergone biological or cybernetic modification, to bring their reactions and instincts to the levels Astartes require. The majority of the time the fleet is divided amongst different campaigns, but the fleet can come together to fight in the wake of an extremely serious threat, such as the onset of a hive fleet. Most of the time the fleet is welcoming of other vessels that want to partake in a campaign, such as an ad mech fleet or Imperial Navy patrol and works especially closely with the naval forces of battlefleet Cyacis. On some occasions the fleet has joined some of the huge crusade forces constructed by the Imperium, often serving alongside fleet based chapters such as the black templars or white consuls.
Household, Librarium, Apothicarium and Reclusiam
These are the other more minor but nonetheless important departments within the chapter. The Household is almost entirely made up of chapter serfs, techpriests and servitors, whose sole duty is to maintain the fortress monetary and attend to the marines while on campaign. It is they in combination with the forge and 10th company who are responsible for the recruitment of new individuals, as well as the procurement of supplies and munitions. Often these serfs will have to accompany marines on the battlefield to fulfill more mundane tasks such as ammunition carrier or messenger. As such all household surfs receive a very high degree of military training, equivalent to that of most imperial guard regiments and depending on the situation can be equipped in whatever role the chapter sees fit. This ‘chapter auxilia’ may number as many as a few tens of thousands in significant times of war and are very often found fighting alongside the chapter astartes (often equipped in a similar matter to chapter scouts) in a supporting role or as naval armsmen on the chapter’s space vessels. Most of the time though the auxilia are responsible for the defense of the chapter’s fortress monastery or help act as garrison or ‘line’ troops on campaign when local PDF or guard forces are insufficient.
The Librarium is the foundation of all knowledge within the chapter and is responsible for the training and use of chapter Psykers, such as librarians. It also works closely with the navigators and astropaths of the fleet, responsible for detecting warnings and transport to the field of warfare. Although the chapter views psykers, such as librarians as a vital necessity (and as such worthy of great respect for the import of their work) the chapter has always been slightly distrustful of such individuals. Nonetheless the chapter does maintain librarians capable of using devastating psychic powers in battle, though only when absolutely necessary and in small numbers. Their main purpose is therefore the gathering and storing of the chapter’s knowledge within the librarium. They also sometimes have use in divination of the future and has proved useful in many engagements, however this practice is only used with the utmost caution as the threat of daemonic possession is never far away. Since the fall of cadia however and the marked increase in general daemonic and psyker based threats the librarius has been substantially increased in size in order to act as a counter against these nonphysical threats.
The Apothicarium is responsible for the protection of the chapter’s genetic data and gene seed. Most of this department is again made up of highly skilled chapter serfs, modified servitors and biologis techpriests who aid the Astartes Apothecaries in their work. Their first main responsibility is the creation of new Astartes from the chapter’s gene seed and also its recovery from dead marines on the battlefield. Their second responsibility is the maintenance of the health of all marines, including acting as combat medics and battle surgeons. It is the Apothecaries who carefully monitor the development of new neophytes and provide synthetic limbs for those brothers who have lost theirs in battle.
The Reclusiam is the home of the chapter’s relics and prophesies. Apart from the chapter librarium it is the most secretive location in the fortress monastery. It is here the chaplains preside over the secrets of the chapter. The chapter in general proscribes to the same view as many astartes chapters, that the Emperor is not a god but rather the ideal paragon of humanity. The chapter however is quite liberal in its approach to faith amongst its ranks with some still worshiping the emperor as divine. Most however follow a more moderate version of the cult mechanicus, holding that the Emperor is a physical manifestation of the Ominisiash, the divine embodiment of all knowledge. The chapter chaplains therefore instead serve as spiritual leaders to the chapter, rather than tactical ones and help to unify the diversity of belief amongst the chapter ranks. It is they in the heat of battle that leads the bloody charge into the enemy, while the captain directs his men else ware. They often tend to act as liaisons to other imperial organizations and maintain friendships and act as those who monitor honor rather than discipline. However their main usage is against sorcerers and daemons as chaos, as it has been proven innumerable times that faith can be as powerful as any sanctified blade, especially against warp spawn.
New aspirants to the chapter are largely gathered through the widely celebrated ‘choosing ceremony’ held once a year at Cyo’s capital city. After initial processing to weed out those with no hope of succeeding the deadly trials to come, aspirants will fight in a widely spectated tournament against one another including a variety of different challenges with only the top few percentage being accepted for further training. In times where casualties are high the chapter will also send out aged non-combat members of the chapter to look for compatible youths amongst the populace of surrounding worlds, particularly those from the hives of Naigra or the feudal world of gias.
After this those few who are deemed worthy are subjected to the chapter’s ‘real’ initiation ceremony. Aspirants are dumped on the edge of the moor surrounding the chapter’s fortress monastery and instructed to ‘find the biggest volcano’ being given only a knife by way of equipment. The aspirants will have to endure an extremely challenging trek of over 100 miles in some of the planet’s most hostile conditions, being forced to gather all food themselves and frequently fight off the many predators of the moor. The few who survive the trek can now at last be classified as neophytes of the chapter and will undergo all the training and implantation that is typical to a space marine chapter, where again many more will be weeded out due to either mental or physical weakness. Along with the many biological implants common to most space marines, neophytes can also be expected to receive some level of choice over any additional cybernetic implants they desire appropriate to their new roles as astartes thanks to the chapter’s close ties with the ad mech. While full limb replacement is uncommon, other less externally obvious implants are far more common place such as sub-dermal armour, MIU augments for weapons and a variety of brain implants designed to aid in machine interface and information retention. The chapter is blessed to have relatively untainted gene seed, though the betchers gland and omophagea implants are no longer operable. A mutation in the occulobe also can cause many marines to experience vastly heightened eyesight, even above the already exceptional level of an astartes, though this is often detrimental as it can often serve to make marines much more susceptible to bright lights or other strong visual stimuli. This mutation is often offset through the application of bionics, whereby marines suffering from this condition have one eye (or sometimes both eyes) replaced by an augment in order to compensate.
Those neophytes who cannot become space marines but are still remain mentally stable are almost always recruited by the chapter as a serf, who will undergo further training and cybernetic modification to better suit their preferred role (mostly involving the maintenance/running of the chapter monastery and fleet). Some however are given the option to return to their prior families without shame should they so wish. Those who are truly broken by the process however are usually converted into servitors.
Those few who emerge from all the training and implantation intact are immediately recruited into the 10th company where they will undergo their first heavy frontline combat, learning the fundaments of close, mid and long-range combat as well as the operation of bikes and land speeders.
Upon being deemed worthy, a scout will be elevated to the position of full battle brother and implanted with black carapace and will receive an often ancient suit of power armour (or more recently a set of modular mk 10 armor) as well as the honour of choosing a personal close combat weapon from the chapter’s armoury. Most scouts will be placed in a company most closely befitting their preferred style of combat, e.g long range specialists being inducted into the (9th) Devastator Company and close range into the (8th) Assault Company. Most however remain quite balanced in their approach to warfare and will therefore be placed in whatever company is in most need of new recruits, usually being one of the four main ‘battle’ companies. Those recruits who display an exceptional understanding of vehicles are instead transferred into the chapter forge where they will train as dedicated tank commanders and later on as full techmarines of the chapter. Those few who likewise show exceptional ability in administering medicine will instead be inducted into the apothicarian.
A marine will spend most of their fighting career as a battle brother within one of the 8 main companies, with efforts made to keep squad formations together, though in times of high casualties squads may be broken up or re-combined as needed. All squads are kept with at least a few members (beside the sergeant) being more experienced in order to help out new inductees. In the case of battle companies, members who excel at one particular area of warfare will often be transferred to the companies’ devastator or assault squads as casualties dictate, making these squads somewhat more experienced than the tactical formations.
Eventually through a feat of heroic valor or many years of exemplary service a marine will earn the honour of the imperial laurel, marking the marine as a veteran of the chapter and eligible to wear terminator amour. When a position presents itself, a laurel recipient will either be inducted into the 1st company as part of a veteran squad or into his original companies’ command squad. These marines are permitted to paint their helmets white and may be given the honor to carry the company standard or act as a company champion. Most veterans will have also earned the ‘marksman’s honor’ or the ‘warrior’s honor’ and these are used to determine whether the veteran is better suited to a close range or long range formation.
Eventually a truly exceptional warrior may earn the ‘iron skull’ as a recognition of their exceptional leadership abilities and will be transferred to their original company or scout company to lead a squad as a sergeant when a position presents itself, or if truly exceptional to lead a 1st company veteran squad. Some of the most inspiring sergeants are occasionally offered the position of company chaplain instead.
If a sergeant continues to serve with distinction and the position presents itself he may be selected to lead his company command squad alongside his captain as a lieutenant. If his captain is killed, the company lieutenant will be promoted to captain. 1st lieutenant and therefore first captain are instead recruited from the most worthy sergeants of any company and members of the 1st company command squad are handpicked veterans from the 1st company by the 1st captain.
A new chapter master is selected by vote from all the captains, though the 1st captain usually receives this honor. The chapter master retains the right to hand pick members of his honor guard from any other member of the chapter with veteran rank or higher.
Company Heraldry
Originally company heraldry was indicated on a marine’s armor in a similar manner to that of the Ultramarines, with the marines shoulder pad trim indicating the color of the company he was in. Fairly early on in the chapter’s history however this practice changed, instead being that all marines would bear the same silver trim on their pauldrons as the color of the aquila on their breast plates, with company heraldry instead signified by the left knee pad bearing the company color and number. Some marines however (especially in the first company) still prefer to paint the trim of one or both shoulder pads to match their company color depending on personal preference.
Marines who fall outside the 10 main companies instead have their position signified by the color of their entire armor according to common astartes tradition; this being red armour for the forge, sky blue for the librarius, black for the reclusiam and white for the apothicarium.
Helmet color signifies a marine’s overall position in the chain of command, with the same blue as the armor being the standard for a line marine. A white helmet signifies veterancy honors have been earned, while a red helmet (usually paired with an iron skull on the forehead) indicates squad sergeant status. A red helmet with a sliver/gold laurel painted on the crown signifies captaincy whilst a red helm with a white face plate signifies lieutenant rank. If a helm is not worn, rank is still usually indicated by the color of a marine’s rebreather. If wearing stealthier phobos or scout armor, bright helmet colors tend to be more limited or subdued. The chapter honour guard instead wear a unique set of inscribed and psychically warded silver helms in accordance with this particular units unique traditions.
Organizational Combat Ethos
Though every company in the chapter can operate independently to a high degree of efficiency if needed, this practice has rarely been encouraged like it might be in some other chapters. Every company is reliant on the skills and expertise of the others. Therefore all strike forces on campaign are made up of marines from many different companies, dependent on the threat posed. Indeed it is not uncommon for a captain to command a strike force with almost no men from his own company. While this may sound like a disadvantage in several ways, it does a great deal to bind each company together in unity. The Cyclopes chapter hopes that other imperial organizations seeing the chapter in battle may learn the value of this style of warfare.
On most campaigns, like most codex chapters an assault force is usually comprised of one main ‘battle’ company with many support elements from the other companies and chapter departments as needed. Most usually this allows the chapter to deploy four different ‘campaign forces’ of about 250 marines each, 100 of which are from a single battle company and the other 150 from all other ‘reserve’ companies as well as scouts and veterans as needed. These can then be further broken down into strike forces, depending on the threat posed, usually however these consist of about 5 further ‘demi companies’ of about 50 marines each in whatever makeup is most suited for the mission at hand. This means the chapter is reluctant to commit to more than four different campaigns at once, though in practice it is more common for only three to be undertaken at once with the other quarter of the chapter re-supplying at the chapter HQ. It is also the practice of the chapter to deploy certain chapter elements (rarely more than a couple of squads) away from the main chapter forces for long periods of time to act as elite liaisons and frontline commanders for other imperial forces.
While the chapter was originally founded using the codex astartes chapter organization as a template (1 veteran company, 1 scout company, 4 battle companies and 4 reserve companies each of about 100 marines) this practice has become more and more diluted over time, especially after each individual company was re-organized early in the chapter’s history to focus on a specific role. After this point in time the lines between what classed as a ‘battle’ company and what classed as a ‘reserve’ company started to become blurred to the point that in the current time there is little actual distinction between each half of the chapter in preference for battlefield deployment. This has especially become true given the introduction of new primaris unit formations with the return of Guilliman, with any codex defined company squad makeup being largely abandoned for more overall individual company structural versatility, geared toward their individual company specialty. Even the stipulation of maintaining about 100 marines in each company has (temporarily at least) been retired owing to the recent heavy losses the chapter has suffered. This measure however is likely to be rescinded after the chapter returns to about full strength. As a result unlike in many other codex chapters, losses from the main 4 ‘battle companies’ are usually not replaced by members of the ‘reserve companies’ but are in most cases replaced directly from the scout company. This practice has led to the chapter maintaining a tradition of a brother endeavoring to not leave his originally assigned company/chapter department for another, save for promotion to 1st company or odyssian guard. Under times of especially heavy casualties however this chapter tradition tends to be relaxed in order to allow the chapter companies not to become unbalanced in terms of numbers or be too heavily made up of newly elevated former scouts. In these cases individuals or sometimes entire squads may be re-assigned to a different company if needed, though care is always taken to ensure that new transfers are put into companies at least somewhat similar to the role of their former company or individual combat specialty. Due to their generally lower level of overall casualties due to their more ‘defensive’ combat specialties, members of the 6th and 9th companies tend to be the most commonly transferred to other companies.
Although the chapter certainly has its secrets, it is very open in its relations to other imperial organizations. It is extremely common to find the chapter working alongside other chapters or imperial guard regiments. After all, each imperial organization had its own specializations and weaknesses and fighting individually only lessens the effectiveness of the imperial war machine. Since the chapter’s inception the general approach of the Astartes towards other mortals and common citizens has been as friendly and protective as possible, maintaining that though they may be elevated to a level beyond human, they are still human at their core and thus should strive to be the protective champions of common humanity that the Emperor intended.
The chapter tries not to overly heavily favor one particular style of warfare over another, preferring to be flexible to the situation presented. The chapter does however lean towards an emphasis on very swift orbital assaults, jumping into the heart of an ongoing battle in a surgical strike to destroy/disable some vital unit or installation before withdrawing and repeating the tactic until victory is achieved (all in closely co-operating with other local imperial forces). As a result the chapter tends to prefer to not engage in long defensive battles and especially not battles of attrition. To facilitate rapid orbital deployment the chapter makes very frequent usage of drop pod, teleport and thunderhawk assaults. Thanks to this mid-close range units are often preferred in the opening stages of an assault with only more heavily armed infantry and heavier vehicles tending to be deployed after a firm beachhead is achieved. Due to this heavier tanks tend to be somewhat rarely used in the chapter when compared with many others, dreadnoughts however see very heavy usage thanks to their ability to be deployed via drop pod (and the chapter’s relatively high degree of technical lore) and thus support the initial assault with heavier firepower. Bikes and especially landspeeders also see fairly common usage thanks to their ease of deployment via thunderhawk/low orbital insertion which help support the hit and run style of warfare preferred by the chapter. The chapter will if at all possible try to secure both orbital and air supremacy over a battle before heavily committing and will try to neutralize as many enemy vessels over a planet as possible through mass boarding actions.
Although the chapter abides by the teachings of the Codex Astartes, it tends to treat them more as a set of useful guidelines rather than a hard and fast ruleset. Even Roboute Guilliman, who had the benefit of many centuries of warfare on thousands of worlds in almost every situation, did not see everything, especially relating to the newly emerged xenos threats on the eastern fringe. The Primarch’s recent return and statement that he dislikes the treatment of his codex as gospel and not thinking for themselves has only confirmed the chapter’s conviction that their approach to the codex is ‘best’. The chapter is also slightly unusual in its more liberal attitude toward Xenos. Though all xenos are by their nature inferior to the kin of the glorious Emperor, not all are equal in their wickedness. Some can never be trusted or even interacted with at any level but some few xenos show qualities more noble than others. These can sometimes be exploited when co-operating against a common enemy. While the chapter may find it distasteful to co-operate with the alien, when the protection of the imperium is at stake, almost any option is preferable to destruction or corruption.
1st Company
This like most codex chapters is the chapter Veteran Company. As veterans are drawn from every other company (except the 10th) there is a wide range of skills displayed by members of the 1st company. It is only members of the 1st company who are allowed the honor of choosing almost any weaponry from the armory deemed suitable for the mission. Most will equip themselves depending on their combat preference but are allowed access to even rarer and more deadly equipment than any other company, including Tactical Dreadnought Armor. Currently the 1st company maintains 45 suits of TDA (not including those reserved for the captains). This company has recently also widely adopted the usage of the newly produced gravis mark of armor, with the new aggressor formations being utilized to complement the existing terminator forces. This company also most frequently makes usage of Venerable Dreadnoughts. Their company color is gold (in honor of the emperor himself) and symbol is a sword.
2nd Company
This is the first of the 4 former chapter ‘battle’ companies and as such contains 6 line squads, 2 fire support and close support squads. This company is known as the ‘shock’ company with its members being selected from scouts who, whilst maintaining an excellent all around skill for combat tend to excel in fast, surgical assaults at the head of a formation, in essence the very paragons of what a space marine is designed to be. Being commonly as close to the battlefront as possible this company makes common usage of a good deal of bikes and land speeders for accurate reconnaissance as well as rhino’s and drop pods for rapid assaults. Though this company also utilized many dreadnoughts in its drop pod assaults it tends to lack some of the heavier tanks and artillery of other companies due to the speed and mobility they often require. Their company color is blue and symbol is an arrow.
3rd Company
The third company is the only company who does not share any specific specialization, they are valued as “all rounders”. However due to their unwavering resilience in the heaviest of combats they have also become known as the ‘iron’ company, fighting to the bitter end at all costs. Due to this they often serve as the core of many campaigns and receive the highest number of casualties in warfare. They therefore tend to be the company who produces the most veterans. Due to their high attrition rate and “non specific” style of warfare, they tend to receive the highest number of scout recruits. The 3rd therefore is a curious mixture of older veterans and fresh initiates. They tend to not favor any particular tactic over another in warfare, and frequently listen to advice given by the other more specialized companies when on campaign. Arguably therefore they are the most “adaptable” under any situation and serve as a good example to other members of the chapter. Their color is silver and their symbol is a skull.
4th Company
This company excels in all forms of space warfare, whether it is boarding actions ship defense or orbital assault. Scouts who show great aptitude in the cramped conditions of a spaceship and null G actions are often allocated to this company. This company more than any other makes much more use of shotguns and flamers and boarding shields than any other and often modifies its heavy weapons to be lighter and more maneuverable. As well as being the prime company in space warfare, the 4th also specializes in orbital assaults and landing operations. As a result this company makes far more use of drop pods and thunderhawks than any other. This company therefore also can only make very limited use of vehicles or dreadnoughts. They are also admirable in confined urban warfare, second only to the 6th company in this regard. Their company color is orange (that of the blazing stars themselves) and their symbol is a star.
5th Company
The last former ‘battle’ company excels in all forms of mechanized warfare and as such shares the closest link with the chapter forge. Any scout that shows excellence in assault from a rhino or close range tank hunting is often elevated to this company. It is the 5th who makes by far the greatest use of rhinos, predators and vindicators. Due to its rapid advance they tend to also make much use of bikes. This company is also expert in using meltas, krak grenades and demo charges to eliminate enemy fighting vehicles. Due to its close links with the forge, the 5th usually receives the most destructive weaponry on campaign (next to the 1st) and always has a large number of techmarines working alongside them. Their company color is red/magenta (no doubt in honor of Mars) and symbol is a wing.
6th Company
The first of the two tactical ‘reserve’ companies (though recent developments have blurred the lines between ‘battle’ and ‘reserve’ companies), this company maintains 10 line squads, though very often allows its squads to deploy as fire support if the need arises. Their specialization is all forms of urban warfare and defense. If a scout shows excellence in urban warfare of bunker defense he will likely be inducted into the 6th. This company usually works in very close contact with the 9th, in fortifying defensive positions and garrison duties. This company also has the very large responsibility of defending the chapter fortress monastery and as such spends the most time of any company at home. This company also tends to have the most contact with civilian forces and along with the 2nd company helps to maintain diplomatic relationships. Its company color is green (that of the unbreakable metal ademantite) and their symbol is a tower.
7th Company
The second former tactical ‘reserve’ company serves as experts is stealth and reconnaissance. Scouts who excel above all others in “scouting” and espionage are often inducted into this company. This is the only company other than the 10th which uses carapace armor on a regular basis and serve as “veteran” reconnaissance experts. More recently this company has been organized to almost completely consist of rievers or infiltrators. As such they work very closely with the 10th company and provide much needed stealth expertise to the young neophytes. Due to their frequent reconnaissance and hit and run tactics, the 7th make somewhat frequent use of landspeeders and bikes but rarely use heavier vehicles. They are often work deep behind enemy lines and prepare for the rest of the chapter to attack the weakened front. Marines of this company also commonly paint their armor a more concealable black, rather than the blue and white of most of their brother marines. Their company color is purple and their symbol is a wolf. This company color was apparently assigned due to the chapter’s early wars with orks and the orkish belief that purple is the most ‘sneaky’ colour.
8th Company
The assault ‘reserve’ company serves as the “fast attack company”. Any scout who shows proficiency with bikes, landspeeders and jump packs as well as in the swirling mêlée of close combat will be inducted into this company. They often serve along side the 4th as vanguard for planetary invasions or the 5th for rapid armored assault. Although both the 5th and 7th make much use of bikes and landspeeders, the 8th makes the most use. While the others might modify their bikes or speeders to hold reconnaissance equipment for scouting, the 8th are modified purely for battle. As such the 8th contains the largest number of “heavy” bike or speeder variants. This company also makes the most use of the new stormraven and stormtalon gunships to quickly support their advance, as most tanks are often not fast enough to keep up with their advance or can’t hold bulky jump packs. More recently many members of this company have begun making usage of the heavy gravis jump armor as ‘inceptors’. Their company color is black and their symbol is a lightning bolt.
9th Company
The devastator ‘reserve’ company shares no particular specialization except utter long-range destruction, as would be expected with 10 squads of devastators. Any scout who shows excellence with heavy weapons or sniping is inducted into this company. They often work in very close concert with the 6th in defending fortified positions. Due to the slow moving nature of devastators the 9th is very reliant on rhinos for transport. Next to the 5th company the 9th makes the most use of heavy tanks (particularly whirlwinds and vindicators) to compliment their already destructive capabilities. In addition the company has begun making usage of formations of centurions and aggressors for more close range fortified destructive capability, as well as the more recently introduced suppressors and eliminators for more rapid/precise long range fire applications. Their company color is yellow and their symbol is fire/an explosion.
10th Company
Like all codex chapters, Cyclops maintains a strong reserve scout company needed to train the young neophytes. Among the neophytes are experienced veterans and elders responsible for the strict training of the scouts on the battlefield. It is they who will dictate which company a scout will be inducted into and thus influence the entire future of the scout. While in the scout company a neophyte will learn all the necessary skills for life as a full battle brother. Cyclops chapter scouts tend to spend a marked amount more time within the scout company than in many other chapters as the concept of ‘battle’ and ‘reserve’ companies no longer exists within the chapter. Due to the relative demands of the other companies, the numbers of scouts are the most subject for change, in times of significant war scout numbers can vary from about 50 to over 200. At the current time the 10th company actually slightly exceeds 300 members due to the chapter markedly stepping up their recruitment program in the wake of the devastating wars at the end of M41/early M42.
Unlike the majority of the rest of the chapter, those in the scout company often paint their armor in camouflage patterns to match their environment of operation to better aid in stealth, though a simple black/grey tends to be the ‘normal’ uniform for scouts in urban environments. The standard astartes carapace armour used by the scouts is also often supplemented by the sallet style helmets usually worn by skitarii vanguard, thanks to the chapter ties to the ad mech forges on Nigra. Many scouts deployed in the role of snipers also make usage of the ad mech galvanic rifle as a dedicated sniping weapon.
The Odyssian Guard
The chapter’s ceremonial name for its elite band of honour guard, handpicked from any of the chapter veterans by the chapter master himself. Until the middle of the 40th millennium the chapter maintained a fairly standard terminator honor guard, though the experiences shared by captain Ulysses and his men during their infamous voyage home helped shape this band of warriors into something a little more unique. The guard has no official size and varies in numbers of members depending on chapter circumstance, varying from as few as ten to as many as fifty. At the current time the chapter has the most amount of guard members in its history (despite being officially under full strength) thanks to the many veterans and heroes born in the fires of the many grueling conflicts the chapter has endured in the closing years of M41 and early years of M42.
After being singled out as appropriate for the role by the chapter master, the new aspirant must complete three challenges before he can be officially accepted as a member of the guard, each based after a major challenge faced by master Ulysses in his voyage. Firstly in the normal line of duty the aspirant must defeat a particularly deadly enemy via the application of ‘unconventional’ tactics, mimicking master Ulysses defeat of the great bloodthirster.
After this the aspirant will meet with the chapter librarians and must resist a relentless mental assault of psychic power designed to completely incapacitate all but the strongest willed with visions of terror and despair, proving they are still able to move and function to at least an adequate degree under this relentless assault. This mimics master Ulysses strength of will in resisting the mental psychic attacks of the greater daemon of tzeench.
Finally the aspirant is given an ancient and broken suit of power armor and only given limited time and equipment to repair it without outside help. The aspirant must then don this armor and use it to defeat an existing/former member of the guard (wearing his fully working normal suit of power armor) in a close combat duel to first blood. This challenge imitates the grueling years of tough survival Ulysses and his men were forced to experience in the latter stages of their journey. Only once these three challenges are completed sequentially may an aspirant gain a position in the guard. Failing any challenge after the first (which has no set time limit) requires the aspirant to re-take the challenge at a later date once they believe they are ready.
Members of the Odyssian guard are provided with access to all the most valuable artefacts of the chapter including an especially rare selection of artificer crafted armor and weapons but may equip themselves individually however they best see fit (though a preference for close combat equipment tends to be common) and decorate their equipment as wanted (though traditional chapter colors are still required to form the ‘base’ of their uniform). No matter what equipment they choose, members of the guard are always distinguishable from other marines by their unique silver helms, inscribed with runes of warding to resist warp based attacks. The majority also tend to wear cloaks and/or robes of dark crimson, common to the most senior members of the chapter. Any member of the guard may choose to voluntarily return to the first company/company command squad at any point, though are usually some of the first marines considered when a lieutenant position becomes available. Many however choose to remain within the guard for many years, as the position is second only in importance and honor to the chapter lieutenants and captains. Some however (usually those who have received grievous physical injury) voluntarily choose to become a sergeant in the first, tenth or their original company in order to pass on their experience. These marines who have chosen to move onto other chapter positions always maintain a runed silver ‘halo’ on their helmets as symbol of their completion of the trials of Ulysses. Some marines even seek to undertake these trials even if they have little desire to be in the honor guard purely as a mark of supreme achievement.
The Forge
Arguably the most important department in the chapter, the forge is responsible for the maintenance of all of the chapter’s equipment and wargear. Vehicle crews and techmarines both serve as direct members of the forge. Other than the fleet and the household, the forge contains the most human serfs, techpriests of the ad mech and servitors. These are of vital importance to help the techmarines in all their work as well as offering a close outside link to the Mechanicum. Most serfs in this department will receive a very high level in technological training and may even become eligible for promotion to a full techpriest with the local ad mech. The most important of these serfs are the Artificers, responsible for maintaining individual battle brothers amour and weapons (though these responsibilities are of course expected of a battle brother). The artificers are able to act as liaisons to the outside world and secure all the munitions and materials required by the chapter, a very important responsibility. Many are also given a large degree of freedom in tracking down rare pieces of technology for the forge. Although this has brought them into disagreement with the Mechanicum more than once, the close ties the chapter maintains with the Ad Mech and the occasional sharing of technological knowledge and the chapter’s common assistance in aiding the ad mech in its eternal hunt for STCs has allowed the Mechanicum to usually look the other way. Despite this the chapter is somewhat flexible in regards to the usage of technology, especially compared to such puritan chapters as the Iron Hands. The chapter even allows the study and occasional usage of Xenos technology when deemed necessary. In recent years the chapter has had an ever-increasing respect for the usage of effective Tau technology to supplement their already formidable arsenal. As the wider Imperium weakens and the chapter becomes more and more isolated, less heed has been paid to the strict edicts of the outside Ad Mech. It is a likelihood that if the chapter and ad mech departments of local space were not so isolated from the wider goings on of the galaxy then the inquisition would likely have a few worlds on the behest of the ad mech. Luckily the actions of the radical ordo xenos inquisitor Daniel Rahus has done much to ensure whatever little scrutiny is thrown at the cyacis sector and the chapter is deflected.
In regards to vehicle usage, no one company controls any vehicle, instead they are requested on an as need basis from the forge. Tanks will have dedicated independent crews (consisting usually of a dedicated astartes commander and highly trained human crewmen) but bikes and land speeders are usually crewed by the members of the companies themselves. Recent losses to the more experienced company pilots of the chapter’s land speeders has however seen the majority of landspeeder crews filled by forge astartes and chapter serfs. Like most chapters, forge members’ paint their armor red in respect to the home of the Ad Mech on Mars. The cog is also used as their symbol.
The Fleet
Due to the large amount of crew each imperial ship requires this is by far the largest out of all the chapter departments with nearly 1 million various crewmen, pilots, servitors, techpriests and dock crew required to keep the fleet in full working order. The fleet is heavily linked with the forge, as technical experts, such as techmarines and artificers are required to maintain the ships. However the fleet trains a very large amount of highly skilled ratings and crew who are more than able to maintain the ship on their own. Most of these are drawn from the same recruitment pools of the local imperial navy, though many more senior roles are filled by dedicated chapter serfs or mechanicum adepts. Many Mechanicum Techpriests oversee the maintenance of the fleet in co-operation with those that oversee the maintenance of the chapter’s fortress monastery and ground vehicles. The fleet has grown significantly since the chapter’s founding. In those days the chapter was given a long since decommissioned battle barge (“Master”) as well as two brand new strike cruisers (“Iron Warden” and “Dominator”) and several escort vessels to serve as the start of the chapter’s fleet. Since the founding “Master” has been fully retrofitted and upgraded into a full modern battle barge, renamed “Tzar” and many other imperial vessels have either been manufactured or “acquired” and then converted into full strike cruisers. Currently the fleet contains 1 battle barge (Tzar), 7 strike cruisers (Iron Warden, Bale Angel, Firestorm, Troezen, Lycaon, Makhai, Pelops) 21 escort vessels and one new ‘experimental’ vessel classified as a ‘heavy strike cruiser’ (Vortigern). Until recently It was the practice for each company to have near sole possession of a single strike cruiser and heavily modify them to suit the companies’ combat tactics, however recent losses have forced the chapter to move to a more flexible and multipurpose fleet makeup, typical of most chapters. The fleet also controls all the chapters’ aerospace vehicles, such as thunderhawks, shuttles and stormravens as well as several wings of imperial fighters and bombers. These, like in the forge are requested by the companies on an as need basis. These however are not crewed by Astartes, they are instead crewed by dedicated chapter serf human pilots. At some point in their career most of these will have undergone biological or cybernetic modification, to bring their reactions and instincts to the levels Astartes require. The majority of the time the fleet is divided amongst different campaigns, but the fleet can come together to fight in the wake of an extremely serious threat, such as the onset of a hive fleet. Most of the time the fleet is welcoming of other vessels that want to partake in a campaign, such as an ad mech fleet or Imperial Navy patrol and works especially closely with the naval forces of battlefleet Cyacis. On some occasions the fleet has joined some of the huge crusade forces constructed by the Imperium, often serving alongside fleet based chapters such as the black templars or white consuls.
Household, Librarium, Apothicarium and Reclusiam
These are the other more minor but nonetheless important departments within the chapter. The Household is almost entirely made up of chapter serfs, techpriests and servitors, whose sole duty is to maintain the fortress monetary and attend to the marines while on campaign. It is they in combination with the forge and 10th company who are responsible for the recruitment of new individuals, as well as the procurement of supplies and munitions. Often these serfs will have to accompany marines on the battlefield to fulfill more mundane tasks such as ammunition carrier or messenger. As such all household surfs receive a very high degree of military training, equivalent to that of most imperial guard regiments and depending on the situation can be equipped in whatever role the chapter sees fit. This ‘chapter auxilia’ may number as many as a few tens of thousands in significant times of war and are very often found fighting alongside the chapter astartes (often equipped in a similar matter to chapter scouts) in a supporting role or as naval armsmen on the chapter’s space vessels. Most of the time though the auxilia are responsible for the defense of the chapter’s fortress monastery or help act as garrison or ‘line’ troops on campaign when local PDF or guard forces are insufficient.
The Librarium is the foundation of all knowledge within the chapter and is responsible for the training and use of chapter Psykers, such as librarians. It also works closely with the navigators and astropaths of the fleet, responsible for detecting warnings and transport to the field of warfare. Although the chapter views psykers, such as librarians as a vital necessity (and as such worthy of great respect for the import of their work) the chapter has always been slightly distrustful of such individuals. Nonetheless the chapter does maintain librarians capable of using devastating psychic powers in battle, though only when absolutely necessary and in small numbers. Their main purpose is therefore the gathering and storing of the chapter’s knowledge within the librarium. They also sometimes have use in divination of the future and has proved useful in many engagements, however this practice is only used with the utmost caution as the threat of daemonic possession is never far away. Since the fall of cadia however and the marked increase in general daemonic and psyker based threats the librarius has been substantially increased in size in order to act as a counter against these nonphysical threats.
The Apothicarium is responsible for the protection of the chapter’s genetic data and gene seed. Most of this department is again made up of highly skilled chapter serfs, modified servitors and biologis techpriests who aid the Astartes Apothecaries in their work. Their first main responsibility is the creation of new Astartes from the chapter’s gene seed and also its recovery from dead marines on the battlefield. Their second responsibility is the maintenance of the health of all marines, including acting as combat medics and battle surgeons. It is the Apothecaries who carefully monitor the development of new neophytes and provide synthetic limbs for those brothers who have lost theirs in battle.
The Reclusiam is the home of the chapter’s relics and prophesies. Apart from the chapter librarium it is the most secretive location in the fortress monastery. It is here the chaplains preside over the secrets of the chapter. The chapter in general proscribes to the same view as many astartes chapters, that the Emperor is not a god but rather the ideal paragon of humanity. The chapter however is quite liberal in its approach to faith amongst its ranks with some still worshiping the emperor as divine. Most however follow a more moderate version of the cult mechanicus, holding that the Emperor is a physical manifestation of the Ominisiash, the divine embodiment of all knowledge. The chapter chaplains therefore instead serve as spiritual leaders to the chapter, rather than tactical ones and help to unify the diversity of belief amongst the chapter ranks. It is they in the heat of battle that leads the bloody charge into the enemy, while the captain directs his men else ware. They often tend to act as liaisons to other imperial organizations and maintain friendships and act as those who monitor honor rather than discipline. However their main usage is against sorcerers and daemons as chaos, as it has been proven innumerable times that faith can be as powerful as any sanctified blade, especially against warp spawn.
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