Their footsteps were silent – hard vacuum ensured that.
Microvibrations running through the ceramic of the heat shielding gave the Blood Angels a shadowy awareness of each others' locations; and the chirp and ping of auspex returns gave the action an artificial drumbeat.
Lazarus tracked down the hull, towards the ingress point. It hadn't been designed as such; but meltabombs placed by the scouts had opened up a number of pock-marks in the strange dish-shaped craft.
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Their mag-booting making little of the microgravity, two of the squad advanced on the ceiling above the others' heads. Sergeant Lazarus raised a fist; then issued battle-sign for Brunellecci to advance. The marine darted forward, reaching the circular doorway in two loping strides. Boltguns trained on the door as Brunellecci readied the krak grenade...
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+ Recruitment and progression +
The Blood Angels primarily recruit from the tribes of the Blood – as has ever been, as ever will be. The Nova Terra Interregnum, for all the additional political and practical difficulties that it imposed on Imperial Worlds, made no difference to such traditions.
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| + Pilgrim's Progress: Scout (ca. 14 annum) to battle brother (56 annum) to Veteran (ca. 188 annum) + |
Indeed, the famed Procurator-historia Markus Manschott, an influential figure in the Segmentum Obscurus Administratum, made a convincing argument that the isolating influence of the M34–36 era was a significant contributing factor to the increasing isolationism and ossification of many Astartes Chapters traditions and modus operandi – the increasing distribution of the Rosarius to Chapters being a later crude attempt at reconciliation.
The extent to which Chapters' cults altered during the period is difficult to say with any certainty, but it is clear that practices before and after varied greatly. The Blood Angels – at the time, a relatively open Chapter, willing to communicate with any Imperial world or estate in need – left a number of records regarding alterations in their Cult through the simple expedient of raising subtly different 'Pales' on worlds that they had liberated. These symbolically marked the extent of the Imperium's territory, serving both as totem for the inhabitants and warning to potential invaders that world was under the protection of the Blood Angels.
At the time, the Chapter typically had three Grand Hosts on deployment. Each consisted of a Battle Company reinforced by elements of the support, veteran and scout companies. One remained on or near Baal as a garrison and resupply force, while the others ranged further afield, responding to threats. The three – later four, as recruitment rates increased – cycled through on an irregular basis; usually between three and six Terran standard years.
In extremis, the various Grand Hosts ranging through the galaxy chose to, or were forced to, recruit from local regions. This was a particular mark of honour for the selected inductee; though they suffered from some discrimination within the Chapter.
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+ The model's pretty tiny in comparison with the modern Marines, but I think that's quite fitting, given that he's meant to be a teenager. He's still taller – and considerably bulkier – than my guardsmen, and really helps throw the inhuman scale of the Astartes up. +
2 comments:
Lovely work, I think it really fits in. I think I still keep a few of these, I really should check!
Would love to see 'em – are you on the Facebook group?
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