Editing Story:Warhammer 60K: The Age of Dusk (section)

==A Note On The Various Military Units Classed as ‘Super Soldiers’ Within The Vulkan Imperium:==

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We must specify at this point the specific nature of the diverse range of superhuman soldiers utilized by the Imperium and its allies. In particular the nature of Space marines is an important distinction, as there are several different types of being that claim such a title. What follows is a brief summary of each variety of soldier.
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'''The Mk II “Nova Astartes”''' – These are the beings created by Vulkan and his scientists, based upon surviving Crusade-era science and Vulkan’s own prodigious knowledge and blood. These Space marines make up the majority of the Commanderies of the Vulkan Imperium. Fractionally larger than their predecessors, many consider these Angels of Death to be superior in every way. In fact, the truth is somewhat more complicated. They bear some advantages over the original Astartes, such as slightly more rapid reactions and resilience, but also possess disadvantages, s been overemphasized for two reasons. The first is that there are simply more of them in the Age of Dusk; consequently their feats are more notable and widespread. The second is that most of the original Astartes are ancient relics of the past; held together by their strong will and extensive cybernetics. Therefore, these slower, less capable Marines make the new ones seem that much more fearsome.

'''The Mk I “Adeptus Astartes”''' – Sometimes known as ''Old Imperials'' or ''Chapter-Born'', these are the original Astartes created during the Terran Imperium’s ten thousand year reign. The majority of these Astartes are ancient and supported by cybernetics. Unlike newer varieties, their creation is time-consuming and arduous. Few Mk I Astartes are created due to lack of facilities. Grand Sicarium (''later conquered and given its old title of Ultramar'') is famous the galaxy over for having intact Mk I gene labs and an extensive geneseed library stored in a secure secret bastion.

'''Lussorian Narc-Warriors''', or “Space Marines” – These soldiers are chemically enhanced to the peak of human fitness, bear power armor and bolt weaponry amongst other things. However, they are '''not''' genetically mutated or significantly altered mentally by these processes (''aside from developing rather psychotic tendencies and an addiction to the drugs which maintain their form''). Consequently, they are much shorter than other Astartes and are significantly weaker. They can only wear specialized power armor crafted to fit their svelter forms. It incorporates a corvus-style helm, but for the most part hardly resembles Astartes plate, and looks more like extremely heavy carapace armor. Their creation process takes a fraction of the time for Astartes and can be rapidly mass-produced (''recruitment from prison populations is common, as they tend to contain a mass of human who would otherwise be deemed useless in society'').

'''Ryzan-Catachan Plasma Commandos''' – These warriors are the pinnacle of Skitarii combat technology. They are a step above the ordinary cybernetic sentinels that guard the forge worlds and dockyards of the Vulkan Imperium. Created in conjunction with the ''Catachan Jungle Fighters'', each Commando is a powerhouse in its own right. Recruits tend to be Catachans or humans from worlds under the Ryzan-Catachan Alliance’s direct protection; only the powerful and resilient physiques of the jungle fighters can cope with the extensive surgeries undertaken by the Ryzan Tech Priests. 

Each limb is filleted and internal bionics are installed to enhance the strength and speed capable. Anchor-points of armor plate are installed on the skin to allow for ease of attachment. Cogitators and electronic auto-senses are installed behind the eye sockets to enhance sight. Potentia coils and autosanguine circulatory systems are also installed. A kind of highly advanced biological agent is then introduced into their blood, allowing their flesh to heal over these implants and recover quicker following surgery (''this healing also allows them to survive wounds other Skitarii could not withstand''). Thanks to coolant systems in place on each warrior, each commando is able to wield plasma weaponry without fear of imminent overload.

Each Plasma Commando is an incredible investment, far more so than the vast Skitarii Legions. This makes them almost as rare as a Mk II Astartes. Debate rages amongst scholars and even the general populace of the Vulkan Imperium, about whether the Astartes or the Commandos are the superior warriors. This question is difficult to answer as each conflict or situation is different. Astartes are the more versatile unit, which in the end I value more.

'''“The Legion Trygonis” of the Realm of Fathers''' – This realm has ever been a mysterious and vaguely sinister partner of the Vulkan Imperium, and their special forces are equally mysterious. It is rumored that the Legion Trygonis numbers in the billions, with each soldier armed to the teeth with sophisticated carapace armor and the most advanced weapons the Patriarch can mass-produce. The dark purple-armoured Trygonis Legion never remove their uniforms or fully-enclosed helmets in front of allies, but it is speculated that each soldier is a result of extensive selective breeding amongst the hybrid population, in order to produce the ideal specimen. They possess a portion of the terrific strength of their Genestealer overlords, as well as the biological resistance to all forms of infection or virus (''save of course, for the Life-Eater virus. Long may we fear that contagion above all others'') and a prodigious healing ability. Reports from human soldiers fighting alongside the legion claim they refuse all medical assistance, relying instead upon their own hooded priests. Other, more hysterical soldiers claim their blood is highly poisonous and corrosive. Each Legionnaire is generally silent; only their Colonel-Magi see the need to speak and speak only to their fully human allies (''I suspect for their allies’ convenience''). 

But it is their unparalleled military precision which marks the Trygonis as one of the best fighting forces in the Imperium; their brood mind link allows them to instantly communicate to every member of their sentry and in a wider sense, their legion. This is true of all Realm of Fathers armies, but the Trygonis remain the elite of their forces.
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