Editing Republican Commando (section)

== The <s>Kill-Team</s> COMMANDOS ==
Equipped with Mark VI 'Corvus' Power Armour and a dizzying array of weaponry, these warriors of the Deathwatch stand ready to face all comers. As a group of staunch professionals, they are often at odds with the leadership of the Tiji sector, as well as forced to confront the limits of their hypno-indoctrination as they feel true fear for the first time. Only by seeking out their ancient Legion forebears do they find the strength to fight Tiji's enemies.
* '''"Felleye" Brynjol, [[Space Wolves]] Assault <s>[[Wolf Priest|Wolf Priest]]</s> Contemptor Dreadnought''': First into a fight, last out, this boisterous bro has countless impressive kills under his belt, ranging from a Chaos Hellbringer Frigate to the Kill-Team's sobriety. For [[Guardians of the Covenant|some]] [[Librarian|reason]], he's taken an intense dislike to psykery and other inconvenient alterations to a battlefield, and any failure in his eyes will be met with intensive training. He can't hit the broad side of a barn with his pistol, but he doesn't need to when a power weapon in his hand can crush the barn, its foundation, and any unfortunate birds nesting nearby. As the designated driver when the team goes tanking, he's had substantially more luck with vehicular guns. Owns a pair of Heresy-era Wolverine-esque Burning Claws that he uses in tandem with his Crozius.
* '''Cortain, [[Aurora Chapter]] Forge Lord''': Fittingly for a [[Techmarine]] from a Chapter specializing in armored assaults with Predators and Land Raiders, this Marine is a tank: the flesh is weak, and Cortain is rather short on flesh these days. A veteran of the Damocles Crusade, he harbors a particular dislike for the Tau Empire, but is willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve the Commandos' mission and market it off for a quick buck as well. As artifacts of the XIII Legion are discovered, he's been honing his skills at close combat with the Gladius Invictus, a legendary blade that can pass through shields and defensive fields.. He's also the only member of the team to have reluctantly struck a bargain with Korst'la to ensure his continued support of the Commando's operations, which includes the odd wetwork job and the theft of ancient schematics, much to his distaste.
** '''Omega Rho Decima''': Cortain's specially requisitioned [[Thanatar Siege Automata]]. Between the massive Sollex Lascannon, Bolt Cannon, and the Graviton Ram, it is more than capable of filling in for any weaknesses its owner possesses.
* '''Cyril, [[Ice Wraiths]] <s>Tactical</s> <s>Seeker</s>Tactical Delegatus''': Once a calm man of few words and much dakka, Cyril has opened up more to his <s>cousins</s>BROTHERS in the Kill-Team than he has in his life. Away from the guidance of his Chapter and its Chaplains, though, he sometimes struggles with his temper - accordingly, he sends dataslates home to Nixarteria on a regular basis, sharing tales of archaeotech and wonderment while seeking counsel on how to avoid the [[Red Thirst|twin]] [[Black Rage|Curses]] of the [[Blood Angels]]. One archeotech weapon in particular is his Blood Angels Legion Photonic Blade, able to cut through flesh like butter, and blaze away the enemy's very soul. Always quick to mulch heretics with his pimped-out Storm Bolter and sing a song about it later over a pint with the Squats.
** '''Nomotok''': Cybernetically augmented [[Ice Wraiths#Yeti Companions|Nixarterian Yeti]] who is bound to Cyril's service and serves as a heavy support platform and mauling machine. Fluffy, quiet, and as durable as he is ravenous.
* '''[ REDACTED ], [ [[Guardians of the Covenant|REDACTED]] ] [ [[Librarian|REDACTED]] ]''': Nothing to see here. Move along, citizen.
* '''Temur Ganbataar, [[White Scars]] <s>Devastator</s>Tactical Champion''': Temur has surely been with the Commandos from the start. Zooming about with a heavy Grav Cannon and heavier Paragon Blade, he smites the enemies of the Emperor, and any filth that get too close find that his disdain for non-Astartes warriors is matched only by his skills with a sword. As a Son of the Great Khan, he's a virtuoso at the controls of bikes or skimmers, accomplishing maneuvers that even his agile teammates cannot match. He also wields a relic weapon of the White Scars Legion called the "Parthinian Serpent", an ancient energy bow that strikes with extreme speed and precision, and can be supercharged with elemental attacks..

===The Blade of the Long Watch===
A shining-white Exelion-class Void Battleship recovered by the Ordo Chronos and prepared for the Commandos through the combined efforts of all the resources of Tiji's Inquisition, this unique vessel serves as the team's interstellar transport, base of operations, and mighty weapon. Equipped with side-mounted Volkite Grand Bombards and Sunhammer Lances, crowned by a mighty Accelerator Cannon, and powered by an Atomantic Arc Reactor that can supercharge ship systems, the Blade of the Long Watch is easily able to gut entire fleets, so long as it is used intelligently. Myriad noncombat systems include a Void Abacus for independence from Navigators, Manufactorums that produce the Automata and weapons that serve the Commandos, a well-stocked Librarius containing archives of lore on the Tiji Sector [[Berserk|and]] [[Imperial Armour|more]], and a Medicae deck Wolf-ed up by the team's resident medic shortly after its installation.

===Support Crew===
In addition to hordes of abhuman Squats and the far more numerous automata that crew the Blade, the Commandos are advised by an elite few.
* '''Executor Theta-Ten-Sigma (Cognomen 'Thexus')''': A Castellax Paragon of Metal armed with a pair of Phosphex Projectors and a Darkfire Cannon, this phosphex-happy walking relic of the Great Crusade fought alongside many of the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade and well into the Horus Heresy. Recently recovered, he has been assigned to assist the Commandos, and his wealth of data on the past is as useful as his opinions of the present are critical - disdainful, even, if a Paragon of Metal were capable of emotion. His disregard for the lives of auxilia and citizen alike, as well as for collateral damage upon Imperial worlds, is at times concerning to the Commandos. Even more concerning is the fact that he appears to be operating under his own agenda, as if he were truly sapient...
* '''Rockfist Fearengine''': The Master of the Solar Sect of Mystic Wisdom, this Squat has seen it all. Among other things, he handles the day-to-day operation of the Blade and sometimes advises the Commandos' equipment selection before a mission - simple roles for the former Guildmaster of the Engineer's Guild. While more laid-back than many Squats, he still gets a bit testy when Thexus calls his people '[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial_Militia_and_Cults_(30k)#Provenances_of_War|helots]]' and isn't fond of Rose calling them 'midgets' either.
* '''Rose LaKhora''': This young woman has slumbered for even longer than Thexus. Retrieved from a Dark Age of Technology ship in a joint action with the Ordo Chronos, the psyker is quite literally from a different time, and now finds herself the sole survivor thrust into a millennium of supersoldiers, war, and skull motifs. An aspiring engineer before she was put in stasis for Warp travel, her passing familiarity with archeotech is a valuable asset, and her innocent naivete helps keep things in perspective for the Commandos. Her abilities as a psyker need practice, but already she shows promise - a pity the same cannot be said of her martial prowess. It is hoped that strange new equipment will change that...
* '''Barzhad O'Malley''': Living Ancestor of the Squats, O'Malley's probably the oldest thing out there and thus has gathered enough power to be a psyker.  After Bryn joined the Priesthood, O'Malley decided to open his Pub back on the Blade and take up Bryn as an accomplice in the arts of brewing and Psyker-hating.

====Variable Fighter Strike Suits====
The Variable Fighter Strike Suits (VF/SS for short) are four-of-a-kind technological marvels built by the Squat Engineer's Guild under Guildmaster Velm for the Commandos' use, controlled by a variant of the MIU.
Each plane is equipped by default with missile bays and a Phased Plasma Autocannon, as well as a deadly secret: They transform into Macross-tier space mechs. Each one has options to be customized per the pilot's specifications, but the opportunities for this have come few and far between.

====Crusader Invictus====
One of three legendary "God Machines" that hail from the Dark Age. The easiest way to explain it is as a Titan the size of a capital ship with a sword the size of a smaller ship. Such a one-of-a-kind weapon also requires a special conduit to power its atomantic wrath: Rose. Together, they form an engine of destruction the likes of which has never been seen before, nor ever will be again.
Aside from its ancient battleship weaponry, it also comes with said sword and the ability to fire its fists like rockets. All of this is powered by an Atomantic Arc Reactor that is even more powerful than the one on the Blade. With this and the additional upgrades acquired by the Merchant, there is hope that it could finally end whatever plagues this sector...

===Other Characters===
Some of the established characters of [[Setting:Tiji Sector/People|Tiji]] show up in cameos, but a number play an integral role in the story.
*'''Inquistors Dre, Doggfather and Shady''': Officially, the Commandos are acting under orders from these three inquisitors, providing them with all the sweet archeotech wargear they need to fight the myriad threats against the sector. Unofficially, the Commandos consider them to be extremely unprofessional and don't take their duties seriously enough due to their frequent smoking and cavalier attitude towards xenos (see below). Nonetheless, they've been a major resource in identifying threats against the sector.
*'''House of Korst'la''': The commandos are trained to hate xenos as a matter of duty, but they have an especial loathing for the Tau crimelord Korst'la, and would have purged him long ago had not the local Ordo Xenos branch  sanctioned him. Korst'la, meanwhile, uses the Commandos' popularity to his advantage through merchandising rights and the odd favor. In fact, he's quite eager to invite the Commandos on his various outings, whether it be on a night out at his nightclub, or on safari chasing after dangerous prey.
*'''The Merchant''': This weird cloaked guy pops up every now and then to offer upgrades to the commandos, whether it be personal wargear, VF/SS modules, or even starship weapons/Crusader Invictus upgrades. Just how he hides a starship gun under his trench coat remains a mystery. The commandos do not question this and are simply happy for the free loots.
*'''Ramsestron''': This eccentric Phaeron befriends the local Imperial children, and to the Commandos dismay, he takes a liking to them as well. In fact, he offers them the service of his giant metal dragon in a fight against traitor marines. Ramsestron also warns the Commandos of the future that will happen if the Hellstar isn't stopped.
*'''[[Deffwotch]]''': No direct appearances, but they're described reverentially as the Commandos' predecessors. These Orks-come-Space Marines narrowly miss the Commandos themselves. Which is probably a good thing, as the Commandos aren't likely to be fooled by their cheap disguises. They definitely won't appreciate the fact that the Looted Krooza is a God-Machine just like Crusader Invictus.

===Adversaries===
*'''The Hellstar''': A terrifying abomination of posited and confirmed to be from ''another dimension'' of insanity and Insight. It is a massive orb covered in eyes, the size of a planet, and its piercing gaze will fill even the most heavily indoctrinated Astartes with crippling fear. The Hellstar's arrival to a world is heralded by a slow but sudden increase in insanity and the appearance of various monstrosities that grow more powerful as the hour draws near. An entity known as the Herald of the Hellstar will appear near the end, appearing at first to be a human woman, but with enough Insight and insanity revealing itself to be a shadowy, spindly, twin-tailed creature with a single eye through its split skull, trailing tentacles from its head and leaking pale white blood from its exposed ribcage. Once the Hellstar itself finally arrives, its massive size will consume the sky, and even the planet itself if not stopped in time. While the Commandos have been able to drive it away from a few worlds, others have not been so lucky. Starship weaponry has no effect on the creature; only Crusader Invictus has been shown to have any effect whatsoever. The [[BBEG]].
*'''The Black Caste''': An extremely aggressive Tau invasion force that marshals under a strangely religious version of The Greater Good. The Black Caste is lead by various "Paragons" of the five Tau castes, with each paragon armed with a unique battlesuit, or in their Ethereal Paragon's case, advanced nanodrones.. All of the paragons are completely fanatical to the Ethereal Paragon, and demand the absolute subjugation of the worlds they invade. In short, these guys are what the Tau would look like if they took more cues from the Imperium.
*'''Craftworld Kionash''': Destroyed long ago, the survivors of this fallen Craftworld oftentimes seek revenge against Imperial citizens. The Commandos regard them as little more than a nuisance; even Korst'la enjoys kicking them around and using them as targets for live-fire weapons demos, while his second Khodexus uses them to make [[wat|Farseer smoothies,]] a favorite among inquisitors.
*'''Hive Fleet Nidhoggr''': This Tyranid fleet specializes in an unorthodox method of invasion; arriving by asteroid, they burrow deep below the planet's surface, multiplying until they have sufficient numbers to burst forth from the ground and swarm the surface.
*'''Khepri, The Transforming Strength''': This Necron Phaeron is one of Ramsestron's rivals, and has given the Ordo Chronos multiple headaches for his time-shifting shenanigans. Able to split himself into past and present versions to fight simultaneously in three forms, he is also almost entirely made of Scarabs and makes use of multiple cheap tricks to throw opponents off-balance.