Void Angels

"And the guardians, who guards them?"

Void Angels
Battle Cry	"For the Imperium!"
Number	V
Founding	First Founding
Successors of	N/A
Successor Chapters	Scores, including the Abyssal Reavers, Angels Imperious, Angels Vigilant, Chastisers, Covenanters, The Infernals, The Mercurials, and The Saracens
Chapter Master	Phan Van Ty
Primarch	Gaspard Lumey
Homeworld	Ciban IV
Strength	140,000 at the beginning of the Heresy, growing to a peak of over 200,000. 1,000 after the Reforms of the Institurom Astartes
Specialty	Insurrection and liberation, xenos-fighting
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours	Pale blue and dark blue

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

The Void Angels are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter, originally one of the great Legiones Astartes and led by the Primarch Gaspard Lumey. Their early history was clouded with controversy. In the time of the Great Crusade they were regularly accused of cowardice, rebellion, and especially cruelty. Yet the Void Angels emerged as the foremost defenders of the Imperium, credited with re-establishing its borders at the end of the Hektor Heresy. Their Primarch also had the wisdom to lay down his arms at the end of that great campaign, breaking up his Legion and establishing the modern form of the Space Marine Chapter.

History of the Void Angels

The Void Angels are the greatest of the Space Marine Chapters. Though their history has had no shortage of setbacks, the genius of the Void Angels is their ability to emerge stronger from each failure.

Beginnings

Before dispatching the Sacred Band to the field, Hektor Cincinnatus gave a rousing speech to his warriors. I don't recall the specifics but it seemed that he had little of substance to tell the men. At any rate, Hektor's own gene-sons were greatly moved and began a rousing cheer. The cries of adulation spread throughout the Sacred Band, but the Fifth Squad stood silent. Mamercus half-turned his head towards where I stood at the side of the field, and his grey gaze caught my own. I was struck by the look on his long, solemn face. Worry tugged at his thin lips and fine lines crossed his brow. That was the last time I saw Mamercus alive.

- Antoine Antonelle, private briefing to Gaspard Lumey

Antoine Antonelle supervises a training exercise

It was not the Space Marines who fought the early battles of the Emperor's unification of Terra. Another generation of genetically-enhanced soldiers, the bygone Thunder Warriors were made to win through the savagery that had overcome humanity's birth-world. But even as the Thunder Warriors sacrificed for the future, their successors were taking shape. Deep below the Himalazian Mountains, the Emperor developed his greatest creations, the Primarchs. Of these mighty beings, all but one would be stolen by the Ruinous Powers and scattered across the Galaxy. The progenitor of the Fifth Legion was not the exception, but samples of his genetics were still used to create the gene-seed of a breed of heroic Space Marines.

Hektor Cincinnatus, the first and last of the Primarchs, was the original leader and tutor of the Space Marines. His Sacred Band, made up of the first squad from each of what would become the Legiones Astartes, contributed to the hard-fought Pacification of the Merican Hives. Mamercus led the Fifth Squad in Hektor's Sacred Band with some success in the early part of the campaign. However, Fifth Squad would meet a tragic end in the Battle of San Angelus. During the confused fighting within the great hive, Mamercus' men encountered a band of enraged Thunder Warriors. The mighty but primitive warriors were running amok, and did not recognise Fifth Squad as their allies. Mamercus and his men were all slain.

Some believe that this unfortunate episode set the Fifth on the path of mistrust and suspicion. Others claim that their psychological tendency was determined by Gaspard Lumey's gene-seed. A third theory holds that the Fifth's status as outsiders stemmed from their members being lost from the Sacred Band, robbing them of bond of fellowship that Hektor Cincinnatus sought to forge throughout the Legiones Astartes. Whatever the precise combination of reasons, the Fifth would be set apart from their brother marines and lost the men who had been singled out as their most promising officer candidates. Mamercus and his fellows, drawn from the Emperor's bodyguard, were all outstanding warriors and natural leaders of men. The man to whom the responsibility of leading the nascent Legion now fell was neither.

Antoine Antonelle was - by the standards of the Astartes - an adequate warrior, no more. His advancement as an officer candidate hinged on his natural talent for explaining complex ideas in simple terms, the critical ability of a master organiser. The Terran adepts charged with grooming the Space Marines had singled Antonelle out as a future quartermaster for the valiant warriors of Fifth Squad. Yet by a quirk of fate he was pushed forward to preside over the development of the whole Legion. Though Antonelle was undoubtedly a highly competent officer, his mild manner and unusual command priorities failed to convince anyone that the Fifth were a worthy participant in the Emperor's Great Crusade.

In the first place, locating the Legion's headquarters on Terra and focusing on training won Antonelle no favours with the Sacred Band. He was generally sneered at as a coward, and on at least one episode the Primarch Hektor Cincinnatus had to be reminded that the Fifth had survived their disaster in the Merican Hives. However, Antonelle's priorities let him put his own imprint on his new officers, fostering free-thinkers and leaving the close-minded in the ranks. Although this spirit of independence produced some stunning successes - especially under the aggressive leadership of Fabrice Diallo - it jarred the sensibilities of many of the Legion commanders that the Fifth fought under. Diallo found a temporary home for his squadron under the Primarch Arelex Orannis. As the Second Legion pushed into the Ultima Segmentum, Diallo's men were often used to unlock defences with quick, decisive movements. Their crowning victory at the Battle of the Caspian Heights, part of the Pacification of Nihos III, is still preserved in the Institutorum Astartes as a model of manoeuvre warfare. If they commanded a small presence on the battlefield, the significance of Diallo's work should still not be understated. Were it not for the personal intervention of grateful Arelex Orannis, the Fifth might have been disbanded in their early years.

Even with Orannis's patronage, the Fifth "Legion" was constantly starved of recruits and material, and deployed piecemeal to support other Legions in need of additional Astartes. Scattered and under-supplied, the Fifth numbered only barely over a hundred when Roman Albrecht, Primarch of the Steel Marshals was discovered. On assuming command, Albrecht took it upon himself to aid the leaderless Legions and requested that the First Squadron of the Fifth be transferred to his command from the War Scribes. With the help of the Steel Marshals, Antonelle slowly built his force up to three squadrons before the rediscovery of the Fifth's own Primarch.

In the void of space, however, the Fifth were more successful. The Tech Priests of Mars felt no kindness to Antonelle, but they treated him as a respected captain of the Emperor's Legions and readily fulfilled his modest requests for ships and modifications. Careful husbanding of fleet resources and a spirit of experimentation led to the development of a solid naval cadre. Many of the Legion's officers and sergeants became highly skilled ship captains, confident and experienced in three-dimensional conflict.

Yet Antonelle's little victories, measured in keeping the Legion alive and nourishing a cadre, would be put into the shadows by the rediscovery of Gaspard Lumey on the Civilised World of Ciban IV. Unlike many of his brothers, Lumey had not conquered his homeworld. Instead, he had fought alongside its people in their wars of liberation and contended himself in the life of an ordinary citizen, if a highly-respected one. Perhaps surprisingly, the Emperor seemed well-pleased by Gaspard Lumey's achievements, and if the Primarch did not shake the Fifth's maverick reputation his presence at least commanded a certain amount of attention and respect.

Order of Battle

By the time of Gaspard Lumey's rediscovery, the so-called "Tag-along Legion" fielded three squadrons of Astartes, equipped as air-mobile infantry due to their association with the Steel Marshals and War Scribes, plus four cruisers and seventeen escorts. In this period, their co-operation with Imperial Army and Taghmata Omnissiah forces was ad-hoc and arranged through other Legion commands.

Headquarters: Terra

• Legion Commander: Chapter Master Antoine Antonelle
• Staff: Master of Recruits Remus Alsara, Master of Armaments Kimmel Freeman
• Training Squadron (eighty-five Neophytes, separated into year-grade Sections)
• Command ship: Endurance (modified "Avenger"-Class Grand Cruiser)
• Naval Reserve: Assuré ("Sword"-Class Frigate), Aventurier ("Spectre"-Class Warp Runner), Constant ("Sword"-Class Frigate), Dard ("Spectre-Class Warp Runner), Tigre" ("Thunderbolt"-Class Heavy Frigate)

First Squadron (attached to Steel Marshals operations in Segmentum Tempestus)

• Commander Section: (Lieutenant Uli Dreier, Techmarine Sándor Ozséb, Techmarine Merle Marcheterre, Apothecary Kensei Nan)
• Section 1.1: Tactical (Sergeant Khurush Danaad + 13 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.2: Tactical (Sergeant Astor Bellerose + 12 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.3: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Vincent Généreux + 8 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.4: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Yohann Sauveterre + 6 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.5: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Yuan Hao + 7 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.6: Heavy Support (Sergeant Parris Herriot + 8 Battle Brothers)
• Air Support: Three Storm Eagle Assault Gunships, one Fire Raptor Gunship
• Naval Support: Persévérance ("Olympia"-Class Cruiser), Catapulte ("Vigil"-Class Siege Frigate), Hussard ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), Lansquenet ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), Mameluck ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer).

Second Squadron (attached to Eyes of the Emperor operations in Ultima Segmentum)

• Command Section: (Lieutenant Fabrice Diallo, Techmarine Hoàng Doãn Quốc, Techmarine Samuel Yegorov, Apothecary Mherke Dawewda)
• Section 1.1: Tactical (Sergeant Marcus Iustus + 16 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.2: Tactical (Sergeant Jalal Samaha + 14 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.3: Assault (Sergeant Quintus Iuventus + 15 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.4: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Jeremy Gallop + 9 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.5: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Salaheddine Wisman + 6 Battle Brothers)
• Air Support: Two Storm Eagle Assault Gunships, two Fire Raptor Gunships
• Naval Support: Détermination ("Olympia"-Class Cruiser), Bombarde ("Vigil"-Class Siege Frigate), Carabinier ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), Tirailleur ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), Voltigeur ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer).

Third Squadron (en route to join Steel Marshals operations, Segmentum Tempestus)

• Command Section: (Lieutenant Unai Garrastazu, Techmarine Baltasár Lucero, Techmarine Rajmund Król, Apothecary Bhenam Khanhsaz)
• Section 1.1: Tactical (Sergeant Publius Spurinus + 18 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.2: Tactical (Sergeant Delfin Armenta + 17 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.3: Assault (Sergeant Kesh Kanak + 14 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.4: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Renan Rodrigues Santos + 7 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.5: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Joso Nikolić + 7 Battle Brothers)
• Section 1.6: Heavy Support (Sergeant Mario Mueller + 9 Battle Brothers)
• Air Support: Three Storm Eagle Assault Gunships
• Naval support: Ténacité ("Olympia"-Class Cruiser), Baliste ("Vigil"-Class Siege Frigate), Arquebuse ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), Harpon ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), Javeline ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer).

Notable Campaigns

• Battle of San Angelus. During this action, Thunder Warriors slew the Fifth squad of the Sacred Band. This disaster robbed the Fifth Legion of the men who would have been its leaders.
• Battle of the Caspian Heights. Fought under the command of the War Scribes. Fabrice Diallo executed a brilliant attack on the Orkish defenders, harrying the greenskins beyond their ability to co-ordinate resistance.
• Battle of Five Legions. Uli Dreier led a small contingent of Fifth Legionnaires under the command of the Steel Marshals. Although their contribution was small, Roman Albrecht generously recognised Dreier's command as one of the eponymous Five Legions.

A Legion in the Great Crusade

Gaspard Lumey

The tiny cadre that Antoine Antonelle had assembled before Gaspard Lumey was found now became the nucleus for a rapidly-growing Legion. Though Ciban IV and the Markian Pact did not have the population of Old Terra, these were worlds full of healthy humans, largely free of mutations and steeped in a rich culture already close to the Imperial Truth. Whereas before the Fifth had struggled for even a trickle of recruits, the gene-wrights and bio-Magi newly assigned to the newly-established Collegium Majoris on Ciban IV were astonished by the quantity and quality of aspirants presented to them. Rather than swamping the Antonelle's limited staff with a flood of Neophytes, the decision was made to select only the very cream of the crop. In the process young men who would have been considered for the honour of joining the famous Warriors of Dawn had they been presented on Terra were instead turned away and inducted into the officer programmes of the Fifth Legion's increasingly-powerful auxilia.

While these recruits were inducted, turned into Space Marines, and readied for war the first years of Gaspard Lumey's rule of the Fifth seemed quiet. His Establishment Decree of 851.M30 laid out new roles for the Legionnaires and formalised the structure of its squadrons. Along with his organisational reform, Lumey imparted a new sense of purpose and understanding to his Legion. The ideals of the Great Crusade, close to their own culture, were taken up easily by recruits from the Markian subsector. What the Primarch added was the understanding that the Xenos, Witch-kings, and petty tyrants who had long preyed upon mankind were pitiless and unyielding. He taught the defenders of humanity that they had to be just as resolved and uncompromising as their foes. Those who put petty self-interest above the need for a united humanity were almost as bad as its avowed enemies.

In the field of battle, Fifth Legion managed to round out the pacification of the Al-Sherar Sector with the aid of the Forge World Ghalhal and auxiliary troops from Ciban IV and the Markian Pact. The bitter fighting on Ciban IV during the Al-Sherar Sector War hammered home the lessons that Lumey had taught, and the counter-offensive that secured the Sector proved the correctness of his programme. More importantly, the discovery of the mighty Forge World Al-Sherar gave the Fifth access to a flood of advanced equipment to make good the supplies they had been denied from the Segmentum Solar. At this juncture, Gaspard Lumey and his senior commanders decided to found a covert training center, or Collegium Minoris, to train additional recruits on the moon of Ciban IV, Mikkeline. A second Collegium Minoris was founded shortly afterwards on the Markian Pact world, Kouralia. These secret facilities were supervised by Fifth Legion's own apothecaries and assisted by the Kazi of Al-Sherar. Battle brothers trained in the Collegia Minoris were assigned to secret units, so-called Wraith Corps tasked with combating Xenos on the flanks of the Fifth Legion's publicly acknowledged Expeditionary Fleets.

The rationale for this deception remains unclear. In the secret histories of the modern Void Angels chapter, the matter is explained as a safeguard against internal enemies and implies that the Fifth Legion commanders feared a military attack organised by the Sacred Band. This theory has a superficial plausibility but does not sit well with the decision to disband the Wraith Corps and integrate their manpower into the main body of the Legion following the hard fighting against WAAAGH! Rok'Ed in 897-898.M30. During this period of refit, the Collegia Minoris were given official founding ceremonies and would henceforth openly contribute to the Legion's ever-expanding demands. With their strength now open to the rest of the Imperium, Fifth Legion set out on an audacious display. The Legion's famous accomplishment of bringing one thousand sectors into Compliance during the year 900.M30 might be somewhat exaggerated, but it won them their famous moniker Winged Victory and considerable attention.

Yet if weakness had brought contempt, strength now raised fears. The strong ties of culture that bound Winged Victory's Space Marines, their homeworld of Ciban IV, and their allies in the Markian Pact led to mutterings that Gaspard Lumey was attempting to build his own power-base, independent of the Emperor. The Sacred Band of Hektor Cincinnatus were particularly hostile, and the Primarch of the Wolves of Dawn became increasingly suspicious of Lumey's activity - perhaps justifiably, given the Wraith Corps deception. Further attention to the Fifth's combat records also won them a fearsome reputation for ruthlessness. Though the Legion welcomed those who were prepared to accept the Imperial Truth, they consistently met resistance with brutality and punished those who dared to defy the Emperor as an object lesson for other peoples.

At the Council of Nikaea, Lumey took the podium to demand strict regulations of psykers. However his bitterness towards The Voidseer drove his case into extremism and a universal condemnation of "any and all traffic with the Irrational." If the immediate decision of the Emperor was to his liking, the outcome of the Council was costly for Lumey. His tirade turned many of the other Primarchs against him and the action at Karazak was put under investigation. Eventually, the Military Council ruled that the Fifth had employed excessive force in subduing the Core Worlds and Winged Victory was dispatched to the Galactic fringe, where worlds were less populous. Hektor Cincinnatus remarked, "Though none can doubt the crusading zeal of the Fifth Legion, it is a cause of great regret that their fervour led to the ravaging of a world as useful as Karazak."

On the long voyage out, Lumey circulated an essay among his men explaining his acceptance of Imperial censure. According to the Primarch, censure of the Fifth proved the good health of the Imperium's institutions. Had they escaped without investigation, trial, and appropriate punishment, it would be a sign that the dream of mankind was imperiled by its own armies. The irony of this statement has not been lost on later generations, but Lumey's message and especially his concluding phrase, "If we are to dwell in the Void, then let us be its Angels!" was eagerly taken up by the Fifth Legion: the Void Angels.

Notable Campaigns

• 853.M30: Pacification of the Chwiorydd Hardd. The Chwiorydd Hardd system was an outpost of a slaving race known as the Amatteir. Gaspard Lumey chose to start his pacification of the Al-Sherar Sector here in order to eliminate a possible threat to the Imperium's new conquests. The operation was successful and blooded the Fifth's Auxilia, having a particularly strong effect on the soldiers from the Markian Pact.

• 857.M30: Al-Sherar Sector War. Following their success at Chwiorydd Hardd, Fifth Legion faced a severe test. The vengeful Amatteir launched a planetary invasion of Gaspard Lumey's homeworld. A bitter resistance campaign, eventually reinforced by the Legio Cataegis of Ghalhal, threw off the Xenos. Lumey then seized the initiative and launched a brilliant series of counter-attacks, shattering the Amatteir Empire and rediscovering the mighty Forge World Al-Sherar.

• 868.M30: The Curis-4 Compliance Gaspard Lumey's 25th Expedition Fleet encountered an advanced human civilisation, dominated by a fierce warrior caste. The Fifth Legion's methods, though bloody and ruthless, broke the enemy resistance and left most of the civilian infrastructure intact.

• 900.M30: One Thousand Victories. In an outstanding feat of military planning, Fifth Legion secures a thousand sectors in a single year. Mopping up operations by the Imperial Army continue until 904.M30, but Imperial Remembrancers overlook this in favour of repeating Roman Albrecht's glowing tribute to "Winged Victory" throughout human space.

• 973-976.M30: Pacification of the Harakien Sector. As the threat of the Harakien Eldar Empire became more clear, Gaspard Lumey was tasked with its elimination. Fifth Legion spearheaded the operation, but the great ranks of the Imperial Army played an important role. After the campaign, the Primarch greatly praised the heroism shown by ordinary men and women, such as the stubborn 38th Auron Infantry and Captain Jeanne d'Orléans of the Ciban Chasseurs.

• 998.M30: Core Worlds Campaign. The Core Worlds confederation was one of the most developed human space realms encountered by the expanding Imperium. Conscious of their strength, the Core Lords expected the Imperium to make an accommodation. Had these proud aristocrats been better-briefed on Gaspard Lumey, they might have negotiated with the Primarch more carefully. Instead, the Core Lords' arrogance and greed ruined any hope of peace. On the third day of fruitless talks, Gaspard Lumey called an end to the proceedings with a sharp, bitter denunciation. "You have answered every concession with another demand. Your greed will be your end." Winged Victory quickly moved to attack, and hostilities lasted just a few months. The Fifth Legion laid waste to the Core Worlds that dared to resist, while their meeker brethren hastened to submit. Though others muttered that Gaspard Lumey had cost the Imperium potential loyal subjects and industrial facilities, the Emperor never censured him.

The Heresy and the Scouring

Numeration: The Vth Legion

Primogenator: Gaspard Lumey

Cognomen (Prior): Neverwas, Tag-along, The Butchers of Kazara, The Extras, Winged Victory.

Observed Strategic Tendencies: Manoeuvre warfare, propaganda and political terror.

Noteworthy Domains: Al-Sherar Sector, Dolsene

Allegiance: Fedelitas Constantus (applied retroactively - their allegiance was considered unknown until 014.M31)

Our past is not a curse, but a great series of lessons. We have had the opportunity to know insignificance, infamy, and suspicion, all without wavering in our beliefs. As we set sail for an Imperium riven by strife and disorder, we shall draw on that history of pure purpose. Do not just take heart, brothers, but establish your confidence on the basis of the objective truth.

Antoine Antonelle, Deputy Speaker of the Legion, 009.M31

Exile to the periphery of the Milky Way was not overly hard on the Fifth Legion. They had long been outsiders among the Legiones Astartes; cut off from the Sacred Band, alternatively sneered at for their weakness then feared for their strength, mocked for softness and finally censured for actions less harsh than those of the Life Bringers or Sons of Fire. The distance from Terra was even viewed by some as a reprieve from the politics of status and privilege that was so foreign to the Void Angels' homeworlds in the Markian subsector.

During the Fifth's journey back towards Sol they encountered a mysterious group of warriors who came to be known as the Void Wraiths. It was from the Void Wraiths that Lumey first learned of the Heresy in detail, although he remained sceptical about the particulars of their story. Nonetheless, the Void Angels determined to move on Sol to aid the Emperor and defeat his enemies, whoever they might be.

In preparation for this campaign, the Void Wraiths were incorporated into the Void Angels, forming the first Commando Squadrons. They also contributed a full combat Corps, the so-called Wraith Corps, under command of their own leader, "Fallen Angel". These warriors took on many of the most difficult combat assignments during this period. It is not clear whether they were deliberately used as cannon fodder or volunteered for these duties. Most point to Fallen Angel chasing the Traitors into the Eye of Terror itself as a sign that the Void Wraiths were seeking redemption or vengeance against the forces of Chaos.

Acting on the advice of the Void Wraiths, Gaspard Lumey reassembled his Legion's Librarium under their old commander, Jeffrey Dinola. The Void Angels Librarians were charged with protecting the Task Force from the powers of the Warp, but they were watched carefully by their battle brothers. Lumey assured the psykers that he would accept full responsibility for their actions if charges were pressed under the Nikaean decrees.

Dubious of traitors within his ranks, Lumey detached the Imperial Army formations that had accompanied the Void Angels to the Galactic Fringe and stationed them as garrisons on less critical worlds. In their place, a great mass of brigades of ordinary soldiers, organised along similar lines to Marine Brigades, were raised from Ciban IV and the Markian Pact. Lumey also called up new classes of infantry from his homeworld, Ciban, replacing suspect Imperial Army formations with fresh troops whose loyalty was beyond question. In all, the Fifth's Task Force Rubicon numbered over 200,000 Astartes and over two hundred million ordinary soldiers together with a powerful naval element.

This mighty force only arrived at Sol in time for Wraith Corps to engage in a brief clash with the Black Augurs in the Saturn theatre. But once the Fifth concentrated their full strength in the outer Solar system, difficulties arose. Neither the Emperor nor Malcador was available to vouch for the Loyalists on Terra, leading Lumey to question whether they were the Imperium's defenders or its would-be conquerors. A week of terse communiques went by, hampered by Lumey's refusal to attend his brother Primarchs at the Imperial Palace. Humanity held its breath - then the Void Angels departed the Solar system and dispersed their great fleet across the Empire.

The ruthless campaign Lumey led against every trace of Heresy and betrayal became known as the Great Scouring. No account of the casualties of the Void Angels' purge was never made, as the traitors had already made their lives forfeit, but there can be no doubt that hundreds of billions perished. Few protested Lumey's actions. In fact, during the years of the Scourging, the Void Angels and their Primarch became the popular face of the Astartes. Victories, especially the hard-fought battle against the Life Bringers at Rai, were a greater source of hope than the memories of Bohemond and Kleisthenes.

Leading the Great Scouring of Traitors and Renegades made the Void Angels seem indispensable to the Imperium. Lumey's decision to resign his command and, along with Arelex Orannis, supervise the dismantling of the great Legiones Astartes into Space Marine Chapters came as a shock, but would in later years be seen as the Primarch's greatest achievement. Who else had risen so high without falling to ambition?

Order of Battle

Headquarters

• Task Force Commander: Primarch Gaspard Lumey (commanding from the Redoutable)
• Deputy Commander: Marshal Antoine Elkhabar (commanding from The Light of Reason)
• Naval Commander: Senator Kesh Kanak (commanding from the Resolve)

Forces under Gaspard Lumey's direct command:

• Legion Librarium (Headed by Jeffrey Dinola and dispersed through the Task Force)
• 1st and 2nd Void Angels Brigades (6,000 Astartes)
• 3rd Void Angels Marine Corps
  • 3 Marine Brigades (9,000 Astartes)
• 4th Void Angels Marine Corps
  • 3 Marine Brigades (9,000 Astartes)
• 8th Void Angels Marine Corps
  • 3 Marine Brigades (9,000 Astartes)
• Airmobile Reserve Army
  • 6 Corps (approximately 300,000 soldiers)
• Naval Task Groups
  • Task Group R1
    • Task Element R1.1 "Resolve" (Gloriana-Class), "Terrible" (Retribution-Class), and escorting vessels
    • Task Element R1.2 "Redoutable" (Emperor-Class), "Formidable" (Nemesis-Class), and escorting vessels
    • Task Element R1.3 "The Light of Reason" (Ciban-Class), "Glaive" (Ironclad-Class), "Halberd" (Ironclad-Class), and escorting vessels
  • R2 (reserve cruiser force)
• Security Force
  • Equivalent of 10 Army Groups (20,000,000 soldiers)

Advance Forces

Commander: "Fallen Angel"

• Wraith Corps
  • 3 Reinforced Marine Brigades (12,000 Astartes)
• Naval Task Group R3
  • Task Element R3.1: VASC-022, VASC-039, VASC-104, VASC-106, VASC-118 (presumed to be Strike Cruisers)
  • Task Element R3.2: VASC-005, VASC-044, VASC-084, VASC-119, VASC-120 (presumed to be Strike Cruisers)
  • Task Element R3.3: VASC-048, VASC-051, VASC-080, VASC-088, VASC-098 (presumed to be Strike Cruisers)
  • Task Element R3.4: VABB-022, VABB-023, VABB-028 (presumed to be Battle Barges), and escorts
  • Task Element R3.5: VABB-015, VABB-018, VABB-025 (Presumed to be Battle Barges), and escorts
  • Task Element R3.6: VABC-008 (presumed to be a Battle Cruiser), VACA-058, VACA-77 (presumed to be heavy cruisers), and escorts
  • Task Element R3.7: Fast Transports and escorts
  • Task Element R3.8: Fast Transports and escorts

First Echelon

Commander: Senator Fabrice Diallo

• First Army (Commander: Gabriel Naudé)
  • Four Marine Corps (36,000 Astartes)
• Second Army (Commander: Tahar Djaout)
  • Four Marine Corps (36,000 Astartes)
• Third Army (Commander: Quế Đường)
  • Four Marine Corps (36,000 Astartes)
• Naval Task Group R4
  • Task Element R4.1 "Téméraire" (Retribution-Class), "Triumphant" (Retribution-Class), and escorting vessels.
  • Task Element R4.2 "Impossible" (Emperor-Class), "Imperious" (Avenger-Class), and escorting vessels
• Naval Task Group R5
  • Task Element R5.1 "Élan" (Basileus-Class) and escorting vessels
  • Task Element R5.2 "Esprit" (Basileus-Class) and escorting vessels
  • Task Element R5.3 "Arrogant" (Legatus-Class) and escorting vessels

Second Echelon

Commander: Senator Mai Dac Kien

• Fourth Army (Commander: Alexandre Awala)
  • Two Marine Corps (18,000 Astartes)
  • Two Army Corps (40,000 soldiers)
• Fifth Army (Commander: Richard Dogbeh)
  • Two Marine Corps (18,000 Astartes)
  • Two Army Corps (40,000 soldiers)
• Sixth Army (Commander: Augustin Caron)
  • Two Marine Corps (18,000 Astartes)
  • Two Army Corps (40,000 soldiers)
• Naval Task Group R6 (Cruisers)
• Naval Task Group R7 (Transport ships and escorts)

Third Echelon

Commander: Marshal Jeanne d'Orléans

• Army Group A
  • Six Armies (approximately 2,000,000 soldiers)
• Army Group B
  • Six Armies (approximately 2,000,000 soldiers)
• Army Group C
  • Six Armies (approximately 2,000,000 soldiers)
• Army Group D
  • Six Armies (approximately 2,000,000 soldiers)
• Army Group E
  • Six Armies (approximately 2,000,000 soldiers)
• Naval Task Group R8 (Transport ships and escorts)

Fourth Echelon

Commander: Grand Marshal Marius Marie-Gaston Verdun

• Army Group F
  • Six Armies (approximately 2,000,000 soldiers)
• Army Group G
  • Six Armies (approximately 2,000,000 soldiers)
• Army Group H
  • Six Armies (approximately 2,000,000 soldiers)
• Army Group I
  • Six Armies (approximately 2,000,000 soldiers)
• Army Group J
  • Six Armies (approximately 2,000,000 soldiers)
• Naval Task Group R9 (Transport ships and escorts)

Notable Campaigns

• Battle of Rai, 016.M31. Fighting alongside The Entombed, the Void Angels purged the homeworld of the traitor Johannes Vrach. Although victorious, the Legion suffered considerable losses, including their former leader Antoine Antonelle. The death of Antonelle at the hands of Tribulus Bercilak began a bitter rivalry between the Void Angels and the Green Men.

Culture

From their beginnings, the Fifth Legion were set apart from the other Space Marines but oddly close to the rest of humanity. They found it easy to fraternise with the Imperial Army - or even civilians! - but looked on the sons of other Primarchs with some suspicion. Many Legionnaires maintained hobbies that would have been considered wildly eccentric in other Legions, such as acting and photojournalism. And though they were quiet about the point, the Fifth's allegiance to the Emperor was always conditional, a loyalty to the ideas and not the man.

Their spirit of rational inquiry struggled to deal with the madness of the Warp. Jeffrey Dinola's Librarus slowly established regularities even in irrationality, but their pain-staking work was done under the strictest supervision. The Legion's hatred of the Black Augurs was almost elemental and did little to endear psykers to the sons of Lumey.

Uniquely sheltered from the fighting of the Hektor Heresy, the Void Angels never felt the need to drastically alter the beliefs and methods that they had cherished during the Great Crusade. Even ten thousand years later, the Chapter still believes firmly in the old Imperial Truth and sees itself as a guardian of the Emperor's great vision of a united Humanity ascendant over the stars. The old-fashioned beliefs of the Void Angels sometimes raise eyebrows in other parts of the Imperium, especially as the sons of Gaspard Lumey still hold that the denizens of the warp are merely ill-understood xenos of an extraordinary nature, rather than fundamentally different creatures.

Notable Domains

Despite their slow start in the Great Crusade, the Fifth established a secure base in the Al-Sherar Sector. Their exile to the galactic fringe proved less fruitful, but the Void Angels still found some places of refuge and support at the edge of the Galaxy.

• Ciban IV. Gaspard Lumey's homeworld is a hospitable planet, often compared favourably to a young Terra. The Void Angels are recognised by the Imperium as the world's feudal overlords, but on Ciban they recognise the elected civilian government as their superior. This unusual arrangement has aroused suspicion, but it is effective, generating a steady supply of gifted recruits for the Void Angels and a great mass of mortal regiments (or Demi-Brigades, in the local dialect).

• The Markian Pact. Close to Ciban IV and culturally similar, the worlds of the Markian Pact were quick to accept Gaspard Lumey and made great sacrifices for his cause.

• Dolsene. Although the Fifth took with them the great city-ship Light of Reason into exile, it was critical that they establish a base of operation in the Galactic fringe. Months of crusading, fighting against the orks and other xenos that inhabited these reaches, finally turned up a human world that had defied the terrors of Old Night. Dolsene's inhabitants were proud of their resilience and their traditions, and greeted the Void Angels dourly, but accepted an audience with Gaspard Lumey. If the Primarch had hoped to be received with the same rapture that the Markian Pact worlds exhibited, he was sorely disappointed. Dolsene accepted its annexation into the Imperium in 005.M31 without a shot being fired, but its tough people would not hold up Gaspard Lumey as their idol. Nonetheless, much came of their co-operation. Factories aboard the Light of Reason helped to upgrade Dolsene's production facilities, and the Void Angels set up orbital fortifications. In return, Dolsene tithed troops to Lumey's crusade.

Decorations

The Fifth Legion developed its own system of medals and awards. All of the soldiers who fought under Lumey's banner were eligible for the same awards, and it was not unusual for the Astartes and Auxilia to be recognised in the same ceremonies.

• The Markian Star was awarded to soldiers who showed conspicuous courage in the line of duty. It was famously given to the planet Ciban IV during the Al-Sherar Sector War in recognition of the stubborn civilian resistance.

Notable Members

Antoine Antonelle was the first Master of the Legion and became Equerry to Gaspard Lumey after the Primarch's rediscovery.

Augustin Carron, b. 851.M30 (Saint-Vercy, Ciban IV) was the second Equerry of the Fifth Legion and later the Chapter Master of the Mercurials. He was a brilliant commander, particularly famed for his lightning campaign in the Varrian Reach. Carron was a child of Gaspard Lumey's homeworld, Ciban IV and carried many of that planets virtues. He was cultured and well-read, and a firm believer in the dignity of human life. Yet he had also been a boy at the time of the Al-Sherar Sector War and witnessed the Invasion of Ciban IV at the beginning of that conflict. Carron's visceral hatred of Xenos never quite clouded his judgment, but it would leave its mark on the Mercurials.

Fabrice Diallo was a vigorous commander and hero of the Great Crusade. He went on to lead the Angels Imperious Second Founding Chapter.

Uli Dreier was the Legion's first major field commander, serving alongside the Steel Marshals with great distinction.

Jeffrey Dinola, b. 845.M30 (CH-4) He was a former slave, rescued from CH-4 and inducted into the Fifth Legion after being found to have an outstanding psychic talent. Dinola's prodigious abilities required him to be tutored by the Eyes of the Emperor, as Winged Victory lacked Librarians of their own. On his return, the young marine was assigned the daunting title of Chief Librarian of the Legion, a responsibility he would uphold with honour until the Council of Nikaea. At that conclave, Dinola spoke ahead of Gaspard Lumey, trialling what he believed to be the Primarch's position of a carefully monitored Librarium. Although he was shocked by Lumey's damning revelations, Dinola accepted that the truth had to be told and took his demotion to ordinary battle brother with good grace.

Unai Garrastazu, b. 808.M30 (Terra), d. 857.M30 (Egaleco) A Terran-born Legionnaire and early commander. He was killed on Egaleco during the Al-Sherar Sector War.

Kesh Kanak, b. 810.M30 (Sol system) Born to a spacer line who had plied the short trade routes within the Solar System for thousands of years, Kanak hardly set foot on a planet until he took part in a trial of aspirants shortly after his eleventh birthday. Though recognised as prodigiously gifted among his own people, the youth was seen as merely adequate for the Adeptus Astartes and assigned to the ill-fated Fifth Legion. But as he underwent the painful process of becoming a Space Marines, Kanak benefited from the personal oversight of the Legion's master, Antoine Antonelle, who saw that his peculiar heritage would bring something special to the Fifth. It would be decades before that plan bore fruit, decades in which Kesh Kanak learned the arts of war and gained the confidence of his battle brothers. Once the Primarch Gaspard Lumey was rediscovered and the Fifth became a significant supply priority, Antonelle did not hesitate to put forward Kanak to supervise the rapid expansion of the Legion's naval arm. It was an astute decision, as time would prove the advantage of a commander who had grown up in an environment with no up or down. Kanak not only guided his own commands to stirring victories, as against the Harakien Eldar Empire at Gelden, but established the Fifth Legion's naval doctrine. In the Second Founding, he was tasked with guiding the new Angels Vigilant Chapter.

Mai Dac Kien, b. 831.M30 (Ciban IV), d. 812.M31 (Ciban IV) Slow to speak but both quick-witted and a deep thinker, Mai Dac Kien distinguished himself in the Fifth Legion's Victualary as a data analyst and in the field of battle. He eventually rose to become the first Chapter Master of the Void Angels after the reforms of the Institutorum Astartes. He first came to the attention of the Legion's commanders during the battle of Egaleco in the Al-Sherar Sector War. Mai had infiltrated the planet ahead of the main advance, and helped to salvage a bad situation after the death of commander Unai Garrastazu. Later, as a Sergeant, he would be responsible for preparing the Legion's situation report ahead of the Curis-4 Compliance. Mai's last act as Chapter Master of the Void Angels was to close the Nova Terra debates on Ciban IV.

Joso Nikolić commanded the cruiser Ténacité during the opening stages of the Al-Sherar Sector War.

Organisation and Doctrine

What do you need to succeed as warriors of the Fifth Legion? It is very simple. Audacity, more audacity, and always audacity!

Remus Alsara, Master of Recruits

Due to their difficult beginnings, the young Fifth Legion had to fulfil many different roles, according to the whim of their commanders. When serving Arelex Orannis of the War Scribes, they fought as a dedicated melee unit. Roman Albrecht wanted them to be his air-mobile reserve. But as the sons of Gaspard Lumey are fond of saying, "no year passes in vain". Their varied experiences prepared the cadre of the Legion to train a great new intake of warriors once their own Primarch had been rediscovered.

The essential part of the Legion's doctrine is the role of military friction. Unlike other fighting organisations, the Fifth do not attempt to bring order to the battlefield but instead seek to overwhelm the enemy's ability to co-ordinate their forces. Once the opposition has been turned into an incoherent mass by the tempo of the battle, Gaspard Lumey taught the Legion to press home their advantage to destroy their enemy and make an example of them. The futility - and terrible cost - of opposing the Imperium must be proven. In brighter days, complaints at their brutality were not uncommon, but their effectiveness has won the test of time.

The Fifth Legion's tactical and operational doctrines began with the work of their first commander and, later, the Primarch's Equerry, Antoine Antonelle. Antonelle believed that the critical task of a commander was not to boldly inspire or physically lead his troops, but to clarify his subordinates on the essential tasks of the operation. This conception still underlies the Void Angels' planning sessions, which often involve very junior Astartes and allied commanders, so that all can be clear on the main objectives. Within this loose framework, subcommanders are left to determine their own methods for achieving the objectives, but common training and equipment has seen the Legion adopt a general "game plan".

Antonelle's squadrons were meant to be self-reliant, both in their operations and in the training of new Marines dispatched from Terra. The notion of an establishment manpower was completely foreign to the Fifth at this point, as their headquarters fought for every recruit and had little say in the deployment of the "Legion"'s limited forces. About all that Fifth's commanders could managed was the decision of whether to raise new Squadrons or to feed new recruits to the existing formations.

Gaspard Lumey's first reform of the Fifth Legion - the so-called Establishment Decree -was based on the newly-established values of his homeworld. Though the ethics were unfamiliar to the small cadre of Terran Astartes, these positions and institutions helped to familiarise the huge intakes of new Marines from Ciban IV and the Markian Pact. Antoine Antonelle worked alongside his new master to create a regular structure for the expanding Legion's squadrons. With so many new officers, the old days of improvisation could not be sustained. However, the Fifth's cadre lacked experience in modes of warfare beyond their air-mobile light infantry role of the last few decades and it was determined to rely on auxilia to provide heavy support weapons until this deficiency could be made good.

Under the Establishment Decree, a squadron was to consist of 100 Battle Brothers plus officers, supporting marines, and clerks, organised as follows:

• Headquarters. Lieutenant, Apothecary, Iterator.
• Reconnaissance element. Ten Battle Brothers.
• Tactical element. Sixty Battle Brothers.
• Manoeuvre element. Twenty Battle Brothers.
• Motor Pool. Two Techmarines, presiding over three Storm Eagle Assault Gunships, six Rhinos, twenty Space Marine Bikes.

Together with the new structure, the Establishment Decree set up new ranks or renamed old ones.

The binary corps structure used by the Fifth Legion early in the Great Crusade.

Lumey's first conquests in the Al-Sherar Sector would be made using just one squadron of Terran Astartes, strengthened by the redoubtable auxilia of his homeworld and soon augmented by the mobilisation of the Markian Pact. As the first Cibanese Neophytes rapidly expanded the ranks of the Fifth Legion, Lumey and Antonelle developed the so-called "binary" corps structure, allowing the Fifth's few seasoned officers to closely supervise their squads. This organisation was not long-lived, but its ideas would be returned to during the Imperial Reformation. The first binary corps was led by Gaspard Lumey himself, with Fabrice Diallo and Unai Garrastazu as the Battalion commanders, though Diallo would soon be tapped to head the Fifth's second corps. Alongside the lack of good officers, the Fifth initially struggled with a shortage of trained Techmarines due to these specialists requiring lengthy training on a Forge World, and for a time it was not uncommon to see ordinary Tech Priests assisting Lumey's men.

When Lumey assembled his great Task Force Rubicon for the decision at Sol, a typical Corps had three Marine Brigades of three Battalions apiece. The Battalion somewhat resembled a Codex Astartes Chapter, with a Veteran Squadron, Commando Squadron, Four Battle Squadrons and Four Reserve Squadrons. Squadron specialties were similar to those of Codex Companies. Veterans are grouped together in the First Squadron, although the Void Angels rarely deployed their Terminator armour. Commandos formed the Second Squadron. Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth were flexible Battle Squadrons, with Seventh and Eighth in Reserve. Ninth Squadron specialized in Assault while Tenth carried the Battalion's heavy weapons. Squadrons varied in their strength, each composed of four Sections with ten to twenty Battle Brothers and one or two Sections of Scouts. Veteran Squadrons usually lacked a Scout Section.

Specialist Troops

The Chosen

In the wars of liberation, the Cibanese had little trust for the officers who defected to their cause, but still had need of their talents. The few military men among their own ranks, such as Lumey, were not sufficient to lead the armies of the Republic. Therefore, the ordinary soldiers would elect a committee from among their number to serve as bodyguard and watchdog over their commanders. Though the Fifth Legion were much more confident in their new Primarch than the Cibanese rebels had been in former aristocrats, they readily chose from among their number a bodyguard unit for Lumey, on the basis of one man from each section, elected to serve for five years. The level of representation would gradually decrease as the Legion grew, eventually falling to just one man per Corps at the time of the Heresy, but throughout Lumey's tenure they served both as a bodyguard and a consultative body. As with much of the Fifth Legion's customs, they were content to simply call this body "The Chosen" and leave others to imagine that the Primarch had hand-picked his men.

Scouts

The desperate measures employed during the Al-Sherar Sector War convinced Gaspard Lumey that a Neophyte freshly transformed into a Space Marine could contribute to the Great Crusade even as he finished his training. The Scouts were lightly equipped but formed up in squads akin to those of seasoned battle brothers and led by an experienced sergeant. Graduation from the ranks of the scouts depended on the judgment of the squad sergeant, though scout squads were subject to frequent review by the Tribunes to ensure that promising warriors were not being held back.

Support Formations

The necessity of developing their support formations from the ground up led to Lumey and Antonelle making some substantial diversions from the path of the other Legions. Nothing displayed their differences with their brother marines more sharply than the treatment of the Legion's serfs. The notion of enserfing recruits who washed out of training was anathema to the Cibanese mindset. Lumey wasted no time in declaring that the Legion's serfs were free men, welcome to settle on Ciban IV with the hospitality of that gentle world. Those who chose to remain, along with new generations of failed aspirants would be given professional positions in the Legion's administrative and logistical staff. Clerks are generally well-respected and have a similar rank structure to Marines.

Apothecarion

The Chirurgeons, renamed to better suit Cibanese and Markian ears, performed the same role as other Apothecaries. Due to Fifth Legion's deployment of Scouts, Chirurgeons were frequently seen on the battlefield. Remus Alsara, the Legion's wily Master of Recruits, often served as a de facto spokesman for the Apothecarion.

Armorium

Training the first generation of Techmarines at Al-Sherar and Ghalhal lagged behind the early campaigns of the Fifth Legion. In the intervening period, it was not uncommon to see the techpriests of these Forge Worlds fighting in the ranks of the Fifth Legion.

Castra

The reputation of the Fifth Legion as a tremendously effective offensive force somewhat obscures the work of their engineers. However, the fortresses appointed by Gaspard Lumey's sons guard some of the most important worlds in the Imperium. Dolsene's great star forts are perhaps the Fifth Legion's finest fortification work, although the defences of Ciban IV and Kerstes VI are also fine monuments to their architects.

Librarus

The return of Jeffrey Dinola from his apprenticeship with the Eyes of the Emperor was cause for great celebration among the Fifth Legion. Although the new classes of Marines raised from Ciban IV and the Markian Pact worlds had swelled Winged Victory's numbers to something more closely resembling the other Legiones Astartes, the lack of any trained psykers had seemed to many as a sign of the Legion's incompleteness. With Dinola among them, the Fifth could finally regard themselves as the equal of their brother Legionaries. The young psyker's first task was establishing the rules of his Librarius. As a true son of Gaspard Lumey, Jeffrey Dinola was reluctant to delve into poorly understood mysteries of the Warp, especially in light of the lessons of the Emperor - and history - about the perils of sorcery. However, this was not a matter of simple closed-mindedness. There was a great deal to be studied and categorized about the interaction of psykers and the Immateria that relied on comprehensible principles. Dinola believed that it would be through a slow process of establishing these principles that the more mysterious processes - "Sorcery" - could be properly understood. Thus, the Fifth Legion's Librarians worked under a cautious code of ethics to develop their abilities and knowledge. A constant fixation was the effort to negate the warp-based powers employed by Xenos races such as the perfidious Eldar and foul Orks.

Tribunal

Lumey was deeply concerned with his Legion's acceptance and understanding of the Imperial Truth. To accomplish this task, he dictated that a cadre of recruits be trained in the arts of the Iterators who carried out the task of spreading the Emperor's word to newly pacified world. The Fifth Legion's Tribunes became mighty warriors of great strength of will, trained in logic and rhetoric. The presence of such an exceptional individual on the battlefield fills his Battle-Brothers with a sense of their part in Mankind's destiny. Tribunes also serve an important role in the life of the Legion, counselling their fellow Marines, acting as judges on matters of internal discipline, and often serving as envoys to other Chapters. The Tribune Legionis is the Legion's chief justice and carries out certain ceremonial roles, while his counterpart, the Master of the Collegium is the chief of the Void Angels fortress-barracks on Ciban.

Victualary

This prosaically-named department was one of the most important to the Legion. As befitted his training, Antoine Antonelle took personal responsibility for the Legion's Victualary. His deft hand saw the Fifth through their difficult years, but he also carefully husbanded the bounty of their good years. The amassed supplies and armaments cached in the Ciban system and carried by The Light of Reason allowed the Void Angels to fight non-stop through the Scouring.

As with many of their peers, the Fifth did not simply defer to the Frumentarii of the Victualary to secure supplies for their campaigns. Secret but equally significant was the role of the Victualary in coordinating the intelligence efforts of various scouts and spies in the orbit of the Legion. The Fifth's Frumentarii were especially proficient at interviewing their agents, sifting out reliable assets from pure opportunists and assessing the quality of the information provided to them. A lasting legacy of the importance of Fifth Legion's Victualary are the many generous Warrants of Trade signed by Gaspard Lumey. Some of the Rogue Traders who benefited from the Legion's need for information went on to amass huge fortunes and found dynasties of explorers and conquistadors - but at least as many died in the silence of space or on hostile worlds.

Allies and Auxilia

Sketch of a soldier from the 5th Ciban Chasseurs, "The flower of Orléans".

The Fifth were well-known for making good use of their auxilia. Three formations in particular were known to be close to them. Famously, the mortal soldiers of the Ciban Chasseurs have been almost as much a part of the Fifth Legion as its Space Marines. The Markian Corps often fought independently of Lumey's Astartes, but deferred to his overall command when requested, and the peerless Dolsene Rifles vowed to repay their debt to Gaspard Lumey - not a scrap more, not a scrap less. But other mortal soldiers also fought and died beside the sons of Lumey. Despite the savagery of the Core Worlds Campaign, Chelob Hammerers were briefly a fixture in Fifth Legion battlegroups. Many other formations of the Imperial Army would fight alongside the Legion, including the Auron Infantries and the Kondrus Aeroguard.

More independent were the Forge Worlds of the Al-Sherar Sector. Mighty Al-Sherar styled itself an equal partner to the Fifth Legion, but was generous in its support. The devastating firepower of Legio Antsar was generally available at Gaspard Lumey's request, and Al-Sherar's subordinate Maryannu Brotherhood and Order of Bahri Knights routinely assisted the Fifth. Ghalhal was initially friendly but became stand-offish, seeing its primacy eroded but having no effective means of checking either Al-Sherar or Gaspard Lumey's Legion. As a result Ghalhal's arms, including the swift and powerful Legio Cataegis, were more frequently deployed alongside the ordinary soldiers of the Markian Corps.

The Navigators of House Voud-Culestes honoured Gaspard Lumey for his patronage of their progenitors and served on Fifth Legion's vessels exclusively.

Fleet

For much of the Great Crusade, the Legiones Astartes were unaware of their precise fleet strength. Ships were parcelled out in different Expeditionary Fleets, lost, replaced, diverted, reassigned, lost to the warp, found again, and so forth with the Legion HQ only ever getting a partial and tardy accounting. However, with their new orders to regroup and proceed to the far reaches of the Galactic North, the Fifth Legion were in a unique position to take account of their full naval strength.

Master of the Fleet Kesh Kanak took full advantage. His staff recorded the names and classes of the Legion's 112 battleships, 44 grand cruisers, 178 heavy cruisers, 241 light cruisers, 318 frigates, 423 destroyers, plus 87 auxiliary military vessels. Also taken into account were the 27 battleships, 8 grand cruisers, 834 heavy cruisers, 506 light cruisers, 1,769 frigates, 1,882 destroyers, and 177 auxiliary military vessels sworn to the Legion by its allies in the Adeptus Mechanicum and Imperial Army. A full accounting of the pure transport assets of the Fifth Legion is sadly lost to history, but it can be assumed from the quantity of warships available to Gaspard Lumey that these were sizeable.

Beyond the mere book-keeping, Kanak also restructured the Fifth Legion's squadrons from ad-hoc associations of vessels into purposeful task-forces of complementary vessels. The naval chain of command was overhauled, with dedicated fleet commanders being given complete tactical authority while under the operational direction of the combined land-naval commander. Winged Victory had always had a reputation for excellence in the void of space, and Kanak was determined that the Void Angels should exceed their previous incarnation.

Gene-seed and Successors

The Void Angels are the great sire of the Adeptus Astartes. Dozens of Chapters were founded from among their ranks during the Second Founding and their geneseed, prized for its stability, has been the most frequently used in later Foundings.

The Void Angels Chapter

The first of the Successor Chapters to the Void Angels would be based on Ciban IV and keep the Legion's name and colours. However, they were not led by Gaspard Lumey. The Primarch laid down his arms and turned to his protege, Mai Dac Kien, to lead the new chapter. Although their traditions and doctrine are largely true to those of the parent legion, the reforms of the Institutorum Astartes and changes to Ciban IV's culture have affected the Chapter.

As Space Marines, the Void Angels are no strangers to direct assaults. However, they generally prefer to destabilise their enemies using infiltrators. Against enemies who know fear, the advance troops kill targets of opportunity and leave the bodies in the open so that the enemy may know what awaits them, but their main role is to sow confusion in the rear. Mobile forces follow in their wake, seeking to exploit weaknesses, while heavier battle elements surround and eliminate enemy strongpoints.

The Void Angels arsenal is lacking in no respect, but prized equipment such as Terminator armour is generally held in reserve on Ciban and rarely deployed to expeditionary forces. While ancient technology is respected for its efficacy, the Void Angels make no fetish of it and attach little significance to the history of their weapons and armour.

Notable Successors

• Angels Imperious were established in the Second Founding under the command of Fabrice Diallo. The Angels Imperious were charged with the defence of the Markian Pact from enemies both within and without the Imperium.
• Angels Vigilant embodied the traditions of the Fifth Legion's fleet and were first commanded by Kesh Kanak. From the Second Founding onwards, they would travel the Galaxy with the great city-ship, Light of Reason.
• The Infernals are a Second Founding Chapter that began a descent into savagery during the horrors of WAAAGH! The Beast. Though still loyalist, they are unresponsive to any instructions that deter them from attacking the Orks.
• The Mercurials are a Second Founding Chapter, first led by Augustin Carron. They have carried on his legacy of high-intensity warfare - and ruthlessness.
• The Saracens were part of the Second Founding and epitomise the Fifth Legion's individualism. They specialise in raiding and skirmishing.

Colours of Select Void Angels Successors

• 

  Angels Imperious

• 

  Angels Triumphant

• 

  Angels Vigilant

• 

  The Benefactors

• 

  Chastisers

• 

  Covenanters

• 

  The Infernals

• 

  The Mercurials

• 

  The Puritans

• 

  The Saracens

• 

  The Tutelaries

Rules

Naval Rules: Battlefleet Gothic

Refer to the main Hektor Heresy BFG rules and the special rules for the Fifth Legion

Skirmish Rules: Warhammer 30,000

Refer to the main Warhammer 40k rules, the Forge World Horus Heresy supplmeents, and the special rules for Fifth Legion