Voidsmen-at-Arms

The Navy too, have their own meatshields.

Voidsmen-at-Arms or sometimes known as simply Voidsmen (Not to be confused with the actual indentured, disposable Voidsmen, although it may be hinted to be used as an insult) are the Imperial Navy's first and only line of defence in case of a boarding action where to occur. Voidsmen are part of Naval Security and are basically their own thing. However, they are known to work closely with the Militarum Tempestus especially on joint missions in exploring Space Hulks and intermingling between the two is more common than their interactions with their more literal grounded cousins. Hell, some of them are so close, that certain Voidsmen are known to wear Stormtrooper Carapace Armour as shown in the Eisenhorn: Xenos video game. Ergo, don't be too surprised if the Tempestus Scions have incorporated some Voidsmen-at-Arms in their mini-army, especially for Void-operated procedures.

Overview

Trained extensively in the use of Lasguns, the prime duty of Voidsmen is to prevent enemy boarding actions and put down any uprising by the large numbers of indentured workers on Imperial Navy vessels. However, they are not merely defensive in nature and are trained to conduct counter-boarding actions and act as escorts for navy officers. For this, they are equipped with not only Lasguns but also Concussion Grenades, Laspistols, Combat Shotguns and Flak Armour. Some wield heavier Rotor Cannons, known as the deck cleaner. If you would notice something, none of their weapons have a high AP, for a good reason. You don't want to 'accidentally' blow off an important cogitator from a ship or breach its hull am I right?

When a Voidsman is assigned to their ship, there is no going back. From that day on they are part of the vessel. They have this funky ceremony (Read Drugs) that resembles more of a fratboy initiation, where they take a part in the ship's vital fluids and start drinking this incense-laced oil so that the essence of the ship flows through their bloodstream. How these guys avoid getting brain damage from spiking their blood system with space jet fuel, we have no idea. But man their poor, poor liver. Upon induction, they swear an oath of fealty to not just their superiors but to the vessel on which they serve, so they take this liver-destroying rite quite seriously. Their lives are simple and absent of the moral ambiguity that haunts much of the Imperium. For a Voidsman, their ship must be protected at all costs and that is all that matters.

Voidsmen are typically led by experienced troopers promoted from within their ranks known as Voidmasters or also archaic terms such as petty officer or warrant officer. These officers are frequently equipped with Combat Shotguns, but may also come equipped with a Shotgun Pistol, Hand Cannon and a Power Sword if needed.

It is not uncommon for Voidsmen to be requisitioned by the Inquisition or even Rogue Traders for their assistance.

Due to their (Comparatively) comfier nature of just standing there and handling the occasional worker riots or pirate attacks, they have smaller balls than the Guard, but still much higher compared to the Stormtroopers.

Gallery

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  Voidsmen with Rotor Cannon

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  Voidmaster