Alessio Cortez
"Not likely,” protested Cortez. “I’m still in this. I’m fine.”
“No.” Kantor boomed. “You lost an arm, Alessio. By the mercy of the Emperor alone, you’re lucky you didn’t lose your life.”
Cortez gestured over Kantor’s shoulder. “I haven’t lost an arm, brother. It’s right over there."
Alessio Cortez was the second mightiest Spaniard in space and the hardest known hero of the Crimson Fists Space Marine Chapter. He was known as the Master of the Charge (the title is not explained but we can take a guess) and the captain of the fourth company. Proof of his utter manliness is given below, so view with awe, children.
He was known for being prideful, stubborn, and almost impossible to actually kill. It was said he had only two bones left in his body he hadn't broken at one time or another and images of him show that at least his face was a patchwork of old scars and burn marks. He survived the disaster on Rynn's world (of course, as if a minor nuclear explosion could off him). During a fight with an Ork Warboss he had his right arm ripped off. Showing what he thought of that, he rammed a krak grenade down its greeny throat as it roared its victory which promptly blew it up. He's a bit too over the top stubborn though, as he reported to duty right afterwards to his Chapter Master, Pedro Kantor, with his right arm gone and had to be ordered to have it seen to. I knew the marines were mentally programmed to behave but not to the extent of losing logic (scratch that we've seen plenty of evidence of that before!).
Other memorable victories include disarming an Ork warlord by twisting his torso while the ork's sword was embedded in his chest, allowing him to end up killing the warlord and his bodyguards; breaking an Eldar line of defence (not hard) despite having a stab through the heart and a couple of heavy weapon hits; defending a breach for 21 hours of constant fighting; and fighting a six week campaign without supplies, setting a new chapter record. Yep, it's confirmed this man is nuts and sends shivers down your spine at the sheer balls he must have. Because it wouldn't be 40k without the grimdark, the senior Crimson Fists worry greatly, not about the stubborn maniac leading a company, but about the effect on morale when Cortez actually dies. Cortez himself also worries because being the unkillable captain means he has to keep doing crazy shit to maintain the reputation and the morale boost it gives his company, but he also realises that he will die eventually and his death will crush his company.
He went missing in action battling some Eldar (it seems everyone goes missing battling Eldar...) and his whereabouts are currently unknown although his old mate Kantor is convinced he is alive somewhere.
Knowing the Eldar they probably did nick him to dump him on a planet somewhere to kill something they wanted killed and couldn't be bothered doing it themselves. Failing that, maybe a certain necron has collected him to add to his collection, or he was gifted to another chapter. Eventually, he was in fact rescued by the Deathwatch, so now he's back home with his pals.
His model is seriously sweet with its huge fist raised just ready to do some pounding and many non-crimson fist players have converted the model for use in their own marine armies; it would be a shame after all to let such a dramatically posed model go to waste.
On the Tabletop
He only ever got rules in the 3rd Ed. Codex. Since things did not change until 8th Ed., his stats and rules can easily be modified up to 7th Ed.
| Pts | M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Sv | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain Cortez: | 116 | 6" | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 3+ |
Wargear:
- Bolt Pistol
- Power Fist
- Purity Seals: Basically if a unit/model falls back, then you get to roll an extra d6 then choose the result from those three you want.
Special Rules
- Stubborn
- Independant Character
- Command Squad: Yes he could take a command squad as well. Although both he and the squad would only count as one HQ choice.
- Invulnerable: Directly quoting the entry here: "Cortez carries on fighting no matter what, ignoring wounds that would normally stop even a Space Marine. He is treated as being invulnerable, which means that even if a hit normally ignores all armour saves, Cortez still gets to try and make his saving throw as normal." It's essentially a 3++ invuln but since it's technically not an invuln save, you can still use it in edge cases like D strength hits or a Callidus's sword.