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| COMMIT TO: Inquisition
Record 2312 811-2000
CROSS FILE: Inquisition of the Vindicators INPUT DATE: 3749914.M36 |
AUTHOR: Inquisitor
Ryjak
TRANSMITTER: Astropath Cerberus RECEIVER: Astropath Prime Cithe |
| SUBJECT: Zephyrs | THOUGHT: Strike without warning and allow no possible retaliation. |
Lord, this information was gathered by my spy network. Some photos should be available soon. I'll let you judge its contents.
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My Lord Ryjak, I have discovered the following information
on the 8th Battle Company of the Vindicators, who call themselves the Zephyrs.
This Company is vaguely similar to the Reserve Assault Company outlined
in the Codex Astartes, but with drastic differences.
First, the Zephyrs only number around 50 Marines,
instead of the standard 100. Apparently, their lack of numbers has little
to do with their recruitment practices, but lies within their abhorrent
training doctrine. Many Initiates are killed in the survival and live fire
training exercises the Zephyrs conduct, and almost 10% of a class of Initiates
die during "practice" drops, which often include orbital and anti air artillery
firing at the descending Initiates.
I suppose this rigorous training is somewhat logical,
for all Zephyrs are equipped with the Mark XIII Jumppack. ALL of them,
including heavy weapon teams. In fact, their organization appears to be
identical to the Codex Astartes, except for this modification. They usually
deploy in 5 man teams; 10 teams in all, including an 8 man command section.
The command section always carries their company standard into the heart
of their objective, and then photographs the event, often in the middle
of combat.
The Zephyrs don't maintain any ground vehicles.
Instead, the Zephyrs literally fire every marine out of a heavily modified
bombardment cannon, unloading every marine in the company within a minute
from their Strike Cruiser. The Zephyrs then proceed to level the target
area, and usually within 15 minutes, are all picked up (including casualties)
by their Landing Craft. They have records of redeploying elsewhere planentside
within one hour of their first drop. I have also viewed footage of their
dust-off. Apparently, as the landing craft descend, orbital assets bombard
the PZ, stopping moments before the Landing Craft arrive. There have been
a few cases of Landing Craft being shot down by their own ortiliry.
I also suppose that the small size of the Zephyrs
is also out of necessity, since they waste tremendous resources in their
campaigns. Jumppack fuel alone occupies one third of all the storage space
aboard Strike Cruiser Deliverance,
and enough spare suits of power
armor with jumppacks are stored to equip another 20 or so marines, to increase
redeployment time.
I suspect that each marine requires an additional
10 tons of supplies to equip, and each commander has an additional 20 tons
of supplies for their special command suits. How they deal with the logistics
and maintenance of all this sophisticated equipment is beyond me.
I have also come across some references to a Marauder suit the Zephyr tech-marines have been designing. It seems they are trying to find a way to modify Tactical Dreadnought armor with jumppacks. That they might be considering such a sacrilegious defilement of the sacred Terminators suits leaves me ill. If they actually develop these Marauder suits, I can only hope the Inquisition would quickly purge such heresy.
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While this information startles me with its heresy, I cannot imagine the psychological terror of rebels being attacked by these Marines. Thank the Emperor there are only 50.
If you need to contact me Lord, send your transmission to Inquisitor Ryjak
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