I am the Resistance

Captain Jean Moulin, surrounded by his bodyguards, stalked through the caverns and tunnels, visiting platoons, clusters of civilian refugees, and packs of servitors.  Space was cramped but manageable.  He was surrounded by the survivors of the 76th Infantry Regiment, of Cadia.  Their location was several hundred meters underground in a cavern system that had been hollowed out over 250 years ago, beneath the low mountains above Cadia Tertius.  The caverns had been created at this depth to provide cover from any orbital bombardment.  The 76th had been here since the main fighting stages of the 13th Black Crusade of Abaddon, having fought a retreat to the underground immediately on word that the Black Stone Fortress in orbit had been destroyed and wreckage might begin raining down onto the surface.  Ancient blast doors had been opened and then closed and sealed, leaving a chaos host - mainly cultists and daemons - outside. Their fate was unknown, but there was no sign of pursuit. The doors were too massive for anything but a direct hit from a novacannon to open. 

Captain Moulin had been with the regimental Vox team when the brief word of the impending doom was transmitted, had been knocked from his feet in the shock wave, and heard the later orders for units to retreat to what remained of the naval fleet for off-world evacuation. Moulin and his Regiment determined to remain behind. Cadia was their home.  On one hand, Moulin's logisticians offered that the cavern spaces contained maybe a year's worth of rations and wartime supplies for the survivors. On the other hand, Moulin estimated it might take four years before the massive might of the Imperial Guard could return to Cadia proper and relieve his command.  

It was going to be a long time of effort and hard work.  

In one cavern, a group of maybe 35 Whiteshield recruits cheered for him "Cadia Stands!".  

The Vox team setup and tested some old, unused communications cables that extended who knows where.  They were chagrinned to find other voxcasters elsewhere had done the same. At least it seemed that they were linked to other survivor groups on Cadia. Moulin ordered that no coordinates or locations for any group would be collected or transmitted over the unsecured Vox net. It was highly likely that taitor and cultist units were searching for such groups to exterminate them.     

On the blast doors leading to the surface, someone had painted in gothic letters...

I Am The Resistance

Regimental engineers were currently mapping the caverns and tunnels at his disposal.  Air ventillation and water were high on the priority list.  It had only been a few days since the disaster struck. But the first goal would be survival and data gathering. The blast doors were guarded.  They were not to be opened at all.  Other means of eggress would have to be discovered.  In fact, the source of lighting and power for the caverns themselves had not yet been known.  Old tech was often the best, mused Moulin.  

Moulin was determined that resistance would not be futile. He continued his inspection.  

Chaos Inbound

Well, I had some fun the other day after reading Traitors Hate.  That book is the "companion" to the version focused on the Blood Angels - this book covers the events - the direct Precursor to the upcoming Fall of Cadia - from the Chaos viewpoint.

On one hand, I was very disappointed that there was not more in the book from the "new" and unique Crimson Slaughter warband - their leader, Sevastus Kranon - deserved at least his own data slate and warband sheet, but alas, it was a missed opportunity for the writers!  No other warband seems to be haunted by the screaming ghosts of their own victims, and seemed to cause as much terror and seemed to grow in strength as much as these guys.

Overall, I know GW has models suitable for these guys.  I love their fluff, that the Black legion sent them in on the first wave, basically as cannon fodder.

Kranon has now "left the conflict" with the survivors of his warband and look to exact revenge on the Black legion.

On the other hand, the book brings up the usual basic flaw of all 40K books for GW....

....Their narrative for these massive fights / campaigns are flawed by NOT having enough marines (chaos or otherwise) to sustain the story they narrate.

It was funny that they put force org charts in this latest book...Kranon's first wave attackers against a heavily defended Imperial / Mechanicus consisted of entirely three tanks and 41 marines, and a dreadnought. It is silly, because the enemy are in the thousands, and the descriptions are two massive for such a small warband.  If anything, it needed another box containing 10,000 cultists and 10 Titans...

OK, second wave was Khorne led by Kharn.  Similar issues. The narrative includes chaos cultists, more titans...but they don't really account for it.

Third wave was a surgical black legion strike force, all to accomplish the real mission.

I'm guessing right now that the Chaos mission is flawed.  The Black legion Sorcerer believes he is opening a trapped prison full of demons...

I'm thinking he unwittingly found Trayzyn the Infinite's vault...and unlocked it.

That would be ironic...not only might there be a bunch of C'Tan Shards in there, but...a Primarch...

Anyhow...I digress...

In November and December I was given two transport boxes...things might get interesting...2000 points of Chaos Marines, plus a Demon Prince and 10 Bloodletters?  Hmm....I don't know who originally owned them.  Table ready, plus or minus some repairs.

It is a pretty weak warband right out of the transport cases.  Kharn is the recognizable HQ choice.  2 units of Berserkers. 5 terminators (all different). 3 Bikers. 5 Havocs (one of each heavy weapon). 3 Rhinos, 1 all-las pred, 1 landraider. Some debris that might be Chosen or something like that.  Overall, the non-berserker units need some retooling and love.  Not enough special weapons...not enough means to deploy these guys into assault directly.

Overall, anyone want to trade 10 old-school metal bloodletters for a new box of spawn or a real box of something else from the Chaos marine line?  Demonsd are all the rage...I'm interested to get a box of chaos marines, a chaos lord, and/or maybe another box of chaos bikers.  That would give me the pieces I need to really upgrade them.  Eventually two Helldrakes...Need to keep the Prince, just in case someone upgrades to one in-game...same for the spawn...probably need one per character, LOL...

The big question becomes - Upgrade their painting and basing to be Black Legion and Khorne/Kharn, or go thematic and go Crimson Slaughter / Khorne/Kharn...I don't know at this point.  That said...I have the next book on pre-order...