LASC 2019 The Omega Cohort

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

The Omega Cohort

Date:.......... 022.45M42
Ref:................LBC//DAI
By:.................Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch
Re:.................Adeptus Astartes - Omega Cohort
Thought:............From the Shadows we Strike
The Omega Cohort is a Sentinel Founding Chapter, founded to stand watch against the enemies of the Imperium in Segmentum Tempestus. They are a successor of the Raven Guard, and unfortunately seem to have inherited the chapter's poor luck with genetics. Details are, as customary, in the full report.

Origins of the Omega Cohort

Founded in late M37, the Omega Cohort was part of the Sentinel Founding, established to shore up the defenses of Segmentum Tempestus against the orks that had plagued the sector in the previous centuries. The first marines of the chapter (and what would eventually become its command cadre) arrived in-system with a massive Imperial force, and descended on the planet with a vengeance. Massive Imperial guard forces were supported by Omega Cohort scouting and sabotage elements, as is tradition for Raven Guard successors. Many Omega Cohort squads found human rebellious elements living in slums undiscovered by orks, and armed, trained, and incorporated these rebels into their plans. After six months, the vast majority of orks were destroyed, their warboss killed, and nearly all orkish infrastructure--inasmuch as they can have infrastructure--was destroyed. Feral orks remained, but they were few and far between enough to not be a bother. Imperial construction crews descended upon an abandoned hive in an overgrown forest, where the chapter established its fortress monastery. Over time, as the mutation in the Black Carapace became apparent, the chapter burrowed deeper underground to get away from noise and clamor of the surface.

 

Geneseed

Author

Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch is the commanding officer (Daimyo, by chapter tradition) of the Dawn Blades Second Company, and renowned across the chapter for successfully penetrating the Necron tomb world of Seranon to retrieve several Adeptus Mechanicus Magi, at great cost to his company and in spite of the burning enmity between the chapter and the Adeptus Mechanicus. He also succeeded in stealing several pieces of Necron technology for study and analysis by chapter Techmarines and Legio scientists. The moniker 'Phaeron' was added to his title after this feat, in mocking of the Necrons he had defeated--he was their Phaeron, their master. A capable swordsman and a skilled tactician, he fought for four decades in the Dawn Blades Samurai Company before ascending to the rank of Daimyo following the death of the Second Company's previous commander. He visits the Legio Fortress on occasion, though how he is capable is currently unknown by the Legio, as his Strike Cruiser was last noted on the far side of the Noctis Aeterna. 

The Omega Cohort suffers from two genetic mutations, either one of which on its own would be debilitating, but which combined are nearly catastrophic, made worse by the fact that if a marine has one, he has both--they are linked to the same organ--the Black Carapace.
The first of these is a very poor acceptance rate for the Black Carapace, which has resulted in the chapter having a low number of true, full-blooded marines (known within the chapter as Silent-Speakers for reasons which will soon become apparent) and a very large number of what any other chapter would consider aspirants, but are for all intents and purposes Marines, with the lone exception of they lack the Black Carapace (who are known as Whisperers). The second mutation--synesthesia-- is linked to the nervous system, and only manifests in those recruits who have lived through the acceptance of the Black Carapace. It appears as a light in the marine's vision whenever he hears any noise. Minor noises, such as a heartbeat or breathing, create flashes on the edge of his vision. Louder noises, like voices, are reported as creating spots of light, as if the marine had looked at the sun for too long, or stared into a flashbulb. Very loud noises, including gunfire and vox-speakers, flood the Silent-Speaker's vision with light, which while it does not damage his eyes does blind him.
 
While inconvenient, annoying, and occasionally debilitating, it does not damage their eyes. As such, unless a marine was so fortunate as to avoid the mutation (and few in the chapter are, with an incidence rate of greater than 95 percent) the Silent-Speakers communicate with each other and the Whisperers by Astartes battle-sign, helm text communication, and written word. This has led to a tradition of vows of silence upon successful implantation of the Black Carapace, regardless if the Silent-Speaker is afflicted or not. This vow is only excepted for the Chapter Master, Chaplains, and the recruit training cadre, and the Chapter Master has the option to not break his vow (though the current Chapter Master, Nykodai Tigumedes, has chosen to do so as he is not afflicted).

 

Organization

In total, the chapter operates approximately 7 companies--1st through 6th, and 10th.
The chapter's veteran company (who denote themselves with white vambraces to honor their parent chapter) is made up of roughly 80 percent Silent-Speaker marines, simply because marines who go to battle in armor tend to live longer. The rest of the company is a unit dubbed Umbra Recon, a large squad of Whisperers who have achieved the ultimate capabilities of stealth in the chapter. They are the eyes the Chapter Master depends upon in order to execute high-danger reconnaissance, eliminate critical targets, and generally see but be unseen. No one save the Chapter Master and Umbra Recon themselves know where they are at any given time, even when at the monastery--such is their skill that no one else in the chapter can find them, unless they want to be found.
The second company is also made up of almost entirely Silent-Speakers, with the exception of two attached recon squads from 6th company and the Whisperer assigned as the captain's Lieutenant. It numbers about 100 marines, counting the attached squads of 6th company.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth are battleline companies mainly composed of Whisperers, though specialists like Librarians, chaplains, and some of the captains are Silent-Speakers, with Whisperer assistants.
Sixth Company is not a true company in that it never operates as a single unit except in times of the entire chapter deploying together. Instead, it operates much like a typical reserve company, attaching squads to the other companies to provide reconnaissance and sabotage support. It has a captain but no other officers, and depends on the company it supports for medical, spiritual, and psychic support.
The Recruit Company functions exactly as normal as it would in any other chapter, save that it only has one full-blooded marine in it, the Senior Instructor Sergeant, who never deploys except on training operations.
 

Homeworld

The Omega Cohort, once they were founded, overtook the recovering hive world of Septim Regin, which had been ravaged by orks, and renamed it the Omega Colony. They settled on the world and began holding recruitment trials almost immediately, recruiting from the Imperial insurgent forces that had resisted the ork invasion and occupation for nearly a century before the chapter was established. For a hive world, the planet is--or at least was--remarkably temperate due to a century of no industrial output, and abandoned hives sprawl for miles, often close to the edges of not-yet-exploited and feral-ork-infested-forests. Recruits spend a month in the wilderness surrounding the fortress monastery to reach it, where they are taken in and tested for compatibility with the geneseed, and then again for compatibility sans Black Carapace, to determine whether there is any value in training the recruit. Those who are not compatible with any organs are conscripted as chapter serfs, as is Astartes tradition.
Orbital defenses consist of several platforms manned by these serfs, as well as the Omega Shield Platform which orbits directly above the fortress monastery, armed to the teeth with hundreds of point defense batteries and missile silos to intercept enemy ships and projectiles. It is also equipped with a powerful void shield generator, shadowing the fortress monastery with layers of shielding as well as its numerous weapons (It also functions as their orbital resupply dock. I chose not to point out the inherent weakness in putting so many valuable eggs in one basket, if only because I knew I would be ignored. Even a Tyranid invasion hadn't been enough to shift the platform from its position, though many of the smaller platforms fell victim to the swarms. What would a 10th legion successor's opinion matter in the face of such evidence?).
The world itself produces copious amounts of wargear for the chapter, including parts for both power armor and carapace armor, weapons, munitions, rations, and the countless other war-materials any Space Marine chapter needs to wage war. More complex systems like tanks, aircraft, and specialist armors are produced by a nearby forge-moon, which owes its current survival to the chapter after it was nearly invaded by orks from the then-infested planet of Septim Regin as well as defending it against Tyranid invasions. 
 

Combat Doctrine

The Omega Cohort operates as many Raven Guard successors do, with large stealth operations supported by veteran Astartes. The only major difference is that these operations tend to be more carefully planned than normal, as more lightly-armored troops require that the enemy be eliminated in order to prevent mass casualties. They are not always successful, which gives rise to the chapter's high attrition rate for Whisperers, but on the whole it is an effective stratagem.
When protracted battles, such as sieges, are expected, the chapter tends to employ long-range weapons to whittle away at the enemy, be they attacking or defending. 
It should be noted that the Omega Cohort's Silent-Speakers, while they don't appreciate being in voidships overmuch due to all of the sounds that a ship generates at all hours of the cycle, do appreciate the quietness of space, and if given the chance will leap for the opportunity to take a boarding fight to the hull of a ship to be in the silence of the void. 1st company especially, with access to both Terminator and Centurion armor, takes advantage of this every chance they get (occasionally even disregarding the optimal solution for a moment of true, blessed silence).

Those Omega Troopers who do not have the Black Carapace, and are not currently deployed as scouts, will don full-body carapace armor to provide themselves better protection against enemy fire. The armor is provided by a trusted manufactorum on the Omega Colony, which has commensurate resources allocated to it to account for its increased importance.

Interaction with the Legio

The Omega Cohort currently does not have any members attached to the Legio, though I suspect they could be convinced. They would likely attach a Whisperer, given the rarity of a marine who has managed to both survive the implantation of the Black Carapace and be fortunate enough to not be plagued by synesthesia (as of now I believe the current count is two, the chapter master and the main recruit trainer). Now that I hear rumors of Primaris marines reaching the Cohort, however, and reinforcing them with untainted genestock, it is quite possible that a Primaris Omega trooper would be detached to the Legio, possibly accompanied by a Whisperer as tradition dictates (all representatives of the chapter are either Whisperers or Silent-Speakers accompanied by Whisperers as a translator). In either case, it my hope that they join the ranks of the Legio, if nothing else to learn how to properly interact with other Imperial institutions.
 

Notable Personnel

Chapter Master Nykodai Tigumedes: lord of the Omega Cohort and Imperial Governor of the Omega Colony, Nykodai Tigumedes is a grizzled campaigner and veteran of three centuries of war against the enemies of Man. Direct ruler of the chapter planet, he is more often than not found in the planetary capital, where the chapter maintains an office for administrative duties. However, when needs demand it, he leaves the care of the planet in the hands of his Whisperer and strides to war in a hybrid of Terminator and Centurion armor, armed with twin Assault Cannons and a rack of missiles. (Having seen this used to great effect against a rather large feral ork tribe, I can personally attest that this is one of the most destructive and fearsome wargear loadouts I have ever seen in the hands of a single Astartes). He is fortunate enough to not have synesthesia, a stroke of fortune that allowed him to live long enough to become the Chapter Master. He does not keep the vow of silence, as he is permitted, but he is noted to be a naturally quiet individual.
Senior Instructor Sergeant Alexios Siris: While not a captain, Senior Instructor Sergeant Siris is unquestionably the one in charge in the 10th company. He oversees all recruit training, and is the initial judge of worth whenever a recruit arrives at the fortress monastery. A Silent-Speaker who is not silent, the Senior Instructor Sergeant is one of the loudest, most foulmouthed marines in the chapter, which he uses to great effect for motivating his recruits. 
 

Personal Notes and Addenda

I have observed that the Omega Cohort has evolved something of a death cult. They have a belief that the God-Emperor of Mankind cursed them for some past misdeed, as the genetic mutations only arose a few centuries after the founding of the chapter (Having scoured their history, I have not found anything that gives me the impression of a great misdeed, as their past is nigh impeccable, but I do not claim to have the breadth of knowledge or wisdom that the Solis-Imperator does). As such, their chaplains preach a belief of death in service, glory to the God-Emperor, and an overall theme that they are worthless except for service. Silent-Speakers willingly subject themselves to what any self-respecting chaplain would call rants without their helmets, allowing for their vision to be flooded with light, in what I am told is an approximation of the God-Emperor's brilliance. Whisperers, and any guests in attendance of their services, have massive floodlights shined upon them to simulate the experience that Silent-Speakers undergo (as I learned to my own chagrin. The light was enough to wash out my augmetic before it could compensate.). With any luck, fresh gene-stock from the Ultima Crusade will rid the chapter of its belief and its curse, but only time will tell.
 
In lieu of personal armor for a Whisperer to affix service studs to, medallions are instead awarded to marines in the chapter. They are permitted to carry two medallions onto the field of battle, whichever they decide hold the most significance for them, whilst the rest remain in the marine's quarters, displayed however the marine sees fit. Every marine, upon completion of recruit training, is issued the God-Emperor's Challenge coin, to represent their acceptance of the God-Emperor's call to serve their fellow man. Any Omega Trooper without his God-Emperor's Challenge coin on his person is ridiculed and mocked for having misplaced what is viewed as the physical manifestation of the God-Emperor's will, and the marine's willingness to stand up and fight. Other medallions may be awarded for various accomplishments throughout a marine's lifetime, and often accompany official Imperial awards like the Marksman's Honor.
 

Chapter Icon:

 

Admin/notes:
10/15/19: Only partially filled out for now, but I'm paranoid that I'll lose my work, so I'll be coming back to this later (maybe even later today, but we'll see).
10/17/19: partially updated to reflect discussion.
10/18/19: partially updated to reflect discussion, and added image
10/22/19: updated the rest of the unfilled sections, added Personal Notes and Addenda and Notable FIgures

10/23/19: added color scheme and rearranged doc slightly (many thanks to the good Chapain for fixing my code!)

Edited March 20, 2020 by Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch

[gripschi]

Its a interesting draft so far.

 

The Idea with the "Bypass" of the Gene Problems is nice.

 

But how could the "blighted" Brothers Fight? I mean a ambusch is Not alleays quiet.

 

Iam eager to read more of there Homeworld. I assume they manufacture there Equipment in the Hives?

 

How is the Moanestry build? Abbandond Hive? Cleared from Orca?

 

Greetings so far

[Trokair]

A few thoughts if I may.

 

While it is not impossible for there to still be forest and such on a hive world I doubt they would ever reach the edge of a hive unless the forest/jungles was rather deadly. There are just too many people living in a hive that easy access to material that forest represents (building, tools, food, fule) to not be used. Now if the planet had suffered a sharp population decline and stayed comparatively low for the forests to creep back into the hive outskirts then that might work, but the time for this would probably be many decades to a few centuries.

 

Secondly, the orks, once they have landed on a planet they are very hard to get rid off and there would be periodic feral ork risings even if the more normal orks had been defeated. With such a thread at hand I would also expect that the human would not allow an easy cover, such as a forest, to encroach to near a hive. If manpower is short burn the forest, otherwise use it to build additional defenses.

 

That said a world with a feral ork population could make for a suitable training ground for the Marines.

 

I have to echo gripschi regarding combat effectives of the marines if the synesthesia is as bad as described. I would tone it done so that it does not impede on combat abilities to a significant decree but bad enough that the chapter culture grew to have the Silent Speakers and Whisperers, that culturally amongst themselves they make no sound as far as possible and so on. Maybe all full marines take a vow of silence and only certain offices are absolved of the vow, such as the Chapter Master (and other key figures).

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Valid points from both of you with regards to the Omega Cohort's homeworld, thank you! 
@gripschi: I had not thought about equipment manufacture, as I was operating under the assumption that a nearby forge world/moon would supply such material, but in this case it would make sense for the hive to produce things like bolt shells, weapons parts, and various simple provisions that any chapter would need. Any more complicated material like tanks, aircraft, and specialist armor equipment could be produced on a forgemoon with labor supplied by the chapter. Yay for system building!

 

Trokair: good point about the forests. I may adjust the timeline to have the ecological succession take place over a near-century, to the point that none of the original anti-ork resistance people have survived, and they're two or three generations removed from the original. You point out feral orks, and while I already had notes about the fortress monastery being in the wilderness, having recruits survive feral orks on their way to the monastery sounds like an excellent idea. Toss in the rest of the feral orks 

This would allow the forests to grow back, and if the orks had prevented any real human activity in the majority of the hives for a while/slaughtered entire hives, there might be a few essentially-empty hives that would allow for the forests to grow back. Whether this is a good idea or not is up for debate, but now that I think about it they would have receded/died off by the time M42 rolls around due to millenia of climate change and resource harvesting (with the exception of the forest badland surrounding the fortress monastery.

 

 

With regards to the afflicted marines, full-blooded Astartes never go to battle without their helmet securely fastened to their head, (this is a detail I had not got around to including but already had drafted) and the helms have been modified to include several additional layers of sound-dampening material to reduce any incoming sound to nothing. However, Trokair raises a good point about combat effectiveness and how it could play into chapter culture a bit more. Officers of the chapter (captains, the chapter master, chaplains, and the chief marines in various specialist fields) have a Whisperer assigned to them as a liaison, an intermediary, and as a translator of sorts between people who aren't afflicted and the officer. While not every officer has the black carapace (with the exception of the current Chapter Master Nykodai Tigumedes all those that do have the Black Carapace have synesthesia, as I currently have it drafted), each officer has a Whisperer assigned to them to aid them as a personal assistant and whatnot (a lieutenant, basically).

Funnily enough I jacked the synesthesia up from my original draft of them (which never made it anywhere except my own personal docs) where they saw light wherever a sound was coming from, which they used to great effect on the battlefield, but I decided was too much of a boon for a supposed 'bad' mutation, so I made it blinding (but not painful).

I suppose I could make a middle-ground where it's annoying, not necessarily useful, but not debilitating, like the light you get in your eyes when you look at a camera flash. 

If nothing else I like the idea that Silent-Speakers have a vow of silence out of sheer annoyance more than anything else, and why they don't like talking to other Imperials as well. If they're particularly annoying, one might write 'Your voice blinds me' and implicitly tell them to shut up before something untoward happens. (any marine who is fortunate enough to not have it is exempt from the vow out of necessity).

[gripschi]

Even with Helmetes reinforced with earproof Materials, i assume a direct hit in the Armour, is very worse.

 

Maybe your "defect" worsen over time. Leading to increase Treatment when they got older.

 

Other Idea,your Astartes could be speciliazed in Warfare without light. Use there "defect" to exceed in CQC in tunnels beneath the surface.

 

I dont dislike that Idea, the culture to evolp around sound very good.

 

To your Homeworld, the Idea is interesting. You could say that Most is coverd in the forest outside the empty Hives.

 

The tribal orks, a steady treat, could be a ideal possiblity to conduct Combat Training.

 

I can Imagine, that your Moanestry, is situated in a abbandond Hive City. Maybe benath it to reduce Sound.

[Messor]

There's a lot to work with in this concept, so I'm very interested to see how you develop it. As others, and you yourself, have noted, their genetic defect is quite severe. Now while I do think they would be more sustainable if it were dialed back a bit, that can depend on where you want to take them narratively. It may be really debilitating, but sometimes that happens with gene-seed, and it can make for interesting developments. The main considerations I see with keeping the flaw as is are how effective do you see them being on the field, where undoubtedly even a well secured helmet won't filter out all sound. Are they meant to be as successful as the average Chapter, or is the severity of their flaw whittling them down? Does it draw attention from other Imperials, rousing suspicion? Those are the kinds of stumbling blocks I would expect to see from Astartes with such a significant condition. Lots can be built on/around that, or of course you can go the route of modifying the condition.

[Trokair]

In terms of the synesthesia, I think you should have it as a spectrum, and as suggest have it worsen over the time.

 

The thing about sound is that even our bodies make sounds internally, and there will be all sorts of background noise that we don’t really hear but a marine with enhanced hearing would.

 

So how about tying the brightness of the perceived light to the volume of the sound, so quite stuff will causing dull flashes that do not really inhibit function, but in the full din of battle it would be completely disabling if it wasn’t for specialize equipment and so on.

 

This could also help reinforce the cultural side of the chapter character, at low levels of sound they can function more or less normally but maintain a state of quite anyway.  

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

gripschi: I hadn't thought about impacts of weapons on armor--that might be sound that can't necessarily be blocked. Unfortunately, the mutation can't be adapted to low-light fighting, as it's like a sun-shadow in your eye--it blocks your vision, and appears even when you close your eyes. It's entirely annoying and not at all useful, for better or for nope, just for worse. It's just a debilitation.

 

Messor: Oh, yes, the Omega Cohort is massively understrength of official, full-blooded Astartes--they have about 200 marines with a black carapace, and the incident rate of the synesthesia mutation is over 95 percent over the course of the history of the chapter. At present time, 2 of those marines exist, the chapter master and the chief aspirant instructor. As far as other Imperial institutions go, their local Admech is just as happy to keep making the augmented helmets in exchange for extra laborers and servitors, but combat commanders and strategic commanders find it frustrating that the officers of the chapter are silent and never seem to listen to what they're saying. Silent-Speakers appear obstinate, but Whisperers can be very open, which confuses other Imperials. 

It will be toned down some, but not so much that its not still very, very annoying to deal with.

 

Trokair: I like the idea of a spectrum for the volume. I'll have to incorporate that!

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Updated the rest of the article, all I need now is a chapter symbol.

Edited October 22, 2019 by Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

A very poorly rendered Omega Cohort symbol. Blue shield, chevron, and omega.

(anyone who gets the chapter is free to ignore it and not paint one, or paint their own. I haven't provided a really good image, so I won't hold it against you).

 

With that, I think I'm done!

[Ace Debonair]

Little bit of C&C for you, if you're interested:

 

What makes this Chapter interesting is their mutations, which you've covered superbly in the 'geneseed' section.

Once you know about the mutations, so much of the Chapter makes more sense and the article really comes together a lot better.

 

So I'd propose moving the 'geneseed' section's location to immediately after 'origins'. It makes the article as a whole flow better, and a bonus it's also the bit where you've explained what a "Whisperer" and a "Silent Speaker" are - both of which are otherwise mentioned off-handedly before they are given any explanation, which is always a slightly confusing experience.

 

Of course, you're free to keep the order as it is if you're happier with it being that way around, it's just one chap's observations and musings.

 

The Omega Cohort looks like a pretty cool Chapter overall, although I am also wondering how their colours translate to Power Armour.

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

I would, but the BBC code is screwed up enough already and I'm afraid if I do more I'll break the whole post.

 

Point well taken though, and if I figure it out I'll definitely change that.

 

I'm curious as well! So long as whoever gets it puts in a good-faith effort (or does a scout!) I'll be grateful.

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

Had a flash of inspiration whilst looking at the new Necromunda enforcer models. Full carapace armor would make sense for an army of scouts, except they aren't scouts. Quote of the added part:

 

 

 

Those Omega Troopers who do not have the Black Carapace, and are not currently deployed as scouts, will don full-body carapace armor, often in the pattern of the Arbites, to provide themselves better protection against enemy fire. The armor is provided by a trusted manufactorum on the Omega Colony, which has commensurate resources allocated to it to account for its increased importance.

 

Thoughts?

[Ace Debonair]

Those Omega Troopers who do not have the Black Carapace, and are not currently deployed as scouts, will don full-body carapace armor, often in the pattern of the Arbites, to provide themselves better protection against enemy fire. The armor is provided by a trusted manufactorum on the Omega Colony, which has commensurate resources allocated to it to account for its increased importance.

Delete that bit about 'often in the pattern of the arbites' and that sounds fine.

 

The Arbites wouldn't use an identical set of armour for everyone in their employ on the worlds of the Imperium (Space Marines don't either, for example), and 'full-body carapace armour' is descriptive enough to convey the look you're aiming for.

[Daimyo-Phaeron Lenoch]

 

Those Omega Troopers who do not have the Black Carapace, and are not currently deployed as scouts, will don full-body carapace armor, often in the pattern of the Arbites, to provide themselves better protection against enemy fire. The armor is provided by a trusted manufactorum on the Omega Colony, which has commensurate resources allocated to it to account for its increased importance.

Delete that bit about 'often in the pattern of the arbites' and that sounds fine.

 

The Arbites wouldn't use an identical set of armour for everyone in their employ on the worlds of the Imperium (Space Marines don't either, for example), and 'full-body carapace armour' is descriptive enough to convey the look you're aiming for.

 

Change made! Thank you for pointing that out. It was mostly thematic, to suggest that the new arbities models could be used to represent Omega Cohort troopers, but your point makes sense.