Space Knights

Space Knights

Battle Cry	"Brothers in life, martyrs in death!"
Founding	23rd founding (M37)
Successors of	Blood Angels
Successor Chapters	None
Chapter Master	Arturius
Primarch	Sanguinius
Homeworld	Garden of Sanguinius (Medieval dead world)
Strength	Endangered
Specialty	Close combat, Siege warfare
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Dark grey, blood red trim and details

The Space Knights are a Blood Angels successor Chapter founded in the 37th millenium. They specialize in close combat and siege warfare. They are essentially Krieg Marines.

Overview

The Space Knights are a successor chapter of the Blood Angels legion. Their specialty is siege and close quarters combat, but unlike their parent legion they do not fight with fanatical bloodlust, but rather bitter hatred and ice-cold rage, for their greatest goal is to join their Martyr-Primarch in the afterlife as martyrs themselves. Plated in MkIII power armor and armed with unique power weapons, their modus operandi is to use their siege engines to break down the enemy defenses and then fill the breach with knights who charge the enemy with sword and shield, uttering their prayer of battle "Brothers in life, Martyrs in death!"

When not in battle the Space Knight spends his time praying to his God-Emperor and Martyr-Primarch, practicing his skills and teaching the neophytes the way of the sword and martyrdom, to cleanse your spirit of fear, to stare down the guns of your enemy, the xenos, the heretic and feel no restriction as you march trough the fire and brimstone towards their and your death.

History

The Space Knights were founded to protect nearby worlds from an Ork WAAAGH!, and their more secretive task, which is to contain an Eldar city embedded within the planets crust. The city was revealed by the ravages of the Exterminatus, it was there, where the chapter's hero distinguished himself during the first assault on the entombed city. He was also the first member of the chapter's death company and also the first to die within its ranks. Since the chapter's creation all members of the original death company are deceased, following their creed of martyrdom.

Because of the Chapters weakened state and entire companies worth of MkIII Power Armour Lying around, as well as strong ties to the Adeptus Mechanicus, whose Forge Worlds will be under threat should the Space Knights fall, the Chapter fields almost exclusively MkIII plate, to aid their tactics, which involve breaking through fortified positions and unique power weapons, to fight bloody hand-to-hand with their enemies, the added protection the MkIII offers helps keep them alive long enough to make it to the enemy lines and to begin the slaughter.

Another quirk of both their Isolation and their ties to the Mechanicus are the unique patterns of vehicles they receive. An example of this would be the Whirlwind ballista, which replaces the MLRS system with the rapid fire battle cannon usually equipped by Imperial Knight Paladins. Which are used to Pummel enemy fortifications into dust. Another unique vehicle fielded by the Space Knights is the use of Imperial Knights in place of Dreadnoughts. This not only allows the knights to be resupplied almost entirely by forgeworlds in the same subsector, but they provide and effective counter to the Wraithknights of the Eldar Craftworld they are currently in a protracted war with.

Homeworld

The Garden of Sanguinius was a medieval world lost during the Long Night and reclaimed during the Great Crusade. When it was discovered its people were uplifted and the planet was quickly developed into sprawling cities made of brick, black stone and timber. 'The Garden' as it was soon known became a highly productive Agri-world that helped fuel the war effort with both fuel and men, with most of the food leaving the planet and the majority of capable citizens went to fight in the Crusade Fleet led by the Blood Angels.

After the outset of the Heresy, as the Loyalists were rushing to the defense of Terra, the Word Bearers happened upon this Green Jewel and tried to turn it to the worship of chaos, but were beaten back by the remnants of a Blood Angel's reserve company that had been stranded when the call for retreat had sounded. Deciding that wasting their time on weeding out some Blood Angels that were trapped on the planet, the Word Bearers (who were getting a little too trigger happy with the virus bombs) decided to destroy the world and make speed to Terra to help break the siege. But luckily/unfortunately the Word Bearers were running dry on planet killing weapons, because they had already used most of them on other planets along their way. So they threw everything they had left at the planet and figured that it would prevent the planet being used as an Agri-world ever again.

The pitiful amount of virus bombs and the resulting firestorm left the planet badly scarred and devoid of almost all plant life, although deep in caves, canyons and underground bunkers some humans and Blood Angels were able to survive the Exterminatus and survive until the end of the Heresy, after which Imperial ships returned to check up on the planet.

From that day on, the Blood Angels of the planet broke off their parent legion, following the victory of Terra, and renamed themselves Space Knights, wearing the black over their red in repentance against their failure to protect their world and their Primarch, who is now revered as the greatest martyr, only matched by the Emperor.