Editing Children of Armok (section)

==Non-Astartes Agents: the Kokolny==

++ Report Request Pending... ++

++ Alpha Clearance Required. ++

++ Clearance Challenge: Recognised. ++

++ Clearance Level: Alpha. ++

++ Report Request Accepted. ++

++ Subject: Children of Armok. ++

++ Topic: Non-Astartes Auxiliary Forces. ++

++ Authored by: Imperialis Logistica Corpus Logistician, Merlynn Xavius. ++

++ Accessing// ++



The Children of Armok make an abnormally high use of non-astartes in their ranks, surpassed by only by the Silver Cataphracts, and their Strelky in terms of numbers, but possibly not in terms of use.

Where other Legions interaction with Non-Astartes was limited to fighting alongside them, or having them under their direct command as Imperialis Auxilia, the Children utilised their Non-Astartes as espionage agents, terrorists, and saboteurs to sow anarchy and confusion in the enemy ranks, as well as provide up to date intelligence for the arrival of the Children themselves.
Unlike the other legions who swore their fealty to the Emperor, the Kokolny swore fealty directly to the Children of Armok, serving them before others.
Whether they do this for the (mistaken) concept of glory of being a spy, for personal gain, or for personal reasons is not entirely clear. 

Believed to be called the 'Kokolny', an ancient Perfidian word believed to translate as 'puppet' or 'pawn', the Kokolny make up the largest percentage of the Children of Armoks networks of agents and assets. Whether Kokolny is the true term is under speculation, as in the few existing reports of Remembrancers and Imperialis Logistica officials, various names have been used.
Kokolny being one of the most common names along with 'Chanakya', but others used are 'Peshka', 'Diandang', 'Zameya', 'Hydra', 'Colubrum', and 'Ningyo'. Other terms may also exist.
It is unclear whether these terms are interchangeable, or if they represent different roles or ranks inside the Kokolny




The Kokolny's role seems to be in doing the 'grunt work', and infiltrating locations and organisations where the Children Legionaries can only remain temporarily, being the recognisable Astartes that they are. 
More than just spies and assassins however, many Kokolny seem to keep their profession or job when they become Kokolny, giving the Children's networks facilitators for their operations; smugglers, legitimate and illegitimate merchants, rogue traders, hitmen, forgers, con-men, armed-robbers, criminal underbosses and enforcers, custodes officers, munitorum and other Imperial logistical and administrative officials, even Imperial Army/Guard soldiers and officers.

Even xenos are thought to have been brought into the fold of the Children's networks, presumably being identified in the same way all Kokolny are - by a discreet tattoo of a serpent, travelling in a circle to eat its own tail, usually hidden somewhere on the body,  hidden by clothing, jewelry, or hair. The hands, palms, and armpits are common places to find these tattoos, but it varies so much that no true pattern can be ascertained. 


Many Kokolny that are recruited undergo biochemical, cybernetic, and surgical augmentation to enhance their abilities, and to obtain the perfect disguises for where they are to be sent as undercover agents. 
Others operate independently, being trained how to blend in, and being left to do so until they are contacted. 
Others are highly trained, and work directly with the Children themselves, providing light infantry, manning vehicles, scouting, etc.

All recruits are trained in a facility, always referred to as the 'Greybox'. It is unknown whether there is one single facility, or a great number of these facilities scattered around every sector, as the Kokolny are believed to be recruited from all over the Imperium, making one single facility seem unlikely.

Basic Kokolny training seems to involve being instructed in intelligence, and counter-intelligence techniques, unarmed combat training, small-unit tactics, weapons training, with specialisation in the use of small weapons, such as knives, sub-machine stubbers and auto-guns, and pistols, as well as methods for making, using, and defusing explosives. 
Kokolny recruits also seem to be taught medicine, survival skills for harsh environments, the basics of Imperial law, and receive expert training in driving  vehicles and piloting of small craft. Criminals captured that were believed to be Kokolny, have all displayed these talents along with a variety of other skills, these being the only constants. 

After basic training is completed, Kokolny seem to go through voluntary specialisation training, where they may be taught skills such as forgery, smuggling, acting, disguising, methods of assassination, breaking and entry, safe-cracking, architecture, various forms of engineering, esoteric history, cryptography, how to read body language, and skills related to investigation and tracking.
One claim torn from the mind of an agent believed to be one of the Kokolny, implied that the Kokolny recruits would instruct each other and their ''Giant Instructors'' (who are presumed to be Space Marines) in a very open and meritocratic manner, sharing experience and skills with everyone involved. 
The same mind-grab implied that the Kokolny were able to weigh in on discussions with the same weight to their words as their ''Giant Instructors'' and more experienced Kokolny members. 


Some agents believed to be Kokolny have also been reported as displaying psyker abilities, usually limited to mind clouding, and wiping, possibly being used as a means for Children of Armok legionaries and their agents to walk openly in places they would normally be easily noticed. The Children themselves have been reported as having used these methods themselves, so to have taught the Kokolny would seem to make some degree of sense. 


Those that are recruited into being Kokolny seem to come from a variety of professional backgrounds, although a great many seem to have military, or criminal related backgrounds.
Many are believed to be criminals, as there are many reports of prison complexes, and gulag-ships transporting penal regiments around the Imperium having been attacked, and prisoners taken. 
Whether this is related to the Children of Armok or not is impossible to tell, but with so many of the captured or killed agents believed to be Kokolny having their DNA samples match known fugitive criminals, it seems a possible that the Children were involved. The implications of such a theory however, beggar belief, and in this light it seems implausible there is a link, yet when one delves through the scant available evidence, one cannot miss the potential link, although it would seem to be little more than a conspiracy theory to all but those convinced of the Children's guilt.


What missions exactly the Kokolny undertake are purely speculative, as any that have been captured and suspected of being Kokolny have never said a word to authorities, and have most peculiarly, had their minds wiped of their original identities, and seemed to be shielded from all casual mind-probing, only the most thorough of searches yielding anything relevant, most of this ,. 

The mind shielding is most telling, as it indicates some form of mind reprogramming by a powerful psyker, which would presumably be far beyond the resources of any criminal organisation. However, shortly before publishing this report, in a small system near to the deathworld of Catachan, a criminal organisation operating out of the jungles of their own deathworld had a powerful psyker in their midst, blanking and shielding the minds of all the members of the organisation, so that they would never inform on their criminal brethren's operations. This would seem to prove it is within the capabilities of even a small criminal organisation, yet this could be yet another layer to the deception the Children would have us believe is the truth. 


Most criminals believed to be Kokolny that are captured, yield very little to interrogation and mind probing, what we can ascertain is that they are highly trained, fanatically loyal, conditioned to withstand torture and interrogation, and rarely have any knowledge about other operatives or their masters. 
Thus, with no evidence of who they work for or what their purpose is, the whole 'Kokolny' theory of the Children of Armok, is just that. A theory.

Worthy of note however, and the one thing that brings the whole theory to a close in a typical fashion, is that all those captured that were believed to be Kokolny, have been rescued and take away by unknown forces, usually by force, although sometimes through bluff and disguise.

This consistent recovery of suspected operatives makes one wonder if the Kokolny, if they exist as we believe them to, are a valuable member of the Children's legion, or a disposable asset.  


++ End of Report ++


'''Meta-notes:'''

The Kokolny are recruited from all over the Imperium - they are always individuals who have displayed some level of talent in a field related to espionage or assassination, or have an unusual skill or knowledge that cannot be easily found at their level. 
They are looked after and trained heavily by the Children, and do the things the Children cannot do, such as infiltrate organisations, and blend into crowded places. 
However, they are still used in ruthlessly measured ways, and Kokolny agents are not expected to survive for more than a decade, though many still do - it all depends on how active the sector they operate in is. 

They are often criminals or soldiers, but anyone with the talents or position the Children deem relevant for their operations are taken. 
Not all Kokolny survive the recruitment process and training, as it is quite rigourous, especially the torture and interrogation resistance training. 
But those that survive are highly skilled, highly motivated operatives. 

The Kokolny agents skills and insights are recorded and anything new that they share is passed onto the rest of the Children legion, to further train Legion marines and Kokolny alike.