Editing Astral Wardens (section)

=Naval Assets=

'''The ''Prodigal Sun'':''' Primarch Bishop's personal ''Gloriana''-Class Battleship, and the Astral Wardens' home away from home. The Sun is configured as a mobile base of operations, with an increased complement of docking bays and crew hubs allowing it to refuel and repair friendly vessels, or even perform preliminary refits on captured enemy craft. Crewmen frequently bring their families with them during tours of service, and the areas of the ship less frequented by the brass can sometimes resemble a bustling civilian city more than a vessel of war, with clotheslines strung up across the vast corridors and vendors hawking wares from booths nestled in any alcove they can find.
In battle, the ''Sun'''s strategy contrasts with the aggressive, high-speed style employed by the majority of the fleet, hanging back to provide long-range support with its immense Lance broadsides. The ''Sun'' largely eschews close-range weaponry, relying on its massive supply of fighters for point defense and interception- and those fighters can be sure they will have a place to repair and refuel between runs even in the fiercest of melees.

'''''Odonata''-Pattern Aerovoid Superiority Fighter:''' The pride and joy of the Luminary Corps, the ''Odonata'' is a fighter craft designed specifically for maximum agility and formation flying, ideal for escort and interception roles both in and out of atmosphere. The earliest models of this craft were single-seat affairs, streamlined to the maximum degrees the Mechanicum could manage, armed only with a twin-linked lascannon and a single rack of air-to-air missiles dependent on mission role. 
The ''Odonata'''s stunning speed earned it a good reputation, until early encounters with the Dark Eldar, whose craft, superior in the realm the ''Odonata'' was previously thought untouchable in, harried and picked apart entire formations with ease. Understanding the limitations of human engineering at the time, the choice was made to sacrifice some of the first model's speed, leading to the MKII ''Odonata''. Equipped with a rear-facing ball-turreted lascannon and a dedicated tailgunner, the MKII builds on the philosophy of the Astartes they support- when a squadron flies in formation, there is no safe angle for an enemy craft to attack them. The turret provides additional flexibility to the craft's role, allowing it to provide better fire support while strafing and more easily shoot down incoming munitions.

'''Stiletto-Pattern Missile:''' The ''Odonata'' is not a payload-delivery craft, and typically packs only a small complement of explosives for use in dogfighting.  Ever-resourceful, the techmarines of the Astral Wardens developed the Stiletto Missile as a way for their most agile craft to better assist in engagements with capital vessels. Incorporating a [[Dusk Phantoms]]-discovered improbability drive that renders it slightly out of phase with the local space-time, the Stiletto attempts to slip past void shields and deliver a powerful hybrid melta/plasma charge directly to the target's hull.  When successful, this leaves a relatively small but deep wound- and, more importantly, paints the area with a radiological signal, allowing heavier craft to target the newly-created weak point with supreme accuracy.
An ''Odonata'' can typically only carry a single one of these missles, requiring the fighter to return to the mothership after every run. Still, with a ten-fighter formation each delivering a Stiletto, odds are good at least one will get through.

'''The Shroud of Heaven:''' Perhaps the most esoteric item in the arsenal of the V<sup>th</sup>'s fleet, the so-called Shroud of Heaven is an archaeotech device recovered in the compliance of Elytra Secundus. Originally designated to be integrated by the [[Smoke Stalkers]], Elytra Secundus proved impossible for the Stalkers to crack due to incredibly potent Void Shield surrounding the planet, which admitted only friendly craft. Calling upon the Astral Wardens' skill in voidcraft to capture vessels of the planetary defense fleet, the Stalkers were able to infiltrate the world's unbreakable defense and lay its defenders low in record time. Out of gratitude for their part in the conquest, [[Isheko the Unseen]] awarded the V<sup>th</sup> with the STC found in the ruins of the planetary shield generator.

The device they now call the Shroud of Heaven is too large to be deployed conveniently in a fleet-based setting, but the Wardens have found a use for it. Always loath to enact Exterminatus, the Shroud is Calael Bishop's compromise to the Imperium's omega option. If a world proves so intractable it calls for total elimination, the V<sup>th</sup> consults with elements of the Sisterhood of Silence- and, should the Sisters agree that the world is a viable candidate, the Shroud of Heaven is unleashed, surrounding the offending world with an impenetrable barrier. The planet becomes an inescapable prison, containing whatever dangerous elements it may host so that they can never again trouble the Imperium.