Editing Void Angels (section)

==Beginnings==

''Before dispatching the Sacred Band to the field, Hektor Cincinnatus gave a rousing speech to his warriors.  I don't recall the specifics but it seemed that he had little of substance to tell the men.  At any rate, Hektor's own gene-sons were greatly moved and began a rousing cheer.  The cries of adulation spread throughout the Sacred Band, but the Fifth Squad stood silent.  Mamercus half-turned his head towards where I stood at the side of the field, and his grey gaze caught my own.  I was struck by the look on his long, solemn face.  Worry tugged at his thin lips and fine lines crossed his brow.  That was the last time I saw Mamercus alive.''

- Antoine Antonelle, private briefing to Gaspard Lumey

[[File:Antoineantonellecommands.jpg|200px|thumb|Antoine Antonelle supervises a training exercise]]
It was not the Space Marines who fought the early battles of the Emperor's [[Unification Wars (Hektor Heresy)|unification of Terra]].  Another generation of genetically-enhanced soldiers, the bygone '''Thunder Warriors''' were made to win through the savagery that had overcome humanity's birth-world.  But even as the Thunder Warriors sacrificed for the future, their successors were taking shape.  Deep below the Himalazian Mountains, the Emperor developed his greatest creations, the Primarchs.  Of these mighty beings, all but one would be stolen by the Ruinous Powers and scattered across the [[Galaxy (Hektor Heresy)|Galaxy]].  The progenitor of the Fifth Legion was not the exception, but samples of his genetics were still used to create the gene-seed of a breed of heroic Space Marines.

[[Hektor Cincinnatus]], the first and last of the Primarchs, was the original leader and tutor of the Space Marines.  His [[Sacred Band]], made up of the first squad from each of what would become the Legiones Astartes, contributed to the hard-fought '''Pacification of the Merican Hives'''.  Mamercus led the Fifth Squad in Hektor's Sacred Band with some success in the early part of the campaign.  However, Fifth Squad would meet a tragic end in the [[San Angelus Incident]].  During the confused fighting within the great hive, Mamercus' men encountered a band of enraged Thunder Warriors.  The mighty but primitive warriors were running amok, and did not recognise Fifth Squad as their allies.  Mamercus and his men were all slain.

Some believe that this unfortunate episode set the Fifth on the path of mistrust and suspicion.  Others claim that their psychological tendency was determined by Gaspard Lumey's gene-seed.  A third theory holds that the Fifth's status as outsiders stemmed from their members being lost from the Sacred Band, robbing them of bond of fellowship that Hektor Cincinnatus sought to forge throughout the [[Legiones Astartes (Hektor Heresy)|Legiones Astartes]].  Whatever the precise combination of reasons, the Fifth would be set apart from their brother marines and lost the men who had been singled out as their most promising officer candidates.  Mamercus and his fellows, drawn from the Emperor's bodyguard, were all outstanding warriors and natural leaders of men.  The man to whom the responsibility of leading the nascent Legion now fell was neither.

[[Antoine Antonelle]] was - by the standards of the Astartes - an adequate warrior, no more.  His advancement as an officer candidate hinged on his natural talent for explaining complex ideas in simple terms, the critical ability of a master organiser.  The Terran adepts charged with grooming the Space Marines had singled Antonelle out as a future quartermaster for the valiant warriors of Fifth Squad.  Yet by a quirk of fate he was pushed forward to preside over the development of the whole Legion.  Though Antonelle was undoubtedly a highly competent officer, his mild manner and unusual command priorities failed to convince anyone that the Fifth were a worthy participant in the Emperor's [[Great Crusade (Hektor Heresy)|Great Crusade]].

In the first place, locating the Legion's headquarters on Terra and focusing on training won Antonelle no favours with the Sacred Band.  He was generally sneered at as a coward, and on at least one episode the Primarch Hektor Cincinnatus had to be reminded that the Fifth had survived their disaster in the Merican Hives.  However, Antonelle's priorities let him put his own imprint on his new officers, fostering free-thinkers and leaving the close-minded in the ranks.  Although this spirit of independence produced some stunning successes - especially under the aggressive leadership of [[Fabrice Diallo]] - it jarred the sensibilities of many of the Legion commanders that the Fifth fought under.  Diallo found a temporary home for his squadron under the Primarch [[Arelex Orannis]].  As the [[War Scribes|Second Legion]] pushed into the '''Ultima Segmentum''', Diallo's men were often used to unlock defences with quick, decisive movements.  Their crowning victory at the Battle of the Caspian Heights, part of the '''Pacification of Nihos III''', is still preserved in the ''Institutorum Astartes'' as a model of manoeuvre warfare.  If they commanded a small presence on the battlefield, the significance of Diallo's work should still not be understated.  Were it not for the personal intervention of grateful Arelex Orannis, the Fifth might have been disbanded in their early years.

Even with Orannis's patronage, the Fifth "Legion" was constantly starved of recruits and material, and deployed piecemeal to support other Legions in need of additional Astartes.  Scattered and under-supplied, the Fifth numbered only barely over a hundred when [[Roman Albrecht]], Primarch of the [[Steel Marshals]] was discovered.  On assuming command, Albrecht took it upon himself to aid the leaderless Legions and requested that the First Squadron of the Fifth be transferred to his command from the War Scribes.  With the help of the Steel Marshals, Antonelle slowly built his force up to three squadrons before the rediscovery of the Fifth's own Primarch.

In the void of space, however, the Fifth were more successful.  The Tech Priests of [[Mars (Hektor Heresy)|Mars]] felt no kindness to Antonelle, but they treated him as a respected captain of the Emperor's Legions and readily fulfilled his modest requests for ships and modifications.  Careful husbanding of fleet resources and a spirit of experimentation led to the development of a solid naval cadre. Many of the Legion's officers and sergeants became highly skilled ship captains, confident and experienced in three-dimensional conflict.

Yet Antonelle's little victories, measured in keeping the Legion alive and nourishing a cadre, would be put into the shadows by the rediscovery of Gaspard Lumey on the Civilised World of Ciban IV.  Unlike many of his brothers, Lumey had not conquered his homeworld.  Instead, he had fought alongside its people in their wars of liberation and contended himself in the life of an ordinary citizen, if a highly-respected one.  Perhaps surprisingly, the Emperor seemed well-pleased by Gaspard Lumey's achievements, and if the Primarch did not shake the Fifth's maverick reputation his presence at least commanded a certain amount of attention and respect.

===Order of Battle===
By the time of Gaspard Lumey's rediscovery, the so-called "Tag-along Legion" fielded three squadrons of Astartes, equipped as air-mobile infantry due to their association with the Steel Marshals and War Scribes, plus four cruisers and seventeen escorts.  In this period, their co-operation with Imperial Army and Taghmata Omnissiah forces was ad-hoc and arranged through other Legion commands.

'''Headquarters: Terra'''
* Legion Commander: Chapter Master [[Antoine Antonelle]]
* Staff: Master of Recruits Remus Alsara, Master of Armaments Kimmel Freeman
* Training Squadron (eighty-five Neophytes, separated into year-grade Sections)
* Command ship: ''Endurance'' (modified "Avenger"-Class Grand Cruiser)
* Naval Reserve: ''Assuré'' ("Sword"-Class Frigate), ''Aventurier'' ("Spectre"-Class Warp Runner), ''Constant'' ("Sword"-Class Frigate), ''Dard'' ("Spectre-Class Warp Runner), ''Tigre" ("Thunderbolt"-Class Heavy Frigate)


'''First Squadron (attached to Steel Marshals operations in Segmentum Tempestus)'''
*Commander Section: (Lieutenant [[Uli Dreier]], Techmarine Sándor Ozséb, Techmarine Merle Marcheterre, Apothecary Kensei Nan)
*Section 1.1: Tactical (Sergeant Khurush Danaad + 13 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.2: Tactical (Sergeant Astor Bellerose + 12 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.3: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Vincent Généreux + 8 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.4: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Yohann Sauveterre + 6 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.5: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Yuan Hao + 7 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.6: Heavy Support (Sergeant Parris Herriot + 8 Battle Brothers)
*Air Support: Three ''Storm Eagle'' Assault Gunships, one ''Fire Raptor'' Gunship
*Naval Support: ''Persévérance'' ("Olympia"-Class Cruiser), ''Catapulte'' ("Vigil"-Class Siege Frigate), ''Hussard'' ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), ''Lansquenet'' ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), ''Mameluck'' ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer).

'''Second Squadron (attached to [[Eyes of the Emperor]] operations in Ultima Segmentum)'''
*Command Section: (Lieutenant [[Fabrice Diallo]], Techmarine Hoàng Doãn Quốc, Techmarine Samuel Yegorov, Apothecary Mherke Dawewda)
*Section 1.1: Tactical (Sergeant Marcus Iustus + 16 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.2: Tactical (Sergeant Jalal Samaha + 14 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.3: Assault (Sergeant Quintus Iuventus + 15 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.4: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Jeremy Gallop + 9 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.5: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Salaheddine Wisman + 6 Battle Brothers)
*Air Support: Two ''Storm Eagle'' Assault Gunships, two ''Fire Raptor'' Gunships
*Naval Support: ''Détermination'' ("Olympia"-Class Cruiser), ''Bombarde'' ("Vigil"-Class Siege Frigate), ''Carabinier'' ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), ''Tirailleur'' ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), ''Voltigeur'' ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer).

'''Third Squadron (en route to join Steel Marshals operations, Segmentum Tempestus)'''
*Command Section: (Lieutenant Unai Garrastazu, Techmarine Baltasár Lucero, Techmarine Rajmund Król, Apothecary Bhenam Khanhsaz)
*Section 1.1: Tactical (Sergeant Publius Spurinus + 18 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.2: Tactical (Sergeant Delfin Armenta + 17 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.3: Assault (Sergeant Kesh Kanak + 14 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.4: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Renan Rodrigues Santos + 7 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.5: Reconnaissance (Sergeant Joso Nikolić + 7 Battle Brothers)
*Section 1.6: Heavy Support (Sergeant Mario Mueller + 9 Battle Brothers)
*Air Support: Three ''Storm Eagle'' Assault Gunships
*Naval support: ''Ténacité'' ("Olympia"-Class Cruiser), ''Baliste'' ("Vigil"-Class Siege Frigate), ''Arquebuse'' ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), ''Harpon'' ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer), ''Javeline'' ("Cobra"-Class Destroyer).

===Notable Campaigns===

* '''c.775.M30: [[San Angelus Incident]]'''.  During this action, Thunder Warriors slew the Fifth squad of the Sacred Band.  This disaster robbed the Fifth Legion of the men who would have been its leaders.
*'''Battle of the Caspian Heights'''.  Fought under the command of the War Scribes.  Fabrice Diallo executed a brilliant attack on the Orkish defenders, harrying the greenskins beyond their ability to co-ordinate resistance.
*'''Battle of Five Legions'''.  Uli Dreier led a small contingent of Fifth Legionnaires under the command of the Steel Marshals.  Although their contribution was small, Roman Albrecht generously recognised Dreier's command as one of the eponymous Five Legions.