Space Marine TERMINATOR ARMOUR I Warhammer 40k Lore

my dearest friends I am honored to welcome you back to these ancient halls for today's sermon in the Grim darkness of the 41st Millennium mankind is locked in a seemingly Eternal Siege with its enemies of the alien the mutant and the heretic pressing ever harder against the gates of humanity these foes seek one thing and one thing only and it would be for the ultimate destruction and plundering of the once Mighty Imperium which in the present day stands as the greatest of Stellar Empires amidst the stars but all hope for the meek forlorn citizens is not to be lost within the dark for they are safeguarded by the greatest Bastion provided by the god Emperor and it would be from his unbreakable armies of the Space Marines these are the the finest of Genetically Enhanced super soldiers having been formed from augmenting the strongest of aspirant recruits with a unique gift known as the gene seed once implanted they can then receive additional organ transplants providing them with an extra heart a Third Lung and even with a curious set of lip bound glands which will allow the individual to spit a corrosive blinding Venom only once a neoy has survived the arduous challenge of bearing these weighty augments will he be prepared to stand as a fully-fledged Space Marine an ascended hero who is ready to set out into the stars and purge them from the tainted presence of the many enemies of man yet despite this even amidst the ranks of the estares there exist a select few who have Arisen beyond their peers as tried and tested veterans who will know no fear from the creatures which lurk out in the dark after a marine has proven themselves as being more than capable in the field of battle and when he has faced truly insurmountable odds yet endured them with a sense of valiant Duty then he may be considered as one of the few hardened veteran Warriors who best exemplifies the teachings and traditions of his honored chapter once the battle brother has been anointed to this vaunted position then he earns the right to wear some of the most sacred and precious pieces of War gear available throughout the Imperium and there are perhaps none more iconic than of the mighty suits of Terminator armor today we shall be focusing on this specific piece of Sanctified apparel where we will learn of its use throughout the ranks of the estares and of its place within the Stars we will first investigate the suit itself going over its intricate design with a particular focus on the most commonly encountered pattern known as indomitus armor then we will look upon the various armaments which may be mounted upon these suits and of the wearers who will stride into battle Beneath The Shield of this tactical Dreadnaught armor bringing the wroth of the emperor with each strike of their Thunder Hammers and with each blaring Salvo from their storm bolters but for now my friends it is time to descend into the sacred armories of the Space Marines to learn of the many features of Terminator armor to begin with let us learn of when this venerable suit first came into existence and so we must cast our gaze back to the fable days of the great Crusade this was one of the earliest periods of imperial history when the god emperor of mankind LED his 20 Legions of Space Marines out into the galactic void to conquer the stars and unite Humanity under a singular Banner whilst the estares were already equipped with their iconic and effective suits of power armor for this campaign it it soon became clear that these armies would require a far heavier more durable frame to be used in some of the more TR treacherous conflicts which were sure to come as such it fell to the mechanicus tech Priests of Mars to formulate a design for a suit which would not only be able to take far more punishment than of typical power armor but could also be used in environments which were considered to be far too hostile for regularly equipped Marines to Traverse The Scouting parties of the Imperium had already located death worlds coated in thick layers of toxic smog with deep pools of acidic mud that could easily eat through Power Armor from but a short hour of exposure there were also a myriad of abandoned ships known as space hulks which contained not in the way of a breathable atmosphere and had incredibly varied conditions in inside ranging from rooms being as cold as the void of space through to exposed reactor cores with temperatures exceeding thousands of degrees though these locations were undoubtedly dangerous to all the Lords of the Imperium were not content to leave any area of the Galaxy as being beyond the reach of the aartis and the thought of abandoning these locations to stand as potential refugees for the many enemies of man was simply an option which could not be taken whilst the pre-existing solution to these obstacles was to Simply send in an armored Cadre of Tanks or Mighty walking dreadnots there were some instances where they could not be used to curtail these hazards the cramped dank under tunnels of Hive worlds or the intertwining crushed walkways of a space Hulk were simply too small or densely packed for a tank to easily navigate and so the Marines would require a personalized suit which would carry all of the armored benefits yet would still allow their units to be just as tactical and maneuverable as their power armored Brothers with this goal in mind the tech priests began to work on an enhanced suit which would be constructed to endure these environmental hazards and yet would still be mobile and compact enough for an individual to Traverse the narrow claustrophobic environments whilst facing no hindrance from the Myriad dangers it is rumored that the tech priests looked to the archaic exos suits worn by Terran Engineers within treacherous workplaces such as would be the case for those who performed maintenance work within the reactor cores of the mighty void crafts of the Imperium for inspiration they sought to adapt these frames with the armors used on the Dreadnaught Walkers of the Marines which is eventually how these suits were later designated as tactical Dreadnaught armor in the early days of production many different Forge worlds were tasked with creating their own designs and interpretations of a suit which could meet these specific requirements because of this there were several distinct variants which came about with rather Stark differences between them but many of these changes were primarily based on Aesthetics and at their cause they each provided the same basic needs which had been requested by the estares the Prototype Terminator suits were each magnificent examples of the engineering design prowess held by the mechanicus tech priests and though they would be drastically changed in the coming Millennia these early examples were still incredibly effective for their given role the immense suits of armor stood taller than even the typical aartis power armor being made up of thick layers of adamantium and reinforced ceramite which could withstand a near endless Salvo of small arms fire thanks to their strength it was even hypothesized that they would be able to withstand truly gargantuan crushing forces to the point where even a light tank could ride over them without causing any significant damage in addition the primary goal of producing a personalized suit which could withstand the Hostile environments of the Galaxy was certainly exceeded in almost every way being a fully enclosed encapsulated armor system the wearer would not have to fear any noxious toxic gases from their surroundings and they would even be able to operate in locations devoid of an atmosphere thanks to their integrated oxygen recycling systems but a aside from their defensive capabilities we must remember that the suits of Terminator armor were primarily produced to be tools of war and as such they were constructed to be equipped with a wide range of offensive weapons with their specific loadouts being unique to the requirements of a battle perhaps the most iconic of these would be of the integrated power fists which were often built into the commonly deployed ve Varan these immense gauntlets would crackle with a sparkling energy field which would only be enhanced by the potent mechanical servos built into their frames allowing the wearer to clamp down onto a Target to utterly crush them beyond all recognition only one hand would be augmented with this Gauntlet whereas the other would be kept free to allow the Terminator to equip a smaller ranged weapon most often times being a stormbolter these are dual barreled fully automatic bolt weapons which can maintain a surprisingly High fire rate at an impressive range though these weapons usually carry with them a rather prohibitive amount of recoil thanks to the strengths provided by the heavy suits of armor the user would be able to maintain a steady rate of highly accurate fire at their targets the Power Fist and stormbolter combination still stands as perhaps the most common variant of Terminator to this day however we will soon discuss some of the other more interesting loadouts which are deployed across the various chapters of the Space Marines though the suits were incredibly heavy and bulky it did not mean that the user would be immobile to any degree being outfitted with Advanced Servo Motors powered actuators and tightly bound synthetic muscle fiber bundles the wearer would be just as agile and mobile as they would have been if they stro into battle wearing a less capable suit as their design phase came to a close it soon became a dream of the high Lords to replace all conventional suits of aarti's power armor with the far superior patterns of Terminator armor however as we are all aware this plan did not come to fruition though several variants including the catti or tartaros suits were used throughout the years of the Great Crusade the Imperium was soon to be plunged into a devastating Civil War which would put a halt to the progressive modernization plans of the Lords the widespread destruction caused by the Horus heresy utterly demolished the industrial capacity of the Imperium and with the loss of around half of all Terminator suits which had been produced the dream of holding entire chapters dawned in these Mighty exos suits was dashed to the cosmic winds the immense losses made it clear that the mass production of Terminator armor could simply not be achieved and even their fabrication had to be heavily reduced in order to prioritize the rebuilding of the shattered Imperium this led to a true level of scarcity for these suits of armor and rather unfortunately it is something which has persisted well into the 41st Millennium as it stands today the chapters of the adeptus aartis will cling onto their remaining suits of Terminator armor as treasured relics of a bygone age and they will only be deployed if there is simply no other solution which seems possible the mechanicus does still produce a scant few of these suits but it is not nearly enough to provide every chapter of the Imperium with a reliable Supply and so for the chapters which still retain several squads worth they will do anything they can to maintain them as functional units of armor they will be repaired and watched over by Tech Marines and Tech Priests of the mechanicus constantly adorning the armor with pungent oils and garbled prayers in the hopes that it will prolong the lifespan of these sacred relics because of the Rarity of functional Parts it has been noted that some sets of Terminator armor appear rather ramshackle in their appearance with pieces from previous patterns having been attached to replace damaged armor panels or components but regardless of this we must remember that each piece still stands as perhaps one of the finest creations of the mechanicus and even if it holds a somewhat disheveled or inconsistent appearance that it does not detract from the truth that this is still a potent suit of Terminator armor it will be worn by the heroes of a chapter Veterans of a hundred campaigns and through its might they will bring the Vengeance of the emperor to the many enemies of man now that we understand their place within the history of the Imperium let us turn our attention towards the most commonly encountered variant found within the 41st Millennium and it would be none other than the indomitus pattern of Terminator armor when most imagine a hulking Space Marine striding through a hostile war zone of the Galaxy within the unbreakable shell of a suit of Terminator armor most would immediately picture the indomitus pattern and perhaps for good reason it has become a piece of equipment which is incredibly iconic within the ranks of the estares the exemplary suits were first created during the closing years of the Horus heresy as a desperate means of resupplying the loyalist Legions with new suits of Terminator armor following on from the great losses which they had sustained in the war with the arch traitor in some ways the mechanicus was forced to make several compromises with its construction the final framework was far less durable than that of the katati suit and it did not possess the same benefits in Mobility or technological advancements as were to be found in the fabled tartaros pattern instead they were forced to produce a suit which could be manufact factured at a higher rate and so would be far less reliant on exotic materials or rare Parts which were becoming more and more hard to Source within the fractured Imperium thus the indomitus pattern came to be though many of its core systems were conserved from the previous iterations the most notable differences were to be found in its external appearance it featured a far more rounded construction with armor panels being shaped to deflect enemy blows away from the main body of the wearer while still being far more durable than that of a typical power armor suit the large spherical shoulder pauldrons were notably thicker than those of the prior generations and their construction had been slightly extended in order to further protect the upper arms of the user upon the right shoulder the legion and L chapter heraldry would be displayed in full Glory allowing the Terminator to carry the iconography of his brothers into battle as an effigy of War upon the left shoulder however we will find a most sacred artifact known as the krux terminatus this has become one of the most significant symbols for the veteran members of the Space Marines as it signifies their vaunted position within the first company of their chapter consisting of a stone skull embedded upon a cross which can be made of iron bone or other resources unique to a chapter it is granted to an individual only once he has proven himself as a true champion to the chapter and so only those who have advanced to the rank of Veteran may be seen as worthy enough to bear it for all to see legends say that during The climactic Duel of the hor heresy where the god Emperor was struck down by the arch traitor that it was a group of Imperial fists Terminators who aided the surviving Imperials in recovering his broken body during his final moments of Lucidity he ordered that his own armor be melted down and fragmented With A Single Shard being given to each Terminator as a sign of recognition for their service towards both him and to the entire Imperium this tradition has lived on and so it is said that even to this very day that each Terminator carries with him a Shard of the armor of the emperor cradled within the skull of his Crux terminatus as I stated before the base construction of the indomitus suits mirrors that of the other patterns as such at its core will be an exoskeletal system bolstered by dense bundles of synthetic muscle fibers which provides the user with a level of strength that could not be possible even for a Genetically Enhanced Space Marine above this will be a series of thick plates of adamantium and ceramite which are more than Tough Enough To shrug off all but the heaviest or most piercing salvos of enemy fire despite its bulk as I have previously mentioned the servo assistance actuators and Motors will bear much of the brunt of its Hefty weight meaning that the Terminator can move with an impressive degree of speed when required with that being said due to the constraints formed around its original blueprints it does not have the same Mobility benefits as a suit of Tartarus armor and whilst a wearer will be notably slower than their power armored Brethren they will still easily out face even a sprinting Guardsman with but a Brisk stride perhaps the most striking and iconic feature of the indomitus suits will be from its easily identifiable helmet it is said that this was designed to resemble the face of an ancient canid species once native to Terror although over the long Millennia and through the course of heavy industrialization this creature is now to be considered as extinct thus in a rather strange way these Helms act as the final remaining Legacy of a beast which once stalked the dunes of our ancient home World though its name has been long forgotten to history within this Helm however we will find an advanced Suite of sensory systems and threat detection units which will provide the Terminator with a far greater volume of information regarding his surroundings when compared to his power armored contempories some of these orpc systems were integrated to process and relay information on the various hazards of his environment since as we all remember these suits were intended to be deployed within the most hostile and inhospitable of locations and so knowing of the various external threats will be Paramount to their operation it has been suggested that the unique aexes within their Helms will allow them to detect faint signs of life within a close proximity allowing the Terminator to track any potential threats when in the Dank claustrophobic confines of a hostile environment this would be most notable within the bowels of a spacehulk where the veteran would need to be well aware of any lurking Gene Steelers or other worldly Horrors which may have claimed the abandoned vessel as their Maleficent haunt as will be the case with regular suits of power armor the Terminator suits will be able to connect directly with the black carapace of a marine meaning that it can interpret many of the vital signs produced by his own body as a result of this if any Grievous wounds or environmental threats do in fact manage to make their way through the Tough Armor then the wearer will be notified of such An Occurrence allowing them to take the necessary measures to counteract the threat perhaps one of the most advanced features which has been built into the indomitus pattern of Suits will be of the teleport Homer this is an ancient archaic piece of Imperial technology which will allow a user to teleport through the warp to a specific location most often signaled through a local Beacon upon the world's surface though a Terminator can indeed be sent without the presence of this signal they will then be at risk of missing their target and if they end up materializing in the wrong location then they may erroneously manifest within an obstacle leading to the suits being lost this has notably been the case when Terminators are deployed onto space hulks without a Teleport Beacon being previously placed search parties have unfortunately found Terminators who have materialized partially within the walls of the ship's bulkhead and from this point their own bodies will have fused with the accursed metals leaving them as a forlorn marker of death within the cavernous underbelly of this lost vessel due to the size of their armor it is unsurprising that the termin s are unable to fit within smaller Transportation Vehicles such as rhinos or razor backs and so they are forced to ride into battle aboard the venerable tanks known as land Raiders charging across a landscape their enormous Treads will bear down into the ground while sponson mounted Weaponry will unleash salvos of heavy weapons fire towards a Target only once they have reached a close enough range will the front assault ramp burst open at which point the Terminators will stride forth ready to bring the malice of the chapter to any who dared stand against them given that their Hefty exoskeleton and advanced Servo Motors provide them with an incredible degree of strength it is unsurprising that the Terminators may be equipped with a wide range of heavy Weaponry which would usually be relegated to small tanks or defensive imp placements there are two primary routs which may be taken for a veteran within this armor and these would be for individuals who wish to use ranged weapons or specialize as close quarters melee combatants before delving into the specificities of these armaments I should reiterate that perhaps the most commonly deployed Loadout for a Terminator Squad will actually allow them to be proficient in both ranged and melee engagements the their left hand will be enclosed within a power armored Gauntlet allowing them to crush or strike at foes who would come too close to the venerable suits meanwhile their right hand will clutch onto a storm Bolter from where they will fire Out Rapid salvos of explosive rounds with an impressive degree of accuracy when combined these two tools make them some of the most adap able of units which may be deployed by the adeptus saatis as they can be relied upon to perform with an exceptional degree of Effectiveness no matter what enemy they are faced up against but as is so often the case out in the void of space there are many dark Horrors which lurk amongst the stars and so these suits can also be equipped with a wide range of weapons which may be more suitable for specific foes within a squad members may choose to swap out their stormbolter for a far heavier weapon known as an assault Cannon this is an improved version of the Imperial autoc Cannon which has been adapted to integrate six rotary barrels allowing the bearer to lay down a truly a inspiring curtain of fire down range whilst it is perhaps not as effective at long ranged engagements when used up close there is near nothing which can survive a salvo from a fully spun assault Cannon the rate of fire is so impressive however that the Terminator will not be able to fire this weapon indefinitely the ammo will be quickly depleted necessitating the deployment of chapter surfs or servitors to assist the veteran in reloading this formidable Armament but despite these drawbacks the heavy caliber of its ammunition means that it can easily penetrate far more armored targets which may be impervious to simple stormbolter fire heavily armored genan stealer Patriarchs demonic monstrosities or even light tanks have each been brought Low by a judicious application of red hot lead fired from the barrels of a rapidly spinning assault Cannon and so it is rather common to find Terminator squads marching into an expedition condition with at least one member equipped with such a weapon whilst effective in close range there is another Armament which is often equipped for cramped missions and it would be known simply as the heavy flamer this is an enhanced augmented version of the typical flamers found throughout the Imperial arsenals modified to expel a far larger stream of flames towards the unfortunate enemy in addition the highly tuned nozzles have been formulated in such a way that the temperatures of this flame are far hotter often being so potent that they can melt through environmental debris or light cover this means that within the dense confines of a space Hulk that a Terminator may be able to clear a near impenetrable path simply by scorching away the obstacle into smoldering ash from where he will be able to stride through True unperturbed by the Flames himself unsurprisingly utilizing a flamer as powerful as this would be incredibly effective within the tight corridors and walkways of an abandoned space Hulk and so it would be rare to encounter a deployed Squad who did not carry several heavy flamers with them even if a room was utterly infested with a chittering swarm of genan Steelers they would would be reduced to a molten pile of cinders after the Terminator has rightly chosen to purge The Vessel of its tainted presence whilst I have stated that a Terminator may use his heavy flamer to burn through debris there are some obstructions which are simply too bulky to incinerate and so they will require a far more specialized tool in order to break through them this is where we will encounter the chain fist it is a modified version of a power fist which still consists of the armored crackling Gauntlet but has been augmented with a heavy chain swword powered by a far more aggressive motor than would be found in a handheld version this is because the Terminators will primarily use this tool to saw through the dense metallic bulkheads to be found within the depths of a space Hulk and so it needs to be able to rev up to a higher speed allowing it to be used as some form of portable so as many of you may be able to guess if you have a chain fist which can slice through thick void ship walls then it would also become a rather potent weapon to be used in close quarters combat indeed this is most assuredly the case it has been observed that Terminators will use ch chain fists to effortlessly cleave through the reinforced armors of Tanks or heavy kitous plates of zenos creatures with ease rendering most protected enemies down to ruin in but a short few strikes for certain engagements facing off with a tank in melee is simply not possible and so a Terminator Squad May outfit several of its members with cyclonic missile launchers these are huge arrays of potent frag and crack missiles mounted upon the back piece of their armor with a central targeting array being set within the middle of the frame though the Terminator will need to temporarily remain stationary while firing it allows them to rain down an impressive Salvo of missiles at a long range to devastate their chosen Target all which I have thus far described will be found within the conventional Terminator sare SS however there also exists a subset of veterans who will Dawn their tactical Dreadnaught armor in order to be far more effective in the fine yet brutal art of Close Quarters combat known as assault Terminators these Heroes of the chapter understand that the true glories of battle are to be achieved in the vicious dance of melee and so they will be outfitted with a series of potent Tools in order to crush and eviscerate the enemies of man man the most commonly found configuration for these Terminators will be to stride into battle with a mighty Thunder hammer in the right hand and a crackling Storm Shield in their left for the Hammers the original design was conceived eons ago and they were a frequent sight to be seen amidst the legions who set out on the great Crusade it will maintain a constant highly charged field within its head which will only be Unleashed once the wielder has collided with their target for the victim all they will see is a great arcing Hammer racing towards them and upon impact the crackling energies will be Unleashed creating a devastating white blue explosion carrying the sound of a lightning strike with its blows the sheer power of its strike will certainly obliterate all but the heaviest of armors and most will be blown backwards from the sheer force produced from such a hit naturally because they will need to be in the direct vicinity of a Target to strike them it would be prudent for the Terminator to equip a storm shield to help him deflect the many blows and shots which will inevitably be levied upon him within its core it will hold a powered energy field which has been observed to deflect even direct shots from vehicle mounted lass cannons during testing programs it has gained its name due to the fact that absorbed shots will cause it to crackle with white lightning which will Arc out before dissipating into a strange blue aura for some however they would prefer to trade out these armaments in favor of a weapon which will allow them to fight with a higher level of intensity and so they will choose to mount a twin set of lightning claws these are another modification from the basic power fist where a series of astonishingly sharp blades will have been affixed upon the gauntlet each being powered by a crackling energy field which singes the air itself their imposing sight is not merely a facade as they have proved time and time again to be some of the most effective of weapons to be used by the veterans of the Space Marines once powered they can slice through even the toughest of armors with terrifying ease rending all to their Fates as falling to the ground in a heap of bloody charred viscera thanks to wielding two of these at once an assault Terminator can enter into a frenzy slicing at the weakest points which their orpc systems have detected with such ferocity that few within the Galaxy could ever hope to stand against them and survive truly none would doubt the might of the indomitable chapters of the adepto aartis but even amongst their ranks it is the Veterans who have dawned their venerable suits of Terminator armor who stand Above All Else striding forth in one of the finest of Humanity's creations and wielding some of the most powerful weapons which can be safely carried time and time again they have proven themselves as legendary figures who have carved out a path through the stars for mankind to dwell within from the noxious toxic swamps of a disgusting plague world the Terminators will March through the put prent bogs to bring death to our enemies within the detestable confines of a hive world where all manner of unscrupulous villains have built their nefarious bases a Terminator will break through and eviscerate all who they see even aboard the Dank dark confines of an abandoned space Hulk infested with Limitless swarms of deadly Gene Steelers the Terminators will know no fear and they will Purge the ancient vessel of its Zeno's taint once and for all almost all within the chapters would one day aspire to attain the revered status as being a true veteran of the estares and they understand that once they have ascended into the venerated first company that they too may be given the opportunity to mount themselves in a prized suit of Terminator armor but this this is no small gift to be given to any it is only once you have shown your face to the horrors of the Galaxy and stood Resolute against these dangers time and time again will your Valiant actions be noted and only then will you be able to stand as a Terminator my dearest friends this shall now bring us to our end to each and every one of you I bid you thanks for listening to this sermon in its entirety and I hope that you will once again join me in the future to hear of another tale from the darkness of the 41st Millennium but for now I once again must close the curtain to this story and I pray that you each have a wonderful day as I bid you all farewell

Channel: Scholar's Lore

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Length: 39min 6sec (2346 seconds)

Published: Mon May 27 2024