Carcharodons

"...we...surrender...By the mercy of the God-Emperor...the war is over...we have surrendered ..."

- Final Vox-intercept, Void Colony Sigard VII

The Carcharodons are a Loyalist Space Marines Chapter of unknown Founding whose gene-seed may have originally been drawn from Raven Guard stock who participated in the latter stages of the Badab War. They were a fleet-based Chapter until in recompense for their role in the Badab War they were given control over the Mantis Warriors Chapter's territory in the Maelstrom Zone of the Ultima Segmentum, a group of Feral and Feudal Worlds called the Endymion Cluster. The Carcharodons may actually be the same Chapter as the Space Sharks; the term Carcharodons may simply be an alternate name for that unit of Astartes.

Chapter History
The Carcharodons are a mysterious and enigmatic Chapter, having forged for themselves a dark and bloody legend in the minds of those that survived the conflict known as the Badab War. Returning from the black void of space beyond the farthest reaches of the galaxy as strangers to both friend and foe alike, the Carcharodons sided with the Loyalists against those that would would challenge the Imperium of the divine Emperor.

The exact origins of this infamous Chapter are hard to pinpoint in Imperial archives as the Carcharodons have left no records of their activities in recent history. They feature nowhere within the open Imperial records, and likewise the Chapter has no officially recorded battle honours. Furthermore, this Chapter is oft misidentified with other lesser-known Chapters operating with similar nomenclatures and symbology (i.e. 'Void Reapers', 'Blood Sharks', etc.). However, sealed and secured records within the Inquisition may shed some light as to the true origins of this Chapter. The oldest of these ancient treatises on the wars of the Imperium of Man may be found within the pages of the Mythos Angelica Mortis written by the savant-scribes of the Secretariat Militum of Terra late in the 35th Millennium. References are made in this oft vague and incomplete work to a Space Marine Chapter identified as the Carcharodon Astra. They were dispatched into the "...outer darkness...upon an endless voyage...to ravage the foes of Mankind." This text stems from a far older work, now lost, dating back to the unknown era that surrounds the Astropath Wars of the late 32nd and the early 33rd Millennia. This is a time now shrouded in myth and allegory, and its true nature has been purged from Imperial history so thoroughly that less is known of it than of the Horus Heresy or the Great Crusade. Other records give this Chapter variations in name or title, such as the Space Sharks, but all the accounts are consistent on certain similarities of iconography and operation, and in their description of the Carcharodons' bestial but calculated savagery in combat. To this Chapter was afforded the sacred and unending duty to travel the interstellar night beyond the Imperium's borders to locate and destroy the enemies of Mankind before they could penetrate Imperial space.

Notable Campaigns

 * 7th Black Crusade (811.M37) - The 7th Black Crusade was one of the Black Crusades led by the infamous Chaos Champion Abaddon the Despoiler and his Black Legion, launched out of the Eye of Terror in 811.M37. When the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter battle against the horde at Midian, Abaddon singled them out with implacable fury. He led a band of Khorne Berzerkers into the teeth of the Blood Angels' Devastator positions. Even the Blood Angels' own Assault troops could not dislodge the frenzied warband and recapture the bodies of their comrades. But there is an obscure reference to the Blood Angels being saved by an unidentified Space Marine Chapter of mysterious origin. Written within the The Canticle of Cassandria Lev - Vol. CVI is the eponymous Sainted Sisters' highly mythologized and oblique account of the wars of the 7th Black Crusade is found mention of a "grey-clad" Space Marines Chapter who came from "The outer night" to aid the Imperium, and whose "Jagged maw did swallow the stars ... " and whose " ... black gaze did mirror the void of oblivion". In the course of the canticle this Chapter's ships set upon Abaddon's forces following the disastrous defeat and routing of the Blood Angels at Midian and attacked the pursuing forces as Saint Lev writes: "...fell upon the servants of the skulled-one with great fury from the darkness, unseen as the beast that lurks beneath the black waters, death for death, blood for blood...thus were the Sons of Sanguinius bought respite, and did turn back upon their pursuers and so were the damned traitors of the false gods driven unto their ruin." Images of these events can be found upon the walls of the crypt-world of Hypasitis created to house the honoured dead of that war, depicted in repeated fresco and bar relief, but curiously the faces of the intervening Space Marines there depicted are obscured with featureless disks of black obsidian. Given the largely unknown history of the star-faring Carcharodons Chapter, accounts of their activities can only be constructed from recorded historical incidents and fragmentary records that are believed to have involved the Carcharodons on balance of evidence. This notable engagement is listed by Imperial savants as a '[Special] Probable Encounter/Recorded Sighting' of this notorious Chapter.
 * Badab War (910.M41 - 913.M41) - Arriving without warning in 910.M41 the sudden appearance of the Carcharodons' Chapter fleet caused alarm for both the Loyalist and Secessionist forces operating within the Maelstrom Zone. An unidentified, fire-blackened Space Marine Strike Cruiser identified itself with ancient, though still valid, Imperial authorisation protocols. The unidentified Space Marine force had come to offer its aid to the Loyalist cause against the Secessionists, claiming to have come in answer to a summons from Terra itself. They identified their Chapter as the Carcharodons Astra, using the ancient High Gothic form of their name (or the "Space Sharks" in Low Gothic), and formally requested the Loyalists' permission to enter the war zone and draw blood. Upon their arrival, the Carcharodons' Force Commander Tyberos presented the Inquisitor Legate in charge of prosecuting the Badab conflict with Notices Patent provided to the Chapter affirming the rights and titles issued to it by several High Lords of Terra and Inquisitors now long dead. Tyberos even submitted himself for psychic probing and gene-sampling. The Inquisitor Legate vouched for the Carcharodons. Lord High Commander Carab Culln of the Red Scorpions, the Magister Millitant or supreme commander of all the Loyalist forces, accepted the Carcharodons into his line of battle, although he was still wary of their loyalties and their deviations from theCodex Astartes during their long voyage beyond Imperial space. The Carcharodons were initially deployed to the Endymion Cluster after their return to Imperial space, the territory governed by the Secessionist Mantis Warriors Chapter, rather than to the Badab Sector. They systematically annihilated planets in the Cluster known to have harboured the Mantis Warriors to force that Chapter to stop using their hit-and-run tactics and mass their forces in defence of these worlds, a strategy that spared the Carcharodons from having to pursue them across the Cluster to places where their foes held the advantage of support and local knowledge. In 913.M41, during the final battle of the Badab War on Badab Primaris, the homeworld of the Renegade Astral Claws Chapter and Lufgt Huron, the Tyrant of Badab, the Carcharodons sabotaged the ancient atomic and geo-thermal reactors which powered the world's hive cities and fed its hungry planetary defence batteries with energy. This resulted in a planetary tectonic upheaval, with entire hive city sectors collapsing into yawning chasms that opened up in the ground beneath them, replaced by seas of molten lava. After the death of Badab Primaris, the remaining Secessionists from the Astral Claws, Executioners, Mantis Warriors and Lamenters Chapters were put on trial before a specially convened Consistorial Court of their peers in the Adeptus Astartes. Before departing the Maelstrom Zone for good, the Carcharodons Chapter fleet returned to the Endymion Cluster. There, with the agreement of the Fire Hawks, they struck at the Tranquility System, whose worlds were once the primary recruiting and training grounds of the Mantis Warriors. From these worlds they harvested an entire generation of recruits to renew their own losses, forcing those they selected to fight to the death to prove their worth in order to survive as Carcharodons Neophytes. Thus paid in blood, the Carcharodons fleet departed, the last known sighting of them made by an Explorator augury-beacon, which marked them tacking course through the Warp, ascending above the galactic plane and into the blackness of the outer void once more. The current whereabouts and operational activities of the Carcharodons remain unknown.
 * The Corcyran Massacre (910.M41) - The event that became known in Imperial records as the Corcyran Massacre was discovered by an Imperial Navy patrol in 910.M41. The wreckage of a smugglers' base was discovered in the dust wastes of the forlorn world of Corcyra II. Within the base was a nightmarish scene of carnage and destruction rarely witnessed before by men. A bloody battle had been fought between two sub-company-sized forces of Space Marines from the Executioners and the Carcharodons Chapters. These two Chapters, both infamous for their savagery and unyielding stances towards their foes, had fought each other to mutual annihilation. The base around them was ripped apart, its former inhabitants now mouldering into dust. Many of the bodies of both sides showed signs of having fought on despite suffering horrendous wounds, severed limbs and massive trauma that should have felled even an Astartes, and several were found locked in deathly, gore-splattered embraces, striking at their foes with their last ebbing strength. It is not known which Chapter's last warrior survived to the end to claim a bitter victory. Neither Chapter has acknowledged any survivors of the massacre living to tell of what happened at Corcyra II.

Chapter Organisation
The Carcharodons conform roughly to the tactical and squad doctrines laid down in the Codex Astartes, but demonstrate considerable deviation from its approved command structure and company arrangements. In some instances it appears that the Chapter has abandoned wholesale the approved symbology and insignia of the Codex in favour of personal and often highly totemic markings. Only a few intelligible accounts of the Carcharodons exist that tell of the Chapter's very disciplined order of deployment and combat, despite the evidence from casual observers that they are a barbarous and savage Chapter in nature. Their tactical deployments and use of shock-assault tactics is highly reminiscent of the Black Templars. Although these Chapters are diametrically opposed in character, they both tend to display an overriding desire to close with the enemy and shatter their foes in bloody personal combat.

Each company of the Carcharodons operates similar to a Codex battle company, but is augmented with an attached auxiliary force of Scout Marines and spearheaded by dedicated Terminator Veterans who serve as personal bodyguards to the company's commanding Captain. There appears to be no reserve companies in the Carcharodon order of battle, but it is suspected that not all of the Carcharodon's companies conform to the same pattern of organisation.

The Chapter also includes both Chaplains and Librarians, although the forces observed in action during the Badab War seemed lower than recommended by the Codex in the number of Apothecaries and Techmarines in their ranks. These last two cadres may have been held in reserve in the Chapter's fleet, a not uncommon practice for fleet-based Chapters who spend large periods in isolation. This structure puts the effective strength of each company at around 100 to 120 Initiates and 20-30 Neophyte Scouts, although the exact size and disposition of the Carcharodons Chapter as a whole remains unknown.

Chapter Equipment
During the Badab War the Charcarodons Chapter demonstrated a number of highly distinctive traits and trappings that set them apart from their brethren fighting on both sides of that conflict. Their equipment was observed to be of ancient provenance. Much of their arms, vehicles, wargear and other equipment were of designs and patterns that covered the span of the Imperium's breadth and history. Examples include such ancient weapons as the Phobos R/017 Bolter and the widespread use of Mark V "Heresy" pattern Power Armour by the Chapter's Battle-Brothers. The Chapter also seemed to possess an unusual contingent of Terminator Armour suits, of which many appeared to be heavily modified or augmented in unorthodox ways to keep them combat worthy.

Chapter Combat Doctrine
Tactically, during the Badab War, the Carcharodons operated almost exclusively as a rapid-strike force, disdaining any kind of protracted engagement whenever possible, preferring to approach their targets either with extreme speed or by stealth, which allowed them to strike with the element of surprise on their side whenever possible. Though the Carcharodons seem both competent and familiar with armoured vehicles, the core of their tactics rely on large detachments of mobile Space Marine infantry. Tactical operations often begin with a Battle Company using its integrated Scout forces and other reconnaissance units such as land speeders and attack bike units to probe enemy positions and identify weak points and any target with strategic value. Once identified, the main Carcharodon forces hit these points with overwhelming attacks, eschewing preparatory bombardments or armoured spearheads in favour of complete and overwhelming surprise. They may use Drop Pods, Thunderhawks, or massed teleportation to make these attacks, and the assaulting forces are often a mix of Tactical and Assault Marines, as well as Terminator armoured veterans. In combat they show a predilection to close ground with their enemies swiftly and do battle either in hand-to-hand combat or unleash their ranged firepower at near point-blank range. For this reason each Carcharodons Space Marine, regardless of whether they were part of the Chapter's Devastator Squads or its dedicated Assault Marines units, have been observed carrying a plethora of bayonets, blades and chain weapons in addition to their normal armaments so that they were always able to engage in vicious and bloody melee combat. There is one other interesting and somewhat disturbing detail about the Carcharodons’ assaults. Their battles are conducted with complete silence. Any commands from the Chapters’ leaders are transmitted over a locked and encrypted vox net, and the Battle-Brothers abstain from issuing any word or sound to friend or foe. To see such carnage enacted without a word or cry is chilling, to say the least.

Chapter Beliefs
Despite their long isolation from the Imperium, the Chapter and its Battle-Brothers seem deeply, almost incredibly, loyal. Most of the Carcharodons encountered have shown reverence towards the Imperial Creed and places of Imperial worship. Many also make a habit of carrying devotional items such as prayer scrolls on their wargear. Many Carcharodons Battle-Brothers carry abstract scrimshaw talismans, or decorate their armour with intricate and abstract line-work. These talismans, etchings, and traceries often depict highly stylised images of fanged maws, death’s heads, oceanic predators, and the like. This primitivism likely evolved as part of the Chapter’s unique and impenetrable culture over millennia of isolation. However, all this stands in contrast to the savagery they show to their foes. "Merciless" is perhaps the best descriptor for the Carcharodons in combat, but even that does not describe the depths of blood-soaked slaughter to which they are willing to descend. They fight with a wild abandon that could make even the most impetuous Space Wolves Blood Claw take pause, and do not ask for or grant mercy to their opponents beyond a quick (though seldom clean) death. In a way, they seem to see the universe very much in terms of black and white, enemy and ally. Anyone who stands against the Imperium, for whatever reason, can only expect a brutal demise at the hands of the Carcharodons.

Chapter Gene-Seed
Nobody knows what Primarch’s gene-seed led to the creation of the Carcharodons. Opportunities to study the genetics involved have been exceedingly rare, and the Carcharodons themselves are singularly unhelpful in this regard. In physical appearance the Astartes of the Carcharodons possess greyish, pale skin with an almost deathlike pallor. Some of their more venerable members possess liquid-like black eyes without a visible iris or sclera, much like the ancient Terran sharks for which the Chapter is named. Aside from these physical marks, there is no common type of physiognomy or genotype among them, pointing to the reality that Carcharodon Neophytes are taken from many different worlds across the galaxy rather than from a single source of new recruits like most Astartes Chapters. Gene-seed samples taken from the Chapter and tested for purity by the Adeptus Mechanicus have proven to be untainted although subject to some long-term degradation, and possessed of several markers found in the uncommon Raven Guard bloodline, a mutation of which may have resulted in their unusual physical appearance and which is the basis of some of these Astartes' unusual phenotypical traits.

Notable Carcharodons

 * Tyberos, "The Red Wake" - Tyberos was the Force Commander of the Carcharodons during their unlooked-for and savage intervention in the Badab War. He often lead his brethren Terminators of the 1st Company in bloody assault after bloody assault, carving a path of mangled corpses through the rebel forces of the Badab campaign.

Chapter Fleet
The Carcharodons fleet, though extensive, is inconsistent in makeup. Within its line of battle are numerous examples of either very ancient, salvaged or extensively repaired vessels. Many fleet-based Space Marine Chapters use the conventional Crusade Chapter pattern (which consciously imitate the example of the Space Marine Legions of old). Instead the Carcharodons follow the rarer, so-called 'Nomad-Predation' pattern. This is used exclusively by Chapters operating for long durations beyond the Imperium's borders, acting as self-contained forces which operate without recourse to the Imperium for support at all. These types of fleets voyage without end, pausing only to attack targets that are within their means to destroy without threatening their own viability as an effective fighting force.


 * Nicor - Battle Barge - The Carcharodons' notorious flagship during the Badab War and the Chapter's mobile fortress-monastery. This ancient battle barge is based on the modified superstructure of a Charibdys-class Grand Cruiser, a vessel class rarely seen in the Imperial Navy since the early days of the Great Crusade over 10,000 standard years ago.

Chapter Colours
The Carcharodon Chapter's colours are primarily grey. In many instances the more conventional emblems of the Imperium are found alongside idiosyncratic markings, often abstract or depictive images and tokens concerning fanged maws, death's heads, oceanic predators and bloody wounds.

Chapter Badge
The Carcharodons' Chapter badge is a Great White Shark on a dark grey field.

Gallery
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