Deathwatch Techmarine

"Yours is to heed the machine as others heed their kin. Tend to the war spirits all about, but do so in the knowledge that you do the Emperor’s duty. Without your ministrations, no bolt may be fired, and no enemy slain."

- Extract from the Apocrypha of Eons, Verse III, Chapter CIV

A Deathwatch Techmarine is highly valued for the important role that they perform in the Deathwatch. Their skills in the operation of machines and techno-arcana are an asset to the day-to-day operations of the Watch Fortresses and the advanced technology the Deathwatch has access to within its Vaults at the heart of each Watch Fortress. These weapons and items of equipment are known to be more exotic than even the rare Conversion Beamer. Many are unique, and all are sealed within the Vault at the heart of each Watch Fortress. Just as the Librarian has exclusive access to the reams of forbidden knowledge in each of these archives, so the Deathwatch Techmarine keeps his portion of the Vault sealed to all but his fellow Techmarines. There are weapons kept within the Vault the likes of which are thought to be unique in the galaxy, their secrets impenetrable even to the highest-ranking Tech-priests of Mars.

Role
Schooled in the forbidden knowledge of the Omnissiah, Techmarines are individuals that displayed an affinity for the operation of machines as aspirants - undergoing special trails and tests, to discern their suitability to receive additional training under the Adeptus Mechanicus. Upon their ascension to the status of full Battle-Brother, those judged worthy are despatched to a Forge World of the Adeptus Mechanicus - perhaps even Mars itself, where they are inducted into the secrets of the Machine Cult. Upon their eventual return to their Chapter, the Space Marine has learned not only the operation of all manner of machinery, but also how to convene with the machine spirits themselves, how to undertake repairs of aggrieved or wounded machines, and even how to construct new ones. This terrible knowledge weighs heavily upon the newly created Techmarine, and in many ways sets him apart from the ranks of his brothers. Yet, despite his induction into the most secret of arts, he is at his core, and shall ever be, a Space Marine.

The most critical of a Deathwatch Techmarine's tasks is to operate, maintain, and, if necessary, repair the myriad of war machines used by the Space Marines. Every item of technology, from a simple round of ammunition to a Battle Barge, is revered as an instrument of the Emperor’s divine will, and the Techmarine knows that to neglect such equipment is akin to dereliction of duty and blasphemy. After all, a Bolter not cleaned, oiled, blessed, and beseeched can scarcely be expected to be reliable in battle, and so a Space Marine’s life may depend upon how well such weapons are maintained. Techmarines oversee this process, guiding the battle brothers in the correct and proper rituals by which the war spirit of each and every weapon is appeased. On the battlefield, a Techmarine’s primary role is to effect repairs of damaged equipment, so that it may return to the fight. Each Techmarine carries a huge range of highly specialised and often arcane tools, sometimes mounted on a Servo-Arm or at the end of a prehensile Mechadendrite. With these tools, the Techmarine can repair virtually any item of equipment, from an overheated Plasma Pistol to an immobilised Land Raider, provided that some spark of the machine spirit’s essence remains. Many battles have been won thanks to a Techmarine recovering a damaged weapon in this manner, and in their own way they are often vital to a mission’s success.

Although many of the weapons carried by Space Marines are wonders of technology beyond the dreams of normal men, there are some machines that are so exceptional that only a Techmarine may attend them. One of the most unusual of these is the Conversion Beamer, a rare weapon that works by converting matter to energy in a beam that becomes stronger the further it extends and the more matter is converted. It is only by the constant ministrations of a Techmarine that such a weapon can be utilised—should anyone else attempt to use the weapon, its war spirit might become greatly angered and turn its ire upon the wielder instead. There are yet more weapons and items of equipment even more exotic than the conversion beamer. Many of these unique weapons are safely sealed within the confines of a Vault at the heart of each Watch Fortress. The Deathwatch Techmarine keeps his portion of the Vault sealed to all but his fellow Techmarines. There unique weapons, the likes of which are thought to be unique in the galaxy, are kept sealed within the Watch Fortress Vault, their secrets impenetrable even to a senior Arch-Magos of the Mechanicus. In many cases, the Techmarines have only incomplete knowledge of their operation, and no understanding of their maintenance. Such weapons might be lost relics from the Dark Age of Technology, or the product of alien technologies long since vanished from the galaxy. Some are known to be capable of unleashing unprecedented levels of destruction, perhaps laying waste to entire cities in a single blast. Others are so poorly understood that their use would only be risked in the direst of circumstances, and it is the responsibility of the Deathwatch Techmarine to do so when called upon by his Watch Commander.

A final, and often critical role performed by Deathwatch Techmarines is the evaluation and, if deemed necessary, the retrieval of alien technology encountered in the field. In the first instance, a Techmarine must be able to ascertain whether alien machinery presents an immediate danger to the Kill-team, and if it does he must conceive a plan of action to neutralise or circumvent the threat. This is especially true when boarding alien spacecraft, for the team might be faced with a wholly alien environment, in which even the most innocuous looking item might prove to be a deadly weapon system. In the second instance, it is long-standing doctrine that, if possible, examples of alien technology should be recovered so they may be studied by the xenos-savants of the Inquisition. Such a task is dangerous in the extreme, but vital to the continued mission of the Deathwatch, and potentially the very survival of Mankind.

Wargear

 * Artificer Power Armour - A Techmarine's Power Armour is modified to accommodate their cybernetic enhancements and their backpacks are upgraded with several Servo-arms. Their armour is painted the rust red of the Adeptus Mechanicus, but their Chapter badge is retained and displayed on one of the shoulder plates, so as not to anger the armour's Machine Spirit.
 * Servo-arm - Servo-arms are powerful manipulators tipped with crushing pincers, useful for field repairs and punishing enemies. Ports for these detachable appendages are installed at the shoulder, and the Battle-Brother’s armour must also be upgraded with more powerful gyro-stabilisers to use one effectively. A Servo-arm can lift one side of a Rhino APC to repair a broken tread link. A Servo-arm can extend up to 1.5 metres. The limb’s gripping mandibles allow the Techmarine to lift heavy objects or anchor himself in an emergency. Astartes Servo-arms are more than just repair tools, and make deadly weapons. Iron Priests can also use this powerful tool to crush the skulls of those enemies that come too close.
 * Bolter - Techmarines make use of the standard ranged weapon of the Space Marines.
 * Omnissian Power Axe (Astartes Pattern) - Often carried by Techmarines to show their devotion to the Omnissiah, this weapon has a long, staff-like body tipped with half of the circular Cog Mechanicum icon. The symbol forms a blade and is sheathed in a power field. Arcs of energy illuminate the ridged blade and light the skull’s eyes with a hungry glow, leaving little doubt that—even while covered with inscribed circuitry indicating its sacred nature—this religious icon is also a deadly weapon in a Space Marine’s powerful hands. The Ommnisian Axe also functions as a Combi-tool.

Notable Deathwatch Techmarines

 * Iron Priest Harl Greyweaver of the Space Wolves - Harl Greyweaver is an Iron Priest of the Space Wolves Space Marine Chapter who has been seconded to the elite xenos-hunting Deathwatch -- the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos. He has been the Forge Master of Watch Station Erioch since his predecessor answered a summons to serve the Achilus Crusade a decade ago. He is notoriously intolerant of other Chapter’s brands of tech-craft, but his efficacy in conjuring the tools of war is so great that no one has yet been able to oust him.