Apothecary

"Yours is to serve, unto the last drop of your blood, that your brothers might live to fight on. Watch over them, heal them, offer up your very life should it extend theirs but a moment, and by your sacrifice the enemy be slain. And when the time comes that you must fulfil your most solemn oath, speak clearly, speak proudly, speed the bolt that brings his end and send him joyous to the Emperor’s side. Then do your duty, take that which is due, and know your mission is done."

- Extract from the Apocrypha of Eons, Verse V, Chapter L (M40 Redaction)

An Apothecary is a specialist Space Marine officer who possesses advanced biomedical and scientific training and who serves as a combat medic and research physician for his Chapter. An Apothecary's role in battle is to recover the gene-seed from slain Astartes and to tend to the wounded and maimed. Outside of combat, Apothecaries are responsible for monitoring the Chapter's Neophytes for mutation or flaws in their gene-seed and organ implants and for carrying out the implantation process in their Chapter's Aspirants. The Apothecary is well-versed in the arts of battlefield first aid as well as advanced surgical techniques, cybernetics and bio-engineering. The Apothecary must be as courageous as his fellow Space Marines if not more so, for he must perform his life-saving surgeries in the midst of the battlefield. If a Space Marine is injured, the Apothecary will use his medi-pack, called the Narthecium, to tend to the wounds. Even severely injured Space Marines can fight again with the aid of the Narthecium.

History
Space Marine Apothecaries are charged with maintaining the bodily health of their Battle-Brothers, whether this is monitoring their genetically engineered implants or administering emergency medical attention on the field of battle. Only the bravest of warriors are chosen for this honoured duty, for each must look first and foremost to the health of his companions, and consider his own life as secondary. Apothecaries are at once mighty warriors and selfless servants, and each would fight their way through hordes of vile enemies to reach a fallen Battle-Brother and then transfuse the very last drop of his own blood to save the life of the wounded. The Apothecary's role in a Space Marine Chapter is to serve as both a battlefield medic and a biomedical researcher. Along with being highly trained in the fields of medicine, surgery and medical research, they are amongst the elite warriors in the Chapter.

Apothecaries are greatly honoured within the Chapter, as they are responsible for maintaining the purity of its gene-seed. If its gene-seed were to become mutated or corrupt, this could well bring the Chapter's extinction or its fall to Chaos. The Apothecaries are charged with maintaining the health and genetic purity of the Space Marines. Their skills and equipment, when combined with the genetically-engineered organs and biological resilience of a Space Marine, allow an Apothecary to perform battle surgery with a good chance of success. Not all wounded Space Marines can be saved; some are beyond even the Apothecary's potent skills. In this case, it is the Apothecary's responsibility to administer the "Emperor's Peace" -- euthanasia -- to those warriors who have earned its release. The Apothecary's medi-pack or Narthecium includes a special humane euthanasia device for this task, ironically called a Carnifex, that is a solid, spring-loaded piston of metal. This is applied to the sufferer's temple, its powerful spring hurling the piston through the Astartes's brain and killing him instantly.

It is also the Apothecary's duty to harvest from the bodies' of fallen Space Marines the two implanted Progenoid Glands, allowing for the gene-seed material to be cultivated from these organs and re-implanted in a Neophyte. Space Marines rarely go into battle without an Apothecary being available, as every Astartes is a valuable resource and to lose any of their gene-seed would be a blow to the Chapter. Each Company in a Chapter has an attached Apothecary that accompanies them into battle. Additional Apothecaries staff the Chapter's Apothecarion, although these senior Apothecaries rarely take to the field, instead acting as biomedical researchers and occupying themselves in taking part in the training of Neophytes and potential new Apothecaries. It is unknown if new Apothecaries start out as regular Space Marines like Chaplains or begin their careers from the start as medics much as a Chapter's Librarians begin as psykers.

Prime Helix
The insignia of the Apothecaries is the Prime Helix, a badge that symbolises the Space Marines' altered DNA which ultimately derives from the Emperor of Mankind's own genome, rendered in bright red. The symbol represents the sacred genetic code of the Chapter's gene-seed. The helix symbol is often adorned with additional iconography such as wings and skulls. The Apothecaries of most Chapters wear white Power Armour, with the left shoulder plate retaining the traditional Chapter colours along with the Chapter badge. The right shoulder plate displays the Prime Helix. Some less traditional Chapters use different schemes for their Apothecaries.

Deathwatch Service
Many Apothecaries are known to perform the Long Watch with the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos, better known as the Deathwatch. Deathwatch Apothecaries take on a number of additional duties over those performed in their parent Chapter. For a start, they must master the genetic inheritance not only of their own gene-seed, but of a myriad of other Chapters too, so that they might monitor and maintain the implants of all their fellow Space Marines, each of which may be drawn from a different Chapter. In this matter, Deathwatch Apothecaries occupy a uniquely trusted position. Space Marine Chapters do not lightly share the details of their gene-seed, with its associated traits, variations, and even mutations. Deathwatch Apothecaries are sworn to maintain the secrets of each of the Chapters from which their fellows are drawn, an oath that carries the harshest of penalties should it ever be broken.

Aside from monitoring the state of the Space Marines’ implants and altered metabolisms, the Apothecaries must also be ever alert to the risk of alien contamination. Whilst undertaking their missions, Deathwatch Kill-teams are likely to come into contact not only with creatures of utterly alien biology, but with all the bacterial life that accompanies them. While the Space Marines are blessed with the very strongest of human immune systems, it is known that the spores of some alien life forms can cause mutation or death even in the Adeptus Astartes. There are some xenos that actually reproduce in this vile manner, their seed infecting the victim and slowly mutating him into the original life form. Such blasphemy must be guarded against, and the Apothecaries administer an entire bank of metabolic and genetic tests on every member of a Kill-team before and after every mission.

Another area in which the Deathwatch Apothecaries are highly involved is that of training. Deathwatch Kill-teams push their bodies to, and beyond, the limits of even their unique superhuman physiology, and the Apothecaries must monitor this process closely. But they are a part of the training too, for the Apothecaries often aid the Watch Captains in formulating the most arduous of training regimens. Using his unique knowledge of his charges, the Apothecary can induce various states in his Battle-Brothers, under which their skills and strengths will be tested all the further. Interfacing remotely with a Battle-Brother’s armour systems, the Apothecary might disable a limb, limit blood oxygen levels or simulate the effects of any number of poisons, all in the cause of maintaining combat readiness.

The greatest duty that a Deathwatch Apothecary must perform is to recover the gene-seed of a fallen Battle-Brother, so that it may be returned to his parent Chapter, and he may live on through the creation of future generations of Space Marines. This is a solemn enough task in a normal Chapter, but takes on an additional weight in the Deathwatch. No Chapter would agree to despatch its sons across the galaxy to fight at the behest of the Inquisition and other Chapters (some of whom may be ancient rivals), were it not for the certain knowledge that their gene-seed will be returned should they fall. It has been known for a Chapter to temporarily withhold its honour service to the Deathwatch if too many of its Space Marines serving with the Ordo Xenos have been killed and their precious gene-seed irretrievably lost. Thus, the survival of a Space Marine’s parent Chapter and the reputation of the Deathwatch itself relies on the action of the Apothecaries.

Wargear

 * Power Armour
 * Diagnostor Helmet - Apothecaries often replace their usual helmet with a Diagnostor Helmet, which contains upgraded Auto-senses and readouts to assist with their charge of treating the injured and maintaining their Battle-Brothers’ physical combat readiness.
 * Chainsword
 * Bolt Pistol
 * Frag and Krak Grenades
 * Narthecium - The tool of an Apothecary’s trade, a Narthecium contains implements specially designed for Space Marine physiology and for performing first aid without having to remove the patient’s Power Armour. It also comprises various counterseptics, skin patches, transfusions and other compounds engineered for the Space Marines’ physiology, and several stasis tubes for storing recovered gene-seed.
 * Reductor - Retrieval and storage of a fallen Battle-Brother’s gene-seed is so critical that Apothecaries carry a special tool for this operation. While a Reductor is not required for Progenoid removal, it significantly reduces the time. This surgical implement fastens under the wrist. It includes a monomolecular saw for penetrating Power Armour and Ossmodula-enhanced rib cages, and a diamantine-tipped extractor drill.

Blood Angels
A Sanguinary Priest is a specialist officer unique to the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter and its Successors. The Sanguinary Priest performs the duties of an Apothecary in a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter as well as other services peculiar to the inheritance of the Primarch Sanguinius. While the Apothecaries of other Chapters monitor their charges for genetic purity and provide all needed biomedical services, the duties of the Sanguinary Priests transcend this mundane medical need. Some Scions of Sanguinius are driven by a terrible deathseeking madness called the Black Rage, brought on by visions of the death of their Primarch when he confronted the Warmaster Horus aboard his flagship the Vengeful Spirit in orbit of Terra during the closing days of the terrible Horus Heresy. Others are afflicted by the terrible Red Thirst, a craving for blood which some claim may be the first signs of corruption by Chaos. The Sanguinary Priests tend to Astartes afflicted with these genetic curses. They are also responsible for inducting all Aspirants into the Chapter as Neophytes as well as overseeing their implantation with the gene-seed and Astartes organs.

Wolf Priests
A Wolf Priest is a specialist officer unique to the Space Wolves Space Marine Chapter. A hybrid of the Chaplain and Apothecary roles found in Codex Astartes-compliant Chapters, the Wolf Priests administer to the physical and mental well-being of the Chapter’s warriors and also choose the Aspirants to the Chapter from amongst the feral barbarian tribes of Fenris. These dour warriors combine the attributes of both combat medics, trained in the arts of healing and the lore of genetics, and tribal shamans, heavy with the accumulated wisdom of the ages. The Wolf Priests have no master save the Great Wolf himself, the Chapter Master of the Space Wolves.

Notable Apothecaries

 * Master Apothecary Kregor Thann - A senior Apothecary of the Red Scorpions Chapter, Kregor Thann is currently seconded to the Deathwatch. He is currently serving his Vigil within the Jericho Reach. A veteran of countless warzones and a master of biological weaponry, Thann gained renown as the mastermind behind the geno-tailored toxins that made the Purging of Castillium possible, defeating the horrific Thazeme xenos when no other weapon could slay them. In the aftermath of the Purge, Commander Antir petitioned Lord High Commander Ortys to consider Thann for Deathwatch service. Thann arrived at Watch Fortress Erioch in 815.M41, and has served ever since. Thann was not assigned to a Kill-team, but rather remains as part of Watch Commander Mordigael’s command staff, tasked with engineering a virus or toxin that could be used to combat the Tyranid menace. Like many Apothecaries in the Red Scorpions Chapter, Thann had served as a Sergeant as well as in his role as a medic, which is quite useful to less-experienced Kill-teams deployed to the Orpheus Salient of the Achilus Crusade. Operating at the edge of the Orpheus Salient, pushing deep into the heart of the Tyranid advance, Thann continues to coordinate with each Kill-team that is operating deep behind enemy lines in order to gather samples and deploy newly developed bio-weapons.
 * Khiron - Khiron was an Apothecary of the Iron Snakes Chapter who originally served with Ridates Squad. On the world of Cozan, Ridates Squad came up against a daemon, who haunted them and directed its minions against them. Ridates Squad was caught in a deadly crossfire with the Forces of Chaos in a gully and the entire squad was decimated in less than six minutes. Through sheer chance, only Apothecary Khiron survived when a stray round brought down the rocky wall of the gully, burying him in rubble. As Khiron lay buried and unconscious, the daemon passed over him, believing that he was dead. This encounter left Khiron with knowledge of the vile creature's unforgettable smell. When Khiron finally emerged from the rubble, all he could do was recover the Progenoid Glands from the bodies of his fellow Battle-Brothers. Thebes Squad later overran the daemon's minions, but the creature fled and hid within the wounded body of Brother Krates. Blinded by the daemon's malefic powers, Thebes Squad brought Brother Krates back to their fortress-monastery on Karybdis. But Khiron recognised the daemon's signature smell, and immediately set upon Krates with his Bolter, slaying him. His fellow Battle-Brothers were horrified, thinking Khiron had lost his mind to the taint of Chaos, and jailed him in the Tholos beneath the Chapter House. While incarcerated, Khiron reflected on recent events and quickly realised that he had in fact not killed the daemon, since he had used a Bolter instead of cleansing flame, and that the daemon must have moved on to possess another host body. Unfortunately, his brothers would not listen to his claims. When Damocles Squad returned to Karybdis, Sergeant Priad requested Khiron as a replacement Apothecary for his squad's own deceased Apothecary, Memnes, and was subsequently denied. Priad then went to visit Khiron in the Tholos to investigate the stories of his madness. Khiron warned Priad of the daemon, and informed him that he had asked for the ritual of Oethanar in two sunsets. Later, Priad sensed the peculiar, signature smell of the foul daemon in Captain Skander of Phocis Squad during a combat drill and attacked him. Sergeant Priad eventually killed both the possessed captain and the daemon with a Flamer. Priad then embarked with Damocles Squad to the Primarch's Causeway on Ithaka to rescue Khiron from the Oethanar. They barely managed to reach Khiron before the Wyrms could devour him. Having been vindicated for his actions, Khiron was later reinstated as Damocles Squad's Apothecary.
 * Brother Corbulo - Brother Corbulo is the Sanguinary High Priest of the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter. He thus serves as the leader of the Chapter's Sanguinary Priests (Apothecaries) and the Bearer of the Red Grail, the Chapter relic that was used to preserve the blood of their Primarch Sanguinius after he was slain by the Warmaster Horus aboard his Battle Barge Vengeful Spirit during the closing days of the Horus Heresy. The sacred chalice is used by the Sanguinary Priests and all Aspirants of the Chapter to drink the sacred blood of their Primarch as part of the Ritual of Creation for all Blood Angels Astartes. As sometimes happens with Blood Angels Battle-Brothers, Corbulo bears a striking physical resemblance to the Chapter's lost Primarch as a result of a specific expression of his gene-seed. Brother Corbulo shares the Great Primarch's far-seeing eye and deep wisdom and leads his brethren in the ancient quest to eradicate the Flaw that afflicts their Chapter.
 * Ulrik the Slayer - Ulrik the Slayer, also known as Grandfather Lupus and the Guardian of the Sons of Russ, is the Wolf High Priest of the Space Wolves Space Marine Chapter and is the oldest of all the Space Wolves other than the Chapter's Dreadnoughts. His great mane is white as the slopes of the continent of Asaheim on the Space Wolves' Chapter homeworld of Fenris. Ulrik is older even than the mighty Logan Grimnar, the Great Wolf of the Chapter, who has fought in the name of the Emperor for over 700 Terran years.
 * Thrar "Wyrmblade" Hraldir - Wolf Priest of the Space Wolves Chapter during the 32nd Millennium, Hraldir was instrumental in the development of the genetic engineering program known as The Tempering -- the Space Wolves' effort to expunge the genetic deficiencies of the Space Wolves' gene-seed in order to create new Successor Chapters. Hraldir came closer than any other since the Emperor Himself at understanding the nature of the Canis Helix. During the First Battle of The Fang, he confronted the Thousand Sons Daemon Primarch Magnus the Red and was slain. With his death, the secrets of the Space Wolves' gene-seed and how to remove the taint of the Curse of the Wulfen died with him.
 * Sternhammer, Warden of the Lost - A Wolf Priest known only as Sternhammer to the defenders of the Cadian Gate came to represent all the actions of the Space Wolves 13th Company during the 13th Black Crusade. He fell on the Forces of Chaos mercilessly and then withdrew before any Imperial force could make successful contact. Sternhammer was reported to have been in a great many different war zones light years apart from each other, leading a band of bestial warriors that he would unleash like giant hunting hounds upon the foe. He was reported to have saved the 143rd Cadian Regiment at Cadmus Binary. Alongside a powerful Wolf Lord, this Wulfen Guard slew the Night Lords Chaos Lord Sinax. Only a few days later and five light years away, Sternhammer was reportedly sighted once more, leading a boarding action aboard an Imperial Navy vessel that resulted in the scuttling of the Light of Fatidicus, so that the enemy would not capture it. More than a hundred victories were attributed to Wolf Priest Sternhammer and his warbands. Whether they were the same band, or many, and whether Sternhammer led them all himself is unknown, but the Defenders of the Cadian Gate remain both heartened and terrified at the memory of the mournful howls of the Wulfen he led into combat.
 * Fabius Bile - Fabius Bile is an infamous Chaos Space Marine Apothecary, originally of the Emperor's Children Traitor Legion, who has repeatedly attempted to use his knowledge of cloning and genetic engineering to create superhuman beings under his control in a quest to match and then exceed the Emperor of Mankind's original scientific achievement in creating the superhuman Adeptus Astartes. Travelling the galaxy more widely than any other Chaos Lord of the Traitor Legions, Bile has earned a number of epithets and aliases from those who have suffered the affects of his vile experiments. On Dimmamar, Bile is known as the Chem-master, on Arden IX and in the Bray System he is called Manflayer, to the wretched tribes living amongst the ravaged hive cities of Paramar V he is the Clonelord. He often refers to himself as the Primogenitor, claiming to have unlocked the secrets of the Emperor's earliest replicae (cloning) experiments during the creation of the Primarchs and the first Space Marines. Bile's twisted alchemical knowledge and skills at genetic manipulation can be attested to by every planet he has had contact with, for he has left a trail of foul deviants and twisted abominations wherever his ships have landed -- his name is a curse to the Adepts of Terra as his pollution of Mankind's gene-pool has become ever more apparent.
 * Fabrikus - Apothecary Fabrikus is an infamous Chaos Space Marine of the World Eaters Traitor Legion. Fabrikus's name was a dark legend in the Apothecarion of every Space Marine Chapter. A brilliant man, he served with the elite First Company of the World Eaters, gaining distinction as a warrior and as a surgeon, before following Primarch Angron into the service of the Ruinous Powers. In the centuries since the Horus Heresy, his name had become a byword for perverse experimentation. Some said he was even behind many of the mutations undergone by Chaos Marines: the fusion of flesh to armour of the World Eaters, the hellish combination of near-dead warrior and implacable war machine that was a Chaos Dreadnought. His masters required more Space Marines, more than could be provided by the harvest of the gene-seed from those already serving their unholy purpose. Fabrikus had spent the centuries experimenting with the other races available to him, but the gene-seed refused to take, or else it produced mutations that were unhelpful. Therefore, he had decided to return to take up his earlier role as an Apothecary and harvest the glands from a more pure source, unaffected by the energies of the Warp - that of captured Space Marines loyal to the Emperor. In this way, these new measures would help ensure his success in the creation of new types of warrior, loyal to the Dark Lords of the Warp and unstoppable in battle.
 * Garreon, "The Corpsemaster" – Garreon was the former Chief Apothecary and one of the Veteran Battle-Brothers of the former Astral Claws Chapter that survived the final assault on Badab Primaris during the closing days of the Badab War. To this day, Garreon still continues to serve the whims of his wretched Lord Huron Blackheart, who commands the Renegade Space marines warband known as the Red Corsairs. The Red Corsairs now call Chief Apothecary Garreon "The Corpsemaster," not because he harboured any desire to see the dead walk, but because he took a pathological interest in the biology of the dying and the dead among the Astartes, both of whom provided him with a harvest of precious gene-seed. He believed, as had many Apothecaries throughout the history of the Adeptus Astartes, that the future of their brotherhood lay in a better understanding of human genetics and xenobiology. He performed regular dissections on enemy Space Marines and his fellow Red Corsairs both -- in some cases whilst his subjects were still living. He could keep his victims alive for a phenomenal length of time, reducing them to skeletal, still-living things that begged for a release that was an eternity in coming.

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