Hell Blade

The Hell Blade is a recent addition to the arsenal of the forces of the Ruinous Powers. Designed to replace the outdated Swiftdeath interceptor, the Hell Blade has been quickly adopted by all the Forces of Chaos, from Chaos Space Marines to the pirate Chaos reaver fleets to the "independent" Chaos militias such as the Blood Pact.

History
The Hell Blade is a product of the malevolent masters of the damned Forge World of Xana in the Eye of Terror, a blasphemous fusion of advanced technology, daemonic forces and the nightmarish invention of those Hereteks of the Dark Mechanicus that have long fallen to the corruption of Chaos. The Hell Blade is one of the most resounding successes of the Dark Mechanicum a sleek, and deadly dagger-form, held aloft by vector-thrusting jet engines which make it incredibly fast and impressively nimble; it is a swift and ruthless killer both in the atmosphere and in the void of space. The Hell Blade is designed to swiftly achieve air superiority for Chaos raiding forces and sweep enemy aircraft from the skies, clearing the way for heavier aircraft to pound ground defences and the Chaos Space Marine onslaught to begin. The slim double-bladed shape cuts through the air, emitting hideous shrieks and wails as it swoops down on its victims, and flown with reckless abandon by a hardwired living Servitor whose only pleasure is the kill. It's only drawback is the relatively light armament of four Autocannons, which makes it unsuited for any other role than fast attack and interception.

Based upon investigations by the Ordo Malleus, the Departmento Munitorum possesses secret reports that indicate that the origins of this hellish aircraft originates from the tentatively named home of this new source of heretic war machines as the hellish Forge World of Xana II, deep within the Eye of Terror. It is said to be a stronghold of the Dark Mechanicus (known sometimes as the Dark Priesthood or the Hellsmiths). Xana is believed to be a world wholly given over to daemon-machines and infernal industries, where mills grind flesh and suffering to make the insane visions of the its nightmarish masters real, and countless millions are enslaved to toil endlessly in a world-spanning network of labyrinthine forges, churning out an endless supply of weapons and armaments for the Traitor Legion's Long War. The masters of Xana, half-daemon machines themselves (so it is said), have long since left the shreds of their humantiy behind and are beholden to no one, be they mortal or Chaos god. They are willing to sell or barter their unholy inventions and arms to the highest bidder, be they warlord, demagogue, Chaos Sorcerer or Daemon Prince without favour, and their coin of exchange is always the same, raw materials, and flesh and souls of slaves to feed Xana's endless hunger.

The Imperium remains in ignorance of much of the technology and design that has gone into the creation of the Hell Blade and the other aircraft of the dreaded Xana II lineage. This is in no small part from the frequent spectacular immolation and disintegration the aircraft undergoes when destroyed, a factor that some attribute to the escape of warp forces from their bindings. From observation and telemetric recordings however, the Hell Blade can reach observed speeds of over 2,800kph in a standard atmosphere, with a cruising speed of perhaps two-thirds of this amount.