The Phantine Skyborne are regiments of the Imperial Guard that act as Drop Troop Regiments. As their name indicates, the Skyborne are recruited on the world ofPhantine in the Segmentum Pacificus. Given their homeworld's peculiar topography and low population, the Phantine Skyborne count amongst the rarest regiments within the Imperial Guard and are outshone in glory and deeds by more famous regiments such as the Elysian Drop Troops and the Harakoni Warhawks.
Regimental History
The Phantine Skyborne's military history is a recent one and one that has been easily overlooked so far, as even on Phantine itself, the greater honor goes to the Phantine Air Corps and not the men and women of the Skyborne. Both formations have only come to the attention of the wider Imperium through their involvement in the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, and the hard-fought victories Warmaster Macaroth was able to wrestle from the Khorne-venerating Blood Pact and its likes. As such, the Skyborne's first true military campaign recorded with any semblance of detail is the defence and subsequent purge of their on homeworld of Phantine in 771.M41.
According to a local proverb, Phantine is a world made of sky, but that has not always been the case. Trough millennia of pollution, Phantine troposphere was rendered inhabitable for humans, the toxic gases and corrosive fogs of the lower atmosphere forming a life-eating sea called "the Scald" no known equipment save perhaps Terminator or Power Armour can withstand. In order to escape certain death, Phantine's population was forced to seek refuge in height. On the tallest mountain-peaks and highest spires of their Hive cities, above the cloudline, the Phantine erected their new homes : vast sky-cities under sheltered domes, heated and powered through the chemical wealth of Phantine's soil. This relocation of the population led to profound changes in Phantine society, including its mandatory Planetary Defence Forces. By necessity, with no ground to move on, these PDF regiments became airborn units of Drop Troopers. When necessity demands of Phantine to provide fighting men and women to the Imperium, elements of the PDF-regiments are "activated" or "promoted" to the Imperial Guard and take the title of Phantine Skyborne. This has particularly been the case in the latter part of the Sabbat World Crusade and has continued ever since.
Notable Campaigns
- The Phantine Liberation (771.M41) - Left vulnerable by the great push in the Cabal System, the Imperial Sabbat Worlds Crusade was flanked by the Chaos-tainted armies of the Blood Pact. A second frontline opened, and war raged on a score of worlds, including Phantine. Lacking aerial superiority, the Blood Pact was unable to wholly conquer Phantine before the Imperium could send in reinforcements and begin the Liberation of Phantine. As a matter of honour, the Phantine Skyborn requested to fight in the frontlines to liberate their own world, but in truth they lacked the manpower to do so and the main fighting would have to be done by other, off-world regiments. Under the command of Major Fazalur, the Phantine Skyborne would participate in all great battles of this conflict, but would always be tasked with takin secondary objectives at best. While the Phantine's courage could not be doubted, the Phantine Skyborne could simply not muster very large numbers. For instance, less than six hundred Drop Troopers of the Phantine Skyborne participated in the attack on the sky-city of Cirenholm.
Sources
- The Guns of Tanith(Novel) by Dan Abnett