A Repressor of the Adepta Sororitas during battle
The Repressor is an Imperial armoured personnel carrier (APC) based on the standard Rhino chassis. The Repressor is used by both the Adeptus Arbites as a riot control and crowd suppression vehicle, and by the Adepta Sororitas as an infantry transport during intense urban battles. The Repressor uses an extensively converted Rhino chassis; the transport compartment has been greatly expanded upon, a raised roof featuring firing slits for the passenger's weapons has been added, a large dozer blade used to plow through debris and rioting mobs is attached to the front of the vehicle, and the vehicle possesses a small forward cupola-mounted turret. The Adeptus Arbites variant of the Repressor is armed with non-lethal weaponry such as water cannons and grenade launchers that fire stun and gas grenades at angry mobs. When the Adepta Sororitas started to use Repressors near the end of the 40th Millennium they replaced the non-lethal weapons with Storm Bolters and Heavy Flamers.
History[]
A Repressor in use by Battle Sisters defending a Cardinal World
The Repressor has been used as a combat transport by the Sisters of Battle for only a short amount of time. The first incidence of the Sisterhood using the Repressor was during a heretical uprising on the Cardinal World of Avignor, when a crowd of over a million pilgrims gathering for the Day of Ascension rituals were incited into violence by provocateurs of a heretical faction. The massive mob of people quickly overran the local Adeptus Arbites Precincts, and the situation only grew worse when the mobs started equipping themselves with scavenged Arbites weapons. The unrest transformed into a full-scale war when the Heretic agitators began to direct the mobs towards important Imperial locations, such as armouries. The Adeptus Arbites were offered assistance from the Order of the Sacred Rose's Preceptory, who were guarding the Cardinal of Avignor's Palace. The Battle-Sisters crewed a dozen of the Arbites' Repressor vehicles, outfitted them with their favoured Heavy Flamers, and then took to the field to purge the Heretics and their followers from the sacred ground of Avignor. After two weeks of street fighting the uprising was defeated and the commanding Arbites Marshall gifted the remaining Repressors to the Canonness-Preceptor of the Order of the Sacred Rose as thanks for their intervention.
For many years after the battle at Avignor, only the Sisters of the Order of the Sacred Rose used the Repressor. Other Orders within the Ecclesiarchy whispered that it was not just or holy and that the Order should be restricted from using it any further. The issue over the sanctioned use of the Repressor came to a head during the 291st Synod Prioris of Terra, where it was decided that the use of the Repressor by the Sisters of Battle during the Avignor Uprising was the will of the Emperor, and that the Repressor should be included in the canon of sanctioned vehicles for all of the Orders Militant of the Sororitas.
Armament[]
A Repressor crossing the battlefield
The Repressor used by the Adepta Sororitas is not designed to serve as a front-line vehicle, but is instead used during urban conflicts where the Sisters can travel in safety inside of the vehicle, and fire at enemy combatants from the firing slits. The Repressor is capable of carrying up to ten Battle-Sisters, and of these ten, six may fire their Bolters out of the firing slits. Also, a heavy weapon such as a Heavy Bolter or Multi-Melta can be fired out of the top hatch, but only when the vehicle is sitting still. The Repressor is armed with a forward cupola-mounted Storm Bolter, and a Pintle-mounted Heavy Flamer. All Repressors are equipped with dozer blades used to smash through road blocks and debris. The vehicle can also be outfitted with other upgrades such as a Holy Icon, Blessed Ammunition for the Storm Bolter and Holy Promethium for the Heavy Flamer, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, Laud Hailers, extra armour plating, a searchlight, and smoke launchers.
Notable Users of the Repressor[]
- Adeptus Arbites - The Adeptus Arbites use the Repressor as a riot suppression and anti-insurgency vehicle, as well as for transportation.
- Adepta Sororitas - The Repressor is used as a transport vehicle by the Sisters of Battle during urban combat missions. The Repressor is used by all of the Sisterhood's Orders Militant.
- Ordo Hereticus - The Ordo Hereticus uses the Repressor as a transport vehicle.
- Order of the Sacred Rose - The Order of the Sacred Rose were the first Battle-Sisters to use the Repressor in battle against Heretics during the Avignor Uprising, and also during the defence of the Cardinal World of Valedor against the Tyranid swarms of Hive Fleet Leviathan.
- Order of the Ebon Chalice - The Order of the Ebon Chalice fought during the defence of the Magdellan Preceptory on the planet of Magdellan Prime against followers of the Chaos Cult of Balthalamus.
- Order of Our Martyred Lady - The Order of Our Martyred Lady fought on the planet of Kromat II against the Forces of Chaos during the 13th Black Crusade.
Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications[]
| Vehicle Name: | Repressor | Main Armament: | Cupola-mounted Storm Bolter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forge World of Origin: | Dominica II | Secondary Armament: | Pintle-mounted Heavy Flamer |
| Known Patterns: | I - VIII | Traverse: | 180 degrees |
| Crew: | 1 Driver, 1 Gunner | Elevation: | -15 to 35 degrees |
| Powerplant: | Quad MkII Adaptable Thermic Combustor Reactor | Main Ammunition: | 4000 Rounds |
| Weight: | 33 Tonnes | Secondary Ammunition: | 10 Shots |
| Length: | 8.7 metres including dozer blade | Armour: | |
| Width: | 4.5 metres | ||
| Height: | 4.3 metres | Superstructure: | 60 millimetres |
| Ground Clearance: | 0.44 metres | Hull: | 60 millimetres |
| Max Speed On-Road: | 55 kilometres per hour | Gun Mantlet: | N/A |
| Max Speed Off-Road: | 35 kilometres per hour | Vehicle Designation: | 0120-766-0822-RE 003 |
| Transport Capacity: | 10 Passengers | Firing Ports: | 6 Firing Slits, Top Hatch |
| Access Points: | 1 Rear hatch, 2 Side hatches | Turret: | 60 millimetres |
Also See[]
Sources[]
- Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition, pp. 233-238
- Imperial Armour Update 2002, pg. 21
- White Dwarf 380 (US), "Codex: Sisters of Battle" (5th Edition), pg. 95
Gallery[]
