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THE ADAPTUS MECHANICUS
Throughout the Imperium the Adaptus Mechancius deals with every level of technology. From the recycling plants on a hive world to a Predator battle tank, the construction and upkeep of almost every device falls to the auspices of this powerful organization. It is their development and maintenance of the massive titan Legions and Tech Guard regiments which is of most value to the war stricken 41st millennium. Amongst the many war machines at their disposal are the immense Ordinatus.
CENTURIO ORDINATUS
These huge engines of destruction are not attached to any specific Titan Legion or Tech Guard army. Instead, they fall under the direct control of a division known as the Centurio Ordinatus. It is the Centurio Ordinatus who decide if these highly specialized machines are available, since many of them are ancient indeed and require a large amount of preparation and maintenance to ready them for war.
The Ordinatus themselves are amoungst the strangest machines to be constructed by the Adaptus Mechanicus. Almost all of them were originally designed and built for a particular battle or campaign, and some of them have never been power up for conflict since. One example of this is Ordinatus Priam. This huge tunneling machine was assembled during the siege of Priam, a city overrun by the traitor forces in the Horus Hersy. The immense creation was designed to tunnel through the planet's crust and then navigate through the white hot mantle underneath. This rendered it undetectable to Priam's defences and allowed four companies of elite Imperial Guard troops to storm the cities Generatum Vulcanis, breaking the siege. However, Ordinatus Priam was irrevocably damaged during the attack, as parts of its heat shielding gave way.
Other Orinatus have weapoons and capabilities which see more general use, and demand for them is high. Only in the most important battles or campaigns are the Ordinatus sent to war, and even then only for pre specified operations. Amoungst the enemies of the Immperium, the names of the Ordinatus are spoken with reverent fear, their devastating capabilities displayed on thousands of battlefields since the Emperor's Ascension to the Golden Throne.
The Cult Mechanicus revere the Ordinatus as avatars of the Machine God, creations of such cunning and power they could could never be improved or outdated. Thus thay have been carfully maintained, and when sent to war thay are inscribedd with sacred runes, anointed with the most precious oils and unguents, and blessed by the Lord of the Centurio Ordinatus. Their crews are the most highly trained of the Tech Guard, warriors who fight with the zealous fanaticism of those who serve a living god.
TECHNOLOGY OF THE ORDINATUS
The Ordinatus are renowned for their relentless advance towards the enemy, trailing havoc and destruction in their wake. Ordinatus are powered by immense plasma generators, which drive the tracks and energise their weapon systems. These are very volatile, and if the Ordinatus is destroyed will explode in a massive ball of rolling plasma.
Adeptus Mechanicus Ordinatus are protected by a massive force wall known as a dispersion field. Projectiles and energy bolts deflect harmlessly away from the crackling dome of power, leaving the Ordinatus unscathed. Unfortunately, the dispersion field requires tremendous amounts of power, and will enventually overload its generators. This means that what starts out as a near imperetratable force field gradually weakens as the battle progresses, letting more and more enemy fire through. The shield also affords the Ordinatus some psychic protection, in much the same way as void shields.
GOLGOTHA
After Ork Warlord Ghazghakull Thraka was defeated on the Hive world of Aramageddon, he fled to the stars. His nemesis, Commiissar Yarrick, tracked him down to the Squat world of Golgotha. Despite the assistance of Yarrick, the Squats were defeated by Ghazghakull's horde and Yarrick was captured. In an attempt to humiliate his arch foe, Ghazghakull did not kill Yarrick, but imprisoned him instead.
However, the resourceful Yarrick managed to escape and return to Golgotha with a punitive force of Titans and Tech Guard. The early battles went badly for the Imperium, as the sheer size of the Ork Horde overwelmed them time and time again. In an attempt to smash the massive Ork Mobs, Ordinatus Golgotha was constructed in the recaptured strongholds of the Squats. Golgotha's terrifing Hellfire missiles devastated the Orks, slaying thousands over the course of the week. The Orks were routed from the Squat homeworld and since then Ordinatus Golgotha has always been in the forefront of any battle against enemies who have strong numerical advantage.
HELLFIRE SHELLS
Hellfire is a common term for a potant acidic/viral compound developed by the Adaptus Mechanicus. It burns through armour and sears flesh, usually leaving the few who survive hideously scarred and crippled. It is a matter of opinion whether or not it is better to die from a Hellfire attack or to survive! Golgotha caries six Hellfire missiles and can only fire one or two per hour.
A Hellfire missile has multiple warheads, allowing it to completely devastate a wide area. In addition, the extensive scanning equipment aboard Ordinatus Golgotha allows it to fire with unerring accuracy. The Hellfire missiles can be fired at any point on the battlefield, even at targets that are out of line of sight, with no chance of scattering. Unlike normal indirect barrages, there is no need for friendly troops to spot for a Hellfire missile.
Ememy units attacked by this horrendous weapon may be pannicked by the agonised screams of their comrades, as their flesh burns away and their bones melt.
ARMAGEDDON
Ordinatus Armageddon first shed blood during the massive Chaos invasion of the Planet of the same name. The Krone Banelords, Lords of Battle and daemon engines were instrumental in the destruction of many cities, but a genius of the Adaptus Mechanicus, Geronimus Undersen, devised an Ordinatus as a defence against the marauding war machines. Undersen mounted a massive starship weapon onto a land bound chassis, giving the Imperial forces an immense machine powerfull enough to destroy even the largest and most heavily armoured foes.
This idea was by no means original, and followed the concept behind the famous Squat Titan Killer the Cyclops. In the ensuring battle for Tartarus Hive, Armageddon destroyed no less than four Chaos Titans, and two detechments of daemon engines. Without the heavy firepower of these machines, the Chaos assault waves broke upon the mile high walls like a tide upon the rocks. Ordinatus Armageddon is feared by all enemies of the Imperium as a war machines capable of destroying all opposition.
NOVA CANNON
The Nova Cannon is similar to the Plasma Anhihilator of an Imperiator Titan. However, rather than releasing a burst of raw plasma, the Nova Cannon can focus and control the potent energies with greater precision. This allows the crew to siphon small amounts of plasma into the discharge chamber, producing a rapid burst of fire. Alternatively, the crew can flood the chamber with all the remaining plasma and send out an earth shattering blast of energy.
In addition, the immense energy released by a massive burst produces a beam of plasma which covers a wide area.
MARS
During the Horus Hersy, Mars itself, homeworld of the Adaptus Mechanicus was riven by a civil war. The traitor armies, led by Magos Solomon Abbadon, turned against the Emperor and attempted to overthrow the rulers of Mars. From his mountain citadel of Jericho, Abbadon sent forth his rebel forces to attack the factories and installations of those who remained loyal to the Emperor. Inevitably, the Imperium retaliated and sent an armada of ships to anhiliate Abbadon's foul minions and bring Imperial Justice to the rebel lord. This proved impossible though, since the fortress of Jericho was protected by a ancient alien device discovered during the Great Crusade. The Vortex field generator, thought to be an artifact of the enigmatic C'tan, rendered any attack from orbit impossible. Any ship which approached too close was torn appart or displaced into the warp. Eventually, an army fought its way to the foothills of the mountains, a few kilometers from Jericho, where it discovered that the Vortex field did not cover the planet's surface.
Castellum Jericho, as the citadel was known, boasted walls half a mile thick, which soared into the clouds. The central baston was constructed from the hardest metal alloys known the humanity and could withstand any amount of pounding by the Imperium. Another solution was needed, and the Adaptus Mechanicus provided the answer. Ordinatus Mars utilised unique technology to produce a sound wave which resonates across the battlefield. When this sonic wall hit Jericho the walls crumbled to dust as they shook themselves apart. The infamous Tower of Steel bent and crumpled like foil, filling the air with tortured shriek of twisting metal. Thousands of Tech Guard poured through the breach, and Solomon Abbadon was summarily executed for his treacherous crimes.
SONIC DISRUPTER
It is not only buildings that are vulnerable to the Sonic Disrupter, Bones shatter, organs burst and electronic equipment explodes as the wall of sonic energy passes over them. The frequency of the Sonic Disrupter ravages those who fall victim to it, from a subsonic rumbling that tears buildings apart to a supersonic squel that pierces eardrums and flays skin from flesh. The Sonic Disrupter scales repidly up and down these frequencies, causing a blast of sonic energy that rolls forward like a force wave from some massive explosion.
Hiding in cover is of little use, since woods and rubble are just blown apart and walls simply amplify the sonic wave if they are not shattered. Even the weighty armour of a Titan or the reinforced buttresses of a stronghold provide little protection against the wrath of Ordinatus Mars.
Targets protected by energy fields such as void sheilds will lose one shield to the sonic wave before it passes.
Written by Gavin Thorpe.
Reproduced from White Dwarf 191.
Used without permission.
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