Indomitable Squads

The Star Guardians are near unique in their non-existent use of standard tactical squads, only the Kraken Lords mirroring their replacement in their own ranks. For the IVth, this replacement came in the form of the Indomitable Squads, a fusion of the punishing bolter fusillades of standard tactical marines, and the advancing shield walls of the breacher squads.

Equipped with either modified void sealed armour in the early years of the legion, or in dedicated Mk3 and Mk5 Void Armour in the latter years of the Great Crusade, the Indomitable Squads would advance with heavy shields to the front, a slow lockstep march towards the enemy, bolters locked into position as they poured fire into their enemies.

## History

In the days of the Dark Watchers, tactical squads were the norm within the IVth Legion, even as they trained alongside the Solar Auxilia as the Imperium’s greatest Zone Mortalis warriors. In the eyes of the then Lord Commander Varinius Rampt, Breacher Squads served a purpose, but the legion still needed to be flexible in other methods of warfare, and thus though they fielded more Breachers than almost any other legion at the time, the humble tactical squad still bore the brunt of the fighting.

This all changed when Shaaa took command of the IVth, renamed them the Star Guardians and beginning to bring about a change that saw Breacher Squad numbers grow exponentially. However, it was not until the Great Rebuilding in the wake of the Squat Wars that the first mention of a new type of warrior for the legion would be mentioned, Shaaa recorded to have decreed that the would be “his new indomitable fist” to further the legions aims.

As the legion was already undergoing a massive restructuring, it was a simple matter for the change to take place, and coupled with the fact that the majority of tactical squads had perished in the war, while the more heavily armoured Breacher Squads had survived, meant it was an easy task.

Soon, all new recruits were placed in Indomitable Squads, armed with shields and bolters, all new battle plans redesigned to compensate for their slower speed, and capitalize on their greater survivability. From that day forward, all new recruits into the Star Guardians would enter the legion via the Indomitable Squads, each warrior serving a minimum of ten years in combat before being eligible for further specialisation, be that to Breacher Squads, Mechanicum or Apothecarium secondment, or placement into Terminator Squads. In this way, each Star Guardian became adept with the mighty shields of the legion, as linked with them as most warriors of other legions were bound to their bolters. Though many would view the tradeoff in speed and the lack of tactical flexibility afforded by a Tactical Squad, Shaaa broached no discussion on the change, and as the role of victories began to follow the merciless lockstep advance of the IVth, any detractors soon lost any credibility to the lack of efficiency the new order represented.

## Tactical Use alongside Breacher Siege Squads

To some, the overlap of Indomitable and Breacher Squads would represent inefficiency and an overlap in responsibilities and battlefield roles. However, the IVth has addressed this and taken steps to overcome any overlap. This was done through redesigning of the tactical usage of Breacher Siege Squads, and while in other legions the Breachers would be a moving wall, to stand at range and batter down the enemy at range, the Star Guardians would equip their squads to tear apart their enemies in close combat.

In this way, while Indomitable Squads are fusions of tactical and breacher squads, breachers soon became a hybrid of the otherwise rare Assault Squads. Bolters were ofte replaced with mighty power swords, while the ranks of the squads were bolstered with the most aggressive of warriors, all already bloodied in the crucible of the Indomitable Squads.

In battle, while Indomitable Squads form a gunline, locking shields, planting them upon their chosen ground and standing firm to deliver their punishing fusillades, Breacher Squads are always on the advance, moving forward at a faster pace than their peers, though still slowly owing to their hardened armour and shields, all the better to plunge into the swirling melee of close combat and tear apart the enemies of mankind.

## Squad Composition

* 1 Indomitable Sergeant
* 9-19 Indomitable Legionaries

## Wargear

* Void Pattern Power Armour
* Bolter
* Bolt Pistol
* Frag Grenades
* Krak Grenades
* Guardian Pattern Boarding Shield

### Optional Wargear

* Chainswords
* One Legionary may take a Lascutter
* Melta Bombs
* Nuncio Vox
* Legion Vexilla

### Optional Wargear (Indomitable Sergeant Only)

* Artificer Power Armour
* Combi-Weapon
* Plasma Pistol
* Power Weapon
* Power Fist
* Single Lightning Claw
* Thunder Hammer
* One Breaching Charge
* Melta Bombs