Beastmen Auxiliary Forces

Heavy assault trooper

"*If I fall, mourn for our unborn children. Now go, be safe.*"
— Warchief Annawan to his wife Sipatu, before the last stand of the Pale River Tribe. They never saw each other again.
The **Beastmen Auxiliary Forces** are regiments (Similar to those of the Astra Militarum) originating from *Skyllian VIII*, an extremely dangerous jungle planet that is part of the Europan Planetary Federation, a small secular empire near the edge of the Garon Nebula of the Segmentum Tempestus.

Beastmen regiments are rather small in numbers, but specialized in several branches in which they have no match, thanks to their physiology, lifestyle, and culture. They are generally known as fierce, though warriors and specialists in jungle warfare, that are further divided and trained as light infantry regiments, mounted infantry regiments, or heavy shock assault units.

Most of the Beastmen (*Homo Sapiens Bovinus*) units are either attached to other, regular regiments as specialized auxiliary detachments, hence their name, or as a territorial force, guarding their holds, be it a tribal village on Skyllian VIII or a farm region on Risha.

## History

The first Beastmen-only regiment was raised after the Battle of the Caladon Bay, when all nearby Beastmen tribes gathered and attacked the Pale River Tribe, a tribe that was cooperating with the human settlers in exchange for food and basic technology.

To put it into context, when the human settlers arrived for the first time at Skyllian VIII, they were seen as invaders and constantly under attack from nearby tribes. Many counter-attacks were launched, but due to Skyllian VIII being a jungle death world, many guardsmen died from poisoning or encounters with local predators long before they had a chance to face the real enemy. Fighting against beastmen was relatively easy. They lacked any sophisticated protection and apart from bows or thrown javelins any ranged weapons, so they presented only a small threat from distance and were easily gunned down in the open field. Facing a beastman in close combat was, on the other hand, usually fatal for the Guardsman and finding oneself in front of one wasn't unusual in the thick jungle. Their strong legs and dense jungle they were familiar with gave them a significant advantage.

And so the decision was made to befriend one of the tribes and use them as advisors, guides, and a mercenary fighting force in exchange for food, basic technology, and protection. The cooperation proved to be working and the colonists expanded greatly, annihilating several other tribes while strengthening the alliance with the Pale River Tribe. The other tribes allied with the intention of destroying the traitorous tribe and so a massive horde of all able warriors have been gathered and the Pale River Tribe settlement stormed. The defenders were quickly overrun and killed, while the women and children ran towards the Caladon Bay Fortress, seeking protection. The survivors from the Pale River Tribe, now counting only several hundred individuals from the original number of a few thousand members in total were given refuge behind the armored walls. Soon the massive horde arrived at the fortress and the battle began. If it can be called a battle. It was more of a total massacre. When the beastmen got within range of the defensive emplacement, they were mowed down by the hundreds by lasgun, heavy bolter, and mortar fire. The surviving marauders quickly routed and ran back into the jungles. With the tribes weakened, a massive counter-attack was launched and the hostile tribes were pushed deep into the jungle, out of their original territory. The new ground was then captured by the allied tribe and secured by the Europan colonists.

Over the following years, the Pale River Tribe grew in strength thanks to new, young warriors and with the fact that some of the beastmen now lived in the human-occupied zone, running crafts or farms, order to raise the first, beastman-only regiment was given, as a sign of trust and gratitude towards the tribe.

## Deployments

**Battle of the White Mountain** (663.M41) Skyllian VIII, at White Mountain pass (Costly victory) - Several platoons of the Beastmen Shock troops were holding back a relentless onslaught of feral Beastmen trying to march through and ravage the inner territories.

* Nearly wiped out

**The Red Revolution** (Information classified)

## Equipment

* **Mk VI field fatigues** - Consisting only out of white tank-top and olive shorts made to fit the beastmen body, it is usually the only piece of clothing, apart from underwear, the beastmen wear. Most beastmen refuse to wear the flak armor as it makes them feel unnatural and confined and male beastmen often fight completely topless. Female beastmen are known to decorate their clothes with iconography, amulets and other things with spiritual importance.
* **Mk XVII** **Lasrifle** - An almost exact copy of the M36 Kantrael lasgun, only locally produced and modified to be easier to use for the beastmen, as they are generally stronger, taller and bulkier than regular humans.
* **Tundra 32 Heavy Automatic Shotgun** - (Issued only to the heavy shock troop units). It is extremely robust, large caliber automatic shotgun with drum magazine which holds 36 rounds, usually delayed-fuse explosive armor-piercing rounds, incendiary shredder rounds or flechettes. The weapon has an inbuilt, spring-loaded bayonet.
* **M3 Service Pistol -** M3 is a reliable laser-based sidearm issued to every single soldier. While it is not known for its use during offensive operations, it is frequently used in close-quarters combat and self-defense situations. Its rugged design can withstand very rough handling and simple design makes it easy to use and maintain.
* 4 **Mk XIV Power Packs**- Single power pack holds enough energy to provide about 75 shots from the Mk XVII lasrifle.
* **Combat blades** - Combat blades are made by their wielders and are a thing of cultural importance. Sizes and shape vary from piece to piece. It is not unusual to see clubs and axes, instead of daggers and swords.
* **2 M5 Frag Grenades** - Standard issue "pineapple" fragmentation grenade.
* **2 M12 Frag Grenades** - (Issued only to the heavy shock troop units) bigger cousin of the M5 frag grande. It has a stronger explosive charge.
* **Package of S.EX. preservatives** - (S.EX. stands for **S**uper **Ex**tra large) Considering the physiology, culture and feral mentality of the beastmen, this was deemed as a necessary precaution to limit the number of pregnancies within (and without) the ranks. Issued to both male and female soldiers. Package contains twelve pieces and a sanitary kit.
* **First aid kit**
* **Water canteen**
* **1 Emergency ration pack**

## Unit Types

### **Beastmen Light Infantry Regiment**

* Regimental Command staff
	+ **Regimental Command Platoon**
		- Vox Squad
		- 3 Security Squads
	+ Auxiliary detachments
	+ High-command Advisor
	+ Tribal Shaman
		1. **1stReconnaissance Company**
			- Company Command staff
			- 1 Recon Platoon
			- 1 Mounted Infantry platoon
		2. **2nd-4th Light Infantry Company**
			- Company Command staff
			- 3 Light Infantry Platoons
			- 2 Heavy Weapons Platoon
		3. **Support Company**
			- Medicae service
			- Quartermaster column

### **Beastmen Mounted Infantry Regiment**

* Regimental Command staff
	+ **Regimental Command Platoon**
		- Vox Squad
		- 3 Security Squads
	+ Auxiliary detachments
	+ High-command Advisor
	+ Tribal Shaman
		1. **1st Reconnaissance Company**
			- Company Command staff
			- 2 Mounted Infantry platoon
		2. **2nd-4th Mounted Infantry Company**
			- Company Command staff
			- 3 Mounted Infantry Platoons
			- 2 Heavy Weapons Platoon
		3. **5thRough Rider Company**
			- Company Command staff
			- 5 Rough Rider platoons
		4. **Support Company**
			- Medicae service
			- Quartermaster column

### **Heavy Assault Infantry Detachment**

* Company Command staff
	+ **Heavy Assault Company**
		- Heavy assault platoon

### **Territorial Army Regiment**

Territorial Army Regiments may differ depending on their location, but all are based on this template.

* Regimental Command staff
	+ **Regimental Command Platoon**
		- Vox Squad
	+ Tribal Shaman
		1. **1st-3rd Light Infantry Company**
			- Company Command staff
			- 2 Light Infantry Platoons
			- 1 Heavy Weapons Platoon
			- 1 Engineering Platoon
		2. **Support Company**
			- Medicae service
			- Quartermaster column

## Tactics

Beastmen Auxillary Forces are usually deployed as light infantry with specialisation in jungle warfare. Such units are only lightly equipped in terms of armor, and fight with scaled-up Lascarbines. Oftentimes they use mounts to conduct fast assaults to hit enemy flank, or perform hit&run tactics.

The other usual use of the Beastmen is as heavy shock troops, who are clad in heavy armor, and equipped with automatic large-caliber shotguns or autorifles. They are used to locally overwhelm the enemy positions and create and hold position until reinforcements secure the breakthrough, or for close-range fights, for example, urban environment,

## Notable Personnel

* **Pack Leader Matwau** - Commander of the 2nd Heavy Shock Troop platoon. He and his squad held a mountain pass in the Battle of the White Mountain for sixteen hours against the relentless assault of countless feral beastmen who tried to push through, until he was relieved with 9th Guard platoon and air support.

* **Warrior Takkera** - The only recorded instance of a Beastman killing a heretic Astartes in hand-to-hand combat during the Second Battle of Nidalos. Takera recieved grievous wounds and lost his right arm, yet he managed to survive until he was evacuated. Later he refused a bionic arm replacement, and was hailed as a hero in his tribe.

## Quotes

"*They can't hit a damn barn from a fifty meters away, but when s\*\*t gets personal, you are damn glad they are around, no matter the smell.*"
— Captain Schmitt from 4th Panzergrenadiers after witnessing Beastmen shock troops charging into the insurgents. Zoyra, the Red Revolution.
"*Call me Beef again human, and I beef you that you eat only vegies until earth takes you.*"
— Unknown beastman to a prudent soldier.