Ascension

Working in concert with the Librarius of the vaunted Halcyon Wardens, the Mechanicus went to great lengths adapting the Talaria to the Vth Legion's specifications. In tandem with it's original purpose the Ascension has become a bulwark of psychic might in the skies, able to dispel empyrinical clouds of doubt and cut does foes with preternatural accuracy.

## **History**

Despite the Talaria being brought into service during the later stages of the First Ruin, it was first adopted by the Halcyon Wardens upon it's initial distribution. It was through this initial deployment and introduction into the Legion that a great many battles were won and helped the Loyalists hold the line against many foes.

During one these many conflicts the ethereal forces of the warp proved to be a major problem for those pilots of the Vth Legion as storms would knock back their attempts at assaulting enemy with shards of lightning. This heretical tumult grounded the legion and put them in a harsh position as their own ground forces would being torn up from unopposed enemy bombers. A solution was needed and the Legion's Librarius were there to help. Through the application of massed psychic tuning and materials, small attuning and boosting devices could be implanted within the aircraft to augment a pilot's psychic ability significantly. This in turn with armour-etched protective runes and wards would become the raison d'etre as it projected physical and psychic might against their warp-fuelled enemies in the sky.

Bolstered with a myriad of other systems the newly founded 'Ascension' would dive head-first into the chaos storm-front ready to burn them from the skies. As autocannons fired, shrapnel tore cockpits open and psychic wards broke through the miasma of chaotic energies, the Halcyon pilots fulfilled their duty. It was thanks to these augments that the chaotic aerial forces were driven into the dust below, allowing those ground forces to mop up the remnant heretics with haste.

After this successful application of the variant it was adopted by many elements of the Legion, with veteran pilots given priority to help augment their abilities in the sky. Though the modifications were popular, they proved expensive in time and resources, meaning that newer pilots would make do with the base Talaria instead. Over time, a small, but sizeable arsenal was built up, and the Ascension proved a vital tool for facing the machinations of the warp.

## **Design**

As seems to be the case with most Talaria variants, the speed and missile capacity of the Ascension has been lowered to accommodate more specialist improvements. While the laser destroyer array has been replaced with twin accelerator autocannons on the gimbal mount, the larger calibre has taken over one of the missile bays as stowage for ammunition. In addition the psychic augment generator and advanced targeting cogitator have filled a void in the aircraft's central fuselage, contributing to the decrease in speed. While the targeting augurs, psychic hood and psychic warding on the plane itself add little to the weight of the plane. The last main difference is the extension of the cockpit and inclusion of a secondary seat to allow a sharing of responsibilities between the two pilots. Thanks to this suite of simple but effective upgrades the Ascension retains it's familiar shape while sporting completely new 'psychic augmenting' capabilities.

### **Armament**

Designed to take advantage of the psychic abilities of the Halcyon Warden pilots, the loadout of the Ascension has adapted to work in tandem with these powers to full effect. Incorporated into the aircraft's chassis in much the same way as base Talaria design, the twin-linked accelerator autocannons retain the gimbal mounting of the base design allowing it for much greater flexibility in dogfights. ***Listed below are weapons that have either been changed from the base Talaria design, or new weaponry that can be mounted. All base Talaria munitions can still be mounted.***

Projectile Weaponry

* Twin-Linked Accelerator Autocannons

As the laser destroyer array is replaced, the internal feed and ammo storage mechanism has taken up the space normally given to the middle missile bay. While this does result in a lowered missile capacity, the combined ability of the pilot's foresight and airburst ammunition allow it to swat enemies from the sky with unerring accuracy. The weapon system does also benefit from the ability to use various kinds of ammunition should the situation call for a specific solution, be that swarms of light xenos or heavy bombers and corvettes.

### **Miscellaneous**

Showing a familiar pattern amongst the other elements of the redesign, the rest of the changes made to the aircraft would only help bolster the Vth Legion's reputation as preternatural fighters. In contrast to their warp-based methods however, the first upgrade is entirely technological in nature. With almost two dozen specialised tracking eyes placed over the craft at various points. Providing full coverage they allow both pilots to quickly access and assess a variety of information of the surrounding area, much akin to a standard astartes helmet. Various visual spectra and high-value data-screeds give them enhanced awareness when dogfighting, giving the enemy the impression that they can never escape their sights. This does come at a cost however, as the system is particularly energy intensive and the data-output can cause pilots a mild feeling of paranoia, with extended use leading to minor psychological damage. It is, for safety's sake then, employed only sparingly during dogfights, to minimize any risk.

The last element of the variant is actually two specific changes that work in tandem with one another. The addition of a second pilot's seat behind the first would be seen as unnecessary considering the vehicles normal function but when coupled with the Psychor system absolutely necessitates it. Thanks to the addition of a second pilot's seat, controls and the Psychor system attached the Ascension has lost the emergency decoupling ability of it's original design. The Psychor system itself is controlled through a psychic hood in the second pilot's seat. From here the hood connects to a network of psychoactive crystals internally embedded within the armour of the aircraft itself, alongside several armour plates that have been inscribed with psychic wards and boons. This psychic network created throughout the plane's structure can be harnessed and offensively deployed against enemy aircraft. Though the effects range depending on the individual in the secondary seat, it has been used to great effect. Creating kine barriers, offensive lightning strikes or creating psychic decoys capable of fooling enemy sensors and pilots. With the secondary pilot's job entirely focused on the psychic elements of the craft, enemies have one extra thing to worry about when taking to the skies.

## **Notable Ascensions**

***Heart's Desire*** – Captain Varrik

***Summer's Glare*** – Captain Delius Horshaw