Bastion

A mighty *Gloriana*-class Battleship, the ***Bastion,*** formerly known as the ***Red Tear***, was captured as the spoils of war by the IVth Legion during the Great Crusade, and from that moment on served as the flagship of Lord Commander Crikon Hanfer and the sister ship of Shaaa's own flagship, the Herald of Destruction. Unlike its sister, the *Bastion* was designed for close in actions, suiting its commander perfectly, and leading the IVth to victory after victory after victory.

## History

Originally known as the *Red Tear*, this ship was initially counted amongst the Emperor's own grand fleet, before being gifted to the recently found Primarch of the IXth Legion in the wake of the peace with the Squats. Eventually, the IVth legion captured the vessel at Baal, returning it to the Ring in M30.964 for extensive repairs and refits to bring it into line with IVth legion doctrine. This work took years, even with the immense shipyards of the Star Guardians home, but eventually she took flight once more, joining the Star Guardians fleet in M30.988, now bearing the name Bastion

In stack contrast to the *Herald of Destruction*, the Bastion mounts very few extreme range weapons, boasting less than half the torpedo tubes and Nova Cannons compared to the IVth’s flagship. However, what she lacks in range, she more than makes up for in sheer brutality as she closes for the kill. Hundreds of close range weapons dot her sides, from Macro-cannons to plasma throwers and even archaic naval Volkite weaponry, all designed to make the vessel extremely deadly at the front of a flotilla, rather than providing fire support from the rear.

Commanded by Lord Commander Crikon Hanfer as his personal ship, the Bastion would go on to lead hundreds of void borne charges against the foes of mankind, delivering punishing broadsides before deploying teams to capture any ships which may prove useful for the IVth’s fleet. Even in extreme close range, the Bastion is more than capable of killing any vessel it comes across, its massive prow lacking the long range weaponry of its sisters, instead mounting a huge bladed ram, wreathed with terrifyingly powerful energy fields. Giant pneumatic tubes the size of warlord titans poised to activate at a moments notice are capable of shunting the mighty blade forward with enough force to crack a lesser vessel in half, or to deliver Star Guardians teams directly into the heart of an enemy capital ship.

These modifications have made the vessel an attack dog of the highest order, Crikon Hanfer often leaving the vessel to personally oversee boarding actions of key enemy vessels. When he does, the vessel is left in the care of Ship Master Kaelthron Dramas, a Star Guardian too wounded to fight again, yet instead of being placed within the shell of a Dreadnought as was his right, he chose to be placed in perpetuity within the bridge of his Battleship. When the Bastion joined the 30th Expeditionary Fleet, he was immediately moved to oversee the mighty vessel, bringing his immense tactical skill to bear in one of the deadliest vessels to ply the stars, commanding it as if it were his own body.

Just like the Herald, the Bastion’s bridge is deep within her armoured superstructure, the crew running the battle through an extensive sensor array, but even the shipyards of the Ring could not fully remove the embellishments of the vessels former owners. On the bottom of the ship is a bulb of armour-glass meters thick, initially for contemplating the void as the ship sped through it. To remove it would have added almost a decade to the ships refits, the superstructure built around the void, and so instead it was compensated for. Now, the room is designated as a point where Shaaa’s sons can watch the fruits of a bombardment first hand, honing their skills in the art of orbital-to-ground firing patterns, as well as being used to make examples to non-compliant world leaders, being forced to stand in the observatory and watch as their world is reduced to ash. Though it has no official designation, most refer to it by the lesson Shaaa’s teaches those not of the IVth who stand aboard its deck: ‘*Look what happened to the last one*.’

Once the Bastion was a sight to behold, a ship that brought hope to all those who saw it, travelling at the head of a Blood Angels fleet. Since the fall of the IXth however, the ship has taken on a more feared and reviled role, bringing death in the name of the Star Guardians and their Breacher Lord.

The ship would continue to fight for the IVth legion throughout the Great Crusade, being relegated to the SGA when the Star Guardians were named Praetorian. It’s final true flight was during the first Solar War, where it fought valiantly against the traitors who sought to take the throne world, finally falling in defence of Sol itself, the vessel plunging into the heart of the star, its warriors willingly considgning themsleves to oblivion to achieve total victory.

## Techanical Specifications

* Length: 20 Kilometers
* Role: Close Range Bombardment and Ramming actions
* Date of Construction: M30.910
* Date of Reconstruction: M30.988
* Date of Destruction: 1-049.60.M31 - Battle of Sol