White Scars - Scarblade Strike Force: Like the spear hurled from a hunter's hand, the White Scars punch through the enemy's defences to pierce the heart and deliver a deathblow. For all their lethality and speed, however, the sons of Chogoris on Prefectia faced a challenge more deadly than any they had known before -- an entire world of traps set to ensnare, confuse and destroy.Mounted upon their mechanical steeds, the White Scars roar into battle. The snarl of their bikes' engines is like the growling of hunting beasts, while the hammer of their Bolters rings the death knell for foes beyond number. Drawn from the nomadic horse-tribes of their homeworld, Chogoris, the White Scars are the finest bike-mounted warriors in all the Imperium. They use every iota of their skill as plains hunters to stalk and encircle their quarry before making a killing strike.The White Scars do not simply mount headlong charges against the odds; though they might appear tribal and barbaric to outsiders, every Space Marine in the White Scars Chapter possesses a deep-rooted pragmatism and a predator's cunning. When they strike, the White Scars are like the storm, their speed that of the howling wind, their strength that of the sky­shattering thunderbolt. Yet they always strive to ensure that the enemy have been scouted, their strength gauged and their measure taken before battle begins.It was a strike force centred around the warriors of the White Scars' 3rd Company that came to make war upon the T'au during the Prefectia Campaign of 999.M41. These huntsmen had already had ample opportunity to learn the strengths and weaknesses of their prey. Led by the noble Kor'sarro Khan, this Great Hunt comprised warriors who had fought in several major engagements around the Damocles Gulf.When Commander Shadowsun led her mighty coalition of T'au Septs against the hives of Agrellan, the khan and his warriors had been there, fighting up until the very last moment against the invading xenos. Following that crushing defeat, the Imperium turned the tables upon O'Shaserra and caught her forces in a trap upon Voltoris: there too had fought the khan and his men.Prefectia would the be the third world upon which Kor'sarro's hunt had battled the Tau, and the third upon which his vow to take the head of the xenos commander would be tested. Though the White Scars won a decisive victory upon Voltoris, Kor'sarro Khan still had a warrior oath to fulfil. This fact did not sit well with the fiery-­tempered White Scar, and he would not allow Shadowsun to slip through his fingers again.Another concern chafed at the White Scars as they deployed onto the dust-­choked surface of Prefectia. Far away, across the vast gulfs of space, their homeworld faced attack from an overwhelming force of Chaos Renegades as the 13th Black Crusade of Abaddon the Despoiler unfolded. Word had reached the khan's fellow captains of this fight for survival, and many of the White Scars were desperate to discharge their oaths of duty in the Damocles war zone so that they might make haste back to Chogoris. They wished to lend their strength to the defence of their homeworld, or to avenge their brothers should the unthinkable have come to pass.Thus, all of the White Scars' frustration and anger was directed at the T'au upon Prefectia, and especially against their leader, Commander Shadowsun. Here was a foe who had lived far beyond her deserving span, despite the best efforts of the khan and his warriors. In doing so, she kept them from the defence of their homeworld, trapping them in a faraway war for much longer than any could have believed possible. The prey's stubborn tenacity and evasive cunning had goaded the White Scars to new heights of fury, and so they rode out from their first engagement on Prefectia with a righteous fire burning in their breasts. They would run their prey to ground at last, and return her head to Chogoris in triumph.Lightning speed and punishing strength characterised the White Scars army that fought on Prefectia. Under the command of the mighty Kor'sarro Khan himself, this Scarblade Strike Force consisted primarily of warriors from the proud and noble 3rd Company. At their side fought supporting elements of the 1st and 10th Companies, while aerial support was lent from the Chapter's Armoury. The khan's force, built to hunt dangerous prey, was skilled at running a foe to ground and striking hard and fast when the quarry was cornered.Being warriors of the Adeptus Astartes, the khan's strike force could swiftly tum their hands to whatever task was required; in battles such as Paragus Canyon or the fight for the Andrachon Line during the Battle of Agrellan, they had fought defensive actions with all the determination and tenacity expected of the Emperor's finest. However, these warriors were huntsmen through and through, and their greatest skill lay in the swift and deadly pursuit of the foe.At the core of this Great Hunt stood a Stormlance Battle Demi-company, made up of 3rd Company battle-brothers who had fought beneath the khan's banner on countless worlds beyond the Damocles Gulf. Seasoned veterans of battling the T'au, every warrior amongst them knew to expect cunning, evasion and overwhelming enemy firepower. Yet they stood undaunted, more determined than ever before to strike down the xenos menace that bedevilled this part of the Emperor's realm.At their head stood Chaplain Jaikhos, a clenched fist of a warrior who, rumour had it, had never shown doubt or uncertainty. Normally sparing with his words, Jaikhos became a bellowing terror in battle, an inspirational firebrand whose transformation was so complete that many amongst the 3rd Company claimed the spirits of war possessed the Chaplain at such times. Beneath Jaikhos' command were three Tactical Squads, proudly displaying the iconography of the White Scars Chapter and the 3rd Company. Each squad rode to war in a Rhino APC to ensure their ability to keep pace with the khan's rapid way of war, and each bore deadly weaponry, in the form of Bolters and Flamers, with which to hunt their prey.Alongside this mighty core of superhuman waniors stood the battle-brothers of Devastator Squad Sahak, who raced to the front line aboard their Razorback, Vicious Knife. This small band of expert marksmen brought their potent firepower to their brothers' aid, providing the Stormlance Battle Demi­company with tactical versatility and the much-needed ability to eliminate Tau Battlesuits and gunships from extreme range.The final element of the demi-company, the Land Speeder, Pale Claw, was deftly piloted by a pair of battle-brothers who served as advance scouts for their formation and lent their craft's armaments to the fight.The inclusion of a Storm Wing provided essential aerial support in a theatre of war with constantly shifting air superiority. Comprised of the Stormraven, Khan's Fury, and two Stormtalon escorts, Firebolt Unbound and Cloudsword, the gunships' speed and firepower allowed them to serve in roles as varied as aerial interdiction, ground attack, long-ranged reconnaissance and tank hunting. Here was the perfect instrument with which to strike a mortal blow against any exposed prey.Finally, Kor'sarro's Speartip Strike formation provided the lightning-fast huntsmen for which his Chapter was famed. Consisting of Land Speeders, several bands of battle-brothers mounted upon Assault Bikes, and a detachment of Scout Bikers from the 10th Company, this force possessed sufficient speed and firepower to engage any foe. These warriors could outflank the enemy, encircle their forces, punch through battle lines or eliminate support elements, all the while supporting the resilience and firepower of the rest of the strike force.The leader of this Great Hunt, Kor'sarro Khan himself, stood amongst the most lauded heroes of the Imperium. As direct and unyielding as a well-forged blade, the khan is a warrior of violent determination with no time for the niceties of diplomacy or courtly manners. He is a master huntsman whose every thought is bent toward decapitating his oath-sworn prey.Whether mounted upon his famed Assault Bike, Moondrakkan, or hurtling into battle in the armoured hold of a Rhino or Stormraven gunship, the khan runs his prey to ground with the unfailing tenacity of a born killer. When battle is inevitably joined, his revered blade, Moonfang, whistles out in a silver arc to claim the head of his prey with unerring lethality.Yet the khan's barbaric exterior hides a deep spirituality and strategic acumen that makes him a far deadlier opponent than he might at first seem, for he is also an inspiring leader and cunning tactician. Kor'sarro Khan personifies the tip of the hunter's spear, the hardened point of the blade, and his warriors follow him with a devotion bordering upon worship.