Coruscoan Velites

The Coruscoan Velites are a pattern of Imperial Army cohorts that appeared on Corusco Parva and later spread throughout much of the Corusco Sector. Highly trained, highly motivated and well-equipped, they are considered to be on par with the more common cohorts of the Solar Auxilia and are generally attached as the Auxilia force of the IInd Legion, the Obsidian Wyrms. Specialized in assault and close quarter combat, they are ferocious and find their origin in the troubled times of the Age of Strife.

History
While the name of Corsucoan Velite is relatively new, the men who made up the initial cohorts were not. The original Velites were formed from the warhosts of Techno-Barbarian warriors who had survived the grueling fighting of the Corusco Incursions in the late 30th Millenium. Brutally hardened against the horrors of war, these men and women were natural warriors and survivors with few equals, coming from families who had fought against the predations of xenos and raiders for much of the Long Night's slow millennia. What they might have lacked in discipline, they made up for in sheer guts and bravery.

After the Incursion and the re-integration of Corusco Parva into the Imperium, these Techno-Barbarians who had followed a number of individual Warlords were reformed into new units, with standardized - for Corsucoan standards anyway - equipment and new doctrines, tactics and training by the Primarch Elias Dammerung. Wisely, she kept the warbands mostly together and allowed the former Warlords to continue their leaderships as the commanding officers of the new units, ensuring they kept their cohesion and efficiency.

These original Cohorts followed the Obsidian Wyrms to the stars into the Compliance campaign, but they would eventually become diluted in numbers as more and more Cohorts of Velites were raised, from Corusco Parva itself at first, but then from other worlds of the Sector as well. There was always need for more of their numbers, both for the liberation of far-flung star systems and for the defense of already extant ones. Newer Cohorts are not nearly as battle-hardened as the original ones were, but their training has been made more intensive over time in an attempt to compensate for the fact.

Doctrine
Unlike the average regiment of the Imperial Army which is trained to fire massed volleys of lasgun shots at medium-to long distances, hoping to take down their foes before they can close in, cohorts of Coruscoan Velites are specialized in medium-to-short range and close quarters combat and they are equipped as such. Despite their origins, they are no less drilled or disciplined than their peers in the Solar Auxilia. They are less effective at tight formation fighting than the Solars, but they are more aggressive and brazen. More than once have Greenskins been confused seeing 'weak umies' unexpectedly charge at them from a nearby woodland with sabers raised when the Xenos expected them to cower in their trenches.

On the assault, Coruscoan Velites make use of terrain and the cover of night in conjunction with camouflage cloaks to close the distance between themselves and their foes, awaiting until the very last moment before unleashing rapid, short-range volleys of large-bore explosive ammunitions and following it up with an infantry charge while the foe is still disorganized, often under the cover of artillery support and baffler grenades. It is however in the storming of urban environment and shipboard decks and hallways that they are at their most deadly, as their foes are easily engaged at the most optimal distance.

While defending, the Velite's lack of standard long-ranged weapons prevent them from being able to take down many targets while they are still far away, but their shotguns have higher rates of fire than the standard lasgun and the explosive payloads of their HE shells combine with that rate of fire to create withering hails of fire against closing in enemies. If the enemy survives this barrage, the order is given, and at once every Velite put down their shotguns and draw their sabers in a ready position, standing by to slice apart any foe foolish enough to charge them into melee combat. When facing more heavily armed foes that cannot be penetrated by the standard Amputator rounds, they are often replaced by Impaler solid slug rounds.

When it comes to heavy support, The Coruscoan Velites are especially noteworthy in the fact that they are one of the only forces outside of the Legiones Astartes to make use of Dreadnoughts, as the Techno-Barbarians of Corusco Parva interred their most revered leaders and heroes in such cybernetic sarcophagi long before the world was rediscovered by the Imperium.

Wargear

 * ‘Shimmerscale’ Pattern Void Armor - The Shimmerscale pattern is a variant of the traditional Saturnine Void Armor that is easily identifiable by the reflective, glossy appearance of the armor that gives it its name. Rather than employ large, bulky and heavy plates of Ceramite in its construction, the Shimmerscale pattern employs relatively thin, larger plasteel pieces backing small plates of an ancient diamond-weave material produced only on Corusco Parva which refracts and absorbs Las weapons more efficiently, giving it excellent protection against all sorts of rebellious groups and other human pocket empires. The suit feature integral environmental sealing properties, like Saturnine Void armor, and integrated micro-beads. It is generally produced in the Coruscoan silver and white, with the undergarment suit of snow-white, and the scale-layer in a silver hue.
 * ‘Interdictor’ Pattern Assault Shotgun - The Interdictor pattern is older and more advanced than the average assault shotgun pattern found in the Imperial Army. A trustworthy companion of the Coruscoan Techno-Barbarians, it features at 23mm a larger bore than even the feared Bolter of the Legiones Astartes, allowing it to pack as much explosive power in each shell, but its much lower velocity gives it considerably decreased range and penetrating power compared to the more powerful Bolter. Its advanced recoil-mitigation systems are so effective that even a non-augmented human of mediocre strength could fire the weapon's large shells without feeling much if any recoil. The Interdictor is rifled and fires primarily Amputator rounds- High explosive shotshells with a powerful charge - and Impaler rounds - pure, heavy ceramite slugs with a penetrator tip - which grants it significantly better efficiency and accuracy at longer range than the typical assault shotgun's buckshot spreads.
 * 5x Drum magazines - Reloads for the Interdictor are drum-shaped magazines each containing 20 rounds, giving the average Velite a complement of 100 rounds before ammunition is exhausted. While this is only half of the number of shots available to lasgun-equipped troops, the higher effectiveness of individual rounds is believed to make up for it. Larger 30 rounds drums and smaller 10 rounds sickle magazines also exist, though are not as common.
 *  'Staredge' pattern Charnabal Sabre - Though no Charnabal Sabre has ever been mass produced due to the great efforts that go into even a single blade, the broad style informally dubbed as 'Staredge' pattern refers to a range of blades produced in the great Coruscoan workshops. Long, often two-handed weapons of pure, high quality metal, carefully tempered and hardened, they differ from their Terran counterpart in the fact that their lethal cutting edge comes from a micro-layer of braze-bonded diamond, giving them an extremely sharp edge that does not dull easily.
 * 2x Baffler Grenades - Baffler grenades release a compound of smoke that blocks not only line of sight, but also thermal readings and auspexes. They are often used right before an assault to close the gap.
 * Camouflage cloak - Relatively trite and lowtech compared to the Cameleoline used by dedicated scouts, Coruscoan Velites carry cloaks of old-fashioned camouflage patterns appropriate to whatever world they are deployed to. They are very cheap, yet effective.
 * Survival Kit - The standard survival kit of Coruscoan Velites, transported in their standard-issue backpacks, contains basic first aid supplies as well as purification tablets to treat water in hostile worlds and firestarting supplies.
 * 1 week of Nutrition Bars - The standard Nutrition Bar of the Coruscoan Velites is made of a compressed, dense cured mix of white kelp and fish, most commonly salmon and lightly seasoned and vinegared, vacuum-sealed for extended shelf life.

Recruitment
Velites are recruited from a number of world in the Corusco Sectors, with most major worlds having dedicated training facilities in at least one of their Citadels. Prospective recruits are always first filtered through an ordeal of some sort meant to shake - and test - their spirit and mental fortitude. Velites trained on Corusco Parva proper are often made to patrol through the Tainted Lands in a manner somewhat reminiscent of the Trial undertaken by aspiring candidates for induction into the Obsidian Wyrms. The nature and success rates of these ordeals differ from world from world, but they all share the same purpose: Fighting the horrors of galaxy requires nerves and guts, and there is no place in the Velites for those who panic and break ranks.

Those who perform adequately during these ordeals are then trained extensively in sword techniques for a year. Though appearing quaint on the modern battlefield, the number of Xeno creatures that can be effectively engaged - and will seek to engage - in melee combat is high enough that it is considered a critical, core skill. While they are limited by the amount of time allocated for training, Coruscoan Velites are nonetheless quite able and continue to keep their skills well practiced throughout their services. Long-range marksmanship is not commonly focused on outside of dedicated sniper units as the Velites' strength lies in close-to-medium range and rather than hitting targets at long range, they are instead trained in reaction times and target acquisition to allow them to pick and dispatch targets quickly at their preferred engagement range.

In addition to their weapons training, Coruscoan Velites are also instructed in the arts of conducting warfare under Zone Mortalis - such as boarding actions and crumbling underhive ruins - and night fighting conditions or in other lowlight environments, the two being largely complementary to one another.

Rules
Waiting Blades

Models with this special rule receive +1 to their WS and Initiative ratings when being the target of a Charge. These modifiers do not apply to any subsequent phases the unit remains locked in combat.