Tempestus (Ship)
The Tempestus was a Battle Barge belonging to the Astral Knights Space Marine Chapter.[1].
History
In 912.M41, the Astral Knights were among the fifteen Space Marine chapters who responded to the appearance of the Necron World Engine in the Vidar Sector. The World Engine's void shields were impervious to any weapon the Imperial task force could fire at it, and likewise repelled any attempt to board the vessel with Drop Pods, Boarding Torpedoes or teleporters.[1]
In a gamble, the Astral Knights' Chapter Master, Artor Amhrad, piloted the Tempestus on a bow-first collision course, piercing the World Engine's shields with its adamantium-tipped prow, and allowing the entire chapter to deploy via Drop Pods. This gamble allowed the Astral Knights to sabotage the World Engine's shields and render it vulnerable for destruction by the Imperial fleet, but every last Battle brother of the Knights perished, including Amhrad.
At the insistence of Captain Aphael of the Blood Angels[2], the Ultramarines salvaged the wreck of the Tempestus and converted it into an Imperial Shrine on Safehold, the last planet to be scoured clean by the World Engine. The Shrine contains 772 statues, one for each of the fallen Astral Knights. Though Safehold remains lifeless and deserted except for scavengers, the shrine continues to be guarded by volunteers from the dozen Chapters who fought alongside the Astral Knights[1].
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pgs. 44-45
- 2: Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition), pg. 16
