Volkus (World)
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
  Chalnath Expanse |
Name: | Volkus | 
|
| Segmentum: | Ultima Segmentum[1] | ||
| Sector: | Unknown | ||
| System: | Kessandras System[2] | ||
| Population: | Unknown | ||
| Affiliation: | Imperium[1] | ||
| Class: | War World, Hive World[1], Mining World[6] | ||
Volkus is a Imperial hive world in the Chalnath Expanse. It is remarkable for the presence of the Massif Ballistus, commonly referred to as the Big Gun, a city sized orbital defence weapon and key asset in the Imperium's defence of the Kessandras System.[1][2]
Overview
Volkus' history only stretches back roughly a millennia, and its history before this time is lost. At some point in its early history the titanic Massif Ballistus was built on the world, though none know when this happened or who was involved. When Ork Freebooter Warkaptain Gulgork used Volkus' moon, Cobolth, as a raiding base, the Massif Ballistus split it in half, causing a gravitational disturbance which wrought great destruction across its surface.[5] Presently, it is a major industrial hub that produces a variety of products for the wider Imperium.[4]
Today, the entire hive city of Fissilicus is built around the Massif Ballistus and is dedicated to the maintaining, arming, and firing of the gigantic weapon. In the immediate proximity of the gun are ad hoc shanty towns which are destroyed by the immense recoil every time the weapon fires. The population of Volkus worships the gun as a divine manifestation of the Emperor's might.[4] Haloing the Great Gun's hazardous radius is the Hive districts of Cascabael. Below this lies the "Great Beneath", a mire of workings and sumps populated by the world's underclass. The hive are treaded by a network of maglev lines and their fortified stations, connecting its districts to each other and the Massif Ballistus. Outside of the Hives encircling walls are a band of shanty hab-sprawls and light fortifications dubbed the Undermuzzle Barrens.[6]
Besides its massive gun, Volkus is also notable for its mineral wealth. It is home to large amounts of exotic elements found nowhere else in the Voronin Cluster. City-sized strip mines are gouged across expanses of steppes or into the roots of ice-capped mountains. On the slopes of volcanoes, heavily armored extractors mine pyroclastic output and nests of adamantine pipes pump hot springs for trace chemicals. Forests are reaped for abundant supplies of timber, while numerous hives and manufactorums use these raw resources to produce an array of material and products.[6]
In low orbit over Volkus, Orbital Defence Platforms guard the approach to the world while its hives and manufactorums are well-protected by armored bastions, anti-orbital cannons, missile silos, anti-aircraft artillery, and Void Shield generator]]s. So dense are its shield bubbles that its radiation causes localized storm cells to form.[6]
During the Chalnath Expanse Campaign, the T'au Empire sought to annex Volkus, but the Massif Ballistus' presence precluded a direct assault from their fleet. Instead, Commander Shadowsun deployed kill teams to disable the massive weapon.[3] Squads of Pathfinders escorted Earth Caste engineers to study and sabotage the Great Gun, while Farstalker Kinbands and Vespid Stingwings prevented reinforcements from supported the defenders.[5] These squads clashed with teams of Grav-Chute equipped Tempestus Aquilons deploying from Valkyries Assault Carriers.[1]
Satellites
Volkus has many moons.[6]
- Its largest is dubbed Cobolth and was assaulted by Orks in the past, causing the Massif Ballistus to devastate it with a single volley. The moon then split apart, devastating most of the Greenskins. However today some remaining Greenskins have managed to emerge on Cobolth's corpse, hiding in makeshift bases in its debris.[6]
- Ochari: Outermost of Volkus' moons, it is the site of the system's main Astropathic Relay Station. The moon possesses a breathable atmosphere, something attributed to ancient Human terraforming in the past. However, there is heavy pollution and Ork infestations credited from coming from Cobolth.[6]
See also
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Community: The Warhammer Preview Show: Operation Hivestorm – Descend From the Skies Into the Next Great Leap for Kill Team (archived from the original on 17 Aug 2024, last accessed 17 Aug 2024)
- 2: Warhammer Community: Chalnath Dispatches – At All Costs (posted 12 July 2024) (archived from the original on 26 July 2024, last accessed 23 August 2024)
- 3: Warhammer Community: Chalnath Dispatches – Blade in the Dark (posted 26 July 2024) (archived from the original on 18 August 2024, last accessed 23 August 2024)
- 4: Warhammer Community: Kill Team: Hivestorm Lore – What is it Like to Live Under a Cannon the Size of a Mountain? (posted 3/9/2024) (last accessed 20 October 2024)
- 5: Hivestorm Dossier, pgs. 6-9
- 6: White Dwarf 508, pgs. 57-62
