9th Regiment Iridian Rangers – ‘Swamp Tigers’
A garrison regiment securing Jeriko Reachs lowland provinces.
The Iridian Rangers 9th were posted to Jeriko Reach a few years back as a ‘quiet’ posting and a reward for their long and hard fought service on the deathworld of Hang Sung during the Shikani Uprising.
The regiment, natives of a lush& verdant feral jungle world, had been originally sent to Hang Sung to put down a genestealer uprising.
Suffering initial heavy losses the regiment soon learnt to excel in jungle and night fighting and successfully destroyed the outbreak.
In one action the much decorated Cpt. Coppola led the regiments 3rd company in a viscous guerrilla action in the Chaing Hai methane swamps of the Tsai Chi province and earned the third company the nickname ‘Swamp Tigers’ due to their savagery in the fetid waters of the delta.
Coppola earned himself an Amethyst Aquila when he led the company’s ‘green men’ (so called because of their camouflage painted bodies) into the heart of a stealer tunnel complex to assassinate its Patriarch. Coppola is believed to have been the only survivor.
On return from the campaign all members of the regiment were screened and tested for genetic abnormalities (resulting in a 12 per cent cull of infected personnel) and declared fit for further active service.
One can only wonder if screening processes and summary cull were not stringent enough, did some of Coppola's men bring in an infection? Furthermore Imperial scholars question Coppola's hazy recollection of his return to Imperial lines, he was found delirious with mara-fly fever some distance from the tunnel complex which he had destroyed with melta bombs.
see file: HC5029b/Shikani/Methdelta/Coppola
Hero of the Chaing Hai pacification Cpt Jarl. Coppola
Hey, it looks like these vacationing soldiers might see some action.. And might see some action against the very same thing that put them on this planet in the first place... (evil grin)
ReplyDeleteThat's if they haven't brought it to Jeriko reach themselves...
ReplyDeleteOutstanding - can't wait to see the 28mm version of this old 54mm fighter make an appearance on the reach. Maybe he'll go head to head with the Colonel himself one day?
ReplyDeleteGood point on the source of the uprising - maybe the Iridians did bring the infection with them. So how come they spread it to the hill tribes first? I wonder what the contact there was...
Hmm need to bash this one out with you on Monday but i'm wondering if the Iridians subconsciously brought some sort of psychic beacon with them...
ReplyDeleteMaybe the death throws of the patriarch lodged in the heart of coppolas brain calling out to the hive mind?
I could also be that even after everyone was "cleared" with no infection that someone high up the ranks who has the ability to "not be screened" due to rank, money, both or other ways, could have been the patriarch or other infestation..
ReplyDelete