Assassin

Initially the least interesting for Hammerhand of Inquistor Hawk's weapons, but one of his most useful, was the Callidus Temple Assassin Sophia. Her gear was a temple secret. Hammehand was never certain if she was one person or several. She excelled at throwing Hawks enemies in confusion in battle and slaying their leaders while relishing the thrill of hand to hand combat. It was with some trepidation therefore that he approached the task Hawk had given him. Examine her weapons and equipment and learn their secrets.

Evil for Evil

Hammerhand serviced the servitors that Inquisitor Hawk liked to use to purge the taint of chaos from mankind, and to destroy the deviant traitor space marines of chaos and their demonic masters wherever they errupted.

Demon hosts were used by the forces of Chaos thought Hammerhand yet Hawk who fought for mankind also deployed demonhosts as he fought evil with evil. Could evil ever be purged if evil fought evil. How minor his own infraction was compared with the potential fault of the radical Inquisitorial cult followed by Hawk. Hammerhand resolved to discover more about the men and ideas that were party to Hawk's plans. He work hard for Ignatius Hawk and his retinue nonetheless.

Hammerhand works for the Grey Knights

Hammerhand's new friends included the Venerable Grey Knight Dreadnought Grezult. Hammerhand spend many happy hours improving Grezult's standard weaponry including improving the accurracy of his psycannon and its power.

Service with The Hawk

Hammerhand found that the Hawk was a good master. While working Hammerhand hard on the machines of the inquisition and their allied impressed forces Hawk also allowed Hammerhand time to experience the places they fought and worked and to learn the skills of a soldier as well as those of an Enginseer. In time Hawk thought Hammerhand might be suitable for the Inquistion. In the meantime Hammerhand learned to ride with Cadian Lancers and fight with the Grey Knights.

Thus Hammerhand entered the most valuable phase of his life so far with his secret still hidden by Hawk and his dreams undiminished.

Wait for me!Fun with the Grey Knights.

Sentinel Days For Hammerhand

Away from Mars Ignatius Hawk allowed Hammerhand a free hand with the details of his assignments. As long as Hammerhand delivered Hawk did not question the how. Hammerhand's first assignment with Hawk was to the Cadians fighting their way through the reconquest of the remains of Asroth IV following a chaos incursion. Recognizing that the role of the sentinel pilot was up close and personal in street fighting Hammerhand over saw the conversion of all Cadian pattern sentinels to the Catachian pattern with heavy flamers and an added close combat weapon. Ace "toast" to his mates, centered in the photograph is credited with the single-handed immolation of an entire squad of renegade chaos space marines sheltering in strategic ruins thereby causing chaos to fall back again.

The Machine Daemon Host

Sit down."
Hammerhand sat. Ignatius Hawk stared down at him. "You delight in maliciously tinkering and innovating. Do you understand how dangerous you are at this time?"
"It was an accusation, a question and a statement Hammerhand pondered.
"Well?" snapped Hawk.
"I have done some but only at the direction of my Master Enginseer", Hammerhand stated.
"You will address me as Inquisitor, or as sir or as your honour if you prefer," spat Hawk.
"Yes Sir,Your Honour, Sir," retorted Hammerhand in distatste.
"Now, tell me about the Chimera and the innovations that your Master directed you to make and which he subsequently forgot so that when he discovered them on inspection of the vehicle he was alarmed."

So that’s what it is about thought Hammerhand. But why was my Master so alarmed that the Inquisition is involved. At worst I had thought if found I would be disciplined in the college and at best have the innovations might have been quietly adopted by the College of Enginseers.
"Do you want to live?" Demanded the Inquisitor. "You will whatever you say but unless you satisfy me you may live, if it can be called living, as a corpse host for a tamed daemon."
Hammerhand talked. After Hammerhand had finished. Inquisitor Ignatius Hawk was pensive.

Finally he stated, You have shown ingenuity far beyond your level of training. Where I wonder does that gift originate and will it be safe to leave here? It would be a waste to destroy it when your talent could serve the Inquisition."

After a pause.
"Can keep your mouth shut?", demanded Hawk, "If you can and agree to do so you will live as you understand the meaning of the words. If not I will have your corpse for a Daemon Host for that is what you deserve. You will serve the Machine Daemon Host!"

Innocence Proves Nothing

Ignatius Hawk favoured a psycannon, power sword and artificer armour when in battle. For a notoriously outspoken individual he was untypically secretive concerning his specific position within the power struggle between the Puritan and Radical factions that was presently consuming the Inquisition.

His usual comment was that, "An Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus should focus on erasing the daemon taint in mankind rather than pointless debate. Debate creates confusion amongst the weakminded by implying choice where none exists and that gifts aid to Chaos."

Although lauded by both factions rumour had it that he was secretly of the ultra radical Daemon Traitor faction. The ultra radicals were said by some to have moved so far from the traditional radical position that they were close to the puritan fundamental position. Others dared to whisper that a few of the ultra radicals were so little short of a complete grasp of chaos powers that they themselves were virually daemons with mortal frames whose aim was to destroy the Inquisition itself.

All this Hammerhand had heard through the whispered gossip the apprentices used to help whittle away time as they laboured on precision tasks in the manufactory temples of the Enginseers. He doubted any of this could help him now.

Despite his predicament Hammerhand found that his thirst for engineering insights allowed him to note that the Hawks psycannon was not of standard manufacture. Where had that come from he wondered?

Coolly he was pleased to note that his mind was still functioning reasonably normally as he was also able to consider what he should do. Should he, he wondered, confess immediately to some minor offence in the hope that this would get him out of the Hawks clutches rapidly, or should he keep quiet until he knew what this was about. His conscience was clean apart from some minor apprentice larks with some of his mates. He doubted he could have done anything to have draw the Hawks attention. Worryingly the old adage of the Inquistion kept flitting between his thoughts. Innocence Proves Nothing!

Enter the Hawk

At dawn Inquisitor Ignatius Hawk summoned Hammerhand the apprentice from his slumbers. Hawk was well known for allowing deviants a ritual defence of their weak minded works. Hawk knew that in pride men often spilled their secrets that otherwise they would defiantly carry into the cold of their grave.

Hammerhand that dawn knew his time had come too soon.

In appearance the Hawk upheld his name through his dazzling glare. More powerful men than Hammerhand had faded to spluttering traitors before Hawk's eyes. Otherwise Hawk had medium stature was spare framed with only slight a tendency to belly fat. But with powerfully muscular limbs Hawk had easily lopped appendages from more than his fair share of chaos deviants, tau lickspittles and weak minded fools that in his view threatened the Imperium.

When Hammerhand entered the chamber Hawk stood before the sole small window, almost blocking the sole source of light and air in the room. The sun's incandescent dawn blaze spilled around Hawk's spare frame outlining him in a dazzling mantle. In the gloom of the rest of the room Hammerhand made out a small table in the middle with a single low stool beside it.

"Sit." Snapped Hawk, stepping toward Hammerhand. An explosion of light filled the room as Hawk stepped forward. Blinded by flooding brightness Hammerhand fumbled his way to the stool and obediently sat.

Hull down Hammerhand firepower

Hammerhand Arrives

A bit about Hammerhand.

Hammerhand dreams. He trained as an apprentice Enginseer in the Imperial Foundries on Mars. He dreams and dreams. Some of his dreams are still of becoming an Enginseer. Following exactly and faithfully and honorably the blueprints of the Imperium. But some dreams are more troublesome. One dark night some bound tightly to his soul and have caused him no end of trouble.

You realise that sometimes he dreams of improvements to the war machines of the Imperium, including - yes, including deviation from the sacred perfection of the master plans. Naturally for the greater good. And yes just as naturally also for him. And, yes unfortunately, on a good-bad day he told his Enginseer Master of his dreams.

Hammerhand now wants to tell of his questions, his creations, his apprentice pieces, his master works and perhaps reveal his sources of inspiration.

Once shortly after he started his apprenticeship on Mars Hammerhand asked himself,

"What is the point of the armoured fist units of the imperial guard?"

"Not much use in close combat, and in terms of firepower a single squad of infantry with BS 3 aren't going to stop a charging squad of chaos deviants before they chop the grunts to bits. OK so the Chimera has reasonable armour stats with D3 multilaser and heavy bolter shots. Only the heavy bolter has decent stats. But if the grunts had a lascannon and sharpshooter skills and I enginseered the Chimera to mount an autocannon in the turret and twin linked heavy bolters on the hull that would give them a bit of shootyness"

Alas Hammerhand's works on the Chimera gained him demerits for failing to follow the Forgeworlds way.