Commissar Report I & II - Dukane's Journal

[1]
MILITARUM WARZONE MISSIVE ALPHA-ONE
TO: Astra Militarum (Moebian) Command Staff
FROM: Dukane, D. Commissar
++via astro-node x-sym-226-aleph++

My honoured lords militant. I am now in rapid transit to the capital world Atoma Prime, lacking as I am updated orders from you. I intend to build upon the instructions you have already blessed me with, which is to say to inject fire and disciplined determination into our beleaguered forces in the face of this wretched traitor uprising.

There is no time to regroup for direct consultation. In the last few months (relative) the Traitorous 6th have committed sundry crimes of violence and treachery across the Domain. This would be unacceptable from any adversary, but when this horror is perpetrated by soldiers of the Astra Militarum, it is a crime and an outrage against our highest honour. I do not have the words to express my disgust. These were our own people.

The 53rd Steelheads are proud soldiers, impeccable in their loyalty. Moreover, as I need not remind you, they are Branx-born. Like their birth world, they are young and aspirational. Atoma Prime has ruled the Domain for too long. It has grown fat and lazy, and slumped into privileged corruption. How else can one explain the gross deviation of their infamous 6th? Atoma, and the Lord Margrave, has allowed this treason to breed. Yes, Atoma must be freed and delivered. Yes, the traitors must be expunged without delay. But beyond that, I believe that the ancient hive must be soundly purged. The uprising must be put down and the enemy eradicated, but the soil from which this infamy sprang must also be cleansed with fire.
It must be the Astra Militarum that achieves this. I trust, my lords, that you will concur with my intent. The direct military deployment of the Steelheads, their honour bruised and their pride mauled, is the most expedient solution, and it is the most just. Let us clean our own house. Let the Guard restore its own dignity.

I am told, by coded transmission, that an Inquisitorial warband leads the reclamation effort on Atoma. On the one hand, I am reassured by this. On the other, I am dismayed by the lack of material strength. A warband is merely paramilitary. This outrage requires a response of the full force of the Astra Militarum on a formal war footing. Rest assured that, under my direction, the 53rd will execute the matter with the strictest and most steadfast discipline, a credit to the Throne and the Aquila banner.
I invite your response and instruction, but until any such is received, I will press on with my intent as stated above and bring legitimate war and restored honour to the hive of Atoma. The Emperor protects, and the Guard prevails.

[affirmed by my sigil] - Dukane.

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[2]
MILITARUM WARZONE MISSIVE ALPHA-TWO
TO: Astra Militarum (Moebian) Command Staff
FROM: Dukane, D. Commissar
++via astro-node z-ki-787-talos++

My honoured lords militant. Upon Atoma, in the great and ancient hive of Tertium, things are worse than we feared. The Traitor forces, all soldiers of the once vaunted Moebian 6th, now deplorably transformed by heresy and corruption, have wrought great damage and hardship and, further, have claimed significant areas of territory.

I have conferred with the Inquisitorial undertaking, in the person of one Rannick (though not directly with their Inquisitor himself, an individual known as Grendyl). I fear this Grendyl may be trying to keep me and the Steelheads at arm’s length, out of concern that we might fall as the 6th fell. The Ordos clearly have little faith in the Astra Militarum. Rannick, for his part, insists to me that the corruption of the very Warp itself has lodged within the hearts of the traitors, and that we face a foe empowered by forces beyond mortal limit. I remain unconvinced. I believe we face an enemy driven by disdain, by privation, and by idolatry, and an enemy that has been allowed to breed thanks to the venal weakness of a hive and a ruling society that has fallen prey to its own luxuriating entitlement. I have declared to Rannick that the Steelheads are born of greater mettle, and thus can be fully trusted, for they are not prey to such infantile whimsy.

Of the Inquisitorial warband itself, I have little to remark. They are, for the most part, thugs and rejects, who seem little better or more disciplined than the very traitors we combat. They are ill-tempered, and regulation-shy. They are not soldiers, and they certainly lack the numerical strength to achieve any lasting compliance. Further, their loyalty to the Throne appears shabby and forced, not bright and willing as is the case with the Astra Militarum Steelheads. I will, in fairness and balance, record that this “warband” has fought hard and at great cost thus far, achieving some gains against the enemy. But it is not enough, and they are not enough, and I fear that their morale will soon snap as thoroughly as the loyalty of the Traitorous 6th. I will take field command of their endeavours, and have my trusted sergeants train their rabble squads to something approaching military composure.
This is a perilous situation. For all its wrongs and its canker, Atoma cannot be allowed to fall and give this enemy a foothold in the Domain. The Emperor protects, and in his name, the Steelheads will prevail.

[affirmed by my sigil] - Dukane.

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15 Likes

well, things might get spicy on the Mourningstar

Will Grendyl finally make a real appearance? Will Dukane learn to trust the rejects? Will Dukane find true love on the Mourningstar?

Turn in to next weeks episode to find out!

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our Darktide lives!

10 Likes

Will Dukane allow us to launch private lobbies with only one player once they arrive?

9 Likes

Yay, more lore!

But for the future, can we get subtitles for hearing impaired? Please?
Abominable Intelligence does not provide good service in that regard.

10 Likes

5 Likes

Ah yes. Truly riveting. Such lore. Mhm yes yes.

(I wish we had the technology to get lore in-game instead of disjointed blog posts, shame really)

9 Likes

Would absolutely love if these were voice acted and inserted somewhere in game. Until then, good stuff!

8 Likes

What sort of training is Dukane planning for us? I already got my VR training with Sefoni.

4 Likes

My guess is weapons training, which corresponds with the new mastery/expertise system.

4 Likes

imagine if any of the storyline was actually in the game

16 Likes

Everyone was Grendyl all along.

The true Grendyl were the friends we made along the way.

8 Likes

Can someone expalen me how the hell a C tier commissar can assume anything ?

Especially from an fuking INQUISITORIAL warband ? Grendyl outrank pretty much everyone and for a low low cost of an inquisitorial rosette as token of authorisation even Morrow can take a stinky fat dump in Dukanes bed and got way with it scott free…

The god emperor damned rogue trader has more athourity to apoint anyone to anything especially if the thing occured under his fiefdom…

5 Likes

easy, you take one commissar that knows the guard chain of command VERY well and has never run into the authority of the inquisition in their life, and then let them think that the teams of speedrunner zealots and console-player psykers i keep getting quickplay’d into joining are an example of their best and brightest.

4 Likes

Either the writers vastly overestimate what commissars can get away with, or this one is going to get shot by an “Ork sniper” sooner rather then later…

2 Likes

it’s the former, i don’t think fatshark actually knows where the commissariat sits in the guard’s command system (they’re formally technically an aide of sorts, supporting a higher ranked guard officer by acting in commanding authority at the line-level and advising accordingly) and just kinda read the wiki.

There’s no way farshark’s aware the wikis are both full of lies and confusingly contexed “facts”…

2 Likes

Branx Magna’s an Industrial World, right? That explains why they’re called the Steelheads!

5 Likes

I have a BIG Hunch the writers deliberately pushing Morrows button to snap and go rogue with Swagger…

The only one who gives a sith Is Morrow. His tone went back to boot licking mode when talking to Dukane (but he supposed to be a warband member not a guard so idk why, old habbit ?) Dukain effectively stripping away Morrow responsibilities despite he is performing decendly…

Morrow is currently the only one who has skin on the game because Dukane “athourity” worthless towards the inquisition warband nor the rogue trader giving a fliyng rats ass what Dukain think / does, And the rejects basicly tools acquisitioned by the inqusition…

2 Likes

I dont know why but i have strong feel that ducane is heretic. Something feels off with her.

Maybe its my psykers mind deceive me after all…

3 Likes

My favourite part of Grendyl’s real appearance was when they said “IT’S GRENDYLING TIME” and Grendyled all over those spiky people.

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