The Second Lieutenant

People have mocked James and his Workshop for producing a surfeit of Space Marine Lieutenants, but I for one was extremely pleased both by the addition of lieutenants, and by the various kits they put out for them. Obviously even the official releases weren't sufficient to cover all the theoretical options, hence our post in August containing, among other thicc characters, rules for Lieutenants in Gravis Armour. The point is, having more options on which kit to buy is pure upside, as far as I'm concerned.

As the Cobalt Scions' Third Company nears completion, I have added their second Lieutenant using the modular plastic kit, since Astartes Companies all have two Lieutenants. I have previously produced two other Lieutenants for this army: the Third Company's Antigonus Nerva in 2021 (where I laughably said I'd completed the army) and the Tenth Company's Andrus Varro (a conversion of the Lieutenant with combi-weapon to be less Tyraniddy).

I wanted to try and convey a different personality in the two Lieutenants serving under Captain Lucullus. Where Nerva is a grumpy old man promoted despite his lack of desire to be in charge, Lieutenant Achaemenes Calvus is far more impetuous and ambitious. I've tried to convey this through picking a model with a more dynamic pose, giving Calvus a more unsubtle weapon, and giving him a lot more battle damage.

For context: Lt Nerva, older and grumpier

Unusually for my characters, I've not done any conversion work to speak of. The stock kit is great, so instead I focused on the freehand painting. As mentioned in my previous post on this army, I've continued the masochistic bit of painting circles around some of the Chapter badges to bridge the heraldic gap between my painted and moulded ones. Beyond that, there's the official Lieutenant heraldry. This involves the distinctive stripes on the helmet, and then the rank badge on the right pauldron, which is a skull with a red halo. Initially I painted the skull in black, as on the transfer sheet, but it looked wrong given that all the other heraldry in the army is blue. I repainted it. The red halo stayed, although a part of me feels I should have done that in blue too.

Given how long I've now been playing this army, it seems odd that this guy hasn't been around previously, which served as a helpful prompt for me when it came to thinking about his backstory...

Who is Lieutenant Achaemenes Calvus?

Shortly after the Cobalt Scions arrived in Thonis, Chapter Master Drusus made sure to dispatch a task force whose only job was to venture far afield and spend five years making themselves useful in as many far-flung warzones as possible while the majority of the Chapter replenished their numbers and consolidated power on their new homeworld. The official line was that this would be fulfilling a duty expected of all Chapters of Astartes, but the true goal was to improve the prestige and visibility of a Chapter otherwise relegated to a comparatively remote region.

Lieutenant Calvus put himself forward to lead the mission. Whilst he knew it would mean spending a long time away from his brothers in the Third Company, he suspected that there was glory to be won. Alighting aboard the Strike Cruiser Vritra with a few units from his company and a force otherwise comprised of squads from the reserve companies, he embarked on his five year mission: to seek out and destroy xenos and traitors.

The mission was a success overall. Calvus was slow to trust other Imperial leaders, and always presented himself as an ally rather than a subordinate, even to more senior Astartes commanders. This made it harder to curry favour, and his earnest belief in protecting the citizens of the Imperium sometimes caused further friction, particularly among the Mechanicus, who often found that he did not fully appreciate how hard it could be to rebuild or replace some things. Whatever arguments were directed at Calvus, he would always retain good humour during the conversation, but was often too unguarded in criticising people behind their backs once the argument was over. This caused diplomatic problems on several occasions. He has since learned to try and confide only with his closest brothers, even if occasionally he still slips up.

Upon the Vritra's return to Thonis, Calvus rejoined the Third Company. He learned that most of the brothers he called friends had died whilst he was away, largely at the hands of either the Word Bearers or the Night Lords. While he remained outwardly stoic, accepting this as the eventual fate of all Astartes, he is privately riven with grief. This is compounded by the fact that Calvus is slow to trust, and slower to make friends, despite his outward good humour. Consequently, with the task force now reintegrated into the other companies, Calvus' return to the Chapter has ironically left him feeling isolated. Moreover, during his time away, he has concluded that the Scions' enthusiasm for politics and civic matters is deeply misguided. He views such things as a distraction from the Astartes' only true duty: war. This will, undoubtedly, set him on a collision course with Captain Lucullus, but Calvus has yet to explicitly state his misgivings. Perhaps, in time, he will confide in those he comes to trust.

The ever-vital portrait photo for our campaign wiki.

One more squad to go

There are six Eradicators on the workbench, and they're all that stand between me and a complete Battle Company. Bring it on!