Sabre

Command Rank	Name
Captain	Janus Darke
Lieutenants	Kitt Sebring
	Dante Terios
Apothecary	Alexander Vipus
Chaplain	Xander Grell
Ancient	Petrus Venk
Librarians	Epistolary Hossan Kadjar
	Codicier Hexxon Voll

Sabre Company is the former Company of the Swords of Dawn’s current Chapter Master, and has accumulated a large tally of victories in battle since the Chapter’s inception towards the end of the Indomitus Crusade. In fact, only Katana Company can boast a greater amount of time in the field and a longer battle honour roll than the Sabres.

Sabre Company was known for its battlefield efficiency and the clinical execution of its orders under the command of Lox Kaitana. Its new Captain, Janus Darke, has maintained the excellent reputation of the company in terms of executing its duties but has brought to the Company a vengeful streak and battlefield creativity it previously did not display.

Janus Darke (5th Captain)

Janus Darke is the most recently appointed of the Captains of the Swords of Dawn, having been elevated to this rank by Chapter Master Kaitana upon his appointment to Chapter Command.

Darke previously served as a Lieutenant of the 5th Company under Kaitana, and he has the complete trust of the Chapter Master in respect of his command abilities. Darke is a dutiful character, devoted to the Imperial Creed and his brother warriors, and although in his new role he knows he must give orders that may send those warriors to their deaths, he does so with a heavy heart and will explore every possible alternative prior to making such a command.

In battle Darke switches persona in an instant, one moment the cool, calm general, directing his forces with a surety of purpose and tactical skill reminiscent of his mentor. Should the enemy threaten however, he springs into action, his heirloom power sword Savage Beauty striking swifter than a serpent and heavier than a comet. Many are the enemies who have thought to spring a trap on the fire support elements of Sabre Company only to find Janus Darke in their midst in a flash, breaking bones and dismembering bodies as he goes about his grim work.

Kitt Sebring (Lt - Sabre)

Kitt Sebring is the youngest Lieutenant within the Swords of Dawn, promoted by Captain Darke upon his elevation from the position to Command of Sabre Company. Known for the strength of his zealotry, it was a surprise to some within the ranks of the Chapter Command that he did not pursue a position within the Reclusiam as a Chaplain.

In battle he is usually the first to the fray, leading his squads from the front in the caste of a hero of legend, his power sword a blur of motion, smashing aside defences before finding the perfect killing stroke, and this is never more evident than in the presence of enemy leaders. Sebring is the consummate duellist and is the reigning Sabre Company champion and holds the title of Chapter Blademaster.

Despite all this, there are some concerns that Sebring may be a little too concerned with taking the fight to the enemy at close quarters, and as a squad Sergeant he was censured on more than one occasion for discounting an option to fulfill his orders by staying at range, instead leading his men into a brutal melee to achieve his objectives. He has so far avoided any more serious punishment for such actions because of his success, however it is considered that Captain Darke raised him up to Lieutenancy in order to keep him close and to allow him to more directly influence his progression as a leader into a more balanced tactical disposition.

Dante Terios (Lt - Sabre)

The opposite of Kitt Sebring, Dante Terios is never more at home than behind the sights of his bolter. Wielding forces he commands with genuine tactical insight, he prefers to maintain a physical overview of a conflict where possible rather than simply relying on his Power Armour’s command data-suite.

Terios has been a Lieutenant of Sabre Company since its founding, having proven himself a gifted commander during the Indomitus Crusade. His predilection for ranged combat is what has held him back from attaining higher rank however - where other Lieutenants have sought to progress, developing all of the military skills they might need in order to wield a Battle Company and perhaps one day the Chapter, Terios acknowledges that he will never excel at close quarters battle, and is best deployed with responsibility for the Fire Support elements of a force. That is not to say Terios is not ambitious, but he is at heart the most pragmatic of warriors, and understands his shortcomings in respect of entering the upper echelons of command.

Hossan Kadjar (Librarian)

Marked from birth on the hive world of Vanity as different to his fellows, Hossan Kadjar was identified for retrieval by the Black Ships of the Inquisition. Fortunately for the child Vanity, one of the closest planets of the Reach to the Chapter Homeworld of Khazant, was visited by a recruitment ship from the Swords of Dawn shortly after their founding. Librarian Enzo, one of the commanders of the expedition sensed the potential within the child and sought him out, immediately recognising that if he could be trained, Kadjar had the raw power to be one of the greatest Librarians of the Astartes. Many years of trials, testing and training followed, before Kadjar was accepted into the Librarius of the Swords of Dawn. In the comparatively short decade since that time, his capability has, and continues to, grow beyond his tutors and he is currently the most potent battlefield psyker the Swords of Dawn possess.

Most recently, Hossan Kadjar had accompanied Chapter Master Sevrit in his ill-fated mission to Synduran, matching wills with the Daemon Primarch Magnus and managing to break through his psychic defences just long enough for Sevrit to strike a blow against the abomination. Whereas Sevrit paid the ultimate price for the strike, Kadjar escaped relatively unscathed, albeit rendered insensible by the psychic backlash as Magnus’ defences re-established themselves. Kadjar had always been known as a driven soul, strong in his ability to wield devastating psychic powers, but his greatest weakness was seen to be a lack of sensitivity to the more esoteric psychic arts such as divination and telepathy, and a lack of will to develop his skills in more defensive practices. Since his injury, Kadjar has been driven to address this weakness, seeing his failure to protect Sevrit as a warning from the Emperor himself that not only are the Space Marines a powerful destructive force, but they are also responsible for protecting those around them.

In battle, Kadjar wields his powers in conjunction with the firepower of his brothers, smashing aside defences and rending armour with terrifying ease. He also wields the Blade of the Thirsting Void, a force sword fashioned by his mentor Enzo to focus his power, drawing the very life essence of his enemies into an psychic reservoir in the hilt of the blade, a reservoir that Kadjar can psychically tap into to fuel his mind, or unleash through the weapon to utterly destroy his foes.

Petrus Venk (Ancient - Sabre)

Alexander Vipus: Company Apothecary

Sabre Company uses several key techniques derived from the fighting style of its name-blade.

Killing thrust

This technique is most frequently used in combination with carefully planned feints, drawing enemy forces away from key objectives before a rapid strike to the heart cuts through their defence. A second use of the technique however puts most of the company’s strength into the thrust, cutting right through the heart of whatever defences are laid before them, often using mobility of surrounding units to provide weight to the thrust and disguising the true aim of the strike until the last moment.

Sweep-cut

Often executed as a refused flank, the sweep-cut concentrates the strongest elements of the company on a single part of the enemy’s position, overwhelming a defence spread thin and uses that strength to clear a location of opposing forces. Other specific uses of the sweep cut however carry more finesse, and include surgical strikes to remove key elements of an opponent’s defence, and counter-strikes to blunt enemy offensive strategies.

Feints

A well-executed feint is the single key building block of an effective offensive strategy, and Sabre Company make extensive use of them to drag opposing forces out of prime position, allowing strikes at other key points to hit harder and more effectively than would otherwise be the case. The feint is such a key element of the Sabre Company philosophy that even strikes that gain more purchase than originally anticipated remain as feints in the overall strategy, and enemy forces rushing to plug a gap in their defences often find the 5th Company has moved on to a new target rather than attempting to force through the opening they have created. Patience is the key element of a successful feint, and it is a matter of immense pride to Captain Kaitana that his forces know exactly when to withdraw from a feint for maximum effect - too soon and the feint becomes obvious, too late and the enemy’s response will catch the feinting forces before they can withdraw. Chapter Master Kaitana is the master of this tactic and drilled Sabre Company well in its use before his elevation to his current rank.

Stop-cut

The most unusual of the tactics employed by Sabre Company, the stop-cut is used in one of two scenarios, first as a method of allowing units to join a thrust, and second in allowing the company to withdraw from a protracted engagement if necessary. It consists of a swift concentration of firepower, halting an enemy's progress and forcing them to take cover. Fire is layered at this stage, with longer ranged units taking over the firestorm as the shorter ranged elements pull back. By the time the fire ceases, and the enemy once again attempts to advance, the Swords of Dawn have fallen back and are nowhere to be seen.

Squad Number	Squad Name	Squad Role	Squad Type	Squad Weapon
Squad I	Cerberus	Battleline	Intercessors	Bolt Rifle
Squad II	Medusa	Battleline	Intercessors	Bolt Rifle
Squad III	Hydra	Battleline	Intercessors	Stalker Bolt Rifle
Squad IV	Kodiak	Battleline	Intercessors	Bolt Rifle
Squad V	Phoenix	Battleline	Intercessors	Auto Bolt Rifle
Squad VI	Sphinx	Battleline	Intecessors
Squad VII	Pegasus	Battleline	Intercessors	Auto Bolt Rifle
Squad VIII	Hawk	Battleline	Intecessors	Auto Bolt Rifle
Squad IX	Viper	Battleline	Intercessors
Squad X	Ambull	Battleline	Intercessors	Stalker Bolt Rifle
Squad XI	Devil	Close Support	Assault Intercessors
Squad XII	Fiend	Close Support	Assault Intercessors
Squad XIII	Cyclops	Close Support	Assault Intercessors	Heavy Bolt Pistol and Chainsword
Squad XIV	Kraken	Close Support	Assault Intercessors	Heavy Bolt Pistol and Chainsword
Saquad XV	Centaur	Close SSupport	Inceptors	Plasma Exterminators
Squad XVI	Griffin	Close Support	Inceptors	Assault Bolters
Squad XVII	Manticore	Fire Support	Aggressors	Flamestorm Gauntlets
Squad XVIII	Minotaur	Fire Support	Aggressors	Boltstorm Gauntlets
Squad XIX	Gorgon	Fire Support	Hellblasters	Plasma Incinerators
Squad XX	Dragon	Fire Support	Hellblasters