5,665
edits
Changes
From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→History
Harker has survived the most gruelling of campaigns and has yet to find an enemy that won't die to the bark of his heavy bolter or the sharpened edge of his combat blade. There is not a single aspect of war that Harker has not mastered, from rescue missions to assassination, from reconnaissance to demolitions. His squad members are elite [[Stormtroopers|Catachan Devil]] Guardsmen, exceptional even among their fellow Catachans, composed of the regiment's bravest veterans and named after the [[Catachan Devil|voracious predator]] whose ferocity they emulate in combat. Their particular mission is usually to conduct long-range penetration raids deep behind enemy lines, responsible for bearing the brunt of the enemy's response when battle is finally joined.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|2}}{{Fn|3}}
One famous example of his Harker's bravery was during a battle against [[Tyranid]]s on the twilight world of [[Jorn V]], where his squad was assaulted by a pack of [[Ravener]]s bursting from beneath the black ground. Within seconds, his ammunition loader was torn apart by monstrous claws while the rest of his squad were trying their best to stay alive. Without missing a beat, Harker leapt onto the back of the closest beast and crushed its neck between his monstrous biceps, despite the beast's frenzied efforts to buck him off. Harker then smoothly grabbed up Payback and shot down the rest of the pack, alien bodies bursting apart in a shower of ichor. Seeing that all his comrades were dead, he stalked off to find the rest of the company, Payback tracking back and forth like a hound searching for prey.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|3}}{{Fn|4}}
Exaggerated stories of human heroics circulate constantly amongst the soldiers of the Astra Militarum. While dug into fox-holes waiting to face inevitable horrors, these braggadocios tales help to keep the fear at bay. Though few such stories can be substantiated, those told about Gunnery Sergeant Harker are generally believed. One of the most famous is of how the gargantuan trooper came to possess the heavy bolter he now carries into battle, and how it earned its name.{{Fn|4}}
