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The pilots within Dreadnoughts are Marines who have suffered mortal wounds in battle, maimed and crippled beyond recovery: instead of being mercifully killed, the greatest heroes are instead given what is considered the honour of continuing to serve the [[Emperor]] past their normal lives. Once interred within the Dreadnought, the Marine cannot leave the metal womb and is destined for a life of endless battle until destroyed. Some are so ancient their memories may extend back to the founding of their [[chapter]] and its earliest history. For this reason they are revered not just as powerful warriors but also as ageless forebears and living embodiments of battles fought long ago. If a Dreadnought is destroyed, the Space Marines will fight to retrieve the armoured shell so that the occupant can be returned to the chapter's mausoleum for his long-deserved final rest.{{Fn|5}}
All Dreadnoughts contain speakers and the warrior within can communicate with other Space Marines. An interred warrior’s thoughts and emotions are translated by the Dreadnought’s systems into a simulated vocalization loosely reminiscent of the pilot’s original flesh voice.{{Fn|15}} An example of a machine quirk might be the translation of laughter into the cycling of autocannon rounds.{{Fn|28}} The synthesised, crackling voice emanates from within the machine, making a conversation with a Dreadnought an eerie experience. Traditionally, every Dreadnought also bears a scroll with the inscribed name of the hero on it. When a new warrior is interred as a pilot, the Dreadnought will take a new name.{{Fn|2a}} The amniotic fluid within the sarcophagus housing the pilot is like a thick oil and is numbingly cold. The amniotic fluid sustains them and fills their lungs as they breath. The stabbing input cords connect them to the machine. They must focus on controlling the Dreadnaught lest their mind returns to the natural state of awareness centering on their butchered and crippled physical body.{{Fn|28}}
====Armour and Systems====
*{{Endn|26}}: [https://archive.ph/cmWXh Warhammer Community: Saturnine: What is Saturnine-pattern Terminator armour?] ''(archived from [https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/articles/8awupwvv/saturnine-what-is-saturnine-pattern-terminator-armour/ the original] 23 May 2025, last accessed 23 May 2025)''
*{{Endn|27}}: [https://www.instagram.com/p/DLVbIrwOwf0/?hl=en Games Workshop Instagram] ''(last accessed 25 June 2025)''
*{{Endn|28}}: [[Soul Hunter (Novel)]], Chapter XV ''Reborn''
===Uncited===
