"A good soldier obeys without question. A good officer commands without doubt."
- —Sergeant Lukas Bastonne quoting from the Tactica Imperium (broadcast throughout Cadian training fortresses)
Sergeant Lukas Bastonne of the Cadian Shock Troops
Sergeant Lukas Bastonne was one of the most highly regarded and capable non-commissioned officers within the ranks of the Cadian Shock Troops regiments of the Astra Militarum.
Batonne was killed in action during the defence of Cadia in the 13th Black Crusade in ca. 999.M41.
History[]
Lukas Bastonne was born into one of Cadia's noble families, his lineage guaranteeing him a prestigious position as an officer in the Astra Militarum.
However, the young Bastonne eschewed his privileges and embraced the life of a common Guardsman, driven by a passion that bordered on the fanatical.
Possessing a sound tactical mind, Bastonne was able to assess and adapt his squad's movement and target priorities on a continuous basis and it was not long before he was promoted to sergeant.
Bastonne led his troops to many heroic victories, including the Defence of Bloodhaven, the destruction of the Manthral Land-Fortress and a score more high profile battles.
Bastonne was seen as the epitome of professional soldiery and self-sacrifice, a role-model that all Cadians could aspire to emulate. His chiselled features were the public image of the Shock Troop regiments and his face was the most recognisable on the whole of Cadia.
Bastonne's personal examples of courage and valour earned him the unconditional respect of both his peers and his superiors, as well as the adoration of the masses of Cadian citizenry.
Bastonne was both blessed, and cursed, to possess an almost perfect memory. He could instantly recall past battlefield situations and combat experiences with absolute clarity. Bastonne could also recollect each and every Guardsman who had died under his command.
If such things affected him, he gave no outward sign, but some whispered that the faces of his dead troops tortured him in his nightmares. It was even rumoured that beneath his neatly pressed, high-collared dress-uniform, Bastonne's skin was riddled with tattoos -- the names of every fallen comrade inscribed unto his flesh lest his uncanny memory failed him and he forgot the brave souls' sacrifice and the events that led to their demise.
Sergeant Bastonne followed an unsurpassed ethos of duty and honour that both impressed and intimidated his comrades. He carried out every single order and completed every mission he had ever been tasked with.
Bastonne displayed this tenacity during the rescue of the Imperial governor from the plague-ravaged world of Agripinaa. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Bastonne and a squad of Cadia's finest Veterans fought their way through the shuffling masses of Plaguebearers to extract the planet's leader.
Bastonne refused to leave any of his troops behind and re-entered the capital's hive-spire to locate a wounded trooper and drag him back to the shuttle. Upon Bastonne's return to Cadia, a parade was organised and the tales of his heroism were broadcast across the sector.
The ranks of the Whiteshield companies swelled as eager youths flocked to sign up. The sergeant was awarded the Star of Terra; the highest possible achievement for an Imperial soldier to obtain in their own lifetime.
What was not revealed was that Bastonne had been forced to execute the very Guardsman he had gone to such lengths to save after he showed signs of sickness on the return voyage -- one more face to haunt his dreams, one more name to avenge.
As a famed war hero, Lukas Bastonne stood at the forefront of the defence of Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade, standing his ground against insurmountable odds.
Though martyred whilst holding back Abaddon's forces, his power sword was recovered and now acts as a symbol of Imperial defiance in defence among Cadia's survivors.
Wargear[]
- Carapace Armour
- Hotshot Laspistol
- Power Sword (now known as Bastonne's Sword)
- Frag Grenades
- Krak Grenades
Sources[]
- Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pp. 59, 98.
- Warhammer Community - The Whiteshields Are Back, and Codex Supplement: Cadia Makes Them Hard Enough to Shrug Off Lascannons.