THEY SHALL BE MY ANGELS OF DEATH,
AND THEY SHALL KNOW NO FEAR.

SECONDARY HEART: The simplest and most self-sufficient implant. The secondary heart is capable of boosting the blood supply or maintaining full life functions even with the destruction of the recipient’s original heart. This implant enables Adeptus Astartes to survive low oxygen concentrations and traumatic injury.

OSSMODULA: This is a tubular shaped organ whose small size belies its complex structure. The ossmodula monitors and secretes hormones affecting epiphyseal fusion and ossification of the skeleton. At the same time, the specially engineered hormones encourage the forming bones to absorb ceramic based chemicals administered in the Adeptus Astartes’ diet. Two years following implantation, this will have caused considerable strengthening of the long-bones, extreme ossification of the chest cavity (caused by growth of the ribs forming a solid mass of interlaced bone plates) and a general increase in the size of the recipient’s skeleton.

BISCOPEA: This organ is implanted into the chest cavity. It is small, approximately spherical and, like the ossmodula, its primary action is hormonal. The presence of the biscopea stimulates muscle growth throughout the body.

HAEMASTAMEN: This tiny organ is implanted into a main blood vessel. The haemastamen serves two purposes. It monitors and to some degree controls the ossmodula and biscopea implants. The organ also alters the constituent make-up of the recipient’s blood. As a result, Adeptus Astartes blood is considerably more efficient than ordinary human blood, as it has to be when you consider the extra biological hardware an Adeptus Astartes carries inside him!

LARRAMAN’S ORGAN: This is a liver-shaped, dark, fleshy organ about the size of a golf ball. It is implanted into the chest cavity along with a complicated array of blood vessels. The organ generates and stores special “Larraman cells”. If the recipient is wounded, these cells are released into the blood stream. They latch onto leucocytes in the blood and are transported to the site of the wound. Once in contact with air, the Larraman cells form a skin substitute of instant scar tissue, staunching the flow of blood and protecting any exposed wound area.

CATALEPSEAN NODE: This brain implant is usually inserted into the back of the skull via a hole drilled into the occipital bone. The pea-sized organ influences the circadian rhythms of sleep and the body’s response to sleep deprivation. Normally, an Adeptus Astartes sleeps like any normal man, but if deprived of it, the catalepsean node “cuts in”. A man implanted with the node is capable of sleeping and remaining awake at the same time by “switching off” areas of the brain sequentially. This process cannot replace normal sleep entirely, but increases an Adeptus Astartes’ survivability by allowing awareness of the environment whilst resting.

PREOMNOR: The preomnor is a large implant which fits into the chest cavity. It is a pre-digestive stomach which allows the Adeptus Astartes to eat a variety of otherwise poisonous or indigestible materials. No actual digestion takes place in the preomnor. Individual sensory tubes assess potential poisons and neutralise them or, when necessary, isolate the preomnor from the rest of the digestive tract.

OMOPHAGEA: This is a complicated implant. It really becomes part of the brain, but is actually situated within the spinal cord between the cervical and thoracic vertebrae. Four nerve sheaths called neuroclea are implanted between the spine and the preomnoral stomach wall. The omophagea is designed to absorb genetic material generated in animal tissue as a function of memory, experience or innate ability. This endows the Adeptus Astartes with an unusual survival trait. He can actually learn by eating. If an Adeptus Astartes eats a part of a creature, he will absorb some of the memories of that creature. This can be very useful in an alien environment. Incidentally, it is the presence of this organ which has created the various flesh eating and blood drinking rituals for which many chapters are known.

MULTI-LUNG: This is another large implant. The multi-lung, or “third” lung, is a tubular grey organ. Blood is pumped through the organ via connecting vessels grafted onto the recipient’s pulmonary system. Atmosphere is taken in by a sphincter located in the trachea. In toxic atmospheres, an associated sphincter muscle closes the trachea and restricts normal breathing, thus protecting the lungs. The multi-lung is able to absorb oxygen from poorly oxygenated or poisonous air. Most importantly, it is able to do this without suffering damage thanks to its own efficient toxin dispersal, neutralisation and regeneration systems.

OCCULOBE: This small slug-like organ sits at the base of the brain. It provides the hormonal and genetic stimuli which enables an Adeptus Astartes’ eyes to respond to optic-therapy. The occulobe does not itself improve an Adeptus Astartes’ eyesight, but it allows technicians to make adjustments to the growth patterns of the eye and the light-receptive retinal cells. An adult Adeptus Astartes has far better eyesight than a normal human, and can see in low light conditions almost as well as in daylight.

LYMAN’S EAR: This organ enables an Adeptus Astartes to consciously enhance and even filter certain types of background noise. Not only is hearing improved, but an Adeptus Astartes cannot become dizzy or nauseous as a result of extreme disorientation. Lyman’s ear is externally indistinguishable from a normal human ear.

SUS-AN MEMBRANE: This flat, circular organ is implanted over the top of the exposed brain. It then grows into the brain tissue until completely merged. The organ is ineffective without subsequent chemical therapy and training. However, a properly tutored Adeptus Astartes may then enter into a state of suspended animation. This may be a conscious action, or may happen automatically in the event of extreme physical trauma. In this condition, an Adeptus Astartes may survive for many years, even if bearing otherwise fatal injuries. Only appropriate chemical therapy and auto-suggestion can revive an Adeptus Astartes rom this state – An Adeptus Astartes cannot revive himself. The longest known period of de-animation followed by successful reanimation is 567 years in the case of brother Silas Err of the Dark Angels (d.321 M.37).

MELANOCHROME: This organ is hemispherical and black. It functions in an indirect and extremely complicated manner. It monitors radiation levels and types bombarding the skin, and if necessary, sets off chemical reactions to darken the skin to protect from ultraviolet exposure. It also provides limited protection from other forms of radiation. Differing melanochrome organ gene-seed from chapter to chapter leads to variations in skin and hair colour, and in some chapters all Adeptus Astartes have identical coloration.

OOLITIC KIDNEY: This red-brown and heart-shaped organ improves and modifies the Adeptus Astartes’ circulatory system enabling other implants to function effectively. The oolitic kidney also filters blood extremely efficiently and quickly. The secondary heart and oolitic kidney are able to act together, performing an emergency detoxification program in which the Adeptus Astartes is rendered unconscious as his blood is circulated at high speed. This enables an Adeptus Astartes to survive poisons and gases which are otherwise too much for even the multi-long to cope with.

NEUROGLOTTIS: Although the preomnor protects an Adeptus Astartes from digesting anything too deadly the neuroglottis enables him to assess a potential food by taste. The organ is implanted into the back of the mouth. By chewing, or simply tasting, an Adeptus Astartes can detect a wide variety of natural poisons, some chemicals and even the distinctive odours of some creatures. To some degree, an Adeptus Astartes is also able to track a target by taste alone.

MUCRANOID: This small organ is implanted in the lower intestine where its hormonal secretions are absorbed by the colon. These secretions initiate a modification of the sweat glands. This modification normally makes no difference to the Adeptus Astartes until activated by appropriate chemotherapy. As a result of this treatment, the Adeptus Astartes sweats an oily, naturally cleansing substance which coats the skin. This protects the Adeptus Astartes against extremes of temperature and even offers a slight decree of protection in a vacuum. Mucranoid chemotherapy is standard procedure on long space voyages and when fighting in vacuum or near-vacuum.

BETCHER’S GLAND: Two of these identical glands are implanted, either into the lower lip, alongside the salivary glands or into the hard palette. Betcher’s gland works in a similar way to the poisonous gland of venomous reptiles by synthesising and storing deadly poison. Adeptus Astartes are rendered immune to this poison by virtue of the gland’s presence. The gland allows an Adeptus Astartes to spit a blinding contact poison. The poison is also corrosive. An Adeptus Astartes imprisoned behind iron bars could easily chew his way out given a few hours.

PROGENOIDS: There ae two of these glands, on situated in the neck, the other deep within the chest cavity. These glands are important to the survival of the Adeptus Astartes’ chapter. Each organ grows within the Adeptus Astartes, absorbing hormonal stimuli and genetic material from the other implants. After five years, the neck gland is mature and ready for removal. After ten years, the chest gland becomes mature and is also ready for removal. A gland may be removed any time after it has matured. These glands represent a chapter’s only source of gene-seed. When mature, each gland contains a single gene-seed corresponding to each zygote implanted into the recipient Adeptus Astartes. Once removed by surgery, the progenoid must be carefully prepared, its individual gene-seeds checked for mutation, and sound gene-seed store. Gene-seeds can be stored indefinitely under suitable conditions. v neck homecoming dress short

BLACK CARAPACE: This is the last and most distinctive implant. It looks like a film of black plastic when it’s growing in the tanks. This is removed from its culture-solution and cut into sheets which are implanted beneath the skin of the Adeptus Astartes’ torso. Within a few hours the tissue expands, hardens on the outside, and sends invasive neural bundles deep inside the Adeptus Astartes. After several months the carapace will have fully matured and the recipient is then fitted with neural sensors and transfusion points cut into the hardened carapace. These artificial “plug-in” points mesh with features integral to the powered armour, such as the monitoring, medicinal and maintenance units. Without the benefit of the black carapace, an Adeptus Astartes’ armour is relatively useless.

[PRIMARIS] SINEW COILS: The Adeptus Astartes’ sinews are reinforced with durametallic coil-cables that can contract with incredible force, magnifying his strength as well as giving his body another layer of interior defence. A Primaris Adeptus Astartes can crush a man’s skull in his hands, break flak armour to flinders, or even bite through a metal cable should the need arise.

[PRIMARIS] MAGNIFICAT: A small, thumbnail-sized lobe that is inserted into the brain’s core. The Magnificat secretes hormones that increase the body’s growth functions whilst also intensifying its advanced systems, especially those of the biscopea and the ossmodula. In truth, the Magnificat is but half of the true, dual-valve immortis gland (the so-called God-maker) that the Emperor created for his Primarchs. However, Archmagos Cawl could only find materials and genetic blueprints to build the dextrophic lobe (the right half), whilst plans for the sintarius (the left half) that would complete the original super-organ had been wholly eradicated. Whether this was done by the Emperor’s own hand or by some nefarious source, Cawl could not tell.

[PRIMARIS] BELISARIAN FURNACE: This is a dormant organ that connects to both hearts. In times of extreme stress, or should the warrior’s body undergo violent, damaging trauma, it expels great blurts of self-manufactured chemicals – a hyper-cocktail that simulates combat stims while also aiding in the rapid re-growing of tissue, bone and muscle. The gland then falls dormant again, and takes some time to build itself up once more.