Cogger

The Primary planet in the Cogger system, Cogger is an ancient Hive World known for its industrial output of Autocannons and export of the Cogger Hive Guard Regiments.

Biosphere
A temperate planet with a core continent and 27 hour day, Cogger residents are occasionally afflicted by powerful solar flares. A dreary planet prone to extreme weather conditions, including frequent and intense lightning storms. The planet's crust contains large quantities of metals, including nickel, copper and iron. The high metal content makes some areas of the surface superconductive, attracting lightning strikes. There are a number of mining settlements on the surface, despite the risk posed by the lightning storms.Much of the mined out areas have turned into Hives.

History
When the Original Colony crash-landed on the planet, the passengers accessed to STCs directly and confirmed their growing suspicions that they would never see Earth again. In an attempt to find refuge in their new surroundings, they stripped the Colony Ship of essential materials. The ruling class, commanders of the Colony Ship, believed that keeping law and order was critical. The police district headquarters were built from bits of the original colony ships. The vagabond new inhabitants worked to survive in what they termed 'the New World', making do with whatever meager resources they could find. They expanded quickly to establish cities and industry over much of the planet's surface. As Cogger was the central hub of the Cogger System's governance and economy, its most potent defenses were over the planet. Three primary orbital platforms served as staging areas for visiting Imperial fleet outside of the distant world of Tarakon and is a hub of trade for the Merchant fleet of the Imperium for the subsector. The central platform was defended by Cogger Hive Guard Regiments.

By late M35 the PDF and police forces were an underfunded, somewhat corrupt and inefficient organization composed mainly of bruisers, defended the interests of the rich (defined as anybody who makes more money than the chief). Those few good investigators they did have were snatched up by the government or military, deemed too important for local policing. But one thing that made Cogger stand out was the fact it could mass produce a variety of autocannon patterns in massed quantities.

The Ishtar Sub-Sector was mercifully largely saved from the brunt of Hive Fleets Behemoth and Kraken and were able to devote forces to aid in their destruction, however the appearance of Genestealer Cults would soon emerge as a lasting threat. The Emergence of the Great Sautekh Dynasty would prove to much dire threat however, as its Necron Legions marched a war of expansion practically next door to the Sub-Sector, although fortunately it would largely be occupied with and act as a insulator against the Charadon Ork Empire. The T’au as well, in their expansions would frequently cause conflict as expeditions into T’au space occurred alongside T’au infiltration efforts into the Sub-Sector. These Shadow Wars would culminate in the Damocles Crusade, in which the forces of Ishtar devoted significant men and material. Although called off with the emergence of the Tyranids towards the close of M41 the conflict would be reignited in what would become known as Warzone Damocles. Amidst these conflicts the Fortress World of Cadia feel to Abaddon the Despoilers 13th Black Crusade, an event which resulted in the Galaxy split by the Great Rift and embroiled in Warp Storms.

As the Great Rift saw the Galaxy driven into madness the Ishtar Sub-Sector saw themselves besieged on all fronts. An increase in Chaos Cult activity resulted from the waxing power of the Von Grothe’s Rapidity, Hadex Anomaly Warp Storm, and Cyclonus Nihlus warp storms, Genestealer Cults began to rise up as tendrils of Hive Fleet Kronos snaked through the Sub-Sector searching for Chaos to destroy.

The Siege of Hive Cogger was an Imperial response to a pair of Chaos Cults gaining control of a major Hive and declaring secession from the Imperium. The initial landing force consisted of Inquisitor Garrett Randall who was investigating the cults as well as his retinue. As the conflict increased more resources landed to support the Inquisition. Inquisitor Randall had at his disposal a retinue of Storm Troopers and Grey Knights in limited numbers. The sheer scale of the Hive had him at a standstill. Only the especially large Penal Legion's troops and the quality troopers of the retinue kept the war from falling from Imperial favor. This is one of many battles on the planet Cogger as it fell into dissent.

Several Months of street fighting found the 487th Lunar Venatorii Cavalry Regiment land and join the war. In the final push was supported by the Elysian 14th Drop Regiment.

Cogger Hive Guard
The PDF of the Hive World Cogger are made from those factory workers that don’t meet quota or particularly troublesome Gangers arrested by the Arbites, they then go through a variation of mind wipe and are implanted with new memories and training and are used to protect the great Hive Cities. The most promising of these mind-wiped PDF are formed into the regiments of the Cogger Hive Guard. Cogger Hive Guardsmen undergo a variation of mind wiping known as Neural Programming that is for the mass use of training their soldiers. A subject endures multiple sessions in a Neural Programming tank where they were "programmed" with knowledge and skills needed for the desired occupation. Cogger Hive Guard commanders preferred "obedient" over "improvisational" and use of Neural Programmed soldiers possessing little or no initiative a fodder for the grinding wheels of the Imperial wars. These Cogger Hive Guard are known for the Line Infantry, Armored, and Mechanized Infantry Regiments they produce from the foundries and factories of the Hives on the planet Cogger. Cogger also produces a small number of Penal Legions of those that resist Neural Programming but fill up the over flowing prisons of the Arbites.

A significant proportion of the Cogger Hive Guard was manned by "culturally challenged" individuals who had undergone neural programming via brain surgery, implants such as aggression inhibitors, and programming tanks. Counseling and drug therapy were also used to help overcome criminal and/or anti-social tendencies. Despite this source of manpower, it was not always sufficient to replace battlefield losses, and instances of law-abiding persons being conscripted and subjected to "programming" were not unknown. In any case, volunteers are few. Recruits and conscripts considered too scrawny or weak for the Cogger Guard are given steroid and stimulant treatments in order to increase their muscle mass. Criminal recruits were given no R&R time.

The Cogger Hive Guard produce three kinds of Regiments. The first kind of regiment is the Cogger Hive Guard Mechanized Infantry Regiment that is mounted on the Chimerax patterm. It is armed with turret-mounted, quad-linked Autocannons. This design was intended to serve as a mobile anti-aircraft artillery piece in extreme situations where no other anti-aircraft capability was present that could also carry a squad of Imperial Guardsmen and provide close fire support for them. While the Chimerax's quad-linked Autocannons actually fared poorly against aircraft they proved more than capable of supporting the ferried troops.

The second kind of regiment is the Cogger Hive Guard Armored Regiment. Using the Leman Russ Exterminator as it's primary vehicle, it is one of the most common Leman Russ variants, and although it surrenders the ability to effectively combat enemy armour, it is an extremely effective anti-infantry vehicle. The Leman Russ Exterminator is capable of laying down a withering hail of fire. The Exterminator's Autocannon shells can tear through a lightly armoured chassis as easily as they rip through flesh and bone. Though lacking the long range of some other tank variants, the Leman Russ Exterminator is capable of devastating whole ranks of enemy infantry before they have reached the Astra Militarum lines.

The final kind of regiment that is produced is more of a way to get rid of the worst scum of the hives. These individuals are those that resist Neural Programming but are the worst kinds of criminals and heretics the Hives produce. Coming from the various prison facilities that each hive has for those that cross the nobility, the Cogger Hive Penal Legions are massed light Infantry given explosive collars and shock cuffs, are transported as mine sweeper support for the regiments in which Cogger Hives pride themselves on.

Standard Cogger Hive Guard Mechanized Infantry Regiment
The Cogger Hive Guard Mechanized Infantry is the Militarum Regimentum of the Astra Militarum that fights as mechanized infantry alongside Chimera and Chimerax armoured personnel carriers in defense of the strategically-located Imperial Hive World of Cogger and its surrounding star systems. Cogger, located in the Segmentum Ultima, is a planet blighted and poisoned by millennia of heavy industrial output, though it was also a major manufacturing centre of Autocannons.

In addition, Guardsman from Cogger make fine assault troops for fighting in urban and hive city environments as well as heavy industrial zones, chemical sumps, and other such toxic regions. Their equipment and experience with such acrid environments make them invaluable for trudging through all sorts of polluted or otherwise noxious wastelands, from underhives filled with the toxic residue of ancient atomic generators to ruin-filled swamps rife with hallucinogenic flora, quicksand, and near-invisible pockets of lethal gas.

Armed with the Merovech Pattern Assault Lasgun, Cogger Hive Guard Mechanized Infantry excel in close environments. Designed purely for close range assaults, the Merovech Pattern Lasgun is heavily reinforced and has a bayonet built into its short and heavy frame. Slots for two power packs are included so the gun can switch to a fresh pack with no reloading. Since the firefights it is designed for are typically over long before two packs are exhausted, it serves its intended function perfectly.