Utania Skystrikers

The Chiraq Urban Warriors are the Astra Militarum regiments raised from the Hive World of Chiraq, in the Zylos subsector of the Gothic sector in Segmentum Obscurus. They are recruited primarily from the varied and powerful criminal gangs of the planet’s hives, and this reflects considerably in their attitudes and tactics alike. Despite an extreme lack of discipline in most Chiraqi regiments, they have proven themselves time and time again to be formidable Urban warriors.

Homeworld
Chiraq is by no definition a good place to live. Even by hive world standards, the hives of Chiraq are a bleak, horrendously violent place to live. Crime rates are exorbitant even reaching into the upper hive, as deep-rooted gangs murder each other senselessly for their own selfish benefit. Many of those who live on Chiraq only do so because they fight, or pay protection fees to someone that can.

History
Chiraq was first colonized during the Dark Age of Technology, as was much of what is today the Zylos subsector. Many of its monumental hives date back to that period, as the old Human Empire erected them to support a massive and thriving population. When the Age of Strife began, and the world was cut off from its supplies, rioting immediately broke out and escalated, reaching a point far beyond the efforts of the planetary authorities and forcing the nobility to seal themselves in the top tiers of the Hives. In the chaos that followed, those who wanted to survive had to steal what they could, so crime became the new normal on Chiraq, and soon, major gangs had managed to rise, some numbering within the thousands in membership. As the galaxy burned around it, so did Chiraq.

When the Imperium arrived, this endless cycle of gang warfare had become a contestant on Chiraq, and served as the main focus of the planet’s culture. It was the Blood Angels that came to Chiraq first, the Primarch Sanguinius himself at their head. Alongside soldiers from newly vassalized Battencia, the Blood Angels embarked on a rapid campaign of subjugation. Quickly, gang after gang surrendered in the face of the Legiones Astartes, and compliance was achieved over most of the world. Despite this, those who continued to oppose Imperial rule simply retreated to the lower levels of the Hive, and the world was never truly pacified, especially with the eventual outbreak of the Heresy drawing Imperial forces away from the world.

Some time after the Heresy, the Imperium of Man turned its gaze back to Chiraq. Through further expenditure of time, treasure, and blood, an agreement was worked out. The Imperum managed to redirect the homicidal tendencies of the Chiraqi populace towards their enemies, by instituting a system wherein the gangs agreed to take the worst of their violence down to the lower hivesd, and to make themselves available for service in the Imperial Guard. With that agreement, the Chiraq Urban Warriors were born.

Regimental Culture
Chiraqi regiments’ culture largely depends on from where in the planet’s hives the regiment was raised. Regiments are not hive-specific, they are however generally segregated by hive level. The scions of the Upper Hive can actually form competent and well disciplined regiments, though with a definite Chiraqi twist of criminality. These regiments are a vast minority among those that come out of Chiraq, and most come from the lower levels. The Chiraqi governments attempts to split up gang among the various Regiments, but these efforts have proven a laughable failure, and elements of gang culture is heavily prevalent throughout these regiments.

There are, especially in recent centuries, more and more mixed Chiraqi regiments, where Upper and Lower Hive residents fight alongside eachother in the same regiment. Some of Chiraq’s greatest Regiments function this way… but it has also been the cause of more than one battlefield disaster due to a lack of unity and disagreements among the Regiment. Commissars are present in Chiraq regiments, but those who try to force Imperial doctrine and worse, regulations on Chiraqi guardsmen suffer frequent horrific and tragic accidents on the battlefield.

Organization
Chiraqi organization is rather haphazard. Among the Upper Hive regiments, they follow a quite standard organizational structure. The Chiraqi government tries to hold the Lower Hive regiments to these standards, but again, their efforts at instilling discipline are rarely effective, as the Chiraqi Urban Warriors frequently deviate from the standard doctrinal model. Many of these lower hive regiments put more power in the hands of local commanders, and add in other various quirks associated to that regiment’s past within the hive gangs. Corps- 60,000-100,000 commanded by a Lord General Regiment - 12,000-20,000 commanded by a Colonel Brigade- 4,000, commanded by a Lt. Colonel Battalion - 900 men, commanded by a Major Company - 150 men, commanded by a Captain Platoon - 50 men, commanded by a Lieutenant Squad - 10 men, commanded by a Sergeant

Doctrine
As the name implies, the Chiraq Urban Warriors specialize in fighting within cities in general, and hive cities in particular. The men within these regiments are familiar with hive cities, and they use this knowledge to their advantage.They fight as they did on Chiraq, using volume of fire to secure the vast corridors that make up the heart of a hive city, and frequently going in to clear out enemies in close quarters.

Recruitment and Training
Chiraq is a particularly good recruiting ground because it is both a place that breeds warriors by its nature, and one that most people are desperate to leave. Those people would do anything to get off Chiraq, and even service in the Imperial Guard can be safer than its streets. Entire families wait until their youngest are of age and enlist together, anything that is necessary to escape, even if it means a high risk of death on a battlefield somewhere across the galaxy. Many Chiraqi recruits already have many months, if not years of experience from the Gang Wars. Therefore, training is rather lax, only instilling the bare basics of discipline and organization into the recruits, with varying degrees of success.

Standard Issue Equipment
For the Chiraqi Guardsman, “standard issue” is a suggestion rather than law, something they don't obey anyways. Variety is extremely common, much to the chagrin of the Adeptus Mechanicus, let alone the Ministorum that has to try to keep the regiments in good supply.
 * The use of the ubiquitous Imperial Lasgun is accepted among the Chiraqi regiments, with those who take it usually either lacking a better weapon upon their joining up or deciding to swap out their weapon for one later during their service after running out of ammunition in a firefight. A variety of other weapons are considered perfectly acceptable for use in service. Plasma guns are generally scorned by the Guardsmen for their tendency to explode, but aren’t unseen, and slug weapons of every make, model, and caliber are in vast supply.


 * Every Chiraqi who is issued or brings a sidearm with them happily utilizes it, those who don’t steal one relatively quickly. Modified laspistols and slug pistols are the two most common by far, with high magazine capacity and high rate of fire being the ideal qualities of a pistol used by Chiraqi regiments.


 * As for issuing a standard combat knife… the Ministorum didn’t even bother trying. So many Chiraqis are competent blade smiths that a Guardsman can pretty much get whatever kind of knife they desire. Blades are extremely varied, but common traits include massive size and some sort of serration meant to inflict the grisliest wounds.


 * As a general rule, the Chiraqi guardsman will carry as many grenades into combat as he can hoard, requisition, or steal. Frag Grenades are especially beloved, but Krak grenades are also in high demand, especially for the creation of improvised explosive devices.


 * Dress is another regard where the Chiraqi Guardsman differs from his mainstream counterparts. The concept of standard issue fatigues would be laughed off by the average Chiraqi. Various outfits, ranging from actual flak armor chest plates on a sort of black garment that may actually be a uniform for some of the more disciplined Chiraqi regiments, to literally whatever the soldier prefers, gang dress and clothing quite similar to that worn by Catachan Jungle Fighters included, for a proper lower hive regiment.
 * The Chiraqi Regiments’ policy towards miscellaneous equipment varies greatly unit to unit. Some commanders will insist their men carry rations and other commodities for a certain length of time, while others will allow their men to carry what they want and live with the consequences. Only the stupidest Chiraqi will go into action without at least a bedroll and a few days’ rations, and such occurrences are rare but not impossible. The ‘Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer’ is treated with utter scorn, with those who carry it only taking sections they rip out, intending to make tinder, or toilet paper, of it.

Optional/Unique Equipment
The selection of small arms available to the Chiraqi guardsman is eclectic and dazzling by its sheer size. Many Guardsmen carry whatever slug gun they carried during their time as a Ganger, but several are common sights.


 * Most every Chiraqi soldier can distinguish the profile and the report of the Pig Gun. A slug-based Medium Machine gun carried and employed at the squad, platoon, and company level. Its heavy, but its a weight many Chiraqi gunners are willing to bear, because in the midst of a firefight, the Pig Gun’s firepower is a true force to be reckoned with, firing hundreds of rounds a minute at anything unfortunate enough to find itself downrange of a “Pigman”


 * Another Chiraqi Staple is the Karlakii Submachine gun. The Karlakii is a compact weapon, with a centrally positioned magazine directly behind the trigger, and recoil tame enough for the weapon to be wielded in a single hand. Sometimes, it will even be carried as a secondary weapon in place of, or indeed in addition to, a pistol. It also has a rapid rate of fire, and is a favorite for the Chiraqi who wants to put a lot of lead out very quickly.


 * A close-quarters favorite of the Chiraqi Urban Warriors is the Ursa combat shotgun. Able to be fired in semi-automatic, automatic, or, for selectively chambering specialist rounds, pump action, it adds to its versatility with a folding stock and brace, allowing it to be fired in almost any configuration, including one handed.


 * A common alternative to the Lasgun as a rifle is the Lash-gun The Lash’s name is derived from some ancient Terran equivalent, and used due to its similarity to the Lasgun. Insanely reliable, almost as much as its standard-issue counterpart. It is generally inferior logistically simply because it is an autogun, but among many Chiraqi guardsmen, the rifle is a must have.

Notable Regiments

 * Chiraq 7th "Unfortunate Sons" Regiment The Chiraqi 7th is special because its speciality is not urban warfare, but rather airborne operations. Why this is is unknown to its current members, a funny quirk of Imperial bureaucracy. Nonetheless, the Regiment has proven its worth time and time again in war zones across the galaxy.