Maximus Omar The Mad

Brother-Captain of Spec.Ops. Maximus "The Mad" Omar
Maximus Omar is a Tactical Marine, and his job is to participate and succeed in "special" assignments: (re-)claiming rare or blacklisted Golden Age media, and barter temporary alliances between Humans and xenos. His charm and non-lateral strategies help further the imperium's conquest while mitigating xenos hostilities.

He lost his right hand during the Siege of the 4 Fists, where the Imperial Fists, the Iron Hands, Crimson Fists, and the Cardinal Archivists fought as one. This was also the birth place of his most infamous battle cry, and greetings to the imperial fists, "Rigor Fistus!" He later replaced his hand with a power fist, courtesy of the Iron Hands and the Ad-Mech.

He currently serves functionally as a seargent in the 9th Company.

Beginnings
"... I'm not Xenophilic, I just don't mind their skin-tight suits or pointy ears... *erhm*" - Maximus Omar to a very inquisitive Inquisitor

The words "rarity" and "mad" were often paired with the young lad once known simply as Max. Maximus Omar, during his youth, lived on a planet that had been occupied by Eldar Exodites and their Craftworld allies, which were located in the far Eastern Fringe, on the edge of the Imperial Faith. He grew up alone since his parents had died long before he could walk, so the human village community raised him as best as they could. He was very kind to others, but had a sharp wit and was not likely to be tricked. He was often seen doing strange things, however.

One time he tried toasting bread with a heated Eldar war blade. No one ever figured out how he got the blade, or where he hid it after. He did develop a secret psychic bond with an Eldar during his youth. It was never in person, but her name was Alryna, and both would meet each other one day, but not until a very long time.

Because of the scrutiny by the Eldar, his exposure to the xenos was more so than most humans, allowing him to observe their actions, conversations and even their technology, which he had an uncanny knack at understanding. His time on the planet would not be long, since the Inquisition had heard of rumors of a human learning xenos technology with apparent ease; a valuable asset in of itself.

Life in the Inquisition
"Act on what you know, and not on what you fear." - A proverb from the Superior of Maximus Omar to Maximus himself

The Inquisition learned later of Maximus' skills in the ways of Eldar tech, and quickly went out to abduct and indoctrinate the young man into their ranks of the Ordo Xenos. He was given an education, indoctrinated into the Faith, and trained in the ways of combat, strategy, and eventually appointed to the Ordo Xenos branch of the Inquisition as an acolyte. Most of his fellow acolytes were not impressed with his humble up-bringing, and were less trusting with the fact that a major Xenos threat lived so close to his people. Despite their harsh words and criticisms for the young man, Maximus Omar was never without a smile; like a defiant light in the grim dark of the universe, his jovial grin remained through his time in the Inquisition. Maximus had proven himself time and again on each mission with his cell, maintaining focus and bringing back results with consecutive successes. Most of the acolytes with Maximus had been K.I.A., but he not only survived his missions and trials, but also ascended in rank much faster than the average acolyte had before. His knowledge and understanding of Eldar technology, and his theories of the rare Wraith Bones used by the Eldar, had earned him praise and recognition among the senior ranks of the Order.

In less than 3 years Maximus earned the rank of Prime, leading a cell of his own on missions, alien hunts, salvaging and researching Eldar weapons and technology, and even earned the respect and friendship of his followers. What made him beloved by his subordinates was not his skill, his intelligence, or his charisma, but instead his up-beat attitude. Many would think the Inquisition is all serious and grim - and most are - but Inquisitor Omar stood as a stark contrast to the grimace of the hardened alien hunters of the human empire.

He loved to spend time with his subordinates, play games during moments of respite, and even discussed the similarities between Man and Xenos. He was an idealist and a dreamer, but still maintained a level of realistic perspective that keeps him focused during missions of importance. This did not earn him many social ties with more serious members; even among radicals he could identify with in methods of conduct with xenos. What kept him safe from the reprisal of his peers, was his comprehension of the Eldar, their weapons and their technology, as well as their culture and secretive history. He had a way with Eldar crafted works that some believe was due to prolonged exposure to the Eldar Exodites of his home world. Some had gone so far as think he was warp-touched; a latent psyker who could comprehend warp-based technology. Then, there are some that believe he was incredibly lucky; a cosmic joke, in which while many would die just touching an Eldar Lance rifle, Maximus could dissemble and resemble one with such ease, that you would think he had done so before several times!

He also enjoyed discovering games of other alien races: board games, card games, games of wit and strategy, and so on. He learned as much about their culture as he did about their military side of their people. Deep down in his mind, he believed that the conflicts between Man and Xenos was more costly than it was worth waging. True, there will always be competition, but with more voracious and less compliant species like the Orks and Tyranids. Social species like the Tau and some of the Eldar would have been better as long-term allies than as short-term alliances. Alas, he could never openly speak-up without the threat of disciplinary action, or worse execution for heresy...

Addendum ((It was never discovered completely, but when joining the Cardinal Archivists, Maximus Omar confided in the Chapter Masters Snipe and Wib of his connection to the Warp. Apparently, the Eldar he met as a boy still maintained a psychic link to him, and has been aiding him throughout his life, only briefly speaking directly via telepathy. Only a select few know of this for sure...))

After 5 years of service, Maximus Omar was appointed to a mentor Inquisitor, named Inquisitor Zandar Radiclain. He was a scarred man who looked to have gone through a mine field and then shot in the head, but his mind was sharp as a power sword, and his knowledge as vast as the void when it came to xenos. More so than that, he became a father-figure to Maximus, teaching him the dos and don'ts of life in the Ordo Xenos, the dangers and risks of trusting certain species, and even played many games in their rare moments of rest. He too was an old-time radical, and even though he often disciplined Maximus for his "wishful thinking" he did encourage him to take risks for the sake of discovery, and the protection of Humanity. With the luck that he had, Maximus hardly ever hesitated in doing so. Sadly, his master's luck was not so ample in supply, and he eventually died during an experimentation on a captured xenos psyker. The psychic back-lash from its interrogation was too much for his mind, killing Radiclain, and leaving Maximus alone once again. Once a year, Maximus would play a game of chess with no one but himself and a picture of his late mentor before him...

10 years later, Maximus would reach the rank of Inquisitor and spend the majority of his mortal life (before becoming Astartes) researching technology of the Eldar, brokering alliances with compliant Eldar and other races, and furthering the goals of Humanity as a whole. But the longer he worked for the Ordo Xenos, the more he felt separate from them. It would eventually come to a head ,on a mission that would mark the beginning of joining the Cardinal Archivists, changing his life forever.

The Web Way to One Another
The mission involved infiltrating a system where Dark Eldar raids were frequent. But the real objective was to find an old Web Way gate (the information being classified to anyone below the rank of Inquisitor, and those who weren't involved in the mission). Reports spoke of the possibility that the Dark Eldar were using this gate and the planet it was located on as a staging area for raids. Not many Dark Eldar would do this, but in rare occasions they use worlds to cart and process slaves, drugs, and dangerous materials to different places and buyers. Maximus and a team of Death Watch space marines would infiltrate this world, kill any Dark Eldar they came across, and claim the Web Way gate in the name of the Imperium. After, with the Web Way gate under their control, the Inquisition would viral bomb the planet, driving out any remaining Dark Eldar, if not out-right kill them all.

Using the Eldar technology accumulated over time, Maximus engineered a short-term stealth device that tricked the Dark Eldar into thinking their ships were of Eldar origin, giving them the window of opportunity to land on the planet. The kill team found the Dark Eldar had taken an old Hive City for their operations, no doubt their objective was deep within such a depraved place. Through the sewer system below the city, Maximus and his team sneaked into the bowels of the enemy city and descended below. What they were not expecting was the fact that they weren't the only ones to seek the Web Way gate, far beneath the city...

One faithful turn around a corner would bring Maximus Omar and Alryna back together, though it was not a pleasant reunion. It took a lot of effort from the young Omar to keep the Death Watch from opening fire, as it did for Alryna with her kin, but everyone managed to remain calm to not kill one another... Yet. Maximus Omar could only stare at the familiar face of the Eldar woman. It was odd to see an Exodite off-world at all, though. Alryna explained that this was her new Path, and that she wanted to help her allied Craft-worlds through action against their enemies; namely their corrupt brethren. Both later admitted their intentions, but it was Alryna who came for a more dire reason.

Through her visions in the Warp, Alyrna saw the Web Way gate below malfunctioning, and the walls of the web way within the warp breaking down, letting loose cosmic horrors and deamons through. The Dark Eldar of this city were Haemonculi; insane extremist and Chaos worshipers who were using the planet not just to cart slaves and drugs, but also to eventually bring forth Slaneeshi deamons through, bolstering their strength, and furthering their dominance in the sector. It was too dangerous to let it be, much less let it be used by anyone at all.

With their psychic link still strong even after all this time, Maximus felt deep in his mind that she wasn't lying. He believed her warnings, and decided that the safest bet was to destroy the gate, along with the Dark Eldar that lived here, before any deamons got involved. But, some of the marines objected, saying the witch was lying, and would kill them all to gain a new gate for themselves. Strangely, one Death Watch space marine stood between Maximus and the rest of his kill team, defending his point of destroying the corrupt Web Way gate. The marine that defended him sounded strange, however. More so that the other marines were somewhat hesitant to object against the Astartes that backed the Inquisitor. With the arguments settled, the Kill Team and Eldar joined forces against a common foe, and descended through the bowels of the wicked place.

Reaching the dark depths of the Hive City, the two groups found the ante-chamber that held their objective. Breaking through the defenses, they had unfortunately set off an alarm to the rest of the Hive. There wasn't much time, and the Dark Eldar would surely overwhelm them all... Unless.

"We have to cause the gate to explode"

Was the words of Maximus Omar. Needless to say the Eldar and Astartes looked at him confused. Destroying a gate while standing mere meters from it would obliterate them all! Maximus on the other hand disagreed, and explained his plan. They would cause the gate to blow up, destroying it and the Hive city with the Dark Eldar inside. But, before it was too late, he and Alyrna would work together to teleport them all outside of the city at a safe distance. It was a great risk, and they needed time, but the plan was put in action.

Wave after wave of Dark Eldar, brainwashed slaves and even some deamons poured in from the entrance of the anti-chamber, wearing down on the Death Watch and allied Eldar. Their numbers began to dwindle when at last the gate was activated, and ready to explode. What remained of the Eldar and Death Watch rushed trough the portal and jumped through, right before destroying itself and the Hive city.

Outside, the Marines and Maximus stood miles away, watching as the city fell to pieces from the destruction of the hive. The Eldar on the other hand had ported somewhere else, but Alyrna managed to send one last telepathic message to the young Inquisitor:

"Sgi'ren lsgi'lon brl'ogig ksgi'on'ugil ngi sgi'gis cgi..."

Meeting with the Fair Lady
"A Chapter more shrouded in secrets than even the Grey Knights..?! Now that is impressive!" Maximus reflecting on the existence of the Cardinal Archivists.

Maximus reported all that had transpired. The Inquisition was furious with him for destroying the Web Way gate, one of the rarest finds in Imperium history - and a working one at that (albeit still volatile). Even with explaining that the risks were too high in keeping such an unstable artifact, Maximus could not clear the anger from their minds. Disciplinary actions were deemed too lenient for such "insubordination", so the council of Lord Inqusitors present voted to have him executed once and for all. The Death Watch marine that agreed to his plan would say otherwise, however.

A tall form overshadowed the young Inquisitor, and when he looked to see the Death Watch Marine remove their helm, his entire face became the definition of shock. Lady Snipe herself stood before him: a FEMALE Astartes! The Ordo Xenos council was visibly uncomfortable with her reveal and voicing of her opinion. After much needed exposition, and a quick re-cap of her founding of her chapter - along with her husband - and her presence in the Death Watch, Lady Snipe gave to the Ordo Xenos a simple proposition: She would take Maximus off their hands to undergo the Astartes ascension program. If he survived both as a Scout and the process of becoming a full Space Marine, then he was the Chapter's problem. If not, he dies and his punishment carried out. Disdain and near-outright refusal painted the faces of the judging Ordo Xenos, but eventually they yielded. Maximus was "punished" and wiped from the Inquisition's official records, and was left in the hands of the Snipe and Wib Chapter.

The Siege of the 4 Fists, and Rise of the Rigor Fistus
"RIGOR FISTUS!!!!" - Battle cry of Maximus Omar and his Spec. Ops. Company

Details of the Campaign: The Siege of the 4 Fists will be posted in a different page. Suffice it to say, this was when Brother Captain Maximus Omar gained his battle cry and his title "The Mad", as well as his prosthetic Power-fist.

Spec. Ops. Commander: Arms, Armor and Tactics
"Let me be clear to all of you, my Brothers: If it's not plasma-based, and if it can't burn through thick metal or bio-armor, I want NO use of it within my following. Clear?" - Captain Omar explaining to his new recruits about the practical uses and "acceptable risks" of plasma-based weaponry.

After going above and beyond the call of duty for his chapter during the Siege of the 4 Fists, Maximus Omar was recognized for his clever thinking, unorthodox methods, and near-limitless knowledge of the alien and ancient variety. He was promoted and given the title of Special Operations Master Commander, while informally referred to as Spec. Ops. Brother Captain "The Mad" Maximus. Captain Omar, while eccentric in his acceptance and openness to xenos (to a degree) has been invaluable in finding and recovering the rarest of Golden Age, as well as pre-Golden Age, media entertainment and technology, thanks to his time with the Ordo Xenos. He is also one of the few Captains to take risks that involve recovering xenos items and artifacts, such as Eldar Lancers, and Tau pulse rifles. He did have some suggestions in the retrofitting of Sonic Marine weaponry, allowing the creation and deployment of the chapter's Deff' Shreddas.

Arms
"How do I use my unstable weaponry, while wielding an equally unstable and powerful prosthetic power fist? Quite simple, really: by being VERY careful!" - Captain Omar

Brother Captain Maximus Omar is one of the few Astartes to willingly use plasma based weaponry: from the plasma pistol to the plasma cannon. Normally, such weaponry is both volatile and near-unreliable during heavy fire-fights, but he manages the risks by strategically choosing his targets and strikes with high-rate efficiency in mind. It is a normal reaction for other Marines to look at the Captain with great concern when they hear an unusual noise coming from his plasma rifle, to which the Captain dismisses, "Oh, it's simply cooling down from an alternative vent, no fret!" As for specific arms, he is usually found holding the listed assortment:

1 Plasma Pistol

1 Combi-Plasma Bolter

1 Built-in Plasma power pack for use of:

1 Detachable Plasma cannon.

1 Plasma rifle

Prosthetic power fist, with built-in sealed compartment inside the palm area, and other customization

Armor
"Yes; of course I wear my armor before and during battle. I'm mad, not stupid!" - Maximus Omar

Maximus Omar uses a modified version of a Mark VI Corvus Power Armour, with combined parts from the Errant pattern armor in vital spots of the armor itself. With help from the Forge Master, and a drunken McFien, They managed to allow the Corvos Pattern to fit the modified collar guard by widening the space for the proboscis front of the helm, and adding rotating links to the collar, allowing the wearer to look left and right, with the collar moving in unison. He has also customized the armor with an advanced cooling system for his plasma-based weapons. The result being that the armor is much colder than normal. Many ask if he should run the risk of frost bite or worse, but explains that battles can become very heated in the most literal sense... And that he'd rather risk a plasma weapon going off in his own face, than deal with "Catachan swamp ass".

Tactics
"Let them think we be maddened fools, Brothers: for the mad man is the last to be suspected of sound strategy." - Spec. Ops. Brother Cpt. Omar explaining his company's battle tactics

Maximus' arsenal and armor may suggest one form of battle tactics. But in truth, he will use whatever means necessary to get the job done; whether through sabotage of enemy supply lines, forward assaults, hit-and-run, or even the collusion of xenos allies. His unorthodox and unpredictable combat style has proven effective when dealing with large scale and skilled enemies such as the Orks and Dark Eldar, respectively. While the enemies of Man may view his stratagem as unreasonable and unsound, it is this disregard by his opponents that Captain Omar takes advantage of the most. His most effective distraction-based stratgem was a choreographed dance routine, during which he and his marines river danced to the sound of ancient Irish instrumentals, followed by the mixing of genres such as Skrillex and Bass. However, this proved slightly too effective, given that both friend and foe were dumbstruck by the uncharacteristically graceful and talented dancing marines. The stratagem has yet to be ever used again...

Personality
Some say he is mad; some say he's a heretic; some say he is humorous, open, and even philosophical. It would be difficult to pin-point one trait that stands out, but it is better to say he is all (well, almost all) of these things. It is normal for Humans, mundane or post-human, to have a great disdain for those that are not of their species. Maximus holds no real animosity for other xenos, however. Mostly because he had spent time close to the Eldar and with his time in the Ordo Xenos, learned even more about aliens; even the Orks. Maximus has learned that if one must make enemies, it is better to choose carefully, than it is to be out-right indiscriminate and rash. He is kind to those below him and is often makes sure his own following are high in health and spirits. Sometimes he is introverted, in which he separates himself from others: either on missions of importance, or when not on active duty. Some call him a radical for his tolerance of non-humans, and can be seen being scrutinized by the Inquisition even when he's minding his business. But when spoken to, he is seen with a smile and a genuine interest in people, and always seeks the best course of action for his allies; human or no. But when it comes to his enemies - when it comes to Chaos especially - he will not hesitate to properly explain his title of "The Mad Max"... Or "Rigor Fistus". He has a somewhat unsettling fascination for plasma based weaponry. In fact, he was caught staring at a Dark Angels' "Roar of Heroes" Plasma Obliterator cannon a little too long...