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CHAOS SPACE MARINE FLEETS

Through his warp eye, Captain Vassenna sawthe frigate rock as his heavy plasma batterieshammered into it, shattering its shields andcutting through its armour. From his cryptVassenna was mind-linked to all his ship’ssystems, even though his withered body lay inits sarcophagus he still found joy in slaughter.His amplified laughter echoed around hisship, chilling the souls of the long lines ofslaves labouring beneath the lashes ofVassenna’s Black Legion overseers. TheDarkside was a Carnage class cruiser,unbelievably ancient but still a sleek huntingshark with superior speed, range and weightof fire than any Imperial ship of the samedisplacement.

“Keep firing, yes ALL weapons! I want thosedestroyers dead before they can release theirtorpedoes”.

On the gun decks, Vassenna’s crew, renegades,corsairs and freebooters all, redoubled theirefforts, urged on by their Captain’s words andthe watchful attention of the Chaos SpaceMarines.

Vassenna watched the bright explosions, theincoming Cobras were easy targets oncelocked into their attack runs. The Darkside’sCaptain felt the waves of energy from theirdestruction and exulted in it. His warp eyeopened, matter faded, and his gaze pierced thereal universe studying the tides of theempyrean, judging his moment.

“Warp engines, NOW”.

The Darkside’s hull shrieked as its warpengines tore a bloody wound from reality andslid into the vibrant, pulsing, unreality of thewarp that lay beneath and drifted onwardcarried on a tide of mortal dreams.

By Pete Haines

With Abaddon’s 13th Black Crusade unfolding across the entire Warhammer 40,000universe in the shape of the Eye of Terror worldwide campaign, we present these rulesfor a Black Crusade Fleet list, representing the forces Abaddon has unleashed on thosesectors surrounding the Eye of Terror. Bring on the Chaos Space Marines...

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Chaos Space Marines in Battlefleet GothicFrom the perspective of Battlefleet Gothic, thismeans that the Chaos Space Marine Legionshave never needed to build specialistbattlebarges and strike cruisers. To them anycapital ship with the capacity to launchDreadclaws or boarding torpedoes ispotentially a Battlebarge and any fast cruisermight be used to move small forces around.Chaos Space Marines are relatively rarehowever and a great many Chaos fleets will bemade up of renegade captains and their shipswith not a Traitor Marine in sight. The degreeof fealty rogue captains extend to their ChaosMarine masters is variable and some piratefleets that ostensibly serve Chaos haveprobably never seen a Chaos Space Marine soit is perfectly OK to use a Chaos fleet withoutincluding members of the Traitor Legions.

The existing list in the Battlefleet Gothicrulebook covers Abaddon’s fleets in the GothicSector War. This war was primarily fought inspace and Abaddon had no need to gather theLords of the Traitor Legions around him. Thislist represents a Black Crusade fleet where theobject is to transport Chaos Space Marines toconquer and destroy Imperial worlds.

Long ago, when the Emperor of Mankind ledhis Space Marine Legions across the stars inwhat was to become known as the GreatCrusade, Primarchs captained his armies. EachPrimarch commanded not only a Legion ofSpace Marines but also vast fleets of warshipsand innumerable armies of Guardsmen. Themilitary might at the disposal of each of themwas immense. Then came the Horus Heresyand fully half the Primarchs rebelled againstthe Emperor. The history of the Heresy is well-known, it was a dark and terrible time in whichcivil war almost destroyed the Imperium. In itsaftermath, it was clear to the High Lords thattoo much power had been at the disposal ofthe traitor Primarchs. The Codex Astartes ofRoboute Guilliman was the main reform. Thehuge Space Marine Legions were broken downinto Chapters of a thousand warriors andequipped with specialist barges and strikecruisers. The fleet was reorganised intobattlefleets dispersed between the majorworlds of each Segmentum. The ImperialGuard was reorganised to more clearly definewho could authorise the formation anddeployment of additional regiments. Themeasures were successful insofar that althoughthere have been rebellions since the Heresythey have always lacked the capacity to tear theImperium apart as Horus almost did.

The defeated Traitor Marines were never a partof these reforms however. When theUltramarines were spawning numeroussuccessor Chapters, the Black Legion, theWorld Eaters and all the others wereestablishing territories in the Eye of Terrorusing all the forces they had managed tosalvage from the defeat on Terra. To this dayChaos fleets are subordinate to the Lords ofthe Chaos Space Marine Legions.

“What is a Space Marine without a ship tocarry him? He is an insignificant insectcrawling in the mud of a single world. Butwhat is a Space Marine with a fleet tocarry him? He is death from above, aharbinger of the gods who walks the starsseeking battle.”

Gorsameth, Lord-Captain, Night Lords Legion, M.35

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FLEET COMMANDER0-1 Chaos WarmasterYou can only include a Chaos Warmaster inyour fleet if it includes any Capital ships. Hemust be assigned to the most expensive shipand improves its rolled Leadership by 2, to amaximum of 9.

Chaos Warmaster (Ld +2) . . . . . . . 100 ptsChaos Warmasters get one re-roll. In additionthey may be given a single Mark of Chaos asshown opposite.

The Warmaster may be given an extra re-roll ata cost of +25 points.

AbaddonYou may include Abaddon the Despoiler as theWarmaster in any Chaos fleet worth more than1,000 points.

Abaddon (Ld 10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195 pts

Abaddon receives one re-roll per turn, inaddition see his special rules as stated in thismagazine.

Mark of Slaanesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . +25 ptsThe ship is full of the sensation-cravingfollowers of Slaanesh and their siren criesextend into the minds of the crews of nearbyenemy ships. Enemy ships within 15cm suffer -2 to their Leadership value.

Mark of Khorne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +20 ptsCrewed by the homicidal followers of Khorne,the ship is extremely dangerous in boardingactions. It doubles its value in boardingactions.

Mark of Tzeentch . . . . . . . . . . . . . +25 ptsThe Captain can call upon the power ofprecognition as well as formidable magiks tocontrol his vessel. This ship has an extra re-roll.

Mark of Nurgle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +35 ptsThe vessel is rank with putrescence and themany plagues of the Lord of Decay. It gains 1Damage point and may not be boarded.

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ABADDON’S 13th BLACK CRUSADEChaos Space Marine Fleet List

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Chaos LordsAny Capital ship, apart from that of theWarmaster, may be captained by a ChaosLord. If so, then add 1 to the Leadership rolledfor the ship at the start of the game, subject toa maximum of 9.

Chaos Lord (Ld +1) . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 pts

A Lord may be given a re-roll (which he can usefor his own ship or squadron only) at +25points. A ship commanded by a Lord may begiven a single Mark of Chaos from the list 8.

CAPITAL SHIPS0-1 Planet KillerA fleet of 1,000 points or more may include thePlanet Killer. If you include the Planet Killer,Abaddon must be present, though he does nothave to be aboard the Planet Killer.

Planet Killer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505 pts

BattleshipsYou may include up to one battleship in yourfleet for every three cruisers or heavy cruisers.

Despoiler class battleship . . . . . . . . . . 400 ptsDesolator class battleship . . . . . . . . . . 300 pts

Grand CruisersYou may include up to one grand cruiser inyour fleet for every three cruisers or heavycruisers.

Repulsive class grand cruiser . . . . . . . . 230 ptsVengeance class grand cruiser . . . . . . . 230 ptsRetaliator class grand cruiser . . . . . . . . 295 ptsExecutor class grand cruiser . . . . . . . . 210 pts

Heavy CruisersYou may include up to one heavy cruiser inyour fleet for every two cruisers.

Chaos Styx class heavy cruiser . . . . . . . 290 pts

Chaos Hades class heavy cruiser . . . . . 200 pts

Chaos Acheron class heavy cruiser. . . . 190 pts

0-12 CruisersChaos Devastation class cruiser . . . . . . 190 pts

Chaos Murder class cruiser . . . . . . . . . 170 pts

Chaos Carnage class cruiser . . . . . . . . 180 pts

Chaos Slaughter class cruiser . . . . . . . 165 pts

DAEMONSHIPSAny number of capital ships in your fleet maybe upgraded to a Daemonship at theadditional points cost shown, based upon thetype of vessel chosen.

Battleship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +50 ptsGrand Cruiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +30 ptsHeavy Cruiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +25 ptsCruiser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +20 pts

A Daemonship may not be commanded by aWarmaster or a Chaos Lord even if it is thelargest ship in the fleet. This is an exception tothe normal rule. A Daemonship may not have aChaos Space Marine crew. Any number ofcapital ships can be upgraded to Daemonshipssubject to these limitations.

Any Daemonship may have a single Mark ofChaos with the same effects and cost in pointsas described in the list 8.

ESCORTSYou can include any number of escorts in yourfleet.

Chaos Idolator class raider . . . . . . . . . . 45 pts

Chaos Infidel class raider . . . . . . . . . . . 40 pts

Chaos Iconoclast class destroyer . . . . . . 30 pts

These vessels may not contain a ChaosWarmaster, a Chaos Lord or have a Chaos SpaceMarine crew, neither can they be given Marks.You should feel free to paint and model themto be consistent with the rest of your fleet, itwill not have any game effect however.

ORDNANCEShips with launch bays can have a mixture ofSwiftdeath fighters, Doomfire bombers andDreadclaw assault craft. Ships with torpedotubes are armed with normal and boardingtorpedoes.

A ship with a Chaos Space Marine crew may beequipped with Thunderhawk gunships but ifso it may only carry Thunderhawks and maynot launch Swiftdeaths, Doomfires andDreadclaws. Furthermore, the launch capacityof the ship’s bays is halved (round down). Thisis because the launch bays have to besubstantially rebuilt to deal with the largerThunderhawks.

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CAPITAL SHIP SPECIAL RULESChaos Lords. Any Capital ship, apart from thatof the Warmaster, may be captained by a ChaosLord at +25 points. If so, then add +1 to theLeadership rolled for the ship at the start of thegame, subject to a maximum of 9. A Lord maybe given a re-roll (which he can use for his ownship or squadron only) at +25 points. A shipcommanded by a Lord may be given a singleMark of Chaos from the list above.Chaos Space Marines. Any Capital ship can bedesignated as having a Chaos Space Marinecrew at +35 points. The ship will be subject tothe Chaos Space Marine special rules. If theship contains the Warmaster or a Lord then youcan assume that he is also a Chaos SpaceMarine.

Marks of Chaos. A ship with a Chaos SpaceMarine crew may have a Mark of Chaos, even ifa Warmaster or Lord does not captain it.However, there are some restrictions on exactlywhich mark it can have based on the ChaosSpace Marine Legion that controls it. Even if aWarmaster or Lord captains a ship, if it has aChaos Space Marine crew the choice of Mark ofChaos is limited as well. The options are shownin the table below.

Legion Fleets. If the Warmaster’s ship has aChaos Space Marine crew, then all other shipsin the fleet that have Chaos Space Marine crewmust be of the same Legion, unless a ChaosLord captains them.

Rivalry. Members of the Emperor’s Childrenand the World Eaters cannot be combined inthe same fleet. Similarly, members of the DeathGuard and Thousand Sons may not becombined in the same fleet.

Capital ship Squadrons. If Capital ships aregrouped as Squadrons, then each Squadronmay only contain a single Warmaster or Lordand that ship must lead the squadron. Similarly,a squadron may not include ships withdifferent Marks of Chaos.

Example: A fleet Warmaster’s ship has a DeathGuardChaos Space Marine crew. His ship hasthe Mark of Nurgle. His fleet contains six othercruisers, three ships have Chaos Space Marinecrew and one of these also has a Chaos Lord.The two Chaos Space Marine ships withoutLords must be crewed by the Death Guard andmust therefore have the Mark of Nurgle. Theship containing the Lord can be Death Guardas well but doesn’t have to be as it couldrepresent an allied force from another Legion.Because the fleet contains members of theDeath Guard, the Lord’s ship may not becrewed by the Thousand Sons but may berepresented any other Legions. Let’s assume itis the Emperor’s Children and therefore hasthe Mark of Slaanesh.

When organising these ships into squadrons,the Warmaster and Lord’s ships may not be inthe same squadron and each must commandany squadron they do join. The Chaos Lord’ssquadron may not contain any ships with aMark other than that of Slaanesh, and theWarmaster’s squadron may not include anyships with a Mark other than that of Nurgle.

CHAOS SPACE MARINE SPECIAL RULESLeadership. A vessel with a Chaos SpaceMarine crew will have +1 Leadership (inaddition to any other bonuses due to therebeing a Chaos Warmaster or Chaos Lord onboard). Furthermore, the maximumLeadership of the vessel is increased to 10.

Boarding and hit-and-run. The superiorfighting skills of the Chaos Space Marines aremost apparent in boarding actions. A ship witha Chaos Space Marine crew adds +2 to its rollwhen performing boarding actions, and enemyconducting hit-and-run attacks against themsubtract one from their hit-and-run result. Hit-and-run attacks launched by boardingtorpedoes, Dreadclaws, Thunderhawks orteleportation originating from such a ship add+1 to their result.

Planetary Assault. Ships with Chaos SpaceMarine crews in a planetary assault missionscore 2 Assault points for every turn they spendlanding troops.

Terminator Teleport Assault. For an extra 10points, Battleships and Grand Cruisers withChaos Space Marine Warmasters, Lords orcrews may roll two dice when conducting hitand run teleport attacks and select which onethey wish to count. They will add +1 asnormal. This represents them unleashing theirChosen Terminators in a teleport assault.

Owning Legion Marks

World Eaters Must have Mark of Khorne only

Emperor’s Must have Mark of Children Slaanesh only

Death Guard Must have Mark of Nurgle only

Thousand Sons Must have Mark of Tzeentch only

Black Legion May have any one Mark

Others May not have any Mark

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“Twas in the Neffleng Deeps that it came uponus. We were ploughing the Warp in as fine astyle as the old Oath of Praxus could beexpected to. Our navigator, Torkael, was loyalas ye could hope for, no high-born navisnobbilly was he, came from the distaff brancho’ one of the clans ye might say. Still he hidhimself wi’a cloak and mask and if youcouldn’t stand the stink ye had no place on theOath for the old girl reeked like a hive sump insummer. First sign of trouble was whenTorkael started blubbing and shrieking. Wecouldn’t get any sense out of him but thesurveyors could just about make outsomething big coming up on us. CaptainOrson steadied the lads and roared that hedidn’t care where we ended up but he’d bedamned if he’d stay in the Warp. With that wemade a translation back to real space and itwas a rough one without Torkael’s help. I waswatching the surveyor readouts and I’ll swearthe thing outside was almost on us when thewarp engines kicked in. I couldn’t speak orthink, such was the terror that filled me, thenthe deck came up at me and the translationturned me inside out. It took me a few minutesto come to, there was some who didn’t. As Isay it was a rough trip!

There were stars outside at least, none of ushad any idea which ones they were but anyseemed better than what we had run from,

damned fools that we were. I went to Torkael,he was all done in but he chattered at me fora while before he went and he said what hesaw. He said it were a great horde of daemonsout of hell, harnessed to a chariot inside ofwhich was a horned thing with skin of bloodand a dozen arms tipped with black claws.Then he looked me in the eyes and said that itweren’t over yet and that I should get to anescape pod straightway. Then he splutteredand died. There was something about the wayhe spoke, and before I could really think on itI was in a ship’s boat looking out the port. Iwas just beginning to call meself a damnedfool when I saw it.

It was like something fluid was movingbetween me and the stars, making them gofuzzy and blurred. Staring hard I could justabout make out an outline circling around thepoor old Oath like some beast o’the void. As Iwatched a slash appeared, a great tearthrough which I could catch a glimpse of theinfernal warp as a great crimson ship shearedits way through. Then I felt the fear again, itcaught me and paralysed me and forced me tostand and stare at the horn growing from thepitted hull, at the barbed tentacles hanging offit, at the way the hull bubbled into the shapesof screaming faces. Then there was a roar thatshook the oath as the devil ship fired itsengines, if its engines they were, for the roarwas the scream of a million suffering souls inthe furnace of hell. The thing turned toward usand I could see the crimson ship but I couldalso see through it to the daemon host and thecharioteer that Torkael had mentioned and Icast off and fired me engines. The ship’s boatturned over and over as it fell away, I carednot to steer, just to go fast as I could. Theacceleration knocked me all about, afore Iblacked out I saw the crimson ship rip throughthe old Oath of Praxus, splitting her hull likebutter while the hooks sliced into the crewfaster than ye could blink, bursting them anddragging them in the wake. Damn me for aliar if ye will but I could hear the screams.

So, my fine folks, that was how Clem came tothese shores. I will never see my own kindagain on account of I will never sail theImmaterium again. I know that you youngfolk all reckon us humans are mad crazed tosay what we do about the Warp and whatcomes out of it but if ye had just one look at ityou’d know the truth. Still, take my oath,you’re best served without it. Greater Good eh?I’ll drink to that, that and my lost shipmates’.

DAEMONSHIPS

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Who can say how the Daemonships came to be?Some say they are created when ship’s crewssacrifice themselves to the dark gods, seekingimmortality in return for daemonic servitude.Alternatively, it is argued that they are ships ofthe damned, condemned by acts so heinous asto defy description, their crews and captains inthrall to the dark gods forever. Those whoknow something of the Warp claim thatDaemonvessels are ships lost in the Warp. Forcenturies or even millennia, they disappearfrom the real universe only to re-emerge with acrew of daemonkind.

Tales of Daemonships go back to the earliestdays of the Imperium. Often the ships are meremanifestations, appearing to spread terror butdisappearing as quickly with no tangibleevidence that they were really there. The greatorbital space dock above Sorraspair 3 was saidto be plagued by such an apparition prior to itsdestruction by the Thousand Sons in M.37. Thelegend says the apparition took the form of agreat battleship built in an ancient style, whichcircled the station, its hull wreathed in balefire, transmitting a continual plea foradmittance.

There are rumours exchanged by Navigators ofspectral ships that ply the Warp. The Navigatorsperceive these ships both as twisted parodies ofnormal ships and as convocations of daemons.There are tales of these Daemonships pursuingtheir prey back to the material universe. Thishas led to the theory that Daemonships canonly leave the Warp by following in the wake of

another vessel and that at other times they aretrapped in an endlessly shifting ocean ofmadness. Typically, there has never beenenough reliable evidence to confirm anyhypothesis.

Although most of the tales of Daemonshipsdescribe them as lone hunters capturedrenegade navigators have, under closeinterrogation, suggested that pacts can bemade with any of the daemons of the Warp.Normally, the time that a daemon can spend inreal space is severely limited. Without thepower of the Warp to sustain it, then it will bediminished, gradually losing its stability beforetranslating back to where it came from. Thisprocess can be prevented by ritual worship orby binding the daemon in an object or livingthing. To know exactly how this is done isforbidden knowledge but it stands to reasonthat possessing a great ship would give adaemonic host greatly enhanced stability. Intime of war, one could expect the Sorcerers ofAbaddon to add to the strength of his fleetswith such apparitions if they are able to.

The incidence of sightings of Daemonships hasbeen tenuously linked to the incidence of flaresof the warp storms comprising the Eye ofTerror. If this connection is verifiable it givesgreat cause for concern for no less than sevenwarp storms are currently in flare, the most forcenturies. If ever it were possible for suchmonstrosities to be bound to the service ofrenegades and heretics then that time is now.

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USING DAEMONSHIPS IN BATTLEFLEET GOTHICThe basic profile of a ship, which is upgradedto a Daemonship remains unchanged. It doesnot matter what broadside weapons youreplace with Daemonship components theship’s profile is not changed.

The points cost to upgrade a Capital ship to aDaemonship is as follows:

Battleship .......................................+50 points

Grand Cruiser ................................+30 points

Heavy Cruiser .................................+25 points

Cruiser.............................................+20 points

A Daemonship may not be commanded by aWarmaster or a Chaos Lord even if it is thelargest ship in the fleet. This is an exception tothe normal rule. A Daemonship may not have aChaos Space Marine crew. Any number ofcapital ships can be upgraded to Daemonshipssubject to these limitations.

Daemonships cannot carry Exterminatusweapons and do not score any points forlanding troops in a planetary assault (thedaemons are bound within the hull of theirvessel, whilst able to board enemy shipsnormally in the context of a BFG game theywould become unstable if holding a planetaryobjective for any length of time).

Any Daemonship may have a single Mark ofChaos with the same effects and cost in pointsas described in the Battlefleet Gothic main rulebook.

Daemonship Leadership is rolled as normal(1=6, 2,3=7, 4,5=8, 6=9)

SPECIAL RULESDeployment by Warp translationA Daemonship may be kept off table at the startof a game. The rest of the fleet is deployed asstated in the rules for the mission being played.The Daemonship(s) are actually lurking in theWarp waiting to either be summoned by one ofthe on-table Chaos ships or drawn to the ripesouls aboard an enemy ship. In the End phaseof any Chaos turn, after the first, they may enterplay from the Warp as follows:

Select a friendly or enemy Capital ship, only aCapital ship contains enough supplicants orvictims to draw a Daemonship from the Warp.Position the Daemonship within 20cm of thechosen vessel facing in any direction desired bythe Chaos player controlling it. Next, roll 4D6and a Scatter dice and reposition theDaemonship accordingly, keeping the ship onthe same heading. If a ‘Hit’ is rolled on theScatter dice, then the Daemonship arrives ontarget.

The arriving Daemonship is unaffected byCelestial phenomena and does not triggerattack by ordnance markers it may happen toland on. If it would appear in contact with anenemy vessel, reposition it by up to 1 cm sothat it is out of contact.

Spectral DaemonshipsThe Daemonship has now pierced the fabric ofreal space and has started to manifest itself. It isnot entirely present in real space, however,although it is real enough for enemy vessels totrack its location and react to its presence. It isin effect a spectre. Any enemy vesselattempting a special order when within 15cm

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of it is at -1 Leadership. Apart from this, it hasno effect, can do nothing to affect enemy shipsand cannot be harmed in return. It cannotlaunch ordnance, trigger mines, be affected byCelestial phenomena, nothing, at all – OK!

At the end of any subsequent Chaos End phaseit may complete the translation to real space. Itdoes not have to and may remain a spectral,haunting presence as long as the Chaos playerwishes. When the decision is made to translateto real space roll a D6 - on a roll of 2 or moreit becomes solid. This final translation cannotbe made if the Daemonship is in contact withan enemy vessel. No actions can be undertakenin the End phase during which final translationoccurs (no sneaky teleport boarding attacks orsuchlike). From this point on the Daemonshipis solid and fights like a normal ship.

Disengaging and returning – ‘haunting’A Daemonship may disengage at the end of anyChaos Movement phase without having tomake any dice roll. It simply drops back intothe Warp leaving no trace.

A disengaged Daemonship may re-enter playon any Chaos turn following the one in whichit disengages. This is done following thetranslation rules detailed above.

If it was damaged when it disengaged it may berepaired when it returns, roll a d6,

1,2 or 3 – no change,

4 or 5 +1 hull point,

6 +2 hull points.

Add +1 to the roll if it is a battleship.

Add +1 for each full turn the Daemonshipspent in the Warp.

A returning Daemonship cannot come backwith more hits than it could normally have. Atthe end of the game a Daemonship whichdisengaged (even just once) will count ashaving disengaged for Victory points purposes,unless of course it is destroyed or crippledwhen the normal rules apply.

Assembling DaemonshipsAny Chaos capital ship can be converted to a Daemonship by replacing its bridge sections withthe new components provided, along with some or all of the Chaos vessel plastic broadsidecomponents.

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