40K Lore: Oddboyz Of The Orks
No species is as uniquely adaptable as the Orks. Even the Tyranid, whose very existence is about consumption, incorporation, and adaptation, cannot hope to match the reckless zeal with which the Orks adapt to, and then fight, their environs.
Gather ’round Loremasters. Today’s lecture on the dangers of Agriworlds, “If It Grows It Can Kill You” has been postponed indefinitely as Loremaster Zacharius has been reassigned to an outpost on distant Vigilus, a world of little renown. Instead we shall continue our series on another kind of deadly growth–the Orks. No species is as capable of adapting to and engaging their surroundings in deadly combat as the Orks. They are full of low cunning at best, and their technology can be described, charitably, as ramshackle, but there is no denying the resilience that comes from their unique adaptation.
Whether it is finding ways to use the unique environs they dwell in as weapons of war, or in an Ork Clan’s ability to produce exactly the kind of Ork needed to get the job done, this startling breadth of diversity does nothing but aid the Orks’ cause. They are strong because they are diverse. They are diverse, because they are adaptable. So let us take a look at some of the diversity that makes the Orks better able to cope with the threats to a Waaagh!!! in the hopes that we might learn something ourselves. And there is no greater example of diversity than the Oddboyz.
If Orks were just single-minded killing machines they would be dangerous enough, but they would be unable to sustain the level of technology required to ply the stars. Gretchin, though obedient if beaten with sufficient regularity, are not inventive enough to maintain the weaponry that the Orks possess, nor to patch up casualties when the going gets tough. These highly technical demands are met by a caste of Orks known as Oddboyz.
Though it may seem strange to humans, Oddboyz all possess an innate understanding of their fields of expertise without having to be taught. A Mekboy knows how to create engines and generators even though he has never been taught to do so, and a Painboy instinctively knows which squirty tube connects to which wriggly bit when he is delving into some unfortunate patient’s abdomen. If asked where this knowledge comes from an Oddboy might reply that it was in his blood all along.
This showcases the inherent adaptability of the Orks. When they need someone to patch up their wounded, a Painboy arises. A Mekboy evolves and instinctually knows how to build the ships that they travel across the stars in. If this knowledge is in fact genetic, and the same genetic dispensation of expertise could somehow be applied to humans–without grafting xenos DNA to humanity’s pure, untouched gene sequence, of course, that would be heresy–but some kind of hybrid creation might mean that humanity could make leaps and strides forward.
It seems possible that the abilities of Orks to build machines, practice medicine or even use psychic powers are passed down through Ork society on a primordial, biological level. No studies of the greenskins have ever successfully determined how this process works. Yet it seems most likely that the knowledge is hardwired into the very cellular make-up of the Orks, perhaps a legacy left to them by their legendary Brainboyz. However he comes by his latent knowledge, as an Ork matures it will start to make itself apparent, leading him to assume the role in Ork society for which he is best suited. Should he lack any specialist knowledge, the Ork will happily join the vast throng of Boyz at the heart of each tribe and content himself with a life of murder and mayhem.
There are five distinct types of Oddboy: Painboyz, Weirdboyz, Runtherds, Flyboyz, and Mekboyz. Each one fulfills their own specialized role in an Orkish Waaagh!!! Their abilities are well documented, but what we here at the Lexicanum are concerned about is–are there more Oddboyz out there? What if the recent events in the Galaxy require an even more adaptable Ork? It is a staggering thought, Loremasters. A staggering thought.
For now, let us rest assured that the Orks are content with the Oddboyz they have, and hope that nothing else Odd or Weird comes out of their ranks.
