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++The following is an excerpt taken from an interview with Astartes Sergeant Aeneas and Interrogator Buria ++ ++Inquisition Eyes Only++ Buria: Sergeant Aeneas, you are a member of the Shattered Suns yes? A member of the 5th company I am led to believe? Aeneas: Yes Interrogator, I am indeed. Buria: Do you know why you are here? Any idea whatsoever? Aeneas: I can suspect on that account. Buria: Can you? Aeneas: Yes. I suspect I am here because, like the rest of my Chapter, we are one of the few living individuals to have survived against the skrið dauða. Or mostly survived. You and I both know most did not, either in that first, bloody encounter, or the wars after. Buria: That is correct. They are alleged to be operating in Conjuction with Abaddon, and the Imperial Inquisition believes the Shattered Suns are one of our greatest resources. Aeneas: Only took you 200 years, but I see how it is. We'd be going after them in any case inquisitor, I suspect a bit of help may be appreciated. But let me start from the beginning. Aftui` 200 years earlier Hab Spire 7/Level 425(Underhive) Squad Aesychlus had found itself in the Underhive, defending besieged citizens from the monsters that roamed the streets, the cultists in rags, and other...things. Aeneas snapped off a three round burst, the bolt shells detonating in the Plague Ogryns rotting gut, spewing a slurry of offal onto the cobblestone. Another two humans staggered out of the fog, one bearing an antiquated las weapon,the other a rusty cleaver. Both men charged him, but Aeneas deigned to waste holy ammunition on these dregs and simply crushed them beneath his boot. He turned to Cambrius, one hand shielding a child, the other firing with a bolt pistol. "Brother! Are you well?" Cambrius nodded, the grilled face plate presenting a bleak visage to the world. His bolt pistol roared again, and Aeneas heard rather than saw the fury of whatever his Brother had hit. The ground rumbled as it approached the putrid fog obscuring anything but the shape, a hulking thing with large shoulders and a hunched form.Aeneas felt his heart sink. Terminators... His head snapped as an autorifle round impacted and he turned, firing on the knot of cultists eho were attempting to bracket him with Heavy Stubber fire. A warning pulsated in his visor. Low Munitions Low Munitions SEEK RESUPPLY "Brothers! I am low on munitions! Anyone have any spares?" Wuldrad passed him two more magazines, and Aeneas expended the spent one, his bolter steaming. The other Astartes nodded once before moving past him, plasma weapon juddering in his hands, eager to release the Sun. The gorund shuddered again, and Wuldrad let out a roar, one finger pointing to the target. Aeneas turned and saw his guess was right. Two Chaos terminators were striding forward, their once crimson armor now faded, the leering Daemon skull marking their Allegiance to the XVII. One bore two crackling claws, the tips twitching, while the other had a power fist and combi bolter. Aesychlus came on the vox, "Terminators. Wuldrad, Aeneas, take the one with the fist! Ovidio, on me! Cambrius, let none pass!" "Affirmative." Wuldrad began a steady streamy of plasma, the bolts melting and penetrating into the rancid flesh of the Word Bearer, who simply growled. Aeneas began to fire on the joints, ceramite exploding with loud pops. Both astartes kept firing as the beast began to slow, and Wuldrad bellowed as the combi bolter caught him in the shins, knocking him to one knee. Aeneas ripped two grenades from his belt, priming them both as he did it and let fly. He dragged Wuldrad away as the terminator exploded, the damage far to much to bear. He heard a grunt and saw Ovidio go down, one arm spinning away, the other clutching at his neck, blood gouting in a stready flow. Aesychlus was a viper, moving two quickly to be hit, the power sword finding chinks in armor and severing servo muscle bundles. Cambrius had already grabbed Ovidio, but paused when he saw the sergeant knock away a clw and ramming his sword under the chin of the Traitor, the glowing blade coming out of the tusked helm. He staggered away, and Aeneas caught him as he stumbled, noting the damage to his Sergeants chest, the black aquila marred, and the blood leaking from 4 punctures. The 5 marines managed to get into the open shelter, hoping the other half of the squad was more successful in sabotaging the bridge three levels down. Intense Firefight by vazzy2012, on Flickr Primus Squad,under command of Sergeant Aesychlus. Primus would be engaged in a running war across Aftui` and would be one of the few to escape before the planets destruction. Cultist Cam by vazzy2012, on Flickr Captured from a damaged servo skull. Phobos rifle implies Brother Ovidio, the caretaker of this rare weapon.

T he world before me is a barren orb of ash, blood, and mud. It is the fifth of it’s kind we have encountered. Lord Guilliman has tasked us with border security, and the 129th obeys. We departed Macragge four years prior, resupplied by her forges, and reinforced by her scholams. One thousand warriors, bearing the double hammers of Tallassar. Four years since we encountered another warrior of our legion. Four years since any news of Terra has reached us. Six years since the Betrayal. Our connection with Macragge has failed us, the technology used to command us, gone. Lord Fidelitas has split the company, assigning my sub-company to follow up on distress beacons set off by our worlds. It is a thankless job, and we have been chasing shadows, having last fired a bolter in anger over six months ago. Mostly, we find a dead world, arcane sigils etched into the dirt. These we raze, I will not have the shame of them blighting the honor of Ultramar. We find some survivors, but they are rare, and often do not survive more than a week, no matter how much we try. The rest are…broken. The warp has twisted their minds in such a way that we often are forced to put them down. There is no war here. Only death and despair. “Ruminations on Betrayal” Sebastus Ixion -Sub-Tribune, 129th Co. XIII, Legio Astartes The 129th company, following rearmament on Macragge, would be assigned by Roboute Guilliman with hunting down and countering the ongoing Shadow Crusade led by Lorgar and Angron. Captain Fidelitas would opt to persecute this mission by pursuing the Chapter of the Ruined King, led by Lord Allant. This blood feud would last the length of the Heresy, and would conclude over a millennia later, with many of the parties involved remembering little, if any of the reason for the initial vendetta. However, that is a story for another time. This chronicle is instead focused on the exploits of Sub-Tribune Ixion and his veteran elite. Ixion would lead a force of about 100 separate form the rest of the company, dealing with various traitor incursions that might threaten the flanks of the company. This action would see them battle various forces under the banner of Horus, including the Warmaster’s own. Referred to as Strike Force Alpha, the warriors under Ixion were some of the 129th’s best void and terminator warriors, renowned for their first strike capacity and armored assaults on the ground. As such, it was something of a shock when the task force was reassigned to Ixion. What to say of Sebastus Ixion? ‘Lion of Tallassar’, ‘Lord of the Void Born’, he was a decorated, if somewhat unremarkable captain of the Thirteenth. Part of the 129th that had been in orbit during the Betrayal, he repelled three waves of Word Bearer assault forces attempting to take the company’s flagship, earning an Iron Halo he wore with pride until his demise. Soft of voice, Ixion was respected, if not particularly well liked by his fellow officers in the 129th, though this had little to do with his abilities, and instead reflected upon the cult of personality Luciel Fidelitas had built around himself prior to his elevation as Senior Captain. Some murmured that Ixion had rankled at the young man being promoted above him, but closed logs from the deciding vote made it clear that Ixion had nothing but respect for the young man who would go on to lead the company into the Scouring and beyond. This account will pick up immediately prior to traitor incursions into the Hadrius System, and will end immediately following the start of the Scouring. It will include multiple interludes, as well as Character profiles depicting important figures from the campaign. This author will not pretend that this account is unbiased. It is written by a survivor of said campaign, and includes various interview profiles taken from Astartes, mortal, and Mechanicum perspectives. More information is available upon request. +++PICT CAPTURE//XIII.CXXIX.FABIAN+++ +++Note: Many XIII Legio companies had began to move towards alternative heraldry as legion forces dispersed throughout Ultramar. This particular scheme is believed to have referred to themselves as the 'Shattered Suns'. Origin is unclear, though possibly a reference to the death of the Veridian star.+++ +++Laurel and Gladius insignia represents void specialist, not surprising considering armament.+++

"Damn the torpedoes! All ahead full!" -Admiral Dvid Fargutt, M.2 The Grand Cruiser Libertas Reginam broke from the warp with a scream, the immaterium refusing to let her go. Her escort vessels, a small strike force of 10 other cruisers and a multitude of escorts followed close behind, quickly gathering in formation as the auspex went live. The return immediately showed a mass of XVII legion in orbit over Autrex Prime, already moving to engage the 129th's strike force. The Fleetmaster, Captain Sawn Konnore reviewed the information from the hololithic display, the 3d representation of the battle space updated every second. He was a proud man, renowned amongst his brethren as one of the best fleet masters in the legion. His armor was an artificed variant of Mk III, festooned with armorial awards, and bonding studs. He carried a sheathed blade across his back, the handle spartan in comparison to the rest of the weapon. In the crook of his arm, a Macragge pattern vox helm rested, covered in esoteric instruments to aid with visualization and communication of the battlespace. He was silent as information began to be called out by his subordinates. Commander Juntar spoke out from his station below the command rotunda, "XVII Legion ships!Assault formation! Fleet Master! They outnumber us three to one!" Sawn looked over at his second in command, his white beard and hair painted a dull red by the command lighting. "Then it is an even fight. Warborn, Tallassar Rex, Jewel of Veridia! Execute the Vairos Feint, targeting the Battle-Barge Ex Valoris. All other vessels! Fire at will! Burn their traitorous hides!" Juntar looked to him, "And us sire?" ​"Find me their Commander. Let us cast them from the sky." [Warborn, Libertas Reginam, Talassar Rex] [Fleet Master Sawn Konnere] [Alternate angle of Konnere, Lawbringer is on display]