Liber Challenge - Thousand Sons 9th Company, 1st Fellowship

[Archidamus]

XV^th Legion, Thousand Sons

 

Primarch: Magnus the Red, the Crimson King

 

9^th Company, 1^st Fellowship

 

 

Organisation

Estimated Strength: 300 Legionaries

 

Cohort of the Shattered Stars- 100 Legionaries

 

Cohort of the Veiled Dawn- 75 Legionaries

 

Cohort of Arimaspi- 75 Legionaries

 

Anubic Wardens- 50 Legionaries

 

Company Command

• Hierarch-Captain Thaeron- Cohort of Shattered Stars
• Centurion-Librarian Jadus – Cohort of the Veiled Dawn
• Centurion Kthophis- Cohort of Arimaspi
• Paragon Urhiya -Anubic Wardens
• The Medjai- Thaeron’s chosen

 

Legionaries of note

• Apothecary Xavier
• Veteran Sergeant Metjen
• Tactical Sergeant Arkanis
• Destroyer Sergeant Xerxes
• Support Squad Sergeant Sal Khata

 

Company Dreadnoughts

• Contemptor Rahotep
• Leviathan Aaheru

Fleet Assets

Strike Cruiser: Hyperion

Frigates: Eye of Ra and Nova Dawn

Destroyers: Cerberus, Magna Carter, Ruby Scarab

 

 

History of the 9^th Company

 

The 9^th Company of the XV^th has a long and storied history dating back to when the legion first broke the orbit of Terra to join in the unification of the Sol system. At the time Thaeron and Jadus had only recently been inducted into the legion’s growing ranks. It was a time before the genetic curse that would prove to almost be their undoing.

 

As their brother legions began to push out of the Sol system the XV^th Legion -now known more widely as the ‘Thousand Sons’- began to notice small oddities in combat. A few scattered reports came in of enemies spontaneously combusting, legionaries deflecting mortal blows, and even being able to predict enemy movements as if they’d be involved in their deployment patterns. It would later go on to become more widespread within the legion’s ranks as they grew in size and pushed ever outwards. Then the changes happened.

 

The legion was being betrayed by their own flesh. Hundreds of legionaries lost their lives in combat when their flesh rebelled and they either died to the enemy or the mercy killing of their brothers. The Emperor attempted unsuccessfully to repair the legion’s damaged genetics. But his attention was ever drawn to conflict and finding his lost sons. He could rebuild the entire legion if he found their Primarch. He had weighed the values of the thousands of legionaries to the life of a Primarch.

 

Already looked on with suspicion from those few Primarchs already found such as Leman Russ, for their so called gifts, the legion began to be shunned and calls for their termination were abound. 

 

 

Betrayal at Miniron

 

9^th company would suffer tragically to the flesh change and the suspicions that surrounded the legion. The Legion alongside a Terran army group arrived above the world of Miniron, a backwater world that had refused the rule of Terra and the Emperor. Army recon units had infiltrated the system a week before the forces of the XV^th would arrive. The aim would be to crush the resistance in one fell swoop and bring imperial rule to Miniron quickly and efficiently. However schemers within the ranks of the Imperial Army had decided to take matters into their own hands and deal with what they saw as a problem; the rampant genetic defects of the Thousand Sons.

 

The intelligence given to the Thousand Sons contained mostly false drop locations, or out of date locations, and enemy force deployments. This was design to create the illusion that the enemy knew they were about to be attacked or that the recon units were incompetent and a variety of other reasons. So it was that the Thousand Sons took the word of those they believed to be allies and devised their plan of attack. It was the 9^th company that were given the honour of leading the charge under command of hierarch-captain Aaheru. 

 

The resulting first attack began with the 9^th company dropping into heavily fortified positions of advanced weaponry and elite units. Where their intelligence had suggest minimal resistance or poorly protected command centres were actually more akin to dropping into an active volcano. What resulted was a bloody breakout action for all the Thousand Sons forces deployed to the surface. Reports streamed into legion command. Intel was wrong and that they had been lied to.

 

The army forces withdrew to a safe distance as the legion’s fleet was engaged in a brief void war. Captain Aaheru was mortally wounded as he tried to lead the breakout action of the 9^th company. Upon seeing his commander struck down Jadus’ powers became a wild frenzy almost consuming him, his mind unprepared for such an influx of raw emotion and power.  Centurion Thaeron took command and attempted to lead his shattered force out of their drop zone.

 

After six bloody hours of fighting it was the arrival of the X^th legion, the Iron Hands and their Primarch Ferrus Manus, who would break the Thousand Sons out of their desperate situation. It is said that Manus was outraged that the army commanders had sought to take actions into their own hands and destroy the Thousand Sons. They were of the legions and were above the reproach of mortal commanders. Many of the officers were stripped of their ranks with Ferrus personally deciding to take the army contingent with him to redeem themselves against a newly discovered Xenos race known as the Hrud.

 

The legion had been badly mauled. Many officers and legionaries died to the treachery of distrust. The flesh change was also becoming more rampant. Thaeron would be promoted to captain of the 9^th company and Aaheru would be interred into a dreadnought. The legion would endure, but for how much longer?

 

 

Masters of the Legion

The years that followed the legion’s suffering at the hands of the flesh change had increased. The legion master had succumbed and now new leadership was required. The top contenders for the position were the twin brothers Ahzek and Ohrmuzd Ahriman. However many legionaries now showed the early signs of the flesh change. It was at the meeting to elect a new legion master that Thaeron made his views known.

 

From what he had witnessed those who suffered the most were those would use their powers more frequently than others. He had seen his close friend Jadus nearly consumed by his powers. The twin brothers were no exception. Ohrmuzd was already showing the early signs of the change. Thaeron said it would be foolish to elect a new master who would succumb despite how hard they resisted the changes. They also shouldn’t risk a master who would become distracted by another succumbing to the change.

 

Despite how general he made his words sound it was evident he referred to the brothers. So he offered a solution. Nominate someone else to lead whilst they could evaluate the state of Ahzek and Ohrmuzd. There was no dispute that they would make fine Legion Masters, but Thaeron would not see his legion die to lack of a focused leader. In a turn that surprised him, he himself was nominated as temporary legion master until such a time that either Ahzek or Ohrmuzd could take the mantle.

 

Thaeron would hold the rank for nearly five years before stepping down to allow Ahzek to become the new Legion Master. The determination that he had shown in resisting his own flesh change marked him out among his brothers. He would make a fine commander for the legion.

 

Reunions: The coming of Magnus

It was a time of great celebration once the Thousand Sons were reunited with their gene sire. Magnus heralded a new dawn for his sons, curing them of their genetic curse. He was too late to save some but many had survived. A time of rebuilding and restructuring took hold of the legion. Much of its Terran identity was shed away as many of those warriors from Terra were now dead.

 

Thaeron adopted many of the martial and aesthetic customs of the people of Prospero. He reformed his shattered company into three cohorts. The first he would lead, the second would be led by his chief adviser and close friend, Jadus. The last position would be filled by a new recruit from Prospero, Kthophis.  

 

Within a few years much of the legion had reformed and regrown with 9^th company among them. The legion was ready to go to war once more.  The initial years the wars that Thaeron fought in were the same as before. But as time moved ever onward he began to notice the continued downtime between engagements. The increased cataloging of cultural information and leaving pleas for aid unanswered or simply pushed aside irked the veteran captain. It was becoming increasingly obvious that they were beginning to fall behind in their conquests.

 

Thaeron’s annoyance had grown to a point where he could no longer contain it. When the legion returned to Prospero to rearm and resupply he made his opinions known to Magnus. None really know what transpired between father and son when they laid their views on the legion’s path.

 

It can be summarised however that Thaeron’s primary concerns were the increased and reliant use of psychic powers to win wars and the amount of downtime between engagements as the legion lingered on worlds it had conquered.  On more than one occasion his views ended up with confrontations between his fellow captains, even ending up with Thaeron breaking Hathor Maat’s nose in a sparring match when he called Thaeron a 'relic of a bygone age who didn’t deserve to serve as a captain in the legion due to his less refined and skilled us of psychic powers'. It was after this that Thaeron took the 9^th company and left Prospero’s orbit in response to a request for aid from the 2101^st expeditionary fleet.

Whether or not Magnus ordered this none can really say. However the 9^th company would often return to Prospero and receive the gratitude of their Primarch for the worlds they brought into the Imperial fold. Indeed the Thousand Sons were increasingly being sought for by the expeditionary fleets for aid in their own conquests.

 

Notable Campaigns

 

 

Eradication of 4-2101 ‘Orion’ / the Husk War

“Astorum’s engines are on the move. Squads Priamus and Arkanis we’ve got to clear out that CIC or the titans will never get through to support the assault.”

 

Orion was a world located to the galactic south of the growing Imperium and relativity out of the way of the primary expeditionary fleets. It was mere chance that landed the 2101^st expeditionary fleet into the Orus sub-sector.

 

The sub-sector had been cut off from contact for thousands of years. In the absence of trade from fellow humans the sector’s inhabitants created semi-sentient machines to take up the work load and venture to the other worlds that made up the Orus sub-sector. It wasn’t long until all five planets utilised the machines in all walks of live. It wasn’t long until they decided a change in leadership was in order.

 

The machines rose up against their creators and in a swift day every planet was under the combined rule of the Husks (so called by their human creators for their lack of human soul). The Husks subjected the humans for centuries, and never once did they try to reclaim their homes.

 

When the combined might of the XVth Legion and Imperial Army arrived in orbit around the first planet it was clear that these machines had to be annihilated. The Magos of the Legio Cybernetica, Sa’Muel, argued with Thaeron about his plans to destroy every last trace of the sentient machines. He wanted to preserve some of study to improve their understanding of such things (and to augment his own Cybernetica cohorts).

 

Fighting proved to be fierce on all the worlds. The soulless machines proved to be a formidable force. In those early engagements many army companies were wiped out stunting progress. After these losses mounted up Thaeron deployed his brothers, unleashing their hatred for the machines. Quickly the tides turned in the Imperium’s favour.

 

Eventually on the world of Orion the main elite force of Husks would be confronted. More powerful and augmented than the variations and deviations of Husks on the other planets, Orion would prove to be a bloody maelstrom. With the arrival of a demi-legio from Astorum Thaeron could begin his assault on Orion. The army would bear the brunt of the assault and siege work with the Cybernetica cohorts in support, bolstering their lines and preventing them from breaking. Thaeron’s Thousand Sons would seek and destroy critical infrastructure that allowed the Husks to fight, command-in-control stations, power stations, communication hubs. All would be destroyed.  This was all a distraction however. The titans wouldn’t be able to land near the main assault and would have to march up the main highway to the primary gates. Once there the Husk’s capital city would fall. 

 

 

 

Remnants of Ullanor

“Where’s Thaeron!?”

“Orbital imagery from the Hyperion confirms sir, the Shattered Stars’ craft are being shot down.”

“Curse the Ork’s wretched luck. This is Jadus to the Cohort of the Veiled Dawn, we have to hold this beachhead until reinforcements arrive!”

 

Blade of the Imperium

Having fallen out of favour with the Primarch Magnus, captain Thaeron led his company in search of the broken Ork tribes of Ullanor. Convoys and army expeditionary forces alike had been reporting raiding activity by ever growing warbands. The Great Crusade was reaching its grand apex and the outer reaches of the growing Imperium were slowly being buried in the crusade archives on distant Terra. One of the forces reporting such Ork attacks was the 2101^st expeditionary fleet, the same fleet that Thaeron’s company had served with prior to the triumph at Ullanor.

 

Thaeron took it upon himself to relieve and push back the greenskins on the borders of Imperial space. Despite the carnage and the accurate reports it took the Hyperion and her escort flotilla several weeks to track down the first of a dozen worlds held in the grasp of Ork warlords.  With Magnus’ reprimand fresh in his mind Thaeron committed to a brutal ground war waged under his revised and reborn Obsidian Protocol. He aimed to prove to Magnus that the Thousand Sons were just as an efficient force as the Ultramarines, a deadly first strike like Warmaster’s Luna Wolves, and as unpredictable as the White Scars. 

 

Thaeron’s strategy for dealing with the Orks was a brutally simple one; break through the Ork’s orbital defences and launch an all-out assault on the warlord’s location. Initially this reckless strategy worked with moderate success. Using the powers of the Corvidae and Athanaean legionaries the Hyperion was able to punch its way through almost all of the orbital defences the Orks could muster. Once in orbit pinpoint lance strikes would fire just before the strike forces made planetfall, this caused massive chaos, confusion, and destruction among the Ork lines even before the drop pods hammered into the ground.  Then came the world of Nautica.

 

The Reclamation Nautica

A world of large Continental Islands and a single central land mass, Nautica would prove the most challenging of the Ork strongholds to destroy. Little did they know but Nautica would become a bloody reckoning for the legionaries of the 9^th company.

 

Initial augury and scout ship reports of the Nautica system forced Thaeron to create a new plan of attack. The orbital systems the Orks controlled were captured Imperial weapons platforms, and demi-star forts. That was not the worst of it however, due to the rapid advances of the Thousand Sons much of the Ork fleet had retreated to Nautica. It was here that the Ork’s primary spaceport was located. The system couldn’t be taken by the Thousand Sons alone. So it was that they sent out a plea for reinforcements to the closest Imperial fleet. Mere days later the entire strength of the 2101^st expeditionary fleet arrived en-system. Thaeron could now plan the full scale reclamation of Nautica.

 

The planet was made up of a myriad of Ork strongholds. The plan was simple. The Thousand Sons would led the assault in three strike forces. They would punch a hole into Ork lines destroying fixed positions such as bunkers and anti-aircraft nests. This would allow the Imperial Army, Legio Cybernetica, and the titans of the demi legio Astorum to land their forces and begin to fortify the beachhead and launch multiple strikes whilst pushing forwards on the largest of the strongholds. 

 

The Obsidian Protocol

The Obsidian Protocol is a specific sub-set of orders whereby no legionary of the 9^th could use his psychic powers as his primary form of offensive if his current situation could be fought by conventional means. The original version of the protocol prohibited any powers without direct authorization from the captain.

The revised version allowed for a greater degree of flexibility in a legionary's use of his powers. As long as they were used at their own discretion or to help a fellow brother, then they could use their powers.  Thaeron very much believed that his warriors could win any battle without their powers. Their boltgun and chainsword should see them through anything that the galaxy could throw at them, with their powers being used a secondary resource to augment their fighting capabilities rather than their primary method of waging war.

 

 

 

The Blood of Wolves/Fratricide on Nautica

“All is Dust.”

 

It was three months after Prospero burned that the 9^th company felt the wrath of the wolves. With the bulk of the Vlka Fenryka burning their way through the Thousand Sons fiefdoms, the task of destroying the somewhat isolated 9^th company fell to a small strike force. At the time of the force’s creation it was believed that the 9^th company was no stronger than one-hundred legionaries. The wolves would learn at their cost how outmatched they would be.

 

Thaeron's 9^th company were still part way through the compliance of an the last Ork  stronghold on Nautica when the wolves scout ships arrived in system. Their unannounced arrival irked flag-captain Artemisia of the Hyperion. Perhaps they didn’t know Legionary forces were present and acted as they would to a normal mortal general, not to a seasoned Terran veteran.

 

Ignoring all hails from the Thousand Sons fleet the Wolves cruiser now identified as Bloodied Fang powered directly into drop position above Nautica alongside her escorts and unleashed the first of its forces. A trio of gunships and drops pods plummeted to the surface, directly next to captain Thaeron’s crash location. It was then that the fleet started to take fire. At first Artemisia was in shock. Her fleet had been blindsided by this unprovoked attack. She tried one last time to hail the Bloodied Fang ordering them to cease hostilities or face retaliation. She received no reply.

 

Fortunately for Artemisia her fleet was much larger than that of the wolves. She had the advantage of numbers, but they still managed to get the first punch and had crippled the Destroyer Ruby Scarab. Ordering the fleet to move out of high anchor she rearranged them into an aggressive line of attack. The Hyperion taking the center. To her port the frigates Eye of Ra and to starboard Nova Dawn​. In a flanking position the remaining destroyers Magna Carter and Cerberus prepared to attack from the Wolves' blindsides. Captain Artemisia summarized that the Wolves had expected the support of the other Imperial ships in the sector. The attack reeked of over-confidence and arrogance.

 

Artemisia had only one immediate priority: capture the Bloodied Fang and exterminate the mongrels aboard her. She couldn’t count of the boarding support of the Ascendant Dawn of the 2101^st expeditionary fleet. The fleet of General Orlon and Magos Sa’Muel were still deploying troops and fighting of the remaining Ork void stragglers.

 

She still had one trick up her sleeve; the Anubic Wardens the 9th company's boarding elite. Clad in their praesidium pattern armour this elite unit was formed from those warriors with a deference towards close quarters combat. They are further augmented by the powers of the Pyrae and Raptora cult legionaries. They were a formidable in zone mortalis engagements. It was this unit of legionaries that  Artemisia pinned her hopes on.

 

As the Hyperion moved into boarding range flanked by her escorts the battle on the ground was about to begin.

 

+Boarding Action account: Anubic Wardens: Paragon Urhiya+

 

“Urhiya to Hyperion breach successful. Moving onto primary target. Urhiya out.” Urhiya hefted his boarding shield and led his squad in formation into the secondary corridor. Behind them the armoured bulkhead they had cut through was still glowing hot. The sharp prongs of their assault pod still gripping the hull. He flexed his right fist. The servos were still a bit stiff, Praesidium armour was a marvel almost the perfect mix of iron and maximus patterns.

 

Urhiya had been informed by the forge world of Praesidium that they would attempt to create a version of the armour using the new MkVI platform once it was fully approve for mass production. The armour was very much a heavy plated version of maximus armour but kept most of the advanced systems and user comfort of the MkIV armour. It was difficult to produce however so its distribution was low.

 

Urhiya checked his bolter then mag-locked it to his hip again. His short sword was mag-locked to his shield. He checked his chrono. Five minutes since breach. “Squad move onto primary objective alpha, we’re taking out the internal defences.” The squad advanced methodically shields raised and linked. Behind the Anubic Breachers followed an Anubic-demi support squad. Their job was to form a rear-guard and provide more specialist support for the Anubic Breachers. They also wore the Praesidium armour. All of them were stylised in the typical Tizcan fashion.

 

Ahead of them Urhiya could hearing howling. Echoing down the corridors of the strike cruiser. The wolves were coming. “Lock shields. Attack pattern ruby.”

+Report Ends+

 

Blood was quickly being spilt on the surface on Nautica. As his brothers continued under orders to destroy the Ork stronghold, Thaeron led his force into the fray against the Space Wolves. They had hope to stymie the Thousand Sons combat strength by deploying small units of the Sisters of Silence and their null maidens. It would make little different in their fight. The 9^th company having grown used to fighting without their abilities for extended periods of time.

Flanked by his terminator clad scarab occult they met the Wolves in a bloody melee in their deployment zone. Thaeron left behind him a crimson trial as he slaughtered his way to the Wolves’ pack leader.

 

Thaeron slid his blade across the legionary’s throat as he struggled in his grip. Behind him another of the wolves’ let loose a might howl. Throwing the body to the ground Thaeron turned to look his next target in the eye. He was the same as the others, storm grey armour covered with runes and wolf pelts. “I am Erik Bloodfang. Know the name of the one who will kill you traitor.” He hefted his axe one-handed into the air and howled again.  

 

Thaeron shook the blood from his blade. “I am Thaeron. Hierarch-captain of the 9^th Company, XVth legion. I have no need of the name of a man I’m going to slaughter.  Your name, deeds, and life will be forgotten. Your bones will lie here forever in an unmarked grave alongside all your traitor kin you have brought here today. You are nothing. Now. Die.”

 

The carnage and death that followed was unlike anything the Thousand Sons had ever committed before. If the soldiers of the Imperial army had seen it they would have been right to mistake the Thousand Sons for the butchers of the World Eaters. The Space Wolves were slaughtered to a man. Those that tried to run where gunned down, those that fought bleed for their defiance, and those that tried to lift of in their gunships were sent crashing back down to earth in a hail of missiles, plasma, and bolt rounds.

Only one wolf lived for a brief period after the slaughter. His death was an ignoble one. Psychically interrogated for information he would die hearing the words of a warrior out for vengeance. The situation in the void was startlingly similar. The warriors of the Anubic Wardens captured the Bloodied Fang in a swift manner taking only a few hours longer than the fighting happening on the surface of Nautica. The techmarines and techpriests began to ransack the databanks and cogitators of the strike cruiser in an effort to find out the cause behind the sudden attack.

 

 

Only one wolf lived for a brief period after the slaughter. His death was an ignoble one. Psychically interrogated for information he would die hearing the words of a warrior out for vengeance. The situation in the void was startlingly similar. The warriors of the Orthrus Sentinels captured the Bloodied Fang in a swift manner taking only a few hours longer than the fighting happening on the surface of Nautica. The techmarines and techpriests began to ransack the databanks and cogitators of the strike cruiser in an effort to find out the cause behind the sudden attack.

 

The information they found was horrifying.  The wolves had indeed been unleashed on Prospero. The worst of all was the ongoing civil war. Eight legions fighting against the Emperor.

 

Horus was a traitor. Now the 9^th company had its most difficult choice ahead of it.

 

Who to fight for?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will be updating this as regularly as I can. I hope you enjoy my pre-forge world take on the Thousand Sons for the liber challenge. If FW release something that I am directly contradicting It shall be rectified. 

[Archidamus]

Updated for today (27th October). Everything is still a work in progress. The last part is going somewhere, even if it looks like I'm going on a lost legion tangent. It will make sense once I've finalized everything.

I'm still tweaking the company numbers and it's internal cohorts to represent combat attrition. But I am very pleased with the names I came up with for them.

[Archidamus]

More updates today. First I've been trying to make the layout a bit more appealing and more structured, hopefully it helps. I've also added some more stuff into the first post. I'll probably be adding a few more bits and pieces for a few more hours but don't hold me to that.