Loyal by circumstance: Emperor's Children XXII Company

[Brother Kraskor]

+++Incoming transmission+++

 

++Emergency broadcast: elements of Legiones Astartes designated Excommunicate Traitoris to be cut off from external communication, isolated, and observed++

 

+++Long live the Emperor+++

 

 

The Warmaster lay many schemes in place before revealing his hand at Isstvan. One such scheme was the order to the XXII Company of the Emperor's Children, who had been on a long-term assignment to study the disposition and fighting styles of the other Legions, to relocate to the Segmentum Solar, and learn from the Imperial Fists. It was a subtle altering of the parameters of a pre-existing mission, and as such it appeared entirely innocuous. 

 

The XXII had been away from their Legion for many years, and had not shared in its decline to decadence. Though prideful, they still embodied the qualities of the once-noble Legion. Their Captain, however, was Chemos-born and fiercely loyal to his Primarch. Perhaps Horus counted on this when he placed the XXII so deep into Imperial space, a hidden knife pointed at the Imperium's heart. 

 

But Horus did not count on the flight of Nathaniel Garro. Rogal Dorn moved quickly to cut off the XXII from external communications and to isolate them. They remained unaware of the events half a galaxy away: loyal by circumstance, continuing to serve the Emperor while loyalist elements conferred on how to deal with them. 

 

Or perhaps... Horus did count on word getting out, and on his brother Rogal's response, and merely awaits the perfect timing to turn the XXII to his will...

 

 

 

 

Captain Alex Victoriam of the XXII was born on Chemos. Where the previous generations of his family had known nothing but grey misery, he had known hope in the form of Fulgrim. Already risen to power and enacting the restoration of the planet when Alex was a young boy, Fulgrim was a shining beacon of promise and potential. When the Imperium reclaimed Fulgrim, Chemos happily followed, and Alex was one of many who volunteered to join the Legiones Astartes.

 

 

Decades later, Alex had proven himself a skilled and vicious combatant in many compliances. He was a confident squad leader and tactician, but what marked him out for greatness was his dedication and loyalty to the Primarch. This eventually earned him a hallowed place in the Phoenix Guard, where he truly shined. After a particularly hard-won compliance of a backward human empire dominated by blood courts and gene-monsters, where more than once Alex had thrown himself between his Primarch and enemy fire, Fulgrim took a shine to him and awarded him command of the XXII. 

 

 

The young captain was devastated that he should not be at his Primarch's side. Sensing his disappointment, Fulgrim awarded him the distinct honour that he retain the armour of the Phoenix Guard, and charged him to go out and learn what he could of combat from the other Legions. This special honour and mission buoyed Alex's spirits, and he seized his task with vigour. Now he has become an unwitting and unknowing pawn in a game being played out half a galaxy away.

[Raziel-TX]

Grabs popcorn…more please!

[Brother Kraskor]

Evocatus Makarios and his small squad of Palatine Blades sat silently as their Stormbird screeched over the skies of Mars. Another Thallax Cohort had stopped responding to the usual command signals and been infected with this new machine-virus, and Makarios and his brothers had been dispatched to terminate them. This was the third cohort this week.

 

Something felt strange to Makarios. He'd never heard of Thallax behaving this erratically before, and now suddenly it was commonplace? Had something changed? He put the thought to the back of his mind as the Stormbird neared their target. As he stood, his squad rose in perfect unison. So well-drilled that they moved as one and without any communication, Makarios led his squad down the ramp as it opened. The Blades stepped off the ramp, free-falling toward their target. All was quiet except the whistling of the thin atmosphere against their power-armoured bodies, until at the last moment they activated their jump packs and brought their screaming descent to a violent close. 

 

Three hulking Thallax were just cresting a hill on the dusty planet, when the five gleaming warriors plunged into their midst. The engagement lasted mere seconds. The Emperor's Children silently executed their meticulously pre-planned mission, blades slicing the Thallax's key actuators and power cables and instantly disabling them, before affixing melta-bombs to their immobilised frames and firing their jump packs to withdraw to a safe distance.

 

The Thallax screamed in their guttural machine-language as the Astartes flawlessly performed their task. Makarios attached the final melta-bomb and was about to join his brothers a short distance down the hill, when he heard something unmistakably in Low Gothic:

 

"Warmasssterr....."

 

 

 

The Palatine Blades are an ad-hoc formation in an otherwise rigorously-strict organisation. They enjoy Fulgrim's favour, and so are actively encouraged by the Captain Victoriam of the XXII. 

 

 

Evocatus Makarios was once a rising star. Born on Chemos, Makarios shares his Captain's loyalty to the Primarch, though where Victoriam saves all his devotion for Fulgrim, Makarios also places his faith with the Imperium, and the Emperor's vision for mankind. Makarios was an avid and gifted competitor in the Palatine Blades' regular tournaments: however, he fell foul of a match with Lucius, and paid for it with his left arm.

 

 

Though Makarios insists a robotic arm is better for steadying his usual weapon of choice, the phoenix spear, he knows such a permanent marring of his body is seen as imperfection and failure by many of his fellow Astartes. He knows he will never rise the ranks as he once dreamed. 

 

[Pearson73]

Very nice indeed, the dark metallic purple is a cool variation on what one normally sees, whilst the green energies really pop!

[Brother Kraskor]

Grabs popcorn…more please!

 

I will do my best! 

 

Very nice indeed, the dark metallic purple is a cool variation on what one normally sees, whilst the green energies really pop!

 

Thank you brother, I wanted to evoke the metallic purple they portray in the black books so well. I've not ended up with a very good white for the shoulderpads, it's definitely just grey, but I don't mind sticking with that, pure white might break up the scheme a bit too much.

 

Next in the queue some WIP. Managed to get a hold of some Tartaros terminators. I had decided I wouldn't run Cataphractii as it doesn't suit EC, both because they prefer speed and because the Warmaster prioritised traitor legions with the newer armour. So I had more or less resigned to a no-Terminator force when my FLGS pulled a blinder and had a couple boxes stashed away - lucky me! Also in the queue are the first of the Tactical marines in Mk3 armour. 

 

Saul Tarvitz also just arrived today. I am going to try and convert him to be equipped with phoenix spear and jump-pack so I can run him as an ordinary Centurion/Praetor. The hands are a bit too close together to fit the spear so might have to get inventive with the joint at the shoulder. 

 

[Brother Kraskor]

A bit more WIP. Tactical squad and five more Tartaros now assembled and primed. The first five Tartaros are well on their way to completion.

 

Ordered the Champion & Master of Signal from FW, think I am going to try and convert the Champion into a Librarian and the MoS into a Primus Medicae. Both with jump packs of course.

 

Decided to go back and change out my grey for white accents, and I'm very glad I did, it suits them much better!

 

Edited May 20, 2022 by Brother Kraskor

[Pearson73]

Lovely work on the Tartaros.

[Brother Kraskor]

Whilst the warriors of the XXII Company continued to prosecute carefully-chosen missions on Mars as directed by their VII Legion hosts, oblivious to the galactic war that was erupting, the Imperial Fists kept a watchful eye on them, analysing what they could, recording any potential weaknesses for the day when the bulk of the III Legion would surely come to the Segmentum Solar. The XXII Company had been extremely well-equipped from the outset of its mission to learn from the other Legions, ensuring they would not be hamstrung in their efforts to imitate other doctrines and dispositions by so mundane a limitation as lack of equipment. Their armoury was the envy even of the Imperial Fists assigned as their wardens (or were they jailers?). 

 

Several suits of advanced Tartaros armour were therefore at the Emperor's Children's disposal. Though speed and grace were generally favoured by the III Legion, during their long sabbatical away from the Primarch they had learned the value of an armoured hammer-blow in grinding assaults and drawn-out sieges from the likes of the Iron Warriors, Death Guard, and latterly the Imperial Fists themselves. The XXII Company had deployed its Terminators to support mortal troops in the capture of a handful of surface-level bunkers occupied by Mechanicum assets pledged to the Warmaster - though such information was kept from the Emperor's Children. 

 

 

[Pearson73]

The standard/banner is a very nice and fitting touch.

[Brother Kraskor]

The standard/banner is a very nice and fitting touch.

Lovely work on the Tartaros.

 

Thank you brother! Something about banners just feels very 30k. A complete incongruity and presumably impractical, which makes its inclusion all the more frightening for the enemies of the Astartes. In that vein... some WIP:

 

 

Now that Palatines with jump packs have been squatted, I have decided to repurpose them as a Command Squad. With an Apothecary, Librarian, and Centurion/Praetor in the squad, it's effectively an 8-man veteran unit that can quickly deploy a Fearless aura and hits hard in combat if needed, so I'm content! 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Brother Kraskor

[Doghouse]

This is shaping up to be a great army, really nice work. :tu:

[Brother Kraskor]

This is shaping up to be a great army, really nice work.

 

Thank you brother, very kind!

 

I've finished repurposing the Palatines, they are now a jump pack Command Squad, with the white accents instead of the grey I started with and their transfers done:

 

 

Was initially planning on getting the new HH box but I am now thinking I don't want a load of mk6, nor ten more terminators, nor a Spartan really. Rough plan of expansion is:

 

- 20 more tacticals (Mk3, giving me three squads of ten to potentially mechanise into Rhinos later)

- paint up an old vindicator that I've converted into a Laser Destroyer vindi

- full-volkite Kratos (maybe two!!!)

- Some fast anti-armour, maybe a Lightning, maybe a pair of missile/multi melta Javelins

- Eventually a 20-man Mk4 box to build ten lascannon Sunkillers and an assault squad