Editing The Phalanx

[[File:PhalanxBFGA2.png|400px|thumb|right|It's Shiny AND Deadly]]

The '''Phalanx''' is a massive space-borne battle fortress that serves as the mobile [[Fortress-Monastery]] of the [[Imperial Fists]]  [[Space Marine]] [[Chapter]].

==Dorn's Proud Daughter==
===Origins===

Much like many things that predate Imperial history, the origin of the ''Phalanx'' is shrouded in legend and myth. One source says that [[Rogal Dorn]] himself built the battle fortress once he became the over-all ruler of the ice world of [[Inwit]], while another states that it was predates the [[Primarch]]'s arrival on that world, and was just added as part of his inheritance once he ascended to the position of planetary warlord.  What is important is by the time the [[Emperor]] and his expedition finally reunited with Dorn, the Phalanx was already under the latter's command.

Since then the ''Phalanx'' had served as the center of operations for Dorn and his Legion (and later Chapter), the Imperial Fists.  And while the Fists count many worlds as its recruiting grounds, with [[Holy Terra]] itself listed as its "official" home world, the Phalanx would always be its home. 

===The Gathering Storm===

Close to the end of the 41st millennium, the fortress would ''again'' be subjected to another daemonic invasion.  This time around only the 3rd Company led by [[Brother-Captain]] '''Tor Garadon''' and half of the 1st Company's [[Terminator]]s were available to defend it.  Leading the incursion were [[Darnath Lysander]]'s old foe, the [[Iron Warriors]] Warsmith '''Shon'tu''' and the [[Daemon Prince]] '''Be'lakor''', who sought to outdo [[Abaddon]] by conquering the ''Phalanx'' and dropping it on the Imperial Palace.

Garadon and his men fought hard, but despite their determination they were eventually pushed back to one final redoubt.  Prepared for what looked like a last stand, it instead became a counter-attack when the [[Legion of the Damned]] appeared en-masse to push back the daemons.  Shon'tu was slain, and Be'lakor banished, but the Phalanx was wounded by the assault, as it was forced to purge ten percent of its own superstructure to prevent the spread of Chaos corruption.  

As its fleet master '''Trevaux''' urged Garadon to turn the fortress to the Ring of Iron at [[Mars]] for repairs, a desperate transmission from [[Cadia]] was received. It was then that Garadon knew where his duty lay. After the most basic repairs were made, the ''Phalanx'' translated into the Warp, on course for the beleaguered fortress-world.

===Dorn's Mailed Fist===

The arrival of the ''Phalanx'' caught the [[Chaos]] fleet above Cadia [[Not As Planned|by complete surprise]].  Taking advantage of the confusion, the star fort plowed through the traitor formations with the aim of taking out the [[Blackstone Fortress]].  It was an almost-suicidal charge, and there was no guarantee that the even the ''Phalanx's'' main guns could hurt the Blackstone, but Garadon ordered the ''Phalanx'' on anyway.

Then the shields on one part of the ''Will of Eternity'' went down (thanks to sabotage care of [[Wolf Lord]] '''Sven Bloodhowl'''). Seizing the chance, the ''Phalanx'' opened up with all of its batteries. As the Blackstone Fortress died, the ''Phalanx'' limped away, and took a position above Cadia's equator to lick its wounds, right about where the Elysion Pylon Fields were. It would later provide support there via orbital bombardment once the Imperial forces moved to defend the Pylons.

===Shield of the Diaspora===

When the secret boosters triggered to plunge the remains of the [[Blackstone Fortress]] into the planet, Garadon had all of the Phalanx's guns open fire in a bid to destroy the continent-sized mass before it was captured in Cadia's gravity well. It didn't work.  The piece struck Cadia, hard, and the planet burned.

Against all odds there were still survivors, and as transports full of these rose up desperately through daemon-infested skies, it was to the ''Phalanx'' they approached for protection.  It waited until the last moment, but when the final transport left the doomed planet, the ''Phalanx'' led the ragged flotilla of ships toward the edge of the Cadian system, where they could finally escape into the Warp. 

===Wounded, But Unbowed===

The ''Phalanx'' would finally return to the Sol system, and would remain in orbit between Terra and Luna undergoing repairs when the Battle of Luna happened, as the remnants of the Terran Crusade under command of [[Roboute Guilliman]] burst out from a hidden Webway gate, with the daemonic forces of [[Magnus the Red]] in pursuit. Although it would scramble several Thunderhawk gunships to reinforce the Imperial forces, it would not move from orbit until all the repairs were done.

In the [[Age of the Dark Imperium|current age]], the ''Phalanx'' still keeps vigil over the crown world, ordered to  defend Terra by the Lord Commander himself.

As a little aside, a contingent of [[Adeptus Custodes|Custodes]] covertly snuck in during the repairs of the Phalanx, and are currently squatting there like shiny gold-plated gopniks (not that hard), ready to sabotage the fortress if it gets used against Terra.

==The Fortress Itself==

The ''Phalanx'' is the size of a small planetoid, dwarfing even the Ramilies Star Forts that the Imperium uses to defend its holdings.  At its heyday, its docks could service entire fleets worth of ships, and even in the present day is enough to hold the Imperial Fists ships with space to spare.

Speaking of its docks, various sources note that, due to its huge size, it had developed its own unique ecosystem, with flora and fauna that had ''evolved to live there''.

On top of this prime real estate, the ''Phalanx'' boasts a ludicrous amount of weaponry, point defenses, armor, and shielding.  Multiple ''fleets'' would be hard-pressed to equal the sheer amount of hurt the battle fortress can dish out, and as the Battle of Cadia proved, even when bloodied and battered it can give as good as it got in return, and then some. 

Just like any good scion of Dorn would.

That said, it's also been noted that the ''Phalanx'' is a shadow of its old self, and many of its areas lie empty and neglected due to it being far too ''large'' for the modern Imperial Fists to use in full.  Many of the technology that went into its construction are also either no longer understood, or can be easily replicated or replaced by even the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]].  Indeed its likely that the systems damaged before and during the Battle of Cadia are truly irreplacable.

==In Battlefleet Gothic==

The ''Phalanx'' was not statted out for Battlefield Gothic, though given how a [[Gloriana-class Battleship]] (the ''[[Vengeful Spirit]]'') was statted out simply as the equivalent of a Battle Barge, it's not hard to imagine the ''Phalanx'' given the stats perhaps of a souped-up Ramilies Starfort.

Realistically any kind of game stats for the ''Phalanx'' have to be equal at least to the "Activated" [[Blackstone Fortress]].

==In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2==

The ''Phalanx'' makes its appearance in the tutorial section of the second game.  Much like its role during the [[Gathering Storm]], the battle fortress makes its surprise appearance in [[Cadia]]'s orbit, throwing a wrench in the [[Abaddon|Warmaster]]'s plans as it proceeds to plow its way through the Black Fleet and actually ''destroy'' the [[Blackstone Fortress]] ''Will of Eternity''.  [[Awesome|All this while under your control]].

Unlike how it was described in The Fall of Cadia book, the ''Phalanx'' in-game is effectively untouchable by anything it faces during its run toward the Blackstone Fortress. Seriously, even the Blackstone's Warp Beam does ''nothing'' to it. Yes. The anti C'tan gun. The anti C'tan gun didn't kill it.

It also proceeds to fuck with you in the Chaos Campaign, by every so often picking an Imperial-owned System and causing the Fleets there to spew attacks at you, as well as allowing Fleets within to reinforce and be created every turn.
Stopping it from doing this requires that you dive in, deal with it, and whatever fleets and platforms are defending it. Even then, it cannot be brought below 1 Hit Point and boarding parties cannot prevent it's escape. 

[[Category:Battlefleet Gothic]]
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]]
[[Category:Space Marines]]