Editing Eyes of the Emperor (section)

=Organisation and Doctrine=
The organization of the Eyes of the Emperor was more administrative than military, with divisions reflecting responsibilities and domains rather than just a command structure.  At the base of the Legion was the '''Vihara''' (roughly "Squad", but also understood as a place of learning), led by a junior member of the ''Acharya'' caste.  The establishment strength of a ''Vihara'' included auxilia and could vary quite considerably, from a handful of ''Satria'' brothers from the middle order and the child-aspirants tasked with their menial work, up to an honoured ''Vihara'' of Terminator-equipped ''Wesias'' brothers accompanied by hundreds of mortal warriors and responsible for a major city or fortification in the Eyes' far-flung realm.

Although the battlefield roles of most ''Vihara'' bore some resemblance to the squads of the classic Legion pattern, there were considerable divergences.  The basic "battle squad" of the ''Satria'' caste had some similarities to a Tactical Squad, but often had marines of varying experience, from green ''Shishya'' up to the veteran ''Gurus'' who instructed them.  The "pioneer squad" that ranged into enemy territory planet-side and in the void had a similar mix of experience to a battle squad, although its equipment was that of the more-familiar Reconnaissance Squad.

In the next tier of organisation, a handful of ''Vihara'' were grouped together as a '''Mahavihara''' ("Company" but again with connotations of a university) under the supervision of a '''Paṇḍit''' (a "Scholar", but also "Captain").  The Eyes' informality makes generalizing about the strength of a ''Mahavihara'' difficult, but again the purpose of these organisations was the government of the Legion's domain.  It was only at the level of the '''Sangha''' ("Assembly", loosely equivalent to the Battalions of the Terran pattern) that the Eyes put military affairs more firmly in the spotlight.  The '''Mahapaṇḍit''' ("First Captain") at the head of a ''Sangha'' was expected to levy battle brothers and mortal troops from his subordinate domains in order to field an Expeditionary Fleet.  Finally, the '''Gana''' (and here "Chapter" is a close equivalent) under its '''Adhyakṣa''' (Chapter Master) grouped the Expeditionary Fleets into areas of operation and helped the Council of Ten with the difficult task of managing their chaotic Legion.

==High Command: The Vardhana and the Council of Ten==
[[File:Acharyawarrior.jpg|200px|thumb|A warrior of the ''Acharya'', one of the gene-descendants of the Council of Ten.  He wears a white robe as a sign of the wisdom he has inherited from his sires, and would lead a squad of ''Satria'' or ''Wesias'' brothers in battle.]]
''If there are ten brothers, nine wicked and one virtuous, let them be in council together that the nine may learn from the one.''

- Sayings of the Vardhana


From their creation, the Eyes were ruled by the '''Council of Ten'''.  Although these mysterious warriors were among the most famous servants of the Imperium, they carefully cloaked their identities behind code-names and claimed to have been the same ten Astartes that fought for Hektor in the Unification Wars.  Regardless of the truth of the matter, Master Silence later disclosed that the Council at the time of Ullanor consisted of:

* '''Kamal Kulkarni''' or '''Master Scroll''' was the leader of Nineteenth Squad and the spokesman of the Council.  His soft voice and languid manner in civilian settings belied a cold cunning.
* '''Surya Narang''' or '''Master Scalpel''' served the Legion as the head of the Legion's ''medicae''.  He was well-known among the other warriors of the Sacred Band, and in contrast to the rest of the Eyes was always eager to share medical knowledge.
* '''Shresth Nibhanupudi''' or '''Master Forge''' was trained in the forge-fanes of [[Mars (Hektor Heresy)|Mars]] itself shortly after the signing of the Treaty of Olympus Mons.  Due to his mastery of the machine arts and proud history, Shresth came to hold dominion over the many Techmarines of the Eyes of the Emperor.  He and his direct gene descendants were not members of the ''Wesias'' caste, but claimed responsibility for "guiding" their younger brothers.  Shresth was considered by many Magoi to not only have an extraordinary understanding of the Machine Spirits but also to have gone far on the Quest for Knowledge.  By the time of the Heresy, he had become almost entirely mechanical in form and fused his body with a suit of Terminator armour.
* '''Madhukar Jain''' or '''Master Termite''' supervised the Legion's Castra.  Although the Eyes built few large-scale fortifications, they had many hidden fortresses and caches in their areas of operation.
* '''Bala Misra''' or '''Master Cloud''' took command of the Legion's fleet strength.  He maintained close relationships with many Forge Worlds and his correspondence with Magoi on the effort to match the needs of the Eyes with the technical possibilities of warship design is one of the few substantial written records in the Legion's history.
* '''Nilam Tamboli''' or '''Master Brush''' supervised the intake of new Aspirants into the Legion.  He was pitiless but soft-spoken.
* '''Damodara Mhasalkar''' or '''Master Rat''' was charged with overseeing the Legion's ''Frumentarii''.  Unlike in other Legions, in which intelligence-gathering activities were subordinate to the Victualary and broader logistical concerns, the Eyes put great store in their spies and scouts.  He maintained close ties with the [[Rogue Traders (Hektor Heresy)|Rogue Traders Militant]] who preceded the Great Crusade.
* '''Sanjit Chowdhury''' or '''Master Leopard''' had overall operational control of the Legion.  Although he deferred to the other Council members on overall strategy, Chowdhury was a gifted planner and military leader who could be relied upon to achieve the goals of the Legion.
* '''Somchai Metharom''' or '''Master Owl''' commanded the Legion's Victualary and his command of supply made him one of the most influential members of the Council.
* '''Phirun Soun''' or '''Master Silence''' was one of the most mysterious and powerful individuals in all of the Legiones Astartes.  As a boy he was taught by the ancient Lièrén brotherhood in the lands to the south of the Emperor's Himalazian dominion, before being inducted into the Space Marine Project.  To the frustration of his trainers, the boy remained true to his vow of silence - but the same mental discipline gave him the strength to withstand daemonic temptation as his psychic powers matured.  When his prodigy became clear, Phirun was taken out of the general pool of recruits and personally mentored by Malcador the Sigilite.  He emerged from his training as one of the Imperium's strongest psykers and an outstanding warrior.  Despite his vow, the other Council members welcomed Phirun into their ranks as the Chief of the Legion's Librarus.  He would eventually be stripped of this honour and cast down into the ranks of the ''Satria'' after the Council of Nikaea, but bore the dishonour with his customary stoicism.

Nominally above the Ten was the Primarch, Shakya Vardhana.  But the Vardhana's mind was little inclined towards the day-to-day direction of the Legion.  On his first meeting with the Council of Ten, the Vardhana informed them that they were to continue their work as they had before his rediscovery.  The Primarch would intervene in the operation of the Legion sparingly, directing the Ten to use Marusthali as a training world and gathering his chosen cohort of Disciples to carry out missions of his own choosing.

==Tactics==
[[File:Satriagurupioneer.jpg|200px|thumb|A ''Guru'' of the Legion's Pioneer squads, wearing the sophisticated Mark VI Power Armour.  He does not wear the black battle robe, instead showing only the yellow, green and white colours of his armour - colours of renunciation, balance, and wisdom.  Note the purity seal on his chest, a sign that this Marine has successfully guided a young Shishya into the mysteries of the Legion.]]
''The Legion greatly values the supplies delivered to us by the Mechanicum, but our greatest weapons are rice and water.''

- Kamal Kulkarni


No other Legion looked so far ahead.  The Eyes of the Emperor would plan their campaigns years, sometimes decades, in advance.  Rather than relying entirely on the reports of Rogue Traders, the Nineteenth sent their own exploratory vessels into little-known sectors and seeded cenobitic enclaves on human worlds ahead of their lines of march.  The Legion enclaves would be built up around trusted and loyal auxilia and worked to indoctrinate the native population into the beliefs of the Imperial Truth.  The Eyes careful and subtle approach meant that they brought hundreds of worlds into compliance without firing a shot.

When warfare was unavoidable - and the Galaxy had no shortage of hostile aliens who would never accept the Imperial Truth and could never be trusted by humanity - the Eyes of the Emperor favored engaging their enemies at range.  This led to ridicule and accusations of cowardice from some close combat oriented legions.  Indeed, the Eyes' strange ways were little trusted by any of their Astartes brethren.  However, their disdain for melee had nothing to do with a lack of courage.  Out of sight of the Imperium, the Nineteenth's Pioneer Squads often threw themselves into desperate battles to protect human worlds that had yet to come into Compliance.  A true accounting of the lives saved by these forgotten martyrs of the Great Crusade is impossible, but their valour cannot be doubted.

Imperial records often dwell on the Legion's battlefield use of Pioneer Squads, Heavy Support Squads and Whirlwind Missile Launchers, along with a impressive parking lot of Rhinos.  The ideal Eyes of the Emperor attack worked in a three layer format.  Pioneer squads would infiltrate through the enemy lines to attack high value targets in their rear, such as commanders and supply dumps.  Next, fast-moving Battle squads would isolate enemy strongpoints and eliminate weaker forces.  Finally, the Heavy Support would reduce the strongpoints.  Artillery was deployed lavishly to assist the forward elements.  This formation was known as the Tītana starita dīvāra, or the Layered walls of the Titan.

Although no Legion employed many of the highly-advanced Primaris-Lightning Strike Fighter, the Eyes of the Emperor had the lion's share of those assigned to the Legiones Astartes.  The skill of the ''Wesias'' caste was evident in their deft handling of this difficult, if powerful, weapon.  The Nineteenth also made heavy use of the Avenger Strike Fighter.

==Equipment==
The Eyes were an exceptionally well-equipped force, long favoured by august Mars and bolstered by secret pacts with other Forge Worlds.  Their ''Wesias'' caste frequently deployed prototype equipment.   Although it is a fact largely lost on history, this brotherhood of warriors were the first Astartes to deploy the Tactical Dreadnought, or Terminator armour.  The ''Wesias'' prized the Terminator as a fire platform, but from their first deployment they were well aware of how effective the armour was in close-quarters.

The sniper rifle was considered the signature the Legion, but the expert marksmen of the ''Satria'' employed a wide variety of weapons.  If they were limited in any regard, it was their disdain for close combat weapons.  The Eyes stocked few power or chain weapons, preferring the quiet efficiency of the lascannon and the deadly hail of their bolters and advanced plasma guns.

The signature skill of the ''Acharya'' Apothecaries was bionic replacement.  It was a testament to their prowess that so many battle brothers bore bionic parts, rather than being among the honoured dead.  In some cases, bionic augmentations were carried out, especially among warriors who had taken the vows of the TechMarine.

The Eyes possessed many Dreadnoughts, although these hallowed warriors were not seen as engines of war.  Instead, they served as repositories of wisdom, with few outside the Acharya interred within.  The fallen Marine would have his former visage carved onto the front of the dreadnought so that all may look upon the machine and see the glory of one who has found their ''jivanmukti'', or perfected state.  In keeping with their martial traditions, the Eyes of the Emperor prized the ''Mortis''-pattern Dreadnought and on the rare occasions that their walkers were deployed they contributed a terrible weight of fire.  Sadly for the Loyalist cause, the majority of the Nineteenth's Dreadnoughts followed the Council of Nine into Hektor's service and their deadly weapons would claim many faithful servants of the Emperor.

==Fleet==
[[File:Wesiasterminator.jpeg|200px|thumb|A ''Wesias'' marine of the Terminator Brotherhood.  This skilled artisan-warrior would have a profound understanding of his equipment, knowing it both as an achievement of human learning and a deadly panoply of war.  Although the Eyes of the Emperor were reluctant to commit to boarding operations during naval combat, Terminator-equipped warriors such as this one were ready to deploy when necessary.]]
The chief of the Eyes' fleet was '''Bala Misra''' - better known as '''Master Cloud'''.  He was a warrior every bit as patient and crafty as his peers on the Council of Ten.  He instructed the Legion's warships to spurn chaotic, unpredictable close-in fights and preferred to use movement and firepower to destroy the enemies of the Imperium.  The Legion's exception to stand-off tactics, as was so often the case, were the ''Wesias'' caste.  These technically astute warriors piloted the Thunderhawk gunships launched from Master Cloud's warships and were known for their precision handling.

The Eyes of the Emperor were unusual in fielding no battleships at all.  It is unknown whether the Legion was ever issued with large vessels, but whenever Master Cloud believed that heavy naval firepower was required he turned to the Nineteenth's allies in the Adeptus Mechanicum.  That close relationship also led to the Eyes fielding some of the most modern and experimental cruiser designs, including the stealthy ''Echo'' class.

In addition to their regular fleet, the Eyes maintained a vast array of auxiliary vessels, used by their pioneers to scout ahead of the Great Crusade.  Many of these ships would typically be classified as warp runners, relying on speed and stealth for their safety.  In addition to exploratory duties, these ships would transport auxilia to far-off human worlds to begin missionary efforts.  For this reason, most of the auxiliary vessels were under the command of '''Master Rat's''' Pioneer Squads.

When the Hektor Heresy began, the Eyes' fleet numbered 32 grand cruisers, 141 heavy cruisers, 182 light cruisers, 395 frigates, 206 destroyers, and 467 auxiliary military vessels.  During Shakya Vardhana's brief civil war against the Council of Ten, the majority of the Legion's Strike Cruisers and Battle Barges - the warships with large complements of Marines - were seized by the Loyalists.  However, more specialized vessels were often crewed by auxilia and remained at the disposal of the Traitor camp.


===Notable Vessels===

Shakya Vardhana's flagship was the ''Virtue of Patience'', a modified ''Inflexible''-Class Grand Cruiser.  It is unknown whether the Primarch refused the honour of a ''Gloriana''-Class Battleship or whether the Fabricator-General of Mars knew that the Vardhana would prefer a less conspicuous vessel.  Regardless, the Virtue of Patience was an impressive vessel, swift and powerful and fitted with a sophisticated teleporter array.

Although its name features in few histories, the ''Spectre''-class War Runner ''Devotion of Illobian'' played a pivotal role in the early Heresy.  This humble vessel was commandeered by Phirun Soun when he became aware of the scope of the Council of Nine's betrayal and bore the former Librarian to Shakya Vardhana's side.  Had the ''Devotion of Illobian'''s crew faltered in their mission, the Loyalists would have had to pay a terrible blood-price for the secrets of the Council.

==Support Formations==

'''Apothecarion'''

All of the Legion's Apothecaries were members of the Acharya caste, but they were divided into two sects.  The well-known ''Steel-eyed'', led by '''Master Scalpel''', devoted themselves to battlefield medicine and bionic research.  Although they were responsible for retrieving the Legion's gene-seed, the Steel-Eyed played no further part in the development of new Space Marines.  This task was left to the artisans of '''Master Brush''', who devoted their long lives to genetics and psychology.  Rarely seen outside of the Legion, this inner order used their position to carefully indoctrinate new aspirants into the mysteries of the Legion.


'''Armorium'''

Under the guidance of '''Master Forge''', the Legion's Armorium became a centre of production and research.  The craftsmen and artisans of the ''Wesias'' caste entered into pacts with many Forge Worlds, including Mars herself, and their own forges were among the most advanced in the galaxy.  Favoured by the Mechanicum, the ''Wesias'' tested many of the new weapons developed in the Great Crusade, such as the ''Mortis''-pattern Dreadnought, the Tactical Dreadnought (Terminator), and the Thunderhawk gunship.


'''Castra'''

'''Master Termite''''s charges faced serious challenges.  The Nineteenth abhorred the large-scale, imposing fortifications that most of the Imperium employed.  However, they still fought the same foes.  The Castra gradually developed the means of quickly constructing small, inconspicuous strongpoints known as ''Gompa''.  These fortifications were most frequently employed by Legion auxilia deployed ahead of the Expeditionary Fleets, but the Eyes had small holdings throughout the Galaxy.  Beneath a humble exterior, each Gompa was formidably constructed and housed quarters for battle brothers and auxilia, basic recreational and training facilities, and an arsenal of weapons.


'''Librarus'''

The Nineteenth's Librarus was the most ancient in the Legiones Astartes.  Phirun Soun was raised in the tradition of the pre-Imperial ''Lièrén'' Brotherhood before his induction into the Space Marine Project.  As '''Master Silence''' he continued the the contemplative tradition of his teachers and instructed his charges to seek inner tranquillity and discipline rather than raw power.  Master Silence's careful approach and the Vardhana's psychically-potent gene-seed were an excellent match.  The Legion's Librarians became highly-regarded for the wisdom and prowess.


'''Victualary'''

Although many Legions would have seen the intelligence operations of '''Master Rat''' as subordinate to the logistical management of '''Master Owl''', the Eyes of the Emperor put these departments on equal footing.  The division of responsibilities was clear and elegant.  Master Rat's charges were assigned the task of preparing for new conquests, paving the way with monastic brotherhoods that could be relied on to further the Eyes' goals.  Master Owl's small staff were the analysts and planners of the Legion, and he held great power in the Council as a result of his control over supplies.


==Allies and Auxilia==

The Imperial Army regarded the Eyes with suspicion, as the Legion rarely employed any forces other than its own carefully trained auxilia.  A notable exception were the [[Haeltoth Starguard]], whose sophisticated weaponry and unusual character made them well-suited to co-operating with the Eyes of the Emperor.