Editing Iron Rangers (section)

==XX Legion in the Great Crusade==
Morale and unity continued to plague the XXth squad in their early days as a Legion. Commander Mikneli and Hektor began to run an internal campaign to unite his troops. They took the name Ash Wraiths as a rallying point to spread esprit de corps. The name itself came from a nickname given to the squad by one of the Merikan tribes after several successful infiltrations. Rumors began to spread of the squad managing to melt into the ashes of the wastes only to reform themselves behind formations. He carefully cultivated an image of his Legion that focused on their ability to fight smarter than the others. Others were bigger, stronger, and faster, but none could do quite what the Twentieth could. He worked constantly towards cultivating pride in that identity. They were quiet. They were smart. They were efficient. This idea slowly took hold in the early Legion. One or two Astartes would walk with firmer gait. Others would apply themselves harder towards training than before. The fledgling Legion still suffered issues when dealing with "outsiders," but the members of the Legion would stand together against their rivals. By the end of the Merican Campaign the Ash Wraiths were a Legion in more than just name.

As the Crusade left Terra the XX Legion distinguished themselves for exceptional work in thoroughly spreading the Imperial Truth and were applauded for their efforts. Their methods were considered effective despite taking somewhat longer to achieve success. Worlds taken by them were quick to follow the Imperium. Oftentimes their efforts would leave much of the planetary infrastructure intact. Commander Mikneli considered the additional time worthwhile as reconstruction times were reduced and planets were producing goods and soldiers for the Imperial Army much earlier than some of their brother Legions. They were awarded numerous citations by the Mechanicum for successfully retrieving several STC's and other technological marvels long lost to time.

The strategic doctrine during this time was fairly straight forward. They would often work in concert with large numbers of the Imperial Army. The Ash Wraiths would infiltrate into enemy territory to outflank them and destroy supply lines. The Imperial Army would follow with Tactical Squads at their van acting as a hammer to smash against the assembled Legionary anvil. Their reputation from Terra was well remembered when working with other Astartes elements and those who reported directly to the Emperor. Joint ventures often saw them do little more than sabotage and assassination missions. The mindset of the Imperium seemed to keep focusing on that aspect of their abilities despite their excellence in all aspects of warfare.

These issues came to a head after the disaster of Operation Wakiya. The Legion was stripped of its ability to gain conquest honors and delegated to supporting Imperial Army forces and other Legions in their conquests. The blow to morale was devastating and created a long downward spiral lasting until well after Rogerius Merrill took command of his forces.

Rogerius Merrill was discovered in 870.M30. He had a brief stay with The Emperor to learn of the advances in technology. Command of the planet of Profi Tiroedd was officially handed to the Tribal Council and the X Chapter (Recruits). Merrill was awarded command of the XX Legion in a small ceremony officiated by The Emperor once these tasks were complete. The official statement described throngs of Marines cheering for the return of their beloved Primarch and a myriad of celebrations for the auspicious occasion that it was. Firsthand accounts tell a different story. One of a disheartened Legion stoically and dispassionately accepting a new commander while a quiet and subdued Primarch reluctantly and falteringly accepted command before embarking towards their new homeworld.

Rogerius was swift to rebuild the Legion in his image. He pushed each Marine through a vigorous trial through their harsh new planet. Once complete he set his mind to overhauling the Legion's structure. Morale througout the Legion grew slowly during this time. This was a drastic change of mindset as the Legion set about with one goal. If others were to call them nothing but assassins and saboteurs they would teach them the true meaning of the titles. They were the Iron Rangers now. They would not conquer. They would not drive to the heart of their enemies. They would hamstring them. They would cripple their ability to fight and continue to inflict pain until the enemy begged to surrender. This is how a fighter won not only the fight, but ensured there would be no future conflicts.

The new philosophy would soon be put to the test. The Legion was sent into the fray of a colonization effort beleaguered by Eldar Pirates convinced the new real estate of man was theirs to control. The resulting battle was longer and more drawn out than what was initially expected. Rather than fighting the xenos in force and outright annihilating them the Iron Rangers fought on their own turf and almost by their own rules. The following weeks were a drawn-out series of hit-and-run fights, infiltration, and sabotage. Each force constantly tried to sneak past the other and eliminate their strong points. In the end it was the XX Legion that stood victorious. Rogerius Merrill walked his men out of the conflict, handed the colony fleet their system, and promptly contacted his father with a full battle report and a statement that bordered on demanding the return of the Legion's Rite of Conquest. After some thought and inflection, The Emperor agreed and the honor of the Iron Rangers was restored, if only in writing.

Over the next several years the Iron Rangers would make a name for themselves in conflicts. Planets fell in quick succession to their Expeditionary Fleets. Through it all they were followed by the whispers of human and astartes alike. Imperial Army forces often requested working with the Legion as the Iron Rangers would bring training, expertise, and equipment to their forces. Other Legions would avoid the XX for fear of tarnishing their reputation. A conquest meant significantly less to a Legion when they were fighting an opponent whose command and supply were completely crippled. Both of these responses caused the Iron Rangers to bear their heraldry with pride.

Ultimately this momentum haltered with the Battle of Konigratz V. The system was set to be taken by a combination of Iron Rangers and Scale Bearers forces. Several members of the XX found themselves surrounded and cut off from supply. They found themselves out of ammunition and fuel long before reinforcements could clear a path to their position. A Scale Bearers force finally carved a path through the xenos horde only to find the Iron Rangers alive and well but fighting using the weapons of their enemies. Reports were filed of the incident and eventually Rogerius Merrill was forced to take action against his men for their indiscretion.

Over the next several years small unsubstantiated reports began to filter through of a disturbing nature. None ever met The Emperor's ears but they collected to form a pattern. This culminated in the battle of Hyptheria III. A report filtered through that accused the Iron Rangers of eliminating a small Imperial Army detachment. The commander of the unit believed Rogerius Merrill had the force eliminated for witnessing the Legion use xenos weaponry. Merrill vehemently  denied the accusation, claiming the lost unit was killed during an ambush by enemy forces. Hektor would attempt to suppress both reports, but not before Tiran again discovered the issue. He looked through past reports and noticed a trend of Iron Rangers using scavenged alien technology. Pages of battlefield reports in hand, he left to contact The Emperor of his discovery.

The Emperor was not pleased with Tiran's accusation and ordered the XX Legion fleets to assemble immediately in orbit above the planet Rubis V. But not before Hektor sent a discrete message to Merrill detailing the nature of the orders and instructions to use the time he had to cleanse his fleets of any possible xenos taint. Once all parties were collected the Emperor Himself interrogated Rogerius Merrill of the reports in front of his legion. The Primarch expected to simply provide evidence that any xenos tech and any possibly tainted astartes were removed. He found himself forced to deflect accusations that he knowingly fostered an environment which allowed the use to grow rampant. Merrill's excuses and plausible deniability found no purchase in his father's eyes. He was forced to watch as the XVII Legion stripped his men and ships of any equipment not directly issued to all Space Marines by the Emperor. All fleets were further accompanied by a Mechanicus attachment dedicated to ensuring the proper use of Imperium equipment and enforce the ban on xenos items.

Many sources state that the xenos corruption had already began its influence by that time. The answer to that is unknown. What is known is there was a shift in the attitude of the Legion after that day. As a whole they became more suspicious of outsiders. Imperial Army attachments were pushed into swearing oaths of allegiance. The XXth would slink to the shadows in the presence of other Legions. The only exception would be the presence of Hektor himself, who they embraced with open arms.

===Notable Campaigns===
*'''785.M30 [[Unification_Wars_(Hektor_Heresy)#Pacification_of_the_Boeotian_Lowlands|Boeotian Lowlands]]''': Many consider the attack on Boeotia to be both the high and low point of the early XX Legion. The attack itself was extremely successful in all its objectives. It gained a considerable amount of glory and honor to the Ash Wraiths. It also started cementing the idea of using the Legion as assassins in the mind of the Imperial Commanders and other Legions. Mikneli himself considered it a tactical success and strategic failure.

*'''814.M30 Operation Wakiya''': While assisting a Mechanicus takeover of a hostile subsystem the XX Legion was tasked with hunting down and eliminating various targets determined by the Mechanicus. Once the fighting was over the Emperor was given the choice of punishing the Legion or Mechanicus for attacking civilian targets. In an attempt to maintain the Treaty of Mars, the Emperor permanently censured the Legion as a scapegoat for the Mechanicus' actions.

*'''873.M30 The Long Hunt''': The first major campaign with Rogerius Merrill in command of the Iron Rangers Legion. Merrill used the newly retrained Legion in a long stealth and subterfuge strategy against a major Eldar task force. The victory allowed Merrill to remove the censure imposed on his Legion.

*'''879.M30 The Konigraz Campaign''': An Iron Rangers Expeditionary force was tasked with assisting the Scale Bearers in taking control of an alien controlled system. During this time a small element was forced to utilize eldritch xenos weaponry in order to survive a battle. The actions of the astartes in question and Merrill's attempts to cover up the incident began a slow descent of corruption within the ranks of the XX Legion.

*'''883.M30 The Siege of Habsgrad''': Considered one of the Iron Rangers' finest victories. The campaign to take Habsgrad was over within 24 hours of the breakdown of talks. There were a total of 175 casualties in the conflict.

*'''887.M30 The Conquest of Hyptheria''': The Iron Rangers found themselves fighting against a xenos opponent alongside Imperial Army forces. During the battle for the capital of Hyptheria III a detachment of Imperial Army soldiers was killed immediately after contact with Iron Rangers forces. This led directly to the Emperor's inspection of the XX Legion and their temporary disarmament by Tiran Osoros.

*'''897.M30 The Cleansing''': A rearmed Iron Rangers was sent to assist the conquered world of Hrath against an unknown xenos assailant. Merrill deployed his entire Legion to cull any who were not immediately loyal to him and his own beliefs. The resulting campaign left the Legion bloody and bitter yet united in spirit and cause.