<span style="font-size:120%">''"Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you against all others"'' <br />
<span style="font-size:160%">"'''C'''</span><span style="font-size:120%">''ontrol a people's perception of reality and you can control them.'' <br />
|Strength = Accurate Figure Unknown; between 71,000 up to 190,000. Official figure believed to be 130,000
|Strength = Accurate Figure Unknown; believed to be over 150,000 at start of Heresy.
|Allegiance = Traitor. Tzeentch.
|Allegiance = Traitor. Tzeentch.
|Colours = White and Black
|Colours = White and Black
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The XIIIth were once a greatly respected legion of the [[Legiones Astartes]], commanded by primarch [[Uriel Starikov]].
<span style="font-size:190%">'''T'''</span>'''he Justicars''' were a Traitor [[Legiones Astartes (Hektor Heresy)|Space Marine Legion]]. Atypical for Astartes, the 13th joked, talked freely, and pulled pranks on each other. This stood juxtaposed against a solid reputation for relentless professionalism on the battlefield. The Emperor crafted their gene-sire Uriel Salazar as a great weapon against the dark powers of Chaos, and Uriel's gene-sons were well-equipped to carry on that mission against the Witch Kings and Sorcerers who plagued humanity at the end of the Age of Strife. Yet as the mission of the Legion evolved into a fight against the corrupting touch of Chaos within the young Imperium, they were drawn into the web of Tzeentch and turned against mankind. Among the ranks of the Traitors, they are unusually renowned for their selflessness and courage - the same qualities that had made the 13th beloved servants of the Emperor.
Known as the '''Justicars''', they watched over the Imperium from foes within and without.
Atypical for Astartes, the 13th joked, talked freely, and pulled pranks.
They were gregarious instead of aloof - always supportive of their friends - yet would always put the needs of the Great Crusade, justice, and the Imperium first.
They earned a reputation for trustworthiness and reliability; this served to make their eventual and surprising betrayal all the more painful. Now sworn to Tzeentch, the bitter truth of the 13th Legion is revealed: they were and still are, unbelievably deceptive and utterly self-serving.
=Legion History=
=Legion History=
==The 13th Squad of the Sacred Band==
The origin of the 13th is ill-documented, but their peculiarity is readily apparent from the records that do persist. Orders of the Day from [[Hektor Cincinnatus]] often include reprimands to '''Aldous Cadigan''' for the squad's lack of discipline. The Thirteenth were often reprimanded for cavalier behavior on and off the battlefield, showing little respect for rank, and on occasion theft. As a result censures were sometimes severe. The origin of the recruits are established as being from all over Terra; presumably many either came from lowly stock, or were disowned once their irreverent streak emerged, yet there also seems to have been many of higher standing as well. Whether their origins are indeed from among the orphaned and criminal stock of Terra will never be known: all records of the legions origins have been lost.
''The most difficult task any living being confronts is understanding their place in the galaxy.''
During the '''Pacification of the Merican Hives''', the Thirteenth were held in reserve and dispatched to suppress the partisans and militia that sprang up behind Imperial lines. Hektor's dispatches make it clear that this role was intended as a punishment, but by the end of the campaign he also gave grudging praise to Cadigan's efficiency and endorsed the squad's leader as the Master-Apparent of the Thirteenth Legion.
- Uriel Salazar, ''Confessions''
It seems likely that the Thirteenth Legion took part in other campaigns of the Unification Wars. They were certainly deployed in the '''Pacification of Urartu''', but played a curious role. Cadigan's men were once again held in reserve and it is implied that they were used in a counter-insurgency operation of substantial scale shortly following the sacrifice of the last Thunder Warriors in the '''[[Unification_Wars_(Hektor_Heresy)#Battle_of_Mount_Ararat|Battle of Mount Ararat]]'''. However, the dispatches of Imperial commanders make no report of resistance fighters. Begging the question: who ''were'' the targets of the Thirteenth Legion?
==Humble Beginnings==
The 13th Sacred Band squad roster:
[[File:XIII_Sacred_Band.png|thumb|300px|right|The XIII Sacred Band as recorded in ''Orders of the Day'', by Hektor Cincinnatus.]]
:* '''Aldous Cadigan''', Squad Commander (Listed KIA during Metnav I. Unconfirmed.)
:* '''Oskar Reynhardt''', Sergeant (Alive and leading the legion in the Eye of Terror)
:* '''Zlatko Tolyan Blazić''' (Unconfirmed dead, some time after Metnav)
:* '''Karolus Vayne''' (Alive and leading the rogue warband [[Black Corsairs]])
:* '''Earl Togou''', notable marksman (MIA during Metnav I. Unconfirmed report of various lone appearances post-Heresy in Golgotha Sector)
:* '''Temur ''The Bull'' Oghruk''' (Confirmed dead during Heresy. Slain at the the Siege of Terra)
:* '''Malik Al-Hasheem''' (Confirmed dead as of the Scouring, believed to have been killed before or during the Heresy)
:* '''Kamaraj Kohli''' (Unconfirmed dead, some time after Ullanor)
:* '''Arkady Balotin''' (Confirmed dead as of the Scouring, believed to have been killed before or during the Heresy)
:* '''Lo-Zho Lou''' (Listed KIA some time after Metnav I. Unconfirmed.)
==A Legion in the Great Crusade==
The first recruits for the nascent Thirteenth Legion came from the children of the Emperor's defeated enemies in the [[Unification Wars (Hektor Heresy)|Unification Wars]]. From those few who survived the gene-seed, the ten best were selected to make up the Thirteenth Squad the [[Sacred Band]] and fight in the Pacification of the Merican Hives under the command of [[Hektor Cincinnatus]]. Led by Aldous Cadigan, the Thirteenth Squad undertook reconnaissance and kill-team missions. They were rightly commended for slaying the Psysavant Cabal of San Angelus before the battle for that hive commenced, but the six survivors of the Thirteenth Squad refused to accept decorations and asked that the honours only be awarded to the fallen. For this reason, only the names of the slain are commemorated: Hong-Lau Shi, Zlatko Tolyan Blazić, Malik Al-Hasheem, and Librarian Kamaraj Kohli. The gesture would later strike a chord with the rest of the legion, and the legions first official tradition began.
Having earned a begrudging respect for their skills, the Thirteenth departed from Sol as part of the Great Crusade.
Despite impressing with their combat effectiveness and humility, Cadigan and his men played a limited role in the Unification Wars. New recruits were inducted into their number, now styled the Thirteenth Legion, but they held up no great battle honours. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the warriors of the Thirteenth carried out small operations against high-value targets, particularly enemy psykers, ahead of the more glorious battles fought by other Legionnaires. Certainly ''someone'' was doing this dirty work, for the chronicles of the Unification Wars often make reference to sorcerers serving Techno-Barbarian Warlords such as Nathaniel Dume or Kalagann of Ursh, but hardly ever speak of these powerful figures intervening against the Emperor's armies after the Pacification of the Merican Hives.
In a short time, many gains had been made by the Imperium, and the 13th held their fair share of victories, yet they had not achieved anything of note. However, major transformations began in the legion.
'''Cadigan''', now Commander-Apparent of the 13th, commanded not with an iron fist, but an open palm - allowing the commanders to offer their own arguments and ideas to planning, and granted unprecedented levels of autonomy to his company commanders in company organisation and practices.
Under '''Cadigan's''' inclusive and anarchistic leadership style the legion saw an increase in innovation, and many positive and negative developments occurred. The good generally outweighed the bad however, as the open and free-speaking nature of the 13ths Organisation allowed for issues to be raised and dealt with rapidly. The legion began a slow move away from their popular image as ill-disciplined yet effective light-infantry, to a cohesive and professional specialist fighting force.
Had it not been for problems with many of the Legions activated prior to the Thirteenth, it is possible that the gene-sons of Uriel Salazar might have remained a specialist force dedicated purely to the slaying of witches. But with the exception of Hektor's glorious [[Heralds of Hektor|First Legion]], few of the Thirteenth's elder brothers were truly ready to leap forward into the stars around Sol. In His wisdom, the Emperor commanded that additional genetic resources be devoted to expanding the Thirteenth Legion and making them ready for the [[Great Crusade (Hektor Heresy)|Great Crusade]] shortly after the Battle of Mount Ararat and the end of the Unification Wars. To furnish recruits to the expanding Legion, the officers of the Thirteenth Legion sent their agents into the vast subterranean prisons beneath Terra's hives, searching for children who had been born to a ruthless struggle for survival. In explaining the new course, Aldous Cadigan wrote to the War Council that the work of his Legion, ''"can only be done by saints and monsters, and we already recruit every saint we find."''
'''Oskar Reynhardt''', '''Arkady Balotin''', and '''Karolus Vayne''' were intrinsic in these changes.
However, those who expected the Thirteenth's new men to commit terrible atrocities were greatly disappointed. In the first campaigns of the Fifth [[Expedition Fleets (Hektor Heresy)|Expedition Fleet]] Cadigan's "saints" kept a careful watch over their charges and the careful, disciplined compliance actions of the Legion soon won them the tongue-in-cheek nickname, ''Guardian Angels''. Even in the bitter and bloody [[The_Justicars#The_Tartaros_Campaign.2C_813.M30|Tartaros Campaign]] against the sorcerous cohorts of the "God-Emperor" Bassal-Narassur the Undying, the Guardian Angels went into battle, staking their own lives, rather than employ orbital bombardment and inflict civilian casualties. Bassal-Narassur was slain and the Messonian Empire brought into compliance with the Imperial Truth. But the cost of victory was high; the Thirteenth were so bloodied from the campaign that their Expedition Fleet withdrew to the Sol System to rebuild.
'''Reynhardt''' brought about a higher degree of professionalism among the legion. While the '''Justicars''' were still from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, Reynhardt's relentless training and inter-company competitions instilled in them a discipline and coordination the legion had not known previously. Reynhardt also headed a new training initiative for the legion, believing firmly in the value of experience and understanding that strong and effective leadership were vital for a military force. Under his direction, the legion underwent an expansion of its training programs for all roles, with experienced veterans mentoring officers and other troopers in the intricacies of the battlefield, and their specialised skillset. The result of this was a sharp jump in overall quality of soldiering the legion was able to provide the Great Crusade, and in conjunction with Cadigans enabling of innovation, lead to extremely effective new battlefield tactics and specialised units.
===Notable Campaigns===
*'''782.M30 The Battle of San Angelus''' <br/> Though they played only a limited role, the Psysavant Cabal that ruled the San Angelus Hive were a potent group of psykers, and the XIII Sacred Band's mission to eliminate these sorcerers played a pivotal role in the pacification of the hive and certainly saved many Imperial lives.
'''Vayne''''s contributions were more tactical, with his close-quarter assault experience and that of his men being shared among the legion through Reynhardts training program. Vayne's experience with close-quarters fighting lead to the legion developing its expertise in city fighting and boarding actions, where quick reflexes and intelligent movement was vital. However, perhaps Vayne's most important contribution was in tutoring the legion how to wield violence and fear as weapons, and refining their methods to a mastery. Despite his methods often lacking the subtlety that the legion would later be famed for, his contributions lay the seeds for the legions later use of economic and psychological warfare.
'''Balotin''' is a notable case, despite being a Sacred Band member, he was put in charge of the training chapter, and his Sacred Band colleagues were expected to achieve far more than he.
*'''813.M30: [[The Tartaros Campaign]]'''. <br/> A powerful, self-styled rival to the Imperium, the Messonian Empire were humbled by the Thirteenth in a brutal, and decisive campaign that would bring the Messonians into the Imperium, and silence all dissent in the sector for over four millennia. The Messonian Empire, largely untouched by the chaotic infighting of the Heresy, positioned itself as a major base of operations for the early Imperial pushes of the Scouring into Ultima and Obscurus.
Yet fate had a different path for Arkady Balotin.
Exhibiting an extraordinary understanding of morale and public perception, perhaps from his family background, Balotin was largely responsible for laying the groundwork in the legions transformation into the most-trusted Legion in the Great Crusade.
It was Balotin who understood, like '''Vayne''', that psychology mattered in warfare. But where Vayne used terror and intimidation, Balotin appealed to hearts, minds and prosperity of the enemy. He sought to win people over to his side, and to gain allies he could count on through helping them. This had effects on and off the battlefield, and it was not long before Reynhardt called a vote on second-in-command for the legion, stepping down and voting Balotin to replace himself in the position. Having unwittingly won the legion over with his helpful and trustworthy demeanour, Balotin was voted into the position by a significant margin, and became the legions "Quartermaster" or second-in-command.
On a smaller scale, the XIIIth began to expand it's battlefield roles. For what purpose wasn't entirely clear, but the capabilities of the legion greatly expanded during this time, with '''Cadigan'''s unique leadership allowing individual battalions to develop specialisations outside of their standard modus operandi. Many new specialist squad types were developed and tested during the short time from leaving Sol to the legions reunification with it's gene-sire [[Uriel Starikov]] in 817.M30.
==Uriel Salazar==
''Get men to think less about themselves and more about their brothers. Involve them in a cause, a crusade against a hated enemy. Make them see their survival as tied to the success of the army as a whole. Do that, and they will never fail you.'' <br/>
===The Tartaros Campaign, 813.M30===
- Uriel Salazar
{{Main|The Tartaros Campaign}}
The Tartaros Campaign marks a high-point in the legions short history before being reunited with their Primarch, Uriel Starikov.
[[File:Uriel starikov.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Uriel Salazar, Primarch of the Thirteenth Legion]]
Tasked to take on a powerful, self-styled rival to the Imperium, the Messonian Empire would be utterly humbled by the Justicars in a brutally decisive campaign that would bring the Messonians into the Imperium, and silence all dissent for over a millennia.
==A Primarch Reunited==
When [[Uriel Starikov]] was rediscovered on [[Perfidiae V]] in 817.M30, the Justicars were campaigning in Segmentum Ultima. Bringing their campaigns to a close, the legion set out for north eastern Obscurus to reunite with their lost primarch. Their excitement was strong, and morale was high at the thought of finally reuniting with their primarch, but the legion was not prepared for what it would find.
It has been theorised that the sacrifice of the Thirteenth at Messonia was at the command of the Emperor, for just five years later the Legion would be meet with their Primarch and gain access to the vast manpower reserves of his home world [[Tiberia]]. Fresh genetic material from [[Uriel Salazar]] invigorated the Legion physically, but his moral presence was even more significant. Uriel's selfless dedication to the Imperium and its peoples, his great humility, and his tremendous self-discipline made him the embodiment of the Thirteenth's principles. More than just a leader or a father, he was his gene-sons' ideal. The Primarch's first command was to set aside the name "Guardian Angels". Uriel explained to his men that such a moniker was boastful and unfitting for their mission. In place of that grand title, he styled the Thirteenth as ''"The humble fellow-soldiers of the Emperor and His justice"'', but they would be more commonly known as '''The Justicars'''.
They had hoped and expected to find in their primarch a leader like [[Hektor Cincinnatus]], or at least an individual with a strong purpose and knowledge like [[Arelex Orannis]]. Their expectations lead to great disappointment however, as their primarch soon appeared to them as an incompetent and ineffectual leader.
Instead of taking command with strength and conviction, Uriel ''suggested'' that the Sacred Band should continue leading the legion, claiming he wasn't a soldier knew little of war. This, Uriel explained, would leave him to observe and advise on political or administrative matters, which he claimed was his strength.
Uriel never officially re-based his Legion to Tiberia and always hailed Ancient Terra as the cradle of the Justicars. However, in reality the Thirteenth moved much of their recruiting and training infrastructure to the Primarch's home world very early on. The Fifth Expedition Fleet officially rejoined the Great Crusade in 820.M30 under Uriel's command, but it would not embark on major campaigns again until 823.M30, as Uriel brought with him a sweeping reforms to the legion and its methods that required extensive training and acclimation. Other Expedition Fleets, at first commanded by Cadigan's veterans, soon followed in the footsteps of the Fifth Fleet, and in quick succession the Justicars won many firm victories for the Imperium under their own banner. Almost as important were the many independent "Compliance Groups" that went to the aid of other Imperial forces confronted by Sorcerers and Psykers. The skills of the Unification Wars had not been forgotten by the Thirteenth Legion, and small dedicated formations of the legion hunted witches and corruption all across the galaxy. Their talents were also used to great effect in the fight against psychically-potent Xenos, such as the Eldar.
Many marines refused to believe a primarch could be so lacking in martial qualities, but most were made to believe when the legion undertook training exercises with their gene-sire. Uriel was physically able, but inept at leading, and indecisive at planning, and the men suffered.
The legion quickly made a name for itself, racking up brilliant victories and earning great respect for their humble and dutiful nature. This run didn't last 3 decades before problems arose. When Uriel had formed the intelligence framework for the legions networks, various formations within the legion pooled their knowledge. The Armorium was one of these formations, and Mars was not happy to hear about its Techmarines sharing their secrets. The legion had been under intense scrutiny from Mars, who had lowered the legions priority on its supply lists. Fate had not had enough with the Justicars yet though, and through a cruel twist a secret cache was discovered in a Justicar voidship by a lowly Munitorum official during one of the regularly-irregular supply stops. Inside the cache were hundreds of mismatched artefacts, all undisclosed by the Justicars. The fury of Mars was relentless and they seized the artefacts in a tense standoff and then left, petitioning the Emperor himself to redress the issue harshly. The artefacts were a strange collection with no obvious common traits save their psychically shielded housing and having been kept from Mars. The legion offered no explanation for the secreted away artefacts, though Uriel was recorded as meeting with the Emperor personally over the matter. After the meeting, judgement had been passed: The legion would find and turn over a complete STC device it had located to the Mechanicum, and the legion was to bring several recalcitrant forgeworlds into compliance with Mars.
Still, some did not believe this was possible. How could a primarch - a veritable Demigod(bold) - forged by the gene-science of the greatest human of all, be this weak?
The Mechancium were unhappy with the judgement, but their greed placated them enough to accept the judgement begrudgingly. The Justicars delivered, but relations never normalised between the two, and the legion found itself all but cut off from Mechanicum support
Even among the native Perfidians, undergoing induction into the legion could not shed any favourable light on their gene-sire; they had known Uriel Starikov as a meek but shady politician propped up by influential factions who sought a weak leader.
Some began to turn their back on their primarch, disregarding his presence completely.
This continued for a month, and all the legion had made their minds up on the matter. Most would reluctantly follow their primarch as that was their duty, but others openly treated him with disdain and outright insubordination. Even some members of the Sacred Band would betray their liege in such a manner, most notably '''Karolus Vayne''' and '''Oskar Reynhardt'''.
As the Great Crusade began to reach the fringes of the Astronomican's light, the Astartes's mission slowly changed. The Space Marines were too few to hold and expand the vast frontiers of the young Imperium alone. Human warriors of the enormous [[Imperial Army (Hektor Heresy)|Imperial Army]] formerly kept in support roles, were now committed to the spearheads of the Crusade in ever-increasing numbers. The Justicars adapted to these changes exceptionally well, having long made use of the Imperial Army in its campaigns. But despite their best efforts, the Justicars felt the increased pressures upon them to fulfil their mandate; Insurrections flared up across the entirety of the Imperium, often led by powerful sorcerers. To combat the threats within the Imperium, Uriel began to break up his Expeditionary Fleets into ever more '''Compliance Groups''', spread thinly throughout the Galaxy. Although their lack of force concentration robbed the Justicars of the laurels won by other Legions at the end of the Great Crusade, they gladly gave up honour for duty.
It was at first-light on the 32nd day of their reunification with their gene-sire that everything changed.
Yet for every witch-led rebellion that the Justicars put down, more sprang up elsewhere. Uriel Salazar became obsessed with understanding the patterns underlying these revolts, believing that if he could discover a logical progression to such events he could better deploy his far-flung forces. Uriel is even recorded as having been party to private discussions with the Emperor and Malcador the Sigilite around this time, apparently seeking guidance, though the truth of what they spoke of is lost to us. However, for all the nobility of his purpose, Uriel's great focus led him into darkness. The logic that he worked to understand was the unfathomable intelligence of the Chaos God Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways. Every new insight twisted the Primarch's great mind towards the path of Chaos, the very foe which he was created to defeat. When [[Aubrey The Grey]] came to claim the Thirteenth for the Traitors, Uriel agreed to join with the Arch-Traitor and solemnly pledged his men to Hektor's cause with the words he had once used to affirm his loyalty to the Emperor:
Overnight, their gene-sire had transformed from the non-entity they had come to know, into something very different.
Forming the legion up in an open field for inspection, Uriel spoke with strength and oratorical skill. He revealed the truth of his plan to his children: that he did it to test the legion to the limits of its loyalty. He had wanted to see just how far his legion would follow him when completely ignorant of his plans.
Those who had shown themselves insubordinate were formed up separately from the rest of the legion, and Uriel addressed each of them individually. He explained his disappointment in his sons at their behaviour, but assured them he would not punish them. Instead they would carry their mistake, and seek redemption and forgiveness from their gene-sire by fighting in the vanguard of the legion.
Then Uriel spoke again to the gathered mass of the legion. He outlined the all-encompassing reforms he would be instituting to the legion, and the new challenges the legion would face under his command.
Drawing from his own experience, Uriel introduced the legion to the ways of intelligence, building upon the expertise in reconnaissance the Justicars had accrued since their inception.
Sweeping doctrinal changes occurred, with every area of the 13th's methods of war being expanded upon, from psychological warfare to mobility. With these changes the legion's focus expanded, from purely tactical superiority, to strategic and operational dominance as well.
Even the marines themselves were changed: Uriel put forth a program of education, encouraging marines to further themselves by learning new skills, from new martial talents to simply expanding the marines foundation of knowledge. Uriel held this as very important for personal and legion-wide innovation, as it expanded creativity on and off the battlefield.
''He wills it''.
===The 'Metnav I Incident' and the Daicham Campaign===
==The Heresy==
{{Infobox 40k Campaign
|title=the Daicham Campaign
|image=
|attacker= '''Aggressor:''' <br />The Daichampa Republic of Man
|defender= '''Defender:'''<br />Imperium of Man
|commander1=Letaito Nagar, the Despot of Daicham<br />
Novuyen Jiap
Balaraminh Chi-Quoc
|commander2='''Thirteenth Legion:'''<br />
[[Uriel Starikov]]<br>
'''Twentieth Legion:'''
Dafydd 'Slash' Slashworth
|date=818.M30
|scale=across multiple sectors
|theatre=Sudest-Ayza, Daicham, Funan, and Aizyallam sectors
|strength1=5 billion soldiers <br> ~20 billion militia and volunteer forces
|strength2=~71,500 Astartes<br />
*~70,000 Thirteenth Legion
*~1,500 Twentieth Legion
Over 50 million Imperial Army and Auxilia
|casualties1=
|casualties2=
|status=Imperial Victory
|outcome=
}}
Having his men scattered throughout the Imperium was at once help and hindrance to Uriel's new plans. The Justicars swiftly went into action sabotaging Imperial infrastructure, disabling astropathic relays, and securing strategic points such as supply depots for the Traitor Legions. However, a small minority of the Thirteenth Legion refused to follow their Primarch into damnation. These "Guardian Angels", as they called themselves, were few in number but were particularly adept at slaying the corrupted Librarians in thrall of the Chaos Powers across the Galaxy.
The first full-scale campaign the legion participated in since it reunited with its primarch [[Uriel Starikov]], the Daicham campaign was never intended to even be a full deployment, as the legion was still adjusting to its new doctrine and in transit to a campaign it ''had'' been designated.
Aside from dealing with their Loyalist brothers, Uriel's Justicars were also called on to contain the warriors of the Eyes of the Emperor who had spurned the Council of Ten and rallied to Shakya Vardhana. If these two subtle Legions did not yet confront one another in great pitched battles, their countless skirmishes over six years of war still added up to a terrible toll in lives. The hatreds formed in the little war between the Justicars and the Eyes of the Emperor would reach a crescendo at the Siege of Terra, where the Legions would finally be matched in a field battle.
In late 817.M30 the Rogue Trader [[van Oranje Rogue Trader Dynasty|Jan Houtmann van Oranje]] made contact with a large human empire that spread across several sectors, who later sold his information to the Administratum after having brokered his way into being named as the sole intermediary between the Imperium and the newly discovered empire.
Based primarily the '''Daicham sector''' and known as the '''Daichampa Republic of Man''', the empire had a long history that could be traced back to the start of Old Night, and it had a deeply-rooted and highly revered culture and tradition going back juts as long. The Daichampa had a strong and well-equipped military, with a strange dichotomy of modern and ancient-traditional technology and philosophies.
When the Administratum sent diplomats to the empire's capital of '''Metnav I''', they were greeted with great ceremony and after a week of diplomatic pleasantries, taken to the ''Despot of Daicham'', '''Letaito Nagar'''. Despite the strength of the Daichampan military and the empire's long held traditions, Letaito Nagar was receptive to joining the Imperium. However, after some fierce negotiation on his future position in the Imperium, Nagar accepted Imperial rule, but on one condition. Nagar made a request to formally surrender his empire to the Emperor himself, or one of his lineage, and would not do so until given this respect.
The XIIIth legion was en route to their first designated campaign, which would coincidentally travel into the vicinity of the Sudest-Ayza sector. So the Administratum sent word to [[Uriel Starikov]], requesting that he and a small honour guard divert to accept Nagar's surrender formally, before regrouping with their forces at their campaign target.
Uriel was reluctant to accept, claiming he had had no time to conduct even basic reconnaissance or study the empire first. But after some negotiation agreed, and diverted with a small cadre of his legion to the Sudest-Ayza. The Administratum had provided Uriel with a plethora of their collected intelligence, and assured him over great length, that no further action would be necessary other than diplomacy. In transit to the Daicham Sector, Uriel's fleet ran into a small training battalion of the [[Iron Rangers]] who had been stranded in the void. The Iron Ranger's battleship had been crippled after their ships' Gellar Field was breached in warp-transit; they had narrowly avoided an unenviable fate by undertaking an emergency warp-exit. Fortunately, they suffered minimal casualties, but the ship sustained serious damage to its hull and engines.
Uriel took the Iron Ranger battalion onto his small fleet, offering to provide the legion transport to the nearest spaceport for repairs after completing his diplomatic mission.
==The Scouring==
Rogue Trader makes contact
Hektors body had barely hit the bloodied steps of the Imperial Palace when the traitor hordes began to rout. The tide had turned and the hard-pressed defenders opportunity to avenge their fallen was upon then and their counter-offensive began in earnest. Old habits die hard however; Amidst the chaos of the Traitor retreat, the Justicars began to form a rearguard with practised fluidity. Warriors from the [[Heralds_of_Hektor|First]], [[Sons_of_Fire|Fourth]] and [[Eternal_Zealots|Sixteenth]] either reformed with them, or showed no intention of retreating anyway.
An intense struggle began as rage and hatred on both sides crashed into one another yet afain that day. The traitors lead by Uriel and [[Aubrey The Grey|Aubrey]] fought bitterly, but they were forced back step by bloody step at the hands of the vengeful loyalists. Through the begrudgingly valiant efforts of the traitors, the rearguard served its purpose; Hektors lifeless body had been evacuated from Terra and the majority of the remaining traitors had escaped into the void. Those in the rearguard had all but died to a man, even Uriel himself had been banished into the warp. Only [[Aubrey The Grey]] survived, forced into an escaping ship by his own men.
Imperium moves into to take over
Those at Terra had died to a man, but the majority of the surviving Justicars were spared the Scouring, so dispersed were they across the galaxy that they escaped by sheer virtue of their own diffuse deployment and small numbers. Not all were so lucky however, many of the legions networks were violently uprooted, and many hidden caches and forward bases were discovered; the vengeful guns of the Loyalists exacted a heavy toll upon all the traitorous Thirteenth discovered.
Leader of Empire negotiates a place in Imperium (possibly as a multi-sector commander) demands to only surrender to the Emperor or one of his heirs.
==Legion Wars==
The 13th were a divisive group in the Legion wars, earning as much hatred and envy as they earned respect and friendship for their actions in the heresy.
Empy has no 'heirs' as he is immortal, so Primarch is next best thing.
==Post-Heresy==
Newly found and currently unoccupied Uriel passing through.
Requested to deal with Empire surrender.
=Organisation=
Told it a quick win, agrees.
Where many legions had idiosyncratic and unique organisational structures born of their deep-rooted cultural and philosophical backgrounds, the Thirteenth had always kept there own simple and clear. Keeping their organisation based on the Terran standard, the Justicars only added the '''Compliance Group''' to their structure. The legion did not field many battle groups and by the late Crusade they had none at all, preferring instead to use the smaller Compliance Groups to achieve the same objectives. Early in the Crusade it was not uncommon for multiple Compliance Groups to be assigned to a single campaign, using their flexibility and deception to defeat the enemies of the Imperium with great effect.
Bumps into stranded IR rookie training contingent en route. They tag along for the ride to next port.
After the Justicars fell foul of Mars, they looked to bind every ally they could trust to their banner, from Forgeworlds to Rogue Traders. Notably, the legion took to ''"adopting"'' Imperial Army regiments who proved their skill and reliability, especially from worlds the Thirteenth had brought into the Imperium personally. Declaring the regimental home planet as a legion recruiting world, the Justicars would set about drastically improving the quality and intensity of the training these regiments were given. Then the legion could funnel these regiments into Justicar Compliance Groups, who provided a backbone of men the Thirteenth trusted and knew were capable.
Uriel doesn't take due diligence with intel or preparations for war assuming what he had been given had been done thoroughly.
The only other major deviation that set the Justicars apart from their Astartes brothers, was the freedom with which they gave their commanders to realise objectives; operational commanders of the Justicars and even the Imperial Army were given clear objectives and a time frame within which to complete these in. This left the subordinate leadership to independently plan and implement how they would achieve their objectives, and do so appropriately to the forces they had at their disposal. These mission-lead tactics proved very effective, and complemented the Thirteenth legions greater doctrine.
Gets taken hostage by Empire at signing ceremony on Metnav I (capital of Empire).
==Doctrine==
Stationed honour guard attacked as base being set up, casualties alarmingly high for astartes, fleet driven out of orbit in face of overwhelming void attack.
The doctrine of the nascent XIII legion could be simply categorised as conventional; the legion began its history as a small, specialised force designed to track down and eliminate enemy psykers. However, in the closing days of the Unification Wars, it became clear many of the line legions would require time to recover their depleted strength, while the young XIII legion were in relatively good order. And with a healthy stockpile of stable geneseed ready to be implanted, the Emperor ordered the XIII to begin preparations to adapt to a new front line role while the other legions rebuilt.
<br/>
honour guard forces scatter to the jungle.
The legions reunification with their primarch would bring about significant changes to this conventionality. Having participated in an insurgency on his homeworld, Uriel understood there was more to war than blades and bullets, and learned to see beyond the battle when planning strategies. He installed a doctrine that revolved around the principle of denial and control; the legion would seek to seize or destroy their opponents ability to wage war itself before finishing them off.
To achieve this aim, 4 themes were made paramount to the Justicar doctrine:
Small security squad and surviving retinue for Uriel breaks Uriel from his captors and group flee into the jungle too, pursued by Empire forces.
Uriel angry at his own mistake, and tries to fathom the plan of the Empire. Swears to never be caught unprepared and unready again. (He keeps that promise, despite its insanity)
:* '''Deception'''<br/>
Astartes difficulty blending in to cities forces local civilians to be recruited to do spying and infiltration (formation of kokolny)
Misleading and confusing the enemy causes them to operate upon a false perception of reality and thus makes them vulnerable to the Justicars own strategies.
Information warfare, psychological operation, and counter-intelligence all serve to further this theme, making the 13th an unpredictable and frustrating foe to face.
Counter-insurgency knowledge reversed and cross pollinated with IR strategy to pursue guerrilla war while hoping the fleet gets a message out to the Imperium of what transpired.
:* '''Coordination'''<br/>
They do, while losing 90% of the small envoy fleet in the process.
Rest of 13th legion reverse course and head for their primarch on Metnav I.
Coordination is employed by the Thirteenth to magnify the effects of their strategies upon their enemies. Strong lines of communication form the keystone to this theme and form a backbone for the legions forces. Intelligence networks and reconnaissance forces bolster and utilise these communication lines to ensure Compliance Groups coordinate their strategies with devastating effect on the enemy.
Uriel meanwhile eventually hits great success with his plans and manages to instigate a massive simultaneous offensive that captures a several key points and besieges all the rest.
:* '''Flexibility'''<br/>
Arrival of rest of 13th legion forces Empire to pull out of their capital, to face the new threat.
The critical elements in war are speed and adaptability; the ability to move and make decisions faster than the enemy. The Mechanicum feud forced the legion to adapt to overcome their supply shortcomings by substituting equipment for ruthless training, and building flexibility into their organisation. Thus the Justicars segment their forces into groups who operate autonomously, merging and segmenting as required.
Combined with coordination this serves to make the Justicars elusive and unstoppable by infusing their forces with the spirit of the campaign, giving them a clear objective to accomplish, and then letting them run. This has lead to the Thirteenths forces possessing an extraordinary strategic agility, often making their Compliance Groups seem like much larger forces than they actually are.
Campaign itself is over in a matter of days. But with the 'Metnav Incident' entire campaign lasts several months - nearly the whole year.
:* '''Mobility'''<br/>
==A New Beginning==
The use of mobility to undermine the enemy has long been a central theme of warfare. While not as fast or mobile as some legions or simply lacking the equipment, the Justicars solve their shortcomings by using mobility itself as a weapon. Aware they have to pick their battles carefully, the legion will withdraw from a confrontation with the enemy with no remorse. This often draws enemy forces into rash pursuits which the Justicars are only too happy to indulge. Once opportunity presents itself, the Thirteenths forces will mount their counter-offensives and flanking manoeuvres on the now over-extended enemy with striking effect.
And A new master.
===Operation Ouroboros===
bringing down the house, Uriel style.
==A Legion in the Heresy==
'''Perfidiae V'''
the loyalists besieged
'''Paramar'''
the biggest con of the war
'''Mars'''
infiltrating the IR onto the surface covertly, as "advisors" and then running amok potentially getting their filthy fingers on classified info and blueprints
'''Terra'''
Uriel's game of duplicity is revealed in a duel at Terra when Tzeentch morphs him to show Uriel as he really is. Never meet your heroes kids!
==A Legion in the Scouring==
flight to the Eye
==Post-Heresy==
'''Legion Wars'''
=Organisation=
Attempting to make sense of the methods and organisation of the Justicars one is as always, faced with an exercise in insanity and foolishness.
These themes enabled the legion to prosecute their campaigns with an impressive economy of effort, expending the least effort for the most gain.
The legion became increasingly reliant on these methods as the Great Crusade wore on, and they mastered them as much out of necessity as desire.<br/> As the Great Crusade advanced however, the legion Compliance Groups found themselves transitioning from front-line forces into a specialist role hunting down witches across the Imperium. This transition cost the legion many battle honours, but they never complained, such was the cost of duty.
Post-Heresy, these strategies persist, having been simply augmented by the sorcerous powers and mutations imparted on the legion and their auxiliaries by Tzeentch.
A major feature that at least seems consistent, is the legions dynamic command structure.
Scattered sources suggest that the Thirteenth's operational command is lead by a small squad of marines whom possess the most experience across the broadest range of operationally relevant areas.
Nominal command is then deferred to the marine who has the most relevant skills for the current situation.
However, changing circumstances seem to reportedly force a change of leadership mid operation, with the former commander reverting to an advisor of the new commanding marine.
Many sources have discredit that this largely implausible and convoluted command structure could even function in war, but the interpretation is borne out by how effectively the legion usually responds in operational combat situations that should have sown confusion.
It also speaks a great deal of the training and understanding the legion's marines share with each other; being able to transition commanders seamlessly on the battlefield, and adapting to emerging circumstances with great ease implies a great deal of practice and skill.
==The Emissarium==
The Thirteenth seems to have take the adage "'knowledge is power'", to a literal and practical conclusion, ensuring their most knowledgeable experts are at the forefront of problems. Furthermore, given the 13th's propensity for deception and misdirection, it seems to be a method to misdirect enemy forces as to who is actually in command of the legion. This is further reinforced by the observed tendency of only deploying standard bearers with Chapter commanders and upward, or when better coordination with allied forces is required.
''"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."'' <br />
(Ancient [[Tiberia V|Tiberian]] Proverb)
roles:
This philosophy of flexibility and deception continues down through the ranks to the organisational breakdown level, with there seeming to be no clear line between a company, battalion, and chapter. Through the use of vague and coded terminology, such as 'section, echelon, body, group, cell, and team' to denote the movements of troops ranging in size from a few marines to an entire chapter.
:* Handling diplomacy and inter-legion communication
Of course, the legions commanders themselves seem to fully understand the numbers involved in troop movements, as they coordinate them, which would imply some form of encrypted communications are used to convey sensitive intel from being divulged to the enemy.
:* Coordinating operations with the 13th when required
Presumably the legion maintains as high a level of security on these covert communications as they do with everything else.
:* Discreetly watching over other legions for any questionable behaviour
:* Establishing intelligence networks for foreseeable future operations
<br/>
Akin to the Crusader Host on Terra, the Emissarium was officially a non-combat role, with a single marine, or Emissarius, embedded into each of the other legions.
The role was a temporary posting, and was held for about a two decades, before being rotated to another.
The rotation, and the Emissarius itself was designed to teach the brightest and best of the 13th the skills and philosophies of the other legions. The purpose of this being that they could be studied and adopted, or methods devised to counter them.
While officially a non-combat role, being attached to the retinue of a Primarch or Battle-group Commander meant Emissarius often saw a great deal of combat.
At the outset of the Heresy, Uriel had manipulated the rotation of the Emissarium to ensure that he had marines he could trust in the right positions; he assigned men he trusted to the legions Uriel had determined would side with Hektor, and the few loyalists the 13th had were assigned to the legions Uriel believed would remain loyal. This helped keep the 13ths loyalty undetermined for such a long time into the Heresy.
In this way the Emissarius was a vital source of information for the 13th, and helps explain how the Traitors in general were so successful prior to the Siege of Terra.
This practice was present during the Great Crusade, and while effective, had drawn criticism from many commanders unused to fighting alongside the legion for its lack of clarity in the heat of battle.
Where many legions might have forced their allies to adapt to their methods, the 13th attempted to compromise. To quell complaint, the legion embedded trusted serf's and human agents into the allied command as liaison teams to all of the allies they serve alongside.
This proved to be a suitable compromise, as the liaison teams held an understanding of the legions methods, and functioned as a strategic and operational administrative unit, coordinating troop movements and intelligence to allied formations on the fly.
It didn't take long for allied formations fighting alongside the legion to adapt to their methods in this way, and had the side effect of tying the force closer to the formation.
It has been noted many times how incredibly effective the XIIIth's battlefield communication networks are, despite their seemingly disorganised ways making such a feat seem illogical. Many have claimed their ill-disciplined image is just a facade, while yet others have claimed they use xenos technology that allows the legion to communicate across implausible distances without the need for astropaths.
These claims should be ignored as disreputable, yet not disregarded; the 13th are known for their skill at deception, despite how trustworthy they were once deemed.
In hindsight, it is readily apparent how the legion was able to keep the secret of it's true allegiances for such a long time.
Indeed post-Heresy, the XIIIth legion continues confounding the friend and foe alike with it's convoluted methods, which seem to get more intricate as time passes.
==Specialist Troops==
==Specialist Troops==
The 13th legion with its unorthodox and ever-adapting methods, are among the legions with a larger number of specialist troops than average. Many squad formations are formed to deal with a single campaign-specific threat, and once the campaign was complete they would be disbanded.
The marines that formed those specialist units then go on to take their experience to new formations, leaving the 13th Legion a surprisingly wide pool of expertise to wield, and the ability to employ surprisingly unorthodox maneuvers with little difficulty.
There are however, many specialist troops whose roles were more universal, or had a broader potential, and so were maintained as permanent fixtures to the legion. Some of these even spread to other legions. The 13th were also very keen to acquire or learn new formations from their brother legions, always striving to push the boundaries of their own knowledge and capabilities.
'''Stalker Squads'''
'''Stalker Squads'''
''"One cannot hide from shadows"'' <br />
''"You can't hide from your shadow"'' <br />
(Stalker motto)
(Stalker motto)
Roles:
'''Roles:'''
:* Witch kill-team operations
:* Active and passive reconnaissance, and observation of enemy forces
:* Reconnaissance
:* Guerrilla warfare
:* Logistics interdiction
:* Capture, assassination, and protection of Designated Targets
:* Communications and infrastructure sabotage
:* Sabotage and observation of target locations
:* Infiltration
:* Additional capability to attack targets of opportunity
Stalker squads specialise in reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering and were consummate masters of stealth, and infiltration, being required to assassinate, kidnap, and sabotage designated targets deep behind enemy lines.
Often remaining quiet when enemies were in sight, and reporting there location, direction, number, and armament to command so that other forces could be assigned to destroy them, allowing the Stalker squads to remain undetected, and continue providing up to date battlefield intelligence, as well as utilising their snipers and explosive charges to take out strategic and tactical objectives, often as they saw fit.
Stalker squads were also usually responsible for many of the guerrilla operations undertaken by the Justicars, using their skills of infiltration and sabotage to great effect behind enemy lines, working in conjunction with a Political Operations Officer to distribute propaganda, and win the local hearts and minds, while crushing the resolve and morale of their enemies with their constant hit-and-run attacks; always striking their target and disappearing before a retaliation could be organised.
The origins of the Stalker squads come from the Iron Rangers Heliwyr squads, who would use stealth and infiltration to get deep into enemy territory and help guide allied forces, harass enemy supply lines, and attack enemy targets of opportunity.
Where other legions reconnaissance squads were used in a purely observational role, the Heliwyr and Stalker squads turned the humble scout into a fearsome formation, capable of wreaking great havoc.
The Iron Rangers often cooperated in operations with the Justicars early in their legions history, the two legions sharing an affinity for similar types of warfare, and thus the normally guarded Iron Rangers shared their experience and skills, the Justicars offering their own in return.
In a short time these squads also spread to the other legions, it was from these formations and the reconnaissance squads, that the later Adeptus Astartes Scout Marines were established after the Second Founding in the early 31st Millennium.
'''Headhunter Squads'''
''Never was anything great achieved without great danger'' <br />
(Headhunter mantra)
Roles:
:* Assassination of high value targets usually under combat conditions
:* Spearheading urban and void-based close quarters strikes and assault operations
:* Direct action strikes on dangerous battlefield targets, such as small voidships, titans, and close-quarter defensive positions
:* Deployment of specialist munitions and explosives as vanguard assault infantry
The Headhunter squad was a new formation, created by Thirteenth to fill the role of rapidly disabling enemy command chains and eliminating persons of interest, they would later add other capabilities to their role, most notably elimination of dangerous vehicle targets and as close assault infantry.
They were comprised of legionaries chosen mostly for being the best assault marksmen and close quarters fighters in the Legion, but also for their quick thinking and personal agility; often the window of opportunity to make the "kill-shot" is mere moments, and thus fast and accurate reactions were highly prized.
It wasn't long before nerves of steel became a practical requirment, as while they may have begun as an anti-personnel unit, they quickly broadened their capabilities to also destroy or capture large armoured targets, such as titans and small voidships. This highly dangerous target-hunting role ensured Headhunter squads endure heavy casualties.
Using the chaos of battle as a distraction, a Headhunter Squads primary role was to seek, identify and execute designated enemy targets. Officers, medics, demagogues, champions - whomever the target, they were 'marked' and would be dead before the smoke of battle had cleared. Special ammunition and weapons were often deployed by the Headhunter Squads, to ensure a target was eliminated effectively and efficiently.
The 13th Legion were the first to form this squad configuration. It's deadly effectiveness earning it as much acclaim as it gained detractors for being dishonourable. Despite many legions resisting, its effectiveness made it popular, and many legions adopted it for their own use.
Headhunter Squads in the Justicars are also usually the best at Urban fighting in the legion, their quick reactions, and high precision giving them the edge in the cramped battlefield conditions of urban fighting, where enemy fire can come from difficult and oblique angles.
This predisposition for quick reactions and the emphasis on speed needed to function, meant that Headhunter Squads in the 13th would sometimes operate in scout armour, to allow them better range of movement.
'''Mobile Assault Commando squads (MAC's)'''
''If the plan seems crazy to you; you were not crazy enough to begin with.'' <br />
(MAC squad joke)
Roles:
:* Rapid deployment strikes, by air, sea, void, & land.
:* Commando direct action and unconventional assault operations on high value targets
:* Rapid deployment battlefield support
:* Capability to attack targets of opportunity
Most commonly utilising the custom Koln pattern LandSpeeders (similar to the Landspeeder Storm) and Schwarzefalken-Pattern Stormtalon ground attack aircaft, which were customised and outfitted for transporting troops, the Mobile Assault Commando squads, or MAC's, undertake sudden assaults and raids on unsuspecting foes, often far behind enemy lines.
They are also deployed in the flanks and rear of assaulting enemy forces, before their assault has made contact the legions lines.
This is to sow confusion among the enemy, and destabilise their ability to prosecute their plans.
Often the MAC's are also used to lure or coral enemy forces into kill zones and traps laid out by the rest of the legion.
When not airborne, the mobility offered by their transport vehicles, MAC's strike the enemy hard and fast, hitting strategic or tactical targets quickly, then seizing and holding the ground, or remounting their transports to hit their next target.
In environments unsuited to fliers, the MAC's utilise vehicles, often favouring bikes and custom 4-wheeler light transport vehicles's designed for maximum speed and agility. Utilising a brash dismounting assault, the MAC's complete their assigned mission before remounting and riding off, leaving enemy reinforcements without targets and out of position.
Their targets are often designated by Stalker Squads, Insidiators, and Kokolny agents, giving the MAC's up to date intelligence to base their attacks on.
They are the most cavalier and foolhardy of all the 13th Legion, and tend to focus less on deception and subterfuge, in favour of rapidly removing an enemies ability to operate effectively.
On occasion, MAC squads will be given a mission to assault a high-value target location. Deemed either too crazy or too heavily defended for a sudden assault without a larger operation organised to lay the ground work beforehand; that is where the MAC's are consulted. They will devise a plan, that is highly unorthodox and will probably seem doomed to fail by all forms of logic. But despite this, whether through finding refuge in the plans sheer audacity, or sheer luck, the Commando's have an impressive success rate, and casualty rate to match.
Casualties vary from mission to mission, sometimes very high, sometimes almost non-existent over an entire campaign - The squads Modus Operandi is either shockingly effective, but the high level of risk employed in their attacks can leave them at great risk should a mission go wrong.
Due to the nature of the MAC'a operation, they attract those who are highly aggressive, highly efficient, and quick on their feet, both mentally and physically. However, many calm and more methodical marines still make it in the squads, although often in specialist or leadership roles.
===Specialist Ranks===
The Justicars have 4 distinct ranks of 'Operational Officer'. All officers above sergeant wishing to advance further, are assigned to a battalion commander as adjutants, and serve a number of campaigns to give the marine training in each of the 4 roles, whereby they can choose a specialisation, or elect to list themselves onto rotation full-time.
Being on rotation means that the marine will be assigned one of the 4 roles, on an operation by operation basis.
The majority of marines elect to pick a specialisation, as the demands on skill, endurance, and flexibility that rotation requires leaves it a highly stressful and highly challenging position - even for marines.
As a result Rotation is mostly staffed by those who display equal talents in all roles, who are likely to become notable members of the legion in due course.
'''GO2 - Guerrilla Operations Officer'''
''"First, learn from the people. Then teach them. Win their hearts and their minds and they will risk their lives to help you."'' <br />
(Arkady Balotin lecturing GO2 candidates)
The Guerrilla Operations Officer, or GO2, is one of the oldest ranks in the legion, dating back to Terra itself. With it's counter-insurgency role, the legion accrued a highly focused expertise in counter-insurgency operations. As the legion broadened it's capabilities, the need for specialist leadership became apparent, and the GO2 was officially formed. Originally intended solely for leading counter-insurgency operations, the expertise gained in eliminating insurgents made them unusually suited to managing insurgency operations too - they knew how counter-insurgency worked, and thus knew how to counter it.
Responsibilities:
:* Commanding insurgency and counter-insurgency operations (primarily the latter)
:* Managing 'Hearts and Minds' campaigns on the local populace where applicable
:* Forming and managing local militias and dealing with civilians
:* Long-term political and economic operations requiring overt combat, including assassination, capture, rescue, sabotage, and theft of key assets.
They are often viewed as the toughest of the four operational roles due to the resolve and resourcefulness required to operate without supply for extended periods, often in enemy territory.
While not as prestigious a role as the other three operational roles, the practical experience and respect earned serving as a GO2 ensures a reliable chance of promotion to a commanding role, usually a battalion.
Many GO2's also find themselves being recruited into Group 13, or the Special Military actIvities & Logistics Echelon(SMILE) various sub-sections.
Post-Heresy many former GO2's would find leadership positions in warbands, and cause a lot of problems for the Imperium by infiltrating imperial space and establishing cults to Tzeentch and the Legion, putting their skill at counter-insurgency to great use in eluding and evading capture.
'''CIO - Counter Intelligence Officer''' -
''Appear as you aren't, and you're enemy will attack phantoms'' <br />
(Guiding principle of the Counter-Intelligence Officer)
It is impossibly to establish when Counter Intelligence Officers, or CIO's, were officially formed; a testament to their skill. Their purpose however is clear: to maintain the legions secrecy, and security from enemy spies and reconnaissance. They quickly adapted from a purely technical role, to finding a place on the battlefield, often leading the MAC's and Stalker squads in eliminating and ambushing enemy scouts, and disrupting enemy communications to protect the legions secrecy.
The roles paternal nature in the legion also helped establish the CIO's as morale officers, as they were regarded as the most trustworthy men in the legion.
Responsibilities:
:* Ensuring the security of the tactical, operational, internal, and strategic intelligence from friend and foe alike
:* Analysing intelligence risks and deciding how to deal with them
:* Capturing and eliminating enemy spies and reconnaissance, and disrupting enemy communications
:* Morale management among the legion, it's auxiliaries, and its allies
They are often comprised of the quieter and more observant individuals of the legion. Despite trying to remain inconspicuous, the CIO's are highly respected, and much liked as they look out for the legion and its marines in and out of battle.
Post-Heresy CIO's would find themselves in great demand by various warbands who wished to keep their warbands secrets hidden from rivals and allies alike.
Many CIO's would take these roles only to betray their new employers as part of a longer scheme for their original warband, or as a means to gain themselves power.
Warbands lead by CIO's are especially dangerous as they are nigh inscrutable, especially those lead by a CIO psyker.
'''PO2 - Political Operations Officer'''
''The tongue is like a sharp knife: it can kill without drawing blood.''<br />
(Ancient [[Perfidiae V|Perfidian]] Proverb)
Political Operations Officers, or PO2's, were formed by Uriel in the wake of the Metnav I campaign to deal with detailed intelligence on non-imperial human worlds. Unlike the CIO, PO2's were designed as a dual combat-technical role from their conception. The PO2 was responsible for attaining incredibly detailed intelligence on local planetary government, military, and economic figures and locations. It was to analyse the value these held as targets or assets, and propose a course of action for approval.
The PO2 would then coordinate, and in most cases lead, small-scale tactical strikes on said key targets.
On top of this the PO2 was also responsible as part of any diplomatic negotiations required in a campaign.
Responsibilities:
:* Leading diplomatic negotiations with neutral and hostile factions
:* Commanding small-scale tactical raids on military, political, and economic targets of interest
:* Maintaining up-to-date intelligence of key local figures, locations, factions, and forces
:* Establishing local intelligence networks, and recruiting dissidents and criminals
The role requires above average (by the 13th's standard) abilities with inter-personal skills, especially persuasion and lying. Highly valued are an understanding of human and xenos culture, psychology, and language.
While the PO2 seems far more limited than the other three roles, the PO2 is actually quite often central to the pacification of a planet. They often run psychological and economic operations, which are usually more time consuming than operations of other roles, but are highly effective methods of bringing a world to compliance.
<br/>
PO2's who distinguish themselves in their role will find themselves serving a term as an Emissarius, which is a highly prestigious role in the legion, and a fast-track for Chapter Master, or serving in one of the special formations. Notably, a significant number of Insidiators began as PO2's.
Ironically, these stealthy warriors became the face of the Thirteenth Legion due to their frequent collaborations with other Legions. The Stalkers were chosen from among the ranks of ordinary battle brothers for their strength of will, intelligence, and stealth skills, and were recognised as an elite formation the equal of any other in the Space Marine Legions. However, the Stalkers' formidable talents were best employed in small bands tasked with the elimination of witches. Due to their special training and equipment, these Legionnaires became peculiarly resistant to the works of psykers and they were particularly feared by the Eldar.
Post Heresy, many PO2's would find themselves in positions of power, and those who also possessed psyker abilities could find themselves leading a warband. PO2's operating in the Imperium would often cultivate ties with local Rogue Traders and criminal groups, using the criminal networks as vectors to spread chaos and destabilise the Imperium economically, psychologically, and politically.
=Culture and Traditions=
Despite seeming rather mundane, in some ways the PO2 is one of the most fearsome threats to the Imperium: the skills to destabilise or destroy a sector economy or undermine Imperial authority can cripple a sector and have further reaching consequences than that of a direct assault, tying up Imperial resources for decades.
'''ICO - Intelligence Case Officer'''
Even before the legion was reunited with their gene-sire, the Thirteenth had displayed many of the same values that would later define them; Courage, justice, patience, duty, cooperation, generosity, humility, diligence, and determination. These nine values formed a bedrock on which the varied temperaments of the legion would build upon, and were untouched by the legions otherwise impenetrable cynicism.
The vast influx of Tiberian recruits inducted in 817.M30 brought with them new cultural practices that were quickly shared with the rest of the legion, as old practices were adopted in kind.<br/>The legions humble nature had seen to it that only their fallen brothers names were recorded in the legions annals and Imperial honour rolls. This practice was soon expanded to include members of the Imperial Army, and even civilians who had contributed to the success of the Justicars' campaigns.
''"The wise leader is not worried of being unknown to others; they are worried of others being unknown to them."''<br />
A strong and bewildering tradition within the Thirteenth is that of the prank; well known for their good humour and friendly nature, the prank is the evolution of the under-hive humour and rough-housing that dominated the early legion. The prank found widespread popularity with the Tiberian recruits most of whom had shared similarly challenging childhoods. It also proved popular with Imperial Army rank-and-file, though commanders, especially high-born, were quickly insulted by such uncouth behaviours.
(Uriel Starikov)
Even after falling to Chaos, the prank seems to remain a fixture of the legions culture, only now they often take a more nefarious turn.
Formed in the wake of the Metnav Campaign, the Intelligence Case Officer, or 'ICO's role was to ensure that the legion would never be caught so off-guard again.
Despite their jovial nature, the Justicars held a rather serious outlook in their heart; most of the legion had grown up in harsh and trying circumstances, and the need to be self-reliant was strong. After the Mechanicum Incident, this need became ever more vital, and so the legion sought to overcome its supply issues with ruthless training and coordination. Spearheaded by the venerable Oskar Reinhardt, the legion began instituting brutal training schedules. From individual weapon drills and squad tactics, to complex scenarios and grand strategy wargames, the legion prepared itself relentlessly to face whatever fate might throw its way. Imperial Army regiments 'adopted' by the legion were also included in these preparations on Uriels order, such was the trust and burden the legion knew it would be setting upon them.
In charge of gathering actionable intelligence for the legion, managing the reconnaissance vanguard units, and establishing and maintaining legion networks. They tend to operate isolated from the legion, with anywhere from a small squad up to a company of marines, and operate ahead of the rest of the 'group' they are assigned to.
responsibilities:
:* Establishing intelligence networks outside of Imperial territory
:* Assessing locations and physical targets and recommending action for the legion to follow
:* Scouting Xenos and non-Imperial territories and conducting preliminary operations
ICO's are often the most audacious and self-reliant marines of the legion. Operating well ahead of the main forces and almost constantly outnumbered and outgunned, the ICO needs a special kind of wit, guile, and insanity to accompany the marines natural combat abilities.
Marines in this role often found themselves recruited into Group 13 as Insidiators should they serve in the ICO role with distinction, or into SMILE to lead one of its sub-sections.
Post Heresy ICO's would find themselves in a strange position: they were sought after by many warbands for their skills, but more importantly their knowledge of secrets and established networks. However, those same skills, secrets, and networks gave them the power to lead warbands in their own right, a fact any competent warlord knew, forcing the ICO into a tough decision. ICO's are responsible for many of the far reaching traitor networks that plague the Imperium and keep the Inquisition busy.
====Insidiators====
''Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win'' <br />
(XIIIth Legion proverb on the value of preparation)
Created in the sweeping reforms Uriel instituted after the Metnav I campaign, the Insidiators are without a doubt the strangest of all the legions idiosyncratic formations.
They are an element of the mythical '''Group 13''', who does not answer to or interact with the rest of the legion. Like all Group 13 marines, the Insidiators are given new identities and undergo extensive surgery to alter their features and make them unrecognisable.
Where Group 13 operates separate from the rest of the legion, Insidators are one degree further in this separation, operating completely alone, even from Group 13 forces.
They travel across the galaxy, sometimes ahead of the Great Crusades front line, other times in conquered Imperial territory. They seek out enemies of the Imperium, designating and preparing operations on locations and people of interest for the legion to follow up on later.
A great deal of the Insidiator's role is pre-emptive preparation, ensuring contingency plans are prepared for even the most unlikely of circumstances, and often on a strategic scale that would bewilder even some of the other primarchs.
Insidiators have countless purposes, but primarily they act as Uriel's eyes and ears, informing him of the state of affairs in the galaxy and also enforcing his will across it; Insidiators answer to Uriel and the Group 13 commander directly, and while rarely exercised, they have jurisdiction to overrule any commander in the 13th should they deem it necessary.
This degree of power comes with great responsibility, and only those who have repeatedly demonstrated that they possess exceptional minds, understanding, and talent are ever recruited into the Insidiator ranks. As a result, Insidiators are entrusted with complete autonomy in their actions, given only a list of objectives to achieve and a time-frame to work within.
Fundamentally, Insidiators encompass the roles that the 4 operational officers of the 13th fill, but instead on a strategic scale. It was Insidiators who first made diplomatic contact with the Vetrovnak on behalf of the XIIIth legion, seeing the value in cooperation, however temporary.
It was also Insidiators who forged the close bonds with various Rogue Traders that the legion came to use so effectively in its doctrine, travelling with the Rogue Traders out to the frontiers.
Even more so than ICO's, Insidiators are the cutting edge of the legion, directing its very focus, and surveying the galaxy ahead of the Imperium, finding the best routes and most important locations and people.
Crucially, like Group 13, the Insidiators handle all missions of a sensitive or 'black' nature, and are believed to have even been involved in the theft of Imperial and Mechanicus secrets.
During the Heresy the Insidiators were constantly busy completing endless objectives; creating anarchy, inciting and leading rebellions, raising and marshaling traitor militia's, spying on Imperial forces, assassinating key figures and sabotaging critical locations.
Insidiators were also involved in the daring operation to infiltrate onto the surface of Mars alongside a small force of [[Iron Rangers]] ahead of the traitor vanguard, to advise and support the Martian rebels, and to secure secret information, and technology blueprints.
After the Heresy most Insidiators that fell to chaos would continue to work alone or with a small retinue as mercenaries, on behalf of whatever warband offered them most. Some though, would lead deadly warbands, and wreak havoc deep in and out of the Eye of Terror.
Loyalist Insidiators were forced to turn renegade or surrender to the Imperium. Most were hunted down by the Inquisition after the Scouring, although some found great success outside of Imperial control leading criminal organisations and pirate warbands.
====Emissarius====
''"The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself"'' <br />
(Ancient [[Perfidia V|Perfidian]] Proverb)
Akin to the Crusader Host on Terra, the Emissarius was officially a non-combat role, with a single marine embedded into each of the legions.
The role is a temporary position, held for an indeterminate duration before being returned to the legion and replaced by a new Emissarius; the average time spent in the role is 20 years.
The rotation is designed to teach the brightest and best of the 13th skills and experiences of the other legions, that can then be studied and adopted or methods devised to counter them.
responsibilities:
:* Handling diplomacy and inter-legion communication, speaking with the authority of Uriel himself
:* Coordinating operations between the 13th and their host-legion when required
:* Discreetly watching over the host-legion for any questionable behaviour
:* Establishing intelligence networks for potential future counter-insurgency operations
However, while officially a non-combat role, by nature of being attached to the retinue of a Primarch or Chief Commander of a battle-group, Emissarius often saw a great deal of combat.
The Emissarium was formed to fulfill several purposes for the 13th, and it's members were among the brightest and most well-rounded individuals the legion had to offer, providing a wide range of skills to fill those purposes.
Many of its membership would go on to lead chapters and fill other important roles, including serving in Uriel's Inner Circle.
Primarily for maintaining and strengthening relations with the other legions, the Emissarius was required to be a consummate political operator, as well as possess an impressive understanding of people. However, the Emissarius was also to watch over their assigned legion, mostly for any troubling behaviours or events that may require the intervention of the 13th in their role as executioners.
Due to this, there were some legions who refused the Emissarium access.
This caused the role to expand it's requirements to include espionage; several legions refused the Emissarius assigned to them access, as was their right, so the Emissarium had to resort to using spies to watch over their charges instead.
While originally limited to those legions who refused the request for embedding, the practice of using agents was soon adopted universally by the Emissarium, and would expand from just watching over the assigned legion, to include pursuing their own operations, and establishing isolated networks throughout the galaxy whose loyalty lay with the 13th.
At the outset of the Heresy, Uriel had manipulated the rotation of the Emissarium to ensure that he had marines he could trust in the right positions; the fallen members of the 13th assigned to the legions Uriel had determined to side with Hektor, and select loyalists assigned to the legions Uriel believed to remain loyal.
In this way the Emissarius was a vital source of information for the 13th, and helps explain how the Traitors in general were so successful prior to the Siege of Terra.
However, the loyalists among the Emissarius, like those among the legion at large, found their loyalties tarnished by association with the rest of their traitorous legion. Yet where the loyalist faction of the legion had the opportunity to flee as renegades or face the misguided vengeance of the Imperium, the Emissarium did not, and all but one of their number were hunted down and slain.
The fate of the last loyal Emissarius is unknown however, all that is known is that his life was spared.
==Elite Formations==
'''Group 13'''
Group 13 is a secret operation unit, involved in covert and black operations.
Officially, they do not exist, and even within the legion the name is spoken with disbelief and conspiracy.
In reality, they are another chapter of the legion, whose numbers are not included in official records as all recruits to the formation have their deaths faked and new identities given to them, up to and including facial reconstruction and the adoption of new mannerisms.
Aside from black and false flag operations, Group 13 is involved in high-risk and often seemingly-suicidal operations; retrieving compromising intel, long-term infiltrations, assassinations, and the kidnap or capture of targets where the Imperium - or even the legion - cannot be seen to be involved.
As a consequence of this, Group 13 regularly sustains significantly higher casualty rates than most units.
Recruitment is heavily steeped in counter-intelligence preparations, with recruits only being selected from marines whose geneseed has been fully harvested.
Selection takes place before the recruit is even aware they are being considered as a candidate, with a profile on the potential recruit being assessed, and reports of how the marine acts in and out of combat.
Only marines that have displayed that their talents extend well beyond those required on the battlefield are considered, with most candidates exhibiting extreme self-reliance, quick wits, and a wide range of knowledge and experience.
The theories on Group 13's rigorous and brutal selection, the seemingly-suicidal nature of their missions, and the isolation from the rest of the legion has lead the unit to refer to itself as the ''Unlucky Bastards'', and it has become a humourous joke among those few in the group.
Group 13 was crucial in the Justicars preparations before the Heresy, and were responsible for eliminating any threats to the legions secret allegiance to the Ruinous Powers; only '''Arkady Balotin''' escaped their reach, but even he was slain before he could reveal the truth.
Since the Scouring, Group 13 has gone to ground somewhere in the Imperium, and are believed to offer their services to any warband or criminal element who can pay their price. Their allegiance is unknown, but there have been reports of [[Vetrovnak]] in their ranks, leading some to claim wildly that they have sold their services to the Vetrovnak Protectorate, though this is unsubstantiated.
==Support Formations==
The XIII legion's use of its support formations is more indirect than most legions, but they still wield immense power on and off the battlefield.
Taking the doctrinal tenet of '''Coordination''' to heart, the support formations of the 13th work almost imperceptibly as one.
'''Librarium'''
Psy Ops
Interrogation
Support/buffs
'''Apothecarium'''
Interrogation
Kidnap and Capture
'''Armorium'''
Psy Ops
Information Warfare
Gadgetforge
==Allies and Auxiliaries==
===The Kokolny===
''When you're thirsty it's too late to think about digging a well.''
- Uriel Starikov on the necessity of the Kokolny and intelligence networks
While marines are unparalleled creations for war, their stature makes them inadequate for espionage.
This isn't an issue for most legions, whose forays into intelligence are generally limited to field recon, for the 13th it was quite an issue.
With the lessons learned from the Metnav Incident fresh in his memory, Uriel formed a para-military auxilia body to handle the legions espionage fieldwork. And so some short time after 818.M30, the ''Kokolny'' were born.
The Kokolny (an ancient [[Perfidiae V|Perfidian]] word that translates loosely as ''puppet'' or ''toy''), were primarily responsible for infiltrating target factions and institutions in order to glean intelligence on said target. Operations like this broadly fall into 2 categories: long and short term. Long term infiltration would usually take the agents entire lifetime, the aim being to get the agent deep into the enemy command structure, becoming an expert on the target as well as providing critical intelligence.
Short term infiltration is used for short term objectives, such as obtaining immediate knowledge of locations and personnel for a raid. It is not uncommon for short term agents to be used to protect the cover of long term agents; by infiltrating the short term agents into the target, purely for the purpose of having the long term agent 'uncover' them and thus divert any suspicion away from him or herself in the process. In especially long term operations, it is not uncommon for a deep cover agent to be purposefully revealed to protect an even deeper cover agent.
However, the Kokolny are not limited to espionage and spying.
They are also used:
:* For military, economic, and political sabotage
:* For battlefield support for the legion and supporting Imperial Army
:* To instigate and often lead rebellions and uprisings
:* For covert and black operations of a priority or necessity that excludes Astartes involvement
:* To make diplomatic contact with non-imperials and xenos when the legion requires such action
The Kokolny are recruited from all over the Imperium, often from the Imperial Armyor from gulags and penal regiments, but a significant number of the formation have no military or espionage background at all.
They are always individuals who have displayed some level of talent in a field useful for espionage or assassination, and many have an unusual skill or knowledge that cannot be easily found at their level. It is not uncommon for instance, to find a Kokolny agent who was recruited for their knowledge and experience with the inter-sector economies, or galactic logistics. This is to widen the pool of knowledge the legion operates from, and is intrinsic in discovering new methods of infiltration, assassination, and even warfare.
Regardless of their usefulness, Kokolny are used in ruthlessly calculated ways, and agents are not expected to survive for more than a decade, dependent on how active the sector they operate in is.
Kokolny training is intense: ~95% of recruits fail to make the cut, and an alarming 68% of recruits die in training. Aside from statistics, there is little concrete records on Kokolny training however, as training takes place at the secretive '''Grey Box''' facility that legionary aspirants and neophytes are trained.
A wide variety of skills have been observed in Kokolny agents, which implies training is not standardised, or more likely, is standardised to a point, whereupon the agents are given the opportunity to choose what areas they wish to expand upon.
The basic training seems to include martial arts training and extensive instruction in resisting physical and psyker interrogation.
As a result, the fully fledged Kokolny agents are given the same respect by marines of the 13th as marines themselves, although practical realities and chain of command are still followed.
In the wake of the Heresy, and the revelation of the 13th legion's corruption, many Kokolny intelligence networks were discovered and purged. However, a great many are believed to still exist, and the alarming accuracy of the intelligence the traitors often operate on would suggest this great fear to be true.
==Legion Fleet==
=Doctrine=
The Doctrine of the Justicars is expansive, designed to primarily prepare the legion for any eventuality, and retain the strategic, operational, and tactical advantage at every turn.
Colloquially known as '''Unrestricted Warfare''', the legion's doctrine is essentially a modernised form of the '''Total War''' doctrine, where instead of using and and targeting all the available apparatus that fuel and fund military ambitions, those apparatus are themselves turned into weapons and applied directly to the enemy.
The flexibility inherent in this doctrine lies in the implementation of its tenets; not all of the Imperium's foes are susceptible to psychological warfare for example, in which case this tenet is retired in favour of tenets that are applicable to the enemy being faced.
It should be mentioned that the Justicars ability and willingness to innovate and adapt may have informed this doctrine considerably, but an equally convincing argument can be made of the opposite.
Regardless, its effectiveness lies in its ability to strip the enemy of its ability to prosecute a war, and limits the strategic and tactical options the enemy can choose from. It is also remarkably effective against foes who are more technologically advanced than the Imperium, as it's concepts do not rely on technology or advanced weaponry to be utilised successfully.
==Strategy==
The Strategic doctrine of the XIIIth is formed around 5 basic tenets:
:* 1. Deception
:* 2. Mobility
:* 3. Unconventional Warfare
:* 4. Information Warfare
:* 5. Joint Operations
=== 1. Deception===
Deception is perhaps the most defining tenet of the legion, as it pervades everything the legion interacts with, from communication to organisation.
The 13th go to extraordinary lengths to conceal their plans from friend and foe alike, only ever revealing what they want to be revealed, and even then in a manner that would deceive an opponent into a course of action the legion desired.
As such, it is very difficult to counter the XIIIth's attacks and penetrate their defenses, as the enemy can never be sure whether they have been lured into the chosen course of action, or have genuinely gained an advantage over the 13th and should press their attack.
Even against foes that either cannot, or choose not to follow conventional methods of war, simple deceptions such as baited ambushes are strikingly effective.
=== 2. Mobility===
Mobility is the legions second most important tenet, although the most overlooked. Where mobility for some other legions means heavy use of vehicles, the 13th see mobility as the process of responding to a threat and deploying for battle within the shortest time, and in the most efficient manner.
As such, they highly prize their naval and aircraft fleets, both of which are used extensively to allow the XIIIth to deploy with alarming speed and range.
The legion's vaunted CAT units exemplify this, operating entirely from aircraft and skimmers, or fast ground vehicles when flyers are impractical. Using their mobility, they are able to deploy rapidly around the battlefield, striking at strategic and tactical objectives, and harrying and baiting the enemy into responding, before remounting their vehicles and deploying elsewhere.
Mobility is also a great strength when used in conjunction with the other tenets, allowing the legion to act and react at a speed that is difficult to match for most foes.
Furthermore, mobility stretches into the legions infiltration and intelligence operations, using their range and speed in conjunction with secrecy to allow for vital covert and clandestine operations to be undertaken. Maintaining mobility while including secrecy has lead the legion to acquire and maintain many civilian and xenos vessels, in addition to cultivating, close links with Rogue Traders, whom aid the legion for profit found in their economic operations.
=== 3. Unconventional Warfare===
Unconventional Warfare is the most peculiar of the legions tenets. While other legions do engage in harassing enemy supply lines and sabotaging strategic positions, this is generally the limit of their pursuit of unconventional warfare. The XIIIth legion however, take the concept of unconventional warfare far beyond standard levels. This tenet includes a countless number of methods and strategies, but the core concepts are the following: psychological, political, and economic warfare.
'''Psychological Warfare''' has been in the 13ths doctrine since its conception, but expanded exponentially in scope after the legion was reunited with Uriel.
At first, the legion only employed psychological warfare in the form of terror, using controlled instances of excessive violence to intimidate and coerce foes into compliance, or damaging their morale. But after Sol the legion would expand this concept under the guidance of '''Arkady Balotin''' , '''Karolus Vayne''', and later '''Uriel''' himself.
More than just spreading fear, this tenet also reflects the legions aim of undermining enemy resistance by turning their civilians against them and encouraging desertion, or winning the populace and soldiers over to the Imperial cause by addressing their needs.
These methods referred to as Hearts and Minds operations, saw use against hostile and friendly populaces, and was a crucial factor in the 13th earning the reputation as the most trustworthy of all the legions in the Great Crusade.
This tenet often overlapped with political and information warfare, using the mediums to aid in spreading both the legions terror efforts, political manipulations, and its hearts and minds campaigns.
Political warfare is simply the means of limiting and enemies military capabilities through using politics as a battlefield. Whether supporting rebel or government factions, using diplomacy, or instigating civil wars and insurrections, political warfare has a permanent place in the 13th's arsenal; It has enabled them to bring worlds into compliance without needing more than a handful of legionary forces present. While it would seem to be limited in effectiveness against xenos, many Ork Waaghs and Dark Eldar cabals have been defeated by significantly smaller legionary forces who simply pitted them against each other, playing on personal ambitions and animosities to incite infighting, and mopping up the remains.
Political warfare is also intrinsic to the intelligence networks of the legion, which utilise this tenet's methods to extend the network and gain additional intelligence by exploiting the divisions in the enemy ranks to gain access to the vital information each side protects.
Finally economic warfare turns economic means, such as trade, industry, and even currency into weapons to defeat the enemy. Wars have economic, infrastructural, and logistical requirements to remain a viable course of action.
Warehouses and stockpiles of both strategic and domestic goods are destroyed or seized in targeted raids by the legion to diminish the enemy's ability to act.
Over time the legion has fostered close links with Rogue Traders to enact these missions, with the Rogue Traders facilitating or participating in the missions for a share of the looted goods. They are also used directly to destabilise the enemy economy with economic apparatus and encourage inflation by flooding the enemy markets with goods and crashing prices. The strategic effect of this is in increasing the cost of war and making it harder for the enemy to act, and also in fostering chaos in the enemy camp.
As these methods are limited in scope against xenos however, when facing such foes, the legion limits its economic warfare to raiding supply lines and bases for weapons and ammo, although the legion always pursues new innovations to allow them to apply these methods to foes previously immune. The aim of this being to limit the strategic options available to the enemy.
The legion peculiarly seems to retain the stolen goods and uses it to finance or supply its own covert and clandestine operations.
=== 4. Information Warfare===
Information warfare involves enemy communication networks, intelligence, and the control of information, both in the military and civilian scope.
The aspect of information warfare that defines the XIIIth most is '''Espionage'''.
Also known as Intelligence, espionage is the process of discovering everything about your foes - especially their secrets - while simultaneously guarding your own.
From simple battlefield reconnaissance to highly complex operations to infiltrate enemy organisations, the legions is fully engaged with this concept.
By the time of the Reformation, the legion's intelligence networks have been found across the entire Imperium, one wonders: just how far did their influence reach? And perhaps more worrying, how far does it still do so?
Another important aspect of the legions information warfare is control. The basic principle being that controlling information means control of how it is perceived; being able to exert influence on an enemy's civilian populace, or demoralise its enemy soldiers is a powerful tool, even against many Xenos foes.
Enemy military and civilian communication networks are infiltrated to gain usable intelligence, or compromised with jamming technology and cybernetic machine spirit attacks. Sometimes these attacks are combined with Pschological warfare strategies from the 13th's PsyOps group, who will hijack enemy battlefield communication networks and use them to project propaganda or carefully selected pieces of music and audio to disorient, dismay, or disrupt the enemy.
As a result of its technical nature, the methods used from this tenet are often overseen or prosecuted directly by the Techmarines of the 13th, and techpriests of their auxilia and allies.
Side note: this tenet has lead the legion to have an interesting interaction with the Remembrancers.
These tactics seem to have only increased since the Heresy, to great concern among the Imperium.
=== 5. Joint Operations===
Joint Operations is similar to the 'combined arms' approaches other legions employ, but at strategic scale, with all relevant commanders involved in the planning of any operation, be they Imperial Navy, Imperial Army, Legiones Astartes, or any other body, including local PDF.
This is a tenet introduced by Uriel after talking with the members of the XIIIth Sacred Band squad. Observing the effectiveness and loyalty engendered among the marines by fighting alongside other legions, and for [[Hektor Cincinnatus]] especially, Uriel sought to achieve similar results.
The tenet served a purpose beyond forging bonds however. Close coordination between the Thirteenth and other Imperial forces, including factions like the Adeptus Arbites and the Adeptus Mechanicus, allowed for the legion's tactical and strategic capabilities to be incredibly potent and flexible, coordinating all the participating elements to fight as a single force.
It would later be revealed to also have been a tool to infiltrate numerous factions with agents and extend the reach of the legions intelligence networks, which would prove to be a significant problem once the 13th's allegiance to chaos was revealed.
==Tactics==
COIN
MOUT
Contained raids, rapid CQ assaults
==Arms, Armour, & Equipment==
Prior to the reunion with their primarch, the Justicars had maintained a smaller armoury than most legions, largely neglecting equipment and weapons not used in the strategies they pursued. Even then, it was not uncommon for improvisation to fill the roles equipment traditionally would, speed and surprise being prized over how well-equipped a force was. This philosophy was not without merit, as the legions focus on counter-insurgency often required plans to be drawn and enacted with jarring speed - often leaving no time for equipment to be transferred from armouries to the frontlines.
But once Uriel was returned to the legion, this changed. The XIIIth's untouched stocks of equipment, armours, and weapons were rapidly and thoroughly brought up to combat-ready standard, and the amount of equipment stocked was expanded exponentially. In an impressively short time span, Uriel had refitted his legion, its fleet, and even some of its subordinate allies with newer and more modern equipment.
His changes carried on further still, as Uriel made controversial changes to the Armourium, encouraging the techmarines of his legion to improve existing equipment, and to develop new tools and gadgets for the legion to employ. The freedom given to the techmarines of the 13th notably lead to the Soltek pattern bolter, the Grizwold pattern bolt-revolver, and the Schwarzefalken pattern Storm Eagle which was widely employed by the legions MAC squads.
This and the XIIIth's ties with Explorator fleets would strain relations with the Mechanicum slightly, but the two sides would come to an accord, Uriel negotiating with the Mechanicum to find an agreeable middle ground, yet some bitterness reportedly remains.
During the Scouring it was revealed that the legion had massive stockpiles of non-imperial and xenos equipment across the Imperium in a vast network of hidden caches and safe-houses. Among this plethora of assorted tech, Imperial forces would find what would later be identified as equipment of [[Vetrovnak]] origin, specifically "Fold Comms", which are capable of sending messages over vast distances almost instantaneously, and with stable signal, by creating small wormholes to send the messages through.
It is therefore no surprise the legion was able to conceal its secrets with such a powerful and secretive communications network at its disposal, and answers how the legion was able to respond to intelligence with such improbable speed and preparation.
In addition to non-imperial tech, the legions Armorium also developed an abundance of electronic and mechanical gadgets to be used on and off the battlefield; from listening devices and comms-jammers, to flying reconnaissance servitors. These devices were designed largely to aid in the legions espionage and counter-insurgency activities, and presumably met great success, as the betrayal of the XIIIth legion was not apparent until the gates of Terra itself.
==Fleet Strategy and Tactics==
=Culture=
==Homeworld and Notable Domains==
==Training==
==Traditions, Philosophies, and Pastimes==
Of all the research conducted by myself and [[Inquisitor Enoch Vestin]], the strangest and most accurate findings were on the Justicars legionary culture.
Perhaps the most notable of their idiosyncrasies, was the legions fondness of pulling pranks on each other. The image of 7ft tall demi-gods pulling pranks like children is all at once surreal and intensely amusing, and one can certainly see what the nickname ''"Children"'' is founded upon.
These pranks seem to have ranged from simple and childish, to positively Machiavellian in their deviousness.
These pranks may have served another more devious role: encouraging the other legions to not take the XIIIth as seriously as they should have - especially considering their role as the ''Executioner'' legion, and their insidious spy networks. Inquisitor Vestin noted that these pranks also likely served the purpose of distraction, to deflect attention from the legions darker inner workings, notably their role in the Heresy.
The prank seems to be a notable manifestation of the legions propensity for humour, which has been recorded in various sources on and off the battlefield, as being highly entertaining, which had a positive effect on morale, especially on Imperial Army troopers.
Many have noted the legions humour even persisted in the face of overwhelming adversity, taking a darker twist, but never faltering in its wit.
The other of the more unusual quirks of the legion is their philosophy of equality. Completely lacking in the aloof superiority typical of Astartes, The Justicars held a deep-seated belief that everything had a value and a use. In practice, this lead them to interact with Imperial Army and other non-Astartes forces in surprisingly respectful manners, which undoubtedly bolstered their popularity within the Imperium.
This equality is also evident in their own legion, where all members can talk freely and informally, with little respect for rank; to the Justicars experience and knowledge are more important than title and hierarchy.
This further feeds into another key aspect of the legion: Loyalty to the group.
The legion holds loyalty to their own highest of all; partly due to their Primarchs paternal leadership style, and partly due to their understanding that the cause they serve and the role they play requires them to stick together above all else. It is commonly observed in the legion, often by those with backgrounds in law, that the biggest weakness of criminals is that they put themselves before the group, and this makes them weak and easy to exploit by enemies. Indeed it is a common tactic used by the Legion when they purge conquered worlds of their criminal factions.
As Inquisitor Vestin points out in his treatise on the Heresy, the Justicars loyalty to themselves before all else allowed the foul and Ruinous Powers to insert themselves between the legion and the Imperium - without this the Heresy may have not even have occurred.
Finally, the legions philosophy of justice is worth mentioning. The idea of justice was a driving force in the legions early culture and strategies for conquering worlds. On more than once occasion this philosophy lead to controversial decisions on punishment and protection of innocents.
Every case was dealt with on its own merits, the legion never permitting hatred or grudges to cloud their judgement on the most righteous course of action.
After the reunification with their Primarch, this philosophy would remain, although it would change. The methods and philosophies Uriel introduced to the legion would bring with them new moral, legal, and ethical challenges that made it more difficult to discern the truly just course of action, if one even existed.
This lead to the development of the Justice philosophy, shifting from a focus on the needs of victims, and punishment of wrongdoers, to a focus on whatever outcome held the greatest overall value to the Imperium, which was not always the most righteous course of action.
XO of XIII Sacred Band. A gruff, mean old bastard, Oskar was the bane of aspirants and battle brothers alike with his ruthless training regimes. But he also commanded utter respect for his wisdom and incomparable toughness. Oskar eventually died in the rearguard action at the Siege of Terra.<br/>
A pillar of the legion since the Sacred Band, where even then he had a reputation for a singular and creative viciousness. Though he stuck to the ideals of the legion, his irreverent independent streak saw him test the limits many times. His skill in CQB was a match for any who dared challenge him however, and like his viciousness, it has only increased since the Heresy ended. He now leads Black Corsairs.<br/>
Another Sacred Band member, Balotin exemplified the legions ideals, but possessed an irresistible charm that made him the perfect foil to the Uriel. He served as Equerry from 820.M30 to his mysterious murder, sometime before or during the Heresy.<br/>
Mihael was inducted into the legion in 917.M30, much later than his brethren. However, he proved himself worthy under the unforgiving instruction of Oskar Reynhardt, and went on to earn his reputation as a masterful manager of men, and brilliant strategist as commander of the veteran Compliance Group 13. He amassed a cadre of skilful and loyal officers around him, and reiterated the legions ethos of duty to keep subordinates in line. He currently leads the Justicars in Uriels stead.
Búho was always odd; possessing an unnerving, unblinking stare, and a silent grace that caught even master scouts off-guard. He joined the Librarius upon his inception, his latent Psy-powers measuring among the highest levels the legion had ever seen. His progression was slow however, as Búho had a predilection for studying everything he could get his hands on, obsessed as he was with knowledge and secrets. Though he was not present for the battle, he became Chief Librarian just prior to the Siege of Terra. He now acts as a right hand to Mihael Cuervo when not out on one of his unnanounced ''"excursions"''.<br/>
A tall and wiry marine, Raphael Garza's father was a combat medic who fought beside Uriel back on Tiberia against the oppressive regime of the Keye family. Taking in his fathers footsteps, Raphael was inducted into the Apothecarion and showed great aptitude. He served for a time as Emissarius to the Life Bringers legion, before returning to the legion, shortly after becoming their Surgeon General. For a time he provided wise and humble counsel to Uriel, and later to Mihael Cuervo.<br/>
A member of the XIII Sacred Band, Togo made a name for himself quickly as a peerless marksman, putting his skills to the test on many reconnaissance and kill-team missions. A man of few facial expressions and fewer words, Togo had none who would count him a friend; But when battle was joined, there was none who could say they didn't want to see Togo next to them. Aside from his unnatural marksmanship, Togo possessed incredible reflexes, endless patience, and uncanny luck. He vanished prior to the heresy, but unconfirmed reports of a silent Astartes marksman have surfaced in several sectors around the galaxy since.
<br/>
Arkady Balotin had a bright history and brighter future in the Justicars.
=Notable Domains=
A Terran-born son of a semi-famous lawman, and member of the XIIIth squad of the Sacred Band, Balotin was well-liked, well-balanced, and well-read. A man of honour and integrity, Balotin found himself as the heart of the legion early on.
Although at first underestimated due to his focus on aiding the citizens of Terra, his ''hearts and minds'' campaigns bore a great harvest in the Merican hives, where the XIIIth had been put on mopping up detail as punishment. Balotins actions turning the citizens against the insurgent remains of the Merican forces.
He would become a driving force in the legion, seen as a champion of the legions early philosophy of ''justice''.
After the reunification with Uriel, Balotin almost immediately found himself as one of Uriel's Circle, and served as Equerry more so than even Bezhryukov; Arkady had a way with people, some even likening his talents to those of Uriel himself.
However, Balotin's loyalties and deep-seated belief in justice kept him loyal to the Imperium when the XIIIth Legion began its plans for starting the Heresy. Although his loyalty was only clear after he had overcome some serious inner turmoil, Balotin's choice ultimately sealed his fate, and those of his Company, and close friend sergeant Uziel Faulken.
Balotin's body was found in a very small, battle-scarred trade ship drifting listlessly some time during the Scouring. Autopsy revealed he had been executed, likely killed during the Heresy itself, but the how and why remain a mystery.
As expected of a member of the Legiones Astartes, the Justicars brought many systems into compliance with the Imperium. Their measured care when pacifying human worlds and their precise rebuilding efforts bought the Imperium boundless goodwill and loyalty.
This mystery caught the attention of [[Inquisitor Enoch Vestin]], and was a large motivation behind the Inquisitors research into the legion, which lead to the extent of the Justicars betrayal coming to light.
Many more worlds than usual were established as recruiting worlds for the legion though, mostly to offset the supply issues the Justicars faced after their dispute with the Mechanicum. The majority of these recruiting worlds would go on to raise significant numbers of regiments that the Thirteenth built their non-Astartes Compliance Groups around. This was true especially late in the Great Crusade when the Astartes were overextended across the vast frontiers of the Great Crusade.
Some independent forge worlds were even brought under the legions wing on similar grounds; the legion needed the industrial support they provided more than what little goodwill Mars had left for the legion.
:*'''[[Tiberia_V]]''', Uriels Home-world.<br/>
:*'''The Illyrian Sub-Sector'''<br/>
:*'''Weizhen Sub-Sector'''<br/>
:*'''Perfidiae V''', the first world affected by the strange witch cults that Uriel would obsess over.<br/>
[[File:ArtyemBezhryukov.jpg|300px|thumb|Artyem Bezhrukov in Group 13 armour]]
Artyem Bezhrukov's history is unknown. A former Insidiator and member of Group 13, his identity as it was known to others was fabricated and his true identity destroyed. Believed to have been a recruit from Perfidiae, as Artyem had an unexplained and very close relationship with Uriel from his introduction to the legion. Artyem could be described as a mostly serious man, with the charisma and dramatic flair of an erudite religious preacher, always using 10 words where 2 would suffice, dripping with wisdom and wit. This captivating persona is a front, for a ruthless and calculating mind. It is believed that Bezhrukov served as a key legion commander, was a member of Uriel's ''Circle'', and served very often as one of Uriel's constantly changing Equerries.
Bezhrukov, along with Reynhardt as his second-in-command, kept the legion as intact as possible through the Legion Wars in the Eye of Terror. Although the legion did fragment, he did manage to keep most of splintered warbands working together, playing on the traditions they all shared as the Justicars.
The Justicars were known to possess an extensive fleet, though light on the heavy capital ships many other Legions favoured. Instead their fleet was comprised of vast quantities intermediate and small vessels such as strike cruisers.
The legion favours ranged fleet combat over boarding action, placing trust in their fleet commanders who became quietly renowned for their skill on the battlespace.
The Justicars were also suspected of utilising a number of captured xenos and non-imperial vessels, or incorporating xenos and non-imperial technology into their void-ship designs. Whether this occurred before or after the legions feud with the Mechanicum is unknown. Given the Legion's supply issues and frequent activities beyond the Imperium's focus, such suspicions may well be true. But it is equally likely such reports originate from the Justicars themselves.
At the beginning of the Heresy, the Justicars are ''believed'' to have had:
Company First Sergeant under '''Arkady Balotin''', Faulken was an experienced and grizzled soldier, highly respected by every man in the legion for his skill and experience in close quarter combat. A member of the legion since the reunification with primarch Uriel Starikov, Faulken had turned down a promotion to his own captaincy to stay as First Sergeant with his company.
He is believed to have died in the last of a number of rearguard actions, to save his close friend and Captain, Arkady Balotin from what are presumed to have been Group 13 kill teams.
A stoically quiet, incredibly observant, and surgically precise member of Uriel's Circle. A former Emissarius to the Iron Rangers Legion, Gagarin adopted some of their mannerisms, and retained them when he returned to the XIIIth Legion.
===Notable Vessels===
Smaller in stature than the other Astartes members of the Circle, Gagarin is respected and feared for his abilities, although few can outright state what they are, so shrouded in secrecy is his history.
''' ''Perfidus Iter''- Gloriana class Battleship '''<br/ >
Not an original member of the legion, Gagarin was supposedly a trainee-agent in one of Uriel's networks back on Perfidiae V, although some have discredited this theory, noting that Gagarin's name does not appear in any records before the Daicham Campaign.
'''Captain:''' Shemuel Spayd
Ignacy is believed to have masterminded the purge of the Justicar's loyalists who could not be mislead, with only Arkady Balotin managing to elude the trap Gagarin had set. If the pict-feed from Balotin's spacecraft is verified, Gagarin seems to have caught up with Balotin personally, executing the latter on Uriel's direct orders to prevent the loyalists from getting a warning out to the rest of the Imperium.
He is also believed to have been involved in at least one other legions purges of their own loyalists, and since the Heresy has apparently acted as a freelancer for the former XIIIth Legion warbands, with whom he seems to walk among unchallenged, and has sold his services to at least one non-Justicar warband.
He is suspected of being the killer of [[Inquisitor Enoch Vestin]], although there is scant available evidence proving anything.
'''Kamaraj Kohli'''
Uriel's Flagship, often confused with the legions other Flagship of the same class, ''Eris''. The ship is a contradiction, a vessel stripped down to its vital parts yet everything remaining is of exquisite artistry and taste, creating a strange dichotomy of purpose and aesthetic.
-----
It is known to hold vast training facilities and an extensive armoury.
''' ''Child of Justice'' - Strike Cruiser '''<br/ >
'''Captain:''' '''[REDACTED]'''
'''Oskar Reynhardt'''
This ship is shrouded in mystery; many have claimed that the Justicars simply name one ship in every battle fleet ''Child of Justice''; reports have a Strike Cruiser with this name appearing in over 30 different locations around the Imperium, in a time-frame that would make it impossible for the ship to physically travel those distances. Whether intentional deception, a legion-wide prank, or some form of warp anomaly the ''Child of Justice'' has quite the history.
A few inches shorter than even Uriel, Reynhardt is without a doubt the toughest and strongest marine in the legion. Before becoming a marine and joining the Sacred Band, Reynhardt actually saw active service in the Unification Wars as a member of the Old Hundred/Imperial Army. Having lied about his age to the recruiters, and due to his already adult height and early facial hair, Reynhardt was mistaken for much older than he was.
''' ''Qarin'' - Oberon class Battleship'''<br/>
He acquitted himself valiantly, and earned recognition on the battlefield, which also drew unwanted scrutiny to him. The Imperial recruiters discharged Reynhardt from his regiment was to be sent to a penal regiment before someone realised his potential, and entered Oskar into the Astartes project.
'''Captain:''' Ahab Celine
Despite his extensive experience in combat and famously inexhaustible repertoire of dirty battlefield tricks, Reynhardt had no interest in leading an elite formation. He elected instead to lead the recruits, imparting his wisdom to the recruits so the legions high standards would not just be maintained but exceeded.
Qarin is reportedly the ship on which Uriel Salazar finally fell to Tzeentch while hunting the cults that he grew to obsess over. The ships Captain, Ahab Celine, went rogue after the heresy, and is believed to be behind a number of conspiracies against the Imperium.
He was a key factor in the Justicars tradition of free-talking and respect for experience over rank, and was instrumental in the legions extensive training regimen.
He would find himself a member of Uriel's Circle, for his expertise in training as much as his tactical and strategic understanding.
The most straightforward of the Circle, and the most normal (by Astartes standards) of the rest of the Justicars, Oskar can often be found holding the line wherever a weak spot needs shoring up, or wherever the fighting is thickest.
A former Reclusiam Student turned inter-system Gangleader, Annastasya Key is one of the most important non-Astartes in the XIII Legion. Despite being just a regular human Annastasya is part of Uriel's Circle, and is the head of the XIII Legion's "'''IntCom'''" organisation.
She was recruited by Uriel personally, after an Insidiator 'discovered' her while on an operation that took him into the Hives of Malekkai III, whereupon the Insidiator used her position and influence to achieve his mission, allowing her to prove her already impressive skill set to him.
Her networks ranged across several hiveworlds, her influence running from the Underhives to the top of at least one of the spires, and she hadn't even hit her 20th Terran Year.
Uriel was impressed by Annastasya, and recruited her upon their first meeting.
She was then sent to The Grey Box. She would later be trained by various people, including Reynhardt, Gagarin, and Balotin, before being mentored by Uriel himself.
Her whereabouts post Heresy are unknown, although considerable evidence points toward her still operating for the legion within the Imperium.
The geneseed of the XIII was once noted as remarkably stable by Terran records at the end of the Unification Wars. From there on however, few complete records remain; A testament to the legions skill at counter-intelligence. What little we have left suggests significant genetic mutations began to manifest during the latter stages of the Great Crusade, and the legion subsequently tried to obfuscate this fact. They largely succeeded as sadly, not enough evidence exists for a conclusive statement. However, it only takes simple observation on the current state of the Justicars to note the genetic purity noted at their inception is no longer present, no doubt thanks to their new master.
A former violent criminal in a penal regiment, and before that a space faring mercenary who ended up running his own mercenary group before being caught by an Imperial Army fleet coming out of warp travel.
He was recruited from a maximum security prison-ship the penal regiment traveled in by an Insidiator, with a group of other convicts, and recruited into the legion in the first draft of the newly formed 'IntCom' to teach agents and informants criminal skills, and eventually become a commander of the deniable-operations "'''Echelon'''" group.
A former thug turned Rogue Trader who joined the Justicars post-Heresy, and utilised his talents and connections with the [[van Oranje Rogue Trader Dynasty]] to not only corrupt a branch of their dynasty, but also exploit events in several Northern sectors of Segmentum Pacificus to throw the region into rebellion to distract from traitor operations in southern Obscurus.
=Geneseed=
==Successors==
=Misc=
{{/tg/-Heresy-Legions}}
{{/tg/-Heresy-Legions}}
Latest revision as of 09:45, 23 June 2023
"Control a people's perception of reality and you can control them.
- Uriel Salazar
This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.
The Justicars were a Traitor Space Marine Legion. Atypical for Astartes, the 13th joked, talked freely, and pulled pranks on each other. This stood juxtaposed against a solid reputation for relentless professionalism on the battlefield. The Emperor crafted their gene-sire Uriel Salazar as a great weapon against the dark powers of Chaos, and Uriel's gene-sons were well-equipped to carry on that mission against the Witch Kings and Sorcerers who plagued humanity at the end of the Age of Strife. Yet as the mission of the Legion evolved into a fight against the corrupting touch of Chaos within the young Imperium, they were drawn into the web of Tzeentch and turned against mankind. Among the ranks of the Traitors, they are unusually renowned for their selflessness and courage - the same qualities that had made the 13th beloved servants of the Emperor.
The XIII Sacred Band as recorded in Orders of the Day, by Hektor Cincinnatus.
The first recruits for the nascent Thirteenth Legion came from the children of the Emperor's defeated enemies in the Unification Wars. From those few who survived the gene-seed, the ten best were selected to make up the Thirteenth Squad the Sacred Band and fight in the Pacification of the Merican Hives under the command of Hektor Cincinnatus. Led by Aldous Cadigan, the Thirteenth Squad undertook reconnaissance and kill-team missions. They were rightly commended for slaying the Psysavant Cabal of San Angelus before the battle for that hive commenced, but the six survivors of the Thirteenth Squad refused to accept decorations and asked that the honours only be awarded to the fallen. For this reason, only the names of the slain are commemorated: Hong-Lau Shi, Zlatko Tolyan Blazić, Malik Al-Hasheem, and Librarian Kamaraj Kohli. The gesture would later strike a chord with the rest of the legion, and the legions first official tradition began.
Despite impressing with their combat effectiveness and humility, Cadigan and his men played a limited role in the Unification Wars. New recruits were inducted into their number, now styled the Thirteenth Legion, but they held up no great battle honours. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the warriors of the Thirteenth carried out small operations against high-value targets, particularly enemy psykers, ahead of the more glorious battles fought by other Legionnaires. Certainly someone was doing this dirty work, for the chronicles of the Unification Wars often make reference to sorcerers serving Techno-Barbarian Warlords such as Nathaniel Dume or Kalagann of Ursh, but hardly ever speak of these powerful figures intervening against the Emperor's armies after the Pacification of the Merican Hives.
Had it not been for problems with many of the Legions activated prior to the Thirteenth, it is possible that the gene-sons of Uriel Salazar might have remained a specialist force dedicated purely to the slaying of witches. But with the exception of Hektor's glorious First Legion, few of the Thirteenth's elder brothers were truly ready to leap forward into the stars around Sol. In His wisdom, the Emperor commanded that additional genetic resources be devoted to expanding the Thirteenth Legion and making them ready for the Great Crusade shortly after the Battle of Mount Ararat and the end of the Unification Wars. To furnish recruits to the expanding Legion, the officers of the Thirteenth Legion sent their agents into the vast subterranean prisons beneath Terra's hives, searching for children who had been born to a ruthless struggle for survival. In explaining the new course, Aldous Cadigan wrote to the War Council that the work of his Legion, "can only be done by saints and monsters, and we already recruit every saint we find."
However, those who expected the Thirteenth's new men to commit terrible atrocities were greatly disappointed. In the first campaigns of the Fifth Expedition Fleet Cadigan's "saints" kept a careful watch over their charges and the careful, disciplined compliance actions of the Legion soon won them the tongue-in-cheek nickname, Guardian Angels. Even in the bitter and bloody Tartaros Campaign against the sorcerous cohorts of the "God-Emperor" Bassal-Narassur the Undying, the Guardian Angels went into battle, staking their own lives, rather than employ orbital bombardment and inflict civilian casualties. Bassal-Narassur was slain and the Messonian Empire brought into compliance with the Imperial Truth. But the cost of victory was high; the Thirteenth were so bloodied from the campaign that their Expedition Fleet withdrew to the Sol System to rebuild.
782.M30 The Battle of San Angelus Though they played only a limited role, the Psysavant Cabal that ruled the San Angelus Hive were a potent group of psykers, and the XIII Sacred Band's mission to eliminate these sorcerers played a pivotal role in the pacification of the hive and certainly saved many Imperial lives.
813.M30: The Tartaros Campaign. A powerful, self-styled rival to the Imperium, the Messonian Empire were humbled by the Thirteenth in a brutal, and decisive campaign that would bring the Messonians into the Imperium, and silence all dissent in the sector for over four millennia. The Messonian Empire, largely untouched by the chaotic infighting of the Heresy, positioned itself as a major base of operations for the early Imperial pushes of the Scouring into Ultima and Obscurus.
Get men to think less about themselves and more about their brothers. Involve them in a cause, a crusade against a hated enemy. Make them see their survival as tied to the success of the army as a whole. Do that, and they will never fail you.
- Uriel Salazar
Uriel Salazar, Primarch of the Thirteenth Legion
It has been theorised that the sacrifice of the Thirteenth at Messonia was at the command of the Emperor, for just five years later the Legion would be meet with their Primarch and gain access to the vast manpower reserves of his home world Tiberia. Fresh genetic material from Uriel Salazar invigorated the Legion physically, but his moral presence was even more significant. Uriel's selfless dedication to the Imperium and its peoples, his great humility, and his tremendous self-discipline made him the embodiment of the Thirteenth's principles. More than just a leader or a father, he was his gene-sons' ideal. The Primarch's first command was to set aside the name "Guardian Angels". Uriel explained to his men that such a moniker was boastful and unfitting for their mission. In place of that grand title, he styled the Thirteenth as "The humble fellow-soldiers of the Emperor and His justice", but they would be more commonly known as The Justicars.
Uriel never officially re-based his Legion to Tiberia and always hailed Ancient Terra as the cradle of the Justicars. However, in reality the Thirteenth moved much of their recruiting and training infrastructure to the Primarch's home world very early on. The Fifth Expedition Fleet officially rejoined the Great Crusade in 820.M30 under Uriel's command, but it would not embark on major campaigns again until 823.M30, as Uriel brought with him a sweeping reforms to the legion and its methods that required extensive training and acclimation. Other Expedition Fleets, at first commanded by Cadigan's veterans, soon followed in the footsteps of the Fifth Fleet, and in quick succession the Justicars won many firm victories for the Imperium under their own banner. Almost as important were the many independent "Compliance Groups" that went to the aid of other Imperial forces confronted by Sorcerers and Psykers. The skills of the Unification Wars had not been forgotten by the Thirteenth Legion, and small dedicated formations of the legion hunted witches and corruption all across the galaxy. Their talents were also used to great effect in the fight against psychically-potent Xenos, such as the Eldar.
The legion quickly made a name for itself, racking up brilliant victories and earning great respect for their humble and dutiful nature. This run didn't last 3 decades before problems arose. When Uriel had formed the intelligence framework for the legions networks, various formations within the legion pooled their knowledge. The Armorium was one of these formations, and Mars was not happy to hear about its Techmarines sharing their secrets. The legion had been under intense scrutiny from Mars, who had lowered the legions priority on its supply lists. Fate had not had enough with the Justicars yet though, and through a cruel twist a secret cache was discovered in a Justicar voidship by a lowly Munitorum official during one of the regularly-irregular supply stops. Inside the cache were hundreds of mismatched artefacts, all undisclosed by the Justicars. The fury of Mars was relentless and they seized the artefacts in a tense standoff and then left, petitioning the Emperor himself to redress the issue harshly. The artefacts were a strange collection with no obvious common traits save their psychically shielded housing and having been kept from Mars. The legion offered no explanation for the secreted away artefacts, though Uriel was recorded as meeting with the Emperor personally over the matter. After the meeting, judgement had been passed: The legion would find and turn over a complete STC device it had located to the Mechanicum, and the legion was to bring several recalcitrant forgeworlds into compliance with Mars.
The Mechancium were unhappy with the judgement, but their greed placated them enough to accept the judgement begrudgingly. The Justicars delivered, but relations never normalised between the two, and the legion found itself all but cut off from Mechanicum support
As the Great Crusade began to reach the fringes of the Astronomican's light, the Astartes's mission slowly changed. The Space Marines were too few to hold and expand the vast frontiers of the young Imperium alone. Human warriors of the enormous Imperial Army formerly kept in support roles, were now committed to the spearheads of the Crusade in ever-increasing numbers. The Justicars adapted to these changes exceptionally well, having long made use of the Imperial Army in its campaigns. But despite their best efforts, the Justicars felt the increased pressures upon them to fulfil their mandate; Insurrections flared up across the entirety of the Imperium, often led by powerful sorcerers. To combat the threats within the Imperium, Uriel began to break up his Expeditionary Fleets into ever more Compliance Groups, spread thinly throughout the Galaxy. Although their lack of force concentration robbed the Justicars of the laurels won by other Legions at the end of the Great Crusade, they gladly gave up honour for duty.
Yet for every witch-led rebellion that the Justicars put down, more sprang up elsewhere. Uriel Salazar became obsessed with understanding the patterns underlying these revolts, believing that if he could discover a logical progression to such events he could better deploy his far-flung forces. Uriel is even recorded as having been party to private discussions with the Emperor and Malcador the Sigilite around this time, apparently seeking guidance, though the truth of what they spoke of is lost to us. However, for all the nobility of his purpose, Uriel's great focus led him into darkness. The logic that he worked to understand was the unfathomable intelligence of the Chaos God Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways. Every new insight twisted the Primarch's great mind towards the path of Chaos, the very foe which he was created to defeat. When Aubrey The Grey came to claim the Thirteenth for the Traitors, Uriel agreed to join with the Arch-Traitor and solemnly pledged his men to Hektor's cause with the words he had once used to affirm his loyalty to the Emperor:
Having his men scattered throughout the Imperium was at once help and hindrance to Uriel's new plans. The Justicars swiftly went into action sabotaging Imperial infrastructure, disabling astropathic relays, and securing strategic points such as supply depots for the Traitor Legions. However, a small minority of the Thirteenth Legion refused to follow their Primarch into damnation. These "Guardian Angels", as they called themselves, were few in number but were particularly adept at slaying the corrupted Librarians in thrall of the Chaos Powers across the Galaxy.
Aside from dealing with their Loyalist brothers, Uriel's Justicars were also called on to contain the warriors of the Eyes of the Emperor who had spurned the Council of Ten and rallied to Shakya Vardhana. If these two subtle Legions did not yet confront one another in great pitched battles, their countless skirmishes over six years of war still added up to a terrible toll in lives. The hatreds formed in the little war between the Justicars and the Eyes of the Emperor would reach a crescendo at the Siege of Terra, where the Legions would finally be matched in a field battle.
Hektors body had barely hit the bloodied steps of the Imperial Palace when the traitor hordes began to rout. The tide had turned and the hard-pressed defenders opportunity to avenge their fallen was upon then and their counter-offensive began in earnest. Old habits die hard however; Amidst the chaos of the Traitor retreat, the Justicars began to form a rearguard with practised fluidity. Warriors from the First, Fourth and Sixteenth either reformed with them, or showed no intention of retreating anyway.
An intense struggle began as rage and hatred on both sides crashed into one another yet afain that day. The traitors lead by Uriel and Aubrey fought bitterly, but they were forced back step by bloody step at the hands of the vengeful loyalists. Through the begrudgingly valiant efforts of the traitors, the rearguard served its purpose; Hektors lifeless body had been evacuated from Terra and the majority of the remaining traitors had escaped into the void. Those in the rearguard had all but died to a man, even Uriel himself had been banished into the warp. Only Aubrey The Grey survived, forced into an escaping ship by his own men.
Those at Terra had died to a man, but the majority of the surviving Justicars were spared the Scouring, so dispersed were they across the galaxy that they escaped by sheer virtue of their own diffuse deployment and small numbers. Not all were so lucky however, many of the legions networks were violently uprooted, and many hidden caches and forward bases were discovered; the vengeful guns of the Loyalists exacted a heavy toll upon all the traitorous Thirteenth discovered.
The 13th were a divisive group in the Legion wars, earning as much hatred and envy as they earned respect and friendship for their actions in the heresy.
Where many legions had idiosyncratic and unique organisational structures born of their deep-rooted cultural and philosophical backgrounds, the Thirteenth had always kept there own simple and clear. Keeping their organisation based on the Terran standard, the Justicars only added the Compliance Group to their structure. The legion did not field many battle groups and by the late Crusade they had none at all, preferring instead to use the smaller Compliance Groups to achieve the same objectives. Early in the Crusade it was not uncommon for multiple Compliance Groups to be assigned to a single campaign, using their flexibility and deception to defeat the enemies of the Imperium with great effect.
After the Justicars fell foul of Mars, they looked to bind every ally they could trust to their banner, from Forgeworlds to Rogue Traders. Notably, the legion took to "adopting" Imperial Army regiments who proved their skill and reliability, especially from worlds the Thirteenth had brought into the Imperium personally. Declaring the regimental home planet as a legion recruiting world, the Justicars would set about drastically improving the quality and intensity of the training these regiments were given. Then the legion could funnel these regiments into Justicar Compliance Groups, who provided a backbone of men the Thirteenth trusted and knew were capable.
The only other major deviation that set the Justicars apart from their Astartes brothers, was the freedom with which they gave their commanders to realise objectives; operational commanders of the Justicars and even the Imperial Army were given clear objectives and a time frame within which to complete these in. This left the subordinate leadership to independently plan and implement how they would achieve their objectives, and do so appropriately to the forces they had at their disposal. These mission-lead tactics proved very effective, and complemented the Thirteenth legions greater doctrine.
The doctrine of the nascent XIII legion could be simply categorised as conventional; the legion began its history as a small, specialised force designed to track down and eliminate enemy psykers. However, in the closing days of the Unification Wars, it became clear many of the line legions would require time to recover their depleted strength, while the young XIII legion were in relatively good order. And with a healthy stockpile of stable geneseed ready to be implanted, the Emperor ordered the XIII to begin preparations to adapt to a new front line role while the other legions rebuilt.
The legions reunification with their primarch would bring about significant changes to this conventionality. Having participated in an insurgency on his homeworld, Uriel understood there was more to war than blades and bullets, and learned to see beyond the battle when planning strategies. He installed a doctrine that revolved around the principle of denial and control; the legion would seek to seize or destroy their opponents ability to wage war itself before finishing them off.
To achieve this aim, 4 themes were made paramount to the Justicar doctrine:
Deception
Misleading and confusing the enemy causes them to operate upon a false perception of reality and thus makes them vulnerable to the Justicars own strategies.
Information warfare, psychological operation, and counter-intelligence all serve to further this theme, making the 13th an unpredictable and frustrating foe to face.
Coordination
Coordination is employed by the Thirteenth to magnify the effects of their strategies upon their enemies. Strong lines of communication form the keystone to this theme and form a backbone for the legions forces. Intelligence networks and reconnaissance forces bolster and utilise these communication lines to ensure Compliance Groups coordinate their strategies with devastating effect on the enemy.
Flexibility
The critical elements in war are speed and adaptability; the ability to move and make decisions faster than the enemy. The Mechanicum feud forced the legion to adapt to overcome their supply shortcomings by substituting equipment for ruthless training, and building flexibility into their organisation. Thus the Justicars segment their forces into groups who operate autonomously, merging and segmenting as required.
Combined with coordination this serves to make the Justicars elusive and unstoppable by infusing their forces with the spirit of the campaign, giving them a clear objective to accomplish, and then letting them run. This has lead to the Thirteenths forces possessing an extraordinary strategic agility, often making their Compliance Groups seem like much larger forces than they actually are.
Mobility
The use of mobility to undermine the enemy has long been a central theme of warfare. While not as fast or mobile as some legions or simply lacking the equipment, the Justicars solve their shortcomings by using mobility itself as a weapon. Aware they have to pick their battles carefully, the legion will withdraw from a confrontation with the enemy with no remorse. This often draws enemy forces into rash pursuits which the Justicars are only too happy to indulge. Once opportunity presents itself, the Thirteenths forces will mount their counter-offensives and flanking manoeuvres on the now over-extended enemy with striking effect.
These themes enabled the legion to prosecute their campaigns with an impressive economy of effort, expending the least effort for the most gain.
The legion became increasingly reliant on these methods as the Great Crusade wore on, and they mastered them as much out of necessity as desire. As the Great Crusade advanced however, the legion Compliance Groups found themselves transitioning from front-line forces into a specialist role hunting down witches across the Imperium. This transition cost the legion many battle honours, but they never complained, such was the cost of duty.
Post-Heresy, these strategies persist, having been simply augmented by the sorcerous powers and mutations imparted on the legion and their auxiliaries by Tzeentch.
"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
(Ancient Tiberian Proverb)
roles:
Handling diplomacy and inter-legion communication
Coordinating operations with the 13th when required
Discreetly watching over other legions for any questionable behaviour
Establishing intelligence networks for foreseeable future operations
Akin to the Crusader Host on Terra, the Emissarium was officially a non-combat role, with a single marine, or Emissarius, embedded into each of the other legions.
The role was a temporary posting, and was held for about a two decades, before being rotated to another.
The rotation, and the Emissarius itself was designed to teach the brightest and best of the 13th the skills and philosophies of the other legions. The purpose of this being that they could be studied and adopted, or methods devised to counter them.
While officially a non-combat role, being attached to the retinue of a Primarch or Battle-group Commander meant Emissarius often saw a great deal of combat.
At the outset of the Heresy, Uriel had manipulated the rotation of the Emissarium to ensure that he had marines he could trust in the right positions; he assigned men he trusted to the legions Uriel had determined would side with Hektor, and the few loyalists the 13th had were assigned to the legions Uriel believed would remain loyal. This helped keep the 13ths loyalty undetermined for such a long time into the Heresy.
In this way the Emissarius was a vital source of information for the 13th, and helps explain how the Traitors in general were so successful prior to the Siege of Terra.
Ironically, these stealthy warriors became the face of the Thirteenth Legion due to their frequent collaborations with other Legions. The Stalkers were chosen from among the ranks of ordinary battle brothers for their strength of will, intelligence, and stealth skills, and were recognised as an elite formation the equal of any other in the Space Marine Legions. However, the Stalkers' formidable talents were best employed in small bands tasked with the elimination of witches. Due to their special training and equipment, these Legionnaires became peculiarly resistant to the works of psykers and they were particularly feared by the Eldar.
Even before the legion was reunited with their gene-sire, the Thirteenth had displayed many of the same values that would later define them; Courage, justice, patience, duty, cooperation, generosity, humility, diligence, and determination. These nine values formed a bedrock on which the varied temperaments of the legion would build upon, and were untouched by the legions otherwise impenetrable cynicism.
The vast influx of Tiberian recruits inducted in 817.M30 brought with them new cultural practices that were quickly shared with the rest of the legion, as old practices were adopted in kind. The legions humble nature had seen to it that only their fallen brothers names were recorded in the legions annals and Imperial honour rolls. This practice was soon expanded to include members of the Imperial Army, and even civilians who had contributed to the success of the Justicars' campaigns.
A strong and bewildering tradition within the Thirteenth is that of the prank; well known for their good humour and friendly nature, the prank is the evolution of the under-hive humour and rough-housing that dominated the early legion. The prank found widespread popularity with the Tiberian recruits most of whom had shared similarly challenging childhoods. It also proved popular with Imperial Army rank-and-file, though commanders, especially high-born, were quickly insulted by such uncouth behaviours.
Even after falling to Chaos, the prank seems to remain a fixture of the legions culture, only now they often take a more nefarious turn.
Despite their jovial nature, the Justicars held a rather serious outlook in their heart; most of the legion had grown up in harsh and trying circumstances, and the need to be self-reliant was strong. After the Mechanicum Incident, this need became ever more vital, and so the legion sought to overcome its supply issues with ruthless training and coordination. Spearheaded by the venerable Oskar Reinhardt, the legion began instituting brutal training schedules. From individual weapon drills and squad tactics, to complex scenarios and grand strategy wargames, the legion prepared itself relentlessly to face whatever fate might throw its way. Imperial Army regiments 'adopted' by the legion were also included in these preparations on Uriels order, such was the trust and burden the legion knew it would be setting upon them.
Oskar Reynhardt - Status:Deceased
XO of XIII Sacred Band. A gruff, mean old bastard, Oskar was the bane of aspirants and battle brothers alike with his ruthless training regimes. But he also commanded utter respect for his wisdom and incomparable toughness. Oskar eventually died in the rearguard action at the Siege of Terra. Karolus Vayne - Status:Alive
A pillar of the legion since the Sacred Band, where even then he had a reputation for a singular and creative viciousness. Though he stuck to the ideals of the legion, his irreverent independent streak saw him test the limits many times. His skill in CQB was a match for any who dared challenge him however, and like his viciousness, it has only increased since the Heresy ended. He now leads Black Corsairs. Arkady Balotin - Status:Deceased
Another Sacred Band member, Balotin exemplified the legions ideals, but possessed an irresistible charm that made him the perfect foil to the Uriel. He served as Equerry from 820.M30 to his mysterious murder, sometime before or during the Heresy. Mihael Cuervo - Status:Alive
Mihael was inducted into the legion in 917.M30, much later than his brethren. However, he proved himself worthy under the unforgiving instruction of Oskar Reynhardt, and went on to earn his reputation as a masterful manager of men, and brilliant strategist as commander of the veteran Compliance Group 13. He amassed a cadre of skilful and loyal officers around him, and reiterated the legions ethos of duty to keep subordinates in line. He currently leads the Justicars in Uriels stead.
Raziel Búho - Status:Alive
Búho was always odd; possessing an unnerving, unblinking stare, and a silent grace that caught even master scouts off-guard. He joined the Librarius upon his inception, his latent Psy-powers measuring among the highest levels the legion had ever seen. His progression was slow however, as Búho had a predilection for studying everything he could get his hands on, obsessed as he was with knowledge and secrets. Though he was not present for the battle, he became Chief Librarian just prior to the Siege of Terra. He now acts as a right hand to Mihael Cuervo when not out on one of his unnanounced "excursions". Raphael Garza -Status:Alive
A tall and wiry marine, Raphael Garza's father was a combat medic who fought beside Uriel back on Tiberia against the oppressive regime of the Keye family. Taking in his fathers footsteps, Raphael was inducted into the Apothecarion and showed great aptitude. He served for a time as Emissarius to the Life Bringers legion, before returning to the legion, shortly after becoming their Surgeon General. For a time he provided wise and humble counsel to Uriel, and later to Mihael Cuervo. Earl Togo-Status:Believed Alive
A member of the XIII Sacred Band, Togo made a name for himself quickly as a peerless marksman, putting his skills to the test on many reconnaissance and kill-team missions. A man of few facial expressions and fewer words, Togo had none who would count him a friend; But when battle was joined, there was none who could say they didn't want to see Togo next to them. Aside from his unnatural marksmanship, Togo possessed incredible reflexes, endless patience, and uncanny luck. He vanished prior to the heresy, but unconfirmed reports of a silent Astartes marksman have surfaced in several sectors around the galaxy since.
As expected of a member of the Legiones Astartes, the Justicars brought many systems into compliance with the Imperium. Their measured care when pacifying human worlds and their precise rebuilding efforts bought the Imperium boundless goodwill and loyalty.
Many more worlds than usual were established as recruiting worlds for the legion though, mostly to offset the supply issues the Justicars faced after their dispute with the Mechanicum. The majority of these recruiting worlds would go on to raise significant numbers of regiments that the Thirteenth built their non-Astartes Compliance Groups around. This was true especially late in the Great Crusade when the Astartes were overextended across the vast frontiers of the Great Crusade.
Some independent forge worlds were even brought under the legions wing on similar grounds; the legion needed the industrial support they provided more than what little goodwill Mars had left for the legion.
The Justicars were known to possess an extensive fleet, though light on the heavy capital ships many other Legions favoured. Instead their fleet was comprised of vast quantities intermediate and small vessels such as strike cruisers.
The legion favours ranged fleet combat over boarding action, placing trust in their fleet commanders who became quietly renowned for their skill on the battlespace.
The Justicars were also suspected of utilising a number of captured xenos and non-imperial vessels, or incorporating xenos and non-imperial technology into their void-ship designs. Whether this occurred before or after the legions feud with the Mechanicum is unknown. Given the Legion's supply issues and frequent activities beyond the Imperium's focus, such suspicions may well be true. But it is equally likely such reports originate from the Justicars themselves.
At the beginning of the Heresy, the Justicars are believed to have had:
Perfidus Iter- Gloriana class Battleship Captain: Shemuel Spayd
Uriel's Flagship, often confused with the legions other Flagship of the same class, Eris. The ship is a contradiction, a vessel stripped down to its vital parts yet everything remaining is of exquisite artistry and taste, creating a strange dichotomy of purpose and aesthetic.
It is known to hold vast training facilities and an extensive armoury.
Eris- Gloriana class Battleship Captain: Marcos Bennitt
Identical to Perfidus Iter in every way, down to the smallest detail.
It is heavily implied that one of these Glorianas was stolen from one of the lost legions eliminated by the Justicars.
Child of Justice - Strike Cruiser Captain:[REDACTED]
This ship is shrouded in mystery; many have claimed that the Justicars simply name one ship in every battle fleet Child of Justice; reports have a Strike Cruiser with this name appearing in over 30 different locations around the Imperium, in a time-frame that would make it impossible for the ship to physically travel those distances. Whether intentional deception, a legion-wide prank, or some form of warp anomaly the Child of Justice has quite the history.
Qarin - Oberon class Battleship Captain: Ahab Celine
Qarin is reportedly the ship on which Uriel Salazar finally fell to Tzeentch while hunting the cults that he grew to obsess over. The ships Captain, Ahab Celine, went rogue after the heresy, and is believed to be behind a number of conspiracies against the Imperium.
The geneseed of the XIII was once noted as remarkably stable by Terran records at the end of the Unification Wars. From there on however, few complete records remain; A testament to the legions skill at counter-intelligence. What little we have left suggests significant genetic mutations began to manifest during the latter stages of the Great Crusade, and the legion subsequently tried to obfuscate this fact. They largely succeeded as sadly, not enough evidence exists for a conclusive statement. However, it only takes simple observation on the current state of the Justicars to note the genetic purity noted at their inception is no longer present, no doubt thanks to their new master.
