Rosskan Strelky

"Imagine more dead than a planet has people. Filling up a field. Fifty of our's gone for every one of them killed. And now imagine it, and call it victory at the same time."

Vlatiskov, Strelky Sergeant after being asked about his service

Rosskan Strelky
Homeworld	Rosskar
Doctrine	Astartes Assistance Actions, Mechanized Infantry, Urban Warfare, Defensive Warfare
Signature Equipment	Vityaz-pattern Power Armor, Rosskan-pattern Lasgun
Colors	Grey, White, Dark Green
Associated Legion	Thirteenth Legion

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 Rosskan Strelky were the Legionary Auxilia of the Silver Cataphracts, the Thirteenth Space Marine Legion. Unlike their counterparts in the Imperial Army, were supposed to be a disciplined standardized force drawn up from the Legion's conquests. Alexandri of Rosskar hand crafted the Strelky himself, treating them much in the same way he did his Legion. Starting from a few million recruits drawn up from a single world, to a sector spanning billions large force able to fight and conquer worlds in their own right. The greatest contribution the Strelky had perhaps however, was showing Astartes can be beaten by normal humans alone.

History

Formation and Dalask

Weeks after the Emperor's fleets found Rosskar and his son was brought back into the fold, Alexandri dove into every bit of knowledge he could gather about the Great Crusade and the Imperial war machine. During the next few months new plans were drawn up with his cadre of advisers, leading to the formation of the first Strelky units. The Thirteenth Legion would need armor, weaponry, munitions far beyond what would be normally provided to reach the Regent's desires. Before the arrival of the Imperium, a massive urban expansion and revival project was in its formative stages. All of this was being pushed aside to give the resources necessary to properly build up the Silver Cataphracts. Which left the people of Rosskar with a booming population issue. Too many people were cramped together with resources growing scarce.

The Strelky proved to be an interesting proposal given to Alexandri by a genius administer named Argeski Dalask. More than enough weaponry was left over by his armies before the unification, or even by those before his arrival to the world. All of it was gathering dust away in vaults, rarely kept after except by men like him. It would take little to use men of the state to organize Rosskar's multitudes of youth into a dedicated fighting force. The intent was to give these men and women to the Imperial Army's endless forces. Alexandri decided instead that they would serve as an excellent supporting force for his Legion. All along the frozen wastes of Rosskar, millions drilled and trained to become a force comparable to Alexandri's own original armies.

It would be Dalask leading this newly constructed force, named the first Supreme Commander of Rosskar. Not for his leadership skills, but management. He was not a person capable of being an actual commander in any respect. His body was a twig, sometimes leaving being called 'The Spectral Officer' by his subordinates. His skills in keeping the Strelky operational cannot be overlooked however. As the Legion expanded, so too did the Strelky. It was his idea not to have the Auxilia simply be recruited from Rosskar, and it was he who paved the roadways to keeping a steady supply of manpower and weaponry. As it turned out, other worlds had stockpiles similar to Rosskar. And he who noted to the Primarch that there was a considerable delay between the conquering Expedition Fleet's victory over a world, and the arrival of the Corps Logisticae. Giving more than enough time to gather up volunteers and dregs from the newly conquered planets.

Dalask met his end far from Rosskar's white surface, when his ship was lost to the warp with all hands during transit to a new location. During his command, the Strelky served their purpose well. The Silver Cataphracts were supported by well taught troopers, but beyond this they did little else. With the numbers of the Strelky ever on the rise. Climbing faster and faster compared to the Legion they fought for, change would need to happen soon.

Era of Trilyen

Gevaska Trilyen was a boy from Rosskar's slums who stole from vendors in the underground levels for a living. At thirteen years old, he was caught, and sentenced to service in the Rosskan Strelky. A life sentence. At fifty-five years of age, he had risen from frontline fodder to Supreme Commander of Rosskar. His ascent in the stuff of legends, but the true legend began once he had gained full control of the Strelky. His plan, after watching men die by the thousands for the Astartes was to revolutionize the Strelky to be a more offensive and well rounded force. Everything was already laid out to do this, it just required a generation.

The old ranks were full of men and women trained in the old way of doing things. A fresh start was required to bring about the kind of radical change Gevaska desired. His secret to success was the understanding of his limitations as one man. Gevaska hand picked a dozen individuals, who then hand picked another dozen, and this repeated until he was able to speak to twelve men who would cause an avalanche down the chain of command. To do this, the old leadership was nearly completely wiped out by his supporters. The move never failed to bring a smile to Alexandri's face, just as when he first heard reports of it. Next was to build up each new recruit taken from Rosskar and other worlds with the new training philosophy planned by Gevaska. Just being able to give suppressive fire and stand before Space Marines was not good enough anymore.

The evidence of the Regent's favor did not show itself with gaudy and impractical excesses or even the finest equipment, but the manner in which their training was completed. Thanks to veterans from the Silver Cataphracts, hailing to the days of Terra's conquest the Emperor, throngs of new trainers were ready to assist in transforming the Strelky. The ruthless men worked from Rosskar to all over the Segmentum Pacificus. Putting boys and girls through some of the fiercest training regimens imaginable, designed to give them iron resolve under fire and total serenity around Astartes. Gevaska could not have been able to do this alone, but thanks to the Primarch more than enough instructors were available to him.

Because of rejuvenant treatments, Gevaska was able to keep himself alive to see the rise of his vision for the Strelky come to complete fruition. Within twenty years, a complete change had accord in the ranks of the Auxilia. Their mass was fearsome, that much was certain, but the soldiers of the Rosskan Strelky had a presence greater than the sum of the bodies which served as component. The hard, efficient men of the Auxilla were like the stone of Alexandri's formidable cities now. And they were polished as such. To watch tens of thousands of men move in perfect synchronicity was to stand in awe. Man and Astartes alike had no choice but to recognize their strength then. Their cold, perfect brutality.

The Auxilia still acted alongside their Legion much the same as before, but were able to fight alone now. More and more Silver Cataphract commanders gave them free reign in certain theatres of planetary assaults, the Strelky proving time after time to be perfectly capable of handling them on their own. None of this was spectacular or revolutionizing to the Imperium at large, but it showed the new beginning ushered by Geveska's ambitious plan.

Supreme Commander of Rosskar Trilyen was assassinated on a newly conquered world, which only a single Company of Cataphracts had fought on. They were however assisted by an entire Division of Strelky, nearly one million soldiers. His vision did not die with him thankfully, as the young ward put under him named Alexey took up his mantle right away. Beneath this man, the Strelky would go far beyond what even Geveska thought possible.

Strategic Organisation

The Rosskan Strelky at their conception were broken up into blocks of 100,000 men called 'Corps'. Each of these would be then divided further into formations of 1,000 soldiers called 'regiments', with a Captain-Major in charge of each. The regiments consisted of a Squad(25 Men), a Platoon(50 Men), and a Company(100 Men). The Colonel-Commander ruled over 50 Regiments, with an officer titled Commander of Rosskar in charge of the two Colonels. Normally this would be it for a command structure of the Rosskan Strelky, with a Supreme Commander of Rosskar ruling over all others. The position was mainly an administrative role, exemplified by the first to hold the rank, Argeski Dalask. This is because the Strelky's sole purpose was the support of the Astartes, never needing to be more organizationally complex that what they were as regiments were assigned for operations with Companies from the Silver Cataphracts. But under the subsequent Supreme Commanders, the organization of the Strelky altered drastically.

Rather than being broken up into forces of fifty regiments or a hundred, the Strelky would have Regimental Battle Groups. Ten regiments all working closely together with a Major in command of them. Fifty regiments, or five Battle Groups, were put into formations named Corps, similar to how it was. These Corps were led by Major-Colonels. Twenty Corps formed up a Division, led by Colonels. Ten Divisions constituted an Army, led by a Commander of Rosskar. Senior Commanders of Rosskar controlled Army Groups, which was formed of ten Armies.

Another change made was multiple redundant ranks introduced in the lower formations. Officers were normally subordinate to Astartes, allowing clear orders to be given on the battlefield. But without them, especially during the Heresy, all officers could be wiped out giving foot soldiers no leadership. The ranks of Junior and Senior Ensign were introduced, who could command both Squads and Platoons. If they fell, leadership defaulted to Sergeants, who had Specialists to replace them if they fell. Lieutenants could rely on Ensigns to take command if they fell as well. This gave the frontline formations definitive fallbacks in the battlefield hierarchy to deal with massive losses commonly suffered by the Strelky.

Organizational Breakdown

• Army Group, numbering in 100,000,000 soldiers, led by a Senior Commander of Rosskar
• Army, numbering 10,000,000 soldiers, led by a Commander of Rosskar
• Division, numbering in 1,000,000 soldiers, led by a Colonel
• Corps, numbering in 50,000 soldiers, led by a Major-Colonel
• Regimental Battle Group, numbering in 10,000 soldiers, led by a Major
• Regiment, numbering in 1,000 soldiers, led by a Captain-Major
• Company, numbering in 100 soldiers, led by a Captain
• Platoon, numbering in 50 soldiers, led by a Lieutenant
• Squad, numbering in 25 soldiers, led by an Ensign.

Strategic Command Ranks

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Senior Commander of Rosskar

Commander of Rosskar

Colonel

Major-Colonel

Major

Frontline Command Ranks(Commissioned)

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Captain-Major

Captain(Senior or Junior)

Lieutenant(Senior or Junior)

Frontline Command Ranks(Non-Commissioned)

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Ensign(Senior or Junior)

Sergeant

Soldiery Ranks

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Specialist

Corporal

Veteran Recruit(Or Droog)

Recruit