Hektor Conathos

Hektor Conathos
Title/Honours	Founder of the Sacred Band, Savior of Olmer, Warmaster of the Great Crusade, Arch-Traitor
Discovered (world)	Terra
Discovered (period)	(at start)
Legion	Eleventh
Horus Heresy role	Traitor. His fall allows the Heresy to happen.
Disposition	Soul obliterated by the Emperor's might.

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.

Hektor's great mistake was to live too long. Had he died on Cadia to the assassin's blade, he would have been remembered as a martyr and great hero of humanity. Instead, he spent thirteen unhappy years unravelling his life's work and sowing destruction through the galaxy. All that is left of my love for Hektor is the wish that he be forgotten.

(Gaspard Lumey, private correspondence)

Hektor Conathos was the Primarch of the Heralds of Hektor, one of the Legiones Astartes of the Great Crusade.

Personality

[WIP] - everything here is subject to change. Including the existence of this section itself. It is currently here to provide people an understanding of the projects most central character, and allow project anons to see who the Warmaster is for the purposes of writefagging etc.

Fiercely passionate, his fiery passion infecting those around him, drawing people to him, inspiring them with his words and actions.

Well-read and well-spoken when he wants to be.

Courageous, believing in leading by example.

An astute tactician and strategist, always with an eye to making an underhanded and unexpected move. Not very subtle however, and if provoked properly, impatient and impetuous. Hektor is normally reigned in and restrained by his Heliotaroi when he becomes impatient and impetuous however, their diligence keeping Hektor from making too many rash mistakes.

Gregarious.

Boisterous. A big, loud laugh, and a big, larger than life presence. When Hektor is in the room, everyone knows it. Despite his boisterous nature, Hektor is capable of exercising self-discipline and being passably polite and poised. He is a very accomplished orator, able to play to his audience, naturally able to determine the right mood to aim for with his words to achieve great response. Most commonly however, he appeals to the lowest common denominator, finding this works appeals to the most people at once, and is usually popular with the soldiers.

Protective of his men, and soldiers under his command, always paying attention to their morale. But is also very demanding of them; Hektor will care for them, but he demands their utter loyalty and their best efforts.

Magnanimous, in victory and defeat.

Lucky. An important trait in a general, after all.

Determined, especially when presented with a challenge.

Competitive, linked closely with his determined nature, and his personal drive, constantly pushing himself to be better.

Arrogant and sometimes domineering, when the subject matter is something he deems important. This is not born from pride, Hektor is disdainful of pride, but he is supremely yet quietly confident in his abilities, and that of his men.

Hektor is also secretly possessive, generally with his brothers and fathers attention. He hides this well, but it manifests occasionally. This is partly the reason for his gregariousness and brotherhood, and is somewhat responsible for his larger-than-life personality, driving him to be center of attention. He isn't petty however, and most of this is purely subconscious, or even unconscious behaviour.

Life

The Emperor was far from his Palace when the Ruinous Powers tore open reality to steal away the infant Primarchs. However, his great mind still sensed this intrusion, and he hastened his most-faithful servant, Malcador the Sigilite, to the defence of humanity's future. Braving the terrors of the Warp, Malcador was able to grasp the capsules of two Primarchs: Hektor and Kleisthenes. Yet this interruption of the Chaos Gods drew their wrath, and the Sigilite's flesh and spirit were flayed by their power. Only the psychic protection of the distant Emperor kept Malcador from perishing. Weakened, he faced the terrible choice to let one more of the infant Primarchs go or to lose them both - and perhaps himself.

As the child that would become Kleisthenes tumbled into the Immaterium, he and the infant Hektor wailed and reached out towards one another from within their capsules. Even then, the ordeal was not at an end. Malcador, trembling from the strain, was assailed by temptation from the Chaos Powers. He was offered release from his agony and so much more, to be placed as the Regent of the Humanity, the Most-Favoured of the Gods, if only he would release his grip. Malcador wavered, but his belief in a better, rational future for mankind stayed firm. So did his grip on Hektor's capsule.

Though the Ruinous Powers had inflicted a terrible blow against the Emperor, Malcador's courage and strength had secured a consolation. Instead of thirty mighty Primarchs to launch Terra's Crusade there would be just one, perhaps some day to be joined by his brothers.

Youth

Hektor was always special. When his brothers were picked up by the winds of chaos, and flung through the warp to worlds long forgotten, it was Hektor alone that was spared. Malcador the Sigilite, witnessing the primarchs being abducted, desperately sought to prevent the loss of even just one of the primarchs. Of all 30 brother-primarchs, Malcador's grasping hand found Hektor. Despite the warp draining him of his energy and life force, Malcador held on, determined to not lose all of the primarchs so cherished by the Emperor. His energy and life force seeping from his being at an alarming rate, Malcador dug down deep and resolved to save just one of the baby primarchs, even if it killed him. Hektor crying, himself just a babe, instinctively reached out for his brother Kleisthenes, but was too late.

As Kleisthenes was pulled away into the immaterium, Hektor's crying suddenly ceased, being replaced with the soft laughter of a child. As the first giggle emerged from his lips, the forces pulling Hektor into the warp portal relinquished their grip, and Malcador was flung back into the sudden stillness of the now-wrecked primarchs' birth chamber, the baby Hektor in his arms.

The Emperor was deeply affected by the loss of his sons, but Malcador's bravery, bravery that had nearly killed him, had given the Emperor some respite in leaving him Hektor. Thus, despite the Unification Wars still raging, the Emperor always made time where he could to look after the baby Hektor.

As Hektor grew, Malcador began tutoring him, and the boy's aptitude for learning greatly impressed Malcador, who came to see the young primarch as a nephew, growing very fond of the bright young boy. Despite his young age, Hektor showed great enthusiasm and remarkable understanding on the subjects Malcador and the Emperor taught him.

Eventually, still only a young boy of thirteen years, Hektor was writing his own treatises on subjects as advanced as abstract philosophy and the sciences. It was clear a passion burned within the young primarch, and Malcador sought to ignite this passion with his father's vision for Mankind and temper it with knowledge.

Malcador was also instrumental in instilling in Hektor a love of history, finding that the boy primarch digested books on the history of ancient Terra voraciously. He had a particular fascination with ancient empires and the great generals and kings that lead their people to domination. Despite his widely-read nature and diligent studying, Hektor spent much time playing with other children of his age; other boys and girls being groomed for positions of leadership. Among his peers, Hektor was loud, even boisterous, but every child liked him and would seek to have Hektor play their games with them, finding him to have great imagination and a way of making them laugh and generally feel at ease. Hektor grew to be protective of these friends, even taking blame for them when they were in trouble, or dealing with bullies.

Then, on his sixteenth birthday, Hektor was allowed to accompany his father in battle. As a primarch, Hektor needed to be acclimatized to warfare so that he could lead as he was designed to. But despite the horror and violence of seeing war for the first time, Hektor was surprisingly quite at home amid the bullets and explosions, showing great enthusiasm and excitement at the spectacle. He began idolising the warriors that towered over his teenage stature, eating up their rough and violent attitude.

To his young eyes, they were awe-inspiring figures of glory and machismo. His constant presence alongside the Thunder Warriors made Hektor a kind of lucky mascot, and he spent much time talking and carousing with the warriors when they weren't off fighting. Some would teach him tricks and tips for battle or duels, where others taught him unorthodox and underhanded tactics, or talked of their experiences and observations. It was here that Hektor gained the understanding that the best soldiers adapted to the ever changing circumstances of war.

Like everything else, Hektor digested what they taught him with great enthusiasm, and from watching his father alongside these men, he realized with childish enlightenment that leaders should always lead by example. Never neglecting his studies with Uncle Malcador when away from the front, Hektor began passionately studying strategy and the history of warfare and empire building.

And so Malcador tutored Hektor in various perspectives of strategy, on and off the battlefield, and began a tradition of posing him hypothetical scenarios to use his learning to solve. Malcador even challenged the boy to various strategy games to give Hektor the chance to hone his skills in action against a real opponent. Malcador and the Emperor were greatly pleased that Hektor showed such a thorough understandingof strategy, even if he did lack the skill of subtlety, and they let Hektor know how proud they were of him.

As time wore on and Hektor reached his 21st Terran year, he had become a keen student of strategy and warfare, but had also along the way become comfortable with people. He had gained a confidence that made him the center of attention, and indeed it was born from the very fact he was often the center of attention: He was after all the budding Imperium's rising star and son of the Emperor himself. Malcador observed happily that Hektor's passion and natural confidence drew others to him, and won them over to his side. Hektor came to represent the hope of humanity in the eyes of Malcador, and indeed many others. Hektor was the future. And now he was old enough, it was time for him to start leading the Emperor's forces into that future.

The Emperor had been busy; between raising Hektor and commanding his forces in the Unification Wars, he had found time to perfect his newest genetic experiment. By creating a more refined process that allowed the subjects, known as Space Marines, to be more than just the violent attack dogs that the Thunder Warriors were, the Emperor gave them abilities outside of those only useful in battle. Three hundred of these new Space Marines were made at first, as an experimental trial: 10 marines for each variation in the genetic coding band the Emperor had implanted, each variation taken from one of the 30 primarchs.

The Emperor had intended to have each of the primarchs lead their test band of 10 that shared their genetic coding, but since losing his other sons to the treachery of the warp, the Emperor planned to lead them himself, and had them brought to the front lines for their first combat trials. He would use the opportunity to let Hektor lead the 10 with the same genetic band as he, and in the process let Hektor function as his lieutenant to give him real combat leadership experience.

However, what he found surprised him: each of the 300 marines, from all the different genetic bandings, were treating Hektor as their leader, already deferring to him and following his orders as if it was just natural instinct to do so. Adapting to this new data, the Emperor put Hektor in complete command of the new Space Marines.

Upon discovering that he was wrought from the same genetic coding as these Marines, Hektor dubbed them his Band of Brothers. No longer would they be just different test groups with differing genetic banding. Now they were a band of warriors, each with their own identities, bound to Hektor as their older brother and leader.

Hektor himself, a student of history and an avid reader of strategy and philosophy, trained his Bands hard, trying to ensure that each and every one of them was the very best at what they do. The Bands met success after success, and passed all their tests with outstanding commendations. They earned a reputation as being fierce and effective warriors, but also as being a symbol of good fortune and hope, Hektor's luckiness rubbing off onto them as a unit.

They became known as Hektor's Sacred Band, warriors who shared the horrors and violence of war, and triumphed over it. They served together. They killed together. They died together.

With the Sacred Bands under his command, Hektor became an astute tactician and strategist, but aware he still had much to learn, he gathered around him warriors and academics with greater experience than he in various fields of war and strategy. These men would give him counsel when needed, and become his confidants, as much as they were his command staff.

He also ensured that one of each of the Sacred Band learned everything they could from the various experts and advisers Hektor was surrounded by, training his Band not just physically, but mentally honing them as well; preparing them for every eventuality.

One among them was his childhood friend Agammemnon, a boy he had known since as far back as Hektor could remember. Agammemnon had been taken away by the Emperor after those early years together in the Scholarium playground, and turned into a Space Marine, sharing the same genetic banding as Hektor. They had made childish pledges and blood-pacts to be brothers, but now they were truly brothers. Agammemnon became Hektor's champion, and the second in command of the Bands.

Agammemnon saw the brilliance of Hektor, encouraging him, but did not hesitate to confront him about his flaws also. He let Hektor know that he could be arrogant and dismissive, and that he was prone to impatience and impetuousness. Hektor, valuing the words of his battle-brother, sought to rectify the flaws in his own character. It was here that the Unification Wars ended, and the Space Marine project, having been deemed a success, was given the approval to transition into the fully fledged legion project. The Sacred Band were taken from Hektor, much to his deep sorrow, but the bonds they forged together in the fires of battle would last forever, and he took solace in that.

Hektor was put in command of his own legion then, the Warriors of Dawn as they were known, and Hektor now had the challenge of putting the ideas and theories he shaped with the Sacred Band into practice on a much larger scale. He would tackle this with a determination that he brought to everything he did. Alongside the Emperor once more, Hektor set out to conquer the stars.