<span style="font-size:160%">"'''R'''</span><span style="font-size:120%">egard 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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<span style="font-size:190%">
<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.
'''T'''</span>he XIIIth were once a greatly respected legion of the [[Legiones Astartes]], commanded by primarch [[Uriel Starikov]].
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==
<span style="font-size:190%">'''T'''</span>he 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/>
[[File:Uriel starikov.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Uriel Salazar, Primarch of the Thirteenth Legion]]
|scale=across multiple sectors
|theatre=Messonia, Illiria, Micaea, Syrene, Uphrates and Ionyan sectors
|strength1=Full XIII Legion forces<br />
Over 900 million Imperial Army and Auxilia <br />
several full strength naval battlefleets (est. ~6,000 craft)
|strength2= ~11 billion soldiers <br>
~15 billion volunteer forces from the "city states" <br />
Vast naval fleets
|casualties1= Unrecorded but substantial. Estimated at ~11 billion combatants <br />
Over 12,000 void-craft recorded as destroyed or captured
|casualties2= 5,782 Astartes<br />
386 million Imperial Army
|status=
|outcome=Decisive Imperial Victory
}}
The Tartaros Campaign marks a high-point in the legions short history before being reunited with their Primarch, Uriel Starikov.
Tasked to take on a powerful, self-styled rival to the Imperium, the Messonian Empire would be utterly humbled by the Justicars in a brutal, and decisive campaign that would bring the Messonians into the Imperium, and silence all dissent in its territory for over four millennia.
This would in fact haunt the Justicars in the Heresy, as they had believed their ties to the old Messonian Empire Worlds would grant them their loyalty. But the legion had done such a thorough job at pacifying the Empire Worlds, that they had installed an unshakable faith in the Emperor and an indefatigable loyalty to the Imperium.
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.
The Messonian Empire sectors would go on to spawn 6 regiments that would become renowned across the entire Imperium for their skill and tenacity, such is the fighting spirit of the Messonian people.
==A Primarch Reunited==
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'''.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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?
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'''.
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:
It was at first-light on the 32nd day of their reunification with their gene-sire that everything changed.
''He wills it''.
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.
==The Heresy==
===The 'Metnav I Incident' and the Daicham Campaign===
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.
{{Main|The Daicham Campaign}}
{{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=
|outcome=Decisive Imperial Victory
}}
The Daicham Campaign was a major failure for the Justicars, and despite ending as a decisive victory, the ''Metnav I Incident'' was a haunting black mark on the career of their Primarch Uriel Starikov in his debut command of the legion. It was to be a quick diplomatic formality, to put a quick win under the Primarch's belt on his way to what was supposed to be his real first campaign. But by making assumptions on the accuracy of Imperial intelligence, underestimating the Despot of Daicham, and taking far too few precautions cost Uriel and the legion dearly. Thankfully, only a battalion sized force was present with Uriel at Metnav as an honour guard, so while casualties were severe, they were mitigated by fate, although many were hardened veterans from the Unification Wars itself; even members of the vaunted XIIIth Sacred Band are recorded among the missing and dead.
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.
To his credit, Uriel Starikov never forgot his mistakes, nor the lessons that he learned on Metnav, and the Daicham Campaign was a decisive point in the legion's history; its events shaping what the legion, and even Uriel himself, would become.
==A New Beginning==
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=
==The Scouring==
Attempting to make sense of the methods and organisation of the Justicars one is as always, faced with an exercise in insanity and foolishness.
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.
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.
A major feature that at least seems consistent, is the legions dynamic command structure.
==Legion Wars==
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.
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.
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.
==Post-Heresy==
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.
=Organisation=
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.
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.
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.
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.
Presumably the legion maintains as high a level of security on these covert communications as they do with everything else.
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.
==Doctrine==
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.
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.
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.
<br/>
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.
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:
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.
:* '''Deception'''<br/>
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.
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.
==Specialist Troops==
:* '''Coordination'''<br/>
<span style="font-size:190%">'''T'''</span>he 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.
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.
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, such as the "'''Seeker Squads'''". The 13th were also very keen to acquire new formations from their brother legions, always striving to push the boundaries of their own knowledge and capabilities.
:* '''Flexibility'''<br/>
'''Stalker Squads'''
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.
''"One cannot hide from shadows"'' <br />
:* '''Mobility'''<br/>
(Stalker motto)
Roles:
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.
:* Active and passive reconnaissance, and observation of enemy forces
:* Guerrilla warfare
:* Capture, assassination, and protection of Designated Targets
:* 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 military targets deep behind enemy lines.
These themes enabled the legion to prosecute their campaigns with an impressive economy of effort, expending the least effort for the most gain.
It is not unheard of for Stalker squads to complete their missions without firing a shot, prioritising stealth and mission success over body-count.
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.
The origins of the Stalker squads come from the [[Iron Rangers]] [[Iron_Rangers#Unique_Units|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.
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 with complimentary methods of warfare.
Stalker squads were more than just scouts to the Justicars however; Stalker Squads were often deployed as a vanguard in counter-insurgency roles with '''Group 13''' and '''Echelon''' forces, and given autonomy to conduct long range operations. Usually these heavily involved snipers and heavy weapons, servitor-air support, and [[The_Justicars#Notable_Examples|light vehicles]] from which the formation would live and operate.
'''Mobile Assault Commando squads (MAC's)'''
''If the plan seems crazy to you; you were not crazy enough to begin with.'' <br />
==The Emissarium==
(MAC squad joke)
Roles:
''"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."'' <br />
(Ancient [[Tiberia V|Tiberian]] Proverb)
:* Rapid deployment strikes, by air, sea, void, & land.
roles:
:* Commando direct action and unconventional assault operations on high value targets
:* Rapid deployment battlefield support and interdiction
:* Capability to attack targets of opportunity
:* 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
<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.
Most commonly utilising the 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.
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.
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 corral enemy forces into kill zones and traps laid out by the rest of the legion.
In environments unsuited to fliers, the MAC's utilise fast ground vehicles, often favouring light bikes and the custom 6-wheeler [[The_Justicars#Notable_Examples|'''"Caracal"''']] light transport and combat vehicles's designed for maximum speed, agility, and endurance. Utilising a brash dismounting assault, the MAC's complete their assigned mission before remounting and riding off, often drawing enemy reinforcements out of position for follow-up ordnance strikes and ambushes.
Casualties vary from mission to mission, sometimes very high, sometimes almost non-existent over an entire campaign - The squads Modus Operandi is often 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's operation, they attract a wide range of personalities, from cavalier and aggressive to methodical and utterly implacable. However, they are all highly efficient, and quick on their feet, both mentally and physically; those who aren't tend to die off quickly.
==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.
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.
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.
==Specialist Troops==
The fate of the last loyal Emissarius is unknown however, all that is known is that his life was spared.
==Group 13==
'''Stalker Squads'''
Group 13 is a secret operation unit, involved in covert and black operations.
''"You can't hide from your shadow"'' <br />
Officially, they do not exist, and even within the legion the name is spoken with disbelief and conspiracy.
(Stalker motto)
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.
'''Roles:'''
As a consequence of this, Group 13 regularly sustains significantly higher casualty rates than most units.
:* Witch kill-team operations
:* Reconnaissance
:* Logistics interdiction
:* Communications and infrastructure sabotage
Recruitment is heavily steeped in counter-intelligence preparations, with recruits only being selected from marines whose geneseed has been fully harvested.
<br/>
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.
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.
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.
=Culture and Traditions=
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.
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.
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.
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.
==Echelon==
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.
==Support Formations==
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.
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.
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.
Gadgetforge
===Praeceptus Cognitio===
<span style="font-size:90%">''"When you're thirsty it's too late to think about digging a well."''
<span style="color:grey">- '''Uriel Starikov on the necessity of intelligence networks'''
</span></span>
<span style="font-size:190%">'''W'''</span>hile marines are unparalleled creations for war, their stature makes them inadequate for intelligence work.
With the lessons learned from the [[The_Justicars#The_.27Metnav_I_Incident.27_and_the_Daicham_Campaign|Metnav I Incident]] fresh in his mind, Uriel formed a mixed-auxilia formation made up of legion serfs, of whom the Justicars had a magnitudes more of than other legions. These were bolstered by great number of exceptional Imperials. Their mandate was to handle all intelligence and counter-intelligence matters of the legion, and prevent the legion from being caught off-guard again.<br />
The '''Praeceptus Cognitio''', also known colloquially as '''"Cognitio"''', or by the codename '''"Watchtower"''', had a dual purpose role: Firstly, to attain, analyse, and disseminate actionable military intelligence for the XIIIth legion. Secondly, they were to watch over the Imperium, ensuring compliance with the Emperor's orders, and rooting out any threats from within.
The Praeceptus Cognitio developed networks of informants, agents, and assets all across the Imperium. Most acted with autonomy, collecting all the data they attained from their area of operation into libraries that would remain until the legion arrived. They would then brief the Justicar forces on everything relevant to the region, transferring their encrypted records to Legion's Librarium for posterity. <br />
Generally, the Praeceptus Cognitio had little face-to-face action with the marines, but possess the authority to temporarily recruit marines for special missions that Astartes are deemed necessary for. However, two legionary formations were merged into Watchtower permanently: [[The_Justicars#Group_13|'''Group 13''']], and [[The_Justicars#Echelon|'''Echelon''']]. <br />
Praeceptus Cognitio recruited a vast number of permanent operatives to its fieldwork teams to prosecute its own operations, often from Imperial Army regiments and Adeptus Arbites forces. But it is also common for criminals, and other undesirables to be recruited, the legion only caring for talents and knowledge.<br />
The Watchtower fieldwork teams are used for:
:* Military, economic, and political espionage and sabotage
:* Battlefield support for the legion and supporting Imperial Army formations
:* Instigating and often leading rebellions and uprisings, or supporting local authorities in crushing them.
:* Covert and black operations of a priority or necessity that excludes Astartes involvement
:* Making diplomatic contact with non-imperials and xenos when the legion requires such action
Watchtower recruits agents and staff from all over the galaxy, looking for individuals with extraordinary talents, knowledge, and experience from all aspects of life, not just those relating to war. <br />
Cognitio field-training is intense: ~83% of recruits fail to make the cut every recruitment cycle, and an alarming 32% of recruits die in training in unexplained events.
However, aside from statistics, there is little concrete record on Watchtower training, as it takes place at one of the mythical '''Grey Box''' facilities where legion aspirants are trained.<br />
The basic training seems to include at least: an extensive variety of martial skills, intelligence and counter-intelligence techniques, languages, science, mathematics, Imperial law, and extensive instruction in conducting and resisting physical and psyker interrogation.
In the wake of the Heresy, with the revelation of the 13th legion's corruption, many Cognitio networks were discovered and purged. However, a great many are believed to still exist, and the alarming accuracy of the intelligence some traitors often possess 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==
<span style="font-size:190%">'''T'''</span>he Strategic doctrine of the XIIIth is formed around 5 basic principles that they believe to be most important in war:
Deception is perhaps the most pervasive tenet of the legion, as it goes to extraordinary lengths to conceal everything it does from friend and foe alike, only ever revealing what they want to be revealed.
As such, it is very difficult to decisively 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.
Mobility is one of the most important principles, although the most overlooked by outsiders. Where mobility for other legions means heavy and direct 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 airborne fleets, both of which are used extensively to deploy the Justicars with alarming speed and surprising range.
The legion's vaunted MAC units exemplify this tenet most, operating entirely from aircraft and skimmers, or fast ground vehicles when flyers are impractical.
Mobility is also a great strength when used in conjunction with the other tenets, allowing the legion to act and react at a tempo that is difficult to match for most foes.
Furthermore, mobility stretches into the legions intelligence operations. Using their range and speed in conjunction with secrecy and deception to undertake vital covert and clandestine operations. 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.
Unconventional Warfare is the most peculiar of the legions tenets. While other legions do engage in unconventional warfare the XIIIth legion however, take the concept far beyond standard levels. This tenet includes a countless number of applications, but the core concepts are the following: psychological, political, and economic warfare.
'''Psychological Warfare''' was initially limited to ''terror tactics'', using controlled and ruthless violence on enemies to damage enemy morale, and ''Hearts and Minds'', winning over civilians to the Imperial cause by aiding them.
This would expand exponentially after leaving Sol, and lead to some truly bizarre and often wildly effective tactics being utilised by the Justicars on and off the battlefield.
This tenet often overlapped with political and information warfare.
'''Political warfare''' is simply the means of 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 a single Astartes to enter the system.
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.
Finally, '''Economic warfare''' turns economic means, such as trade, industry, and even resources into weapons to aid in the defeat of the enemy.
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 equity in the conquered territory.
These tactics are limited in application, as not every foe of the Imperium ''has'' an economy, but it is a potent option when they do.
Information warfare is one of the most important tenets of the legion.
From intelligence and counter-intelligence operations, to battlefield reconnaissance and compromising enemy communications, information was crucial for the 13th.
[[The_Justicars#Praeceptus_Cognitio|The Praeceptus Cognitio]] handled the vast bulk of the legions intelligence work, being formed specifically to address this tenet, and has guided the Justicars on campaigns across the galaxy with frightening precision and efficiency since its creation.
The Justicars believe strongly in the importance of information on and off the battlefield, and became masters of using it in a scale and scope that only the Inquisition has rivaled since, testament to the unparalleled power wielded by the legions, and a justification for the ''Codex Astartes''.
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?
Coordination is similar to the 'combined arms' approaches other legions employ, but extends to the strategic scale, with all relevant commanders involved in the planning of any operation, from Legiones Astartes to local PDF or volunteer civilian forces.
This is a principle 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 forces to complement each-others strengths and cover each-others weaknesses.
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 but not unassailable problem once the 13th's allegiance to Chaos was revealed.
==Tactics==
<span style="font-size:190%">'''T'''</span>he tactics of the Justicars are far less structured than their Strategic doctrine, closer to an extensive repertoire of proven methods than a cohesive doctrine. This makes the legion incredibly unpredictable in combat, often catching opponents off-guard.
Predominantly based in their early years around counter-insurgency operations, the legion engaged on everything from tactical raids on enemy strong-points, to ambushing enemies en-route to ambushes of their own, all of this built on a strong backbone of reconnaissance.
This was extended over time as the legion adapted to Uriel's reforms, but the core ideas remained.
Due to their experience with counter-insurgency operations and intelligence work, the Justicars found themselves quite often fighting in urban terrain. The experience they earned there lead to some strikingly effective tactics and a slew of equipment and vehicles being developed to excel in the confined spaces of urban terrains. Perhaps the most notable of these vehicles is the [[The_Justicars#Notable_Examples|Stag]].
Due to their background in city-fighting and close-quarter environments, the Justicars are fond of creating dynamic entry points using a variety of explosives and shaped charges, and make use of a very wide variety of grenades and equipment to help give them the tactical edge over their opponent.
The only real universal principle of Justicar tactics is the '''Observe, Orient, Decide, Act loop''' (OODA-loop). This is an innovative and astonishingly effective means of dominating the battlefield, and crucially allows the XIIIth to remain flexible for as long as possible. The OODA-loop is simple in its concept: it is simply a mathematical decision-cycle that dictates the course of action military forces - and their leaders - take. The genius of the OODA loop is in its universality; every force operates on an OODA-loop process, even if they don't realise it, simply because everyone acts upon information; from what they see, to what they know.
The key to the OODA-loop is in disrupting your opponents cycle with misinformation, misdirection, and unpredictability, while clarifying the information you glean from the enemy. A force which is able to rapidly cycle through the OODA loop process can get inside the opponents loop-cycle, and thus dictate their actions. The XIIIth's intelligence networks and skilled reconnaissance give the legion and enormous edge in this process, and it must be noted that no other legion operates with such strategic and tactical agility as the Justicars did and still do; perhaps fitting given their intended role as "secret police" over the other legions.
==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 without a use 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 the legion was.
But once Uriel was returned to the legion, this changed. The XIIIth's untouched stocks of equipment, armours, and weapons were rapidly and the legion thoroughly brought up to combat-ready standard in their operation. So too was the amount of equipment stocked expanded exponentially. In an impressively short time span indicative of logistical brilliance, 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 Rogue Traders 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-havens. 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 means the Mechanicus would not divulge to me.
It is perhaps no surprise the legion was able to conceal its secrets with such a powerful and covert communications network at its disposal, and answers how the legion was able to respond to intelligence with such improbable speed and preparation.
In addition the Justicar Armorium is known to have developed an abundance of electronic and mechanical gadgets to be used on and off the battlefield; from listening devices and comms-jammers, to aerial reconnaissance and fire-support 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.
====Notable Examples====
<br/>
<br/>
'''Schwarzefalken-pattern Storm Talon'''
The Schwarzefalken is a troop transport conversion of a Storm Talon. The Schwarzefalken is designed for the rapid and precise deployment of up to 20 Astartes troops, often to areas too small for Thunderhawk access, or requiring hovering capabilities. The Schwarzefalken is also used continually; whereas a Thunderhawk is used to get troops from orbit to planet-side, the Schwarzefalken deploys troops, then usually remains in the area to pick those troops up again when they are done and deploy them elsewhere before enemy forces can react. This is important for the Justicars doctrine of mobility and speed.
'''Koln-pattern Landspeeder'''
Much like the Landspeeder Storm, but larger, designed to deploy a squad of 10 marines. Used often in conjunction with the Schwarzefalken, or as a suitable replacement for it. Outside of these roles it is generally in widespread use with the recon squadrons of the legion, who utilise its excellent speed to cover larger distances without needing to follow traditional land-routes. When absolute stealth is required however, the Landspeeder Koln is used as in a support role for the recon squadrons, providing security teams with a means of rapid-reaction deployment to unfolding threats, should the recon teams be discovered.
'''Caracal Light Combat Vehicle'''
=Notable Domains=
The Caracal is another strange vehicle designed by the XIIIth Legion's armories. It is a 6-wheeled car, stripped of most of its armour and non-essential items to leave a framework vehicle serving as an all-terrain fast-attack transport and combat vehicle for situations where air-deployments are not ideal or otherwise unfeasible.
It is prioritised for speed and agility, sacrificing the armour of a rhino or razorback.
The combat vehicle is armed with a front-mounted heavy bolter for the co-driver, and a top-mounted heavy weapon, most commonly a lascannon.
The larger transport version forgoes the top-mounted heavy-weapon to make room for troops, but retains the front-mounted heavy bolter.
It is in only limited use with the legion, predominantly with the recon and fast-attack squadrons, but the Caracal features prominently with various auxiliary Imperial Army units and to a lesser extent with the Justicars intelligence-support forces.
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.
'''Stag Combat Engineering Vehicle'''
:*'''[[Tiberia_V]]''', Uriels Home-world.<br/>
The '''Stag''' is a strange creation, closer to a civilian construction vehicle than a typical military vehicle. It's purpose is very specific; to function as a siege-engine for city-fighting and as an engineering-vehicle for attacking fortifications, but it appears to have limited use outside of its designated role as well.
:*'''The Illyrian Sub-Sector'''<br/>
Based on the chassis of an industrial tractor, the 6-man crewed Stag is typically equipped with a large, heavy-duty extending hydraulic bulldozer blade, a fixed turret, high-angle artillery cannon, and 2 pintle-mounted weapons on each side with extremely high and wide angles designed to act as both Anti-Air support, and to provide small-arms protection from rooftops and upper-stories in city-fights.
:*'''Weizhen Sub-Sector'''<br/>
It seems to also be possible to equip the Stag with a variety of tools, from assault-ladders and battering rams to fire-fighting equipment and crowd-control non-lethal equipment.
:*'''Perfidiae V''', the first world affected by the strange witch cults that Uriel would obsess over.<br/>
==Fleet==
=Fleet=
As for fleet strengths, the Justicars Legion was known to possess a very extensive and diverse fleet, although having less heavy capital ships and planetary siege craft in comparison to many other Legions.
The main strength of the XIII Legion's fleets then was found in a plethora of different intermediate and light vessels, with range and speed being their primary focus, requiring these capabilities due to the extended distances their networks and missions presumably extend. To this end, they make a lot of use of Vanguard variant Strike Cruisers, as well as Dauntless-class Light Cruisers, Exorcist-class Grand Cruisers, Nemesis-class Fleet Carriers, and Devastation-class Cruisers.
The Justicars seem to favour boarding actions over full-on fleet based combat, but they do not shy from the latter, the concepts Uriel learned in regicide translating well into his understanding of timing, fields of fire, positioning, and maneuver in void battles.
The Justicars were also ''suspected'' of utilising a number of captured xenos and non-imperial vessels, and indeed sometimes incorporating xenos and non-imperial technology into their warship designs –- a practice strictly forbidden without the sanction of the Mechanicum - but given the Legion's frequent activities far beyond the Imperium's borders and its hidden strengths and bases of operation, such suspicions are next to impossible to prove, if indeed such suspicions are are not just misinformation originating from the Justicars themselves.
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:
At the beginning of the Heresy, the Justicars are ''believed'' to have had:
1 Gloriana-class Flagship (likely 2) <br/ >
2 Gloriana-class Flagships <br/ >
~70 Battleships <br/ >
~70 Battleships <br/ >
~500 Cruisers <br/ >
~710 Cruisers <br/ >
~710 Escorts <br/ >
~900 Escorts <br/ >
These fleet numbers do not include the Imperial Army and Navy vessels requisitioned to the XIIIth Legions command.
These fleet numbers do not include the Imperial Army and Navy vessels requisitioned to the XIIIth Legions command.
Line 534:
Line 233:
===Notable Vessels===
===Notable Vessels===
''' ''Perfidus Iter''- Gloriana class Battleship '''<br/ >
''' ''Perfidus Iter''- Gloriana class Battleship '''<br/ >
'''Captain:''' listed as Sidor Ivanov (believed to be a fake name)
'''Captain:''' Shemuel Spayd
Believed to be Uriel's Flagship since his reunification with the Justicars. Often confused (possibly intentionally) with the other believed Flagship of the same class, ''Eris''. It is a contradiction, a vessel stripped down so that nothing remains that does not serve a useful purpose. Yet everything that does remain is often of exquisite artistry and of erudite taste, creating a strange dichotomy of purpose and aesthetic.
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 ''' <br/ >
''' ''Eris''- Gloriana class Battleship ''' <br/ >
'''Captain:''' listed as Ivan Sidorov
'''Captain:''' Marcos Bennitt
Identical to ''Perfidus Iter'' in every way, down to the smallest detail.
Identical to ''Perfidus Iter'' in every way, down to the smallest detail.
It is believed to have been used as Uriel's Flagship more than once. Many observers have theorised that both ships are indeed the same, with the name and call signs somehow being changed, while others claim that they are indeed two separate ships, and the Justicars are simply playing mind games, although where they acquired the second ship is never explained.
It is heavily implied that one of these Glorianas was stolen from one of the lost legions eliminated by the Justicars.
Presumably, if this second Gloriana does exist, it was taken from one of the lost legions, whom the XIIIth would have likely dealt with.
''' ''Champion of Uraboros/Uraboros Aeternum''- Strike Cruiser '''<br/ >
'''Captain:''' Eanoq Grymmwood
Linked with many major operations the Justicars have been a part of, seeing service since the XIII Legion left Sol. It was crippled beyond repair at Paramar, but it's parts were taken and rebuilt by the Mechanicum, being renamed Uraboros Aeternum.
Despite it's active status, there have been many conflicting reports that have all stated that this ship has either been lost to the warp, destroyed by Tyranids, Necrons, Orks, or Eldar, and even one report claiming that the crew were all Traitor Legionnaires.
''' ''Child of Justice'' - Strike Cruiser '''<br/ >
''' ''Child of Justice'' - Strike Cruiser '''<br/ >
'''Captain:''' listed as various.
'''Captain:''' '''[REDACTED]'''
This ship is shrouded in mystery, and many have claimed that the Justicars simply name one ship in every fleet division ''Child of Justice'', as 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. Those more inclined toward evidence-less theories, have claimed that ''Child of Justice'' '''is''' the same ship, fitted with Xenos technology, allowing it to travel far further and significantly faster than any Imperial ship is capable of.
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'''<br/>
'''Captain:''' Ahab Celine
''' ''Qarin''- Battle Barge ''' <br/ >
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.
'''Captain:''' Zachary Coreyeuses
Destroyed in the fleet combat preceding the ''Battle for the Arcus Cluster'' during M41. Stolen from Imperial docks, in it's first ever battle, it sacrificed itself to ensure it could destroy a Tyranid Hive Ship; boarding it, and deploying all manner of unorthodox tactics to ensure that when they detonated the Exterminatus Bombs on the ''Qarin'', the Hive ship would be utterly destroyed.
=Geneseed=
Of the few reports extant of this battle, everything from simple plasteel cable harpoons, to phosphex bombs were used to rip the Tyranid ship apart.
=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.
Arkady Balotin had a bright history and brighter future in the Justicars.
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.
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.
[[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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 "[[The_Justicars#Praeceptus_Cognitio|Praeceptus Cognitio]]" 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 as part of his Circle.
Her whereabouts post Heresy are unknown, although considerable evidence points toward her still operating for the legion, possibly from within the Imperium.
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 'Praeceptus Cognitio' to teach agents and informants criminal skills, and eventually bacome a unit 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.
