PART 9

THE DISBANDED

Although the two unrecorded Primarchs and their Legions were no longer around at the time the Emperor found Corax, elements of their Legions appear to have continued their service to the Imperium. Rumours about these legionnaires appear in some official accounts and appear to suggest at least some were reassigned to serve within the XIII ‘Ultramarines’ Legion, but there is also another very interesting possibility.

Legion of One, 2011, by James Swallow

There was a curious incidence in the Lunar Wolves Legion of Astartes bearing a facial resemblance to their Primarch. This had been put down to conformities in the gene-seed, but still, those who echoed Horus in their features were considered especially lucky, and were known by all the men as ‘the Sons of Horus’. It was a mark of honour, and it often seemed the case that ‘Sons’ rose faster and found better favour that the rest. Certainly, Loken knew for a fact, all the previous members of the Mournival had been ‘Sons of Horus’. In this respect, he was unique. Loken owed his looks to an inheritance of the pale, craggy bloodline of Cthonia.  He was the first non-‘Son’ to be elected to this elite inner circle. The Horus Heresy, volume I, Horus Rising, pp77-8

When the Emperor recovered Horus, he located the Primarch on Cthonia, a subterranean hive world with young men who proved to be ideal candidates for recruitment into the ranks of the Legions, and not only the ranks of the Lunar Wolves. Cthonian recruits, like Terrans, were assigned to several Legions, Torghun Khan of the White Scars – originally Haren Svensellen - was a good example. But those bearing the gene-seed of Horus often took on the facial resemblance of their Primarch. Those who did were known as ‘the sons of Horus’.

“You will make the transfer to Lunar in two weeks. Onward transport will be arranged there. You will complete your remaining programme with your new Legion. They have been given a full record of your progress with us. You will be welcomed. Our stock is highly prized.” The Horus Heresy, volume XXVIII, Scars, page 34

Gavriel Loken, however, was one of those who did not. He was a Cthonian, but references to him always seem to suggest something at odds to the usual Sons of Horus mindset. There is a very real possibility that Loken was not originally a member of the Lunar Wolves Legion, but one of the disbanded loyalists of the two disbanded Legions. Given the edict concerning discussions on the topic, there is no evidence to support this theory, but it is also possible reassigned legionnaires would not know – they may have been mind-wiped or subjected to the process of hypno-indoctrination to alter their memories.

Those who dispute this cite False Gods, where Loken reminisces of his time with the Lunar Wolves on Davin around 940M30. If he had been part of unrecorded Legion A, then he would have been under the command of his own Primarch from around 830M30. However, if he was part of unrecorded Legion B, then there is a window of at least six years before that Primarch was reunited with the Emperor. Many of the Legions served under the Emperor and Horus until they were placed under the command of their own Primarch.

It had been six decades since Loken had set foot on Davin, though back then it had been known as Sixty-Three Eight, being the eighth world brought into compliance by the 63rd Expeditionary force. The Horus Heresy, volume II, False Gods, p36

It is also possible that only a select few in the command and medicae ranks knew of the reassignment to ensure there was no cross contamination of gene-seed. This could also explain why Loken was more resistant to lodge activities and was sent to the surface of Istvaan III to be purged. As a loyalist from one of the two unrecorded Legions, his distrust of anything even hinting at a violation of the Emperor’s orders, and loyalty to the Emperor, could never be in doubt.  

“The eleventh primarch sleeps within this pod – still innocent, still pure. I ache to end this now,” he confessed. Malnor chuckled from behind the Chaplain. “It would save us all a lot of effort, wouldn’t it?” And it would spare Aurelian from heartbreak.” Xaphen traced his fingertips over the designating numeral. “I remember the devastation that wracked him after losing his second and eleventh brothers.” Argel Tal still hadn’t left Guilliman’s pod. “We do not know for certain if our actions here would change the future.” “Are some chances not worth the taking?” asked the Chaplain. “Some are. This one is not.” “But the Eleventh Legion - ” “Is expunged from Imperial records for good reason. As is the Second. I’m not saying I don’t feel temptation creeping over me, brother. A single sword thrust piercing that pod, and we’d unwrite a shameful future.” Dagotal cleared his throat. “And deny the Ultramarines a significant boost in recruitment numbers.” Xaphen regarded him with emotionless eyes, seeming to weigh the merit of such a thing. “What?” Dagotal asked the others. “You were thinking it too. It’s no secret.” “Those are just rumours,” Torgal grunted. The assault sergeant didn’t sound particularly certain. “Perhaps, perhaps not. The Thirteenth definitely swelled to eclipse all the other Legions around the time the Second and Eleventh were “forgotten” by Imperial archives.” The Horus Heresy, volume XIV, The First Heretic, pp295-6

The references in official records that indicate two Legions had been completely destroyed during the Istvaan V dropsite massacres could be explained by the last of the disbanded and reassigned legionnaires being killed in the conflict. While Loken was later found alive, if somewhat bereft of his senses for a time, for all intents and purposes the two Legions were effectively destroyed. There is also circumstantial evidence to explain how the disbanded legionnaires could have participated in this incident.

“The Emperor may not stand beside us, but he has given us the means to fight this war and win it. Horus has three of his brother legions with him, you have your Fists and thirteen others.” “Would that it were fifteen,” mused Dorn. “Do not even think it, my friend, they are lost to us forever.” The Horus Heresy, volume IX, Mechanicum, page 329

Captain Cestus of the Ultramarines appears to have spent time with the VIII Legion, and it is assumed that this would have been during the period following the desertion of their Primarch and other renegade elements of the Night Lords. It is plausible to assume Dorn requested, or the Emperor ordered, the disbanded and reassigned legionnaires of the unrecorded Legions be reassigned to the Night Lords during their period of investigation and retraining, suggesting a new approach to dealing with the Legions of treacherous Primarchs.

If the loyalist elements of the restructured Night Lords were part of the first wave, rather than the Raven Guard, then they would have been wiped out during the dropsite massacres, just like the veteran elements of the Iron Hands that deployed on the surface. With the last of the disbanded and reassigned loyalists of the unrecorded Legions lying dead on the black sands of Istvaan V, two Legions had – indeed – been completely wiped out but for whatever gene-seed the five first wave loyalist survivors managed to carry with them when they escaped.

If there was ever going to be another founding of the two unrecorded Legions, it could only have been with the gene-seed recovered by those survivors. The disbanded and reassigned loyalists of those Legions were dead and could play no further role in the Horus Heresy, with the exception of one legionnaire. Assuming Gavriel Loken was one of the disbanded and reassigned members of one of those Legions, he was the last survivor, his demise revealed as false thanks to the efforts of the former Death Guard Captain Garro.

Loken himself seems to have predicted the future in False Gods. The responses of those he spoke with could be interpreted in a number of ways. The other members of the Mournival may have been genuine confused by the very idea of Astartes fighting one another. Alternatively, they may have been unsure as to whether Loken was remembering something he should have forgotten. The notion that his suggestion was unthinkable could indicate that none of them remembered this ever occurring, or that the Emperor’s response the last time it happened – and subsequent edicts on the matter – made this (as far as they were concerned) an impossibility.

“Come on, Gavri,” said Torgaddon. “You’re worrying about nothing.” “Am I? What do we do if it happens again?” The other members of the Mournival looked at one another in puzzlement. “If what happens again?” asked Aximand finally. “What if another world rebels in our wake, and another and another after that? This is Army, but what happens if Astartes rebel? Would we still take the fight to them?” The three of them laughed after that, but Torgaddon answered. “You have a fine sense of humour, my brother. You know that could never happen. It’s unthinkable.” “And unseemly,” said Aximand, his face solemn. “What you suggest might be considered treason.”  The Horus Heresy, volume II, False Gods, p91

Possibly one of the most astonishing revelations to come from the early stages of the Horus Heresy concerns the visions experienced by Horus and Argel Tal regarding the creation and scattering of the Primarchs. Clearly, nothing they were shown could be trusted because warp entities are notorious for using deceit and manipulation to get what they want. The evidence to support this can be observed in the contradictions in the two accounts, the subtle differences that also reveal something many have overlooked.

According to the account in False Gods, Horus saw what is assumed to be himself as an infant in the first of the incubation tanks. But the Lion would have been the infant Primarch within the first tank. According to his vision the tanks lay in rows of ten on either side of a raised central walkway that ran the length of the chamber. If these were numbered one-to-ten on one side, and eleven-to-twenty the other, or even numbers one side and odd the other, then the first tank on either side at either end could only have ever been I, II, X, XI, XIX, or XX.

There is no configuration of any logical sense that would have involved XVI being the first tank on either side at either end. This problem was avoided by another contradiction in the account concerning the Word Bearers when they had a similar vision. In that version, all the incubation pods were arranged in a circle around a central column ringed by a raised walkway, at odds with what Horus had been shown. Perhaps these visions had been created from the memories, or what the subjects had been told about the creation of the Primarchs, but it seems odd Horus would remember being in an incubation pod designated I, II, X, XI, XIX, or XX.

Horus leaned forward and wiped his gauntlet across the fogged glass of the first tank’s hatch. He squinted against the brightness, straining to see what lay within. The light was blinding, a motion blurred shape within twisting like dark smoke in the wind. Something saw him. Something moved closer. “What do you mean?” asked Horus, fascinated by the strange, formless being that swam through the light of the tank. Its motion slowed, and it became a silhouette as it moved closer to the glass, its form settling into something more solid. The tank hummed with power, as though the metal was barely able to contain the energy generated by the creature contained within it. “These are the Emperor’s most secret geno-vaults beneath the Himalayan peaks,” said Sejanus. “This is where you were created.” Horus wasn’t listening. He was staring through the glass in amazement at a pair of liquid eyes that were the mirror of his own. The Horus Heresy, volume II, False Gods, pp277-8

There is one very real potential answer. Horus was the II Primarch, and the two unrecorded Primarchs were, in reality, the XI and XVI. Horus was the first Primarch reunited with the Emperor. He is often referred to as the first Primarch, and sometimes that word uses a capital, as in First. Rivalry between the Primarchs was supposed to encourage them to strive to outperform one another, but too often led to petty jealousies and tension.

The Word Bearers moved along the rows of tables, their course taking them to the central platform standing above the laboratory. A column of black and silver machinery stood upon the decking there, ringed by a wide walkway. Argel Tal climbed the stairs first, his boots echoing on the metal, going unheard by the dozens of technicians nearby. Several passed him, paying no head to anything beyond the digital streams on their frost-bitten data-slates and sine-wave readings on their handheld auspex readers. Argel Tal walked across the platform, around the amniotic pods coupled to the main column – bound there by dense messes of wires, chains, cables and industrial clamps. The generators built into the column of metal made the same angry thrum as Astartes back-mounted power packs, and that detail bought a smile to the captain’s face. The Horus Heresy, volume XIV, The First Heretic, pp293-4

Horus was referred to as the first Primarch, but only due to being reunited with the Emperor before any of his brothers, and then spent thirty years with the Emperor before the next Primarch was found, Leman Russ. Until this time, Horus was the only Primarch, and favoured by the Emperor. He learned more than any others on what he would need to become the Emperor’s heir. But until the discovery of Lion El’Jonson, the position of first Primarch was used in reference to the order of those reunited with the Emperor. 

This would mean – despite the official timeline for the reunification of the Primarchs – that Horus was the first Primarch for around the first 150 years of the Great Crusade. The Lion was reunited with the Emperor around the year 849M30, although the official timeline claims he was recovered a century earlier. Evidence to support the later date can be found in references to Master Remiel in Fallen Angels. Remiel was responsible for training young Knights before the Emperor and Lion El’Jonson were reunited, but left the Legion to ride the Errant Road at the age of one-hundred-and-twelve. Remiel birth, therefore, was in the year 888M30.

These nine are known to the Imperium as the Traitor Legions. Of Legions numbered 2 and 11 nothing is recorded, but it seems likely these also fought for Horus at least during the beginning of the Heresy.  The history of the Dark Angels during the Heresy is unknown. The Dark Angels do not appear in any battle accounts of the loyal forces. In all, and discounting the role of the Dark Angels, there were therefore between nine and eleven Traitor Legions accounting for more than half of the entire Space Marine force. These were amongst the largest and most battle-hardened armies of the Imperium. Codex: Ultramarines, 1993, p7

To make matters worse, the Lion had not had the same upbringing as Horus. He did not have the training to be the Emperor’s heir. And he had no interest in taking up the role. But still, Horus was jealous of his older brother. Lion El’Jonson was the First Primarch, and no matter what he did, Horus was not. In everything he did, Horus sought to outshine his brothers, to be seen as the greatest, the first among them. The demise of the unrecorded Primarchs provided another opportunity to demonstrate this, and his disregard for his designation.

“Our training cadre has worked diligently for the last half-century, refining our recruiting and training procedures to meet the challenges the Emperor has set for us.”  The Horus Heresy, volume XI, Fallen Angels, p50

While there are no surviving documents about the two unrecorded Primarchs and their Legions, or their fate, it appears they were branded traitors for whatever they ultimately did to end their relationship with the Emperor. But Horus, it seems, may not have been the XVI Primarch after all, but the II. With the reassignment of the loyalists of the unrecorded Legions, Horus may have done what he did best.

“They should be torn down,” said Sigismund. “All of the traitors. They should not stand beside those who keep their oaths.”   The Horus Heresy, volume XXII, Shadows of Treachery, p63

The Lunar Wolves and Ultramarines were foremost amongst the Legions regarding training and ability, excelling in all fields rather than specialising in a particular form of war at the expense of other concerns. The disbanded loyalists appear to have been reassigned to Horus and Guilliman, a situation that presented the image that they were equals, and one Horus would have found unacceptable even as Guilliman had no interest in competing for praise or favour.

Horus was a master of psychology, among other things. It seems likely Horus used this ability to win admiration by appearing to humble himself for the benefit of others. The events that led to the disbanding of the unrecorded Legions would have left the reassigned loyalists low on moral, stripped of their honour, and probably a great deal of ill-feeling between them and their cousins who had probably fought them during whatever conflicts had occurred in the events as they unfolded.

“I think he is Warmaster,” Loken said.  His tone was stone hard. “I think he is master of the Lunar Wolves and chosen proxy of the Emperor, praise be his name, in all our undertakings. He is the first and foremost of all primarchs. And I think I take offence when a mortal voices his name without respect of title.”  The Horus Heresy, volume I, Horus Rising, p44

Guilliman and his Ultramarines would have simply taken it in his stride, their dedication to duty even making them oblivious to political necessities concerning tact and humility. Not Horus. He saw opportunity everywhere. It seems likely he asked the Emperor a favour, to redesignate his own Legion the XIV to not only restore lost honour to the reassigned legionnaires, but so that his Legion included the numeral of every other Legion as a symbol of their efforts to help make his own Legion what they were, a demonstration of unity, and in memory of the time all the other Legions had served with the Lunar Wolves until united with their own Primarchs.

This would have earned him the admiration of his brothers, reinforced the fact that he was the first, and shown that he did not care that he was the second Primarch, and that his rank in the order didn’t concern him. It could have also helped reduce the concerns of those in the Imperial Army concerning the authority and behaviour of the Astartes. The truth about his feelings and motives on the matter may have been very different, but if this theory is accurate, then the unrecorded Primarchs were actually the XI and XVI.

Chayne shrugged. “I have not trusted the Astartes Alpha Legion from the start, sir. They do not practice the codes of nobility and honor shown by the other Legion Astartes. I believe their operation and conduct should be reported to the Council of Terra, pending censure and dissolution. It wouldn’t be the first time a Legion Astartes has overstepped the mark, after all. They must be stopped and held accountable before they become too powerful.”   The Horus Heresy, volume VII, Legion, p384

PART 8

PART 10