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In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Alpha Legion are the Chaos Space Marines Legion about whom the least is known. The Legion uses secrecy, spy networks and traitors to attack from as many different vantages as possible. More information is believed to be uncovered in the Horus Heresy book Legion. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... It has been suggested that Armies of warhammer be merged into this article or section. ... Image File history File links Alphalegionbadge. ... In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Primarchs were engineered superhumans created by the Emperor to command his future Legions of Space Marines. ... A fictional universe is an imaginary world that serves as the setting or backdrop for one or (more commonly) multiple works of fiction or translatable non-fiction. ... Warhammer 40,000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K, WH40K, W40K or just 40K) is a science fantasy game produced by Games Workshop. ... The Cover of the new 4th edition Chaos Space Marines sourcebook, to be released in September 2007, Codex: Chaos Space Marines In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, the Chaos Space Marines or Chaos Marines, are Space Marines who serve the Chaos Gods. ...

History

Alpharius/Omegon

Very little is known about the Primarch of the Alpha Legion, even less than the other Legions' leaders. Alpharius and his Legion were renowned for their secret-keeping, even from their brother Space Marines. He was the last Primarch to be found before the Horus Heresy, which is ironic, as Alpharius' name is derived from the Greek letter "alpha" which is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Indeed, even though this was the last legion to be founded they were still named the "Alpha" legion and their original legion symbol was the letter "A" (see below), two blatant ironies. In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Primarchs were engineered superhumans created by the Emperor to command his future Legions of Space Marines. ... The current Space Marine sourcebook (codex) cover The Space Marines are one of the major forces available in the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed compared to the rest of the article. ...

Alpharius was first encountered shortly before the Great Crusade ended and the Horus Heresy began. An advance patrol from the Luna Wolves was surveying a new system when their scoutship came under attack from a swarm of starfighters. Despite their primitive design, the attack was well-coordinated and when the starfighters were forced to flee, the Luna Wolves gave pursuit - straight into a minefield. Reinforcements from the Luna Wolves' fleet arrived, and Horus himself shuttled over to the stricken vessel. He arrived to find the crew on high alert: a small boarding party had managed to establish themselves, and were converging on the bridge. In the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe, The Black Legion is a legion of Chaos Space Marines, formerly under the command of the traitor Primarch, Horus. ... A Colonial Viper from Battlestar Galactica, an example of a starfighter. ... “Minefield” redirects here. ...

Horus remained, leading the defence of the scoutship's bridge. Five men were said to have burst onto the bridge. Horus shot four in the head, but the fifth was able to dodge the bolter shell. Advancing, the man came under a dense hail of fire, which slowed but did not stop him. He was an instant away from grabbing Horus by the throat, when the two stopped, recognising each other as brothers.

Released in 2008, The Horus Heresy: Legion features several revelations as to the identity of Alpharius. The most notable of these are that the Legion would appear to operate under a general alter ego, whereby individual marines will state their name - upon being asked - as Alpharius. Early in the novel, a group of three Alpha Legion marines each give their names as Alpharius before declaring; "We are the Alpha Legion, and we are all one".. ^[1]

The second major revelation is that Alpharius is not the only Primarch of the Legion, in fact he is one of two identical twins; Alpharius and Omegon, who share the role of Primarch albeit with Alpharius taking the slightly more obvious position of power. They are said to be one soul in two bodies.

The Great Crusade

Instead of sending Alpharius back to the Emperor as soon as possible, Horus began to train Alpharius, often allowing the newly-found Primarch to take tactical command of the Luna Wolves. Horus was impressed with Alpharius' skill and ingenuity, while at the same time Alpharius was in awe of the martial power wielded by Horus, and his knowledge of when and where to use it. The Immortal God-Emperor of Mankind is the leader of the Imperium in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe, the largest human organization within that universe. ...

Eventually, Alpharius was sent to meet the Emperor, but they spent little time together due to the pressing needs of running the Imperium. Alpharius was quickly sent to take command of the Twentieth Space Marine Legion, which came to be known as the Alpha Legion. The Imperium of Man is a fictional galactic empire of millions of star systems that contains the vast majority of humanity in the forty-first millennium, set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe created by Games Workshop. ...

The Alpha Legion was the final Space Marine Legion created for the Great Crusade, and Alpharius threw himself and his Legion into the Great Crusade, eager to emulate the actions and successes of the more established Legions, and to prove his own Legion's worth. Their first campaigns were highly successful, and Alpharius' preferred tactics were quickly adopted by the Legion as a whole. Alpharius advocated that the best attacks came from multiple directions, and that keeping a commander's options open was the way to success. No Alpha Legion force ever engaged an enemy without a backup plan, with flanking forces and infiltrators always ready to capitalise on any weak points exposed by the enemy.

Alpharius was said to have tirelessly worked towards the training of his officers, encouraging independent thought and listening to their advice. He constantly set challenges for them, sometimes in the middle of a battle, to force his officers and troops to adapt and improvise. On rare occasions, he would disappear entirely, to assess how the Alpha Legion performed without its leader.

Tesstra Prime

After an argument with the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman, Alpharius pushed the Alpha Legion even harder, seeking out the most difficult challenges, so as to prove incorrect Guilliman's belief that the Alpha Legion couldn't hope to compare to the Ultramarines. He knew that he could not beat them in quantity of victories, so the Legion set itself for quality. In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Ultramarines are considered to be one of the greatest of all the Space Marine Chapters in the Imperium of Man, almost single handedly holding the Imperium together after the Horus Heresy. ... In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Ultramarines are considered to be one of the greatest of all the Space Marine Chapters in the Imperium of Man, almost single handedly holding the Imperium together after the Horus Heresy. ...

Tesstra Prime was the chosen target of the first of these victories, a world violently opposing the idea of Imperial rule. Alpharius delayed the assault by a week, during which the planet's defence forces were able to dig in and prepare for an assault on the world's vast capital city. It was estimated that over a million soldiers were armed and ready to resist the Space Marine invasion.

The Alpha Legion deployed, focusing their efforts on a few key points of the defence, while leaving large reaches of the enemy line unopposed. As the assault was launched, bombs that had been placed by infiltrators were detonated, isolating the points under assault from reinforcement. Various counter-plans were put in action by the Tesstran military, but these were all foiled by the Alpha Legion. Within a week, ninety percent casualties had been suffered by the defenders under a constant rain of bolter shells, with the loss of only a handful of Space Marines.

Expecting praise for such a decisive victory against the odds, Alpharius was shocked when the other Primarchs berated him, Guilliman specifically declared his campaign a waste of "time, effort, and the Emperor's bolt shells". Only Horus supported the Alpha Legion's victory against the quantity of opposition. When challenged by Guilliman over the campaign as to why the Alpha Legion had not quickly deployed and beaten the Tesstran military before they were ready, Alpharius replied "Because it would have been too easy."

Nurth

As Horus was assuming the role of Warmaster, he urged Alpharius to assist the 670th expedition in bringing the world of Nurth to compliance, which proved difficult, despite the inferior technology base of the enemy. Thus the Alpha Legion began the use of covert operations in support of the Imperial expedition.

The Cabal

The novel Legion highlights an event that occured on the planet Nurth. The Cabal, a collection of Xeno races from across the galaxy, manipulate the Alpha Legion into a meeting. Here, they show Alpharius/Omegon a 'vision' of the future and present him with a choice: side with Horus, slay the Emperor and save the Universe from Chaos, or side with the Emperor and watch Chaos consume everything. Whether duped or enlightened by the Cabal, Alpharius states "The Alpha Legion has always, always, been for the Emperor", and reluctantly sides with Horus, apparently to further the Emperor's ultimate goal.

The Horus Heresy

Horus was soon to betray the Emperor, through his actions at Istvaan V, and the Alpha Legion were among the seven Legions sent to eliminate Horus and his traitorous allies.

Assigned to the second wave, the Alpha Legion revealed that they too had turned to Chaos, landing on the planet to destroy the three Loyalist Legions in what came to be known as the Drop Site Massacre. Some scholars believed that the trap was planned using Alpharius's assistance, as it bore the hallmarks of many Alpha Legion assaults. In Games Workshops Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy fictional universes, Chaos refers to the often stereotypically malevolent entities which live in some sort of parallel universe, known as the Warp in Warhammer 40,000 and as the Realm of Chaos in Warhammer Fantasy. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed compared to the rest of the article. ...

While the other Traitor Legions advanced on Terra, Horus commanded Alpharius to engage the Space Wolves and White Scars in the Chondax system, to stop the two loyalist Legions uniting and leaving to reinforce Terra. ^[2] Eventually the White Scars escaped to Terra, leaving the outnumbered Space Wolf fleet to face the Alpha Legion. Eventually they received help from an 'unexpected quarter' and turned the tables on the Alpha Legion, before making the warp jump to Terra. After the Heresy ended with the defeat of Horus, the Alpha Legion continued unabated. After a grueling campaign, the Ultramarines had brought the Alpha Legion to battle on the world of Eskrador. The Space Wolves are one of the twenty First Founding Legions of Space Marines serving the Imperium of Man in the fictional future of the tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000. ... The subject of this article may not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ...

Roboute Guilliman's campaign was designed to rip out the heart of the Alpha Legion before wrapping up the uncoordinated remainder. Guilliman led a strike force directly into the enemy camp, and forced Alpharius into single combat. Guilliman triumphed, killing his brother Primarch in a duel. However, the Alpha Legion failed to break as Guilliman had hoped; Alpharius's focus on his Legion's ability to lead without him meant his death did not retard his Legion's coordination, and the Ultramarines suffered heavy casualties as the Alpha Legion out-fought them at every turn. The campaign continued for two weeks before Guilliman gave up and ordered his Legion to be redeployed elsewhere. The account of Guilliman's attack, however, was taken from the personal log of an Ultramarine sergeant, and its validity has been questioned by both Inquisitors and the Ultramarines themselves. The possibility remains that Alpharius/Omegon remains at large.

Exile

The Legion disappeared during the reorganisation of the Imperium following the Emperor's wounding. The Alpha Legion did not follow their brothers into the Eye of Terror, instead continuing to operate out of their countless bases hidden within the Imperium. The destruction of the Alpha Legion is a high priority for both the Space Marines and the Inquisition, and although the Legion has been declared destroyed on three occasions, they always seem to survive, resurfacing with a fresh wave of assaults. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Inquisition (The Holy Orders of the Emperors Inquisition) is an organisation in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. ...

Organisation

Because of the Alpha Legion's disposition towards intense secrecy, very little is known about the Legion's organisation. It is known that the Legion organises cultist cells on hundreds of worlds, many of which are well trained and organised. These cults would be used as part of the disruption of a world's war efforts against the Alpha Legion, or in the event of an impending attack. These cults are often in direct competition with cults instigated by the Word Bearers and as such the two legions harbour a great deal of bitterness and enmity towards one another.

As in the supposed death of Alpharius, the assassination of leaders does not appear to affect the operations of the Legion in any major way. The Legion's symbol of the hydra is appropriate, for when one head is cut off, the other heads take command of the body.

Recruitment

Prior to the Horus Heresy, the Alpha Legion was unique among the Space Marines for indoctrinating squad-sized groups as opposed to individuals. A squad had to master the adaptation from man to Space Marine as a group; if one failed, all were considered to have failed. Foolhardy heroics were frowned upon, and the overall plan was considered more important than any one Marine.

The Chaos Space Marine Legions have been able to continue fighting for ten thousand years because of the time-warping effects of their home, the Eye of Terror. The Alpha Legion does not reside in the Eye, or in any similar warp/realspace overlays, so the question must be raised as to how the Legion has managed to survive (in the Horus Heresy books it is suggested that the Space Marines could be immortal, as even the oldest Marines on record have perished solely from combat-related causes). It is possible that they maintain the recruitment practices similar to loyalist Marines, probably recruiting from Chaos cultists, or they may use Chaotic sorcery to prolong their lifespans. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In the latest Chaos Space Marine Codex, a story reveals the Alpha Legion have been turning neophytes from Loyalist Marine chapters into Alpha Legion sleeper agents, via hypnotic suggestion and brainwashing techniques. When these recruits become full Space Marines, existing Alpha Legion marines activate a mental trigger that causes the recruits to turn on their brethren. Some of these recruits then either go mad or join the Alpha Legion.

Combat Doctrine

The tactics utilised by Alpharius revolved around attacking the enemy in as many ways as possible simultaneously, ranging from underground assaults to sabotage of water supplies and activation of tectonic activity. Extensive preparations are made before striking out at a target, including the use of spies and corruption to weaken an enemy's resolve.

Often, cults and traitors will be employed as a support network to Alpha Legion actions. Many actions are planned to utilise and support local cultist activity. These cults go to considerable effort to spread propaganda, perform sabotage, and carry out acts of unrest and rebellion, providing a distraction and weakening the enemy before the Alpha Legion strikes.

Before the outbreak of the Heresy, the Alpha legion were known to employ agents with many different special talents. These 'Specialists' were used in such roles as infiltration, intelligence gathering and even as psykers when the occasion demanded. As one agent of the Alpha Legion puts it, "The Alpha Legion will use any and all means to achieve it's goals".^[3]

Battlecry

The Alpha Legion use Imperialistic battlecries in order to mock and infuriate the forces loyal to the Imperium, for example, "For the Emperor!" (Though, following the events of the novel Legion, this may be entirely true); other battlecries used by the Alpha Legion are related to their legion symbol, the hydra, for example, "Hydra Dominatus!". Legion can refer to: Roman legion, a division of troops within the Roman army Legion (demon), a demon found in the Christian Bible in Mark 5:9 and Luke 8:30 The American Legion, A veterans organization in the United States A creature from Castlevania Category: ...

Appearance

During the Great Crusade, Alpha Legion power armour was dark purple-blue, with silver trim and green iconography. The symbol for the chapter was a chevron crossed by a series of chain links, forming a stylized letter "A". After the Heresy, the dark blue-purple was replaced with mottled blue and hydra markings all over their armor.

The primary colours of the Alpha Legion are blue and green. In the previous Chaos Codex, the example Alpha Legionnaire was depicted as very dark, almost black blue with silver trim and in the version before that, they were shown in metallic blue with the same silver trim. In the current incarnation of the Codex, the Alpha Legion's troops appear dark blue-green, with silver trim, although the colours suggested for the effect are blue with green highlights around the edges of the armour, mimicking the appearance of scales. They have also been portrayed with gold trim around the edges of the armour.

It is possible, as is evidenced from the account of the battle of Eskrador, that the Alpha Legion is not above disguising themselves as Marines from other, Loyalist chapters in order to fool their prey. This is unthinkable to most Marines, as they take great pride in their colours.

The Legion's (post heresy) symbol is of a three-headed hydra, a multi-headed mythical beast which - when one or more of it's heads were severed - would then grow two more to replace the lost cranium. The use of this symbol is telling, in regard to the secret identity of the legion's Primarch and the combat philosophy of the legion; one cell or squad could be destroyed, but then two more would be able to set about completing the task of the first. The 16th-century German illustrator has been influenced by the Beast of Revelation in his depiction of the Hydra. ...

Notable members

• Alpharius - Primarch of the Alpha Legion.
• Omegon - Primarch of the Alpha Legion.
• Ingo Pech - Captain, First Company.
• Mathias Herzog - Captain, Second Company.
• Arkos the Faithless - Scion of Alpharius commander of splinter group Alpha, who infiltrated the Siege Of Vraks, mascurading as loyal space marines, before turning on the Death Korps Of Kreig and assisting the Vraks Militia in the defnse of the Vraks Spaceport against the Dark Angels (rules in Imperial Armour Volume 5 The Seige Of Vraks) -- battle cry "Victory and Grace"
• Lord Bale - A Chaos Lord who commanded the Alpha Legion forces on Tartarus during the events of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. He was eventually defeated in a duel with Captain Gabriel Angelos of the Blood Ravens 3rd Company after he was betrayed by Sindri Myr, his advisor and Chaos Sorcerer.
• Sindri Myr - A Chaos Sorcerer and Lord Bale's advisor. Eventually ascended to Daemonhood into a Daemon Prince via a powerful Chaos artifact - the Maledictum - but was slain by Captain Gabriel Angelos.
• Lord Carron - A Chaos Lord that leads the Alpha Legion in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Soulstorm.

The following is a list of planets in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. ... Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is a Real Time Strategy game for the PC developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. Based on Games Workshops popular tabletop wargame, Warhammer 40,000, Dawn of War was released in September 2004. ... The Blood Ravens are a chapter of Space Marines first featured in the computer game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and its two expansions. ... The Blood Ravens are a chapter of Space Marines first featured in the computer game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and its two expansions. ... In the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes, the Daemons are malevolent spirits born out of the destructive power called Chaos. ... In the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes, the Daemons are malevolent spirits born out of the destructive power called Chaos. ...

References

• Games Workshop Design Staff (2002). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Chaos Space Marines, 1st Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-322-5. 
• Gav Thorpe/Alessio Cavatore (2007). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Chaos Space Marines, 4th Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 978-1-84154-842-5. 
• Dan Abnett (2008). The Horus Heresy: Legion, 1st Edition, Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-536-1. 
• (January 2003) "Index Astartes – Alpha Legion". White Dwarf: Australian Edition (277). ISSN 0265-8712. 

ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... Dan Abnett is a British writer, mainly of comic books and gaming fiction. ... Legion can refer to: Roman legion, a division of troops within the Roman army Legion (demon), a demon found in the Christian Bible in Mark 5:9 and Luke 8:30 The American Legion, A veterans organization in the United States A creature from Castlevania Category: ... The Black Library is a section of BL Publishing (itself a division of Games Workshop) devoted to publishing novels, art books, background books, and graphic novels set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes. ... Graham McNeill is a Games Developer in Games Workshop. ... Fulgrim is the fifth book of the Horus Heresy series, written by Graham McNeill (author of the second book, False Gods), released on July 2, 2007. ... The Black Library is a section of BL Publishing (itself a division of Games Workshop) devoted to publishing novels, art books, background books, and graphic novels set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes. ... Dan Abnett is a British writer, mainly of comic books and gaming fiction. ... Legion can refer to: Roman legion, a division of troops within the Roman army Legion (demon), a demon found in the Christian Bible in Mark 5:9 and Luke 8:30 The American Legion, A veterans organization in the United States A creature from Castlevania Category: ... The Black Library is a section of BL Publishing (itself a division of Games Workshop) devoted to publishing novels, art books, background books, and graphic novels set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes. ...

External links

• Games Workshop homepage