A/N – The original idea for the story appeared in December 2017, then I wrote 300k words and scrapped because of some things I disliked and issues with balance. Now here I come again with a thing that might be either very interesting and long or very short and dull.
With that intro out of the way. This story will focus on the Eleventh Legion and their actions prior, during and maybe after the Heresy. Their search for the Primarch and their changes and evolution without him and then under his leadership.
o-0-o
(Somewhere close to the galactic core, unknown date, eighth century M30)
Thunder rumbled off in the distance. A sudden downpour followed it. The water turning the already soggy ground into deadly, sticky and treacherous mud. Yet the Space Marines of the 11th Legion didn't pay to it any attention.
The water washing over their unpainted, steel gray armors. The only visible feature of them were their red visors and Roman number eleven stenciled on their pauldrons. They stood there for hours, unmoving and simply watching the city hidden by the darkness.
What for a human was darkness, for their augmented bodies and optical systems of their armors was merely dim. The city in the valley rejected the generous offer of peacefully joining the Imperium and the Eleventh Legion with its auxilia forces was called to bring the city into the fold.
"It is time," one of them said and glanced backwards. Towards positions where artillery batteries were entrenched. There were dozens of Basilisks and the less mobile, but still potent Earthshaker cannons. "Tell the artillery to begin, Theseus."
Now named Theseus smashed his hand against the chestplate of his armor and nodded. "As you wish, Legate."
He walked through the mud, servomotors of his armor struggling with the sucking power of the mud, and as he approached the artillery he was almost immediately spotted by the sentries guarding it. Their lasguns pointed in his direction, but once it was clear he was one of them, the guns lowered and he passed between them.
"You may begin when ready," he said towards a human Colonel in charge of the artillery units.
The man nodded him and then started to bark out orders. Theseus barely managed to turn his head towards the city when the first gun fired. Six hundred pieces was usually an overkill, for such an unremarkable planet, but this conflict was all but usual.
Cities that should have surrendered to a company of his brethren, resisted assaults of as much as a battalion and oft they needed to clear every single building to be sure there were no ambushes waiting for the garrison. This kind of grinding and meticulous war was not Eleventh's forte, they excelled when allowed to roam free on the plains and grasslands. Their tank formations slipping through the chinks in enemy's defense and hitting command centers before anybody was aware they were there.
Theseus unlocked the seals of his helmet and breathed in the air. The strong stench of the propellant used by the Earthshaker rounds felt good to him. It should be the last battle of this campaign, the last moment of his stay on this forsaken ball of mud before being able to return to the rest of the fleet and renew the search for their still lost Primarch.
He paused and banished those thoughts out of his mind. His hand clenched on the hilt of his power sword and then he smiled when he sensed the barely contained excitement and frustration of his company. The hundred and fifty of his brethren given to his to command, all of them as irritated by this campaign as he.
The low boom sounded on the hill several hundred meters away from him and he bared his teeth in a predatory smile. Medusas and Bombards finally joined. They were the main guns of the siege corps of the auxilia. They were much easier and cheaper to make, but had two flaws shorter range and extremely slow rate of fire. On the other hand there was almost nothing that could survive repeated hits from them.
Theseus felt movement behind him and when he turned he faced one of the Scouts assigned to his command. The newest members of the Legion, neither their augmentation nor training finished. They were untested and unproven, yet it was their duty to provide him and the Legate with the intelligence and to spot traps as the formations of the Eleventh traveled.
"Yes, Cadet Rollo?" Theseus asked. "What do you want?"
"Pardon me, Tribune," the Cadet said and swallowed. "But why do we wait for the barrage to pummel the city to dust. Wouldn't it be more glorious if we attacked now?"
Theseus laughed at this and then shook his head. "The glory-seeking you all are taught during your training is good," he slowly said and looked into the eyes of the youth. "But is foolish in the way you think about it. Yes, the Legate Pollux can order the assault, but at what cost? We already lost over two hundred brothers and several dozen thousand auxilia. Just getting to this city."
The youth's eyes shone with challenge. "We can avenge our fallen…"
Theseus' hand crashed against youth's cheek and sent him into the mud. "If you wish to advance up the ranks, learn how to think first. We can't afford more losses than necessary and there is nothing glorious dying on this ball of mud."
He gave the youth a look and then walked towards the pair of Centurions that were de facto in command of his company. Both of them were from the first intake of recruits and both of them distinguished themselves during the conquest of Sol.
"Prepare the men," Theseus said as they approached him. "We will probably attack once the dawn comes." He grimaced and then glanced at the city. "Close quarters and ugly, that is a curse of a battle."
"What about our tanks?"
"We don't have any working," Theseus said and spat on the ground. "Last Predator was blown to shreds in an ambush. At least we have the Vindicators and Land Raiders."
"That will be an inconvenience," the older Centurion said with a wince. "Javelins and Land Speeders?"
"Three Javelins out of the sixty the whole Battalion has are able to take off. As for Speeders, out of four our Cadets, one is being repaired," Theseus growled and shook his head, regaining his composure. "In short, outside of the Land Raiders, Rhinos and Vindicators the rest is either a burned out husk or being repaired."
"How is it that they manage to incur such losses on our units?"
Theseus looked at the Centurion, his gaze level and calm. "Ambushes, luck and skill. And our scouts or rather their lack of abilities of spotting traps waiting for us."
"The training of cadets is somewhat lacking."
Theseus pulled the helmet of his head and attached it to the belt of his armor. His head was clean-shaven and a tattoo of an aquila was visible on his forehead. "Yes," he said and his silver eyes, an effect of a quirk of the gene-seed, focused on the Centurions. "Iason, I want you to gather the newest recruits and push them a bit harder."
"A bit harder?" Now named Centurion said as he reached for his plasma pistol and started to disassemble the weapon and then clean it.
"Enough to make the progress visible in say next four weeks," Theseus said and glanced at the second. "Pollux, organize some scouting elements from the normal Marines. They will hate it, but I want some better scouts."
They both nodded and Theseus stalked away. Towards the command post of the Legate. The Legate was in charge of the campaigns on this whole forsaken planet and in the system. A task Theseus was grateful wasn't his.
"Orders passed?"
"Aye," Theseus said and then glanced towards the city. It's form lit by dozens of fires from the falling shells. "They should have surrendered long ago. We have seven companies of the Legion and several dozen Regiments ready to attack this town."
"They're like our tribes from Terra," the Legate said and then looked at Theseus. "They didn't surrender until the last stronghold was assaulted. I think they also will surrender once we enter the city."
Theseus mulled over those words. His mind returning to his childhood on the Cradle of Humanity, Terra, world so irradiated and devastated that survival was a challenge. The plains were filled with mutated horrors, the water was worth more than gold and food was scarce. Even the Emperor was unable to change it, at least not outright.
When he was found by the servants of the Master of Mankind and taken for the Eleventh Legion training the first effects were visible and when the Great Crusade took off years after that the world was more habitable. Yet, still deadly.
This planet, which was designed 113-A4-11 was a strange contrast to Terra. Lust forests, plenty of water and abundance of food and creatures. Most of which with a plethora of claws, fangs and teeth, and poisonous. However outside of the predators the world was a perfect one for humans to settle. Gravity slightly above the 1G of Terra, veins of ores and minerals almost under the surface and no toxic gases in the atmosphere.
"There is nothing that induces such ferocity," the Legate said quietly, as if reading Theseus thoughts. "Yet they fight to the bitter end and have courage and are fairly advanced. Magos Kane, a distant relative of Zagreus Kane, told me the discoveries made upon this world should increase effectivity of our tanks by about ten to twenty percents."
"Is there a chance nobody learns about those advancements? We are one of the smaller Legions and one that added not many worlds to the Imperium. The Primarch might be disappointed when we find him."
"That's up to the Legion Master and the Council."
At this Theseus flinched, the Council was a gathering of all of the Legates and other senior commanders watched over by the Legion Master. When it came to interactions with the rest of the Imperium and other Legions there was a deep split in it. A not so small fraction was of the opinion that what Legion acquired was its and only the Emperor could tell them to give it to someone else. While the majority was less restrained and wasn't against sharing the tech, but only under certain conditions.
"That will be a long discussion and… a loud one," Theseus commented and snorted. "Assuming it won't end with broken bones and blood spilled."
"Quite so," the Legate said and then looked at the sky. "We can only hope we find our gene-sire soon. The Emperor knows that we need him."
Theseus fell silent and looked back towards the dugouts of the artillery. Dozens of heavy guns, around each scores of servitors and humans toiling as they loaded the Basilisks and the Earthshakers. The endless chorus of guns slowly preparing the city for the assault.
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A/N – If you know what's the main tool of blitzkrieg and then look at AirLand battle you get a good idea of what to expect. And the Space Marines are already mobile and have access to gear that makes this concept even nastier…