1st Hurian Expeditionary Force

"Our duty to the emperor, and our lives for the Hurian people."

- Oath of the 1st Hurian Expeditionary Force

The 1st Hurian Expeditionary Force is a large Astra Militarum strike force that hails from the inhospitable world of Huria. A regiment created for vengeance, the 1st Hurian Expeditionary Force strikes with great speed, taking down its enemies before they can even react. Adorned in red armor they strike out into the territories of the enemies of man.

History
The 1st Hurian Expeditionary Force hails from the planet Huria. The planet is very rich in raw materials, but it is very inhospitable to human life, possessing a very thin atmosphere that forces inhabitants to wear rebreathers. The surface is covered in dark red sand, with the only sources of water located beneath the surface. The inhabitants of the planet live in underground cities in order to hide from meteor showers that pass through the atmosphere unscathed.

The Hurians haven't always live on this planet however. Over fifty years ago, they lived on the planet of Garissa, a temperate planet incredibly well-suited for human life. Primarily focusing on agriculture, the planet didn't possess a very strong Planetary Defence Force (PDF). This they later came to regret however, for a Genestealer Cult was growing on the planet. After preparing for decades, the Genestealer Cult began an uprising, taking the PDF by surprise.

Most members were killed at the very beginning of the uprising, and the handful that survived were pushed back to their last base. Seeing the situation as hopeless, the commander ordered an immediate planetary evacuation. The civilians were the first to leave, and the remnants of the PDF were the last, holding back the hordes right up until the very end. The evacuation ships were not capable of interstellar travel, so they headed for the planet of Huria that was located in the same star system. At the time, the planet only had a small mining colony on it, alongside a single manufactorum. The time they spent on this planet has been named “The Great Exile” in their history.

During this time the people first began working on building additional cities underground, and manufacturing the equipment to survive on the planet. Wearing a rebreather became a part of their culture, and most of the time they didn't take it off. After ensuring they could survive on the planet, they began focusing on their military, so that they could reclaim their original world. From the remnants of the PDF that made it onto the evacuation ships, rose the 1st Hurian Expeditionary Force. For years they prepared for war, and the hour of vengeance drew ever closer.

The day that they finally launched their ships marked the beginning of the Reclamation War. Using plans and information they brought with them onto the exodus ships, the 1st Hurians were easily able to take out military bases and quickly advance towards the capital. During nights, an elite commando force known as the Phantoms would parachute behind enemy lines and carry out sabotage missions and reconnaissance. One particular team, known as Team Orion, was tasked with infiltrating the Capital and assassinating the key figures of the cult. Led by the competent Captain Phillips, Team Orion made significant headway, but ran into a significant challenge, for their primary target, the Patriarch, was under heavy guard. Knowing the importance of the Primus however, Captain Phillips decided to focus his efforts on the xenos general instead.

As the Primus was heading for the front lines, Captain Phillips and his squad ambushed the convoy in a lightning raid, killing the Primus and leaving before the cult's army could catch up to them. The loss of their military leader greatly crippled the cult, and made the job of the 1st Hurian Expeditionary Force a lot easier. Soon, the regiment had reached the capital and stormed it, killing every genestealer within it. Eventually, they found the Patriarch and killed it, sending the remaining parts of the cult into chaos. The regiment continued to fight on the planet for several months, weeding out stray cult terrorists and holdouts in a long and grueling guerilla campaign. When the last Genestealer lay rotting on the ground, they slowly started to move civilian population back onto the planet. Some decided to stay and continued mining and operating the Manufactorum. The regiment's recruits from the remaining “clean” population were transported to Huria for training. The Great Exile, was over at last.

To remember the Great Exile, the soldiers of the 1st Hurian Expeditionary Force still wear the same dark red armour they wore while retaking the planet and wear helmets that are equipped with rebreathers.

Notable Engagements

 * The Defense of Huria 003.M42 - The gene-stealers defeat did not mean that they failed their task, for a Tyranid splinter fleet has detected the Brood mind. And unbeknownst to the Hurians, the great devourer drew ever closer. The Splinter fleet arrived in the system, first targeting Garissa. The fleet’s bio ships darkened the skies and the invasion began. The Hurians lost their world one, but they were determined to never give it up again. They waged a brutal campaign against the tyranids, burning down anything that the tyranids could devour. For this reason they created the Inferno division, nicknamed “Hell walkers”. Day and night the artillery would not stop firing Inferno shells, and there was no day where the guardsman were not fighting the endless horde of tyranids. This gruesome war lasted for months, and for every city the Hurians lost the tyranids would suffer greatly. Eventually a space marine chapter and a naval fleet arrived to aid them and they could execute the final battle of this war which was named: operation: Final hope. Where the Hurians lured the largest horde near the capital and to be not only be fought by the Expeditionary Force and the space marines but be baraged by the artillery in the city as well. With massive casualties they managed to defeat the horde, burning the entire area so that it could not be used by the tyranids again. While the ground battle raged on, the battle in space turned in favor of the imperial fleet. The Hurians may have won, but it was a bitter victory.


 * The Eria Offensive (006.M42) - The system of Eria, located on the border of imperial space and the Tau Empire is home to a single world, Eria prime. The T'au launched a campaign to capture the system, planning to use it as a forward base to expand even further. The campaign was led by commander Gled'bal and ethereal Kul'Ta. The PDF was easily crushed and the planet conquered, only small pockets of resistance of the PDF remained alongside with an unhappy population. However not yet known to the Tau was the liberation force was on its way and they were eager to spill some xenos blood, weeks before the 1st Hurian Expeditionary Force arrived multiple squads of phantoms were deployed to prepare the planet for the invasion. When the 1st Hurian Expeditionary Force arrived they attacked key military positions, important ammo and weapons caches were destroyed or captured, every city had human uprisings, all thanks to the Phantoms. The Tau were being overwhelmed. During the chaos the Phantom team deployed to the capital city decided to execute the final part of their plan, assassinating the leadership of the Tau. With most of the Tau trying to quell the uprising and fighting the Expeditionary Force they succeeded. With their leadership dead and most of their forces destroyed in the first day alone the remaining Tau were slaughtered, and the Hurians achieved a stunning success.

Huria
Huria is similar to Mars, the surface is covered in dark red sand and the only source of water is located underground.

Organisation
The 1st Hurian Expeditionary Force follows the standard organisation of the Imperial Guard.

Engineers
Due to tech-priests not being in many numbers they teach their ways to engineers who fill the role of tech priests on the battlefield

Medics
Medics are the ones responsible for tending to the injured.

Regimental Equipment
- A local pattern, the Mark-1 "Glory" las-gun was designed with thin atmospheric conditions in mind, it is renowned for its accuracy within the Expeditionary Force. Primarily produced on Huria, it's only supplied to it's regiment. It can be heavily modified, and many customize it. It has two firing modes: semi-auto and burst fire. The weapon has more piercing power than most las-guns, but in exchange, it is not capable of full-auto. The default version of the rifle comes with a scope and a built-in flashlight.
 * Mark-1 Hurian "Glory" Lasgun

- A specialised version of the Mark-1 "Glory" las-gun, it has a built-in “silencer” and a flash hider that is also responsible for making the shots of the rifle invisible. It comes with a scope capable of night vision instead of being equipped with a flashlight. Having much more piercing power than the Mark-1 "Glory" las-gun it is only capable of semi-auto fire.
 * Mark-4 Ghost" Las-rifle


 * Vengeance pattern Las-Pistol - The preferred sidearm of the officers and grenadiers of the Expeditionary Force, it is a powerful pistol, capable of killing an average human with a single shot. It is only capable of semi auto fire and can overheat if fired extensively.

Tactics and Doctrine
Made of infantry, the 1st Hurian Expeditionary Force specializes in shock and awe tactics. Using aggressive strategies to take key positions before the enemy can even react. By the time the enemy realises what's happening, the regiment has already taken down the majority of their combat capabilities. They prefer to send in a few commandos to weaken the enemy before launching an attack.

The Grenadier Battalions
All three battalions are 500 men strong each, and operate independently from each other:
 * The Phantoms - Trained to be deployed behind enemy lines, these commandos specialize in carrying out sabotage missions, assassinations or even starting insurgencies against the enemy. They wear carapace armor with helmets. The helmets are equipped with a photo-visor, a micro-bead. Armed with a mark-4 "ghost" las-rifle as their primary weapon, they can take down enemies from afar without anyone realising, making them formidable opponents. Through an extensive psychological training program, they can resist some of the most invasive kinds of interrogation. Implanted in one of their arms just below the skin is a poisonous pill, which they use if captured and there's no hope for escape, as they believe a quick death is a preferable alternative to betraying mankind and the emperor.


 * The Storm Brigade - These men see the thick of the action, always at the place where the fighting is the most brutal. Heavily armored and trained, they can crush any that stand in their way. Armed primarily with Ryza Pattern Hot-shot Volley Guns they are perfect for taking down a large number of hostiles or taking particularly stubborn fortresses. Some are equipped with shields instead, so they can provide mobile cover for their brothers in arms. They are cladded in carapace armour and their helmets are equipped with a photo-visor and micro-bead, alongside with the helmet's built in rebreathers.


 * The Inferno Division, "Hell Walkers" - To be a Hell Walker, you must be heroically brave or fanatical bordering on insanity. The Hell Walkers were created in response to the Tyranid invasion of Huria, specialising, as the name would suggest in incendiary weapons. They are equipped with heat resistant armor, flamers that have a fuel tank on the back of the shoulders, and inferno grenades with vengeance pattern las-pistols as a secondary weapon they will cleanse the enemy in glorious flames. During the defense of Huria, they were responsible for burning everything that was in the way of the Tyranids, denying them any biomass. Other missions were to burn down bio-structures and take down as many Tyranid organisms they could. Most of these missions were suicidal, no hope to return. For this reason the Hell Walkers only recruited the bravest or the most fanatical, or simply those that were insane enough. For the almost certain end of a hell walker, the suits have a built in self destruct feature that, when activated, would detonate the Promethium tank and engulf the entire area in flames. Even in death the Hell Walkers will take the enemies with them.

Relations
The regiment is very isolationist do to being on the edge of imperial space

Allies

 * The Ordo (Classified) - The Ord (REDACTED) is a trusted ally of the Expeditionary Force after they've helped them on many campaigns.

Enemies

 * Genestealers - Genestealers are the most hated enemy of the Expeditionary Force, killing them wherever they can find them