Heb Zealous Light Foot Regiments

Heb Zealous Light Foot Regiments are the elite Astra Militarum light infantry regiments that hail from the holy War World of Heb, a loyalist bastion in the Levan Sub-Sector of the Mandavi Sector within Segmentum Ultima. It lies to galactic west of the Realm of Ultramar, slightly off the old trade routes to Segmentum Tempestus. It's tithe is paid entirely in elite Regiments of the Astra Militarum known as The Zealous Light Foot Regiments of Heb. These Regiments are renowned across the Segmentum for their faith, their hatred of traitors and heretics, and their ability to hold a position against all odds.

Among the last words of Lord General Krelliué, before his death in the defense of the Industrial World of Druthia in 602.M40, were, "I'm going to personally take half the reserve and reinforce the the right flank. At least I don't have to worry about the left; nothing short of Titan will move those Heb bastards." It should be noted that when the traitor forces on Druthia revealed the presence of two Dark Mechanicum Ravager-class Titans, it was the Imperial right which broke.

To understand the men and women of the Zealous Light Foot Regiment of Heb, and to understand why some Imperial commanders view them with disdain, one must first understand the events that transformed the Holy War World into its current state.

The Blue Hand Heresy
In 823.M39, the Chapter Master of the Blue Hand Space Marine Chapter, Azulite Manibus, succumbed to machinations of the Chaos God Tzeentch and led his Chapter in rebellion against the Imperium. He immediately slew the commanding officers of the other Imperial forces deployed across Warzone Craw, thus seizing control of a massive Imperial Guard Army, its accompanying void transport, and a large portion of Battlefleet Mandavi.

With these forces assembled, Manibus seemed certain to overrun the entire Levan Sub-Sector, and possibly turn the whole of the Mandavi Sector into his own traitorous realm, before sufficient Imperial forces could be mustered to oppose him. However, events upon the world of Heb would delay his heretical onslaught, and reshape the Mandavi Sector for millennia to come.

Heb was, at this time, a sleepy Civilized World between the larger Forge World of Erendan and the Hive World of Levan Prime, the Sub-Sector capital. As the traitor forces moved to assault both of these richer targets, two Regiments of traitor guardsmen were dropped on Heb, almost as an afterthought. These Regiments deployed under the leadership of a single traitorous Astartes, known to the Heb as The Iconoclast. The Iconoclast's forces won several early victories against the Heb PDF and burned Sanctum, the old Heb capital. This was enough to convince the world's aristocratic leaders that victory was impossible.

It was soon discovered that the members of the planetary nobility had hidden a warp capable vessel in the outer system and we're preparing to flee the world upon it. These included the Planetary Governor, all senior members of the Administratum, the High Marshall of the PDF and all but one PDF Colonel. That lone Colonel, along with a council of common born PDF Majors, the senior surviving Arbites and the local Ecclesiarchical Pontifex declared almost the entire planetary nobility of Heb to be heretics and traitors.

The nobles’ ship was seized and sent to acquire desperately needed weapons and shields from Forge World Erendan. Meanwhile, the loyal Colonel and eight of the Majors were named the Council of the Holy Commanders of Heb and placed in charge of the PDF. Under their leadership, the Iconoclast and his forces were pushed back, and eventually slain.

In the brief lull following his death, the planetary Ecclesiarchy took control of the Administratum until suitable replacement leaders could be sent from off world. Domestic manufacture of lasguns and other light weapons began. Meanwhile, what heavy weapons and tanks as were available were distributed to those cities which were now protected from orbital bombardment by newly arrived Erendani shields. Zealous Ecclesiarchical preachers gave fiery sermons, warning the populus to prepare for the heretics’ return for they would not have long in which to do so.

Chapter Master Manibus then sent four Squads of Blue Hand Space Marines, each backed up by a Regiments of traitor guardsmen and a column of Guard Armor, to break the world of Heb. This force was lead by a Chaos Champion whom the Heb termed The Despoiler. The Despoiler simultaneously assaulted the cities of Constantia, Iustitia, Salubritas, and Veritas, four of the largest remaining cities on the planet. The Heb would remember this war simply as, The Killing Time. Heb civilians, driven onwards by faith, threw themselves into the resistance. Traitor guardsmen paid in blood for every block they claimed, and one by one, the Traitorous Space Marines were buried under the ruins of the loyalist cities.

To achieve this, the Heb spent the Emperor's currency, their own lives. This they spent freely, but not foolishly: In particular, the Council of the Holy Commanders insisted that one in forty veteran guardsmen be periodically recalled from combat. These veterans went on to serve as the NCOs of freshly raised Regiments. Eventually the the Despoiler pulled his surviving forces out of the cities, seeking a fastness from which he could await reinforcement. When he did this, he was pursued by fresh units led by hardened and determined veterans. He was cut off and brought low.

This time, the Chapter Master sent no traitor guardsmen. Two Companies of Blue Hand Space Marines, one now under strength by the loss of four Squads, arrived in the Heb system, with blood in their transhuman eyes. However, the Heb had not only fought and bled and killed the enemies of the God Emperor; they had also bought time.

The remainder of Battlefleet Mandavi, now reinforced directly by elements of Battlefleet Ultima, arrived in the Heb system before the traitor Astartes could assault the world. They were accompanied by numerous Regiments of the Astra Militarum, representatives of the Ordo Hereticus, and strike craft from the White Panthers and Blood Angels Space Marine Chapters. In the face of such holy might, the traitors withdrew from Heb space.

The Inquest of Heb
What followed became known as The Inquest of Heb. Representatives of the Administratum accompanying the fleet, still smarting from having had its branch upon Heb subordinated to the Ecclesiarchy, even temporarily; asked Lord Inquisitor Bartholomew Geisel to declare the Council of the Holy Commanders of Heb to be traitors. In particular, the Administratum took issue with the Holy Commanders proclamation that noble birth would no longer be considered in the attainment of any high office upon Heb. Representatives of the Adeptus Ministorum, of course, defended the Heb as pure and faithful sons of the Imperial Creed.

The Lord Inquisitor's decision was likely swayed most by the arguments of Lord General Militant Garvaan. Garvaan commanded the Imperial Guard Army Group attached to the expedition which had been sent to put down the Blue Hand Heresy. He explained to those gathered that he needed the Heb military intact and ready to start loading Regiments onto transports immediately. Without the Heb There were not enough loyalist ground forces to both relieve Levan Prime and Forge World Erendan. However, the with the aid of the Holy Commanders they could potentially liberate both worlds and have enough forces left afterwards to scour clean the world of Craw, upon which the Traitor Chapter Master had set his throne and fortress.

Whatever reasoning informed his decisions, Lord Inquisitor Geisel ruled that the Heb distaste for aristocracy was an acceptable variation upon the principle of local autonomy: as long as Heb paid its tithe and fully recognized the authority of all Imperial Institutions, they could organize their world as they saw fit. The Council of Holy Commanders would thereafter hold and execute the authority of the World’s Imperial Commander. While the chair of the council, the High Commander technically holds the title of Planetary Governor, the Heb view him or her merely as the first among equals. With the Heb Inquest concluded, Holy Commander Gregory Samualson was chosen to lead the first ten Heb Imperial Guard Regiments off world, to lift the siege of Erendan.

The Heb Resurgent and the Destruction of the Blue Hand
Fabricator-General Bedan of Forge World Erendan had fought strategically, sacrificing outlying complexes and husbanding his heaviest weapons and his few Titans around Forge Primus. However, logic dictated that such a strategy could only delay the inevitable. So it was as data descending from the mind of the Machine God that Bedan watched the Heb Regiments swoop in from orbit and form a second line of envelopment around the traitor forces besieging his stronghold. Two months later when the Skitarii and Guardsmen had crushed the last pockets of resistance, the main gates of the forge were thrown open to the Heb. Solemn oaths and sacred pacts were spoken between the Holy Commander and the Fabricator-General; pacts still honored to this day.

Garvaan’s battle upon Levan Prime would drag on for an additional two years. During that time, Regiments from Heb, aided by Erendani warmachines, would proceed to sweep the other minor worlds of the Sub-Sector clean. Eventually, only Levan Prime and Craw were in the hands of the Traitors. Finally, in 830.M39, a full Company of the loyalist Blood Ravens Chapter arrived in the Levan system and broke the back of the traitorous forces there.

When Levan Prime was declared free of active traitorous forces, Lord General Militant Garvaan proceeded to move upon Craw with his remaining forces, supported by fresh Regiments from Heb, Erendani Skitarii and Space Marines of the Blood Ravens, White Panthers, Blood Angels and Crimson Consuls Chapters. In the ensuing conflict, officially, all remaining Blue Hand Space Marines were killed. The death of Chapter Master Azulite Manibus marks the beginning of what the Heb consider to be their modern age.

Ruling from the new Heb Capital of Vigilis, the Council of the Holy Commanders of Heb have always sought to answer any call to arms they receive. It is a point of pride on Heb that for over 2000 years the Departmento Munitorum has never had to seek to collect a tithe from Heb. This is because the Heb have consistently volunteered far more Regiments than would have been demanded of them in all but the most dire of circumstances.

While not as numerous as the armies of Cadia before its fall, Heb Regiments have fought on battlefields in every part of Segmentum Ultima and in Crusades far beyond that. Heb forces have fought often and acquitted themselves admirably against the Ork, the Tyranid, and the Tau. However, they continue to have a special hatred for humans who have turned from the Emperor's light, and any cry for aid against traitors or heretics will be answered by the the men and women of the Zealous Light Foot Regiments of Heb.

The Heb in the Time of Ending
The Mandavi Sector was not directly impacted by the Cicatrix Maledictum, but no world of men was safe in the dying days of M41. For the first time in 2000 years, Orks were seen in the Sector, as a medium sized WAAAGH! emerged from the billowing tides of the Imatrium. Heb itself was assaulted, and the Zealous Light Foot Regiments and Erendani Tech-Guard would spend the first decade of M42 securing the Mandavi Sector. Following the defeat of the Orks, the Mandavi Sector was one of the few places short of the Realm of Ultramar able to send aid to its neighbors, rather than calling for it.

When word reached Heb that the The Lord Commander of the Imperium, Roboute Guilliman, had risen from death and now led a great Crusade to reclaim the Imperium, prayers were cried, hymns were sung, and new Regiments were raised. The Indomitus Crusade would find the Mandavi Sector a Bastion wherein they could refit and rearm. Many Zealous Light Foot Regiments would leave with the Crusade; and Guilliman would see no need to place a Primaris chapter in a Sector so well defended.

However, as the Warp calmed dark visions would come to Astropaths of many worlds. Visions of a dark Sector, lost in the Noctis Aeterna. Visions of worlds lost to madness. Visions of the culmination of 2000 years of planning and preparation. Visions of a blue hand.

The Burden of Tophet
The existence of traitor Astartes is something of an open secret upon Heb. All inductees into the PDF are told of the treason of the Blue Hand Chapter, without, of course, any mention of Chaos. Since virtually every member of Heb society serves a term in the PDF, this means effectively all Heb know that one Chapter of the Emperor's Angles turned from his light and were destroyed as a result.

What is known only to the Holy Commanders, the Colonels of each Regiment, their seconds in command and those Regimental Commissars assigned to the Zealous Light Foot Regiments of Heb is that not all of the Blue Hand Space Marines were destroyed. Following the victory upon the world of Craw, the Ordo Hereticus could account for only 838 Blue Hand casualties. While this did include their Chapter Master, Azulite Manibus, at least two of his Captains were unaccounted for.

When the Blue Hand Heresy was officially declared over, Lord Inquisitor Geisel summoned the Council of Holy Commanders of Heb to the valley of Tophet near the ruins of Sanctum, the planet’s old Capitol. It was here where The Iconoclast had raised a shrine to his perverse master, since cleansed with holy fire; and it was here that the Lord Inquisitor charged the Council with secret orders. These orders have bound the Heb for two millennia to a task they call, The Burden of Tophet. While the Heb do indeed wish to answer any call for aid, and to crush any hint of treason or heresy, their commanders are constantly on the hunt for the survivors of the Blue Hand, and the heretical cults they seek to raise.

When found, a secret code is transmitted to the Ordo Hereticus. If no Astropathic message can be sent, or if they are informed that no Inquisitor is available in theater; the highest ranking Heb officer is authorized to open a copy of a sealed letter carried by every Heb Regiment sent off world. This letter orders the Heb to investigate and purge any Blue Hand Astartes and cultists. The Heb are empowered to disregard previous orders from the Departmento Munitorum and Segmentum Command in execution of this order. If necessary, they may also present the letter, which bears the signature and the seal of Lord Inquisitor Geisel, to any Loyalist Astartes or Sororitas forces in their current warzone and request their assistance.

At the time of the 13th Black Crusade, the Council of the Holy Commanders of the Heb have accounted for the deaths of 41 Blue Hand Astartes in fulfillment The Burden of Tophet. The Ordo Hereticus has tracked 13 additional confirmed kills by other forces.

The standard practice of the Warband is to send a small force of no more than six Marines to infiltrate a world. These Marines will recruit cultists from among the rejects of Imperial society and lead them into worship of the Architect of Fate. While they rarely work with other Warbands, the Blue Hand have been documented partnering with the despised Alpha Legion. Additionally, some in the Ordo Hereticus believe the Warband to have partnered with another force of secretive traitor Astartes, at least once, upon the world of Gatta Secundus. Details of this incident are obscure and may have been deliberately concealed by the Disciples of Caliban Space Marines, who took part in the battle.

Unlike most Tzeentchian Warbands, The Blue Hand possesses no psykers of their own; the Chapter's Librarius having been confirmed wiped out during the battle for Claw. As such, all mutants, but especially psykers, are sought out as the blessed of the Lord of Change. Most Cults of The Blue Hand are led by a powerful human psyker, with the traitor Astartes serving as his or her advisors and, in theory, his or her bodyguards. In practice, the Chaos Space Marines will often retreat in the face of serious Imperial opposition, leaving their cat’s paws to die in the name of their fickle deity. This practice explains why, despite having crushed hundreds of Blue Hand Cults, the Heb have destroyed less than a third of the surviving members of the Warband.

The Alliance between Heb and Erendan
Born in the wake of Holy Commander Samualson’s relief of the siege of Forge Primus, relations between Heb and Erendan are as close as those between any two planets born of Terra and Mars. The Erendani Tech-Guard maintain a defensive outpost on one of the Heb Moons and at least four Regiments of the Heb PDF are always deployed to Erendan for cross training and mutual defense. Most Heb Officers have at least minimal augmentation, and a basic grasp of Lingua-Technis. Likewise, frequent exposure to the pious (some might say fanatical) Heb has led Erendan to be among those Forge Worlds most certain of the doctrine that the Omnissiah and the God Emperor are one and the same.

The Forges of Erendan ensure that the Zealous Light Foot Regiments of Heb are armed with the finest weapons and body armor possible. While it is uncommon for Mechanicus forces to deploy as a component of an Imperial Guard Regiments (exempting the ubiquitous Enginseers who minister to the machine spirits of Guard vehicles) the Erendani Tech-Guard will often send small detachments to accompany the Heb into battle. These can range from Skitarii to Kataphron Battle Servitors to even larger and more unique constructs. While it is, technically within the remit of the Departmento Munitorum to separate these forces from the Heb, the request of the Fabricator-General for them to remain attached is usually acquiesced to. After all, Mechanicus Forge Worlds are exempt from paying their Tithe in men at arms and need not supply such forces at all.

Modern Heb Regiments
The Heb are proud of the fact that every Heb Guardsman is a foot soldier first and foremost. This dates from the early days of the Blue Hand Heresy when there were few military vehicles on Heb. While they generally eschew tracked or wheeled vehicles, beyond simple transports, the Heb have a noted fondness for walkers. They make extensive use of Sentinels, and nothing will raise a Heb Regiment’s moral faster than deploying alongside a Space Marine Dreadnought or any kind of Titan. The worshipful reverence the Heb shower upon the God-Machines of the Collegia Titanica, goes a long way to make up for the disdain they show for other forms of armor; at least in the eyes of their Mechanicus allies.

While the aristocratic families of the upper hives of Levan Prime will occasionally deploy small Regiments of tanks to accompany the Heb into service with the Guard; the Heb are more likely to be seen working with local Guard armor in their deployment zone, or seaking to make due without. Along with their propensity for the use of Sentinels (Erendan possesses partial copies of both the Mars and Armageddon Pattern Sentinel STCs) Zealous Light Foot Regiments of Heb carry a greater number of man-portable heavy weapons than most Regiments of equivalent size.

Heb battle dress is modeled after the standard Cadian pattern, with certain small enhancements provided by the by the Mechanicus. Heb fatigues are a dull gray, with vibrant blue camouflage patterns. Their Flak Armor is painted a dark turquoise; which along with their blue/grey camo scheme helps them blend in with the flora of Heb. Heb's atmosphere tends slightly towards yellow, and plants native to the world use phycocyanin in place of chlorophyll. This causes Heb landscapes to be rich in shades of blue, teal, and turquoise rather than green.

Every Heb soldier is also expected to maintain a pair of pure white fatigues, which he wears to worship services. These are held at least weekly, often more frequently, even if the company Chaplin must read the litanies through a gas mask, or lead the hymns while trotting double time on a forced march. Heb Regimental Colors feature the Aquila centrally, but also feature a small stylized Martian Cog, to represent the special relationship between Heb and Erendan. Such banners are generally white with gold fringes, white being the color of sanctity and death in Heb tradition.

A modern Zealous Light Foot Regiment of Heb fields at least 50,000 lasrifles when it departs Heb; carried by men and women in mixed units. Many of their Sergeants are veterans, shipped home from other wars at great expense. This gives even raw Heb units a level of discipline and morale rarely seen in the newly founded Guard Regiments. While the presence of Erendani contingents is not standard to all Regiments; as stated, it is common. As stated, Heb Guardsmen are notably pious, and morale will suffer if they are deployed too close alongside psykers or mutants. However, their will is unshakable when confronted by heretics or traitors.

Heb Planetary Culture
While the Levan Sub-Sector has been only intermittently threatened since the end of the Blue Hand Heresy; Heb still bears many of the characteristics of a War World. The world's cities were rebuilt, following The Killing Time, as fortresses. Each city is built around a Basilica which combines the roles of administrative center, defensive redoubt, and main site of religious worship. In the eyes of the Heb, all three functions are interconnected and equally important.

While Heb maintains a basic mixture of light industry and agriculture typical of a Civilized World, its main focus and sole export is war. Virtually every member of the planetary population serves a term in the Planetary Defense Force beginning at age 19. Seven years later, they are given the choice to either re-enlist as a lifer or joining the reserves. Very few exemptions are granted, mostly for serious lifelong medical ailments. It is common for those so afflicted to volunteer to travel to Erendan where they will offer themselves to the Cult Mechanicus. There they are striped of their weak flesh and rise anew as cyborgs that they may yet serve the God Emperor in his guise of Omnissiah.

At the age of 14 all Heb children, male and female, are enrolled in the Youth Auxilia to prepare them for their enlistment in the PDF. At 16, those who show promise are offered a place in the Collegia Martial, where they will be trained to serve as officers. Placements in the Collegia Martial are voluntary, and may be refused without shame. In particular, it has become customary for the children of Majors, Colonels and especially Holy Commanders to refuse placement and to instead serve in the line.

This is because the Heb have never lost their suspicion of those who receive power based upon the actions of their ancestors. The treason of the old Aristocracy left a deep mark upon the Heb psyche. In theory, all Heb are equal when they enter the Youth Auxilia; but in practice, the children of the those who who have achieved great things face the unusual burden of having to prove their normalcy. It is not uncommon for a prominent family to emerge upon Heb in which subsequent generations alternate between high ranking officers and senior noncommissioned officers. However, by the fifth or six generation, even this is seen as too aristocratic for the Heb. Eventually, the scions of such families will refuse even noncommissioned rank, or seek partial exemption from service by studying for the chaplaincy.

It is this trait which has, at times, caused friction between the Heb and the leadership of other Regiments of the Astra Militarum. There have been countless officers of low birth in the history of the Imperial Guard. There have been Warmasters born to Hive ganger mothers who neither knew nor cared who their fathers were. Likewise the chieftains and petty kings of Feral Worlds, who lead their warriors to join the God Emperor as he fights in the sky, are little more than savages who are looked down upon by the cultured nobles of Civilized and Hive Worlds.

Both these groups, the Hive gang officers and the Ferral officers may indeed sneer at the pretensions of true Aristocrats; but they do not truely challenge them. In fact, given a conquered world to settle, the grandchildren of such officers will invariably seek to emulate the upspire aristos and planetary nobles their grandfathers laughed at.

The Heb are different. Not only do they reject the right of the high born to rule, they question their competency to do so. Additionally, the frantic five-year program of the Collegia Martial not only prepares its students for the battlefield, but also for the drawing room. Graduates are expected to know how to administer a Company's provisions, how to plan and carry out a single envelopment, and which fork one uses for each course at a formal dinner. An officer of Heb is versed in the Tactica Imperialis, but can also quote and dissect The Spheres of Longing or In Nomine Gloriosa. In short, an officer of the Zealous Light Foot Regiments of Heb is meant to meet an Aristocratic officer on his own ground and to be, not only his equal, but his superior.

Hive World of Telepo
Date: 842.M39 Unit Involved: 5th Zellous Light Foot Regiment of Heb, "The Omnissiah's Own"

Following the successful conclusion of the Blue Hand Heresy, the veteran Heb 5th was reinforced with elements of the decimated 8th and 3rd Regiments. The 5th had been declared "The Omnissiah's Own" by the Fabricator-General of Erendan for their heroic action at Node 601 during the relife Forge Primus. Now at full strength, the unit was transferred out of the Levan Sub-Sector upon the Emperor’s business. After two small actions, the 5th was assigned to an Imperial Guard force enroute to suppress a secessionist movement in the Telepo system.

Colonel Cain Benad, in command of the 5th, had been a street fighter during the Killing Time on Heb. He had risen through the ranks and replaced the 5th's previous commander who died on Craw in one of the last actions of the Blue Hand Heresy. He remembered, personally, the treason of the old aristocracy, how they had sought to flee and leave the people to burn. Lord General David the Count du 'Arringtun was an upspire blue blood with a pedigree longer than his arm. Needless to say, the two got along swimmingly.

Following the initial round of strategic conferences during transit, Benad was the only regimental commander not invited to the second round. The senior Commissar assigned to du 'Aringtun cautioned him not to discount the resources the Departmento Munitorum had granted him. However the Lord General was adamant, he would not entrust combat duties to "an egalitarian rabble".

Instead, the 5th was kept in reserve in orbit, with detachments only allowed planetside to perform manual labor in secured areas. This continued until Count du 'Arringtun was killed during the secessionist counterattack in Hive Heffe. The Count's successor in command immediately deployed the Heb to stanch the bleeding. The Regiment would ultimately be praised for their effectiveness in the close urban combat of the Hive city.

Shrine World of Keter
Date: 946.M39 Unit Involved: 62nd Zellous Light Foot Regiment of Heb, "The Blesséd"

The Heb 62nd was one of the 12 Holy Regiments which defended the Shrine World of Keter from the destruction at the hands of the Dark Apostle Jarulek. When Jarulek brought a portion of his host to Keter to defile the remains of Saint Amyntikós, only those 12 Guard Regiments were available to assist the holy militias of the Shrine World.

The Holy Regiments stood and fought upon the Sacred Fields of the First and Last against traitors, blasphemers, and much worse. As blood rained down from the skies, the 12 Holy Regiments fought to the last man and woman. In what would later be declared a miracle, as the last of the Guardsmen died, the skies parted and an entire Preceptory of the Order of the Sacred Rose descended upon Keter. The traitors were eventually routed and driven from the world.

Cardinal Bonnifant would later declare the 12 Regiments to be Holy Martyrs and grant the Regimental honor of “The Blesséd” to each of them and their successors. Furthermore, at all times, a single Sister of the Sacred Rose stands vigal upon the Sacred Fields of the First and Last over the Tombs of the Martyrs of the 12 Holy Regiments.

Industrial World of Druthia
Date: 602.M40 Unit Involved: 38th Zellous Light Foot Regiment of Heb, "Titan Slayers"

The Heb 38th, 73rd and 130th Regiments were among the Imperial Guard forces mobilized to assist in the defense of the Industrial World of Druthia. Druthia was a key supply node for the Imperium’s defense against the Ork Empire of Charadon; it's loss would leave whole Sub-Sectors vulnerable. This is likely the reason that it was targeted by an unknown Chaos Space Marine Warband in 602.M40.

After drawing the defenders into open combat, the traitor Astartes revealed their trump card, two Ravager-class Titans, provided to them by the Dark Mechaniucm: the Perfidious Verba and the Bane of Stulti. While the surviving Guard armor regrouped and engaged the Bane of Stulti, the three under-strength Heb infantry Regiments prepared to draw the Perfidious Verba into a trap.

While the 73rd sacrificed itself to maneuver the Verba into position, the 38th and 130th set up impromptu defensive lines. Meanwhile, an Erendani Tech-Priest attached to the 130th concealed the heavy weapons squads of all three Regiments from the Titan's auspex in a nearby ravine. When the traitor Titan moved to assault the two loyal Regiments, it unknowingly maneuvered itself into a trap. Lascannons, missiles, and thousands of rounds of heavy bolter fire volleyed against the Titan from what was effectively point blank range. At the direction of the Tech-Priest, all fire was concentrated on a single joint in the daemon machine's leg. With what was described as a sickening crack, like breaking bone, the Perfidious Verba ' s leg gave way and the Titan fell. With the beast wounded and felled, morters joined in with the other heavy weapons, salvoing until they were sure the Verba would speak no more.

The survivors of the 73rd and 130th were reorganized into the 38th, and that Regiment would fight on for seven more months upon Druthia. The world was eventually cleared of traitors, and the Regimental honor of "Titan Slayers" was awarded to the Heb 38th by vote of the Martian Synod.

Armory World of Gatta Secundus
Date: 102.M41 Unit Involved: 206th Zellous Light Foot Regiment of Heb, "The Emperor's Finest"

While awaiting redeployment on the Armory World of Gatta Secundus, Colonel Estheron Herrew of the Heb 206th became suspicious that there might be a Blue Hand Cult developing on the planet. Upon transmitting her suspicions to the Ordo Hereticus, she was informed that there were no Inquisitorial assets in place at that time. The risk of a cult uprising on a Munitorum world was too great to contemplate; she was to take immediate action.

Herrew and her Regimental Commissar began a full investigation. Not only was the cult confirmed, but senior members of the Departmento Munitorum on Gatta Secundus were implicated. More troubling still, circumstantial evidence pointed to a second group, in addition to and working together with, the Blue Hand Chaos Space Marines. The Colonel began planning a lightning raid which would decapitate the Cult and eliminate the Munitorum traitors in a single blow using only the resources of her own Regiment. Unfortunately, her plan assumed that her forces would be swiftly destroyed after the strike by loyal Commissariat forces which would assume her to be the traitor.

It was at this time that Colonel Herrew became aware of the arrival of an Astartes Strike Cruiser in orbit of the world. Through the daring gambit of flying a shuttle unannounced into the Strike Cruiser's hold and immediately surrendering, she was able to bring her copy of the Lord Inquisitor's letter to Interrogator-Chaplain Lagrave of the Disciples of Caliban, 2nd Company. Lagrave accepted Herrew's account, and quickly agreed to assist her in her strike against the traitorous forces. His Battle-Brothers would accompany her forces, to spearhead the assault, as well as to vouch for the Heb with the Commissars.

On the night of the raid, the Emperor's will was done upon Gatta Secundus. Calibanite steel and Heb las reaped a terrible toll among the unfaithful; but the victory was bought at a mournful price. Colonel Herrew personally led elements of Company B alongside the Interrogator-Chaplain and his Knights as they assaulted the cult's sanctum sanctorum and did battle with the traitorous Astartes. So fierce was the fray that none of the human combatants survived. Afterwards, Interrogator-Chaplain Legeave carried the broken form of Colonel Herrew back to her Regimental headquarters. He informed her second in command that he had identified three Blue Hand Space Marines among the dead; although he would later inform the Inquisition of the presence of a fourth dead traitor Astartes, whom he believed to be a son of Fulgrim.

Following the purge, Interrogator-Chaplain Legeave insisted upon personally conveying the body of Colonel Herrew back to Heb. He declared it a matter of honour for his Chapter, and insisted that it was on the way to where he was to rendezvous with the forces of his progenitor Chapter. Upon Heb, the Emperor's own Angels carried her casket to its place of internment in a tribute befitting a Lord Solar. The Colonel's son, then serving with the PDF, asked Legrave if he might suggest an epitaph? After a moment’s contemplation, the Astartes replied, "Our gene-father was known for his deeds, not his words. However, I have heard it said that Dorn remarked, at a memorial for their brother Sanguinius, that the fallen would be forever remembered as the Emperor's finest. That seems a fitting remembrance to me." In honor of this, the name "The Emperor's Finest" was added to the 206th Regimental honours.

Unnamed Ork World, Octarius Sector
Date: 432.M41 Unit Involved: 113th Zellous Light Foot Regiment of Heb, "The Dawn Breakers"

Following a daemonic incursion upon their previous battlefield, Inquisitor Alice Dodgson of the Ordo Malleus offered places in her Retinue to Colonel Gregory Benhia and a number of picked guardsmen of his Regiment. It was explained to Benhia that the rest of the 113th would have to be purged in order to maintain the secrecy of the existence of daemons.

Colonel Benhia rejected the Inquisitor's offer, and asked to be allowed to lead the 113th on a suicide mission so that they might die performing one last service to the God Emperor. The Inquisitor granted his request, and the Regiment was transferred under guard to an Ordo Xenos expeditionary force tasked with distracting the Overfiend of Octarius.

The Heb 113th Zellous Light Foot Regiment was to make an orbital insertion due west of the main Ork settlement on an unnamed planet in the Octarius Sector. The landing came at dawn, and was met with immediate and enthusiastic resistance from the local greenskins, who had not expected a fight to come to them. The Heb were, as expected, overwhelmed and butchered to a man. However, the Ork forces were so exuberant in their counterattack as to be drawn entirely out of position. This allowed the main force of the Imperials to land to the east of the Ork settlement and establish a base with minimal resistance.

While all Imperial forces on the planet were eventually wiped out, the Ordo Xenos considered the expedition a success, as it diverted forces which the Overfiend had been gathering for an assault on Imperial space and kicked off a round of infighting among the victorious greenskins. Commissariat propaganda sent back to Heb during the campaign referred to how the 113th had, "...broken the dawn of a new Imperial day..." upon the world. In recognition of this, the name "Dawn Breakers" was added to the 113th's Regimental honors.