Parakonian Thunderhooves

The Parakonian Thunderhooves are a rare breed of abhumans inhabiting the paradise world of Parakonia II, due to the rarity and value of the soldiers they produce, the location of the world is a closely guarded imperial secret. Thunderhoof regiments are never deployed on their own and always are attached to another regiment of imperial guard due to both the watchful eye of the inquisition and the support based role they play during deployments

Planetary History
The world of Parakonia II was discovered roughly around the year 792 M37 by a rogue trader exploratory fleet who reported the world to the administratum as an uninhabitable paradise due to it posessiong 3X the gravity of a normal world, it would not be until the months following this report that the natives of the planet were identified as chimeric fusions of both horses and man. The species spoke in a rough version of low gothic and so communication was possible.

The report of such creatures prompted an inquisitorial visit to the world where, after tense and heated debate lasting several days, it was decided the race would first be studied. should the genetics of the parakonians remain stable from generation to generation, the race would be reclassified to a new strain of abhumans and they would be put to work in the imperial guard. failure to meet this criteria would result in the destruction of the planet with no mercy. An Inquisitorial outpost was created on the planet to oversee this.

Suffice to say that after 50 years of study, the parakonians passed the test with no hitches prompting them to be reclassified as the abhuman Homo Equestrius or Horseborn by the high lords of terra. Soon after, several Imperial recruitment garrisons were created on the surface of the planet and a tithe set for a contribution of troops per decade to the imperial war machine. Instructors from across the segmentum were issued with heavy duty exoskeletons and dispatched to assist in the recruitment and training of this new species. The first regiment took 25 years to train due to language difficulty and issues with uniform, military terms and equipment usage.

Horseborn Physiology and History
The Horseborn are a race of abhumans with bestial traits, notably being that only their waist upwards is human. Below the waist is what can only be described as the full body of a horse. It is unknown how this physical alteration has come about but from the high number of autopsies and medical examinations performed, the Imperium is aware that the Horseborn possess immensely durable bones as well as incredibly powerful muscle mass. Due to the significantly higher gravity of the planet, the Parakonians move at even faster speeds when brought to planets with lower gravity. This coupled with the relative lightness of the gear they wear when on such worlds makes them far faster, stronger and enduring than any average guardsman or rough rider mount.

History
The first Regiment of Parakonians were dispatched as a support regiment during the battle of valius 7 where they aided the local PDF and a regiment of Vostroyan imperial guard in repelling a force of Traitor Guard from the system. However this was not a resounding victory for the use of the Parakonians, while they were vital in the defence of the world, many were worked as supply carriers to the brink of death, dragging gun implacements and defences. The prejudice of the guard saw to it that the the horseborn were at the bottom of the command chain and any attempts by the parakonian 1st regiment commanding officers to ensure aid for their troops was met with rejections and accusations of traitorous intent.

This became the norm for the next few millenia, the horseborn were treated as nothing more than labour for moving heavy items, deployments became assignments of work for the guardsman units they became attached to. It wasn't until the 23rd Regiment was involved in the battle of Solvarick plains during a campaign on the planet Thessiad Secundus that their role in the guard was changed to one also focusing on actual combat.

The nearby forge world of Saalia was tasked with creating a weapon with heavy firepower the horseborn could carry easily, after much deliberation they settled on 2 weapons. the first being a heavier frame of their standard pattern autorifle, fitted with higher calibur ammunition and belt fed to an ammunition pack worn on the backs of the parakonians. the second was an autocannon fitted with several recoil reduction braces and grips to a standard issue autocannon, issueing this one with the same beltfed system they used on the autorifle pattern. These weapons were given the designation Saalia patten heavy autorifle and the Saalia pattern light autocannon. While both weapons are deemed totally unusable by standard guardsmen, they suit the strength and mobility of the parakonians perfectly.

After this battle, their training was revised and slowly the parakonians found themselves moving towards a fire support role and slightly further away from their role as labourers, having their own class of specially designed autocannons created for their use on the battlefield. They have also earned the respect of some regiments of the Astra Militarum, the Valhallan ice warriors for their supply transport capabilities in areas tracked vehicles cannot access and the Noctan 72nd for their lightning fast flanking capabilities during the fallout of their raids. Even the attilan rough riders have expressed a love for having them supplement a cavalry charge, though the Parakonians insist that rebreathers are required as part of kit when deployed alongside them.

All of this has led to an increase in demand for thunderhoof regiments that the planet is struggling to supply, the number of horseborn recruited has actually led to a gradual decrease in the population of the planet as the centuries have gone on. in response to this, the administratum has temporarily lowered their tithe to help their numbers recover, and operations have begun to find new breeding worlds of a similar climate and atmospheric condition to assist increasing the future deployments of thunderhooves. Currently, no world with the correct conditions has been found.

Recruitment and Training
recruitment occurs on parakonia every year, each clan contributes a required number of volunteers that fall within a certain age to their local imperial frontier outposts. the recruits are then moved to the planet's primary training facility designed to house and train up to 20 regiments. The facility is the largest and only military complex on the planet.

After 5 years of vigorous education on the imperial truth, weapons training, formations training, and most other forms of instruction to try and make them the ideal support unit they are shipped discreetly to segmentum command and there they await deployment. Their initial movements are done to ensure that the location of Parakonia is kept a secret.

Organisation
Parakonian regiments are normally ordered in rank in the same manner you would have any standard imperial guard Company. The company has an overall Commanding Officer, normally a Human who has trained alongside the regiment but in some cases the parakonians lead their regiments personally. Below them lie the company commanders who lead companies of 500 horseborn each. These companies are often split across the platoons of the regiments they are supporting. From there the Companies are often split into their own platoons of 100 Horseborn, each led by a captain. Due to their uses in combat and logistics it's often seen as too tedious or a waste of time to split the platoons up into squads as commanders of other regiments either want to use the parakonians as direct support for their forces,fodder or labor.

Heavy Striders
The Heavy Striders are specialist troops utilised by Parakonian Regiments, heavy striders are equipped with specialised carapace armor and carry Saalia pattern light autocannons into battle. Heavy Strider operations are usually high risk danger close missions that rely on fast movement and target destruction. Heavy Striders are often exclusively Parakonian veterans with years of combat experience as it is highly rare for fresh recruits to carry the mantle any earlier than 2 years into active service.

Notable Campaigns
837 M37 - The 3rd Defence of Valius VII - The several year conflict that marked the 3rd time the hive world had been threatened to fall into the hands of the traitor guard. The first ever deployment of a Parakonian regiment was met with gruelling trench warfare and the neverending tasks of repeatedly moving artillery lines back and forth as the lines of the northern continent continued to shift. Thanks to the speed at which supplies were transported and heavy weapons moved up during the many advances in the campaign made by the vostroyan 109th, the Parakonian 1st was treated like dirt but most reports of the conflict describe their laborous actions as instrumental to the victory.

503 M40 - The First Charge of the Thunderhooves - The Parakonian 23rd took a logistical role in a long one sided defence from an invading ork waaagh!!! that threatened the planet of Thessiad Secundus. The Thunderhooves were vital in moving heavy weapons and supplies to help set up the next line of defence as each one before it began to crumble and fail. Knowing that they would eventually run our of ground and out of desperation to save his troops and the ragtag mix of pdf and scattered regiments they had been retreating with, Acting Commander Aaz Fleetfooted decided that he and his men were done running. As the greenskins attacked the defensive line set up on the Solvarick plains, the 23rd flanked the wave of orks and began tearing appart their rear lines and flanks with fast moving heavy stubbers, flamethrowers, lasguns and whatever else Aaz had managed to acquire from the munitions they had been transporting. Their efforts running interference and hit and run tactics behind the orks led to quick confusion and ended up delaying their advance by several weeks, allowing their position to be reinforced by the half strength novockian 120th armour regiment. When the imperials finally counterattacked, the 23rd charged alongside chimera and hellhounds right into the front lines of the orks. Despite the fact the regiment was wiped out during this conflict, eyewitness accounts and reports from imperial commanders swayed the judgement of allowing the parakonians to train for combat deployments.

782 M40 - The Evacuation of Okig - During a hopeless defence against the Agri world of Okig by a ravenous warband of World Eaters chaos astartes, the Parakonian 57th led a series of independent diversionary offensives against the warband and their blood pact auxiliary forces. Losses were severe but the regiment was capable of stalling the enemy advance long enough to evacuate hundreds of thousands of imperial civilians to the waiting imperial transports in orbit.

932 M40 - The Stampede of the Attilans - During a particularly large deployment of multiple Attilan rough riders,Vostroyan Hussars and Tallarn Desert Raiders to the world of Ygrivve on the western fringes of the galaxy that was under threat from a tyranid splinter fleet, roughly a dozen parakonian regiments were also requisitioned to ensure the xenos payed dearly for every inch of ground taken. As several imperial navy battlegroups drove off the xenos fleet in orbit, the Rough Rider regiments and parakonians led one of the largest cavalry charges in imperial history. It is estimated roughly 400 regiments both human and abhuman took part in the attack and the number of soldiers involved vary wildly depending on the reports of each organisation, the largest number being roughly 2.9 million and the smallest 800,000.

The charge was carried for an astonishing distance of 10 miles and while it was expected the cavalry would be all but destroyed, artillery support from several supporting regiments, aerial support from the navy in orbit as they cleared the gravity well and heavy fire from the light autocannons of the parakonians softened the tyranids enough to ensure that by the time the charge lost it's momentum the enemy had no chance of re-establishing a defendable base of operations. Quite frankly it is believed that moniker of the battle belongs to the Attilans because there were some still standing after leading at the tip of the charge.

Notable Soldiers
Commander Aaz Fleetfooted - 3rd company commander of the Parakonian 23rd during their defence of Thessiad Secundus. Aaz was thrust into overall command when heavy shelling claimed the life of the regimental commander. After weeks of retreat and steadily weakening defence, Aaz decided enough was enough. He gathered his regiment, stole what weapons wouldn't be missed and personally led his Regiment under penalty of death to the aid of the regiments he was supposed to be under the command of. He led the flanking attacks on the greenskin hordes and later was at the head of the counterattack that ultimately claimed the lives of the regiment. Aaz is regarded as one of the greatest Parakonian warriors, as one of the primary causes of the regiments right to bear arms in the name of the emperor

Notable Quotes
"''These men die in their hundreds while we carry the ammunition for them, waiting out our inevitable demise. Many among us would accept that fate but i will not simply wait for my end. By the throne, if i am to die it will be with a rifle in my hands and the enemy to my front!" -'' Commander Aaz Fleetfooted