Yes, it’s time to begin unwinding the coils of the XX Legion’s history. But first, a disclaimer is in order: everything you read in the next few minutes could be a lie. Even this. Especially this. The Alpha Legion is a twisting serpent at the Imperium’s heart, a creature with many heads and many voices, a labyrinth of deception built by those trapped within it.Of course, you might feel confused – don’t worry. That’s to be expected when getting to know the Alpha Legion. Rather than predictable stubbornness or blatant violence, the XX Legion prides itself on subtlety, and keeps much of its past to itself. Fortunately, we’re on hand to give you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Ultimately, you can trust us.
As you’d expect, precious little is known about the Legion’s earliest years. Formally revealed long after many other Legions were winning glorious victories and enforcing the Emperor’s laws across Terra, the XX were kept small and secretive, numbering only a few thousand Legionaries – the so-called ‘Alpha’ stage, at which a proto-Legion would be tested in the field.*
Rumours speak of unmarked squads conducting kidnappings, assassinations, and sabotage, overruling authorities with ‘Alpha’-level clearance codes.* Occasional reports appeared of Space Marines at pivotal events that brought about the downfall of entire worlds, or fighting in the livery of other Legions, or offering to covertly assist the First Primarch in his ambitions. It can’t always have been the Alpha Legion. Right?
Even once Horus discovered their Primarch Alpharius* leading a fleet of rebel humans at the galaxy’s edge, the shenanigans only proliferated. The Legion rarely fought in force, but when they did, enemies found themselves mired in a swirling circus of ambushes and feints. Pinning down the Alpha Legion was like nailing water to the wall, but without a hammer. Or nails.
Alpha Legion campaigns were, in their own way, just as showy as the III Legion – what’s the point in being the smartest schemer around if no-one knows it? Armed with adaptive toxins to sicken the hardiest Death Guard, wielding technology forbidden to the most inventive Iron Hand – they loved to assert their superiority in displays of convoluted cruelty, believing themselves to be the ‘Alpha’ of the Legiones Astartes.* It wasn’t an attitude that endeared them to Roboute Guilliman.
Leaving all that aside, did we mention that almost every member of the XX Legion looks alike? Whether by design or gene-seed mutation, each Space Marine bears a startling resemblance to his brothers. Even when you think you’ve got one dead to rights, it’s probably just his second cousin thrice-removed.
Let’s recap – what we can tell you with absolute certainty? They wear power armour and shoot bolters. That’s all we’ve got, really.
At last, something we can be sure about – rules. The Alpha Legion are so good at deception that their foes can’t even trust their own lying eyes. Expertly-aimed shots spin wide, and perfectly-judged Charges find nothing but a note saying ‘Keep Going’. All the Lies and Obfuscation make the sons of Alpharius harder to pin down than the speediest White Scar – you can’t even be sure that they’re where they seem to be on the tabletop.
Legions beware – as if their list of crimes weren’t long enough, the XX Legion also has a light-fingered tendency with your best units. The Rewards of Treachery are high indeed – imagine the look on the Word Bearers’ pious faces when their prized Ashen Circle Squad turns up in one of Alpharius’ family photos. Fancy more mystical support? The Thousand Sons can be bribed with limited edition books to supply you with psychic Terminators.
Pro tip from the Alpha Legion: if other Primarchs start to complain you’re copying their homework, just say “I am Alpharius”, and walk away while they’re confused.
How was Alpharius found? Even he lies about his upbringing, so we’re just going to pick the origin story we like best and run with it. According to his own account, the Primarch barely made it past the Imperial Palace’s front gate when his brothers were scattered across the galaxy. He was picked up by the Emperor as soon as he realised his 20 18 priceless children were missing.
Apparently unwilling to reveal his son to the galaxy, the Emperor kept Alpharius’ existence secret – which can’t have been good for the young boy’s self-esteem, when Horus got paraded around as the inaugural Primarch. Instead, he learned secrecy and manipulation from Malcador the Sigilite, disguising himself as a humble Space Marine during many of the early Crusade’s most important events.**
Really, yes, the Emperor asked his first-found son to pretend he didn’t exist. Top-class parenting.
Interested in the big twist? Alpharius had a twin. Omegon was found on the edge of known space, enslaved and twisted by the alien Slaugth – a species of horrifying psychic predators. He hashed out an agreement with Alpharius to keep their dual existence hidden even from the Emperor himself – even Sanguinius could have learned a thing or two about keeping deadly secrets...
Undoubtedly, you’ve noticed this contradicts the story of Horus finding him? Good – you’re paying attention.
Soon the twins took full advantage of their double lives, swapping places with each other to pull pranks on their enemies and avoid boring meetings. The line between Alpharius and Omegon blurred with each passing campaign, the brothers coming to see themselves as one soul inhabiting two bodies.
Much as you’d expect, when it came time for the twin Primarchs to choose their loyalties in the Horus Heresy, they sided with the only Primarch who’d shown any appreciation for their abilities – Horus himself. Or did they? Rumour has it that a prophetic xenos think-tank known as the Cabal swayed Alpharius to their side, revealing that Chaos would only be defeated if Horus emerged victorious.
Aggravatingly, even a question as simple as “whose side are you on?” is met with a shrug by the Alpha Legion, who continued to act with wild unpredictability – even getting into a shootout with the Iron Warriors while the Drop Site Massacre was raging on the other side of the galaxy.
Duplicitious as ever, the Alpha Legion helped the Raven Guard escape the aftermath of the Drop Site Massacre even though they’d been gunning them down days earlier. In typical trickster fashion, this all turned out to be part of a ruse to make Corvus Corax even more miserable than usual, going so far as to surgically attach the faces of dead Raven Guard to their own to remain incognito. That’s real commitment to a bit.
Events turned against them when Alpharius spearheaded an operation to take the dwarf planet Pluto after Sigismund blew up its moons in the Traitor fleet’s face. Rogal Dorn apparently liked Pluto quite a lot, because the Primarch of the Imperial Fists slingshotted his flagship around Sol to reach it in double-quick time – before jamming a giant chainsword through Alpharius’ head, which is a pretty sure-fire way to make sure the Legion doesn’t scheme all over your plans again.
You’d think, anyway. Despite having his head cut in half, Alpharius was fine – he returned to the field shortly after. Was this really Omegon? Was it Omegon who died on Pluto? Was it either of them to begin with? Did the Horus Heresy even happen?
Or maybe it didn’t even matter who was in charge. The Alpha Legion continued to plague the Loyalist cause in the run-up to the Siege of Terra showdown… while also helping out occasionally. Because reasons.
Usefully, Black Library’s Horus Heresy series pieces together a few factual events surrounding the Alpha Legion that we’re about… 80% sure actually happened. Dan Abnett’s Legion reveals the twisting plots of the Cabal as they attempt to bring Alpharius into the fold, and reveals the true nature of Chaos for the first time in the series.
Looking ahead, Praetorian of Dorn gives an account of the attack of Pluto told from the perspective of the Imperial Fists, and gives what they think is an accurate account of the XX Legion’s attack – which as we should know by now probably isn’t true either.
Or if you’d rather go even further back, Alpharius: Head of the Hydra reveals surprisingly intimate details about the Primarch’s early life – in his own words, no less – before going on to admit it was all a lie to begin with. Yeah, we’re done here.
Okay, if all of the weaving through half-truths and deceptions hasn’t given you a headache yet, the Alpha Legion might just be for you. Check out how to paint their shimmering scaled armour using this painting guide.
Kitted out in blue-green and Helac glyphs? Even once you’re fully inducted, you might be assigned to infiltrate another, lesser Legion. Find out which one suits you best at the Horus Heresy website, and then take your place in the Age of Darkness when pre-orders for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy arrive this weekend.
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* See, that’s how they get their name.
** And you thought Leman Russ pretending to be a savage thug was impressive. He didn’t even have to try that hard!