Equus Maxium

Devised by the Palatine Wings as a way for the Equus Hussar bodyguard to keep pace with their Interex warframe mounted lord in combat, jetbikes and jump packs being too fast while on-foot warriors were too slow, the Equus Maxium is regarded as the greatest cavalry mount in history, stronger, faster and more durable than anything ridden in mankind's long history that was not entirely mechanical in nature. Grown in great maturation vats across the galaxy, the creatures were already formidable when they were birthed, superior to any cavalry mount used by the Imperial Army, but this was not considered enough.

Purpose made cybernetics quicklly replaced limbs of flesh and blood, chemical infusions and injectors implanted into the creature, while the sub-dermal layer of armour that had been woven into the steed during its maturation, similar in many ways to the black carapace of the *Legiones Astartes,* allowed for the mounting of heavy plated power armour, proof against the harshest of enemy attempts to breach it.

Truly, the jest that many of the Imperial Army regiments who saw the mounts in action were true. The mount was as close to an Astartes as anything, save an Astartes themselves, could ever hope to achieve.

## History

Shortly after Bartosz was found by the Palatine Wings, the Legion encountered a problem adapting to their Primarch’s prefered method of combat; utilising the Sagittar mount from his now destroyed home, he could far outpace his warriors on foot, and yet could not match the speeds achievable from outrider bikes or the legions many jetbikes. While Bartosz was more than capable of fighting from the saddle of a jetbike, it became increasingly clear this was not his prefered way of war, and the Hussar’s, the Primarch’s sworn bodyguard, soon realised a new weapon was required to address this problem, bringing their concerns directly to Bartosz.

In short order, the Imperial Sagittar had brought the concern to his Mechanicum aides, who in turn reached out to Magos Biologis across the Imperium, many leaping at the offer to help the newfound Primarch of the XIVth Legion, believing that prestige would be theirs if they pleased Bartosz. Soon, numerous ideas were brought forth, from recreating the Sagittar warframe that Bartosz himself war, to creating a new variant of the Vorax-Automata with its main gun removed to make way for a rider. Eventually however, it was settled that a creature would be created, genetically perfected to suit the needs of the XIVth, eventually giving rise to the first generation of what would one day be the Equus Maxium, superior to almost any other cavalry mount in use though lesser in every way to the future of the project. It was these mounts that were used during the Great Feast, the first and only time the entierty of the Perun were mounted on such steeds as they arrived, the crowds cheering in adulation at the cavalry display.

It was at the Great Feast that the mind of Galvarian was put to the task, offering Bartosz ideas on how to further improve the mount, citing multiple new xenos animals that had been found and catalogued that could be spliced with the DNA of the current mount, as well as ideas for armouring the steeds for war. With these in hand, a revision was made and two years after the Great Feast, the first true Equus Maxium was born, flushed from the glass maturation vat where it had been grown and taking its first step under Bartosz's gaze.

To say Bartosz was pleased with the work was an understatement, looking upon what had been wrought with pride. Though the first generation had been far closer to ancient Terran Equines in looks, still possessing hair, mane and tail, the second generation was far more alien in its looks.

Altered at the cellular level to endure far worse battlefield conditions than ever existed in Terran history, its physique bolstered to allow it to bear far greater weight than its ancestors, a requirement to bear an Astartes into battle, rippling muscles interupted only by small bone protrusions, part of the grown sub-dermal carapace just beneath the creatures skin. The creature was also almost entirely hairless,lacking a true tail and leaving only a small stump in its place, while its mane has almost entirely been bred out, leaving just short bristles which do not become tangles and require no maintenance. Its neck is longer than that of a Terran horse, with broader shoulders and girth, to better spread the weight of an Astartes.

Alone, the creature was formidable, but even this was not enough. Soon, the creature was released from the labs of the Magos Biologis, no longer a creature of flesh and blood, but a fusion with steel and oil. Cybernetic limbs now replaced its own, possessing a linked machine spirit that would allow for simple motion even as the biological components rested. Alongside these were drug injection systems, flasks of stimms slotting neatly into them to be injected at a thought from the rider, while MIU ports fottet the creatures back, allowing for a more direct connection with the armour the creature would soon wear, and the riders own armour.

Even at a glance, Bartosz could tell the creature was not just designed for war physically, but mentally as well, its eyes telling of an ingrained aggression far greater than their domestic Terran ancestors, and when coupled with the drug injectors, would serve to make the creatures utterly fearless in battle, charging directly into the foes' lines without hesitation, unphased by weapons fire or explosions.

All of this would come at a cost however, the creature’s body chemistry and metabolism prone to becoming unstable or going into overdrive, having to be carefully monitored by its rider and stabilised with additional chemicals. Galvarian hypothesised that the creatures would be able to sustain injuries that would kill lesser steeds, but their regenerative abilities would do little to stop them being covered with horrendous scars from previous wounds that the creatures would soon have inflicted upon them.

Once Bartosz was done with the initial inspection, he declared that production of their kind would begin immediately, and the first steeds would be used by the Hussar’s, the bodyguard having been the catalyst behind their construction in the first place.

Soon, facilities were set up within the XIVth’s holdings, both on their own vessels and in allied forge worlds. The steeds were grown in great vitagenic cloning vats, their gestation carefully monitored by the Magi Biologus, waiting for the time where they would be flushed from the tank, cybernetics grafted to their limb stumps, before they were shipped to the legion. Likewise, the steeds’ own equipment would be produced, thick ceramite plates akin to Astartes warplate created for their bodies and with limited MIU connections moving off the production lines alongside dedicated respirator gear for use within toxic, or even airless environments.

To the Mechanicum, and to many of the other legions, the creatures were little more than weapons of war, akin to a particularly bellacous machine spirit, but a weapon nonetheless, given a number and sent to die in the Great Crusade. For the XIVth however, they were far more than a bolter or sword. The warriors who rode the steeds would form bonds with them, spending much of their time off the battlefield ensuring their mounts were well cared for to the best of their ability. Soon, the mounts gained an official name, the Equus Maxium, the Hussars splitting to better reflect these new creatures inclusion in their battle roster. The Hussars would be those who fought on foot, be that in power armour, artificer armour or hulking terminator plate, while the new order, the Equus Hussars, would be those who sped across the battlefield. This included the use of jetpacks and jetbikes, but in truth, all knew that the Equus Hussars true calling was upon the back of a mighty Equus Maxium, the enemies of the Imperium cowering at the thunder of their mighty hooves.

## Notable Users

* First Hussar Surag Genden - Though he did not like the mount as much as many of the other members of his order, prefering to fight from the skies with a jetpack upon his back, Surag Genden was nevertheless ferociously skilled in the riding of the Equus Maxium, his own mount, known as Morningfire, rarely far from him, usually waiting in orbit if Surag is not directly riding to war upon him.
* Hussar Melita Neritos -