Legacy Pattern Dreadnought

The only dreadnought chassis operated by the VIIth Legion during the Great Crusade, the Legacy Pattern stands as a monument to the versatility and ingenuity among it's kind. As a result of several slights by the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Monastic Ascendants were left with no way to house those honoured marines who gave their bodies for the Imperial Truth. To fill this gap both the knowledge and expertise of the Legion's finest Gauss Scholars and their Terran heritage lead to the Legacy's creation, proving itself far and above those of it's Martian-built counterparts.

*“Throughout my life I have followed the path passed down to me, weathered it's storms, felt the bite of the rocks underfoot, even lain down and prepared to die on it, all for that halcyon light on the horizon, but I was refused. Today I stand taller, faster and hardier so that I may help shepard those behind me, so that I may pass the path onto them, until the day comes when we may all rest our weary feet in the light's glory”*

**-Valak Nolos, 63rd Company Dreadnought, Sect of Structure**

*“Omnissiah bless me so that I never find myself under the claw of this monstrosity”*

**-Chief-Cybernetican Garik Phi-La, Legio Cybernetica**

## **History**

Though little is known of the Legacy's development it is speculated to have been a half-century-long process in the making, and for good reason.

Dating back to before even the master of the VIIth was found the 'incident' between the Martian Mechanicus and the then-named Thunder Knights saw relations slow to a standstill between the two. While the exact details are debated the Legion's proliferate flaunting of the Martian's rules when it came to technology was a long-standing tradition thanks to their Albian heritage. This had often irked the Magos, up until the point that they had chosen to cut the VIIth off almost entirely. Even managing to live through such a harsh time and rediscovering their primogenitor the legion would not be free from their scrutiny as the Failure of Delegation 59 would prove to be yet another wedge driven between the two that would prove to be the final straw.

Leaving the Sol system with an unfinished Gloriana and no dreadnought chassis whatsoever, Tenzin resolved to continue the Crusade just as his sons had before him.

More than a century later during the the opening skirmishes of what would later be known as the Barghesi Submission War, Legacy's would be first brought into the light as they tore their way through the monstrous xenos. Their power an versatility made them wonders to behold, seeming metal avatars of destruction that afforded their users far more flexibility than their cousins. Standing amongst the Monastic's lines as the full might of 3 legions were called to war, they first caught the attention of the IIIrd Primarch who, while mulling over troop deployment was simply noted as saying *“They look sturdy”* with a smile.

While the combat prowess of these new fusions of transhuman and machine carved their own bloody paths, their existence eventually reached the ears of the Martian cabals. Disturbed by what they heard and fearing that their previous censures had created a threat they immediately set out to make it their own. Relying on the greed of the Mechanicus though, the Martian envoys were rebuffed several times over the next few years, after all, the Master of the VIIth was heading up a campaign on the western-most fringes of the galaxy.

Instead for several years the Adepts found themselves bogged down in administrative minutiae. Their initial missives were replied with confusion, as the Monastic Ascendants had already sent the STC back to Mars. It had been deemed so valuable though, that they had sent it in several dozen coded pieces, by as many different star-routes for 'security' reasons. Proving their claims with appropriate reams of Adeptus Administratum paperwork, they posited that if Mars had not received it, then it could be any number of problems with the ships or shipping lanes themselves.

The final overture to the Martian's attempts culminated several years later as they visited the forge-moon of Verya-Primus, but it would prove to be their demise. As the campaigning continued against the Barghesi, Tenzin finally submitted the moon of the dreadnought's rebirth to an inspection. It was on the semi-molten surface of Verya-Primus that the Mechanicus attaché was brought to the deep magna-forges. Powerful relic-machines forged armoured plates and pistons, cuirasses and cogs all brought together to forge a powerful machine, but the end result was nothing of the sort. A particularly clunky and slow machine, the attaché were shocked to find the formidable chassis to be barely equivalent to their own and even Legionary standards. As was their mission though, they received a gift of goodwill and the STC before departing back to Mars, where it is believed the Mechanicus swiftly lost interest.

From there on out the Monastic Ascendants continued their production unhindered, keeping a small, but well-supplied fleet of Legacy Pattern Dreadnoughts, building upon the original design for millennia to come.

## **Design**

A veritable powerhouse of the Great Crusade era, the Legacy class is a versatile platform from which many a Monastic Ascendant veteran has carved out whole systems with. As tall as it's Leviathan cousin and weighing just as much, it is vastly different in build and stature. Where other dreadnoughts present a unassailable bulwark slowly marching over the battlefield, the Legacy Pattern is a stocky predator, always a moment away from exploding into action. From it's segmented armoured chassis, it's humanoid hands and juxtaposed digitigrade legs it is the culmination of over a century of quiet care and relentless work made manifest. To even reveal a thing such as this would be enough to call for censure from the adepts of Mars, but thanks to the tireless efforts of their lord, the Monastic Ascendants are given the chance to have a second life from which they can bring the galaxy into balance.

Holding to it's predecessors the Legacy is mostly human in design, in some ways both more so and less so that those venerable patterns. With a large and angular torso, the central section of the dreadnought is aggressive in it's design, with the head protected on either side by the armour blocks as well as a small gorget. The helmet itself appears to be an upscaled Mk4 design to mirror their tactical battle-brothers. Mounting a set of large pauldrons and well armoured vambraces, the arms are a slightly slimmer design, but most notably end in a set of clawed, 5-fingered hands. Foregoing the more clunky and box-shaped fingers of the Contemptor Pattern, the fully-articulate design allow for complex tasks to be easily undertaken and have been battle-tested to efficiency during their initial combat in the Barghesi Submission War. As the opposite of this more human-centric design, the dreadnought's legs are a digitigrade formation, separated into two well-armoured sections with a solid connecting lower leg joint in between. Supported by 3 front talon shaped toes and a heel-mounted one for support, the inhuman design has allowed for an marked increase in speed to the overall design, mirroring the manoeuvrability and swiftness of it's legionary occupants even in their second life.

With the most important structures of the dreadnought hidden away by armour plates, the space marine within is housed in a sturdy and well-connected cradle with enough protection to survive multiple anti-tank hits and carry on unhindered.

It has been noted that the marine within has a bit of a different experience from his cousins in other legions once implanted. In particular their post-battle experience of dreams or periodical signs of movement from there are completely lacking, this, however, has been attributed to the pilots merely emulating their kin in meditating with their body to such a degree that they lose all perception of the outside world. Equally strange in this avenue is the occasional reports from allied forces of 'outbursts' during a battle. While usually spoken of in great reverie as the individual in question has gone on to complete great feats thought beyond even their augmented might the frequency of the phenomena has brought some scrutiny. Whether leading charges while seemingly avoiding all return fire, defeating brutal xenos monster with ease or duelling multiple opponents simultaneously, those who fight alongside rest easier for it's presence.

### Armament

As with any dreadnought chassis there is little that isn't available in the way of weaponry when arming the Legacy, from hull-mounted weaponry to newer methods they are equipped to put down those xenos horrors that stand against it.

Innate to the dreadnought itself and it's most basic method of inflicting damage are the razor tipped talons in the end of each finger. Made from the same archeotech metal as the rest of the rest of the beast it has been honed down to a razor-sharp edge, allowing it to cut through armour as easily as it can perform minute tasks normally beyond the capabilities of other dreadnoughts. The real trick however is buried within the layers of metal, a power field generator is buried within the palms of each hand. Able to activate and deactivate at the user's command it significantly increases the armour penetration to the point that some Monastic Dreadnoughts have been able to punch clean through superheavy tank armour and rip out the enemies within.

With a mounting column on the rear of the torso, the dreadnought can mount a number of indirect or miscellaneous weapons that help expand it's killing capacity dramatically. Usually mounting a rocket pod, missile pod or dual mortars, the use of such weapons can slow down the Legacy's speed somewhat thanks to the stability needed, but the tactical advantage gained from having such weapons is seen as a worthy tradeoff.

A tertiary weapon mount is situated underneath the central torso, jutting out from the underside of the central chest segment. With a gimbal mounting it houses a single heavy weapon, usually consisting of a heavy flamer or heavy bolter. The need for such a system has been made clear as it allows the dreadnought to still retain some direct, ranged firepower should they choose to use both power-claws.

The main armament of the dreadnought though, is perhaps it's best and most diverse solution to any problem by virtue of it's creation. A set of grips and heavy railings with multiple locks -both magnetic and mechanical- as well as digital links allow this array to mount one of a number of dreadnought-sized weapons. The clamps are able to be locked and unlocked at any time while feeding electronic information back to the Monastic Ascendant within. Taking up both hands due to the sheer weight, this negates the use of the power claws as it has to hold the weapon, but with a ammo or energy feed keeping it supplied, it more than makes up for it.

*See main article 'Mk25 MRS' for more information*

Much in the same manner of the larger rifle a single, or pair of 'pistols' with the same modularity can be used. Mirroring the loadouts of the Contemptor Pattern they mainly consist of a pair of heavy weapons or a single weapon of formidable firepower.

*See main article 'Mk14 MPS' for more information*

### Defence

A comprehensive suite of defensive measures are installed within the dreadnought's frame as part of the efforts to deal with the initial limited production of chassis. Without these measures the VIIth would seldom risk those precious marines that had suffered greatly in the first half of the Great Crusade. For their experience would prove pivotal in the application of these deadly new platforms.

The staple protection method of humanity for thousands of years, armour is a major component in any military design, and the Legacy is no different. Made from a strange metallic composite it's dark grey hue has been noted to shine a dull red when exposed to certain types of radiation. Though the exact nature of this metal is not known it's durability is formidable, weathering the thundering fire of Barghesi Shudder Guns during it's initial deployment during the Great Crusade and emerging unscathed. While there are a mixture of other more typical metals within the Legacy's construction such as adamantium, the composite has yet to be named but it has proved itself within the fires of war to the satisfaction of the VIIth lord.

Using the same power of atomantics as their Contemptor counterparts, the multiple shield projectors housed within the dreadnought's chassis have been boosted by and improved in this new iteration. Through the power generators and specific calibration of the projectors the overlapping fields have been strengthened and layered to displace large volumes of incoming fire. Though this allows for greater protection overall, it was decided to redirect this energy to protect the interred brothers, rather than empowering the reactor upon death, and thereby lose both an experienced soldier and irreplaceable machinery.

### Miscellaneous

Though it may seem like a simple idea, the ability to have fully dexterous hands as part of the Legacy's design allows it to complete a number of tasks that are otherwise impossible. With these clawed hands able to complete complex tasks and the Modular Weapon System, the ability to adapt to tasks of the battlefield has increased the dreadnought's effectiveness. Should a weapon run dry, or the dreadnought need to engage in melee, they can simply drop any handheld weapons and activate their power claws to do so. While the weapons themselves are discarded they are usually to large to be used by an enemy, let alone get past the electronic locks in place. While discarding your main weapons would leave other patterns defenceless the Legacy can adapt easily. The only problem is reattaching said discarded weapons, as their ammunition or power feed cables are disconnected when discarded. To reattach such things requires a degree of expertise usually reserved to Gauss Scholars and their apprentices, making such a decision a heavy one to make.

## **Wargear**

**As standard the Legacy Pattern is armed & equipped with:**

* A pair of Dreadnought Power Claws
* Chin-Mounted Heavy Weapon
* Smoke Launchers
* Searchlight

**Any Legacy Pattern can fit one of these heavy weapons on the chin-mount:**

* Heavy Bolter
* Multi-Melta
* Heavy Flamer

**Any Legacy Pattern can fit one of these weapon systems onto the back-mount:**

* 'Seran' Pattern Mortar
* Havoc Missile Launcher
* Spicula Rocket System
* Boreas Anti-Air Missiles

**Any Legacy Pattern can wield one of the following Mk25 MRS configurations in exchange for the use of both Dreadnought Power Claws:**

* Mavor Accelerator Autocannon Array
* Spearhead Megabolter
* Volkite Falconet
* Plasma Destroyer
* Flamestorm Cannon
* Magna-Melta
* Graviton Charge Cannon
* Scorpius Launcher

**Any Legacy Pattern can wield one or two of the following Mk14 MPS configurations in exchange for the use of one or both Dreadnought Power Claws:**

* Twin-linked Lascannons
* Twin-linked Heavy Bolters
* Heavy Plasma Cannon
* Twin-linked Multi-Meltas
* Kheres Pattern Assault Cannon
* Heavy Conversion Beamer
* Scourger Firebrand
* Twin-linked Autocannons

**Legacy Pattern Dreadnoughts may also mount a variety of vehicle equipment such as:**

* Infrared Targeting
* Armoured Ceramite Plating
* Extra Armour Plating
* Augury Scanner
* Auxiliary Drive

## **Notable Legacy Pattern Dreadnoughts**

**-Brother Palden -** 100th Company, Sect of Lineage

**-Brother Jamphel -** 39th Company, Sect of Structure

**-Iron Yuthok -** 12th Company, Sect of Structure