Horatio Shrike

The 13th False Primarch

Horatio Shrike was one of the ill-fated Primarch Secundus Project, designed to be a new generation of primarchs designed by the Mad Magos Clerval. The modifications done by his “father” did not fully take within Horatio and he was far weaker than all of this siblings. This did not stop him and despite his relatively unremarkable stature he claimed glory until his luck outpaced his bravado.

## Early Years

The weak Horatio grew up on a deathworld of all places, a small radiation-blasted moon known as “Shrike Delta”. The forsaken moon orbited an opulent shrine world (“Shrike’s Paradise”) that was home to a caste of religious priests and offlimit to all but the priests of the Adeptus Ministorum. Horatio’s parents, the local constable and his wife, were expecting him to grow up into one of the Primarch Secundus that Clerval had told them about. When their adopted son grew up to be above average but not remarkable they resented him for the danger he had placed them in by raising him. Just sheltering him was potentially a high crime and they had expected to be rewarded by Clerval (or at least by being associated with a “new primarch”).
Because of this, and unlike his other siblings, Horatio knew of Clerval’s plan from a young age and always felt like he was never living up to an impossible legacy. Pushing himself harder than anyone else in his area growing up got him into the Imperial Guard Officer’ training program at a young age. Horatio never thought to attempt to hide his genetic purity and when it was examined it came back as beyond pure, he was given a commission to Lt. right away. This got him off Shrike Delta and sent him off to see the stars.

## The Soldier Hidden Among the Stars

Lt. Shrike, taking his last name from his home system, was a respected officer in the 631st Anderian Regiment where he commanded an infantry platoon. His platoon, nicknamed “Shrike’s Bikes”, was comprised of motorcycle-mounted infantry and was used mostly for scouting and skirmishing. He gained fame in the 3rd Battle of Forsooth, 5th Battle of Tendis Ultra, and the Purple Wing Campaign against the Tyranids. By the end of the campaign he had risen to the rank of Captain and his infantry company was the pride of their regiment.

Horatio’s unprecedented success and tremendous physical abilities (described in one report as being “shy of an Astartes, but not by much, despite his typical size”) earned him the silent attention of a number of organizations; most notably the Inquisition. While his unit trained, restocked, and reorganized to assist in the War for Hyperion he was contacted by several Inquisitorial agents. While he did not intentionally tell them anything about Clerval’s project or his origins, fearing for his life, the Imperium got its first whiff of Clerval’s plans from him. From then on Inquisitorial agents kept tabs on Horatio.

## The War for Hyperion

In and among the Ghoul Stars Horatio and his company battled the foes of the Emperor valiantly. They were the first troops to touch down in the First Sacking of Helmtor XI and Captain Shrike earned himself The Macharian Cross for his gallantry, cunning, and personal skill at arms during this battle. The years passed on and so too did many of the men under his command but Horatio stayed the same. He was a fixture of the War for Hyperion and was essential to the leadership of the war effort as he was the soldier with the most experience on the ground in the campaign. While he retained the rank of Captain he was given a brevet to Colonel so he could lead the 631st Anderian Regiment into combat. He was a soldier’s soldier- a “down in the trenches” sort of man who wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything he wouldn’t. He lead raids, commando actions, sabotages, and personally made a record-breaking long distance shot that slew a senior enemy officer. Despite his efforts the campaign was going badly and support for the endeavor was waning among the senior leadership of the Astra Militarum.

## A Troubled Reunion

In the midst of the War for Hyperion aid arrived unbidden in the form of Clerval’s crusade and his brethren. Initially there was a tense standoff between the suspicious forces under the command of the Mad Magos and the Astra Militarum forces entrenched against the enemy. There was an initial skirmish where the Primarch Secundus known as Bora penetrated deep into the Militarum’s area of command. Bora was confronted by, though not bested by, Captain Shrike who suffered some nearly terminal wounds at the hands of the merciless killer. Upon realizing who the Captain was, Shrike’s life was saved by the timely efforts of his “father” Clerval. While Bora never apologized he did imply, in his own way, that Shrike was the toughest soldier in the Imperial Guard and that, had Shrike had the same enhancements Bora had, it might have ended very differently.

Clerval’s medical intervention was more than just a surgery to heal his wounds; he took the opportunity to “upgrade” Shrike and give him a chance to excel. While he never was on par with his siblings, contemporary reports place him far in advance of any Inquisitor and even some space marines. This was not enough though and because of his near death at the hands of Bora and his failed implants Horatio always resented his “family”.

He accepted a post as a liaison between Clerval’s forces and the Astra Militarum forces engaged in the War for Hyperion in order to keep his affiliation with the newly arrived forces a secret. He used it to figure out as much as he could about the program, the forces under Clerval’s command, the Mago’s own disposition, and that of his brothers as well. Only Bora, Dracon Silver, and Pandu Hagar were with their father (Bathory Sims having elected to stay on his world of Vekuznia. Horatio was wary of his siblings but connected with Dracon over their shared Imperial military service. He was an odd sight in the planning room, three large Primarch Secundus, a massive Magos bedecked with all his harnesses, and Horatio, a rather typical looking human in military fatigues. He earned the nickname “The Little Giant” for his small body that did not reflect his massive importance (both in skill and cunning).

Together with the forces from Clerval’s Crusade the Imperium won the War for Hyperion after the bloody Battle of the Bad Patch, the Crumdor Incident, the Battle of the Rise, and the Third Sacking of Helmtor XI. When the battle ended Pandu & Dracon attempted to convince Horatio to join them on the Crusade but he turned them down.

## The Gathering Tide

After the War for Hyperion Captain Shrike’s brevet posting was made official and he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and was assigned to command a training camp for the next five years. His stewardship of the training facility was nothing shy of phenomenal and, though his assignment had originally been orchestrated by the Inquisition to keep an eye on him, he earned special recognition in the eyes of the leader of the Astra Militarum. In time they selected him to lead an Imperial regiment in the Battle of Gon’Dol against the Eldar and then to oversee the brief occupation of Pandor IV.

The Inquisition had built a case against Clerval over the years and knew that Col. Shrike was an ideal candidate to help them get more. They eventually took him into their confidence and turned him against Clerval and his siblings. This wasn’t hard to do as Shrike disliked most of them and had been fantasizing about taking them out. With the plan set up, Col. Shrike and his regiment were assigned to aid the Crusade during the Blackstar Incident.

## The Blackstar Incident

Col. Shrike and his regiment were deployed to aid in the purge of the world that had been heavily infested by gene-stealers. Clerval’s Crusade had already engaged the enemy by the time they arrived and it was made to look like Shrike had pulled some strings to get himself assigned to the job. His siblings welcomed him back and fought all the harder in hopes of getting him to join their crusade for the long haul. By this point most of his brethren had been gathered (only 4 were absent, including Sims) and the crusade was in full swing. Placed under the command of Dracon, Shrike and his regiment served with distinction even when compared to the famous Unit 359.

## Role in Clerval’s Crusade

**Main Article:** Clerval's Crusade

Following the Blackstar Incident Col. Shrike formally joined the crusade and took over the elements of the 1st and 7th Regiments under Dracon. His military prowess was matched by few of his brothers and no one ignored his sage advice on tactics, campaign planning, defensive strategies, or on how best to deploy their guardsmen. Thought his time under Clerval he made information drops to the Inquisition on what was going on within the Crusade and it is unclear if his “family” knew or if they simply allowed it to happen. Some sources say he was giving the Inquisition false information or purposely low value information either so Shrike could play both sides or because he was actually in league with Clerval.

## Fate

Col. Horatio Shrike was killed during the Battle of Runciter when his brothers Renault Vork and Zade Hugo turned traitor and fired on Clerval’s forces. The two cannibals turned against the forces of Clerval’s Crusade while they were fighting Heretic Astartes warbands dedicated to the Chaos Gods Khorne and Nurgle. His brother Zade shot him in the head as his first act of violence against the forces of the Crusade. Legend has it that Zade ate Shrike, ripping him into bloody chunks and eating him part by part while he was still alive. It also says that Zade still has a red stain on his lips from eating Shrike’s body. Col. Shrike’s men, enraged by the loss of their commander, are said to have exacted revenge on Zade’s abominations by slaughtering them in a hanger and butchering many of Zade’s Black Cartel marines.

## Shrike & The Imperium

Col. Shrike is still regarded as a hero and what little propaganda there is about him is that he was the only good thing to come out of the incident. It says that his spirit was too pure and had resisted the changes the Mad Magos had tried to force upon him as an infant. The Imperium has decided that the system of his birth is named after him, not the other way around. Which is true is unclears.