Pacificus Campaign

The **Pacificus Campaign** was the Imperial campaign to reconquer Segmentum Pacificus following the Declaration of Separation. The campaign initially progressed as a phony war between the Crimson Lions and Monastic Ascendants, as neither legion wished to fight but neither were willing to submit. The situation changed with the arrival of the Obsidian Guard, who prosecuted a punitive campaign that escalated until eventually the Crimson Lions sided with the Obsidian Guard. By the end of the campaign, the main defensive line of the Monastic Ascendants' remained intact but many worlds in the border region were devastated.

## **Background**

As the Primarchs of the yet to be founded Confederation of Free Realms met in the shadows and devised their plans, a key matter of discussion was whether any more of their brothers could be convinced to join them. Gaining another Primarch and Legion could swing the tide, as the Separatists were currently outnumbered five to eleven. The whispers from Skandra and the secret communiques between Koschei and Absalom indicated that he could be turned or at least convinced to be neutral, though Ezharion put little faith in the promises of his mercurial brother as he only ever had his own intentions at heart. The Jade General remained an enigma to the Separatists, having bonds of comradery with Gustave and Koschei but having so far avoided committing his legion to the Separatist cause.

Of the remaining Primarchs, some would never turn from Terra and so could be counted on to resist them. The Halcyon Wardens and Obsidian Guard were currently in control of Terra and they were the ones more than most who had perpetuated the current state of the Imperium. The mercy shown to the Iron Revenants by the High Regent meant that they would never turn own their brothers, and that any attempt to sway them would garner a severe backlash as the Shadow Warriors had suffered. The Fire Keepers would not break their oaths of loyalty to the Imperium as they stood for stability and law. The World Shakers would not commit to actions that would cause such obvious discord and civil war. The Midnight Host, while having aligned sympathies for human life, fought in the misguided belief in the Emperor's grand design and were one of weakest legions following their pivotal role in combatting the Necrons. The Dune Serpents remained as difficult to read and grasp as the sands of their homeworld of Dhul'hasa, but Azus' distain for his more civic-minded brothers placed him as an unlikely ally. The Red Eyes, a broken shell of a legion after their disgrace in the Second Ruin, were deemed too unpredictable to be counted on for their support, despite their hostility to the High Regent and the Council of Terra.

There remained one legion who was sought more than any other: the ferocious sons of Mycenae and their lord Hectarion Mycenor. Hectarion and Tenzin had long been blood brothers, and the Lord of the Seventh swore that his brother could be make to see reason and join them. His cause was seconded by Ezharion, who secretly feared that the Separatist cause was being directed too much by scientists and humanitarians rather than warriors and longed for a Primarch with a more similar temperament. Gustave Dunant argued against Hectarion's inclusion, calling him little more than a savage clan chief who saw little of the wider picture beyond Mycenae's mountains. Aato Vayrynen voiced his doubts that Hectarion would support such open rebellion after the confrontations of the Succession Crisis and the Imperium's subsequent weakening in the First and Second Ruins. Koschei remained unconvinced but supported his brother's attempts to sway Hectarion to their side.