Lone Star Legion

Lone Star Legion armorial

Lone Star Legionarre in the legion's Mk.IX "Amerigo" plate

(post-Fracturing):For the Republic!

The **Lone Star Legion** is the primary fighting force of Celestius Singularis and, before the Fracturing, served the Imperium as the XVII Legion of the *Legiones Astartes*. During the Fracturing, they followed their Primarch, **John Kennington**, as he returned to the republic he had built before the Emperor came to install him as the leader of his legion. Joining forces with the Frost Lords, the Lone Star Legion formed Legion Command, the Astartes elements of the Republic's military.

## Legion History

### Unification Wars

Created near the end of the middle of the Unification Wars, the nascent XVII Legion quickly grew to the strength of 5,000 Astartes and took to the field just in time to conquer the techno-barbarian state of Merica alongside the Black Hands of the XVI Legion, who were campaigning in Nord-Merica at the time. The newly compliant state would be granted to the legion as its Terran recruitment fief. While the campaign was a stunning victory, it carried with it hints of what were to become the hallmarks of the legion in the days before the discovery of their Primarch; varying levels of discipline, training, and competence of leadership. Later conquests would begin to shape the opinion of the Emperor's armies against the new legion, who would begin to refer to the legion as the Sundered Seventeenth.

While nominally organized according to the tenets of the *Principia Bellicosa*, actual organization varied from battalion to battalion and from company to company.

Even as the Unification Wars died down, the most effective units of the XVII Legion were ordered to take the near orbital volume of Terra in preparation for the assault on Luna

### Terran Orbital War

In coming up with a plan to conquer Luna, Terra's one natural satellite, the Emperor had realized that to do so with complete security, the nascent Imperium would need to secure Terra's orbital sphere. To this task, he assigned the XVII Legion; partially because the legion was in between campaigns on Terra, but also to get them out of the way.

### The Solar Reclamation

Throughout the Solar Reclamation, the XVII Legion would be used to clear void structures and the seize control of the Lagrange points for each major Sol-planetary systems.

### The Great Crusade & Finding the Primarch

The XVII Legion was not very united. In fact, tensions within it had built up to the point of the possibility of a legion civil war breaking out. An initial group of the legion was there when Kennington was brought into the Imperium and were briefly known as the Galactics. Thirteen units of the legion answered the call. It then took a few years for the entirety of the legion to be under Kennington's control, all the while, he had been reforming the XVII into a form he desired.

He unveiled the XVII Legion in its newfound glory in the Compliance of Vyrax, where five whole divisions spectacularly crushed the enemy. When Kennington came to command the legion, he stripped them of their scheme and and bade them wear bare ceramite. At Vyrax, a new legion walked under the sun of an alien world; soldiers clad in red, white, and blue. They were the Lone Star Legion, and the void beckoned. They were one under the Emperor, united in liberty

### The Fracturing

As the Great Crusade drew to a close, John Kennington withdrew his entire legion back towards Celestius Singularis. Such a move was unprecedented, but he asserted that it was only temporary because he had plans that required his entire legion to be present as he could not afford to enact it piecemeal. Some decried the move as a deliberate sabotage of the Imperium's war effort due to the fact that the XVII Legion was by far the largest Space Marine legion. Only Kennington knew the true reason why he removed his legion from the front lines, and he was not one to confide his deepest thoughts to anyone.

## Notable Campaigns

* **Merica Campaign**
* **Lunar Pacification**
* **Marne Campaign**
* **The Pacification of Ultramar**

## Legion Homeworld

The original homeworld of the Lone Star Legion was the world of Amerigo, but as the legion and its needs grew in size as the Great Crusade went on, John Kennington deemed it necessary to relocate since the world was already rather densely populated. After a survey of the worlds of Celestius Singularis, it was decided that the world of Alamos was suited for the legion's requirements.

Alamos is a world akin to Amerigo, playing host to a wide range of environments, climates, and local flora and fauna. While it was populated, the number of people on the world was relatively low, having been colonized by citizens of Celestius Singularis in Kennington's initial push to claim the stars in the name of humanity.

### Legion Fortress

The Citadel of Liberty serves as the legion's ultimate headquarters and base of operations.

#### Notable Locations

* **Fort Hope** - The linchpin of the defenses of the Citadel of Liberty

## Legion Organization

### Officer Ranks

* **General** -
* **Colonel** -
* **Major** -
* **Captain** -
* **Lieutenant** -

### Veteran Ranks

* **Sergeant** -
* **Corporal** -

### The Librarium

By the decree of Kennington, psykers were actively kept out of the ranks of the legion until they proved their worth on the battlefield. Even the use of psykers in other legions didn't persuade the Eagle of the Imperium until the development of the Librarius Initiative, with its program of training the legions in the use of psykers and the training of said. After it had proven its worth in other legions, Kennington threw his full support behind the project and pushed for the active recruitment of psykers into the legion from worlds across Celestius Singularis with proven genetic stability. By the end of the Great Crusade, the XVII Legion possessed a large combat psyker division with Librarians of other talents finding niches.

Organizationally, the Librarius of the XVII Legion lies outside the normal command structure. It is not part of the LSL proper, nor the LSLMC. It is a specialist branch that sends out detachments to support other units. The largest deployment of LSL psykers was in a battle where approximately a battalion of them was brought to bear on a world to bring it into compliance. More often than not, a platoon of Librarians was the maximum that would be assigned to a given unit. It is estimated that at the peak of their numbers, the psykers of the XVII Legion numbered anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 Astartes. The Librarius is commanded by the Librarian-General - a four-star general - who is a member of John Kennington's command staff.

In the modern galaxy, the Librarians of the LSL are often called upon to help navigate the legion's ships through the Warp due to the scarcity of Navigators. As a result of this new duty, a new specialism has emerged: the Librarian-Navigator. It is the most demanding specialism within the branch, with very few truly mastering it.

### Lone Star Legion Marine Corps

Initially intended to be the Astartes shipboard security of the legion, the LSLMC morphed into a miniature legion within the XVII Legion itself, with divisions, tanks, and aircraft of its own. Most of the LSLMC still holds true to its origins, proudly defending the ships they were sworn to protect.

### Strategic Weapons Command

The Strategic Weapons Command is an organization within the Lone Star Legion created by John Kennington that was intended to centralize, regulate, and order the use of proscribed weaponry. One of the most prominent components of the SWC is the legion's Destroyer squads. While the role of Destroyers on the battlefield is the use of such weapons, XVII Legion Destroyers are also often called upon to seize enemy assets that are similar to those that they utilize. For example, if during the conquest of a planet, intelligence indicates the existence of chemical weapons plants, the Destroyers of the Strategic Weapons Command will be ordered to shut down the plant and seize the existing weapons to either be disposed of or to be added to the legion's stockpile.

The Strategic Weapons Command also has in its possession a number of gunships and bombers exclusively armed with weapons that are only to be used in the most dire of circumstances. For example, the legion might have a Stormbird Strategos in the air at all times during a war that is equipped with a massive thermonuclear bomb or an *Exterminatus*-grade weapon.

### Specialist Units and Formations

* **Tactical Assault squad** - A unit type within the LSL that wouldn't be found within pages of the *Principia Bellicosa* is the Tactical Assault squad. These Astartes, equipped with Jump Packs and Bolters, accompany Assault squads and provide fire support to them while simultaneously exploiting the opening created by the ferocity of their attack

* **Patriots** - Roughly equivalent to Champions in other legions, Patriots are more than just skilled warriors. They are selected for being exemplars of the XVII Legion's culture and are often skilled orators and debaters. They are almost always Sergeants. While it is not a written requirement, many officers were a Patriot at some point.

## Legion Gene-Seed

The gene-seed of the XVII Legion was noted amongst the legions for its remarkable stability, low mutation rate, and exceptionally high acceptance rate. This enabled the Lone Star Legion to rapidly bounce back from losses that should have crippled it. Unlike most legions, the gene-seed of the sons of Kennington did not confer special attributes upon those who were implanted with it.

## Legion Combat Doctrine

### Pre-Primarch

Within the Sundered Seventeenth before the discovery of their Primarch, combat doctrine varied wildly from battalion to battalion and company to company. It was entirely dependent upon the character of the officer who held on to command.

### Post-Primarch

The XVII Legion was praised during the Crusade for its warmaking, with some calling it the pinnacle of combined arms warfare. While the strategy of a particular operation may vary depending on the individual commander, the forces involved, and the planetary body itself, the standard invasion lead by the Lone Star Legion is generally a variant on the following. After a survey of the planet in question and intelligence-gathering, which would only happen if the leadership of the world refused to join the Imperium peacefully, ships in orbit would begin surgical orbital bombardment. Under the cover of said bombardment, the legion's aircraft would enter the planet's atmosphere to sweep the enemy's fighters from the sky and gain air superiority. Following that, bombers and gunships would make tactical strikes on enemy positions. As the bombing continues, drop pods of the legion assault key strategic positions across the world and establish beachheads, which are reinforced by the following waves brought in by transports. Once the beachheads are secure and the legion is pushing forward, the legion's Auxiliary Corps will begin construction of bases to ensure that there if the war goes on for a very long time, they are prepared.

The overall operation will be lead by one general, while each landing zone area will have its own commander so that the theater commander can focus on coordinating the invasion.

It is important to note that while such is a standard by-the-book operation, one this is certain: that the Lone Star Legion is never 100% predictable. Oftentimes, it won't even stick to its own doctrine, depending on the circumstance and the commander

## Notable Members

* **John Kennington** -
* **Sergeant Lawrencius** -
* **Sergeant Kane Forik** - Company 1st Sergeant of C Company (Jelly's Jaguars), 1st Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division. He rose to his position after the death of his predecessor and the promotion of the 2nd platoon's lieutenant to captain. He fought in the Marne Campaign as a young legionnaire after Kennington's reforms were enacted and took part in the Pacification of Ultramar. At the time of his death at Ullanor, he was 103 years old and had been awarded the legion's Silver Star twice and had been wounded dozens of times. He was considered by many to be one of the finest sergeants the legion ever had.
* **Staff Sergeant Emry** -
* **Sergeant Petriach Sunda** - A reliable if somewhat headstrong and bellicose Astartes, he was not known for great cunning, but he was a master of oration and rhetoric. His place was with I Company, 3rd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division from the time he was inducted until the time of his death on the field of battle. He was a crack shot with a Plasma Pistol, losing his arm not because his weapon overcharged but because an enemy round struck it as he was charging it up to fire.
* **Librarian-Captain Balaemar Zarbre, Master of Pyromancy, the Dragon of Alamos** - Formerly an Assault Captain before his powers manifested, Librarian-Captain Zarbre is the most skilled and powerful pyromancer within the entire Librarius of the XVII Legion. The Dragon of Alamos is highly intelligent; with a long fuse; and possessed of a cold, calculating fury when he is pushed into anger. Not only that, but he's an aggressive marine, far more so than most in the Lone Star Legion. He is equipped with a jump pack and psykic hood and is armed with an Inferno pistol, a hand flamer, and a force sword.

## Legion Fleet

The Lone Star Legion possesses the largest void fleet in the entirety of the Legiones Astartes, a source of pride for Kennington. While other legions might have kept their navies to predominantly one type ship or another, the XVII Legion's fleet includes ships from every type and class.

During the Great Crusade, the legion possessed such a large fleet that it was able to send battlegroups to support dozens of Expeditionary Fleets. In some cases, the entirety of an Expeditionary Fleet's voidborne assets were entirely composed of ships bearing the symbol of the XVII Legion.

### Notable Ships

#### ***Abyss*-class Battleships**

* **LSLS *The Price of Freedom* BBX-01 (Abyss-class Battleship) -**

#### ***Gloriana*-class Battleships**

* **LSLS *Bastion of Liberty* BBG-01 (Gloriana-Class Battleship) -** The personal flagship of John Kennington, Primarch of the Lone Star Legion. Tailored to his personal style of command, the *Bastion of Liberty* is a mobile command center and supercarrier capable of carrying dozens of squadrons of Attack Craft into battle. It is the greatest of the five Glorianas that are possessed by the legion.
* **LSLS *Amerigo Invictus* BBG-02 (Gloriana-class Battleship) -**
* **LSLS *Spirit of Freedom* BBG-03 (Gloriana-class Battleship) -**
* **LSLS *Eagle's Wings* BBG-05 (Gloriana-class Battleship) -** Destroyed at the Battle of Quersh
* **LSLS *The Price of Freedom II* BBG-09 (Gloriana-class Battleship) -** Built to replace the lost LSLS *Eagle's Wings*, this ship was named in remembrance of the first bearer of the name.

* **LSLS *Pride of Alamos* CVV-18 (Goliath-class Carrier Fortress) -**
* **LSLS *Sovereign of the Void* -**
* **LSLS *Liberator of Marne* BBA-202 (Battle Barge) -**
* **LSLS *Monitor* BBA-181 (Ironclad-class Battle Barge) -**

## Legion Armory

### Notable Tanks

* ***Dragon's Anvil*** - a Fellblade assigned to the 3rd Armored Division's 32nd Armored Regiment, specifically, the 8th company. Credited with eight super-heavy tank kills and dozens of others besides, as well as a single aircraft downed by its main guns.

## Legion Air Force

Being a legion whose fleet possesses a great many carrier-type vessels, the XVII Legion's air force is one of the mightiest of all the legions.

## Legion Auxiliary Corps

The Legion Auxiliary Corps encompassed all unaugmented humans in service to the XVII Legion, except for those serving aboard ships of the legion's navy. This included combat divisions, the logistical corps, and every other possible method of supporting the legion.

## Legion Specific Vehicles & Wargear

### Mk.IX "Amerigo" pattern power armor

Developed as an equivalent to the Mk VIV "Ores" Variant Pulse Armour of the First Allies, Mk.IX proved to be a quantum leap forward in power armor design. Its armor plating is constructed of an advanced ceramite alloy that is more durable than that used in the construction of standard suits of power armor, one whose composition is known only to those who designed and built it. The sensors of the armor are also enhanced for precision targeting. However, the most important innovation in the creation of the Mk.IX is in the power pack, which is able to output far more energy than the powerplant of Mk.VII.

There are drawbacks to the Mk.IX pattern, though. For one, it is resource-intensive, much more so than standard suits of Mk.VII armor. It is also highly experimental in nature, having only finished development and entering into production relatively recently. The current production is only enough to outfit one company at a time with the new armor, thus making it a precious resource carefully guarded by the legion. Currently, the majority of the legion's Mk.IX suits are being used by the Kennington's Own division.

### Sicaran Libertas

The Sicaran Libertas was developed by the Lone Star Legion's War College during the Great Crusade and is armed with a rapid-fire Battle Cannon in place of the Sicaran Battle Tank's main armament.

### Stormbird Strategos

The Stormbird Strategos is a variant of the many forms of the Stormbird gunship, one which sacrifices its transport capability to fill the role of a strategic bomber. The largest Stormbird Strategos is the one based on the Apophis Pattern Stormbird and can carry many thousands of bombs.

### *Goliath*-class Carrier Fortress

Developed at the behest of Kennington, the *Goliath* is a behemoth of a ship, capable of carrying thousands of Attack Craft into battle. As it is incredibly slow, doctrine dictates that these ships stay far away from the combat and act as flagships, something that many progressive admirals during the Great Crusade embraced.

### Armastone-pattern Bolter

As part of the Identity of the LSL as a more marksman legion, John Kennington - with the blessing of the Emperor - ordered the development of the Armastone-pattern bolter, based on the accurate and widely used M4/AR-15 autogun of the 21st century. Chambered in a smaller, .65 caliber than the standard bolter which is chambered at .75 caliber, the Armastone pattern maintains a higher rate of fire than the normal bolter, while also keeping a comparatively higher accuracy. While not as effective in its armor penetration as the standard bolter, the enhanced accuracy counters this by allowing the shooter to take better aim at more vulnerable points in the armor, such as the joints and face, though a good three round burst will rip through the armor. The Armastone pattern has survived the long years into the current day Republic, still maintained and used by a vast majority of the LSL and its various constituent divisions, which have done their own modifications. Some of these modifications include making a .75 caliber version, different barrels, magazines and even some attachments in similar fashion to its old age counterpart.

## Relations

### Allies

* First Allies
* Frost Lords

### Enemies

* Ashen Cavaliers
* Jade Spirits
* Storm Riders
* Swan Angels

## Gallery

An unknown Tactical Legionary of an unknown unit of the XVII Legion displaying his legion's pre-Primarch scheme on Mk II "Crusade" pattern power armor.Lone Star Legion Sergeant Lawrencius.Lone Star Legion Sokar pattern Stormbird super-heavy attack lander from an unknown squadron.Deimos-pattern Predator Executioner of the XVII Legion's 3rd Armored Division. Note the experimental color scheme.Shown here is a member of the 13th squad of the XVII Legion's 5th Destroyer Company, clad in Mk.III armor and bearing the scheme of the Lone Star Legion's Destroyers. Since the paint job is pristine, it is either a new suit or has just been repainted. Emblazoned on his chest is the symbol of the Strategic Weapons Command.XVII Legion Destroyer clad in Mk.III armor after a particularly intense combat engagement. Note the nonstandard scheme, indicating that he is a veteran.A Patriot of an unknown company within the XVII LegionAn unknown Tactical Legionary of the XVII Legion wielding a Volkite Caliver. He is a member of the VIII squad, 9th Company, 8th Line Regiment, 4th Division.Shown here is a Javelin Attack Speeder of the legion's 8th Division.Shown here is a Contemptor-Mortis Dreadnought of the XVII Legion's 4th Division.An unknown Tactical legionary of the XVII Legion clad in Mk.VI "Corvus" armor. He is a member of V squad, 2nd Recon Company, 13th Line Regiment, 8th Division.Shown here is a Veteran Sergeant of III Tactical Squad, 6th Company, 8th Line Regiment, 4th Division. He is clad in the Fulminus subpattern of Mk.II "Crusade" armor.Shown here is a Heavy Support Legionnaire of VIII Squad, 4th Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Line Regiment, 2nd Division "Star Shields." He is clad in Mk.IV armor and wielding an Autocannon.Shown here is a Tactical Assault legionnaire of II Squad, 6th Assault Company, 63rd Assault Battalion. This battalion is currently attached to the legion's 2nd Division "Star Shields." He is clad in Mk.IV armor and is wielding a Tigrus-pattern Bolter.Shown here is a Tactical Legionnaire of IX Squad, 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Line Regiment, 2nd Division "Star Shields." This particular member of the legion is a veteran of both the Unification Wars and the Saturnyne Campaign, as shown by the Raptor and Lightning symbol on his belt and the Saturnyne Ram on his left pauldron, respectively.Shown here is a Tactical legionnaire of XVII Tactical Squad, 14th Company, 5th Battalion, 1st Siege Regiment clad in Mk.IV armor.Shown here is a Spartan Assault Tank from the armor pool of the 9th Line Regiment, 2nd Division "Star Shields."Shown here is a Kratos Heavy Battle Tank of the LSL's 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division.Seen here is a Sicaran Battle Tank of the LSL's 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division.