Mad Tyrant of Cebeon

Though the Emperor’s Astartes have a reputation for nobility and serving humanity, during the Five Ruins many worlds would have their faith scattered by seeing Astartes’ cruelty. The world of Cebeon was one such world, only that it bore witness to the tyranny of one particular Astartes.

No accounts record which Legion the brute known as Petrotheus hailed from; his armour bearing no mark of Legion or rank at his arrival. One day during the Third Ruin, an astropathic message reached Cebeon that a light frigate containing a group of Astartes would be arriving to make sure the world remained loyal to Terra. The governor was taken by surprise as Cebeon was a backwater world that had not seen any military presence from Terra since its peaceful joining with the Imperium. The decrepit honour guard and PDF was organised into a parade, banners created and the feudal castle that operated as the government’s centre was prepared to receive the visitors.

The first sign of something being amiss was the arrival of the Frigate *Night’s Blessing*. The vessel displayed no standardised Legion iconography, the hull having been scarred and weathered to the extent that the only icon visible was barely recognisable yet it was unknown to the governor. Regardless, the ship’s vox hailed the world and the Astarte in charge identified himself as Petrotheus, asking for permission to land. With permission granted, a series of Storm Eagles descended and one hundred Astartes met the governor and his guard.

The second sign of trouble came mere seconds before the violence broke out, as the Astartes failed to identify themselves upon the governor’s inquiry. In response to the question, the lead Astarte drew his bolt pistol and shot the governor in the head. The rest of the Astartes began killing the honour guard as the people of Cebeon began panicking and scattering. When the violence ceased, the Astartes had killed the entirety of the honour guard and had taken control of the castle. Petrotheus issued a message to the world, claiming Cebeon as his domain and the new homeworld of his band of Blackshields. The *Night’s Blessing* remained in orbit, bombarding a few areas of resistance but mainly serving as a looming threat. Within a week, the few orbital defences were dismantled and rebellions were crushed by handfuls of Astartes as the populace were sparsely armed.

The Astartes seemed uninterested in recruiting or swearing allegiance to the Separatists or Traitors, instead seeking to indulge themselves and rule the world as their fiefdom. The Imperial Tithe was redirected and put into the hands of the Astartes, who claimed large residences for themselves and began employing retinues of mortals as their servants and followers. Over the course of months, the Astartes integrated themselves into Cebeonian society as a new aristocracy, spending their gains on lavish works of art and displays of power, alongside a few civic projects to modernise Cebeon to their liking.

The loss of a world would eventually come to the attention of the Imperium, and after several months of occupation and no tithes being sent an astropathic message arrived demanding the tithe and enquiring about the lack of communication. Petrotheus stalled for months on end, stating that the Tithe had already been sent and then claiming that Separatist raids had stolen the intended Tithes. In the chaos of the Fourth Ruin, the minds of the Imperium were preoccupied, and Cebeon remained isolated.

Finally, luck turned against the Tyrant. An Imperial Army ship arrived out of the Warp without advanced warning, making for Cebeon. The Astartes had planned for such an event, putting forward a puppet governor to meet with the Imperial commander,  while the Astartes remained hidden. The Imperial commander stated that he was on his way to Terra to help defend it from the Traitors and was requisitioning Cebeon’s supplies. The governor stammered and tried to deflect the commander, but he could do nothing as the commander simply ignored him. For a while, the Astartes remained hidden as they attempted to wait out the Imperial Army troops, but a chance encounter escalated to the point that the Astartes were forced to reveal themselves. Though they easily slaughtered the surprised mortals and claimed their warship, the ship’s location had been transmitted to the wider Expeditionary Fleet and hiding a second warship would prove even harder.

The Blackshields debated what to do now, but in the end self-preservation won out. The majority of the warband decided to leave Cebeon behind and escape with their spoils and the two warships. However, Petrotheus refused to leave, having become attached to the world and the position of power he held. Petrotheus began to display signs of madness, randomly shouting about the betrayal of his battle brothers and his glorious rule of Cebeon. He could not believe that his brothers would actually leave, proclaiming that they would see his side and choose to stay before the day of departure. As the day approached, Petrotheus’ sanity slipped further as he began to lash out physically, killing several mortals and one of his warband for insolence. The rest of his brothers were forced to lock him in his palace as they departed, only for him to break out in a rage as the Blackshield Storm Eagles rose into the sky. Petrotheus was left alone as the sole Astarte on Cebeon. He would not remain that way for long, as the people of Cebeon swarmed him and hacked him to pieces even as he killed a dozen of them in return.

*The world of Cebeon was subsequently decreed to have fallen three years behind on its Imperial Tithe. The newly-appointed governor of Cebeon sent by Terra reported that the world was unable to pay their fines, and as such the world was declared in arrears and a tithe of 3 generations of recruits for the Imperial Army was imposed.*