Atar-Median - History: The seeds of Atar-Median's ill-repute during the Great Crusade can be traced to the highly unusual circumstances of their inception. In the early years of the Great Crusade, one of the first tasks of Imperial expansion from Terra was to link up with a number of key domains within the Segmentum Solar identified as vital to the Great Crusade's success.Crucial among these were several Forge Worlds with whom the ancient Mechanicum of Mars had maintained some relationship throughout the tribulations of the later Age of Strife.In many cases, these inclusions went without difficulty, such as with Voss, whose masters had bent the knee to Mars without qualm. But in other cases, such as that of Phaeton, inclusion was a matter of some negotiation and difficulty, and the final acquiescence bought with considerably more autonomy than the fabricator-general of Mars would perhaps have preferred from a Mechanicum vassal-domain.What began as a coldly cordial relationship quickly grew into one of veiled and open rivalry, with Phaeton's position being further strengthened by it quickly becoming perhaps the second most productive Forge World of the Great Crusade until the late rediscovery of mighty Anvilus.Although never faltering in its commitment to the Great Crusade, machinations by the authorities of Mars brought matters close to outright conflict over Cult Mechanicus doctrine and subtle accusations that Phaeton was building its military assets to threatening levels, and this began to have a corrosive effect on the Forge World's reputation -- to the point where the storm clouds of hostile censure and perhaps even armed retribution gathered.At last, the ruling revered-comptroller of Phaeton Prime, realising that his domain could not stand before such power, brokered a compromise, offering publicly to give up a full third of his world's Titans, armed forces and chattels in the interests of political equanimity with Mars.This was quickly agreed, but as the fabricator-general, no doubt with some lust for the task, despatched an assayance task force to Phaeton, he discovered that he had been outmanoeuvred.Rather than give up its lore and dominion to Mars, Phaeton had created a fleet of vast Explorator Arks, and into these were divided an equal third part of its priesthood, chattels and machinery, and even as the Martian emissaries looked on, despatched them into the void.Conflict was averted, Phaeton diminished and its subservience to Mars was assured, but it and its allies gained a long-burning antipathy toward Mars and its masters. After a long and perilous journey through the Warp, the Phaetonite Covenant alighted in the vicinity of the white super-giant star Atarath, located in the Segmentum Pacificus, on what was then the edge of known Imperial space. Here they founded the fledgling Forge World of Atar-Median in its shadow, on one of the many rogue planets caught in the colossal star's gravitational pull.With frightening swiftness the transplanted magi rose up their domain of steel and fire, and using as its core ancient god-engines taken from the forces that had once defended Phaeton in the anarchy of Old Night, it founded the Legio Atarus as its shield and sword.