Legio I: Red Star Legion

Legio I: Red Star Legion

Primarch's Name: Stefan Ignatiyev
Homeworld: Bogatyr
Background: Thinker
Psychic Potential: Fair
Gene-seed: Stable
Talent: Organizational Genius, Spymaster
Legio I: Red Star Legion
Colors: Forest Green, Red, Gold Trim
Battle Cry: The Red Star Rises!

Primarch History

The gestation pod of the primarch of the first legion landed on the world of Bogatyr, a modern world of moderate technological development still divided into nation-states. The young primarch was discovered by an aspiring politician named Sergei Ignatiyev who adopted the boy as his son.

In addition to aspiring to political office, Sergei owned a variety of businesses and corporations and ruled over a commercial empire. Less obvious were Sergei's connections to organized crime. In this world of business, politics, and criminal enterprise Stefan came of age, taking on greater responsibility as his talents for organization, manipulation and secrecy became apparent to his father. With Stefan's help, Sergei became one of the most prominent political leaders of his nation.

In time Stefan's ambitions and vision overtook his father's and looked to include the whole of Bogatyr. Threatened and insecure in the face of his son's skills and ambition, Sergei blocked a number of his son's plans from reaching fruition. This resulted in a power struggle within the Ignatiyev organization that ultimately culminated in the assassination of Sergei on Stefan’s behalf. Stefan openly mourned his father’s death and lamented that it had become necessary to kill him.

With Sergei’s death Stefan took over his father’s organization and quickly expanded it both in and outside his nation’s borders. The primarch manipulated legitimate corporations, governments, and criminal enterprises with equal ease and skill, and with constantly increasing complexity and power. The ever increasing layers of influence, wealth, and power saw Stefan initiate and end conflicts from behind the scenes, engineer and solve economic crises, topple governments and raise up politicians at will, all towards his goal of unifying his world from the shadows. With his skill and ferocious intellect, it soon came to pass that Stefan ruled Bogatyr in all but name, controlling all important decisions and aspects of his world even while the overwhelming majority remained ignorant of his existence, their lives and perceptions continuing as they had before his rise.

Under Stefan’s silent leadership Bogatyr took to exploring with nearby worlds outside of its own solar system, creating a successful and complex trade network with Stefan firmly at the center. It was at this time that first contact was made with the Imperium of Man and the budding interstellar empire of Bogatyr was introduced to the wider galaxy. When the Imperial envoys arrived on Bogatyr to meet with the world’s nominal leaders, Stefan remained in the shadows, manipulating events to his benefit and remaining hidden – but as the interactions with the Imperials continued, his subtle machinations were noticed by those experienced in such matters, and a particularly powerful agent of the Emperor took note of the primarch’s hidden empire and agenda. Stefan too became aware of this particular envoy and the two became engaged in a drawn out duel of wills and wits as Stefan labored to remain hidden, and the Envoy labored to expose him.

In time Stefan was finally threatened with exposure and having his power over Bogatyr stripped from him, and he organized his assets and resources to go to war with the Imperials. Armies and mercenaries mobilized at his will, without the consent or orders of their nominal superiors, and it looked that Bogatyr would have to be forced into Compliance. In the proverbial eleventh hour Stefan received a pair of visitors at his command center, their arrival unannounced as they had penetrated his layers of security and defenses without detection or effort. Meeting with the two visitors Stefan was confronted with his nemesis, the mysterious Imperial Envoy and his master. The visitors spoke with Stefan at length about his goals, ambitions and methods on Bogatyr and also of the Imperium of Man and its Emperor. The young primarch came to realize the synchronicity of his goals with that of the Imperium and its Emperor and how he had in fact done the work of the Emperor his whole life. In the face of this revelation Stefan stood down his armies and resolved to reveal himself. Stefan’s actions prompted his Imperial visitors to reveal their own true identities to the primarch. The Envoy who had seen Stefan’s web of intrigues and sought him out was none other than the Emperor’s right hand, Malcador the Sigillite. Under normal circumstances this would be the greatest of honors, but these circumstances were not normal – Malcador had recognized the handiwork of one of the Emperor’s sons in Stefan’s empire and before confronting Stefan had brought the Emperor with him. So it was that the Emperor and his son were reunited.

After ordering his affairs on Bogatyr and its client worlds, Stefan was reunited with his Legion of astartes, the First Legion. To honor the memory of his father, Stefan renamed his Legion the Red Star Legion after his family symbol and colors.

Legion Organization

The Red Star Legion is nominally organized along very conventional lines, with 100 marine companies, thousand marine grand companies and so on. However, the influence of the primarch has ensured that his legion remains opaque to outside observers and agents – names and faces are rarely known to those outside of the Legion other than Stefan’s own and his most senior officers.

Combat Doctrine

In the realm of combat, Stefan was a late comer to the art of war as the Imperium waged it. Stefan’s experiences and preferences were for more subtle measures and prolonged manipulation, and he shaped his legion as it educated him. While still a proper combat formation, the Red Star Legion is a shadowy combatant: Assassins, spies and covert action teams prepare the way for the bulk of the Legion before it strikes. When the Legion attacks, it exerts rapid dominance over the battlefield and its foes with overwhelming power, and spectacular displays of force against their foe’s weakest points. The enemy forced to fight the Red Star Legion finds itself crippled and bereft of leadership or organization in the first minutes and never recovers.

Legion Beliefs and Practices

The First Legion was always a stalwart agent of the Imperial Truth even before becoming the Red Star Legion, and it has become even more so than before, actively and thoroughly converting conquered worlds to the ideology of the Great Crusade before moving on. Above the Red Stars’ belief in the Imperial Truth is their belief in pragmatism – Stefan has instilled within his gene-sons a strong sense of cool ruthlessness in achieving their goals that stops just short of being heartless or cruel. In his efforts to unify Bogatyr Stefan became a firm advocate in the ends justifying the means, and his Legion follows his example closely, using any means or method to force compliance so long as it does not damage the Imperium or the world’s ability to function and be useful.

Despite the Legion’s aversion to publicity or accolades, the Red Star legionaries have a fondness of personalizing their armor and vehicles with symbols from their home cultures and slogans of the Legion and Imperium. Each vehicle, weapon, and suit of power armor has a unique appearance that sets the Red Stars apart from more uniform legions.

Recruitment and Flaws

The Red Star Legion recruits its members from the inhabitants of Bogatyr and its early colonies, bringing with them the culture and language of those worlds. The gene-seed of Stefan and his Red Stars is considered an example of stability and normalcy and all organs function without flaw or defect.

During Heresy

Stefan Ignatiyev's many conquests ensured that by the beginning of Iskanderos' rebellion, he ruled over a sizable empire, the Red Star Collective. As a result, his influence gave him a founding position on the Council of Terra, where he adopted a cautious position, seeking to remain reasonably friendly with all of the power players without antagonizing any of them. This allowed him an enviable position of deniability during the early stages of the Heresy, forcing both sides to treat him with respect usually afforded to powerful neutrals.

Consequently, Stefan's withdrawal to Bogatyr shortly after Starfall, ostensibly to maintain order in the territories loyal to Terra, ensured that the Red Star Legion was not an active participant in the early battles of the Heresy. As the Council forces began to suffer visible reversals, Stefan proclaimed the Red Star Collective as a safe haven for all willing to stay under his rule, from civilian refugees fleeing the rebel advances to Astartes formations that broke with their Legions or were too savaged by the fighting to remain coherent fighting forces.

Though this policy of neutrality did not win Stefan any friends, it ensured that both sides left him well alone until they were too committed to mutual destruction to seriously threaten his dominion. The largest involvement of the First Legion in the war came when the broken remnant of the Warblades sought sanctuary on their way to their homeworld, pursued by their traitorous former brethren, the Abyssals. With the undeniable proof of daemonic involvement in Iskanderos' rebellion, Stefan was careful not to formally declare against the rebels while denying the Abyssals the chance to destroy the Warblades, and joining in the operation to repel their assault.

Post-Heresy

In the aftermath of the Abyssals' attack, the Red Star Legion continued to fortify their domain, expecting retaliation, however, it never came due to fracturing of Iskanderos' forces after the Fall of Terra. Though Stefan remained cautious, spending most of his energy on consolidating his now-independent realm, he found that for the most part, the Red Star Collective was relatively secure from external threats.

Even with minor Chaos incursions, xenos threats, or attacks from other Imperial successor states, the Red Star Collective weathered every storm thrown at it by the uncaring galaxy. As the centuries wore on, Stefan began to withdraw from active government. His appearances became much less frequent, taking place only during major events or festivals before eventually ceasing altogether. The last recorded appearance of the First Primarch was in the middle of the 34^th Millennium, however, most citizens could be forgiven for thinking that little of import had happened, as by then the government of the Red Star Collective was a well-organized machine functioning with little direct guidance from the Primarch.

It is not certain what became of Stefan Ignatiyev. Some claim that the First Primarch left to wander the galaxy, following the rumors of the reborn Emperor or seeking the whereabouts of his surviving brothers. Others believe that even the godlike Primarchs are susceptible to the passage of time, and that, foreseeing such an end, Stefan quietly prepared his dominion for transition. A large faction within the Red Star Collective believes that the Primarch is still amongst them, directing his underlings and governors with an unseen yet effective hand while maintaining secrecy for some inscrutable purpose.

It is certainly true that all official business on Bogatyr and its client worlds is still performed in the name of Stefan Ignatiyev, as if he were present, however, the truth of the matter remains unknown. Perhaps, it is for the best.