Astranii Campaign
The Astranii Campaign was a war of the Great Crusade.
Overview
The war began after the Imperium made contact with the advanced Human civilization known as the Astranii Machine Empire. Initially only a single Expeditionary Fleet was dispatched to deal with the Astranii, but their scouting fleets were devastated by an ambush in which only Imperial Fists Captain Sigismund was the survivor.[1]
Subsequently, three Primarchs (Ferrus Manus, Rogal Dorn, and Horus Lupercal) were summoned for a larger invasion, this time backed by the Mechanicum which had labelled the Astranii Hereteks who must be annihilated at all costs. This objective created tensions between Dorn and Ferrus, the former of which wished for simple compliance while the latter pursued the same genocidal goals as the Mechanicum. Horus attempted to intervene in the dispute, coming to agree that compliance was the best option after hearing testimony from Sigismund, who had been witness to an Astranii ambush. Ferrus only agreed to cooperate with his brothers for the time being with no guarantee of anything once the fighting was over.[1]
Once the campaign was over, it was decided that the dispute between Rogal and Ferrus would be settled in a duel between their champions. Sigismund would battle the Iron Hands Centurion Thos. After a difficult battle, Sigismund defeated Thos but the warrior refused to yield. Ferrus Manus then arrived and asked Sigismund if he was willing to kill a fellow Astartes, which the Templar Brethren Captain stated he would not do over something as petty as an honour duel. Ferrus apparently agreed, and ordered Thos to yield.[1]
See also
Sources
- 1: Sigismund: The Eternal Crusader (Novel) - Chapter 6
