Alpha Legion

The Alpha Legion are the Chaos Space Marines legion about whom the least is known. They are experts in infiltration and their armies contain many Chaos cultists in addition to regular chaos space marines.

The Alpha Legion primarch was named Alpharius, a brilliant and secretive Primarch who was reportedly later killed by Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines.

History
Alpharius and Omegon were the last Primarchs to be found, just prior to the end of the Great Crusade and the beginning of the Heresy. Horus, Primarch of the Sons of Horus as they were now known, followed an escaping group into an asteroid field, where they were set upon by multiple smaller craft. Despite being over powered and out numbered, Horus's opponents managed to flank him at almost every turn, and eventually his own command craft was boarded. A group of five men, the fifth much larger than the rest, burst onto Horus's bridge, and Horus promptly slew four of them. The fifth managed to dodge Horus's shot and the two nearly came to blows, when Horus recognized a fellow Primarch.

Alpharius, unlike the other Primarchs was introduced to the Emperor in only a casual way before being given command of the XX Legion, ironically dubbed the Alpha Legion (whether this was out of irony for being the last Legion discovered or based on Alpharius's name is not known). Horus took Alpharius under his wing, and even gave overall command authority to Alpharius in later campaigns. In a bizarre turn, Alpharius refused to reveal the location of his homeworld, normally the site of much of a Legion's recruitment, to the budding Imperium. It is unknown whether Alpharius even had a homeworld. The Alpha Legion's turn to Chaos was, oddly, something they chose for the Imperium's sake. While undertaking a compliance war on the planet of Nurth, they were approached by a man by the name of John Grammaticus, an agent of a xenosform group known as the Cabal. The Cabal revealed to Alpharius and Omegon, as well as two other men, Peto Soneka and a psyker by the name of Shere, the outcome of Horus being named Warmaster. They then presented two options to the Primarchs. The Legion could either defend the Imperium in the upcoming war, and thereby doom the galaxy to ten thousand years of war, or they could side with Horus and condemn the human race to extinction but save the galaxy from Chaos. The Legion's battle cry of "For the Emperor!," when viewed in this light, is not the mocking insult it was once thought to be. Rather, it is a testament to the Legion's devotion that they have stayed true to their cause for so long. One interesting note is that most of the Alpha Legion does not reside in the warp, but rather roams the galaxy in bands of warriors, trained to act independently of each other toward their greater cause. In this way they are by and large the only Traitor Legion not to succumb to the mutations of Chaos.

Structure
Very little is known about the internal organization of the Alpha Legion. They placed a high value upon secrecy before they turned traitor. On occasions there have been successful assassinations of members of the legion thought to be high-ranking officers, but their removal has had little visible effect on their operations. The Alpha Legion's training focused primarily on independent operation, and continued protracted campaigns with little or no central command support.

The Legion's symbol, the hydra, is a multi-headed mythical beast which had the ability to keep fighting even if one if its heads was cut off. This legend seems to reflect the Alpha Legion's command structure, as well as echoing its doctrine of multiple attacks.

Alpharius believed in planning and coordination; he always sought alternatives and multiple solutions to any given problem, with different elements working together for the end result. These doctrines have been thoroughly embraced by the legion as a whole, and have proved effective, especially in the disparate and secretive way they now operate.

All Space Marine legions set arduous tasks and trials for potential recruits, but prior to the Heresy, the Alpha Legion set these initiation tests for squads not individuals. Squads had succeeded as a group or not at all - foolhardy heroics were frowned upon. The overall plan was paramount and more valuable than any one Space Marine.

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