Legio Cybernetica

The Legio Cybernetica is one of the oldest sub-branches of the Adeptus Mechanicus and is responsible for deploying fully autonomous robots for both combat duties and support tasks intended to aid Imperial armed forces in the field. The Legio Cybernetica can trace its lineage to the time before the birth of the Imperium of Man when Mars was an independent empire ruled by the Tech-priests of the Cult Mechanicus. Its members regard themselves as an elite within the ranks of the Mechanicus, as their Legio has a long history of serving the will of the Emperor of Mankind. However, many of those within the Legio broke faith with the Emperor during the Schism of Mars, siding with the traitorous forces of the Warmaster Horus and fighting alongside his Traitor Legions throughout the Horus Heresy. When this conflict ended the Traitor cohorts of the Legio Cybernetica fled into the Eye of Terror, where they remain to this day, warped and twisted by their exposure to the power of Chaos. The remaining Loyalist elements of the Legio Cybernetica pledged themselves anew to the Imperium, and its members took binding oaths of loyalty more terrible than any taken even by the Astartes. Over the millennia since the Heresy, the Legio Cybernetica has regained the respect and admiration of the rest of the Adeptus Mechanicus as well as the other myriad Adepta of the Imperium, though in fact it has rarely been deployed in recent centuries.

Great Crusade
As one of the most ancient factions within the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Legio Cybernetica can trace its recorded history back to the bygone era of the 31st Millennium during the Great Crusade. Many of the Legio's robot cohorts fought alongside the Space Marine Legions to bring hundreds of newly rediscovered human worlds into Imperial Compliance. The Legio was instrumental in ending the isolation that had consumed the human-settled galaxy during the long years of the Age of Strife. This massive expansion of the Imperium continued unabated until the Emperor's realm encompassed nearly the entire galaxy by the start of the second century of the 31st Millennium.

Unfortunately, a new and unexpected threat emerged to challenge Mankind's dominance over the galaxy. A galaxy-wide interstellar revolt was instigated and led by the Warmaster Horus, the greatest and most beloved of the Emperor's Primarchs, his super-human, genetically-engineered sons. But even before the opening stages of his planned insurrection began, he knew he would have to secure the support of the Adeptus Mechanicus and their superior technology and weapons if he was to defeat the Emperor and conquer the galaxy.

Schism of Mars
In order to win over the loyalty of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Horus promised he would provide them with the lost secrets of ancient Standard Template Construct (STC) technology that had been recovered from the worlds of the recently subjugated Auretian Technocracy by his own Sons of Horus Legion. Convincing the Fabricator-General Kelbor-Hal of his resolve, the Warmaster secured the traitorous Arch-Magos' support by promising to provide increased autonomy for the Mechanicus after his victory, repealing all of the rules against the development of certain technologies that had been placed upon the Mechanicus by the Emperor. As a gesture of gratitude for his support, Horus supplied the Fabricator-General with the information needed to open the sealed Vaults of Moravec -- a repository of forbidden technology and innumerable artefacts corrupted by the malign influence of Chaos. The Emperor had ordered this repository sealed two centuries earlier, after the signing of the Treaty of Mars that incorporated the Mechanicus into the newborn Imperium. Their dark bargain struck, the Fabricator-General pledged his continued support for Horus, and promised that the Mechanicus would assist the Traitors with all the technology and war materiel at their disposal.

Eventually civil war erupted across the Red Planet, as the tense relations between the various Mechanicus Magi who governed Mars erupted overnight into open civil conflict between those who remained Loyal to the Imperium and those who supported Kelbor-Hal and the Traitors. When the Fabricator-General and his Dark Mechanicus forces moved against the Loyalist factions, the robot cohorts under the command of the Legio Cybernetica willingly obeyed their traitorous masters. In the subsequent fighting, many more of the Adeptus Mechanicus soon joined Horus and his Traitors, not bothering to hide the fact that parts of the Legio had been the first to declare for the Warmaster. Following the defeat of Horus at the hands of the mortally wounded Emperor at the end of the Battle of Terra, and the banishment of the Traitor Legions to the Eye of Terror, those within the Legio Cybernetica who had sided with the Traitors fled in disgrace as well. There they have remained for the last ten millennia, gradually becoming ever more warped and distorted by the power of Chaos.

Legio Cybernetica Organisation
The Legio Cybernetica specialises in only one of the myriad areas of technical arcana, primarily the care and construction of all robots throughout the Imperium. Once employed by the forces of the Imperial Army and the Space Marine Legions as combat and labour support, they are now exclusively deployed by the Legio. In their heyday, the Legio Cybernetica was organised into several thousand cohorts, although only a small percentage of these were ever active at any given time. Each of these robot cohorts were in turn organised into maniples of 3, 4 or 5 robots led by a Legio Tech-adept. Numbering rarely more than 100, the number of maniples within a cohort could greatly vary. However, a cohort was usually spread across an entire Astartes force of several Chapters or a single large Imperial Army force. The use of more than 4 or 5 maniples in a battle were rare, but not unknown. During the Horus Heresy particularly large numbers of Legio robots were committed by both the Loyalists and Traitors in an effort to minimise human casualties until a decisive final battle could be fought. In addition, the Legio was further divided into a number of sects.

Each maniple was a self-contained unit, with a single Tech-adept typically overseeing the management of four robots on the battlefield. They were responsible for little more than providing the robots with their final "wetware" programming and for monitoring their progress during combat. However, they were also charged with the equally vital task of monitoring the overall progress of their maniple, and to ensure that a damaged robot was destroyed as quickly as possible, to avoid any possible danger a malfunctioning automaton could present to their own side in the battle. This was done by remotely activating the robot's self-destruct system. There were also a number of other, lesser Tech-adepts who performed all maintenance and repair functions for the maniple in between combat operations Their presence on the battlefield was rare but did occurr in certain situations. Possessing the ability to repair virtually any item of Imperial equipment, it was said these Tech-adepts of the Legio were worth their weight in spares.

Members of the Legio Cybernetica tended to eschew the gross cybernetic augmentations of their colleagues within the Mechanicus in favour of subtle bionic enhancements that do not disfigure or dilute their outwardly human aspect; but those who know a member of the Legio know that whatever humanity they do show is rare and fleeting. Those of senior rank or equally high status are known to wear the circuit-laced robes of a Mech-Lord to identify their esteemed status. These senior Legio members are usually accompanied by a small maniple of robots for their own personal protection.

Imperial Robots
Over the centuries the Legio Cybernetica has produced many robot designs. Many proved to be successful, and the Legio has kept the five most common Imperial battle robot designs in its inventory for most of the Imperium's long and bloody history. Some of these designs were utter failures, such as the disastrous Castigator-class, which was so heavily armoured it moved slower than the troops it was designed to protect and support. Its survival capability was negligible as it was only outfitted with meagre weapons; a single Bolter.

Robot Patterns

 * Castellan - The Castellan-class robot was designed for general-purpose combat and assault and is also ideally suited for a wide-range of battlefield situations. It is armed with a Power Glove on each arm as well as a Heavy Bolter mounted above its chassis for additional protection and ranged firepower. This standard configuration makes it particularly effective in siege and anti-vehicle roles, and provides an effective compliment to heavy weapon armament.
 * Castellax - The most common of the widespread Castellan-type battle-automata in service, the Castellax is a general battle unit developed during the Great Crusade from its ancient forebear. Primarily intended for siege work and shock assaults, the Castellax Battle-automata is a hulking humanoid machine with a notoriously aggressive and responsive machine-spirit, and an enviable reputation on the battlefield. The Castellax, employed in units of one to five by the Legio Cybernetica, has a standard configuration of Bolter and Bolt Cannon armament, and is able to maintain a punishing barrage of firepower as it advances.
 * Cataphract - The Cataphract-class robot is a heavily-armoured general-purpose battle robot designed for use in almost all combat environments and situations. This versatility in a wide range of battlefield roles makes this war engine a highly-deployable and popular machine among the Legio Cybernetica's cohorts. This robot can mount a variety of weapons for various purposes, the most common being one Lascannon above its chassis and a Bolter mounted on one arm and one Flamer mounted on the other. It is often regarded by some Imperial commanders as a jack-of-all-trades.
 * Colossus - The Colossus-class robot was designed to function primarily as a siege weapon. Its standard configuration combines a Siege Hammer mounted one of its arm appendages for attacking fortifications with a Bolter mounted on its other arm appendage for use against defending troops. The Siege Hammer can also be used in close combat situations. It also possesses a chassis-mounted Multi-Melta for additional firepower. The Colossus is often employed by the Imperial Guard as a cheap alternative to the use of heavy artillery. A few Colossus-class robots are maintained by the Ordo Reductor of the Adeptus Mechanicus, mainly for testing new and experimental siege weaponry.
 * Conqueror - The Conqueror-class robot was designed for use in battlefield situations where heavily-armed resistance is expected. Its combination of potent firepower combined with heavy armour is a major benefit of its design. On one of its arms is mounted an Autocannon, on the other a Power Fist. Above its chassis is mounted a Heavy Bolter for additional firepower. The Conqueror is ideally suited for assault, anti-vehicle and anti-Dreadnought roles on the battlefield.
 * Crusader - The Crusader-class robot is designed for agility, as it can move quickly on the battlefield and strike a telling blow. It is a light combat robot, and it is only lightly-armoured. It is most often employed in an anti-personnel mode, and has proven to be very popular with the forces of the Inquisition and other groups like the Adeptus Arbites, due to its effectiveness in mutant-hunter/killer operations. The Crusader is never used where heavy resistance or strong concentrations of enemy armour are expected. The Crusader is typically armed with dual Power Swords on each arm, and a chassis-mounted Lascannon.
 * Other Classes - The Legio Cybernetica also operated many other classes of Robots, including the Lamba Zeta-01 Combat Class Robot, the Delta Omega-03 Combat Class Robot, and the Rho-Tau 17 Surveillance Class Robot.

Notable Members

 * Mech-Lord Gergerra Rei - Gergerra Rei was a Mech-Lord, possessing a high status as master of Kapekan Sect of the Mechanicum's Legio Cybernetica branch. During the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium, he led two full cohorts of combat automata (Imperial Robots) which fought alongside the Luna Wolves Space Marine Legion and the Warmaster Horus during many notable campaigns. Like many members of the Cybernetica, Rei eschewed the gross cybernetic augmentations of his colleagues in the Mechanicum in favour of subtle enhancements that did not disfigure or dilute his outwardly human aspect. However, those who knew Rei knew that whatever humanity he did show was rare and fleeting. He maintained a personal bodyguard that consisted of a maniple of three modified Crusader-class robots that were in his presence at all times. A fourth mechanical, this one custom-built to resemble a female form rendered in polished chrome, walked at his side and served as his aide. No one asked questions about loyalty when Rei was nearby. His machines could hear a whisper among a roaring crowd, and those who dared to suggest aloud that Rei was anything less than the Emperor's obedient servant lived to regret it. Gergerra Rei had been involved in the creation of the Furious Abyss, a unique Imperial Abyss-class Battleship of special configuration, created and built in the Jovian shipyards of Thule by the Renegade Dark Mechanicus faction loyal to Kelbor-Hal, the Fabricator-General of Mars' Mechanicum. Though he was duplicitous in committing treason against the Imperium, he did so in a way that could not be proven without doubt in a court of law, nor in a way that connected him through any direct means, yet his involvement was enough that the guardians of the Imperium were certain of his treachery. Whatever his crime, perhaps the transfer of certain bribes, the diversion of materials and manpower or the granting of passage to starships that should have been denied, the Kapekan Mech-Lord had done the bidding of the traitor Horus Lupercal. Aboard Saros Station, an orbiting resort platform where the Mechanicum's Jovian elite could find respite and diversion from the works of the shipyards and manufactoria, Gegerra Rei met his ultimate fate at the skillful hands of the assassin known as Koyne, a Shade in the service of the Clade Callidus. Having been a shape-changer for most of his/her life, Koyne often stayed in the form necessary for the completion of the mission and eventually had forgotten his/her original gender. Disguised as a famous female opera singer, Koyne seduced the Mech-Lord and murdered him in cold blood, delivering the Emperor's justice for his betrayal.

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