Naught but ruin, in His Name.
The 11th Company of the Alfa Legion are an immobile but immovable powerhouse of siege masters that can leave a fortress either unbreachable or reduced to slag and cinder, a grim task that offers little in the way of glory or thanks. Tactical Marines with siege mantlets advance under a curtain of firepower from Devastators and heavy artillery, while Centurions and Vindicators deal lethal blows to dug-in troops up close and personal. The masters of their art, the 11th Company has rightly earned its place as the ironclad Hammer of the Legion.
Specialization and Doctrine
The Company does one thing, and does it exceptionally well: stationary defence and/or levelling of entrenched targets. A Space Marine may find himself in the brutal close confines of the breach, or manning the cannons that made the breach in the first place, with some types of Tactical Squad carrying heavy breaching shields to aid their assaults or to hold positions. The focus of 11th is at extreme range under a blanket of artillery saturation, but they are equally vicious in a close-range encounter.
An 11th Company Marine never knows when he will need to dig in to a position, so each brother carries an entrenching tool in addition to his normal equipment, equal parts fortification tool and lethal melee weapon. ‘Dirty tactics’ are unheard of, since anything that secures a victory is worth using: it is not unheard of for a Marine in a duel to simply crack his opponent’s skull open with an armoured punch or headbutt.
No 11th Company operation is complete without the big guns, and the Company armoury is replete with ordnance platforms. At long range sit the Basilisks and Whirlwinds, while Vindicators and Medusas lob heavy shells at closer ranges: stationary emplaced versions of each weapon type are commonly fielded. The 11th is sanctioned to use a brace of Land Raiders gifted by 2nd Company: two Helios-types, two Redeemer-types, two Ares-types, and a venerable Achilles, though these serve as the only true ‘battle tanks’ of the Company: everything else is either an artillery piece or a Rhino. As such, the Company struggles in mobile tank battles, preferring instead to whittle down enemy armour columns from afar.
Due to their ‘immoveable object’ nature, 11th Company is ill suited to hit-and-run tactics or guerrilla warfare. The Company measures its engagements in weeks and months, not hours, and is better suited to a foe unable to effectively counter blanket firepower.
History
M31-M40
The 11th Company served as a somewhat average Company before the Civil War, often finding itself at the vanguard of siege deployments because no-one else felt like sitting still for a month shelling a target. The only mentions of 11th Company from this time period either come from Imperial Guard accounts, or from footnotes in the annals of other Companies.
The Civil War
The 11th Company was split in half during the Civil War. The younger elements of the Company became tainted when Captain Janus was killed and replaced by an Alpha Legion infiltrator. They decided that they could do the whole Chapter thing better as their own force under the damning guidance of the Impostor Captain, and tried to secede.
The veterans, however, were having none of that. The Company ripped itself apart as brother fought brother, with the Heretic 11th gaining the aid of most of the 12th when they decided to secede too. The Legion dubbed the entire Company heretics and began killing any 11th Marine they encountered regardless of loyalties, before the leader of the Loyalist 11th – Company Consul Alaric Targavel – managed to prove the veterans’ loyalty by killing the Heretic 11th’s leader himself, beating the Impostor Captain’s skull to a bloody pulp in a brutal fisticuff. He led the Loyalist Veterans in a glorious campaign of vengeance against their tainted kin, and planted the Company Banner through the skull of the last heretic’s body.
During the subsequent restructuring of the Chapter, 11th Company was assigned the role of Siege Company as its Specialisation, equal parts in recognition of skill and unwillingness of anyone else to take the role. Alaric Targavel was made Company Captain by this point, and he spent decades rebuilding the lost might and reputation of his brothers.
The Crimson War
The 11th Company spent most of the Crimson War spread out across the city-settlements, deployed as counter-battery units to eliminate opposing artillery pieces and hold any breaches opened in the lines. Though loyalties were conflicted during this campaign – after all, their enemies were a loyal Chapter – the 11th refused to grant the Crimson Tigers a foothold in the population centres, fearing for the safety of the civilians.
Seculata Disgrace
The Company’s darkest hour in recent memory, multiple cohorts were deployed to the Hive World of Seculata to defend against the Tzeentchian Cult of the Incursive Rapture. Unable to arrive quickly enough due to the fickleness of Warp travel, the Infernal Conflagration Warband of Chaos Space Marines had already been summoned by the time help arrived. Refusing to leave the planet to the whims of Chaos, the 11th made planetfall anyway, rallying the remaining civilian militias and Arbites forces.
The conflict escalated as a second Warband, the Khornates of the Sanguine Tide, came to kill their rival Traitors and claim the planet for themselves. Amidst a tide of heretics and daemon invocations, Captain Targavel and sixteen of his best Space Marines fought their way into the main horde of cultist psykers and ripped out the heart of their rituals. The warp portals imploded, and Alaric – locked in combat with Bloodletters – was unable to egress beyond the event horizon, thus becoming trapped with the hellspawn as they returned to whence they came.
Though his body was not found, the Chapter generally considered this to be the event that killed Alaric Targavel, with only the 11th listing him as MIA. Alaric’s Folly is a cautionary tale, and teaches newer 11th recruits that even the best hero’s valorous charge can be undone if he does not retreat when the situation is too far gone to recover.
An Unlikely Candidate
Reeling in the wake of Seculata, the 11th was dealt another blow – this one personal rather than physical. In a drunken stupor, the Chapter Master declared that he had found the perfect replacement for the 11th’s lost Captain…and promptly elected a Lord Commissar attached to one of the Swedesian Ice Burner regiments as the Captain. To this day no-one knows the logic behind this, including the Commissar himself (a man by the name of Wolf), but the Chapter Master has staunchly refused to ever reverse the decision. Many feel that this act was a deliberate slur against the Company and a particularly low blow against a force freshly deprived of their much-respected Captain, and relations with the command echelons of the Chapter have never been cordial since.
990s, M41
A neophyte undergoing trials on the Judgement of Hairion returned to the Chapter telling tales of a strange Space Marine he found in the depths of the hulk. A recovery team investigating the incident returned with the Astartes in tow – battle-worn and under the effects of the Catalepsean Node – and the testimony of the Master of Sanctity confirmed that this warrior was, in an unexpected turn of good fortune, Alaric Targavel himself, returned from the Empyrean. Extensive Librarius, Chaplaincy, and Apothecarion tests confirmed the sanctity of his mind, soul, and physical form, and the Astartes was soon reinstated as 11th Company Captain. The Company’s morale soared, and Lord Commissar Wolf was reassigned off-world, awaiting a new regimental assignment.
Culture
Constant undertaking of siege warfare inspires a certain sense of stubbornness in many Marines, who take a grim pride in their work that others would simply consider dross. Though the Legion at large generally considers their work a boring and bleak duty, the 11th raises to the task with furious abandon, caring little for what anyone else thinks of their onerous functions.
Unlike the rest of the Chapter, the 11th Company stubbornly refused to fully integrate Swedesian values into their dichotomy after the Great Crash, unwilling to abandon traditions from their time as a spacefaring Chapter. Thus, the Company still uses High Gothic nomenclature, often assigning its new inductees High Gothic names upon elevation (not counting already named transfers from other Companies).
The 11th Company treasures relations with other Imperial factions, particularly the Astra Militarum. The Guard and the 11th work together on almost every operation, and the Astartes do their damnedest to ensure that whatever amount of thanks the Company gets for saving a world, the Guard and other allies get their credit too. This sometimes leads to friction with more glory-loving Chapters, as the 11th stubbornly refuse to let any Sister, Guardsman, or other ally be ignored in the eyes of their transhuman brethren.
Oddly, the Company most adept at razing cities takes great pride in architecture. Marines will gladly take any opportunity they can to aid in reconstruction of war-ravaged Imperial cities, erecting works of engineering skill that are perhaps not the most gaudy or ostentatious, but are tough to break down again. Theirs is a simple piety, not the grand shrine-building of the 12th, but a humble supply of aid to crippled cities that desperately need to get their infrastructure back online to survive. It is not unheard of for the Company to leave a single squad of battle-brothers behind on a newly rescued world to continue aiding the populace in rebuilding, which many Marines find a pleasantly therapeutic experience.
Veteran Space Marines, after a particularly merit-worthy effort, may have a white winged lightning bolt etched onto their right knee-pad. A mark of honour akin to laurels or purity seals, these marines further stand out due to their bulkier power armour, made more resilient by riveting on ablative plates that make the suits resemble more ancient marks of armour. Veterans who are cycled into 1st Company and return alive to their brothers are venerated most of all: not only are they esteemed warriors, but they have survived campaigns with the Chapter Master’s chosen few.
Organization
The Company colour is dark teal, displayed on the right kneepad.
The Company Captain may also be referred to as the Siege Master. He holds the auxiliary role of Master of the Marches.
Breacher Marines are Tacticals equipped with siege mantlets, shields of ceramite that can deflect blows that would render power armour useless, but are unwieldly and bulky. As such, they are deployed as the first line of offense in a breaching action, and the first line of defence in a holding action. The most stubborn and stalwart Astartes are given the honour of assuming the role of Breachers, as it is a task that requires an iron will and a cool demeanour under the most intense fire.
The 11th Company possesses, on average, 360 Space Marines at any given time, a mixture of Tactical and Devastator types. The 360 marines are split up into seven Cohorts, led by a Commander (the most veteran officer of the force). The Cohort number is etched in a High Gothic numeral on the left kneepad.
I 'Praetorian' Cohort is the command force, consisting of 50 veterans (of the Sternguard, Veteran Breacher, and Veteran Devastator variety) and the 10-man company command squad.
II - V Cohorts are the cohorts of ‘standard’ forces, consisting of a mix of Tactical, Breacher, and Devastator Marines. They are the most versatile cohorts, containing 50 Astartes each (typically 20 Tacticals, 20 Breachers, and 10 Devastators).
VI and VII Cohorts consist of the Marines best suited to manning ordnance, a mixture of lighter Rapiers and heavier Earthshakers. These two cohorts (50 Marines each) are the source of 11th's ordnance pieces and bombardment tanks, and are almost always split amongst the other cohorts.
A unique facet of the 11th Company is the retention of a rank from the Legions of the Great Crusade: that of the Master of Signal, adapted to the Company’s own use. An advisor to the Captain, the Master of Signal uses his extensive nuncio-vox and signum arrays to process floods of tactical and strategic data, while also pinpointing accurate artillery strikes and serving as a communications node for the command echelons. Despite its generally non-combat nature, the position is a highly respected one for its importance to the Company’s logistics. The current Master of Signal is Nuntius Corvo.
Training
The additional training on new Marines as they arrive consists of the following;
Universal training on correct operation of ordnance platforms, from range calculation to loading and firing. Fresh recruits from 10th Company serve as Devastators, then Tacticals. Actual Scouts are often used as saboteurs, finding (and making) weak points in enemy defences. Transfers from other Companies serve as Tacticals, their mettle being tested in breach manoeuvres to see if their gene-seed quirk will prevent them working correctly under the intense pressure.
Due to a lack of fast-moving forces, 11th Marine training focuses on drowning an enemy in firepower at any range before they can run away to strike again. This leads to an emphasis on focusing down one enemy rather than spreading weaker fire amongst several.
All Marines possess a standard issue Astartes-type entrenching tool, a collapsible pickaxe/shovel combination crafted by each Marine himself as part of his initiation, utilised in trench digging and other such earthwork-related activities. They are also taught to use these tools effectively as a melee weapon, which causes no end of surprise to enemies when they assume the Company’s lack of Assault Marines equates to a lack of close combat aptitude.
Noted Legionnaires
Alaric Targavel – Captain, Master of the Marches
Voytek – Warden-Chaplain
Aurimer Novuther – Apothecary
Lizburn – Company Champion
Althalos Szigetvár – Standard Bearer
Traveller of Many Stars - Veteran Devastator Sergeant
‘Ironwrought’ Kelion – Venerable Ironclad Dreadnought
Relics
Hammer of the Legion – The only super-heavy vehicle outside of 4th Company, the Hammer is a Banesword-class bombardment tank. Armed with a fearsome Quake Cannon and crewed by the finest operators of the Company, she has served for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years with distinction. Rumours abound that she was once the Hammer of Perturabo, part of an Iron Warriors force bested by the Company, and that she was sanctified and returned to Imperial service. Whatever her origins, even the dual hearts of a Space Marine can’t help but soar when the ‘The Old Iron’ takes to the field.
Venerable Ironclad Kelion – Both a Company member and a relic in his own right, the ‘Ironwrought’ is a Mark IV Dreadnought that has been in service for longer than any record states, and is one of the most ancient brothers of the Company – maybe even the Chapter. Though his loadout varies, he is most commonly equipped with a seismic hammer with mounted meltagun, two hunter-killer missiles, a power fist with mounted heavy flamer, and frag assault launchers. While the Hammer of the Legion inspires pride from afar, Kelion inspires brotherhood, for he is the beloved but grumbling old man of the Company, repeating his tales of ancient wars and wise battle tactics to dozens of different generations of Space Marines. Many rumours circulate about the old Dreadnought, who was once the Company Captain eons ago: some say he was still alive when the Hammer of the Legion was recovered and rescued the tank himself, while others say he was alive in the Great Crusade and has been a Legionnaire for ten thousand years. Whatever is said about him, Kelion does not mind, for he is far too busy tearing open bunkers with his seismic hammer or detonating tanks with his missiles to worry about it.
Stormbreaker – A master-crafted power axe wielded in the Company Captain’s right hand. A venerable design of ancient make, the Company Captains typically utilise it alongside a ranged weapon of some sort. It is currently wielded by Captain Targavel.
Ironfire – A master-crafted storm bolter mounted on the left gauntlet, with an ammunition feed linking to the user's power pack.. Though nowhere near as old as Stormbreaker, this weapon has still been in the possession of at least three successive Company Captains, and has become a venerated piece of wargear in its own right. It is currently wielded by Captain Targavel.
Bastion of the Loyal – A storm shield owned by a Captain of the Company whose name is lost to the records. The shield is still marked with the scars of his final battle, and a thousand others besides. Though not in use today, the Bastion is used as a symbol of the 11th’s aspirations of proving their loyalty, and still they search for the Unnamed Captain’s identity – a task many Codiciers and Lexicanums seconded to the Company take interest in aiding.
By Emperor’s Will and faithful’s call
Sunder redoubt, crumble wall
Glories gained and laurels earned
Armies trampled, bunkers burned
For His Throne we fight and die
Topple tower, shatter sky
The strongest fortress put to flame
Naught but ruin, in His Name.
-Litany of the 11th Company