The Fourth Legion 【2027】

When Valerius finally stepped into the command center of the fortress, he did not find a desperate garrison. He found a masterpiece of engineering, now ruined by his own superior engineering.

The loyalist commander lay broken. Valerius looked down, his helmet displaying endless data streams of heat signatures and structural failures. He didn't feel pride—only the bitter resignation of his Legion's existence. They were the architects of devastation, the ones the Emperor used for the "dirty work", and now, they were the bringers of that same bitter justice to their own brothers.

The story reflects their portrayal in Storm of Iron and Angel Exterminatus as rationalists trapped in a war of attrition.* If you would like to continue this story, I can: Describe the Battle of the Desirian Forests Focus on the rivalry with the Imperial Fists (Rogal Dorn) Add another character (such as a Traitor Librarian) The Fourth Legion

The planet of Tallarn was already a ruined landscape, but the city of still held, defended by the loyalist Imperial Fists. To the Iron Warriors, the IVth Legion, this wasn't just a tactical goal; it was a personal insult.

"They have had eighteen months to fortify this position," whispered his second-in-command, Berossus, over the vox-channel. When Valerius finally stepped into the command center

"Record this," Valerius told his sergeant. "Bastion 4-Alpha fell in four days. The Fists are efficient, but the Iron Warriors are inevitable."

The Fourth Legion didn't celebrate. They simply packed their artillery and began moving towards the next fortress, another, more difficult challenge, for they were the masters of iron and the servants of a war that would never end. Valerius looked down, his helmet displaying endless data

On the fourth day, the firing ceased. The silence was heavier than the noise. Then, Valerius gave the order. "Iron Within."