The Founding of the 24th Alban rifles

The Founding of the 24th Alban Rifles

Alba is a large, but otherwise undistinguished, planet in the Valhallan system.  Although warmer in temperature than its more infamous ice-bound neighbour the climate is still bitterly cold by any other standards due to its extreme distance from the system’s meagre sun. Consisting of two vast land masses and 35% ocean, the planet is home to vast tracts of empty wind-swept plains and towering mountain ranges. 

The planet’s primary resource also represents its only real reason for remaining populated – massive reserves of subterranean oil.  For centuries, the human population had lived in a clan-based feudal society, warring over grazing grounds and arable land from which they could scratch a meagre existence.  This basic existence was changed forever the day a geo-research team from Forgeworld Ryza arrived.  Their off-planet geo-survey scans discovered the bountiful resources of the planet and soon established a forward base. 

The indigenous people proved sufficiently intelligent to be quickly trained and employed in extracting the priceless natural resource. Within 300 years enormous drilling stations were dotted across the planet as rival clans harvested the fossil fuel from their ancestral lands for transfer to the Forgeworld’s off-world refineries.  The ancient wars and rivalries merely shifted from grazing grounds to the oil fields, the clans fighting for wealth, favour, resources and territory.  The inhabitants’ natural savagery became focussed, honed and developed with modern Imperial weaponry.

The unforgiving weather and potentially volatile nature of the world’s only industry precluded the use of many of the Imperium’s more devastating armaments so the clans became skilled in the use of the lasgun.  With the influx of this weaponry came the cult of the Emperor, quickly supplanting ancient superstitions to become established as the primary, and soon only, religion on the planet. 

Within time the Administorium decreed the raising of an Imperial Guard Regiment to defend not only the vital resources of the planet but in times of crisis the system itself.  The 1st Alban Rifles Regiment was born.

The Regiment’s main resource was its well-trained Infantry armed with the ubiquitous lasgun, the Galaxy-wide recognised symbol of the Imperial Guard.  However the close links to Forgeworld Ryza allowed the Regiment access to more archaic weapons of destruction since it was in the Forgeworld’s best interests to protect Alba and her invaluable natural resources.  Hence the Alban’s were known to have greater availability of rare tank patterns than the majority of Regiments in service to the Emperor.

The 24th Alban Rifles Infantry Regiment was raised amidst system-wide chaos.  The previous founding had been annihilated in a single day’s terror and confusion.  Long range scanners had identified an enormous unidentified object drifting into the system.  Initially believing the drifting hulk to be a rogue asteroid, fleet ships were despatched to inspect the lump of space rock and assess the viability of magma-bombing it into fragments which would no longer pose a threat to the system’s planets. As they closed to within range of the asteroid communications from the advancing fleet became confused and broken, prone to lengthy interruptions as though there were a localised warp storm disrupting signals.  The first fragmented messages appeared to indicate the inanimate colossus was in fact a living organism of some kind.  This was followed shortly after by a strange report suggesting that the creature, for such it appeared, had launched some sort of spores that could even be defensive in nature.  The final communications were terrified screams for help and the Emperor’s mercy as the Flagship was boarded with the rest of the fleet already a smoking ruin of men and machinery.  At the last, one discernible syllable broke through the static chilling the very souls of all who heard it….”nids!”

The hive fleet swept into the system and immediately laid waste the first planet in its path, Melchior Minor, stripping it of all life and nutrients.  By the time the local defence forces had been mustered and emergency distress signals sent to neighbours the Tyranids were approaching Melchior Major.  The 23rd Alban Rifles were en route to Alba, returning from quelling a minor rebellion on the now dead planet of Melchior Minor.  They were ordered to immediately redirect to Melchior Major and were the first of the Imperial Guard Regiments to arrive on the planet forming the first lines of defence of the beleaguered planet. 

Their defence was typical of the proud Alban regiments that had gone before: they fought with a bravery scarcely seen, they held their well-ordered ranks pouring las-round after las-round into the endless waves of xeno’s and when their positions were overrun they fought hand-to-claw with the alien monstrosities, their very last breath spent in defence of the Empire.  In less than five hours the entire regiment was destroyed to a man. 

Their desperate sacrifice proved enough to delay the alien horde until further reinforcements arrived from nearby planets.  The reinforcements themselves suffered horrific losses but the sheer number of men poured into the hell of Melchior Major halted the xeno advance.

Castellan Krushchev had overseen the development and defence of Alba for 10 years. He served with, and eventually led, the 23rd Albans beginning with his induction into the regiments thirty five years ago.  The previous year, at the age of 50, he had reluctantly acceded to his advisors’ pleading that his life was too valuable for frontline warfare and had relinquished field command to his Generals.  He had been on Valhalla on diplomatic duty when the 23rd were ordered to Melchior Major and although he had taken every available short-cut and risk in order to return as quickly as humanly possible he had arrived back on Alba forty eight hours after the last Alban had fallen before the Tyranid onslaught.  On arrival, immediately after dropping from warp space, he was faced with the news that all his old comrades, all the troopers he had seen rise from raw recruits to fine Guardsmen, all his friends, were gone, victims of the loathsome tyranids. 

Krushchev met this devastating news with a stoic fortitude typical of his race.  Of the entire 23rd Alban rifles, all that remained were he and his personal bodyguard, Colour Sergeant Valuev.  Krushchev’s reaction to the news would have surprised none who had served with him in the 23rd; the remaining Generals who had supervised the Melchior Major defence from the comparative safety of planetary orbit were ordered immediately arrested and summarily found guilty of dereliction of duty.  Krushchev executed each of them himself.  He relinquished all civilian and diplomatic duties with one final order: the raising of the 24th Alban Rifles Regiment, installing himself as Commanding Officer.

The new Regimental recruits were shepherded into colossal troop transport ships the very day they were sworn into service to the Emperor.  Their basic training took place upon ship while they were en route to meet the Tyranid horde which was still held at Melchior Major.  The Albans were all ferocious fighters, skilled with a las-gun, but under Krushchev’s brutal training regime they were polished into the finest Guardsmen to ever serve the Emperor.

Krushchev’s drive for revenge over the tyranids communicated itself into the very fabric of the Regiment in the three months they were drilled on the troop ships.  When they arrived at the battered remains of Melchior Minor each and every one was prepared to throw himself at a Lictor bare-handed.  For Krushchev it wasn’t enough.  He spent any spare moment of the voyage contacting every member of the Imperium he could count on, call friend or owed him a favour.  If he were to avenge his fallen comrades he would need much more than just brave guardsmen armed with rifles.

When the troop ships settled into long range orbit from Melchior Major the Guardsmen were told they had two days to prepare before their drop.  They docked with the supply station forming the command post for the engagement to collect all necessary equipment and deployment orders.  Upon arrival the Regiment were joined by some of the most exotic and powerful weaponry the Imperium could bring to bear.  From the ancient bond to Forgeworld Ryza came formidable heavy tanks, artillery, war walkers and airborne troop transporters, the famed Valkyries.  From Valhallan Segmentum Command came units of the finest crack troops the Imperial Guard possessed: the implacable stormtroopers.  Finally came small squads of the deadliest sharp-shooters ever to heft a las-rifle; the odd-looking abhuman ratlings.

Krushchev, with Valuev at his side, surveyed the forces at his command and was satisfied.  He had requested the assistance of Titan Legions but the Administorium had not deemed the conflict significant enough for the deployment of such invaluable war machines since the worst-case civilian casualty projection was less than 100 Billion.  His final reinforcements arrived scant hours before the Regiment was due to embark for planet-drop.  Lord Commissar Sykov arrived flanked by an array of Commissars. 

Sykov was Commissar to the 23rd Albans when Krushchev had received his first commission.  Although never friends, Sykov had none, they had served together in countless conflicts and had become fearsome comrades-at-arms. Sykov had once stated Krushchev would have made a first rate Commissar such was his attitude to service of the Emperor.  This was the only compliment Krushchev heard Sykov give in 10 years service together.  The Castellan had contacted Sykov, informing him of the eradication of their former comrades and explaining the raising of the 24th Albans.  Krushchev had requested a delegation from the Commissariat to join this new Regiment stating his desire to ensure not one trooper would dare take a backwards step.  He wanted revenge, he wanted blood and he wanted the memory of the 23rd to be venerated by the actions of the 24th not besmirched.  He had been astounded when Sykov had agreed to lead the Commissariat delegation himself.
The 24th Alban Rifle Regiment, bolstered by their reinforcements and driven on by the fervour of their new Commissars hit the surface of Melchior Major like a holy bolt fired by the Emperor himself.  Where the front had reached a ragged stalemate and degenerated into a meat grinding battle of attrition, the 24th broke the line.  When the tyranids counter-attacked the 24th took the brunt and stood firm.  Wherever the fighting raged fiercest, the 24th were in the midst of it.  Word of their incredible fighting fervour, and the successes it brought soon spread, boosting the morale of the other regiments embroiled in the bloody conflict.  Soon the tyranids were in retreat towards the area they had first made planet-fall on the fateful day they annihilated the 23rd.

The final act of the conflict was a triumph for the combined arms of the Imperial forces.  The largest Imperial fleet ever seen in the sector attacked the remaining orbiting xeno space fleet in perfect concert with a final push on the ground.  The tyranid fleet was broken and fled the sector in tatters, leaving the ground force stranded.  The Imperial guard on the planet tore into the remaining tyranid force with renewed ferocity.  The 24th Albans led by Castellan Krushchev were at the very heart of the offensive fighting with an implacable fury that both inspired and terrified their allies.  When the final synapse creature fell it was the Albans that brought it low.  Such were the actions of the 24th that day that they earned themselves a nickname that would stick with them wherever they served.  It was a monicker they had earned and were rightly proud of, as was their Commanding Officer.  Krushchev was satisfied, the tyranids were destroyed and his old Regiment avenged.  However he had a new Regiment now and he intended to lead them wherever the Emperor willed.  Castellan Krushchev now led The Terrible 24th Alban Rifles Regiment.