Come take a look at the Crimson Fist himself, “Ordinary Hero” Alexis Polux.
From our friends at Lexicanium
During the Great Crusade, Polux became one of Rogal Dorn’s most senior captains, rising to his advisory council, the “Stone Men.”
Throughout most of his life, Alexis would always labour under the belief that he was never as strong, or as qualified for leadership, as the most luminous of the Imperial Fists’ officers, no matter how conscientiously he did his duty. However, this quality tempered his excellence as a commander with a humility that was lacking in many other Space Marines.
When word reached Dorn of Horus’s treachery, he dispatched a fleet under the command of First Captain Sigismund to the Isstvan system. However, when Sigismund, on the advice of Euphrati Keeler, remained behind on Terra, command fell to Captain Yonnad.
Yonnad and several other senior officers were killed by the warp storms that becalmed the “Retribution Fleet” in the Phall system. Command fell to Polux, despite his internal misgivings.
Over the next several weeks, Polux refused the advice of his subordinates to attempt a breakout through the warp storms, insisting that they had to conserve their ships and manpower. Also, some instinct may have warned him that the storms were no accident, and the fleet had been lured into some kind of trap. For that reason, he relentlessly drilled his fleet in void combat and ship-to-ship boarding actions.
This training paid off, as when the Iron Warriors’ fleet, led by Perturabo in person, emerged from the warp, the Imperial Fists’ fleet was ready for them.
The Battle at the Phall system was no easy affair for the Iron Warriors, despite outnumbering and outgunning the Imperial Fists. Perturabo expected the Imperial Fists to stand their ground and let themselves be torn down like the fortresses they were so fond of building, but Polux organised a “mobile fortress” strategy that had the Imperial Fists maneuvering around the Iron Warriors fleet and inflicting heavy damage on them, especially with ferocious boarding actions.
On being informed by Captain Amandus Tyr that the Iron Warriors’ flagship Iron Blood was among the attacking fleet, Polux made an unexpectedly bold decision that stunned his subordinates: ordering Tyr to assault the Battle Barge with a detachment of the Retribution Fleet and execute Perturabo.
The battle was close to turning into a possible victory for the Imperial Fists, when an astropathic message arrived from Terra, bearing Dorn’s personal orders to return to Terra at once. Faced with the choice of continuing the battle to its end, or ordering a retreat and allowing his straggling forces to be slaughtered, Polux felt he had no choice but to obey Dorn’s orders. The Imperial Fists abruptly left the battle and jumped into the warp, taking heavy losses from the pursuing Iron Warriors.
Perturabo survived both the battle and the Imperial Fists’ strike team, but took no satisfaction in the battle’s outcome. The Iron Warriors had not won the victory, it had been handed to them, and during the first phase of the battle it had almost been denied to them – and not by Sigismund, who Perturabo had believed was in command, but by a “nonentity” like Polux.
Checkout the full background and origin of the Imperial Fist’s “ordinary hero”, over on Lexicanium.
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
Bio: Virginia restless, miniature painter & cat dad. He blames LEGOs for all this, as there was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all. Spikey Bits sprung from Rob staying motivated to hobby on his backlog of projects, while sharing his knowledge with others during the early blogging era.
LEGO maniac and scale model hobbyist in the 80s turned miniature wargamer and trading card player ever since. He’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition), but Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and minatures made of pewter and resin.
