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'''The Beheading''' was a coup of the [[High Lords of Terra]] in 546.[[M32]] by [[Drakan Vangorich]], the [[Grand Master of Assassins]]{{Fn|1}}.

Following the narrow victory of the [[Imperium]] in the [[War of the Beast]], [[Grand Master of Assassins]] [[Drakan Vangorich]] was named Lord Protector by [[Lord Commander of the Imperium]] [[Maximus Thane]], in effect acting as his proxy in absence. While Thane and the newly rechristened [[Imperial Fists]] swept away the last of [[The Beast]]'s [[Ork]]s , Vangorich was left to oversee the ineffectual [[High Lords of Terra]]. Vangorich , however , had grown highly contemptuous of the High Lords over the conflict, but was committed with to working with them and having [[Inquisitorial Representative]] [[Veritus]] take his place. However , when Vangorich learned that [[Fabricator-General]] [[Kubik]] had secretly teleporated teleported the [[Ork]] capital of [[Ullanor]] instead of enacting [[Exterminatus]] , as Thane had demanded , in order to plunder their technology, Vangorich snapped. He realized that the High Lords would never put aside their personal ambition to protect Humanity. Faced with this depressing truth, Vangorich committed himself to destroying the High Lords and placing himself as ruler of the Imperium.{{Fn|3a}}

*Co-[[Inquisitorial Representative]] [[Veritus]] was secretly poisoned by Vangorich days before. The poison was administrated in gas that mixed with Veritus' own life support chemicals to create a lethal mix. Veritus was originally only to be coerced into working for him much like [[Ecclesiarch]] [[Mesring]], but Vangorich did not administer an antidote after becoming committed to his coup. The other Inquisitorial Representative, [[Wienand]], was secretly given an antidote by Vangorich to protect her from the same poison. With his dying breath , Veritus urged Wienand to cooperate with Vangorich to avoid civil war and gave her the keys to the [[Citadel of Titan]]. There, Wienand met with [[Janus]] before returning to Terra to act as Vangorich's aid.*[[Master of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica]] [[Abdulias Anwar]] and [[Master of the Astronomican]] [[Volquan Sark]] were both eliminated by the same [[Culexus Assassin]].

*[[Speaker for the Chartist Captains]] , [[Juskina Tull]], still guilty over the failed [[Proletarian Crusade]], was goaded into committing suicide by her aid , [[Anastay]], in truth an agent of Vangorich.

*[[Grand Provost Marshal]] of the [[Adeptus Arbites]] [[Vernor Zeck]] was killed by the assassin [[Beast Krule]]. However , Krule disagreed with the mission and Vangorich's ambition. He killed Zeck to stay close to Vangorich, but became secretly committed to his destruction.*[[Fabricator-General]] of the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] [[Kubik]] was assaulted in his palace on [[Mars]] by an [[Eversor Assassin]]. His entourage was annihilated and he was confronted by Vangorich himself. Vangorich gave Kubik two options: die by his head and have the Martian [[Noosphere]] and all of its data destroyed by an advanced computer virus. The other was or to voluntarily shut himself down and give his intelligence core over to Vangorich. Faced with the possible destruction of the Mechanicum's collective knowledge, Kubik complied and deleted his own consciousness. Vangorich installed his intelligence core was installed into [[Eldon Urquidex]], who took on the Kubik's identity.

The Grand Master gave excuses for the absence of the missing High Lords, but none believed him. Instead, they were too afraid to speak out as Vangorioch unveiled hundreds of Assassin bodyguards who would now roam the Imperial Palace. The only opposition to Vangorich came from Beast Krule, who attempted to assassinate the Grand Master before he could assume. Krule was bested in single combat by Vangorich and converted into an [[Eversor Assassin]].{{Fn|3b}}

Vangorich ruled the Imperium for the next 100 years as a tyrant, but an effective one. Terra was refortified, the fourth [[Founding]] of [[Space Marine]]s was successful, and the armies of the Imperium rebuilt. The last vestiges of The Beasts Beast's hordes were swept aside. However , after about 80 years of rule , Vangorich began to become grow unstable. Unnecessary massacres, bizarre behavior, and random purges began to break out. Wienand, still working with Vangorich, knew the time for his fall was at hand. At the same time, Thane, still on Crusade, came to the same conclusion and made his move on Terra.{{Fn|3b}}

Thane arrived over Terra in the [[Phalanx]] , accompanied by 200 [[Imperial Fists]] as well as the newly 200 Marines from the newly created [[Halo Brethren]] and [[Sable Swords]]. Thane declared that Vangorich's usefulness had run out and he was no longer fit to rule in his His name. None on Terra rose to defend Vangorich save his own assassins, having become long fed up with his reign of terror.{{Fn|3b}}

After landing near the [[Great Chamber of the Senatorum Imperialis]] in the [[Imperial Palace]] complex, Thane's forces were assailed by hundreds of Assassins. Early in the skirmish , [[Chapter Master]] of the Sable Swords [[Qublicus Amar]] was killed by the bullet of a [[Vindicare Assassin]]. Ultimately, half the force of Space Marines were lost securing the Imperial Palace from the Officio Assassinorum.{{Fn|3b}}

Inside the Palace, Thane confronted the elderly Wienand who convinced him of her loyalty by giving him the information that Vangorich was in the [[Eversor Temple]] in the North Pole. Thane moved there at once, and once inside the Temple were was assailed by a hundred [[Eversor Assassin]]s as Vangorich proclaimed that he was not yet ready to abandon power.{{Fn|3b}}

In the aftermath of Vangorich's fall, the Imperium fell into a period of anarchy. [[Agnathio]], [[Chapter Master]] of the [[Ultramarines]], united over fifty other Chapter Masters and arrived on [[Terra]] to contain the anarchy that followed the incident. Putting an end to the political squabblings of who should succeed the High Lords, the Astartes sorted out the issues in a closed session of the [[Senatorum Imperialis]]. When they emerged, the new twelve High Lords had been chosen.{{Fn|2}}