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The '''First Pacification of Luna''' saw the complete subjugation of [[Terra]]'s moon, [[Luna]], by the early [[Legiones Astartes]]. The first true battle of the [[Great Crusade]], the subjugation of Luna allowed the [[Emperor]] to use its advanced genetics facilities to mass-produce his His [[Space Marine]]s.{{Fn|1}}

Being the first battle the Legio Legiones Astartes fought outside of Terran skies, it was launched while the [[Unification Wars]] on Earth itself were still coming to a conclusion. The forces of the Emperor had already made great headway on Luna's surface, though the forces of the stubborn Cardinal [[Tang]] still held a number of fortress zones and enclaves. Tang himself commanded the gene-cults of Luna, those who believed that human nature was fractal, fractured, and transcendent. To them, the true nature of mankind was visible in the flesh and mind of the individual, but that each person was an echo of archetypes that persisted throughout human existence. Each cult clung to a different set of archetypes: some represented as anthropomorphic figures, some as numbers, and some simple simply as symbols. These fanatical cults were nonetheless capable gene-forgers and geneticists who operated out of massive subterranean laboratories the Emperor coveted for his His own plan to mass produce his His Adeptus Astartes.{{Fn|1}}

After refusing to subdue and control the gene-cults diplomatically, the Emperor turned to a military option. The final straw came when the gene-cults returned one of the Emperor's emissaries as a still-screaming soup of fused flesh and metal. The Emperor deployed three Space Marine Legions, [[VII Legion]], [[XIII Legion]], and [[XVI Legion]], each far smaller then than it would be during the Great Crusade.{{Fn|1}}

Legion XVI acted as the force's vanguard, launching itself towards Luna from earthEarth-based rockets. Behind them came smaller waves from the VIIth and XIIIth Legions. The formidable ground based defenses on the surface of Luna controlled by the gene-cults opened fire. The Emperor used Legions VII and XIII as distractions, allowing Legion XVI to land assault craft unnoticed. The Astartes quickly moved into the Genegene-cults underground complexes, battling half-machine genetic monstrosities. These initial positions however fell within seconds, with the hundred or so cultists inside dead before even realizing they were under direct assault. The Astartes disabled the cultists ' orbital defenses from inside, allowing Legions VII and XIII to land and begin a systematic annihilation of all their remaining resistance. The battle only lasted six hours before all resistance on Luna crumbled. The surviving gene-cultists surrendered, begging that the Emperor "call off his wolves". The now-humbled gene-crafters of Luna would be granted mercy, but were enslaved by the Emperor for his His own plans.{{Fn|1}}