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 ChazSexington wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
Hrm... not sure the Red Thirst is the best comparative example, as that's... not really a mutation, but a flaw in the original copy.

That's exactly what I'm trying to get at. There was a flaw in the original.

If we want to posit that Alpharius/Omegon's geneseed was, from the source, flawed, then I would say that, yes, their predilection for secrecy might be a trait of a flaw in their geneseed. I don't see this as a mutation, though, as it doesn't seem to be getting worse (at least, no worse than circumstances dictate), and seems to have been more-or-less present from the outset. Then again, it could just be culture and combat doctrine shaped by the circumstances the Legion finds itself in, having to hide out from both the Imperium and (possibly) the Traitor forces.

This assumes, though, that we take as fact that it is a flaw in the original geneseed, which I am not yet convinced that it is. In either event, it is definitely not a Warp-spawned mutation in the geneseed, and almost certainly not getting any worse over the course of time (that we have evidence of). Whether or not the Alpha Legion is operating in the Eye (it is claimed that they do not, which almost certainly means they are) is largely irrelevant.

Bishop F Gantry wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
What is actually known and verifiable about the Alpha Legion could probably be contained on a Post-it note.

Maybe they are like the Nightkin from FO3. They don't like people looking at them, which leads to ever-grander, intricate and complex schemes to protect their secrecy

Post it note is probably falsified including the name of the legion, prob never was a post it note to begin with.

The post-it note was, in fact, an Alpha Legionnaire

anyways, the idea of the AL being more stable makes a certain amount of sense; they've maintained strength for millenia without, in theory, the resources a loyalist chapter can call upon for recruitment and upkeep. There's no gene-banks on Terra for them to draw upon (officially, again, this is the AL), they don't have the Mechanicum and so on. Considering the steps the Iron Warriors have to go through to create new marines, which if I recall is about the only way you can with actual Chaos marines, owing to the heavy mutation, even amongst the Iron Warriors, and there's no evidence of the AL requiring Daemonculaba. Of course, there's no evidence that they don't either, but given Alpharius never became a daemon prince, I'd say there's more than even odds that a good chunk of Alpha Legionnaires are perfectly normal astartes genetically, and quite stable given their continued existence without the blessings of the dark gods.

 Wyzilla wrote:
Also, they've compromised the Inquisition as well.

Hail HYDRA!

I really don't think that their gene-seed has anything to do with their secretive nature. Every Legion has their own particular personality themes, usually to do with the teachings of their Primarch (Salamanders) or a reaction to some event (Iron Hands). Alpharius believed strongly in the benefits of stealth and subterfuge, much to the annoyance of Roboute Guilliman (who, like his Ultramarines, believed in his own supremacy). All of the Primarchs left their mark on their Legions in some way or other.

Edit: was thinking of the wrong legion...

 Frozen Ocean wrote:

I really don't think that their gene-seed has anything to do with their secretive nature. Every Legion has their own particular personality themes, usually to do with the teachings of their Primarch or a reaction to some event. All of the Primarchs left their mark on their Legions in some way or other.

But is the personality a matter of culture and upbringing or something coming from the geneseed? The Ultramarines are the source of at least 60% of the Space Marine Chapters, but how many of those even know they're UM scions? And yet pride (like the UM have) is a persistent trait in marines, to the point of them opting for 300-style heroic last stands instead of retreating like sensible men.

Heroism is stock-in-trade for Space Marines, or are you claiming that the only heroic Space Marines are those descended from the UM?

Interesting thread, must subscribe to read more later

Spetulhu wrote:

 Frozen Ocean wrote:

I really don't think that their gene-seed has anything to do with their secretive nature. Every Legion has their own particular personality themes, usually to do with the teachings of their Primarch or a reaction to some event. All of the Primarchs left their mark on their Legions in some way or other.

But is the personality a matter of culture and upbringing or something coming from the geneseed? The Ultramarines are the source of at least 60% of the Space Marine Chapters, but how many of those even know they're UM scions? And yet pride (like the UM have) is a persistent trait in marines, to the point of them opting for 300-style heroic last stands instead of retreating like sensible men.

Successors carry traditions and inspirations from their forebears, in no small part due to the inclusion of Chapter Veterans guiding the new Chapter as it grows. Like the Second Founding just being the Legions split into chunks that got their own names, it is rare for a Chapter to be created from scratch - normally new recruits are added to a split-off portion of the predecessor (so a new Ultramarine Successor Chapter would begin its history with Marines who were previously Ultramarines and have simply taken a new name). Furthermore, a lot of these have deviated greatly from the Ultramarines proper as time has gone on.

The cultures of the Legions also changed once the Primarch was found during the Great Crusade, both because of his teachings and because of members of his homeworld (usually specifically whatever tribe or nation the Primarch came from) becoming recruiting stock for the Legion from then on. Geneseed = personality would also mean that all Successors would have an identical culture to their predecessors, which we know not to be true. The Black Templars, who began as Imperial Fists, are drastically different to the Chapter they share gene-seed with (as opposed to the Crimson Fists, who are a lot more similar to the Imperial Fists than the Templars are, even with their differences). The Iron Hands are definitely not like their Primarch, and the World Eaters only are because they were (or a lot of them were) subjected to the same psycho-surgery as Angron was.

 Psienesis wrote:

 ChazSexington wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
Hrm... not sure the Red Thirst is the best comparative example, as that's... not really a mutation, but a flaw in the original copy.

That's exactly what I'm trying to get at. There was a flaw in the original.

If we want to posit that Alpharius/Omegon's geneseed was, from the source, flawed, then I would say that, yes, their predilection for secrecy might be a trait of a flaw in their geneseed. I don't see this as a mutation, though, as it doesn't seem to be getting worse (at least, no worse than circumstances dictate), and seems to have been more-or-less present from the outset. Then again, it could just be culture and combat doctrine shaped by the circumstances the Legion finds itself in, having to hide out from both the Imperium and (possibly) the Traitor forces.

This assumes, though, that we take as fact that it is a flaw in the original geneseed, which I am not yet convinced that it is. In either event, it is definitely not a Warp-spawned mutation in the geneseed, and almost certainly not getting any worse over the course of time (that we have evidence of). Whether or not the Alpha Legion is operating in the Eye (it is claimed that they do not, which almost certainly means they are) is largely irrelevant.

I completely agree that their traits were in no way affected by mutations, Warp-based or otherwise. The fluff from Legion (see OP) suggests the Alpha Legion had the least gene-seed mutations pre-Heresy, thus their gene-seed was the purest. From Horus Heresy Extermination, it reads that the Alpha Legion's distrust for the other Legions increased over time, and the only Legion that trusted them was the Salamanders (though they apparently got on well enough with the Iron Hands and the Dark Angels, with some reports reporting Alpharius on Caliban). They also failed the last Legion test, the Alpha test, with no reason given, while their battlefield performance and implantation success rate was high during the same test.

They were used by the Emperor in the early days as a 1000-2000 man strong covert operations Legion, nicknamed the Ghost Legion, and I think they were genetically engineered for that sort of combat. However, I think the Emperor realised that they had a predisposition for effectively becoming a stand-alone organisation, similar to what a rogue CIA would be. Their greatest strength was their greatest flaw; their us vs. them and complex plans suggested they might one day eventually become a danger to the Imperium. But why were they then brought up to full Legion strength? Was it to bring them out into the open, hoping that would reduce the likelihood? Or was it the discovery of Alpharius that forced it?

Regardless, after Horus ascending to the rank of Warmaster, they were given freer reins. It's especially during this time, when the Alpha Legion expanded to become the third largest Legion (180,000 strong), that concerned reports were coming in about them. The Warmaster and the Lords of Terra already then began wondering whether they actually controlled the Alpha Legion, as their goals seemed increasingly different from what was best for the Great Crusade, where the Alpha Legion showed a pathological need to completely crush their enemies, using increasingly complex plans at the expense of practicality as the Great Crusade wore on. Though the Warmaster agreed there was concern about whom they served, he dismissed the criticism of the Alpha Legion methods.

It's the link between the increasingly Byzantine plots and size that I'm wondering is somehow connected to their gene-seed and their unknown reason for failing the Alpha test.

Odd thought. The bobsy twins are "little people" compared to the other primarchs. they are "small" enough to walk amongst their legionaries and no one be able to tell while the other primarchs tower over the marines. just an odd thought. wonder why this 'dwarfism' didnt get passed to their marines whose geneseed is based on them? lol
Course, they mighta just been runts of the litter having to share a pod and life support...
Just curious.

A primarch's body is a skin balloon filled with magic. They possess some degree of controlling their size.

EVIL INC wrote:Odd thought. The bobsy twins are "little people" compared to the other primarchs. they are "small" enough to walk amongst their legionaries and no one be able to tell while the other primarchs tower over the marines. just an odd thought. wonder why this 'dwarfism' didnt get passed to their marines whose geneseed is based on them? lol
Course, they mighta just been runts of the litter having to share a pod and life support...
Just curious.

Curiously, it had the opposite effect. While the Primarch(s) was/were/is/are smaller than other Primarchs, they weren't quite the size of Space Marines. The Legionnaires themselves, on the other hand, are atypically large for Space Marines. This means that the Primarch(s) matched their silhouette (and with blank armour and helmets, this is everything) while still being reasonably large, just not so much as their brothers.

MasterSlowPoke wrote:A primarch's body is a skin balloon filled with magic. They possess some degree of controlling their size.

They're not all Magnus.

 Frozen Ocean wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:
Also, they've compromised the Inquisition as well.

Hail HYDRA!

I really don't think that their gene-seed has anything to do with their secretive nature. Every Legion has their own particular personality themes, usually to do with the teachings of their Primarch (Salamanders) or a reaction to some event (Iron Hands). Alpharius believed strongly in the benefits of stealth and subterfuge, much to the annoyance of Roboute Guilliman (who, like his Ultramarines, believed in his own supremacy). All of the Primarchs left their mark on their Legions in some way or other.

Alpharius believed in winning in the most devastating way possible, stealth, subterfuge, sabotage, infiltration etc were just aspects of that. And Hail Hydra is Hydra from Captain America; the Alpha Legion say Hydra dominatus

It's also worth noting that the Alpha Legion had their own power armour suppliers unbeknownst to the Imperium. After getting ahold of the prototype Corvus armour, they produced it themselves.

 ChazSexington wrote:

 Frozen Ocean wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:
Also, they've compromised the Inquisition as well.

Hail HYDRA!

I really don't think that their gene-seed has anything to do with their secretive nature. Every Legion has their own particular personality themes, usually to do with the teachings of their Primarch (Salamanders) or a reaction to some event (Iron Hands). Alpharius believed strongly in the benefits of stealth and subterfuge, much to the annoyance of Roboute Guilliman (who, like his Ultramarines, believed in his own supremacy). All of the Primarchs left their mark on their Legions in some way or other.

Alpharius believed in winning in the most devastating way possible, stealth, subterfuge, sabotage, infiltration etc were just aspects of that.

Oh, certainly. I just meant that it was probably Alpharius' personal stance on tactics that sculpted the Legion thus. That said, what if it was the other way around? I've never heard of the "Ghost Legion" stuff, but it sounds very cool. What if Alpharius adopted the "Ghost Legion" mantle rather than shaping the Legion to his personal beliefs? We don't know what those would be - what little we know of his background (the fight with Horus) simply suggests that he is a good tactician and charismatic on some level, but that is true for practically all of the Primarchs. This may actually be supported by Lexicanum:

Lexicanum, Alpharius wrote:Alpharius quickly developed a unique approach to Astartes operations, focusing on the philosophies of initiative and flexibility, as well as extensive use of subterfuge and non-Astartes specialist operatives.

Of course, this being the Alpha Legion, it's also possible that The Emperor set up Alpharius' encounter with Horus and had, in fact, never lost him. I doubt it, though.

 ChazSexington wrote:
And Hail Hydra is Hydra from Captain America; the Alpha Legion say Hydra dominatus

Was in direct reference to that. You should watch Winter Soldier, particularly for the awkward whispering of "Hail HYDRA" into the ears of people. It's a bit silly (good movie, though). It just made me think of members of the Inquisition doing that.

 Frozen Ocean wrote:

Of course, this being the Alpha Legion, it's also possible that The Emperor set up Alpharius' encounter with Horus and had, in fact, never lost him. I doubt it, though.

That is an interesting thought. There is a story in Extermination, I haven't read it, that suggests that the Emperor kept one of the twins and let the other be abducted the same way. The story is supposedly said to be a lie. Not quite the same from what you say Frozen Ocean, but what would it mean? The Emperor checking up on Horus?

This is the thread where I heard of the story

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/594174.page

Some interesting theories in here!

Interesting to note that in the initial Index Astartes article on the Alpha Legion, it is noted that Alpharius is almost as tall as Horus himself, and that his marines are all also unusually tall...

 Frozen Ocean wrote:

 ChazSexington wrote:

Alpharius believed in winning in the most devastating way possible, stealth, subterfuge, sabotage, infiltration etc were just aspects of that.

Oh, certainly. I just meant that it was probably Alpharius' personal stance on tactics that sculpted the Legion thus. That said, what if it was the other way around? I've never heard of the "Ghost Legion" stuff, but it sounds very cool. What if Alpharius adopted the "Ghost Legion" mantle rather than shaping the Legion to his personal beliefs? We don't know what those would be - what little we know of his background (the fight with Horus) simply suggests that he is a good tactician and charismatic on some level, but that is true for practically all of the Primarchs. This may actually be supported by Lexicanum:

Lexicanum, Alpharius wrote:Alpharius quickly developed a unique approach to Astartes operations, focusing on the philosophies of initiative and flexibility, as well as extensive use of subterfuge and non-Astartes specialist operatives.

Of course, this being the Alpha Legion, it's also possible that The Emperor set up Alpharius' encounter with Horus and had, in fact, never lost him. I doubt it, though.

 ChazSexington wrote:
And Hail Hydra is Hydra from Captain America; the Alpha Legion say Hydra dominatus

Was in direct reference to that. You should watch Winter Soldier, particularly for the awkward whispering of "Hail HYDRA" into the ears of people. It's a bit silly (good movie, though). It just made me think of members of the Inquisition doing that.

It's quite clear in Horus Heresy: Extermination that the XX was the Ghost Legion that performed special ops, even moonlighting as other Legions on occasion, so Lexicanum is actually wrong - Alpharius' return may have altered the approach slightly, but all he would have done is tinkered and perfected rather than changing the overall approach. Alpharius' discovery has also been retconned; being found by Horus is now just one of several possibilities, according to Horus Heresy: Extermination.

I've watched the Winter Soldier, thought you were making a common mistake;p

 Alpharius wrote:
Some interesting theories in here!

Interesting to note that in the initial Index Astartes article on the Alpha Legion, it is noted that Alpharius is almost as tall as Horus himself, and that his marines are all also unusually tall...

Aye, but the most interesting part there is that it notes Alpharius as using a sword during his fight with Roboute; Alpharius used the Pale Spear in combat. Could simply be a fluff mistake, or it could be a hint that it was actually just some poor Alpha Legionnaire dressed up in Alpharius' clothes!

 ChazSexington wrote:

 Frozen Ocean wrote:

 ChazSexington wrote:

Alpharius believed in winning in the most devastating way possible, stealth, subterfuge, sabotage, infiltration etc were just aspects of that.

Oh, certainly. I just meant that it was probably Alpharius' personal stance on tactics that sculpted the Legion thus. That said, what if it was the other way around? I've never heard of the "Ghost Legion" stuff, but it sounds very cool. What if Alpharius adopted the "Ghost Legion" mantle rather than shaping the Legion to his personal beliefs? We don't know what those would be - what little we know of his background (the fight with Horus) simply suggests that he is a good tactician and charismatic on some level, but that is true for practically all of the Primarchs. This may actually be supported by Lexicanum:

Lexicanum, Alpharius wrote:Alpharius quickly developed a unique approach to Astartes operations, focusing on the philosophies of initiative and flexibility, as well as extensive use of subterfuge and non-Astartes specialist operatives.

It's quite clear in Horus Heresy: Extermination that the XX was the Ghost Legion that performed special ops, even moonlighting as other Legions on occasion, so Lexicanum is actually wrong - Alpharius' return may have altered the approach slightly, but all he would have done is tinkered and perfected rather than changing the overall approach. Alpharius' discovery has also been retconned; being found by Horus is now just one of several possibilities, according to Horus Heresy: Extermination.

What I meant by the quote is that as the Legion was already spec ops, Alpharius learned from them rather than them learning from him, the opposite of the relationships between other Legions and Primarchs. "Tinkered and perfected" is kind of what I was thinking. Lexicanum mentions that they developed a "martial pride" and that their plans became increasing complex "as Alpharius sought to prove the worth of both his Legion and his martial philosophy". "More and more were the situations where he would take the more difficult course of action to force his Space Marines to grow".

How it seems is that the Ghost Legion's example was accepted well by their Primarch, and he had his own take on what they had already been practicing. Their actions during the Crusade (of increasing complexity) could be entirely because of Alpharius trying to make a point. In true Alpha Legion fashion, I imagine that the modern Legion would not have changed much without the direction of their Primarch (not including following Horus, which were done for very clear reasons on Alpharius' part whether you prefer the Cabal story or that Horus was simply Alpharius' only friend). In other words, I don't think Alpharius as a leader changed the Legion that much (obviously not including factors like being made into a full-strength Legion after he was discovered, etc). While they obviously cared for him, I very much like the idea of Alpharius and his Legion being closer to peers than them venerating him to the point of worship like most of the other Legions do with their Primarchs. That fits well with their combat doctrine, too.

Another point is that perhaps Guilliman always disliked the XX Legion ("Alpha units" and whatnot), Assassins, and all that practical stuff. Perhaps what got him angry was that a Primarch - one of his brothers - was part of what he perceived to be cowardly silliness. Furthermore, Alpharius as a leader would put a face (so to speak) to this issue; Guilliman could hardly debate tactics with a leaderless shadow organisation. This would explain why he was such a massive ass to Alpharius (in a way that isn't just "Guilliman is an ass", which he probably was); it was something that had bothered him for a long time and he had finally found someone to tell off about it.

 Frozen Ocean wrote:

 ChazSexington wrote:

 Frozen Ocean wrote:

 ChazSexington wrote:

Alpharius believed in winning in the most devastating way possible, stealth, subterfuge, sabotage, infiltration etc were just aspects of that.

Oh, certainly. I just meant that it was probably Alpharius' personal stance on tactics that sculpted the Legion thus. That said, what if it was the other way around? I've never heard of the "Ghost Legion" stuff, but it sounds very cool. What if Alpharius adopted the "Ghost Legion" mantle rather than shaping the Legion to his personal beliefs? We don't know what those would be - what little we know of his background (the fight with Horus) simply suggests that he is a good tactician and charismatic on some level, but that is true for practically all of the Primarchs. This may actually be supported by Lexicanum:

Lexicanum, Alpharius wrote:Alpharius quickly developed a unique approach to Astartes operations, focusing on the philosophies of initiative and flexibility, as well as extensive use of subterfuge and non-Astartes specialist operatives.

It's quite clear in Horus Heresy: Extermination that the XX was the Ghost Legion that performed special ops, even moonlighting as other Legions on occasion, so Lexicanum is actually wrong - Alpharius' return may have altered the approach slightly, but all he would have done is tinkered and perfected rather than changing the overall approach. Alpharius' discovery has also been retconned; being found by Horus is now just one of several possibilities, according to Horus Heresy: Extermination.

What I meant by the quote is that as the Legion was already spec ops, Alpharius learned from them rather than them learning from him, the opposite of the relationships between other Legions and Primarchs. "Tinkered and perfected" is kind of what I was thinking. Lexicanum mentions that they developed a "martial pride" and that their plans became increasing complex "as Alpharius sought to prove the worth of both his Legion and his martial philosophy". "More and more were the situations where he would take the more difficult course of action to force his Space Marines to grow".

How it seems is that the Ghost Legion's example was accepted well by their Primarch, and he had his own take on what they had already been practicing. Their actions during the Crusade (of increasing complexity) could be entirely because of Alpharius trying to make a point. In true Alpha Legion fashion, I imagine that the modern Legion would not have changed much without the direction of their Primarch (not including following Horus, which were done for very clear reasons on Alpharius' part whether you prefer the Cabal story or that Horus was simply Alpharius' only friend). In other words, I don't think Alpharius as a leader changed the Legion that much (obviously not including factors like being made into a full-strength Legion after he was discovered, etc). While they obviously cared for him, I very much like the idea of Alpharius and his Legion being closer to peers than them venerating him to the point of worship like most of the other Legions do with their Primarchs. That fits well with their combat doctrine, too.

Another point is that perhaps Guilliman always disliked the XX Legion ("Alpha units" and whatnot), Assassins, and all that practical stuff. Perhaps what got him angry was that a Primarch - one of his brothers - was part of what he perceived to be cowardly silliness. Furthermore, Alpharius as a leader would put a face (so to speak) to this issue; Guilliman could hardly debate tactics with a leaderless shadow organisation. This would explain why he was such a massive ass to Alpharius (in a way that isn't just "Guilliman is an ass", which he probably was); it was something that had bothered him for a long time and he had finally found someone to tell off about it.

Ah, right, I see what you mean now. Alpharius/Omegon already had a penchant for subterfuge and deception prior to being leaders of the XX though, keeping their past a secret from everyone. As I noted earlier, I think the XX was genetically engineered to naturally be deceptive, which would mean Alpharius/Omegon were too. I definitely agree with your idea about Alpharius/Omegon being closer to his rank-and-file than Roboute, in a fashion more similar to the jumped-up gang member Horus

 ChazSexington wrote:

 Alpharius wrote:
Some interesting theories in here!

Interesting to note that in the initial Index Astartes article on the Alpha Legion, it is noted that Alpharius is almost as tall as Horus himself, and that his marines are all also unusually tall...

Aye, but the most interesting part there is that it notes Alpharius as using a sword during his fight with Roboute; Alpharius used the Pale Spear in combat. Could simply be a fluff mistake, or it could be a hint that it was actually just some poor Alpha Legionnaire dressed up in Alpharius' clothes!

Spoiler:

Considering that Sheed Ranko was given some of Omegon's blood to better impersonate the Primarch in the Serpent Beneath, this isn't without precedence

Well, the IA for the Legion was well before the "OMEGON" reveal, and I do believe the intention was always that yes, Roboute did in fact kill someone other than Alpharius.

 Alpharius wrote:

 ChazSexington wrote:

 Alpharius wrote:
Some interesting theories in here!

Interesting to note that in the initial Index Astartes article on the Alpha Legion, it is noted that Alpharius is almost as tall as Horus himself, and that his marines are all also unusually tall...

Aye, but the most interesting part there is that it notes Alpharius as using a sword during his fight with Roboute; Alpharius used the Pale Spear in combat. Could simply be a fluff mistake, or it could be a hint that it was actually just some poor Alpha Legionnaire dressed up in Alpharius' clothes!

Spoiler:

Considering that Sheed Ranko was given some of Omegon's blood to better impersonate the Primarch in the Serpent Beneath, this isn't without precedence

Well, the IA for the Legion was well before the "OMEGON" reveal, and I do believe the intention was always that yes, Roboute did in fact kill someone other than Alpharius.

True, but didn't some BL/GW author actually state Alpharius was dead at some point? Not that GW would give a Cultist's ass about retconning it.

Not that I'm aware of, but I'll admit to not keeping up with BL after the whole "Legacy Edition" debacle nor GW after the whole $50 Codex + ridiculous release schedule.

 ChazSexington wrote:

 Alpharius wrote:

 ChazSexington wrote:

 Alpharius wrote:
Some interesting theories in here!

Interesting to note that in the initial Index Astartes article on the Alpha Legion, it is noted that Alpharius is almost as tall as Horus himself, and that his marines are all also unusually tall...

Aye, but the most interesting part there is that it notes Alpharius as using a sword during his fight with Roboute; Alpharius used the Pale Spear in combat. Could simply be a fluff mistake, or it could be a hint that it was actually just some poor Alpha Legionnaire dressed up in Alpharius' clothes!

Spoiler:

Considering that Sheed Ranko was given some of Omegon's blood to better impersonate the Primarch in the Serpent Beneath, this isn't without precedence

Well, the IA for the Legion was well before the "OMEGON" reveal, and I do believe the intention was always that yes, Roboute did in fact kill someone other than Alpharius.

True, but didn't some BL/GW author actually state Alpharius was dead at some point? Not that GW would give a Cultist's ass about retconning it.

And how many Alpharius' are there?

All of them. They are all Alpharius,

Spoilers for Dan Abnett's "Pariah" to follow:

 ChazSexington wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
Hrm... not sure the Red Thirst is the best comparative example, as that's... not really a mutation, but a flaw in the original copy.

That's exactly what I'm trying to get at. There was a flaw in the original.

Please report at the Commisariat for execution, The Primarchs are derived from the Emperor, you are implying the Emperor is flawed Heresy!

Existing knowledge about alpha legion is collected from scratch of what's left of original knowledge destroyed by alpha legion. The original knowledge of alpha legion was a disinformation left by alpha legion.