Chapter 39: The Eleventh Primarch
Omega and Alpharius set aside their work and returned to Holy Terra with ten warships.
As their vessel emerged from the Warp at the Khthonic Gate near Pluto, Omega found himself amazed by the vastly more developed and bustling star system before them.
Three-dimensional tactical displays showed countless space transport ships and military warships traveling between the nine planets. Military installations now cover half of Pluto itself, with construction ongoing even on the outer worlds.
The population had grown significantly. The entire Sol System now resembled a bustling metropolis, with each planet possessing its own starport and orbital infrastructure.
This time, none of the four tech-sages had accompanied them. Instead, they had taken large numbers of Tech-Priests to execute the massive plan of constructing forge worlds and expanding the Alpha Legion's industrial capacity across multiple star systems.
Omega observed the Sol System, transformed each time he returned, and felt a profound sense of change. Alpharius, who had watched this growth unfold across decades, experienced it even more intensely.
"So many more people now," Alpharius said with genuine joy. "The Imperium grows more prosperous with each passing year."
After the victory in the Hundred Years' War against the Rangdan Empire, the entire human realm existed in a state of liberation and unprecedented euphoria. The prestige of both the Emperor and the Legiones Astartes had ascended to new heights.
The moment the Alpha Legion's warships appeared in the traffic patterns, surrounding transport vessels and military craft cleared a passage with practiced efficiency.
When they docked at Terra's main spaceport, the sight before them was extraordinary.
Countless towering structures covered the planetary surface, each building containing countless chambers. The continental landmasses had entirely disappeared, and all available space had been converted into human habitation.
This explosive population increase had driven countless cargo vessels to Terra, bringing essential supplies for hundreds of billions of inhabitants.
The grandeur of the Imperium in the Sol System, its scale and density, revealed the true prosperity and power of a galactic civilization dominated by humanity.
The two led elements of the Alpha Legion back to the XXth Legion's fortress. Upon arriving at the council chamber, they were immediately briefed on the latest intelligence and strategic information gathered by their stationed forces.
The Imperial summons to bring key Legion officers back to Terra was not, as expected, intended to address the Warmaster situation with the xenos.
Instead, the Emperor had called for a grand celebration of the complete victory in the Rangdan Xenocides. Parade ceremonies and public speeches were being organized across the palace district.
However, the Alpha Legion's true expertise lay in intelligence and espionage. The senior officers quickly understood that news of the Eleventh Primarch's identity and status had begun to circulate quietly among the Space Marine high command.
Compared to the public excitement surrounding the Nineteenth Primarch, Corvus Corax, the Eleventh Primarch remained practically unknown. Ordinary Astartes and even many high-ranking Imperial Army officers were completely unaware of the matter.
Yet rumors had begun circulating among the senior Space Marine leadership. They spoke of the Eleventh Primarch making absurd statements and accused him of being a traitor to humanity itself.
Omega found this development both fascinating and concerning. He looked at the Alpha Legionnaire delivering the intelligence briefing. "What exactly has he been saying?"
The soldier recited the information carefully. "Intelligence from the palace indicates that the Eleventh Primarch believes humans and alien races can coexist peacefully. He claims that through mutual understanding and communication, they could forge a bright future together."
"He argues that such cooperation would reduce deaths and prevent unnecessary wars."
Alpharius, who had been listening intently, suddenly rose from his seat. "ENOUGH!" His voice carried disgust. "How NAIVE! Mutual understanding? Peaceful coexistence? That fool actually believes that? Is his mind diseased?"
"Countless wars have proven that the xenos are inherently evil and malicious. Only human supremacy represents the true path forward."
Alpharius shook his head in disbelief. "This one has even more fundamental defects than Angron. And yet..."
The implications were clear. The Emperor had chosen to deploy Angron, a being with Butcher's Nails lodged in his brain, rendered capable of only violence and destruction, into positions of command.
Yet the Emperor had not done the same with the Eleventh Primarch. This suggested something far more troubling: the Eleventh Primarch's ideological deviation was not merely a personality flaw but a fundamental contradiction to the entire trajectory of Imperial development.
Omega remained silent, considering the implications carefully.
The slave collars discovered on the Rangdan had been designed for human use. The Rangdan civilization was not monolithic but rather a vast alliance. Contained within it were civilizations descended from ancient humans who had separated from Terra, as well as enslaved human populations. The existence of this alliance and the Eleventh Primarch's apparent endorsement of cross-species cooperation represented an existential ideological threat.
Alpharius was eager to leave the formal briefing, clearly burning to investigate the Eleventh Primarch's true intentions and status.
While countless citizens across Holy Terra celebrated the Hundred Years' War's victory and cheered the Emperor's magnificence, an undercurrent of tension was brewing beneath the surface.
Between the Imperial Palace and the Legiones Astartes, rumors and criticisms regarding the Eleventh Primarch continued to accumulate.
One by one, Primarchs from the various Legions returned to Terra to celebrate their victories. Many came seeking to meet and communicate with the Eleventh Primarch, or, as it became clear, to assess this former enemy.
What should have been a joyous reunion, the return of a lost brother, had taken a disturbing turn. The Eleventh Primarch was not merely their lost brother; he was also their former enemy, the Warmaster of the Rangdan.
Worse still, his ideology of peaceful coexistence between humans and alien races was so fundamentally contradictory to Imperial doctrine that it could potentially undermine the very foundations of human expansion and dominance.
Even the Emperor, pragmatic in his use of available resources, had chosen to imprison the Eleventh Primarch directly. His return remained unpublicly announced.
At the grand parade and ceremonial speech held at Fortress Ultramar, Omega stood amid countless Ultramarines in the assembly hall.
He listened as Ultramarine commanders delivered lengthy passages extolling loyalty to the Emperor and devotion to humanity.
The speeches continued for two hours. When they finally concluded, the assembled Ultramarine warriors roared their unwavering loyalty to the Emperor in unison.
It was ideology reinforcement, yet another lesson in correct thinking.
When Omega departed the Ultramarines' fortress, he employed his considerable skills to move freely through the other Legions' strongholds. His stealth abilities rendered him undetectable, even to Primarch senses, making it trivially easy for him to assess each Legion's reaction to the crisis personally.
The intelligence was clear: Dark Angels, Blood Angels, Imperial Fists, and Ultramarines had all initiated targeted ideological education campaigns addressing the rumors.
Their central message remained consistent: humanity must be upheld above all else. Loyalty to the Emperor was paramount. Loyalty to humanity was sacred.
These principles had been reinforced since the earliest days of the Astartes, but now they were being reemphasized with urgency to prevent ideological contamination.
By contrast, the Space Wolves, World Eaters, and Death Guard appeared unconcerned, allowing discussions and debates to continue openly among their ranks.
Upon returning to the Alpha Legion's fortress, Alpharius initiated his own ideological education campaign. Omega personally led the primary discussion session, speaking for an hour before yielding the floor to other senior officers.
Afterward, the two met in a secure chamber to discuss the strategic implications of recent events.
Alpharius, who had initially harbored discomfort about the Eleventh Primarch becoming the xenos Warmaster while still hoping for his eventual rehabilitation, now remained expressionless.
Omega posed the critical question directly. "What does the Emperor intend to do with the Eleventh Primarch?"
Alpharius replied with evident frustration. "The Astartes of the Eleventh Legion were annihilated long ago. The Emperor has shown mercy; he has permitted the Primarch to reflect upon his circumstances and determine how to rebuild the Eleventh Legion's strength. There may yet be an opportunity for redemption."
Alpharius paused, then added more quietly, "It seems the Emperor intends to utilize what resources remain, even if the ideology behind them is questionable."
Omega absorbed this information in silence. The practical ruthlessness of the approach was evident: use whatever could be salvaged, even when those resources represented fundamental ideological threats.
High within the towering Imperial Palace, staircases extended upward into the sky, leading to the massive, heavily fortified palace complex itself.
The magnificent and solemn architecture stood majestically atop a mountain range, the seat of humanity's Emperor and the center of countless human leaders.
Within a secluded and ornate inner chamber, a handsome blond man sat in meditation, his expression serene and profoundly peaceful.
There was something almost transcendent about his presence, as though any conflict could be resolved through his mediation, any doubt dispelled by his understanding.
His inner peace was so profound that merely observing him felt like experiencing a gentle breeze. He possessed an approachability reminiscent of the sun itself, radiating no trace of malice or darkness, only an undeniable sense of holiness.
Clear footsteps echoed from outside, announcing an arrival.
An elderly man dressed in a gray robe entered, carrying both a staff and an oil lamp. The wisdom honed by countless years of life was evident in his bearing.
In the outdoor darkness, illuminated only by his oil lamp's glow, the old man beheld the serene gene-forged son before him. For a long moment, he studied the Primarch with intense scrutiny. Then, unable to contain himself, he released a deep, weary sigh.
"Sighh~~"
"Why the sigh?" The Eleventh Primarch opened his eyes from meditation, a flash of clarity crossing his calm features.
The old man remained silent, his expression unreadable in the lamplight.
[End of Chapter]