novelraw Chapter 28: Truth
Chapter 28: Truth
"How did the legion fall?"
"The Emperor sent the Space Wolves. To preserve the spark of the legion, the Primarch willingly submitted to execution."
Soshyan's gauntlet clenched instantly.
"Was there... no resistance?"
"There was."
"So afterwards, the legion was merged into the Imperial Fists?"
"Only a portion..."
Speaking up to here, a trace of emotion, a bit of sorrow, suddenly appeared in Brother Zayd's originally mechanical accent.
"Most of the warriors could not accept the death of their gene-father, nor the humiliation of having the legion's designation erased. They took most of the warships and attempted to flee the homeworld, heading to a safe location to rebuild the organization. But midway, they were ambushed by the War Hounds and the Luna Wolves, and wiped out in their entirety."
"So you accepted such humiliation.""Because I realized the responsibility I shoulder."
Brother Zayd was not angered by Soshyan's words.
"After I awoke, I realized that the current state of the Imperium cannot be maintained forever. The Primarch's plan from back then is very suitable for the Imperium now. The Deathless Army must be rebuilt, and the Gloom Walkers must enter the Webway to liberate the Emperor from the Golden Throne."
"Liberate him?"
"Yes. As long as he no longer expends his power suppressing the Webway entrance, I believe that one day, the Emperor will be able to stand up by his own power and lead the Imperium once more. Only then can we recover everything we have lost, and the Primarch's statue return to the Imperial Palace on Terra."
"And we will take his place, eternally standing watch at the Webway's entrance."
"Indeed."
Soshyan let out a long breath, pacing back and forth in the secret chamber for a dozen steps, seemingly considering something.
Then, he raised his head and said,
"Brother Zayd, when did you start planning this?"
"Since I awoke."
"Are these things only known to successive Chapter Masters?"
"Yes, every generation of Chapter Master will learn the truth here, except for Amulad's predecessor. That guy was unqualified."
Soshyan also knew about the predecessor of the predecessor, so he didn't continue this topic. That was indeed the shame of the entire Chapter.
"You said I'm the only one who has been successfully augmented with the Grey Marrow. Doesn't that mean this technology is extremely complex and difficult? What use is such low efficiency?"
"That's not the case. The first transplant of Grey Marrow is indeed exceptionally difficult because the raw fluid was formulated directly by the Primarch himself. We cannot fully understand its mechanism. The only thing I know is that as long as the transplant is successful, the Grey Marrow will have extremely high adaptability, and the success rate of subsequent transplants will greatly increase... What was transplanted into you was the very last bit of raw fluid we had on hand. If it had failed, then the Gloom Walkers would have disappeared forever. But thanks to the Emperor's blessing, you succeeded."
"That is to say, my Grey Marrow can be transplanted into other warriors."
"Indeed."
"Then what exactly is the Red Talisman? Why did Chapter Master Amulad use a method verging on suicide to seize this thing?"
"Because it is a crucial key. This thing is only likely to exist in high-level Necron Tomb Worlds. Only through it can you rebuild the lost legion."
"Why?"
Brother Zayd raised his arm, and a handheld holographic projector appeared in his palm. He then activated the device.
Green light began clicking, dancing over Soshyan's ceramite armor and gradually displaying an image.
It was a warship.
Even if it was just a faintly flickering holographic image, its magnificence was breathtaking enough. This was an incredibly massive battleship; words simply could not describe its grandeur. Enveloping its fortress-like massive bridge and prow were a large number of obelisks and arched structures in a bizarre style, which made Soshyan feel a bit familiar.
It seemed... the World Engine also had this style.
"During the Great Crusade era, only a dozen or so similar warships were built. As gifts from the Emperor, they served as flagships in the Space Marine Legions. You should have heard their name—Gloriana-class."
"This is the flagship of the Eleventh Legion?"
"The Ashur-Veda, the Primarch's personal flagship, the pride of the legion, and also the only Imperial warship capable of navigating the Warp without needing a Geller field."
"Does it... have anything to do with the Necrons?"
"Indeed. The Primarch often said that we must be inclusive and draw upon the strengths of others, that even enemies have things we could learn from."
Brother Zayd admitted this very frankly.
Although he had roughly guessed it, the thought that his Primarch actually had dealings with the Necrons, and that even the Grey Marrow transplanted in his body might be related to those filthy soulless machines, truly left Soshyan with mixed feelings.
Everything sounded so ironic. He couldn't help but think again of the over seven hundred battle-brothers who died in battle on the World Engine.
"To rebuild the legion, we must recover the Ashur-Veda, and the key to activating the warship is the Primarch's weapon, 'Heaven's Fall'. There was a Red Talisman on Heaven's Fall, which was destroyed by Leman Russ. Therefore, we must find a new Red Talisman to activate the warship."
"Where is that weapon now?"
"Heaven's Fall was taken by Horus. It was also he who argued vigorously with Dorn and Guilliman after the war to preserve the spark of the legion. That weapon might be kept on Ullanor, because before his corruption, Horus was a Primarch who placed a heavy emphasis on sentiment. It's very likely he placed Heaven's Fall in the most honored position. Rumor has it that when he was titled Warmaster, he secretly built a mausoleum on Ullanor. No one knows what is buried inside. Perhaps—"
"Ullanor..."
Soshyan was no stranger to this name. It was there that the Emperor defeated the most powerful Ork empire in the galaxy at the time, destroying that nameless Ork tyrant.
However, ever since the War of the Beast during the M32 era, this planet had vanished from the Imperium's official records.
"Ullanor seems to no longer exist."
"It still exists, it's just been hidden. We need to find it."
Brother Zayd's tone turned extremely resolute.
"Find Heaven's Fall, then find the Ashur-Veda. Whether it takes a thousand years or ten thousand years, this is our mission!"
"What is on it that's worth us searching like this."
"When the legion brothers evacuated the homeworld, they moved most of the legion's gene-seed onto the flagship. The number might exceed ten thousand! If we find it, then reviving the legion will be a matter of course."
"How can you be certain it wasn't destroyed?"
The Dreadnought stood quietly before Soshyan. Although separated by a thick iron coffin, Soshyan could feel a pair of eyes staring at him.
"Because... I am the First Captain of the Deathless Army, and also the initiator of that operation. My injuries were sustained in that war. I witnessed with my own eyes as it jumped into the Warp."
Soshyan was at a loss for words. He suddenly realized that his previous words had been hurtful to Brother Zayd.
This ancient warrior before him had never accepted that humiliation...
"I'm sorry, I..."
"No apologies are necessary. You shoulder a heavy burden now, Soshyan Alexey. Although we have made tremendous progress, the Chapter has also reached the brink of annihilation. We must first restore some measure of strength before it is possible to search for the Ashur-Veda."
"I still don't understand, if it was just for the Red Talisman, did everyone have to be sacrificed?"
"Because—"
Brother Zayd's joints creaked as he moved, then he leaned down and said,
"Soshyan, have you ever heard of the Iron Cage?"
The Iron Cage—as a Successor Chapter of the Imperial Fists, Soshyan had no reason not to know of this highly famous event.
Regarding the explanation for this incident, the Astral Knights' archive held a distinctly different record from the outside world. At that time, most of the Imperial Fists opposed the Codex, even going so far as to resist with force. Everything Dorn did was to make the legion accept the Codex Astartes.
To achieve this, Dorn would rather—
"This..."
Shrouded by that dark truth, Soshyan subconsciously took a step back. He felt the world he had once been familiar with was being torn apart bit by bit.
But Brother Zayd had no intention of giving him time to process. He took a step closer and said,
"As a Chapter of pure legion bloodline, we must vanish from under the eyes of the High Lords of Terra. I believe we have already been struck from the roster of active Chapters now. Everything we do hereafter will be much more convenient."
Soshyan felt a chill run down his spine. Over ten thousand years of obsession; he wasn't sure if Brother Zayd's mental state was still sound.
At least for now, it seemed the problem wasn't too serious.
"But now the Chapter is left with only thirty-three recruits. What should we do next."
Regardless of the future, the difficulties at hand were the most direct. But after Soshyan spoke, Brother Zayd just stood there quietly like a statue.
"Brother Zayd? Brother Zayd?"
Soshyan called out a few times without any response. He cautiously reached out and knocked on the Dreadnought's front armor, yet still received no response.
"He couldn't have... fallen asleep, could he."