Perturabo had enough, it wasn't just the endless battles with little to no rest, it wasn't the endless toil and precise meticulous calculations, and it wasn't the fact that his men didn't receive any thanks or recognition that finally made him snap, it was one thoughtless comment,
"Why don't you send your men to dig in the mud Perturabo that's all there good for", that was the straw that broke the camel's back, Perturabo turned to face his feral brother, no not brother not anymore, with rage in his heart he picked up his siege hammer and approached the feral commander of the Space Wolves, and with a mighty swing hammered him in the chest, launching the demigod into a wall more than twenty feet in the opposite direction, the Wolf Lords men stunned at the sudden impact raised their weapons at the Lord of Iron only to face a wall of iron shields as Perturabo's bodyguard closed around him
"Conduct your own siege Wolf", and with that Perturabo and the Iron Warriors left.
On his flag ship Iron Blood he assembled his Warsmiths, the commanders of his grand companies, and the Triarch the three advisers and master generals
"We are returning to Olympia", he said as he sat on his Iron Throne, his Triarch where stunned but never the less they nodded and bowed before dismissing the Warsmiths Leaving only the Triarch in his throne room.
"The Emperor will not approve of this", said one of them his voice a low growl
"Fuck the Emperor", was the cold reply of Perturabo "if he wants to know he can dam well ask me in person, if he's not too busy patting Dorn on the head", he said as he leaned forward "the only thing that occupies me now is the rebuilding of my legion".
The three remained still as Perturabo sat contemplating numbers and resources needed to begging rebuilding his forces. It took months to get back to Olympia but once he was he began his grand work, turning his home into the finest and most heavily defended palace in the galaxy.
over the course of the next moth the Iron Warriors began rebuild themselves, using their tech marines and the machanicus blue prints they began to mass produce Mk 3 iron armour, unloading more and more of his sons until they were all home, with the arrival of the last ship the true accounting of his men taken he had less than 9,000 men left. His legion had been ravaged by the crusade and he vowed not to leave Olympia until he had recouped his losses and then some.
His goal was 500,000 marines, so he began recruitment in earnest taking from the large population of Olympia that numbered in the billions, all within mountain fortresses dotted all over the vast planet. He wanted his sons to be the best so he studied the tactics of his brothers, no fellow commanders they weren't his brothers anymore.
He had his tech marines take apart one set of iron armour to find out how it worked, and using the resources of his own world began the difficult task of building the power armour. The first suit didn't work as well as the others, just using the blue prints didn't seem to be enough, but over a few months they worked out how to properly replicate and build the Mk 3 Iron Armour, and the weapons needed to field the army he was building it took about a year to get Olympia built into one big palace world, defended by the about 350,000 marines with more on the way.
But unexpectedly one day Perturabo sequestered himself away in his own palace, he hadn't spoken to anyone in a year. The Triarch ran the planet in his stead; no one knew what he was doing only that he wanted to be left alone. It was about two years after he had withdrawn his men to Olympia that the Emperor arrived, and he wasn't alone, he brought his flagship, his personal body guard, Rogal Dorn, and his honour guard, all too soon a drop ship arrived carrying the Emperor of mankind launched.
(Lochos space port)
The Emperor stood resplendent in his golden armour, his long black hair flowing behind and a halo shining like a crown above his head, he descended from the sky in a shining golden drop ship, it extending gleaming metal skids and landed amongst the marble palace that his son had made, it was beautiful and engineering and architectural master piece, he exited the drop ship and stood for a moment admiring the art that was his sons palace, it didn't take long until he was met by a large contingent of men in grey silver armour.
"My Emperor" said the lead marine "what brings you to the realm of Iron"
"Take me to my son" he said his voice filled with an ethereal power unmatched by any alive.
"My Emperor I would be glad to but..." he never got a chance to finish
"But" he snapped the power in that one word bring the man low to his knees "yours is not to wonder why yours is but to do or die" the poor hapless marine quaked in fear as the Emperor let him up
"My lord" he said shaking in fear "my lord the master of iron hasn't been seen outside of his throne room for a year"
"What"
"Yes my lord" he said shaking "we have not seen or spoken to our father in a year"
"Very well take me to his palace" he ordered "he will see me" he said with force and conviction.
The marine nodded and bowed before spinning on his heel leading the master of mankind to the iron throne, all around Space Marines bowed to the emperor at the hip showing reverence and respect to their 'grandfather', and he in return marvelled behind a mask of cold indifference at the works of his son and the efficiency of his men, behind the Emperor marched Rogal Dorn he to hid his marvel behind a mask of stone, he never knew that his brother could craft such works of high art and beauty, not that he really knew his iron brother all that well he never really tried to, and behind him marching in a column of twos were the emperors personal guard all decked out in golden armour marching in perfect step.
It only took a few minutes for them to reach the intricately crafted Iron doors.
"This is the entrance to the Iron throne my lord" said the marine "these doors have not moved in a year and we have dared not disturb our lord farther"
The Emperor nodded before dismissing the man, and using his vast strength he opened the doors to a vast room, it was so large that you could fit three football fields in there and still have room for a few tennis courts. The roof was supported by intricately crafted obsidian obelisks with names carved into them, thousands and thousands of names. The Emperor ordered his guards to stay while he and Dorn continued; the palace was beautiful, with effigies of battles carved into the walls, a whole record of the conquests of the 4th legion the Iron Warriors, every victory and every loss. The further in they went the more beautiful the art until they came to vast clearing and in the middle wreathed in light, there sat Perturabo, on a highly polished iron throne forged to look like his legion insignia, he sat almost splayed out his head held by his left hand, his eyes shadowed he didn't even react to the intruders with in his throne room.
But what did pay attention where the twelve robots that made up his new Iron circle, they appeared from the ceiling like wraths' red eyes blazing within the shadows, the only indication that something was there, silently they moved, and when bladed gauntlets reached for the throats of the intruders, they where suppressed at their arrival, and where unprepared for their assault, then suddenly before they could even move to defend themselves they stopped, slight twitch of Perturabo's left index finger stopped them in their tracks, then just as suddenly as they arrived and just as silently they where enveloped in the shadows and vanished.
"What brings Mankind's master to my palace?" he spoke softly and didn't move he didn't even look up at the man that was his father "is it to ask me something, or to lay waste to my world and make me bow in its ruins while Dorn and his men stand over me", still he didn't move but his robots there blazing red eyes dancing in the darkness, "Is it perhaps to kill me himself as his failed experiment, and display my body to his sons as a warning" this time he did move but only his eyes, the deep sorrow filled obsidian orbs made contact with the Emperors cold sapphire eyes, "what oh benevolent god amongst flawed and lesser beings"
"I am here son to get answers" he said "you attacked your brother, recalled all your men left whole planets undefended, we had to reconquer several worlds because of that mistake, take several legions off the front line to take over your duties, and I want an explanation"
"That wolf is no brother of mine" he said "why don't you ask him what he said about my sons" he adjusted his seating position.
"What" the emperor spat not used to this type of rebellion within his sons, not even Konrad had been so blatant before him.
"But I have a question for you, oh grand imperial father of mine, why my sons"
"What are you blithering on about?"
"why do my sons have to garrison worlds, like a glorified PDF" he spoke slightly louder "why are they treated no better than servitors, why at every siege when my sons break open a fortress another legion takes the honours without so much as a thank you, why do my sons have to die in meat grinder after meat grinder for little to no acknowledgment of their part in the battle, why" his eyes bored into his father's "answer me that oh benevolent leader"