Chapter 1
What do you know about the Horus Heresy? What do you think you know? What the Imperium has always told you, what they have been saying for about ten millenia straight. About the fact that Horus was the most unhonorable of the Primarchs, that he began the most bloody and gruesome war in the history of mankind. That the Space Marines that chose to follow him were corrupted beasts and monsters? That Horus was so possessed by Chaos that he turned into a mindless savage with thirst for blood, with no hope for him to be saved? Well they are not wrong... for most of those things. I know for a fact that indeed we were corrupted, blinded by our lust for power and bloodshed, but I also know it was not us. It was a twisted dark version of ourselves, which we would be terrified if we could see. And some of us did. My father, Warmaster Horus Lupercal, in his final moments witnessed the horrors he had unleashed upon humanity and the Imperium, he had sworn to protect, and most importantly- the devastating injuries that he had delivered to his Father, the Emperor of Mankind. But his final words were not only pleas for forgiveness, for I was there. I, Nihlus Meridius, witnessed it all with my own eyes. I heard my Father's last bidding. His last wish and blessing. Something that not only shocked me, but also confused me and fractured the chains of the Chaos influence over me and my 12 000 Astartes, along with all mortals and Techmarines under my command.
Date- 31st Millennium, Battle for Terra Location- "Vengeful Spirit", in orbit over Terra:
With a shout of rage Horus smashed one of the tactical display screens on the command bridge of his ship. Whispers of his allies in the Warp had just informed him that the Loyalist Space Marine Legions of the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves were mere hours away from the Capital of the Imperium, and the Ultramarines were not far behind.
His gamble had failed. He couldn't handle much more Loyalist reinforcements. It would prolong the battle greatly and possibly steal his victory right from his hands. He had to end everything now, while there was still time.
An evil smirk formed on his face as realization dawned on him. Yes, why hadn't he figured it out sooner. Instead of battling his way to the False Emperor, he could've just brought him to himself all along. All that he had to do was a simple challenge and a final battle between the two rulers of the opposing sides. Traitor versus Loyalist, Warmaster versus Emperor... Son versus Father.
Images suddenly flew in Horus' mind. Images of a better time when he fought not against his fellow Primarchs and his Father, but alongside them. Realising that his smile and expression had gained a more longing and softer trait he shook his head. It was over. He had denied the False Emperor and sworn his allegiance to the Chaos Gods, and through him he had bound the lives of his Legion, the Sons of Horus, with the Ruinous Powers as well.
He turned towards the only other Space Marine on the bridge. He wore a rather interestingly decorated armor. Multiple golden spikes and horns protruded from his midnight black armor, along with several golden images of fanged creatures from the Warp. The helmet's vox was hidden behind toothy decorations, resembling a snarling maw and three horns protruded from the helmet's top along with crimson red eyes, giving it an even more inhuman appearance. The armor on the hands ended with sharp claws, which were small in order to not interfere with weapon's usage, were still sharp enough to penetrate an Astartes' armor. And the final traits that made him look even more daemonic were the long psychic black wing like armor decorations from his back. Or perhaps they were indeed wings, for more than once had Horus seen or heard reports and rumors that these protrusions had been used for propelling towards the sky and gliding over the war zone, earning this Space Marine the calling Soulreaper. That and the devastating psychic abilities that had manifested inside him.
Yes indeed Nihlus Meridius was by far one of his most favorite and effective sons and commanders, after Ezekyle Abbadon of course. But Nihlus was known also as a favourite of Horus for a quite unusual reason.
Before the events that lead to the Warmaster's corruption, before he was even discovered by the Emperor of Mankind, Horus and Nihlus grew up together. A terrible accident caused Nihlus' parents to die, leaving him alone to live a miserable existence. But Horus didn't allow that to happen. Taking the role of a guardian and a mentor, an elder brother, the Son of the Emperor looked after his friend. The first years had been difficult, but as time progressed Horus realized that that day he had been blessed with a truly worthy friend and a brother. Nihlus, even as a child, possessed qualities that allowed him to overpower most human mortals, to quickly adapt to his surroundings and face any challenge head on until it was removed. After the Emperor had discovered Horus, Nihlus was struck speechless by the fact that his big brother figure was in fact a long lost Primarch. Inspired by the awe and stunning visage of both the Emperor and of Horus, as well as that of the Emperor's Space Marines, Nihlus dreamt to join the Adeptus Astartes but not because of his connection with Lupercal. Nihlus wanted to join the Luna Wolves the hard way, as every other candidate. Quickly he managed to learn different combat techniques and how to operate with different weapons. Books of tactics and the art of war seemed to become the only reading material outside from his studies. Horus smiled inwardly. It was evident back then both to him and the Emperor what Nihlus wanted to become. And when the Warmaster offered him a position among his Adeptus Astartes Legion, Nihlus accepted without hesitation. Ending the trials as the best candidate, ever since Nihlus brought honor to his Legion, quickly progressing through ranks to reach that of a Captain. But he also possessed one quality that made him stick out among the rest of the Astartes from the Traitor Legions. His cunning.
Carefully had Horus observed his now new son. Meridius was a warrior of unorthodox methods. Always planning the battlefield, analyzing it to the smallest detail, Nihlus always achieved his objectives and while he was infamous for occasionally ignoring side missions, he was popular with his loyalty to his men. His every operation was a major success, with rarely much casualties. Horus had first noticed this particular trait in him before the massacre on Istvaan III, during the battles against the Ork Waaagh on Ullanor and the events at the beginning of his Heresy had only convinced him of this belief.
A simple captain back on the accursed dead husk of a world that was now Istvaan, Nihlus was assigned under the temporary command of the Primarch of the World Eaters- Angron. Despite the latter's attempts to belittle all of his subjects, Horus kept a watchful eye on the progress of the battle. Angron was a fierce warrior, but was arrogant to no end. This is what also allowed that blasted cur Saul Tarvitz to endure for so long and to become such a nuisance with his guerrilla warfare. Angron wouldn't recognize potential even if it slapped him in the face. The Warmaster was a different story however. There he noticed many worthy of praise captains which he later promoted and turned into reliable commanders. And Nihlus was perhaps chief amongst them. His successes as a leader won him the favor and respect not only of the rest of the Sons of Horus, but of Astartes among the other Traitor Legions as well. Eventually the Warmaster gave Nihlus command over a small strike fleet of four Corba class Destroyers, four Firestorm class frigates, three Vengeance Grand Cruisers along with two Apocalypse Class Battlecruisers and the Retribution class Battleship "Spectre of Apocalypse". The reason behind the decision of the Warmaster was because of Nihlus showing not just outstanding commanding skills on the ground but also in naval engagements. At first the rest of the Primarchs had doubted Horus' decision, to give Meridius command of his own fleet, consisting of Imperial warships, instead of the Chaos designs, but his son lived true to his name and used this as a devastating advantage. Often arriving in battle along Imperial Loyalist ships, sometimes in the middle of a fight, other times to "reinforce" an assault fleet or a planetary defense group, Nihlus bacame famous for suddenly opening fire on the enemy, crippling or eradicating them before they had any chance to react. Infiltration and "Hit and run" tactics became favorite to Meriduis as his small fleet was more than well suited for the task. Often leading to the capture of high value targets, supplies or even ships of various designs, Nihlus planted the seeds of paranoia and mistrust amongst Imperium fleet commanders and soon a lot of cases of friendly fire occurred, when Loyalists would destroy each other. And while such tactics did not fully please some of the traitor Primarchs, it closed their mouths, because these were results no one could argue with.
In terms of ground troops, Horus insured that Nihlus would rise as one of his most trusted. Giving him command of over 9,000 Astartes of the Sons of Horus, hundereds of Techmarines of the Dark Mechanicum, thousands of Chaos Guardsmen and three Titans- one Reaver and two Warhound Class Titans, Nihlus was given De facto command of a miniature legion and promoted as a fifth unofficial Mournival. The Warmaster's trust in the Soulreaper was once again justified. Nihlus immediately began to organize his forces, appointing a complex chain of command of Space Marines he trusted with his life.
The first one was Marcus Flavius, an imposing Terminator Marine, with rare cunning and intellect, assigned as Captain. The second was Fedorian Blasius, as a Lieutenant, and Septimus Quintus, as a Sargeant, the former being an Assault Marine, while the latter a Devastator Marine. The leader of the Techmarines became Rufus Salvador. Quickly organizing his army, utilizing all of it's strengths, compensating for it's weaknesses and exploiting every vulnerability in the enemy, Nihlus lived up to the tactical genius of the Sons of Horus and turned his forces into a formidable and destructive unit, which was rarely opposed and challenged.
And now his unit achieved successes on Terra. Nihlus had ordered his Lieutenant to take a third of their forces to storm the Great Libraries of Terra, just like those of Mars... and on every major world that fell victim to the Warmaster's conquest in fact. On the question why, he simply answered: "Because knowledge is power." An answer truly worthy of a Space Marine of the Thousand Sons. Maybe this was the reason why the Crimson King, Magnus, always supported Nihlus. Already in possession of the schematics of Chaos technology, Nihlus wished to fill in all the gaps on the Imperial scientific achievements and ordered all information from captured Imperial worlds to be carefully recorded, cataloged and studied, something that Salvador and his Dark Mechanicum brethren clearly enjoyed. Already did Nihlus know how to create new Space Marines through new gene-seed or how to build almost every existing Space ship and war Titan- a fact that greatly unnerved most of the Traitor Primarchs. The only thing that stopped the Soulreaper from building his own Legion were a few suitable worlds, where to settle, colonists and resources.
But now Meriduis' mission would change. His and that of his men.
"Nihlus. I have a new task for you." Horus said in a demanding tone.
"Whatever it is, it shall be done, Father."
"Good. An unexpected change of plans has occurred. Loyalist reinforcements are soon going to arrive and this siege must end with us victorious. That is way I have decided to do another change of the battle myself. I will challenge the Emperor to a duel."
"Very well, but my Captain reports that the Loyalists still hold the Imperial Palace."
"Indeed. That is why instead of going to my cowardly Father, I shall allow him to teleport on board this ship. I will lower the Void shields and send a challenge I know he will not refuse."
"I understand, Father. What do you want me to do?" Horus smiled. Always to the point. No senseless theatrics. Yes, Nihlus would always be amongst the Warmaster's most praised warrior.
"It is quite simple. No doubt my Father will teleport here with an escort. Thanks to my new found Chaos abilities I will be able to scatter them across this ship. I want you to destroy every loyalist, that the Emperor brings here, but leave any Primarchs you encounter and my Father to me. You are not yet ready or powerful enough confront my Brothers or the Emperor "
"I understand." Nihlus repied, armed his Storm Bolter and saluted. "Your will be done. May the glory of this day be Yours and may You emerge victorious over our enemies, Father. Glory for the Warmaster." With these words Nihlus stormed out of the bridge and prepared to carry out his task