Six of the Legion Masters either already were or would soon be in attendance. With them were ten generals of the Imperial auxilia, the foremost non-transhuman forces of the Unification Wars. Umo, and Omarov, and Metteshche, legends all -
And yet Thrallas's gaze was fixed on the head of the table, where the Emperor of Mankind sat to head the war council, his form protean as ever. At his right hand was Malcador the Sigillite, who everyone in the room regarded with wary respect, no matter that physically he seemed the frailest of them all.
And at the Emperor's left hand, there was a violet-eyed boy of perhaps ten Terran years, his white hair tied into a ponytail, dressed in golden-colored robes.
Well before the Emperor presented him, Thrallas knew that he was Faro of Cthonia.
He is a child, one part of Thrallas said. Another said that Thrallas had himself been a child, not too long ago. But before those parts could resolve their disagreement, Malcador finished his briefing with an announcement of the Imperium's next enemy - the monstrous Selenar cults of Luna, whose gene-lore had assisted in the invention of the Astartes themselves but who had fallen under the sway of Cardinal Tang.
And then the Emperor rose, and the room became deathly still.
"Primarch Faro of Cthonia," he said.
There were nods at that. Thrallas thought of Cthonia, which he'd had little reason to consider before now. A world of gangers, whose savagery had caused recruiting shuttles to round them up as recruits for the Imperium.
His unease, now released from its firewalls, ballooned. And then Faro spoke.
"Legion Masters," he said, "Generals. I am still young, and new to the Imperium, and so I may not yet have much to add to your accumulated wisdom of the great men and women gathered here. Perhaps, for now, the best role for me to play is as an outsider with a young perspective, the naive naysmith who points out the simple flaws of complex plans. Past that, I am, for now, here to learn." He swept his eyes over the room, fixing Thrallas's gaze in particular for a few moments. "But this, I do know: that with this war, the Imperium will first go beyond Terra. Our first step out into the vastness of the cosmos, our first world to cure! This is a campaign that will be remembered, in all annals of the Imperium to come. Take heart, in the magnitude of what we are attempting here."
Thrallas's heart lifted as Faro spoke, not from the words but from the spirit in which they were said. The generals, he could see, were prouder still, for it was their achievements that Faro had emphasized. But it would be his right, in time, to serve under this commander. Still a boy, for now, but despite his origins he was no savage, nor a fool. If this was Faro at ten, Thrallas looked forward to serving under his primarch as an adult.
"Well, if this campaign will be remembered forever," Malcador said, defusing the pause, "it would be good if it was remembered as a victory."
Thrallas took a glance around at the gathered Legion Masters. Aside from himself, there were Mathias of the Seventh, DuCaine of the Tenth, Lhorke of the Twelfth, Vosotho of the Thirteenth, and Minos of the Sixteenth. A varied assortment of Legions, but then Thrallas did not have the Emperor's knowledge of the Legions' gene-seed. Or, perhaps, the variety was the objective, under a combined-arms doctrine.
"Then," a woman that Thrallas took a moment to place as General Umo said, "I take it the Thunder Warriors will not be taking part, so I'd say the Legions should take the fore."
General Omarov nodded. "The auxilia would better fit the diversionary assaults on Terra."
That broke the ice. Soon ideas were being thrown back and forth. Three Legions would assault Luna, it was decided, a direct demonstration of the Astartes' power - numerically not a massive force, avoiding strain to Terra's industry in raising them to orbit. The auxilia and other Legions would launch minor, diversionary assaults on Tang's Yndonesic Bloc and the Panpacific Empire's remnants.
The Legion Masters each volunteered their force for the assault, of course, Thrallas among them. They had prepared for long enough; it was time to be loosed. The Emperor, before making a decision, called for a debate on how the campaign would be conducted, so as to play to the Legions' strengths.
The defense grid of the Selenar cultists was the first, and frankly foremost, obstacle. Humanity had long forgotten how to fight in the void, but anti-air cannons were easy enough to make, and the Selenar, with nearly uncontested control of Luna, were focused on defending against that avenue of assault. Better gunships... were, unfortunately, not available.
"But how," Legion Master Minos asked, "do they know what to shoot?"
"Auspex grids, of course," General Awimaprasin said. "You think that we can fool them?"
"They won't know what to expect - "
"If we mask the heat signatures - "
"Another diversion, to pave the way - "
A plan quickly developed. The first Legion to attack would fly in by stealth, while the other two would openly bring up the rear, drawing inaccurate fire while the speartip Legion would land unnoticed. Then, they would destroy the orbital defenses, allowing the others to close and land. Diversion on top of diversion, in sum.
Yet any means of void-based stealth were untested. A dozen proposals were put ahead, half of them shot down by incisive queries from Faro, the other half retracted by their original proponents. It was the Emperor who finally gave the answer. "They will be powered down, to minimize energy signatures," he said, gesturing to a ship model on the table. "We do not have the means to produce a stealth system worthy of this campaign, not in time. We cannot deflect their gaze, so we will become transparent to it."
Malcador smirked. "It won't be too comfortable," he said, "but it could work. It has worked, before. Back to tomb ships it is. Ha!"
There were a few further questions, and a few streamlining edits by the Emperor, but soon enough he nodded, ready to announce the task force. The XVI would have the honor of the speartip assault, while the XIII and Thrallas's own III would form the support force. The other Legions were detached to Terra, a situation that Lhorke was less than happy about but accepted.
And after that, as the council receded, Thrallas found himself alone with his gene-father, who seemed a decade younger than him, for the first time.
"It is an honor to finally meet you, lord," he said.
Faro nodded. "The honor is mine," he said. "The day when I command you is years away still. So tell me of, er, your brothers, Legion Master."
And as they walked, Thrallas's uncertainty and awkwardness gradually waned. He talked of the Third Legion as it was, a warrior brotherhood that had seen battle only twice, leading the auxilia in minor engagements against Dume's empire, proud and hungry and ambitious. Faro took it in, smiling, and Thrallas could tell that visions of future victories were flashing across his retinas.
And from the corner of his eye, Thrallas thought he could see the Emperor smile behind them.