I'm back! Sorry for the lack of activity, life's been busy as of late but I've managed to squeeze in a little time to keep this fic going.
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The dawn shone brightly through the artificial skies of Holy Terra, a shroud that had kept most of the capital world's beauty intact while at the same time masking the foul and broken truth behind it. Such is the way of things in this bleak future. What little remains of hope for brighter days comes rare, even more so for those who clung to it, for just as easily it slipped away from even the firmest of grasps.
Today, however, a hope fulfills itself. Though the many acts of the foolhardy and ignorant stained its revelation, a god had managed to make use of it. The Emperor of Mankind seized this moment, freed for a time from that corpse-prison that he may impart his desperate plan to his successors. With his purpose renewed, his passion reignited, the icon of humanity wasted no time summoning his sons before him in the secluded corners further into the Imperial Palace where the daemonic incursions had not reached. The Golden Throne and its surrounding districts had been walled off, contained and heavily guarded by the stalwart Custodes- who had abandoned all thoughts to working for the Favored Son's demise per the Emperor's orders and now focused on redeeming themselves in the crucible of glorious battle.
The Emperor's willingness to forgive was enough for them, there was no need for ritualistic suicide. They were all too happy to have him back, even if it was for a short time, and grateful to live to see that all the waiting proved to be worth it all.
Primarch Roboute Guilliman, having successfully breached the blockade in the recent battle, arrived on Terra with the surviving Ultramarines and their successor chapters with due haste upon hearing what had transpired in the last 24 hours. He could not hide the amazement he felt for the fate of his brother, who had not only managed to make first drop on Terra amidst the thunder of the Imperium's finest defense weaponry but had also in a single act turn what could have been a devastating civil war into a renewal of vigor for mankind. News traveled fast across the Imperium of what had transpired, the people cheered in great jubilation at the confirmed arrival of the three Sons. Upon seeing the error of their ways and unable to bear the great shame they felt soon after, many officers and commanders who had initially fought against Horus, one after the other, turned their weapons upon themselves in an effort to absolve their sins through death. These actions, deemed foolish beyond comprehension, was swiftly handled by the infuriated Lord of Ultramar.
He called them out for the idiots they were and forbade anyone from dismantling the infrastructure of the already weakened chain of command any further.
Primarch Corvus Corax, though remaining tight-lipped on the events of the day, felt a strange feeling of serenity after hearing of his brother's success. His days of penance were over, the time to lead the wayward Imperium was nigh. The Raven Lord entered the room from which the triumvirate and the Emperor himself would meet away from prying eyes and treacherous ears. Here, he had to squint as the luminance of his father shone like a newborn star. Guilliman was present, as was the Redeemed Son Horus Lupercal. Bowing his head in reverence, Corvus addressed the Emperor. "You called for us, father."
"I have." The astral form turned its fiery gaze upon the alabaster-skinned Primarch, "But we are missing one."
The doors which he had gone through opened, and in came the Saint Celestine of the Our Martyred Lady Order. Such a display of trust was unprecedented, for the Emperor had a very close circle in his lifetime. Something had changed in him, Corvus realized.
"My lords." Celestine greeted meekly, bending the knee before her lord and god where the Primarchs remained on their feet.
Corvus frowned, "What is she doing here?"
"She is my daughter, as you are my sons." The Emperor replied, somehow laying a sting upon the Primarch's ego as he gave voice to his disapproval of Corvus' crusade of penance and dereliction of duty in the past- even though he had said little of the matter. "There is much work to be done. Much suffering and loss had befallen us and mankind, too much time had been wasted with pointless infighting. Though I consider it a regrettable waste, the High Lords of Terra have been decimated without any hope of reparation...but it proves useful in the most unlikely of ways."
"How can it be?" Horus asked.
"It leaves room for a better form of government." The Emperor addressed all four of them, "At the moment, all of humanity awaits with baited breath on what comes next. The Imperium is in shambles, but is not far from correction. You will be my ruling hands while I yet remain in the Warp. You shall serve as the High Lords of Terra, but will not remain upon this glorified rock- you will bring correction to all the worlds out there. Muster all the armies beneath your banners, utilize all tools at your disposal, do all in your power to reunite this shadow of our once-great empire into what the Imperium was always meant to be."
The Emperor spoke first to Guilliman, "Guilliman, my son. I name you Lord Commander, and I task you with bringing those bickering lords and generals to heel. Whip the Astra Militarum, and the Departmento Munitorum, back into shape. The Guard must be reminded where their strengths lie and set to purpose. Our supply lines must also be straightened out. Once you have finished, you will then journey to the segmentums plagued by the besotted Orks and save the worlds that lie within their grasps. Go."
"With all due haste." The Primarch bowed once and exited the room, content with the brief exchange and carrying out his father's orders. The task set before him lay within his expertise as statesman and ruler, a mission given to him purposely by the Emperor knowing it would suit him best. His wisdom had not waned over the years, apparently. The only thing he found distasteful of the task was that he was going to be set against the greenskins. Of all the creatures in the galaxy, he hated the Orks second only to the daemons of the Warp.
"Corvus." The Emperor turned to the Raven Lord, "You, I name Lord Vanquisher. Many worlds remain disjointed from the Imperium, I want you to reclaim it from the xenos who dared take advantage of their vulnerability. Be it through salvation or bolter-fire, I leave to your discretion. The Tau seek to the expand their territories, show them the error of their ways."
"They shall regret incurring our wrath." Corvus bowed.
"One more thing. The tasks I will set forth to your brother Horus and Celestine will leave Segmentum Solar open to discord. Remind yourself that of all the Primarchs, you will be the first line of defense should our enemies seize the moment to strike."
"It will be done, father. I bid you farewell, all." The Raven Lord, as was his nature, disappeared from the halls of the Imperial Palace soon after, taking with him the Raven Guard and their successor chapters towards the Damocles Gulf.
"Celestine."
The Saint remained on her knees, gaze averted, as she lent ear to the words of her god. "I am your servant."
There was hesitance in the Emperor's words as he spoke them. Uncertainty was extremely rare for the master of mankind, what would prompt such behavior? "The Ecclesiarchy is not without its own flaws..."
Horus knew what was coming next, and he spoke up. "Father." He had given it much thought all throughout his life, today he would make it known. The Emperor would remain steadfast in his denial of his own divinity. That state of mind indirectly seeded thoughts of dissent within Lorgar- first of the traitors- and sent them down this path of destruction, and it may have worked for the maiden years of the Great Crusade but not in this point in time. This was the Forty First Millenium, and in the grim darkness of this future there is only war. "I know you mean well by denying your godhood, as you have done so many times before. The ideals of the Imperial Truth, as so many of us in those glorious days had believed in, were admirable- but they are useless and self-destructive as your perspective on the matter."
"An old argument, one that I had discussed at great length with your brother Lorgar."
"Hear me, father of us all, before you judge me false." Horus pleaded, "I have watched all this time and marveled at how mankind persevered beyond its capacity to withstand the harrowing state of things, and do you know what it is that kept them going? It is faith. The Imperial Truth was constituted because you believed faith and religion were the things that divided mankind, and it worked at the time when the only gods we knew were ourselves and Time itself. But we know now that there are gods in this universe, hungry and malevolent. All evidence points to the contrary of what you claim, you are a god! At such a time as this, denying it further will only serve to drive the hopeless into despair- leading them into the path of ruin, for where else would they turn?"
"So you suggest I destroy the one standard I've upheld all these years, out of desperation?"
Horus shrugged, "Everything changes with time, and only the foolish would hold to the past. I ask you to do this because it is the only way. Would you rather the masses pray to you, strengthening your power through the Warp with their faith? Or to let them fling themselves to Chaos out of desperation? Is it not our purpose to destroy chaos as harbingers of order? What better tool to use against the Immaterium than the Immaterium itself? I ask that you allow the Ecclesiarchy to remain, but shape it into something better than it ever was before. For many of us, faith is the only thing we have left. Do not deny them this, not this time."
In the Emperor's mind, he could see and hear the same argument over and over, with the voice of Lorgar Aurelian mirroring Horus'. But there was wisdom in his son's words. Horus offered this solution not because he was blinded by the faith as Lorgar was. Quite the contrary, the Lupercal saw it all. He was right, it was the only way to keep mankind together. Faith used to keep humanity divided, but under a singular faith could it remain united. How he had not seen this before, the Emperor could not and would not know for certain, but he was grateful to have his eyes opened. He had a millennia to consider this same matter alone, absent the wise counsel of his dear friend the Sigillite. Horus' words were all he needed to be convinced, "Very well. But if I am to do this, I do this for humanity's sake, and not for my own."
"Do we not do all for mankind?" Horus declared, "Our very souls, consecrated and dedicated fully in its service? Think of it as a promotion, father, one that you already had yet never claimed."
"I missed your humor, Horus." The Emperor smiled as he placed his hand upon his son's shoulder, "And they wonder why I favored you above them all. But enough pleasantries, let us return to the task at hand. Celestine, I shall give you a task that would prove daunting , but shall not remain impossible as it seems."
"What would you have me do?"
"Address the Ecclesiarchy, as I dictate."
"What shall I tell them?"
"With the Ecclesiarch dead and half of the Cardinals of the Synod fighting amongst themselves in a blind lust for power, the faithful are in dire need for instruction. Purge the vile leaders who exploit the pure and the innocent. Destroy the Tenets of Penance."
"My Lord?" Celestine asked, unwilling to believe what she just heard. "The Tenets of Penance are necessary for my sisters, how can they redeem themselves when they have sinned against you?"
"They are an abhorrence in my eyes. With lash and thorn, they do not serve me through pain- they serve the Dark Prince of Chaos through the excesses of pain!" The Emperor frowned deeply, his words striking true to the heart of the Saint. "There is more than one way for redemption, look to my son should you seek for a better example. You have my orders, go now."
As the Saint left the room, the Emperor regarded his son for a moment before revealing his plan for the Redeemed Primarch. "A Primarch is no good without a legion."
Horus looked up in surprise, "Father?"
"You must journey to Mars, my son. Within the labyrinths, beneath the sands, lies the secrets to gene-forging. I cannot relay them to you personally, you must find it yourself. I give you the task to reform the XVIth Legion, The Luna Wolves. Though I suspect I am not making a false assumption you wish to change its name should you finish recreating it."
"I...I am not worthy of a legion."
"I decide who is worthy and who isn't, my son." The Emperor chided gently, "Never forget that."
Horus sighed, reluctantly accepting his father's verdict. "Is there anything else you would have me do, my lord?"
"Ah yes, there is something I wish to discuss. It is a matter of great import, a personal one at that." The Emperor turned his gaze to the observatory, watching as the flashes of gunfire erupted in the courtyard below as the Custodes spilled out into the wide clearing to lure the daemons out of the temple. "During my visits to the Realms of Chaos, I encountered what little remained of the Eldar pantheon. Isha, the Goddess of Life and Fertility."
"Other gods exist?" Horus mused, "A damned maddening universe we live in."
"Your spear holds the essence of one, I'll have you know. I watched her suffer under the cruel hand of Nurgle."
"You wish to save her from that fate, though it remains rather clear it was born from the Eldar's own hand?"
"Your skepticism is unsurprising. I have thoughts to a rare opportunity that has presented itself."
Horus frowned, "I'm afraid I don't understand."
"Isha holds power over life and death. If she is to be saved from her fate, her gratitude will go a long way. I want you to bring her to me, let her hands touch my bleached bones upon the Golden Throne that she may bring me back from the Warp. With her at my side, she will prove to be an invaluable ally."
"You would allow a xenos deity into the Imperium?" Horus asked incredulously. Such a thing was unthinkable, and certainly beyond acceptance. "I know the benefits of such a bold plan, but it comes with a terrible price. The hatred of the Imperium against the xenos is incredible, she will not be welcomed as easily as you would." He could foresee great doom for the Imperium should his fears come to pass. A great war, more devastating than those he fought, would shatter mankind into splinters- heralding a swift end to their thousand year old species forever.
"Need I remind you how many species of 'xenos' have been assimilated into the human race? If the Eldar are willing to shed their name to take our own, the Imperium will get over this act quickly. Give it a hundred years, they will forget their hatred and focus their ire on more deserving enemies. And as for the Eldar, I know quite well that they see us as their salvation- their only salvation. They may cling to the fading memory of their once-great empire, but not forever. Should they resist, we shall scatter them to the winds like so many others."
"It will require considerable resource and effort for such a task to be done."
"And that is why you will need a legion to back you. Go now, Horus, and do what I ask."
Horus nodded once and donned his helm, taking his spear with him as he moved to carry out his father's mission. "Oh, and father? What must be done about the Lectitio Divininatus?"
"If there was one benefit Lorgar had bestowed for this time, I'd say that damnable book counts as one. Perhaps a thorough revision of the tome would be in order?"
"I shall make certain of that as well then, with all due discretion."
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Okay, time for a little A/N.
I couldn't help but notice one of the biggest complaint-magnet in this fic is my writing style. If there are typos or tense-mistakes, I apologize. But please bear in mind that my writing style is purposely done, "stylized writing" as it is called ( it exists, look it up ).
Another thing, some canon-twists were done on purpose as well to better fit this fic, it was the only way to get it up without falling apart. If I made it any more canon, Horus wouldn't be a benevolent figure ( Angron would be { that gives me an idea for a future fic } ). Also, on the issues with Big E, the Emperor had a lot of time to reevaluate his mistakes over the course of history. Just imagine the amount of things he regrets doing, such as teleporting a certain nailhead Primarch out of Nuceria and leaving his friends to die.
Of course, he's going to reconsider many things, including the solution Horus presented to him. But I won't prattle on about defending myself and this fic, I'll let the story do that for me. If you don't like it, there's plenty of stories out there to suit your tastes. No hard feelings, but I won't change the course of the Lupercalian Redemption- I have a plan and I'm sticking to it.
For those who're still with me, thank you for your continued support and good day :)