Primarch's Pilgrimage

Part 4: The Vow of Blood

It was soon after the last of the faithful sons returned to the Imperium, that Vulkan sent out word to his brothers that a meeting had to be called. All seven Primarchs met on Luna and listened to Vulkan's words.

"The Iron Hands and the Blood Angels are without their fathers. Ferrus is gone and Sanguinius is gone too. They will never come back. But that does not mean we cannot look out for them. Their strength is not in question, but this Galaxy has many horrors, especially with the creation of the Great Rift. The Blood Angels themselves stand alone with those on the other side. We cannot abandon them, strong as they are. If the time comes and Imperium Nihilus is under threat from something even the Sons of Sanguinius cannot survive, we are to do what we can to help. We will not let Sanguinius down again. We may not have been able to save him, but we can save his sons."

None of the brothers disagreed. Of all their 18 brothers, Sanguinius had been one of the best of them, next to Horus himself before his fall. His nobility, his kindness, and his valor was exemplary. Many there wondered what life would have been like had Sanguinius been named Warmaster instead of Horus. All seven made their vow that day in blood. If anything, Daemon or Xenos, threatened the Blood Angels and their successors, each Primarch would personally lead the relief effort to help them. All seven cut their palms and joined hands, the blood of brothers mixing together. The pact was sealed. To break it meant death.

It had been made more urgent for them upon learning the truth of the Flaw from Belisarius Cawl. Despite his best efforts, Cawl could not isolate the Flaw from the Blood Angels Gene-seed without doing serious harm to it. "It's as if it was put there by design," Cawl had told the Seven. "As if the Blood Angels were meant to be berserkers. The problem is that the Flaw itself is too powerful. It lacks limitations meant to keep the Rage from overwhelming the Space Marine. I am doing my best to moderate its effects, but the Primaris enhancements seem to have made the effects of the Rage worse. If I were one to believe in them, it feels like the effects of the Black Rage go down to the Blood Angels' very souls. Almost psychic in nature. If I were to find a Gene-Seed free of the Flaw completely, that would point me in the right direction of curing this, but I do not have such materials, my Lords."

Now it was time to see if the Blood Angels had perished or not in the years since their entrapment in Imperium Nihilus. The day of departure came for the Pilgrimage and Vulkan and Jaghatai embraced for the last time. N'Bella cried as she hugged her uncle. She wanted more time to play. More time to see Chogoris in all its beauty.

"I am glad you made it out of Commorragh, Jaghatai," Vulkan said. "Very lucky that you were able to escape using a flash bomb. I would not think such a simple trick would work on an Eldar as cunning as Vect."

Jaghatai smiled. "You would be surprised."

As the Chalice of Fire left orbit, Jaghatai thought about Vulkan's words to him. Did his brother suspect what really happened in Commorragh? His hand squeezed the pommel of his sword reflexively like it did in the old days of the Crusade. He couldn't tell any of them what he had become. Sparks of electricity crackled between his fingers as he squeezed.

"Set course for the gap in the Great Rift," Shipmaster Phon'x announced to the Bridge Crew. "We make for our rendezvous with the Blood Angels Battle Barge Baal's Fury." He turned to look up at Vulkan. "My Lord, wouldn't you feel better bringing Captain Fan'drall with you? Even in the gaps, there are still risks of Daemonic attack."

"Captain Fan'drall's place is here guarding N'bella. I will be visiting Chapter Master Dante with only Shield-Captain Valerian and Sister Aleya.. I will not put my sons in danger that I would not willingly go into myself."

Phon'x nodded. "Understood, my Lord. Your shuttle, Drakling, is being prepared as we speak."

Vulkan smiled. "Thank you, Shipmaster. Now if you will excuse me, I have to tell my daughter she won't be accompanying me."

Phon'x himself was a father and was used to giving news that would not be well received. "I hope it goes well, Lord Vulkan."

It did not go well.

"I WANNA GO MEET THE ANGELS," N'Bella screamed as she thrashed on the floor of her room. "I WANNA GO! I WANNA GO! I WANNA GOOOOOOOOOO!"

Vulkan sighed. "N'Bella, I will not allow this bratty behavior from you. I only tell you this because I want you to remain safe. The last time we were in the Warp without sufficient protection, we were attacked by Daemons. The Great Rift is the Warp itself encroaching on our reality. There are Daemons in the Gap. I will not risk your life."

"But I wanna meet Uncle Sang's sons! He wanted me to tell Dante something!"

Vulkan had been told about her dreams of Sanguinius and while he was happy she was seeing him in dreams, or what she probably assumed was Sanguinius, he did not like that she was trying to justify her actions like this. "You can tell the message and I will tell Dante."

N'Bella stood up and put her hands on her hips, her face in a pout. "No! It has to be me! If you won't let me go... Then I hate you!" She turned around and ran for her adjoining bedroom, locking the door behind her. Vulkan sighed. He was glad that her tantrums were not as destructive as a teenager's. Still, it hurt to be told that she hated him, even if she didn't mean it.

As he entered the landing bay, he was greeted by Valerian, Aleya, and the Brothers of the Blue Flame. "My Lord," Fan'drall said while saluting. "We cannot seem to find Lady N'Bella."

"She is more than likely hiding somewhere and sulking, Fan'drall. Do not worry. We will be back in a few days. Remain vigilant."

The seven brothers saluted in the Nocturnian fashion as Vulkan boarded the Drakling with Valerian and Aleya following suit. The Drakling was a beautiful shuttle in form and function. Built specifically to be piloted by a Primarch, the Drakling could match speeds with some of the fastest ships of the Imperium Navy. Vulkan had based the engine on Jaghatai's specifications for the Swordstorm when he'd had it refitted and reworked to fit the style of battle for the White Scars. Equipped with some of the strongest weapons in the Imperium and the most resistant alloyed armor, Vulkan was certain it could hold its own against a strike cruiser at the least. He had not been given the chance to prove it, but he was certain. He was proud of it.

As the Drakling made its way to the Gap, Vulkan took a moment to fully take in the horror of the Great Rift itself. It was a wound in reality itself. The Ruinstorm that Lorgar's sons had created during the Horus Heresy had been a roiling mass of Chaos. This was just an emptiness. A darkness that spread across the Galaxy, consuming all it touched. It was... horrifying. And it had been created by the former right hand of Horus. "We focused on the wrong Warmaster," Vulkan whispered to himself. "Horus... was brilliant and ruthless... But Abaddon has surpassed him in brilliance and ruthlessness. 10,000 years of planning and adaptation and... it has lead to this." He shuddered.

"Lord Regent, is there something wrong," Valerian asked.

Vulkan turned in his pilot throne. Behind him, Valerian and Aleya were seated in chairs specifically designed for augmented and unaugmented humans that were interchangable. Vulkan believed in comfort for his passengers, even if they themselves didn't care or require it. "I am fine. Just... the true scope of it does not hit you until you actually see it for yourself."

"Are you ready, My Lord," Aleya signed.

Vulkan nodded. "I am, Aleya." He turned away. "Activate the Gellar Field."

"Gellar Field activated," a servitor voice spoke out.

Directing the shuttle forward, the Drakling entered the Gap.

Darkness surrounded them. Unending, all-encompassing darkness. If any of the Drakling's passengers were capable of fear, it would have had them in its grip. As Vulkan looked upon the darkness, he could swear that he could see shapes moving in what looked like a mass of clouds that were close to breaking into a storm. But other than that... stillness surrounded them as well as darkness.

It was lucky that they had Aleya with them. Along with the Gellar Field, Aleya's Null Field kept the denizens of the Warp at bay. While the presence of a Null Maiden made others uncomfortable or downright hostile, Vulkan was more or less ambivalent to her effects. It didn't really seem to bother him which perplexed him more than anything. A Primarch was part of the stuff of the Warp itself as well as partly human. It should have caused someone like him more pain than others. He was fine with that. He'd had enough pain in his life.

But then... he thought he heard something in the back. Activating the autopilot, he left his throne and made his way to the back. Valerian was about to speak, but Vulkan shushed him with a raised hand. He stood in the center of the room with his eyes closed, listening for the sound. He heard it again. A sort of... giggling. It was coming from a footlocker. He opened it to find... N'Bella curled up in a ball. She smiled and waved at Vulkan. "Hi, Papa."

With a massive hand, Vulkan picked her up by the back of her dress and glared at her. "What... are you... doing here?"

"I told you, Papa: Uncle Sang wants me to give Dante a message!" She turned and noticed Aleya and Valerian staring at her. She smiled and waved while Aleya glared at her charge for disobeying her father's command. "Hi, Aleya! Hi, Aleya's boyfriend!" Aleya's eyes widened briefly at the mention of the word 'boyfriend'. No one else seemed to notice.

"I should bring you back to the Chalice of Fire right now," Vulkan growled.

"But ya won't, Papa! You can't because you're too far in." She grinned in triumph because Vulkan knew she was right. They had a rendezvous to make and he would not be late.

He sighed in defeat as he carried her back to the pilot throne. "Fine. You can come with me, but if you have nightmares, you are to blame. Remember that."

"Okay, Papa!"

As they sat down, Vulkan heard Valerian ask a question that made him smile. "Aleya, what does the term 'boyfriend" mean?"

After an hour, Aleya had fallen asleep in her Papa's lap, her breathing peaceful. Vulkan patted her head and stared out into the Void. This... This truly deserved that term more than the actual Void itself. "Where do you end?" he thought. "Where does this end?"

Then he saw the light. A bright light that burned away the darkness. Vulkan smiled as he fixed his gaze upon the Sanguinor, the Exemplar of the Host.

The Sanguinor was an anomaly that had been scrutinized for years. Some believed it to be Azkaelon, the founder of the Sanguinary Guard. Others thought it was Sanguinius' soul, made manifest in reality. Whatever it was, Vulkan was glad to see it. It appeared only in a time of great need and this was truly a moment of great need. Neither he nor the Sanguinor spoke over the vox. No words were needed. Raising a hand, the Sanguinor beckoned for Vulkan to follow it.

After what felt like no time at the Drakling exited the Gap and came face to face with the Baal's Fury. It was a magnificent ship, a true work of art as beautiful as the Red Tear. Blood red and gilded with gold, the Baal's Fury was truly magnificent. Then he heard the chime of the vox. "This is the Salamander gunship Drakling. I, Vulkan, Primarch of the Salamanders, request permission to come aboard."

"This is Chapter Master Dante of the Blood Angels. Permission granted." Vulkan smiled. It was good to know they were alive.

As the Drakling touched down in the landing bay, Vulkan smiled at the Host that had gathered to greet him. At the front was Chapter Master Dante, one of the oldest living Chapter Masters alive, his helm off and maglocked at his side. Even at his age, Dante was a truly handsome figure. What would be described as beautiful in a younger man was distinguished in Dante. His wrinkled face and long white hair may have been signs of his age, but what truly showed it were his eyes. They were old. Old and tired. "Like Roboute when we met for the first time in millennia," Vulkan thought to himself.

At Dante's side was Chief Librarian Mephiston. The Librarian had crossed the rubicon it seemed and had become a Primaris Marine. While the Chief Librarian was definitely younger than the Chapter Master, Mephiston looked older than Dante. Throne, he looked like a corpse. His title as the Lord of Death was truly apropos.

As Vulkan and his retinue exited the gunship, the assembled Blood Angels, Firstborn and Primaris, knelt to Vulkan. The Primarch smiled at Dante and held out his hand. "I am not your Primarch, Chapter Master Dante. You do not need to kneel to me. Stand, Son of Sanguinius." The Chapter Master of the Blood Angels looked at the proffered hand and took it with a smile.

"Welcome to Imperium Nihilus, Lord Vulkan. It is an honor to have you aboard the Baal's Fury."

"Thank you, Chapter Master." He turned to gesture at Valerian and Aleya who bowed their heads in respect. "These are two of my retinue. Shield-Captain Valerian of the Custodes and Tanau Aleya of the Silent Sisters." He looked down at the little form huddled behind his leg. "And this stowaway is my daughter, Crown Princess N'Bella. Come out, N'Bella. You said you had a message for the Chapter Master."

N'Bella poked her head out from behind Vulkan and curtsied to Dante. "Mister Dante, it's nice to meet you."

Dante smiled and bowed as one would to royalty. "It is nice to meet you as well, Princess. What message do you have for me?"

N'Bella gestured for Dante to come closer. "I have to whisper it. Uncle Sang said that only you could hear it."

Dante raised an eyebrow, but did as he was asked. He drew closer until they were inches from each other. Cupping her hands over his ear, she whispered her message to him. His eyes widened and then began to water. Surprising everyone Dante of the Blood Angels hugged N'Bella close to him. "Thank you, child. Thank you."

"How is Chapter Master Tu'Shan?" After the meeting in the landing bay, The Primarch and the Chapter Master had retired to their quarters while their retinues mingled and tested each other's strengths in the arena. Aleya had personally challenged Mephiston to a duel and the Chief Librarian had accepted. N'Bella was given an escort to explore the ship.

"Tu'Shan is doing well. He had been named full Chapter Master. It is no longer a placeholder position." The Salamanders, in their belief in the return of Vulkan, had declared that the head of First Company would always be Chapter Master until Vulkan himself had returned. Having been named Regent, Vulkan had bestowed the title in full to Tu'Shan. "I wanted my sons to be able to stand and lead on their own without having to dwell in my shadow. Parents should let their children be free."

"A good philosophy," Dante said as he poured the wine. "Tu'Shan is a good man and a fine warrior. He is one of the few to know our secret and to keep it safe from those that would exploit it. I have no doubt he will continue to lead your sons well." During the Second War of Armageddon, Tu'Shan and Dante had fought together, to the point where Dante learned of the Flaw in the Blood Angels. Having managed to stand his ground and talk Dante out of his fury, Tu'Shan had sworn to keep the secret until his dying day. That had earned him Dante's eternal friendship and respect. "I hope to see him again one day."

"I will tell him you said so when I arrive at Nocturne at the end of my pilgrimage." He sipped the wine after being handed a glass. It was good, though the coppery aftertaste was not to his liking. "What did N'Bella say to you?"

"She told me that... Uncle Sanguinius is proud of all of us and he wishes he could be with us." Dante smiled at this. "Well, she said 'Uncle Sang', but I knew who she meant. She is quite spirited. She even managed to sneak aboard your gunship without your knowing."

"She will have to be punished. I'm thinking of keeping her in her room until we reach Macragge. That reminds me, did you send the Sanguinor to guide me?"

Dante shook his head, smiling. "No. The Sanguinor only comes in a time of great need and it must have sensed that your need was great."

"How are things in Imperium Nihilus?" Vulkan was cutting straight to the point of his visit. "Are things as bad as we feared?"

Dante sat down and shook his head. "They may be worse. Unless something is done to close the Rift, navigation will be difficult. I don't suppose the Imperium's best and brightest are thinking of a solution?"

"Many are. But such a thing requires true understanding of the Great Rift. And such a thing requires an understanding of the Warp. And even with our best... Such a thing can inevitably invite insanity."

"Then perhaps a mind already touched by insanity is needed?"

Vulkan thought about that. A mind already touched by insanity... What worse could be done if a person with understanding of the Warp was already mad? But where would he be able to find someone like that? Someone who wasn't a Chaos Sorcerer or a malformed heretic?

"That is a possibility... but it would be hard."

"I understand." Dante swirled his wine around in his goblet, staring at it as he did. He looked as if he was struggling to ask a question before finally speaking.

"Lord Vulkan, how are you doing with finding a way to remove the Flaw from our bloodline?"

"Belisarius Cawl is working on it in his spare time, but the problem is that it is too deeply ingrained in the gene-seed to fully excise without causing lasting damage to future generations."

"I ask because there is a debate raging between the various Chapters of the Sons of Sanguinius on whether or not it should be excised at all. The most vocal against it are the Flesh Tearers. To them, it is the source of their power. It is their identity. That to remove it would weaken us. Some are even calling it... a gift from Sanguinius himself."

Vulkan's grip tightened upon his wine glass at those last words. "No... From what I have learned of this Flaw and from what I know of Sanguinius he would never wish this upon his sons. To suggest such a thing would be insulting to his memory!"

"I understand that, Lord. I saw him in a vision during the Devastation of Baal. I may have been near death, and you can say this was just a hallucination, but I know it was him. His eyes... they were sad. Like the state of his sons was something he blamed himself for. He told me... that I still had a lot to do. I agree with you. And the effects are worse in the Primaris. It seems that the Black Rage comes quicker, surpassing the Thirst entirely. If our Chapter and our Successor Chapters are to survive, the Flaw must be removed."

The problem, Chapter Master, is that finding any genetic sample free of the Flaw is all but impossible. If we had a pure and untainted gene-seed then we could make progress."

Dante smiled. "Lord Vulkan, I think we may be able to help you with that."

The duels in the arena had been quite a sight to behold. Even with his abilities not affecting her, Mephiston had been able to fight Aleya to a standstill based on combat technique alone. Aleya's speed alone put her on an equal footing with the Chief Librarian.

On her tour, N'Bella was treated to a painting session with a squad of Blood Angels who were practicing their art. Their Sergeant even offered to paint her portrait, though some trouble was had due to N'Bella's inability to sit still. Though the Sergeant did manage to get the outline done. "I will fill in the rest later. Our memories are quite astute, Little One."

After a day aboard the Baal's Fury, the time to depart came. On his way to the landing bay with N'Bella on his back, Vulkan heard someone calling him. He turned to find Dante with a squad of Blood Angels behind him. "Chapter Master, I expected to see you in the landing bay."

"Yes, my Lord, but I wanted to introduce you ahead of time to someone who might be able to help Cawl in his research." He gestured to the Sergeant behind him, who, along with the rest of his squad, fell on bended knee to Vulkan. "This is Sergeant Rafen of Sixth Company and he has volunteered to accompany you back to Imperium Sanctus as a representative of the Chapter... and as a subject for study for Cawl."

Vulkan's eyes widened as the full brunt of this offer came to him. "I could not possibly ask you to possibly sacrifice one of your own, Dante."

"Lord Vulkan, Rafen knows the risks and has accepted them. And besides, it has to be Rafen. He is one of the few of us that has overcome the Rage and remained immune to its effects after."

"Is this true?" Vulkan looked down at Rafen, still in a kneeling position. The Primarch rolled his eyes. "Stand up, Sergeant. I will not have my nephews debase themselves in front of me."

Rafen stood up, but kept his gaze low, not wanting to look the Primarch in the eye. "Yes, my Lord. It was thanks to the use of the Spear of Telesto against the Daemon Malfallax that freed me and my brothers from the Black Rage and saved my them from being turned to Chaos. I don't know if it is temporary or permanent, but if studying my Gene-Seed may find any clue to help our Chapter then I will submit myself for testing."

Vulkan smiled and placed a hand on Rafen's shoulder. "Even if nothing is accomplished, Sergeant, the presence of a Blood Angel squad in Imperium Sanctus will be welcome."

Rafen finally looked up at Vulkan and smiled. "Thank you, Lord Vulkan."

In the Landing Bay, Mephiston bowed in respect to Rafen who returned the gesture. From what Vulkan had been told, there was a history between the two that extended far into their past. War made true brothers of all, regardless of position in the Chapter.

Vulkan turned to Dante, still without his helm and finally asked him a question he'd wanted to ask ever since arriving on Baal's Fury. "Chapter Master, you are known for always wearing your helm, even when out of battle. You rarely take it off in the presence of your battle-brothers. Yet, you have not worn it since I arrived. Why is that?"

Dante looked at the helm maglocked to his side. It was said that the helm's face was the death mask of Sanguinius himself, taken from his corpse in the aftermath of the Heresy. It had been passed down from Chapter Master to Chapter Master. Dante looked back at Vulkan with a sad smile on his face. "Because, my Lord, I felt that being greeted by the face of your lost brother would not be worthy of a host. We face each other eye to eye. Equal to equal."

Vulkan smiled in understanding and the two of them clasped each other's wrists in the way of old warriors. "Stand fast, Dante. One day, this horror will end and the two halves of the Imperium will be reunited."

As N'Bella was being escorted aboard the gunship, a Chapter Serf ran up with a large painting covered in wrapping. "For you, Princess. Sergeant Tarion finished it this morning." Aleya took it with a nod, sending the Serf scurrying back to his duties. N'Bella smiled up at her papa and pointed at the painting.

"Papa, Papa, look! I got a pict of me!"

Vulkan smiled. "I know and I cannot wait to see it. Do you want it on your wall?"

N'Bella, to his surprise, shook her head. "Nuh-uh, I want you to have it, Papa!"

Vulkan was touched at this. "Thank you, Daughter. I am honored."

He turned to Rafen who was joined by his squad, who were a mix of Firstborns and Primaris Marines. Behind them, three more squads of Primaris Blood Angels entered the landing bay, a mixture of intercessors, assault marines, and heavy weapons support from Sixth Company. Apparently, more squads of Primaris were to join as well in order to increase awareness of the events of the Imperium on the other side of the Great Rift. "Are you ready, Sergeant?"

Rafen and his men saluted. "Aye, Lord Regent. It will be good to see what has happened to the Imperium in our absence."

The squads deferred to Rafen who motioned for them to board their own gunships. As they filed aboard, Vulkan felt excitement building up in his hearts. The Blood Angels lived and the rest of the Galaxy would soon know that. He wondered if Rogal would accept Rafen as an Ambassador to the New High Lords along with the elected Astartes Representative.

He had been wary at first when Rogal suggested it, but the idea of an Ambassador representing Astartes Chapters soon began to appeal to him. For too long the Astartes had been viewed as separate or above Imperial Authority. It was important that, after 10,000 years of fear of both loyalists and heretics, the Terran Government saw the Astartes as just much a part of the Imperium. Of course a lot of the Chapters varied in terms of traditions and methods, like comparing the wayward and ruthless Carcharodons to the ordered and lawful Ultramarines, but it was still a motion that helped put minds at ease. Sadly, Captain Tor Garadon was chafing at his role as Astartes Representative on Terra. Perhaps he could use a time of relief.

On board Chalice of Fire, after their guidance back through thanks to the Sanguinor, the Blood Angels were greeted with enthusiasm by their Salamander cousins. Many offers of refreshment or sharing of living quarters were made and some accepted, but Vulkan had room aplenty for the Sons of Sanguinius.

Vulkan had the painting of N'Bella mounted on his wall and stood back to admire it. N'Bella sat on a chair, wearing a dress of Salamander green with a shawl of drake scales around her shoulders. She wore a laurel wreath on her nicely styled black hair and she had a broad smile on her lips, her green eyes shining. He sighed as he looked at it. On the one hand, N'Bella looked every inch Imperial Royalty. On the other hand, this was only a temporary thing. Soon she would be grown up and probably lose the spark for life captured here. The regal look also didn't seem to fit N'Bella. She was a firebrand at heart. To sit this long in real life would have chafed at her to the point where she would have torn the laurel from her brow so she could go play.

N'Bella would be asleep right about now with Skadi by her side. He was concerned. Her dreams should have just been dreams. But if she was able to converse with the dead in the Warp, then perhaps that spoke of something deeper than mere dreams. The Warp was shaped by the dreams of all living things, so what happened when someone could walk through the Warp while they dreamed and knew it was a dream? And if Sanguinius was there, who else would she meet? Ferrus? ...Him? He shook his head at the thought. They were just dreams. Dreams that spoke of a power that his daughter may possess. Yet she had been confirmed not to be a Psyker.

Aleya had been chosen as her guard because she would not cause N'Bella much in the way of discomfort if she was a blunt. And N'Bella loved Aleya with all her heart so she definitely couldn't be a Psyker. There was no discomfort or resentment in her eyes whenever they were together. Throne, N'Bella thought of Aleya as her mother.

"Could it have been when we were in the Warp when she was an infant? Was she changed somehow? Is that even really my daught-" He shook his head. N'Bella was his daughter and she always would be. He had to put these ridiculous thoughts out of his head. He would explore them when he returned to Terra. For now, he had to rendezvous with Corax on the way to Ultramar. Next stop was Macragge and then Nocturne.

Author's Note:

FINALLY! Story is updated at last. Hoo boy. It has been a while thanks to work being pretty tough with a lot of overtime in the last few weeks. Hopefully it calms down for a bit so I can fully decompress.

So, the Blood Angels. Honestly, this is one I had the most trouble with because I wanted to get it right to the point where it felt right for me. I love the Blood Angels myself and I wanted to have a story where they appear, but I wanted it within reason because of the Rift. So we have Dante meeting Vulkan and an acknowledgement of N'Bella's dreamwalking gift by Vulkan to the point where he's starting to wonder if they really are dreams at all.

I did know how I wanted the Blood Angels to be handled by the returning Primarchs. Given how much Sanguinius meant to all of them, it's a no-brainer that they would vow to take care of his sons if anything happened. Plus, I knew that if there was any trouble navigating through the Rift, the Sanguinor would be there. Kind of a reasonable Deus Ex Machina if you think about it. So those parts I had covered from the beginning.

As for Rafen's appearance, I don't see him having much of an impact on the future of the Blood Angels in this continuity. At least... not much of a positive impact at least. This is 40k after all and a lot of the time when hope is brought up, it often comes crashing down for the main characters. Also, I'll cop to the fact that the James Swallow Blood Angels series has a mixed reception, but I personally am a fan. Like, I can acknowledge some of James Swallow's flaws as a writer, but the man has a definite enthusiasm for the franchise. Heck, the only one of his books I don't really like is the Horus Heresy book "Nemesis" and that's mostly because it had even less of an impact on the Heresy than people accuse "Damnation of Pythos" having.

But we are coming up on Macragge where everything changes. It's the penultimate stop on this family vacation and sometimes, as you well know, it tends to rain on vacation days...

Thanks for reading and thank you for the feedback, everyone!