Hey, guys I just have to say THANK YOU all so much for the support I have received on this story. This is by far the most interest I've had in something I've written to date. So before we start I would like to make a few things clear. This is a side project for me as I am actually writing an original novel right now. (I might tell more about it later if anybody is interested.) And so this story may have odd upload times. I will work on it whenever I get the time., and hopefully I can write it fairly quickly. The other thing is that this is meant to be the first of a series of stories about how the traitor primarchs that could realistically be redeemed are brought back into the fold. So far I have ideas for how I can save Fulgrim (obviously) Magnus, and Lorgar. As odd as that last one might sound I have a plan that I think makes sense. But I won't spoil it. Other than that
I am not GW, and own the rights to none of what is mentioned in this story. Please do not sue me I am broke from buying Warhammer models.
The primarch and his de facto body bodyguards slowly made their way into the hallway. The men pressing their lasrifles to their shoulders, while their officer chose instead to hold an unusual curved sword. Its design was obviously human, however, the Primarch had never seen its exact twin before. As they stood in a rough circle in the center of the hallway they heard the unmistakable sound from a distance of metal door sliding open.
"Are you ready Lieutenant?" Furlgrim's words were met with a nod, as the men of the Kamikaze Last Regiment wordlessly, and without needing to be ordered drew bayonets from wooden sheaths tucked into their belts and affixed them to the front of their long-barreled lasweapons.
"My humble apologies Lieutenant Tokugawa, I meant no disrespect." Before the man could respond a group of Xenos entered the hallway from the door they had heard open moments before. Suddenly Lieutenant Tokugawa let out a warcry shouting
"FOR THE HOMEWORLD WE LOST!" And at those shouted words his men replied in kind letting loose with a yell
"FOR KAMIKAZE, BANZAI!" And as the Primarch watched almost dumbfounded by the actions of these men they charged forwards against the enemy shouting like madmen, without even pausing to take any shots before engaging with bayonets. Rallying quickly the Primarch arrived at the combat at the same time as the soldiers did. In fact, to any normal overserved it would have looked as if he launched at the same time as the rest. However, there was a most unprimarch-like pause that would have shown to one who knows what to look for that he had been genuinely surprised. As the primarch grabbed one of the Xenos forms by its head and planted his feet twisting through the creature into the ground with a savage crash he was shocked by the ferocity of these men as they fought almost like men possessed, and for a brief second he grew worried. Thinking of the berserk lunatics of his brother Angron's legion. But these men had no taint of the warp about them, and the primarch had to laugh at himself for being so paranoid of Chaos. Its power was immense, it had once corrupted him. But not everything he found distasteful was inherently Chaotic. Turning his head he saw a soldier jam his bayonet through the neck of one of the metal skeletons, and another clubbed it with the but of his rifle until the metal of its skull split, sending arcs of power arching out from the wound. Yet not all was victorious as he saw another soldier evaporated in an instant by a beam of light from one of the Xenos weapons. Nothing but a charged skeleton being left being. Leaping forwards Fulgrim knocked another foe against the metal wall a moment before it would have fired its weapon in a shot that would have clearly killed the lieutenant. As he stood there he saw the lieutenant drop his hand to a holster on his belt and drew a laspitol which he fired at a spot right next to the Primarch. Fulgrim napped his head around and saw one of the Xenos collapses a hole through its head. The Primarch and the officer met eyes across the battlefield and exchanged a respectful nod. Slowly but surely the sounds of battle quieted down, and glancing around Fulgrim saw that there were no more enemies. It had been a hard one victory with five of the eleven Kamikazeans dead, reduced to ash and bones on the metal floor of the hallway.
"We have achieved victory, sir!" The lieutenant shouted to Fulgrim with a tiered breathless voice.
"One more such victory, lieutenant. And we are undone." Why was whatever Xenos was in charge of this prison sending his troops into battle against them in such a piecemeal way. The distant sound of the bombing high above them made it clear that the enemy was preoccupied. but to send so few each time made it seem almost more as if the enemy commander was toying with him. Playing with him like a feline animal with its prey. The through of some imperfect Xenos toying with him filled the primarch with a white-hot rage, and with a single mighty punch, he caved in another door to another cell along the hallway in hopes of finding more allies to assist him in his breakout. As it would seem luck had not completely forsaken him for inside this second cell he searched after leaving his own he found a squad of Astartes. Oddly Fulgrim could not recognize the livery that was painted on their armor. Knowing at a glance that it was none of the first founding legions It's armor a mix of black and dark green hinted at Dark Angels lineage, but he couldn't know as he was only vaguely aware of the splitting of the legions, and even less aware of what the myriad successor chapters looked like. Deactivating the field he watched as the armor-clad Astartes collapsed to the floor. Unlike the mortals of the Kamikaze Last, it took these noble gene sons of... one of his brothers mere seconds to regain their feet.
"You! Astartes what do you call yourselves?" Fear wasn't exactly a word in the vocabulary of a primarch, but he would have laid had he claimed that he was not nervous that this meeting would go wrong. He wanted the Astartes to recognize him as a Primarch, and follow his orders. And yet he didn't want them to recognize him as a traitor and kill him. That is if the Astartes before him were truly loyal, as he had little way to tell their true loyalties.
"I am Sargent General of the Disciples of Caliban, and you are my lord?" Fulgrim's suspicions were correct this darkly armored Astartes was a son of the lion. But more pressing was the warrior's question of his identity. The aura of power he exuded as a Primarch had been enough to make this proud son of Caliban address him as "my lord". But he couldn't reveal his true identity not yet, and neither could he lie as this battle brother might catch him in it.
"That doesn't matter right now boy!" He snapped hoping to cow this warrior before he could act too many hard questions.
"We are in a dangerous situation, there are Xenos foes near at hand. Now rally your men, and follow me!" there was a tense moment as the Astartes Sargent stared into his eyes with a hard look on his face.
"Well then, lead the way, sir!" Privately Fulgrim thanked the emperor for imbuing the primarchs with an aura that instilled trust in the Astartes. This effect was strongest with their own sons but had some effect on all space marines. Just then there came a call from one of the Kamikazeans who had been left in the hall to act a sentry.
"More of them!" At the shout, the Disciple of Caliban before him tilted his head quizzically. A silent question is evident in his body language.
"We must hurry, these Xenos are tough foes." And with that, the Primarch turned on his heels and dashed out into the hallway. To his relief, he could hear the sergeant shouting orders to his men behind him. Telling them to
"Rally to the Lord Primarch! We have battled to wage!" The bolter rounds the Disciples of Caliban ripped over the heads of the mortal soldiers who had already charged shouting into battle against the guards. with the extra manpower, and strength of arms provided by the addition of the Astartes, the Xenos guards had no chance. Quite simply they had come in too few of numbers to have a chance against their prey. The battle was over almost before it began, the Primarch having barely reached to a foe to throw a punch when the last of the metallic warriors hit the ground.
"They will learn and will come in greater numbers next time. The Xenos warlord of this world is as far from a fool as is possible." Again he heard the same voice seeming to come from nowhere, and again he wondered who or what it was.
"My lord?" Fulgrim turned slowly to see who had addressed him. Seeing the Astartes sergeant standing a few paces behind him.
"Yes, what is it?" Again he feared the warrior's questions, but none came instead the man held out his chain sword to the Primarch and said.
"Take this sir, if you wish. For a moment Fulgrim stood thinking over the man's offer he had never been a great fist-fighter, always finding unarmed combat too brutal and lacking in perfection. But now he was ashamed of his past self's quest for perfection. Then again he was almost naked dressed only in a loose-fitting robe. Was his refusal to engage in any of his previous prideful behavior a form of pride? He suspected that it might be, and so after a moment's hesitation, he grasped the hilt of the proffered blade and took a moment to acquaint himself with its weight and balance.
"A fine blade. I shall be sure to return it to you once we are safe." In truth, the blade was far from fine. It was adequate, but nothing compared to the workmanship his legion would have made after the tinkering, and careful workmanship his legion practiced in search of perfection. But a little flattery had never hurt thought the Primarch.
"Sir. A word if I may?" The mortal lieutenant had approached and at his words, the Astartes sergeant stepped forwards with anger in his face and made as if to grab the man's throat.
"What does a meer guardsman think gives him the right to speak in this company?!" In a flash as the Primarch watched the lieutenant's face grow fearful he grew furious at the Dark Angels' prideful self-importance.
"Stand down Sergeant Gepreal! Or I will strike you down where you stand. Such pride is unbecoming of the Legiones Astartes." Realizing as soon as he spoke that he had been too forceful he waited for the Disciples of Caliban to realize he was a wanted enemy of the Imperium, and to turn on him with righteous fury. But Gepreal bowed his head and quietly murmured an apology as he stepped back from the primarch.
"What did you wish to say, Lieutenant?" Still, he breathed in and out as he spoke trying to calm himself down. Later if they survived he'd need to make amends with the Dark Angels successor. But for now, he would listen to the mortal officer.
"My whole company, what was left of it anyway was all taken at the same time. If we looked around I'm sure could we could find them. And I would appreciate it if you found my Major. She is, well sir she is special to me." The man turned red even as he spoke. An illicit affair between a junior officer and their superior was certainly frowned upon in the Imperial Army, from an official capacity. But this was far from the first such relationship that Fulgrim had ever seen.
"We shall try lad, we can use all the help I can get." That he judges was enough of an answer that the man would fight harder, but not a promise that his reputation would be damaged by should the Major fail to materialize in their search. Over the next hour, they assembled a small force from other imperial prisoners. Many of the cells they checked contained foul Xenos that they left alone but when all was said and done the Primarch had a force of around thirty Astartes of various lesions, and a little over a hundred Imperial Army troops. Or Guardsmen as fulgrim learned to his surprise from his companions they were now called. Including to his pleasant surprise the rest of Lieutenant Tokugawa's company. His major is an attractive woman with olive skin and almond eyes named Kusanagi among them. The two's reunion had been touching. Along the way, they had fought many more Xenos guards, but never in large numbers.
"The path to the surface of this world is open I have marked the doors you must take" The voice returned as they stood in front of a metal door carved with an odd serpentine symbol, which made his misgivings at the voice grow tenfold. But with little choice, he led his small army towards the surface. Door after door lay before them on different floors all carved with the same odd symbol. It took many hours for climbing up slowly slanting hallways before they emerged in a massive hanger, its doors blown open by the orbital bombardment the planet was currently undergoing. Along the way, they faced many more of the alien skeletons in battle. Had the majority of the Xenos they found been alive and ready for battle the Primarch wouldn't have thought anything of it. Instead, however, the halls were filled with the wrecked corpses of the Xenos. Slowly a chill had settled over him as he had realized that whoever was in charge of the mechanical monstrosities hadn't been sending them piecemeal. Instead, some unknown ally had been killing them before they had had a chance to pose a threat to him and his men.
"My lord, this world appears to have breathable air. But I would suggest we stay close to this hanger until bombardment is over. " It was Sergeant Gepreal, who had recovered from his verbal lashings and provided a reliable warrior in the combat they had faced against the Xenos thus far.
"More foes are coming, too many to stop. You must leave this place." Slowly Fulgrim was putting the pieces together, and thus far he didn't like the picture they were forming.
"Was it you who cleared our way?" He realized that Gepreal was looking at him strangely but he didn't care, he wanted answers.
"Yes, and now I cannot. You must leave this place" Fulgrim hated being used by this mysterious benefactor. He could tell that whoever it was speaking to him was not warp spawned by its feel. And yet he still did not trust it.
"Fine." With a wave of his arm and a shouted command he let his men know that they were not safe, and with only a few grumbling voices they ran out of the hanger and into the barren wastes of what appeared to be a vast steppe land of dry earth, and rough grasses. Like the ancient, and long built over lands of Ursh on Terra.
They had been wondering for several days, and three mortal soldiers had died of exposure to the elements in the cold nights, and yet every time they planned to stop the voice would order him onwards. And for some reason that filled him with fear and rage, he listened to it. Finally, after days of suffering, and at his wit end with his, he feared men on the verge of mutiny, and rightly so he figured. He ordered the men to make camp.
"Well, voice will you order me onwards again?" He asked in a sharp whisper so as not to be heard.
"No, you are in the right place. An imperial transport will find you tomorrow." There was something different about the voice this time, but it was a testament to his exhaustion that the Primarch didn't immediately realize what it was. For the first time he could put a direction to the voice, and drawing his sword he spun around to face where the sound was coming from. Just behind him, a few paces distant stood a tall Astartes dressed in deep blue robes. The marine had dark mysterious eyes, and a smooth almost youthful face, offset by a bald head.
"Who are you!" With a shout of rage, Fulgrim raised his sword to strike down this marine, or whatever he was who had been toying with him for so long. Clearly, he was not the only one who could see him for the first time as many of his men were also aim weapons at this interloper. Even in this mortal danger, the marine let a snarky smile creep onto his face.
Answer me! Who. Are. You!?" And with a laugh, the man answered as he pulled a metal object from within his robes, and pressed a red button on one end of the device.
"I am Alpharius." And in a flash, the marine was gone leaving only the metal object behind. Which on closer inspection proved to be a standard Imperial distress beacon.
Thank's for reading. Have a good day, and God bless yinz.