A yawn escaped my lips, but I didn't bother to cover it up. I truly didn't
care, because at that moment I was reading one of the most boring reports
that my Fifth Company General in charge of over two thousand Dark Valkyries
Space Marines, named Alyssia, had sent me on the planet Thro'cah in the
Segmentum Pacifius. Flipping my hair beads and touching my jagged tattoo on
the side of my face absently, I kicked my feet up onto my desk, where I had
spent countless times creating perfect battle plans for my father the
Emperor and read the data pad.
It was the same as usual, or at least how Alyssia sent it. She always wrote about the morale of her troops first, and that's always good, but she could try to put a little more description into some things. Just because you're an almighty Primarch of the 2nd Legion in the Imperium, everyone thinks you should know everything, but its not always true, and I have a hard time getting some things into place. Alyssia went on about the battle with the Dark Eldar was coming, and casualties on their side was appalling, but to our own forces, thanks to the coupled efforts of the Titan Legions, we, as Alyssia put it, are driving the dark spawn into the ground and laying waste to everything in our path etc. etc. so on and so forth.
I dropped the tablet onto the cold metal desk on the opposite side of my command room and looked out the window at the stars hanging in space. I have always found it relaxing to just look at them, seemingly so peaceful where they were, not having to worry about anything other than just shining their light across the galaxy. I rubbed the side of my head and absently chewed on my short brown hair. It would be good to get back to Odin and the system, to once again see my planet and let my Valkyries get some well deserved rest after fighting in over twenty crusades; over half of those with my obnoxious brother Roboute Guilliman of the Ultramarines. Even if we have the lowest ranking in campaigns, we really don't care about that, as long as we fought well and made sure there were not too many casualties on our side or of the civilians, then we were happy.
Getting up and crossing over to the drinks cabinet, I chuckled slightly at what my brother Leman had said when he saw all my drinks. And he thought he was the only one who could stomach Rigillian ale. The only one in the family older than me was Lion El'Jonson, and if I saw him again it would be too soon. Sometimes being the only female Primarch out of the Royal Family had its benefits, and then some fall backs, but I really didn't care for those one way or another. My white armour was dented along the shoulders from fighting a Chaos daemon, and the gold was flicking off in more than one place. Once I got back to Odin, those great Tech-Priestess' would be very busy, and I would be looking over the new initiates.
I absently touched the amethyst hair bead, and chuckled. I was general of all of Odin, the place where my pod dropped, at the age of fourteen, and there was more than one noble who was jealous. But in any other planet, I would of never of been allowed to rise above being a woman. But on Odin, where women ruled absolutely, I was able to thrive and become whom I am now, thanks to the Emperor finding me on that world. The fight that I had with him there was close to death, but I overcame that, and even if he still beat me, it didn't matter. A sibling is supposed to be weaker than their father, especially when he's the Emperor of Mankind.
Of course, I still held the rank where I was the only one who could beat Horus in combat.
That was when I received the biggest shock in my entire life.
My second-in-command, Ros'e, burst through the door quickly, making me startle for a moment, then I looked at her and was about to reprimanded Ros'e when she spoke.
"Horus has turned to Chaos! He's attacking Terra, Milady!! Request permission to head to Terra at once!" My blood ran cold, and for a few moments, I could not register what I had heard. It seemed the world that I had been standing it had begun to tilt sideways, everything a blur. I found myself leaning against my desk, trying to draw breath and denting the metal with my fingers. Ros'e looked at me with fear on her face; if I were to act, I would have to act right now and not look ready to do nothing but become a mindless blob.
I walked quickly past her and onto the command deck of my lead ship. I overlooked my Dark Valkyries with the Tech-Priestess'; no need to tell them what was happening, we had received a distress call from Terra directly and everyone was listening to it over the twenty battle ships I had with me. It was piped through the speaker system, as well as a transmission on the screen that fizzled in and out of focus
Help us, Dark Valkyries…. Chaos Forces out of nowhere…. Warmaster Horus has turned…. We request aid immediately.
The transmission was lost in static, and nothing could come through. We were lucky to even receive this distress call from so far away from Terra. Everyone turned to look at me, and I thought I was going to be sick. Horus, turning against the Emperor? No, such a thing could not have happened. He would of never turned to Chaos. The one that was the most loved, the one Primarch that everyone looked up to? But I knew deep down that this was true, and I had no choice but to follow the only path opened to me. I turned to look at my daughters, a grim look in my eyes.
"Recall any other Dark Valkyries that aren't in battle. We will head towards Terra with as much speed as we can, and damn the Warp. I don't care what danger we are in, but we need to reach Terra and soon. We are at war now with Horus and any other Legion that had turned with him, so it will be hard to fight them. But we must win against Chaos! For the Imperium, for all of Mankind, we will not fail!!" A cheer started up over the bridge, and my Dark Valkyries raced to get the flag ship and the others up to speed.
But I already knew it was hopeless.
I had faced Chaos only a handful of times, but I knew that if they were to attack the Emperor, they would throw everything at him, and even he might be hard-pressed. I drew a small comfort that my other brothers had already heard this and were answering to the call even thought I hadn't heard from them, and I gained another little hope, knowing that the Imperial Fists lived on Terra, so Rogal Dorn was with them, and also my brother Sanguinius of the Blood Angels. They could hold them for a while, until we arrived. But I felt a sinking feeling in my gut that was never wrong.
We were going our fastest, but we would arrive on Terra in under a week, and anything could happen in that time.
* * *
It turned out that the Space Wolves and Dark Angels arrived at the same time that we did, and we could not believe the destruction that lay before us. Terra, once so beautiful and so seemingly safe, had been destroyed. Utterly destroyed. The beautiful glass towers of the Imperial palace were shattered, the large fortification would take weeks to dig up and start over, and the gardens were filled with the blood of so many.
And there were so many bodies.
Space Marine and Chaos Marine alike, but what drove into my heart was the innocents that had been massacred here, on the supposedly safest planet in the whole Imperium. Children lay cut to shreds, their parents failing when they tried to protect them. The shuttle carrying me down to the palace went too slowly for my tastes, and more than once I barked at my daughters in failing their duty. But it was I who had failed. If we hadn't already been so close to Odin, then we wouldn't of had to make that large detour around the black holes. If only I had decided to head straight for Terra and meet my father after so long, I might have been of some help. So many 'if's.
My brothers Russ and El'Jonson met me on the landing pad, and it was a silent voice that made us run to the chamber where the Emperor was being held. We heard pieces of talk in the halls that Sanguinius was dead, and I began to cry from that news. But to also hear that my father might die; his wounds were too great from his battle with Horus, yet he had saved us all, and I cursed the Fates if they made him die. We came to his bedchamber, and it looked so different that we had usually seen it.
Apothecaries moved about the room quickly, and there were a lot of machines filling every nook and cranny. They made room for us when they saw us, still dressed in battle armour. I led the way, El'Jonson pushing me slightly to make sure I wouldn't fall back. As we circled the bed, letting the healers do all they could, I didn't want to believe that the person I was looking at was the Emperor.
His body was burnt and scarred beyond belief, and the skin was already flaking off and letting blood run free. A horrible gash across his neck came from Horus, I knew that, and my rage tripled at my former brother's attack. The Emperor's eyes looked at each of us in turn, and as I looked at Russ, I was amazed to see him crying. El'Jonson stood beside me trembling as well, and if I knew what he was thinking, he was putting the whole blame on Russ for making them late to arrive on Terra. That was El'Jonson's way; he loved to place the blame on others so he wouldn't have to take so much responsibility.
I knelt down by my father's side. I knew he couldn't speak with his mouth, but his mind was still free to converse.
Hello, Emperor. So this is it, isn't it? We can't recover after what has happened.
Ra-Lee, never think that. The fight is never over, not unless you think it is, and you and your brothers are made of much more than that. I want to see the warrior's spirit within you three again. The Imperium, now more than ever, needs you, and none of you, even Russ and El' Jonson, can't be torn apart at this moment. We need to unite everyone.
El'Jonson interrupted at this time, falling to his knees and began to cry into his hands. Leman still stood, but his tears were coming freely now.
Listen all of you. Already I have the Tech-Priests creating a life support machine called the Golden Throne. I will be entombed within it soon, and from there I will be able to rule. It won't be the same as walking among you, but it will have to do until a better solution can be found. You can all stay longer if you want, but I suggest that you find your siblings. They need more comfort that ever now.
I nodded and stood up, wiping my eyes. On Odin, it is shameful to let your emotions show, but I didn't care. Sometimes it just came out. Turning, I pushed the Apothecaries aside and went to go look for the dead body of my brother Sanguinius. I walked out into the halls, and then the true feelings of sadness washed over me. It wasn't only I that had lost almost everything, but the whole Imperium dedicated to helping one another, to conquest every threat and helps the weak, was nearly shattered. More or less I was in a daze as I walked about the halls, coming along servants and nobles that were crying; they broke down right there. I think once or twice I comforted someone, but I needed comfort myself. Finally the room, no, the morgue where my brother lay stood before me, and I, Ra-Lee, walked in to see what he looked like.
The single healer that was there and preparing Sanguinius for the funeral bowed low to me and left the room. I walked up to him and stared at his angelic features, so calm and unmoving now. He displayed a small smile on his lips, it seemed that he was happy that he had done his duty and could now be at peace after so long. His blonde hair lay out around his face and accenting the paleness of his skin, his dark lashes and his high cheekbones. Now I could completely understand why the ladies of court had sought after Sanguinius as a husband, even if he would never take one. Why have a family if you are going to die in a few months or a year's time? His hands had been folded across his chest, and for a moment I willed that he breathed and actually thought that he had, but knew that couldn't be done. We hadn't always been close with each other, but we had shared stories and the like, trying to see who could outdo who in battle and debate. As I recall, he always won the latter.
Bending down, I kissed him lightly on his forehead, and took one of his feathers from his great pinions. That's what I'll always miss most about him. The way he could fly and make everyone at peace when seeing him. When I walked out of the room, I noticed a strange thing about myself. Even thought I had seen enough in one life for anyone to start crying, as many were, I myself was not. Was I selfish in holding back my tears, or didn't I have any at all? Perhaps my mind couldn't cope with everything it has taken in, and I stumbled out into one of the courtyards that lay in ruin.
I kicked over as body of a fallen Traitor Marine, and then something inside of me snapped. I picked up all the bodies of the Traitor Marines with my mind, and red covered my sight. I remember screaming at them all; my hands shot out lightning bolts that tore their bodies like paper, I flung them high into the sky and watched their bodies break when they impacted with the earth, I smashed fountains filled with blood and tore up trees in my anger. I don't know how long I did this for, but when the anger finally cleared from my mind, I looked around stupefied. The garden had already become a wasteland before I had walked into it, but now it was nothing more that total carnage. The bodies couldn't even be identified anymore, it would take years to even cultivate the earth to accept one small plant, and the artworks that had adorned the garden had been smashed into chips and splinters. I heard footsteps behind me and I whirled about, my right hand in a fist. I didn't care what anybody said; I sure as hell felt like hitting someone.
Jaghatai Khan grabbed my fist easily and held it until I put no more strength behind it. My body grew lax as I looked at him. He had been here when the fighting took place, and his eyes had a haunting, sunken look to them. Dried blood clung to his hair and more than one fresh scar cut across his face. I always pride myself on keeping my emotions in; any Odin woman who doesn't will surely be dead if she doesn't learn to temper herself, but seeing my brother, I broke down and began to cry. I cried when my mother on Odin died, I cried for my brother that had died and the others that turned over to Chaos. I cried for my father who would soon not be able to do a thing, and I cried for all the millions of people that we could not protect, but mostly I cried because I couldn't even help myself. Khan didn't do anything; just hugged me and said I couldn't of done anything much if I had tried.
"Feeling better now," he looked at me. "Just sit down Ra-Lee, and we can try and put everything into perspective."
"Everything's over, Khan. All the celebrations, all the campaigns fought in the name of glory, everything's gone. All for nothing now. Nothing. It was like a joke."
"Now you look at me, Ra-Lee. Nothing is over if we try. Yes, the facts are that Horus attacked Terra, and yes, we've lost many people as a result of it. And Chaos thinks that we have lost the Emperor, but we haven't. Father just won't be able to walk among us for a while, but I have faith that will all change. What I'm more worried about is everything here. There are a bunch of small power struggles going on at the moment, and Guilliman is thinking of making a council that will rule in the Emperor's name at the moment. I also am more concerned that we should find out where Chaos lies, and deal with them as quickly as possible. And one more-"
Jaghatai wasn't able to finish his talk because at that moment we both heard Russ and El'Jonson yell out their battle cries. The palace about us shook for a moment, and we looked at each other. Khan got up and massaged the side of his face.
"Looks like we have other things to worry about as well."
I led the way to where my brothers were fighting. The battle had obviously begun outside in the hall near where father was being cared for, and then their battle had gone up over ten flights of stairs until they were in the throne room. Tech-Priests creating the Golden Throne rushed out of El'Jonson and Russ' way. Both were exchanging blows that would of shattered an ordinary man's body, but their still fought on. Khan took El'Jonson while I took Russ, and it was harder than it looked, even for us. El'Jonson had always been quick, but so had Khan, and he dug his hands into my brother's shoulders and pulled him back. The effect made El'Jonson fly straight out of the room and into the corridor. Khan followed him to make sure he had no other ideas of fighting. But it seems I always get the tough cases. When Russ gets angry, it's like he goes into a berserk rage. I had to jump out of the way as Russ tore down the curtains around him and smashed the walls until there was marble crumbling from the ceiling.
I gave a high kick towards his neck that sprawled him out on the ground, and nothing foot drop onto his face knocked him out. I wasn't worried at all about him; he had had worse and had lived. Grabbing by his arms and legs, I slung him over my shoulder and walked out to where Khan stood with a dazed Lion.
"So how did this start?" Khan asked. El'Jonson didn't want to meet our gazes, but after a good kick to the knee, he talked.
"I was all because of Russ that we didn't get here in time," El'Jonson pointed an accusing finger at the unconscious figure. "If we hadn't stopped on that backwater world to save those damn civilians, then the Emperor would still be walking among us right now. I would slit his throat if I have the chance. He's a shame of a Primarch, and not much of a brother otherwise."
Lion El'Jonson already was speaking at the top of his lungs, but he began shouting now, and there were many people looking at the four of us and wondering what had happened for everything to come to this. Khan's face was troubled, and I knew he was possibly thinking the same thing at Lion. Well, it was time for me to save the day. As I opened my mouth to speak, Russ stirred behind me.
"No, no…you're right, El'Jonson." Leman Russ managed to stand on his own quickly, then looked at us in turn. "If we didn't save those people, then yes, we would have been here before and possibly of been able to save the day. You obviously hated me from the beginning, and I don't think very much of you either. The Emperor told us to try and mend things, but obviously that cannot be done. Ra-Lee, can I have your dagger?"
I quickly took out my serrated blade that was tipped in poison. Even for a Primarch it would be tough to fight off the likes of the stuff I had put on it. Russ handed it over to El'Jonson and he began to take off his chest plate armour. I began to panic slightly.
"So let's finish this fight that has been going on for far too long. Take the dagger and stab me with it, Lion. I won't fight back. Here, take your so-called revenge upon me; I will not fight."
Russ exposed his bare flesh and waited. The people looking at us waited. El'Jonson held the dagger in his hand and looked ready to carve a whole new stomach for Russ. Jaghatai tensed, and then I knew what he was preparing to do. If El'Jonson accepted and tried to drive the knife inwards, then he would move in the way and try to deflect the blade. I would try and throw Russ aside as well. But then Lion El'Jonson did something that I did not expect him to do. Flipping the blade over in his hands, El'Jonson threw it onto the floor and walked away from us. All Russ could do was look at him in disbelief. I picked up my dagger and sheathed it. Then Jaghatai summed up everything that happened today with a few words.
"I am going to go and find something to eat, then I'm going to sleep after that. Anyone want to see what we can stomach in this place?"
Needless to say, both Russ and I followed him.
* * *
"Absolutely not!" I bashed my hands down on the table and saw a crack develop in the marble. "This is madness, Roboute! If you do this, then we're all going to die because of your incompetence. I will not stand for it at all." I took up the papers he had given to me and threw them onto the floor. I was furious with him.
El'Jonson, Rogal Dorn, Leman Russ, Jaghatai Khan, Corax and Roboute Guilliman sat down in one of the many meeting rooms of the palace that hadn't been destroyed. It had been a whole 4 weeks after the funeral of Sanguinius and all the other brave warriors that had fallen on Terra, and only three since the Emperor had been enthroned inside the Golden Throne that would sustain him. It was too much to even think about, and as I looked about the table, I could see the drawn and tired lines on everyone's faces. Somebody would snap soon, and already had. It was, of course, me. Roboute sat across from me and just looked. I hated that look that he gave to everyone who didn't agree with him, but who the hell was the older sister in this family?!
"Divide our legions? Bring them down in size to about only a thousand? You can't be serious on this, brother," Corax spoke; his dark features were a mix of horror and worry. "If we do that, then the Imperium will become weaker than ever. Chaos could easily move right back in and take over so many worlds that we're trying to free at this moment. The wound will become an infected place and soon it will spread all over the galaxy."
"I agree with Guilliman," Khan spoke up. "If another Primarch should rebel, then this could happen all over again. The last thing we need at the moment is another Heresy. If we break down the legions, then there is less of a chance of open and wide scale rebellion."
"Have you lost your mind!" Russ' bellow echoed about the chamber. "Ra-Lee is right on this and so is Corax. If we do this, Roboute, then we could be digging our own graves! I'll go and get the shovel for you right now!"
Soon everyone was yelling with everyone else. We had all lost our tempers. Dorn grabbed Corax by the neck and the two began to fight. Khan and Russ were fighting over who was in the right and wrong, and it seemed that El'Jonson agreed with Roboute whole-heartedly while trying to pound the life out of Corax. I did the simple thing to shut everyone up. Taking a small plasma pistol from my belt, I fired one shot into the opposite wall, making a lovely hole so the wind could come through. Everyone fell silent after that.
"We agree that we can't agree," I began. "But let's put it to a vote. All in favour of going with this downscaling of the legions raise your hands."
Roboute, Rogal Dorn, El'Jonson and Jaghatai Khan raised their hands.
"And all opposed?" Of course I knew we had already lost, but that didn't matter. It was a figure of speech anyway, to show our disgust to our brothers. I let my hand rise and drop and quickly let the room, leaving the rest of my family to bicker and argue over every other small detail. I walked down many broken halls; most of them were quiet, everyone in the palace having gone to the great Throne Room and conference with the Emperor. People would think it awful that a Primarch wouldn't go to see him and be right by his side, but father would understand, and wouldn't hold it against me.
Looking out, the repair crews and clean-up ones were piling away the dead bodies of the Imperial side for decent burials or to be given back to their respective Legions, and as for the Chaos scum, they were lite like matches and their stench filled the air. When the people saw me, then bowed low and tried not to cry, and then carried on in their work. I kept on walking down halls, stopping here or there and remembering what had happened. The memories within me seemed to of happened yesterday; I was teaching Alpha the finer points of mathematics in that small room with the wide balcony, and over in the courtyard, I trained Night Haunter and Logar to use a glaive without stabbing themselves down the middle with the weapon. Over there we had once had a martial competition, and that was where I had used less proper means of combat to defeat my brothers. If someone doesn't want to wear protective gear, then that's their problem and I'm sticking to that point.
I can remember all the sadness and happiness we displayed, how, when even we had our fights and feuds that sprung up, united together as siblings should to combat any problem. Not anymore.
When my senses came back to me, I was sitting up on one of the highest towers of the Imperial palace and it was night; everything was spread out below. In time, everything would go back to the way that it was. Until then, the people of Terra would try to take everything in stride and learn to cope with them. For a world filled with peacemakers, they were learning the ways of war quickly. I idly looked over to my left and began to laugh. Anyone who, if they saw me at that moment, would of though that I had gone insane. What I was laughing about was so much different.
There in front me was a simple telescope, the small type that can look up at orbiting ships and see the craters of the moon. Despite all the destruction when the drop ships landed, the daemons coming forth, the bombs exploding left and right, people dying and even with the vicious corridor fighting, this stupid little telescope was still standing. It was as if both sides went out of their way to make sure that it wasn't ruined. The image of my twisted former brother Angron trying not to chop it down while killing enemies made me laugh; he never really cared to look beyond his own vision very much. Walking over to it, I dried the blood that was on the lens and looked through it. I could see all the activity going on above me.
The Dark Angels Legion was mobilizing; El'Jonson was eager to get back to Caliban to make sure that Chaos hadn't come that way. In a sense, I was glad to see him leave. He could get very annoying. On the other hand, I felt as if I wouldn't see him again, and that feeling grew stronger in my stomach. I kept the telescope pointed on the vast fleet as the Thunderhawks made their way up and down from the space docks to gather their troops and prepare to leave. After what seemed a short time, but was in fact two hours, the fleet prepared to enter the Warp. The feeling picked up in my gut, but I shoved it down and waved good-bye to my older brother even if he couldn't see me. He could still sense me as I formed the words farewell in my mind and sent them to him.
Then the Dark Angels were gone.
Turning the telescope around, I decided to gather up enough courage to finally look at the lunar bases. They had received too much of the brunt in the initial attack, and their space docks couldn't even send out a simple messenger ship. Small spacecraft from the Imperial Navy was dropping desperately needed supplies onto the bases, and I saw more than one ship's laser turn onto a destroyed hulk of a Chaos war band ship and vaporise the damn thing. Spinning about the telescope once again, I looked up at the Blood Angels fleet, or what remained of it, and tucked away that grief that was rising up again. Already I could see that Guilliman, or should I say High Lord Roboute Guilliman, newly appointed that very afternoon, was having his edict carried out, and that there were smaller pockets of the Blood Angels detaching themselves off from the rest.
Turning again, I saw my beautiful Dark Valkyries fleet, and I knew my daughters were doing the best they could at the moment with all they had to help the wounded and sick up there. That image and the one of the Blood Angels being split up gave me such an idea, one that I couldn't tell to anyone. Watching them, I began to have feeling inside of me that I never really had before. It wasn't rebellion exactly against this edict, but it sure as hell was close enough that it had ever been.
I got up and spun the piece of metal around and walked off the roof, dropping lightly to the ground a thousand feet below, and clipped on my comm-bead, signalling me to get in contact with R'ose.
"R'ose, I need you to do something important. You can't tell anyone else about this. If they do question, then say you Valkyries are practicing manoeuvres of sorts. Don't give any details."
Yes, Milady. What do you wish of me?
"I want you to recall every Battle Sister at this moment, no matter who they are or where they are. If they don't listen, then they run the risk of displeasing me. I don't care if they're a scout or a High Priestess. I want everyone recalled at this moment. Are you giving the orders? Good. At precisely 0001 hours, I want you to fly the lead ship over the Monument of Victory. I'll be at the top. You'll have to teleport me on. After that there will be further instructions, over and out."
I turned off the comm-bead and didn't fear that R'ose would do anything less than listen. When it came to loyalty, R'ose would rather suffer a horrible death for one day than have eternal damnation. I checked my chrono and the green digits displayed the time as 2207 hours. I would have to move quickly if I wanted everything done. With a quick step, I made my way up the lifts and steps of the Imperial palace until I came to the Throne Room. People standing outside in the audience chamber moved to let me pass, and I heard remarks about that way I looked and such. I opened the door to the Throne Room and looked in.
On a raised platform in a beautiful throne lay my father the Emperor, and on the steps sat Russ with his head bowed. Roboute Guilliman was talking and waving his arms about the throne as he walked quickly, and I knew he was trying to make a point to Russ in front of the Emperor. There were eleven other men standing about, admirals and generals of the Imperial Forces. They bowed to me as I walked past them, and Guilliman stopped in his speech to stare at me. Russ raised his head and gave me a wolfish grin that displayed I was walking into the snakes' den of all humanity at this point. So let them bite, I have had worse.
"Ra-Lee, it is good to see you. You have missed the inauguration of the High Lords and didn't say any good-bye to Lion El'Jonson," Roboute said with a smile. Oh, how I really hate you, I thought quietly. I folded my arms, the sharpened spikes on the edges glinting in the light of the chandeliers hanging from above. My younger brother interrupted my thoughts, however.
"These men here are the new High Lords that the Emperor had dictated will rule the Imperium in his steed. I am to be the highest one, and to work on the Codex that will reform our Legions down to size. Come, Ra-Lee, just say hello. You need good cheer and to be merry. Such a pretty face should not scowl but smile at the achievements made here this day."
What you need is a jolly good punch in the face and in other areas that I can't say because it would be improper for a woman to say such, I thought back silently. I turned to the High Lords and nodded my head; to bow to them would be stupid. I am a Princess of the Imperium, and I don't bow to people lower than my station unless they have done something to earn it. The men looked among themselves, and for a moment I wondered if they had truly seen any combat beside the Heresy that had just taken place, or had officers more senior than them had been killed and they had taken command? Some didn't look older than forty. I turned to look back at Roboute, and he could easily see the attitude on my face.
"I need to speak to the Emperor alone," I said, my tone making no brook for an argument. The High Lords looked at themselves, and Roboute waved them away. They left with a look of confusion on their faces, and my brother turned to look at me with an unreadable face. He knew I was displeased at his actions, and he was already trying to find a way to get back at me. With a sweep of his cape, Guilliman left. Russ got up from where he was sitting and walked over to me. He gave out his hand, and I clasped him by his elbow as he did mine. We looked at each other and nodded. That was the Fenrisian way of a handshake, and I preferred it to anything else. With that look we said more than words needed to be said. I guess he knew what I was going to do, but he said and did nothing. Without a backwards glance, Leman Russ left me.
I knelt before the Golden Throne and looked up at my father, who I meet those many centuries ago. I swore upon my own soul, and with oaths much stronger, that I would not tell a soul what passed between us, but I can say that it was short, to the point, and heart breaking. I was backed into a corner and did what I felt was right. We Primarchs had been born with a freedom to do what we wanted, within reason, and I, who never rebelled, was now doing what seemed alien to me. The Emperor understood, and he lifted my spirits. With his kind words, I felt ready to accept anything that lay before me.
Turning on my heel, I left the Throne Room and brushed by everyone. Court intrigue; everyone wants to know what the other is thinking or doing, and it had been around for a long time. Roboute personally stopped me before I could reach the end of the long hall, but I drew myself up to my full height of about eight and a half feet and stared him straight in the eye. Without a word, he backed down and let me pass without a fight. I stepped out of the Audience chamber, and I felt a chapter of my life had come to an end. Well, there was always a new one that was about to begin, even when we die. As I passed other Space Marines in the halls, they saluted at me and stood in parade stand. I threw them a salute backwards as I went on my way.
Soon, the great halls of the Librarium came before me. Here was where every little bit of information was kept in the Imperium, from what was happening when the Emperor unified Earth and up to and still recording what was happening about us. Of course, some things were about to change. The librarian, an ancient man, walked out from behind his desk to give me a small bow and I raised my hand to him as if in benediction. I fixed my eyes with him and he stopped in his tracks.
"Librarian, you have served the Imperium well and will continue serving the Emperor for many years to come. But as of now, and until the moment I leave, you will remember nothing of me entering here. You will forget everything from this moment on and go into a deep sleep. Dream until you wake."
The librarian sleepily nodded his head and went back behind his desk for some well-deserved rest. I walked past him and into the librarium. The shelves groaned with the weight of the tomes under them, and I selected many in that brief time. With a well-placed thought, all those tomes that took so many hours to make went up in blue flames. Not even ash remained of them. I turned to the computers. Sitting down at the main monitor, I raced through the files and sub-sections and inhuman speeds, taking turns looking them over and deleting either whole sections or small paragraphs. Everything that had anything to do with the Dark Valkyries or in any way touched upon them, no matter how small, was dredged up from the computer and deleted. Just like that centuries of work and knowledge was lost. In many years time I guess I would regret this, but for the moment I didn't care. I needed to protect the people I ruled and myself.
Finally the task was completed, and the time was 2430 hours. I cursed silently. Now I would really have to move if I were to make the checkpoint. As I left the librarium, I bashed my hand down on the table to wake the old man up. As I left the room, I heard him mumble something about his old age and sleep. I tried very hard not to laugh. I had everything on me at the moment my golden Power Armour, my force glaive, the deadly sword Excalibur, and myself. With that done, I threw a cloak of black wool over my shoulders and I walked out of the Imperial palace and onto the streets of Terra.
Bodies still lay on the street, and whole families had been slaughtered. I tried to look away at the carnage with bitterness at how I couldn't stop it and of how I couldn't of arrived in time anyway. I crossed streets that were broken right down the middle, and had chasms split open right there. I walked up to the Monument of Victory and looked it up and down. It rose over a hundred and fifty feet into the air, and over three Titans could walk abreast at the same time. I sighed slightly as I looked up at it. I would have to climb it and I barely had enough time. A sniffling noise behind me made me turn, and I looked to see a young girl, maybe no older than eight, walk out of the darkness towards me. Her clothing was in rags, her hair dirty, she herself looking in need to a bath and carrying around a stuffed bear that had lost one eye and ear. She looked at me and I looked at her. The little girl's eyes widened suddenly, and she dropped to her knees on the pavement.
"Blessed Silver Primarch Ra-Lee," was all she said. I rubbed my temples and knew my cover way blown. I only hoped that she wouldn't call other people to come over. It's not that I have a cold heart or anything, but I have another appointment and needed to get going. But something stopped me. I knelt down beside her and raised her face to look at mine.
"Where's your family, little one," I asked gently. She shook her head and tears brimmed. Like so many other children, this girl had lost everything and possibly would die on the streets, one of the unfortunates.
"Everyone's gone," she whimpered. "I hate Chaos for taking them! I hate them all, Lady! I wish I could kill them right now!!!" She looked up at me in apprehension as I sifted through a small pocket on my armour. I took out a golden seal and dropped it into her hands.
"Go to the Imperial Palace, little one, to the west entrance. Say that the Primarch Ra-Lee gave this to you, and that she wants you to become a servant there. Never drop this; they will believe you when they see this. You'll have to work a little there, but you can have a roof over your head and food in your belly. In time, you will help rebuild Terra and you will have children yourself. Now go. That will be your way to fight Chaos, to rebuild what they try to break down. It will be like spitting in their face, and you will become a warrior, even if you are here."
I stood back up and must have looked imposing in the light, for the little girl gasped out loud and looked from me to the golden seal in her hand.
"Th-thank you, Lady, a thousand times over. But may I ask," she hesitated for a moment. "Where are you going?"
I didn't have to think about what I was going say; it just came out. "To fight against the evil that exists within and without humankind. You can not come, but you can do your bit here, child." The little one smiled again and raced off into the darkness. "May the Emperor guide you and keep you safe," I whispered after her.
I gathered my strength under me and jumped off the ground and high into the air. I was once called the angel without wings, and indeed I think I was at that moment. I gained speed as I soared upwards, and easily alighted onto the monument's level surface at the top. Counting down the seconds, a beam of pure light fixed onto me, and I was on the bridge of the Screams of the Dark Valkyries in that moment. I walked up to the command chair and sat down, looking over my daughters that stared back at me. I typed in the code to give my speech to the rest of my fleet.
"This is the best way that we can fight against Chaos. I do not believe that making us smaller will help anything. We need to remain strong to combat evil, and though we may leave behind the worlds that we love, we are needed to many people. Dark Valkyries, I have an inkling to go to the Trakan Nebula. There have been reports of Night Lords causing trouble around there. Let us fight them, and in the Name of the Emperor, let us win with His Power by our side!"
A cheer was raised from over the comm-unit, and with a light heart we, the Dark Valkyries and the Founding 2nd Legion, entered into the Warp and into the unknown. I would come back to Terra one day, but it would be far from now. You can count on the old words of a certain silver Primarch.
Alone for a while
We don't need any helping hands
We have learned to move on our own
And now I see the path
That is opened for me
A burning light shining forth
Filled with happiness
Something there, waiting for me
Perhaps an old memory
I will not walk away
I will carry on by myself
I don't need help
I didn't ask you to help me
So don't unless I ask you first
Because it is our way since the beginning
-Dark Valkyries catechism
It was the same as usual, or at least how Alyssia sent it. She always wrote about the morale of her troops first, and that's always good, but she could try to put a little more description into some things. Just because you're an almighty Primarch of the 2nd Legion in the Imperium, everyone thinks you should know everything, but its not always true, and I have a hard time getting some things into place. Alyssia went on about the battle with the Dark Eldar was coming, and casualties on their side was appalling, but to our own forces, thanks to the coupled efforts of the Titan Legions, we, as Alyssia put it, are driving the dark spawn into the ground and laying waste to everything in our path etc. etc. so on and so forth.
I dropped the tablet onto the cold metal desk on the opposite side of my command room and looked out the window at the stars hanging in space. I have always found it relaxing to just look at them, seemingly so peaceful where they were, not having to worry about anything other than just shining their light across the galaxy. I rubbed the side of my head and absently chewed on my short brown hair. It would be good to get back to Odin and the system, to once again see my planet and let my Valkyries get some well deserved rest after fighting in over twenty crusades; over half of those with my obnoxious brother Roboute Guilliman of the Ultramarines. Even if we have the lowest ranking in campaigns, we really don't care about that, as long as we fought well and made sure there were not too many casualties on our side or of the civilians, then we were happy.
Getting up and crossing over to the drinks cabinet, I chuckled slightly at what my brother Leman had said when he saw all my drinks. And he thought he was the only one who could stomach Rigillian ale. The only one in the family older than me was Lion El'Jonson, and if I saw him again it would be too soon. Sometimes being the only female Primarch out of the Royal Family had its benefits, and then some fall backs, but I really didn't care for those one way or another. My white armour was dented along the shoulders from fighting a Chaos daemon, and the gold was flicking off in more than one place. Once I got back to Odin, those great Tech-Priestess' would be very busy, and I would be looking over the new initiates.
I absently touched the amethyst hair bead, and chuckled. I was general of all of Odin, the place where my pod dropped, at the age of fourteen, and there was more than one noble who was jealous. But in any other planet, I would of never of been allowed to rise above being a woman. But on Odin, where women ruled absolutely, I was able to thrive and become whom I am now, thanks to the Emperor finding me on that world. The fight that I had with him there was close to death, but I overcame that, and even if he still beat me, it didn't matter. A sibling is supposed to be weaker than their father, especially when he's the Emperor of Mankind.
Of course, I still held the rank where I was the only one who could beat Horus in combat.
That was when I received the biggest shock in my entire life.
My second-in-command, Ros'e, burst through the door quickly, making me startle for a moment, then I looked at her and was about to reprimanded Ros'e when she spoke.
"Horus has turned to Chaos! He's attacking Terra, Milady!! Request permission to head to Terra at once!" My blood ran cold, and for a few moments, I could not register what I had heard. It seemed the world that I had been standing it had begun to tilt sideways, everything a blur. I found myself leaning against my desk, trying to draw breath and denting the metal with my fingers. Ros'e looked at me with fear on her face; if I were to act, I would have to act right now and not look ready to do nothing but become a mindless blob.
I walked quickly past her and onto the command deck of my lead ship. I overlooked my Dark Valkyries with the Tech-Priestess'; no need to tell them what was happening, we had received a distress call from Terra directly and everyone was listening to it over the twenty battle ships I had with me. It was piped through the speaker system, as well as a transmission on the screen that fizzled in and out of focus
Help us, Dark Valkyries…. Chaos Forces out of nowhere…. Warmaster Horus has turned…. We request aid immediately.
The transmission was lost in static, and nothing could come through. We were lucky to even receive this distress call from so far away from Terra. Everyone turned to look at me, and I thought I was going to be sick. Horus, turning against the Emperor? No, such a thing could not have happened. He would of never turned to Chaos. The one that was the most loved, the one Primarch that everyone looked up to? But I knew deep down that this was true, and I had no choice but to follow the only path opened to me. I turned to look at my daughters, a grim look in my eyes.
"Recall any other Dark Valkyries that aren't in battle. We will head towards Terra with as much speed as we can, and damn the Warp. I don't care what danger we are in, but we need to reach Terra and soon. We are at war now with Horus and any other Legion that had turned with him, so it will be hard to fight them. But we must win against Chaos! For the Imperium, for all of Mankind, we will not fail!!" A cheer started up over the bridge, and my Dark Valkyries raced to get the flag ship and the others up to speed.
But I already knew it was hopeless.
I had faced Chaos only a handful of times, but I knew that if they were to attack the Emperor, they would throw everything at him, and even he might be hard-pressed. I drew a small comfort that my other brothers had already heard this and were answering to the call even thought I hadn't heard from them, and I gained another little hope, knowing that the Imperial Fists lived on Terra, so Rogal Dorn was with them, and also my brother Sanguinius of the Blood Angels. They could hold them for a while, until we arrived. But I felt a sinking feeling in my gut that was never wrong.
We were going our fastest, but we would arrive on Terra in under a week, and anything could happen in that time.
* * *
It turned out that the Space Wolves and Dark Angels arrived at the same time that we did, and we could not believe the destruction that lay before us. Terra, once so beautiful and so seemingly safe, had been destroyed. Utterly destroyed. The beautiful glass towers of the Imperial palace were shattered, the large fortification would take weeks to dig up and start over, and the gardens were filled with the blood of so many.
And there were so many bodies.
Space Marine and Chaos Marine alike, but what drove into my heart was the innocents that had been massacred here, on the supposedly safest planet in the whole Imperium. Children lay cut to shreds, their parents failing when they tried to protect them. The shuttle carrying me down to the palace went too slowly for my tastes, and more than once I barked at my daughters in failing their duty. But it was I who had failed. If we hadn't already been so close to Odin, then we wouldn't of had to make that large detour around the black holes. If only I had decided to head straight for Terra and meet my father after so long, I might have been of some help. So many 'if's.
My brothers Russ and El'Jonson met me on the landing pad, and it was a silent voice that made us run to the chamber where the Emperor was being held. We heard pieces of talk in the halls that Sanguinius was dead, and I began to cry from that news. But to also hear that my father might die; his wounds were too great from his battle with Horus, yet he had saved us all, and I cursed the Fates if they made him die. We came to his bedchamber, and it looked so different that we had usually seen it.
Apothecaries moved about the room quickly, and there were a lot of machines filling every nook and cranny. They made room for us when they saw us, still dressed in battle armour. I led the way, El'Jonson pushing me slightly to make sure I wouldn't fall back. As we circled the bed, letting the healers do all they could, I didn't want to believe that the person I was looking at was the Emperor.
His body was burnt and scarred beyond belief, and the skin was already flaking off and letting blood run free. A horrible gash across his neck came from Horus, I knew that, and my rage tripled at my former brother's attack. The Emperor's eyes looked at each of us in turn, and as I looked at Russ, I was amazed to see him crying. El'Jonson stood beside me trembling as well, and if I knew what he was thinking, he was putting the whole blame on Russ for making them late to arrive on Terra. That was El'Jonson's way; he loved to place the blame on others so he wouldn't have to take so much responsibility.
I knelt down by my father's side. I knew he couldn't speak with his mouth, but his mind was still free to converse.
Hello, Emperor. So this is it, isn't it? We can't recover after what has happened.
Ra-Lee, never think that. The fight is never over, not unless you think it is, and you and your brothers are made of much more than that. I want to see the warrior's spirit within you three again. The Imperium, now more than ever, needs you, and none of you, even Russ and El' Jonson, can't be torn apart at this moment. We need to unite everyone.
El'Jonson interrupted at this time, falling to his knees and began to cry into his hands. Leman still stood, but his tears were coming freely now.
Listen all of you. Already I have the Tech-Priests creating a life support machine called the Golden Throne. I will be entombed within it soon, and from there I will be able to rule. It won't be the same as walking among you, but it will have to do until a better solution can be found. You can all stay longer if you want, but I suggest that you find your siblings. They need more comfort that ever now.
I nodded and stood up, wiping my eyes. On Odin, it is shameful to let your emotions show, but I didn't care. Sometimes it just came out. Turning, I pushed the Apothecaries aside and went to go look for the dead body of my brother Sanguinius. I walked out into the halls, and then the true feelings of sadness washed over me. It wasn't only I that had lost almost everything, but the whole Imperium dedicated to helping one another, to conquest every threat and helps the weak, was nearly shattered. More or less I was in a daze as I walked about the halls, coming along servants and nobles that were crying; they broke down right there. I think once or twice I comforted someone, but I needed comfort myself. Finally the room, no, the morgue where my brother lay stood before me, and I, Ra-Lee, walked in to see what he looked like.
The single healer that was there and preparing Sanguinius for the funeral bowed low to me and left the room. I walked up to him and stared at his angelic features, so calm and unmoving now. He displayed a small smile on his lips, it seemed that he was happy that he had done his duty and could now be at peace after so long. His blonde hair lay out around his face and accenting the paleness of his skin, his dark lashes and his high cheekbones. Now I could completely understand why the ladies of court had sought after Sanguinius as a husband, even if he would never take one. Why have a family if you are going to die in a few months or a year's time? His hands had been folded across his chest, and for a moment I willed that he breathed and actually thought that he had, but knew that couldn't be done. We hadn't always been close with each other, but we had shared stories and the like, trying to see who could outdo who in battle and debate. As I recall, he always won the latter.
Bending down, I kissed him lightly on his forehead, and took one of his feathers from his great pinions. That's what I'll always miss most about him. The way he could fly and make everyone at peace when seeing him. When I walked out of the room, I noticed a strange thing about myself. Even thought I had seen enough in one life for anyone to start crying, as many were, I myself was not. Was I selfish in holding back my tears, or didn't I have any at all? Perhaps my mind couldn't cope with everything it has taken in, and I stumbled out into one of the courtyards that lay in ruin.
I kicked over as body of a fallen Traitor Marine, and then something inside of me snapped. I picked up all the bodies of the Traitor Marines with my mind, and red covered my sight. I remember screaming at them all; my hands shot out lightning bolts that tore their bodies like paper, I flung them high into the sky and watched their bodies break when they impacted with the earth, I smashed fountains filled with blood and tore up trees in my anger. I don't know how long I did this for, but when the anger finally cleared from my mind, I looked around stupefied. The garden had already become a wasteland before I had walked into it, but now it was nothing more that total carnage. The bodies couldn't even be identified anymore, it would take years to even cultivate the earth to accept one small plant, and the artworks that had adorned the garden had been smashed into chips and splinters. I heard footsteps behind me and I whirled about, my right hand in a fist. I didn't care what anybody said; I sure as hell felt like hitting someone.
Jaghatai Khan grabbed my fist easily and held it until I put no more strength behind it. My body grew lax as I looked at him. He had been here when the fighting took place, and his eyes had a haunting, sunken look to them. Dried blood clung to his hair and more than one fresh scar cut across his face. I always pride myself on keeping my emotions in; any Odin woman who doesn't will surely be dead if she doesn't learn to temper herself, but seeing my brother, I broke down and began to cry. I cried when my mother on Odin died, I cried for my brother that had died and the others that turned over to Chaos. I cried for my father who would soon not be able to do a thing, and I cried for all the millions of people that we could not protect, but mostly I cried because I couldn't even help myself. Khan didn't do anything; just hugged me and said I couldn't of done anything much if I had tried.
"Feeling better now," he looked at me. "Just sit down Ra-Lee, and we can try and put everything into perspective."
"Everything's over, Khan. All the celebrations, all the campaigns fought in the name of glory, everything's gone. All for nothing now. Nothing. It was like a joke."
"Now you look at me, Ra-Lee. Nothing is over if we try. Yes, the facts are that Horus attacked Terra, and yes, we've lost many people as a result of it. And Chaos thinks that we have lost the Emperor, but we haven't. Father just won't be able to walk among us for a while, but I have faith that will all change. What I'm more worried about is everything here. There are a bunch of small power struggles going on at the moment, and Guilliman is thinking of making a council that will rule in the Emperor's name at the moment. I also am more concerned that we should find out where Chaos lies, and deal with them as quickly as possible. And one more-"
Jaghatai wasn't able to finish his talk because at that moment we both heard Russ and El'Jonson yell out their battle cries. The palace about us shook for a moment, and we looked at each other. Khan got up and massaged the side of his face.
"Looks like we have other things to worry about as well."
I led the way to where my brothers were fighting. The battle had obviously begun outside in the hall near where father was being cared for, and then their battle had gone up over ten flights of stairs until they were in the throne room. Tech-Priests creating the Golden Throne rushed out of El'Jonson and Russ' way. Both were exchanging blows that would of shattered an ordinary man's body, but their still fought on. Khan took El'Jonson while I took Russ, and it was harder than it looked, even for us. El'Jonson had always been quick, but so had Khan, and he dug his hands into my brother's shoulders and pulled him back. The effect made El'Jonson fly straight out of the room and into the corridor. Khan followed him to make sure he had no other ideas of fighting. But it seems I always get the tough cases. When Russ gets angry, it's like he goes into a berserk rage. I had to jump out of the way as Russ tore down the curtains around him and smashed the walls until there was marble crumbling from the ceiling.
I gave a high kick towards his neck that sprawled him out on the ground, and nothing foot drop onto his face knocked him out. I wasn't worried at all about him; he had had worse and had lived. Grabbing by his arms and legs, I slung him over my shoulder and walked out to where Khan stood with a dazed Lion.
"So how did this start?" Khan asked. El'Jonson didn't want to meet our gazes, but after a good kick to the knee, he talked.
"I was all because of Russ that we didn't get here in time," El'Jonson pointed an accusing finger at the unconscious figure. "If we hadn't stopped on that backwater world to save those damn civilians, then the Emperor would still be walking among us right now. I would slit his throat if I have the chance. He's a shame of a Primarch, and not much of a brother otherwise."
Lion El'Jonson already was speaking at the top of his lungs, but he began shouting now, and there were many people looking at the four of us and wondering what had happened for everything to come to this. Khan's face was troubled, and I knew he was possibly thinking the same thing at Lion. Well, it was time for me to save the day. As I opened my mouth to speak, Russ stirred behind me.
"No, no…you're right, El'Jonson." Leman Russ managed to stand on his own quickly, then looked at us in turn. "If we didn't save those people, then yes, we would have been here before and possibly of been able to save the day. You obviously hated me from the beginning, and I don't think very much of you either. The Emperor told us to try and mend things, but obviously that cannot be done. Ra-Lee, can I have your dagger?"
I quickly took out my serrated blade that was tipped in poison. Even for a Primarch it would be tough to fight off the likes of the stuff I had put on it. Russ handed it over to El'Jonson and he began to take off his chest plate armour. I began to panic slightly.
"So let's finish this fight that has been going on for far too long. Take the dagger and stab me with it, Lion. I won't fight back. Here, take your so-called revenge upon me; I will not fight."
Russ exposed his bare flesh and waited. The people looking at us waited. El'Jonson held the dagger in his hand and looked ready to carve a whole new stomach for Russ. Jaghatai tensed, and then I knew what he was preparing to do. If El'Jonson accepted and tried to drive the knife inwards, then he would move in the way and try to deflect the blade. I would try and throw Russ aside as well. But then Lion El'Jonson did something that I did not expect him to do. Flipping the blade over in his hands, El'Jonson threw it onto the floor and walked away from us. All Russ could do was look at him in disbelief. I picked up my dagger and sheathed it. Then Jaghatai summed up everything that happened today with a few words.
"I am going to go and find something to eat, then I'm going to sleep after that. Anyone want to see what we can stomach in this place?"
Needless to say, both Russ and I followed him.
* * *
"Absolutely not!" I bashed my hands down on the table and saw a crack develop in the marble. "This is madness, Roboute! If you do this, then we're all going to die because of your incompetence. I will not stand for it at all." I took up the papers he had given to me and threw them onto the floor. I was furious with him.
El'Jonson, Rogal Dorn, Leman Russ, Jaghatai Khan, Corax and Roboute Guilliman sat down in one of the many meeting rooms of the palace that hadn't been destroyed. It had been a whole 4 weeks after the funeral of Sanguinius and all the other brave warriors that had fallen on Terra, and only three since the Emperor had been enthroned inside the Golden Throne that would sustain him. It was too much to even think about, and as I looked about the table, I could see the drawn and tired lines on everyone's faces. Somebody would snap soon, and already had. It was, of course, me. Roboute sat across from me and just looked. I hated that look that he gave to everyone who didn't agree with him, but who the hell was the older sister in this family?!
"Divide our legions? Bring them down in size to about only a thousand? You can't be serious on this, brother," Corax spoke; his dark features were a mix of horror and worry. "If we do that, then the Imperium will become weaker than ever. Chaos could easily move right back in and take over so many worlds that we're trying to free at this moment. The wound will become an infected place and soon it will spread all over the galaxy."
"I agree with Guilliman," Khan spoke up. "If another Primarch should rebel, then this could happen all over again. The last thing we need at the moment is another Heresy. If we break down the legions, then there is less of a chance of open and wide scale rebellion."
"Have you lost your mind!" Russ' bellow echoed about the chamber. "Ra-Lee is right on this and so is Corax. If we do this, Roboute, then we could be digging our own graves! I'll go and get the shovel for you right now!"
Soon everyone was yelling with everyone else. We had all lost our tempers. Dorn grabbed Corax by the neck and the two began to fight. Khan and Russ were fighting over who was in the right and wrong, and it seemed that El'Jonson agreed with Roboute whole-heartedly while trying to pound the life out of Corax. I did the simple thing to shut everyone up. Taking a small plasma pistol from my belt, I fired one shot into the opposite wall, making a lovely hole so the wind could come through. Everyone fell silent after that.
"We agree that we can't agree," I began. "But let's put it to a vote. All in favour of going with this downscaling of the legions raise your hands."
Roboute, Rogal Dorn, El'Jonson and Jaghatai Khan raised their hands.
"And all opposed?" Of course I knew we had already lost, but that didn't matter. It was a figure of speech anyway, to show our disgust to our brothers. I let my hand rise and drop and quickly let the room, leaving the rest of my family to bicker and argue over every other small detail. I walked down many broken halls; most of them were quiet, everyone in the palace having gone to the great Throne Room and conference with the Emperor. People would think it awful that a Primarch wouldn't go to see him and be right by his side, but father would understand, and wouldn't hold it against me.
Looking out, the repair crews and clean-up ones were piling away the dead bodies of the Imperial side for decent burials or to be given back to their respective Legions, and as for the Chaos scum, they were lite like matches and their stench filled the air. When the people saw me, then bowed low and tried not to cry, and then carried on in their work. I kept on walking down halls, stopping here or there and remembering what had happened. The memories within me seemed to of happened yesterday; I was teaching Alpha the finer points of mathematics in that small room with the wide balcony, and over in the courtyard, I trained Night Haunter and Logar to use a glaive without stabbing themselves down the middle with the weapon. Over there we had once had a martial competition, and that was where I had used less proper means of combat to defeat my brothers. If someone doesn't want to wear protective gear, then that's their problem and I'm sticking to that point.
I can remember all the sadness and happiness we displayed, how, when even we had our fights and feuds that sprung up, united together as siblings should to combat any problem. Not anymore.
When my senses came back to me, I was sitting up on one of the highest towers of the Imperial palace and it was night; everything was spread out below. In time, everything would go back to the way that it was. Until then, the people of Terra would try to take everything in stride and learn to cope with them. For a world filled with peacemakers, they were learning the ways of war quickly. I idly looked over to my left and began to laugh. Anyone who, if they saw me at that moment, would of though that I had gone insane. What I was laughing about was so much different.
There in front me was a simple telescope, the small type that can look up at orbiting ships and see the craters of the moon. Despite all the destruction when the drop ships landed, the daemons coming forth, the bombs exploding left and right, people dying and even with the vicious corridor fighting, this stupid little telescope was still standing. It was as if both sides went out of their way to make sure that it wasn't ruined. The image of my twisted former brother Angron trying not to chop it down while killing enemies made me laugh; he never really cared to look beyond his own vision very much. Walking over to it, I dried the blood that was on the lens and looked through it. I could see all the activity going on above me.
The Dark Angels Legion was mobilizing; El'Jonson was eager to get back to Caliban to make sure that Chaos hadn't come that way. In a sense, I was glad to see him leave. He could get very annoying. On the other hand, I felt as if I wouldn't see him again, and that feeling grew stronger in my stomach. I kept the telescope pointed on the vast fleet as the Thunderhawks made their way up and down from the space docks to gather their troops and prepare to leave. After what seemed a short time, but was in fact two hours, the fleet prepared to enter the Warp. The feeling picked up in my gut, but I shoved it down and waved good-bye to my older brother even if he couldn't see me. He could still sense me as I formed the words farewell in my mind and sent them to him.
Then the Dark Angels were gone.
Turning the telescope around, I decided to gather up enough courage to finally look at the lunar bases. They had received too much of the brunt in the initial attack, and their space docks couldn't even send out a simple messenger ship. Small spacecraft from the Imperial Navy was dropping desperately needed supplies onto the bases, and I saw more than one ship's laser turn onto a destroyed hulk of a Chaos war band ship and vaporise the damn thing. Spinning about the telescope once again, I looked up at the Blood Angels fleet, or what remained of it, and tucked away that grief that was rising up again. Already I could see that Guilliman, or should I say High Lord Roboute Guilliman, newly appointed that very afternoon, was having his edict carried out, and that there were smaller pockets of the Blood Angels detaching themselves off from the rest.
Turning again, I saw my beautiful Dark Valkyries fleet, and I knew my daughters were doing the best they could at the moment with all they had to help the wounded and sick up there. That image and the one of the Blood Angels being split up gave me such an idea, one that I couldn't tell to anyone. Watching them, I began to have feeling inside of me that I never really had before. It wasn't rebellion exactly against this edict, but it sure as hell was close enough that it had ever been.
I got up and spun the piece of metal around and walked off the roof, dropping lightly to the ground a thousand feet below, and clipped on my comm-bead, signalling me to get in contact with R'ose.
"R'ose, I need you to do something important. You can't tell anyone else about this. If they do question, then say you Valkyries are practicing manoeuvres of sorts. Don't give any details."
Yes, Milady. What do you wish of me?
"I want you to recall every Battle Sister at this moment, no matter who they are or where they are. If they don't listen, then they run the risk of displeasing me. I don't care if they're a scout or a High Priestess. I want everyone recalled at this moment. Are you giving the orders? Good. At precisely 0001 hours, I want you to fly the lead ship over the Monument of Victory. I'll be at the top. You'll have to teleport me on. After that there will be further instructions, over and out."
I turned off the comm-bead and didn't fear that R'ose would do anything less than listen. When it came to loyalty, R'ose would rather suffer a horrible death for one day than have eternal damnation. I checked my chrono and the green digits displayed the time as 2207 hours. I would have to move quickly if I wanted everything done. With a quick step, I made my way up the lifts and steps of the Imperial palace until I came to the Throne Room. People standing outside in the audience chamber moved to let me pass, and I heard remarks about that way I looked and such. I opened the door to the Throne Room and looked in.
On a raised platform in a beautiful throne lay my father the Emperor, and on the steps sat Russ with his head bowed. Roboute Guilliman was talking and waving his arms about the throne as he walked quickly, and I knew he was trying to make a point to Russ in front of the Emperor. There were eleven other men standing about, admirals and generals of the Imperial Forces. They bowed to me as I walked past them, and Guilliman stopped in his speech to stare at me. Russ raised his head and gave me a wolfish grin that displayed I was walking into the snakes' den of all humanity at this point. So let them bite, I have had worse.
"Ra-Lee, it is good to see you. You have missed the inauguration of the High Lords and didn't say any good-bye to Lion El'Jonson," Roboute said with a smile. Oh, how I really hate you, I thought quietly. I folded my arms, the sharpened spikes on the edges glinting in the light of the chandeliers hanging from above. My younger brother interrupted my thoughts, however.
"These men here are the new High Lords that the Emperor had dictated will rule the Imperium in his steed. I am to be the highest one, and to work on the Codex that will reform our Legions down to size. Come, Ra-Lee, just say hello. You need good cheer and to be merry. Such a pretty face should not scowl but smile at the achievements made here this day."
What you need is a jolly good punch in the face and in other areas that I can't say because it would be improper for a woman to say such, I thought back silently. I turned to the High Lords and nodded my head; to bow to them would be stupid. I am a Princess of the Imperium, and I don't bow to people lower than my station unless they have done something to earn it. The men looked among themselves, and for a moment I wondered if they had truly seen any combat beside the Heresy that had just taken place, or had officers more senior than them had been killed and they had taken command? Some didn't look older than forty. I turned to look back at Roboute, and he could easily see the attitude on my face.
"I need to speak to the Emperor alone," I said, my tone making no brook for an argument. The High Lords looked at themselves, and Roboute waved them away. They left with a look of confusion on their faces, and my brother turned to look at me with an unreadable face. He knew I was displeased at his actions, and he was already trying to find a way to get back at me. With a sweep of his cape, Guilliman left. Russ got up from where he was sitting and walked over to me. He gave out his hand, and I clasped him by his elbow as he did mine. We looked at each other and nodded. That was the Fenrisian way of a handshake, and I preferred it to anything else. With that look we said more than words needed to be said. I guess he knew what I was going to do, but he said and did nothing. Without a backwards glance, Leman Russ left me.
I knelt before the Golden Throne and looked up at my father, who I meet those many centuries ago. I swore upon my own soul, and with oaths much stronger, that I would not tell a soul what passed between us, but I can say that it was short, to the point, and heart breaking. I was backed into a corner and did what I felt was right. We Primarchs had been born with a freedom to do what we wanted, within reason, and I, who never rebelled, was now doing what seemed alien to me. The Emperor understood, and he lifted my spirits. With his kind words, I felt ready to accept anything that lay before me.
Turning on my heel, I left the Throne Room and brushed by everyone. Court intrigue; everyone wants to know what the other is thinking or doing, and it had been around for a long time. Roboute personally stopped me before I could reach the end of the long hall, but I drew myself up to my full height of about eight and a half feet and stared him straight in the eye. Without a word, he backed down and let me pass without a fight. I stepped out of the Audience chamber, and I felt a chapter of my life had come to an end. Well, there was always a new one that was about to begin, even when we die. As I passed other Space Marines in the halls, they saluted at me and stood in parade stand. I threw them a salute backwards as I went on my way.
Soon, the great halls of the Librarium came before me. Here was where every little bit of information was kept in the Imperium, from what was happening when the Emperor unified Earth and up to and still recording what was happening about us. Of course, some things were about to change. The librarian, an ancient man, walked out from behind his desk to give me a small bow and I raised my hand to him as if in benediction. I fixed my eyes with him and he stopped in his tracks.
"Librarian, you have served the Imperium well and will continue serving the Emperor for many years to come. But as of now, and until the moment I leave, you will remember nothing of me entering here. You will forget everything from this moment on and go into a deep sleep. Dream until you wake."
The librarian sleepily nodded his head and went back behind his desk for some well-deserved rest. I walked past him and into the librarium. The shelves groaned with the weight of the tomes under them, and I selected many in that brief time. With a well-placed thought, all those tomes that took so many hours to make went up in blue flames. Not even ash remained of them. I turned to the computers. Sitting down at the main monitor, I raced through the files and sub-sections and inhuman speeds, taking turns looking them over and deleting either whole sections or small paragraphs. Everything that had anything to do with the Dark Valkyries or in any way touched upon them, no matter how small, was dredged up from the computer and deleted. Just like that centuries of work and knowledge was lost. In many years time I guess I would regret this, but for the moment I didn't care. I needed to protect the people I ruled and myself.
Finally the task was completed, and the time was 2430 hours. I cursed silently. Now I would really have to move if I were to make the checkpoint. As I left the librarium, I bashed my hand down on the table to wake the old man up. As I left the room, I heard him mumble something about his old age and sleep. I tried very hard not to laugh. I had everything on me at the moment my golden Power Armour, my force glaive, the deadly sword Excalibur, and myself. With that done, I threw a cloak of black wool over my shoulders and I walked out of the Imperial palace and onto the streets of Terra.
Bodies still lay on the street, and whole families had been slaughtered. I tried to look away at the carnage with bitterness at how I couldn't stop it and of how I couldn't of arrived in time anyway. I crossed streets that were broken right down the middle, and had chasms split open right there. I walked up to the Monument of Victory and looked it up and down. It rose over a hundred and fifty feet into the air, and over three Titans could walk abreast at the same time. I sighed slightly as I looked up at it. I would have to climb it and I barely had enough time. A sniffling noise behind me made me turn, and I looked to see a young girl, maybe no older than eight, walk out of the darkness towards me. Her clothing was in rags, her hair dirty, she herself looking in need to a bath and carrying around a stuffed bear that had lost one eye and ear. She looked at me and I looked at her. The little girl's eyes widened suddenly, and she dropped to her knees on the pavement.
"Blessed Silver Primarch Ra-Lee," was all she said. I rubbed my temples and knew my cover way blown. I only hoped that she wouldn't call other people to come over. It's not that I have a cold heart or anything, but I have another appointment and needed to get going. But something stopped me. I knelt down beside her and raised her face to look at mine.
"Where's your family, little one," I asked gently. She shook her head and tears brimmed. Like so many other children, this girl had lost everything and possibly would die on the streets, one of the unfortunates.
"Everyone's gone," she whimpered. "I hate Chaos for taking them! I hate them all, Lady! I wish I could kill them right now!!!" She looked up at me in apprehension as I sifted through a small pocket on my armour. I took out a golden seal and dropped it into her hands.
"Go to the Imperial Palace, little one, to the west entrance. Say that the Primarch Ra-Lee gave this to you, and that she wants you to become a servant there. Never drop this; they will believe you when they see this. You'll have to work a little there, but you can have a roof over your head and food in your belly. In time, you will help rebuild Terra and you will have children yourself. Now go. That will be your way to fight Chaos, to rebuild what they try to break down. It will be like spitting in their face, and you will become a warrior, even if you are here."
I stood back up and must have looked imposing in the light, for the little girl gasped out loud and looked from me to the golden seal in her hand.
"Th-thank you, Lady, a thousand times over. But may I ask," she hesitated for a moment. "Where are you going?"
I didn't have to think about what I was going say; it just came out. "To fight against the evil that exists within and without humankind. You can not come, but you can do your bit here, child." The little one smiled again and raced off into the darkness. "May the Emperor guide you and keep you safe," I whispered after her.
I gathered my strength under me and jumped off the ground and high into the air. I was once called the angel without wings, and indeed I think I was at that moment. I gained speed as I soared upwards, and easily alighted onto the monument's level surface at the top. Counting down the seconds, a beam of pure light fixed onto me, and I was on the bridge of the Screams of the Dark Valkyries in that moment. I walked up to the command chair and sat down, looking over my daughters that stared back at me. I typed in the code to give my speech to the rest of my fleet.
"This is the best way that we can fight against Chaos. I do not believe that making us smaller will help anything. We need to remain strong to combat evil, and though we may leave behind the worlds that we love, we are needed to many people. Dark Valkyries, I have an inkling to go to the Trakan Nebula. There have been reports of Night Lords causing trouble around there. Let us fight them, and in the Name of the Emperor, let us win with His Power by our side!"
A cheer was raised from over the comm-unit, and with a light heart we, the Dark Valkyries and the Founding 2nd Legion, entered into the Warp and into the unknown. I would come back to Terra one day, but it would be far from now. You can count on the old words of a certain silver Primarch.
Alone for a while
We don't need any helping hands
We have learned to move on our own
And now I see the path
That is opened for me
A burning light shining forth
Filled with happiness
Something there, waiting for me
Perhaps an old memory
I will not walk away
I will carry on by myself
I don't need help
I didn't ask you to help me
So don't unless I ask you first
Because it is our way since the beginning
-Dark Valkyries catechism