27. The word of an emperor

The fleet of the 11th legion tore its way out of the warp, the Gloriana class battleship the Soulless spear leading the way, they hung in the void for a moment before more holes were torn in reality and several golden vessels pulled themselves out of the warp. The largest of the golden vessels made the massive imperial battleships look like escort craft, the Bucephelus led the fleet of gold and white through the system as the ships of the system natives crowded around them to escort the fleet to the planet.

Karth Orarth stood on the observation deck of the Soulless spear, he watched as thousands of ships sailed past them, each one of strange but practical design, they were clearly inspired by aquatic warships although adapted to better work in void combat. The elevator to the deck opened and several captains of the 11th stepped out, walking to the view port to stand beside their legion master

"I was almost sceptical that they really found him" Faron Erent, captain of the 5th, said as he watched the fleets of ships pass them, "I thought we were just being fed fairy tales but the Emperor is here so it must be true"

Zaruthel Garth watched the blue planet they were heading for grow larger and larger, "So this is where he has been all this time" he seemed to be talking to himself more than his brothers, "Did I ever look at this star?"

Erent looked at Garth, "What are you talking about?"

Zaruthel was taken out of his trance, "Nothing, I wonder what he's like?"

Erent looked around at the hundreds of ships flying passed, "Well he built this empire, so he must be a great general, especially if he suffers from our affliction"

"It is no affliction" Orarth's voice had a dangerous edge to it and Erent bowed his head in apology

Zaruthel cut the mounting tension, "Despite that we must do all we can to ensure his success"

"Yes, the Imperium will be keeping a close eye on him and an even closer eye on us, we must ensure we do not waver at all in our duty", Orarth turned to his captains, "Prepare the legion, the day we've all waited for has finally come, we will regain the one thing we've truly been missing"

Vulkan had spent some time on Krake, the nature of its people no longer affecting him or his guard, he could stand to sit and talk to his brother but despite growing accustom to the null aura something still gnawed at his mind and he knew it wasn't the people or his brother, there was something wrong with the planet itself. After the two primarchs had conversed and Ovis learned of their father and the Imperium, he agreed to meet with the Emperor, Vulkan sent an astropathic message to his father and after a month of warp travel he had arrived with the 11th legion in tow.

The 18th primarch walked down to the beach where he had first met Ovis, amongst the drunken crowd of his most loyal citizens, the 11th primarch had reminded Vulkan of Russ, a loud boisterous drinker who was always ready for a fight. Ovis soon joined Vulkan on the beach, wearing the same black coat he always wore with Vulkan's gift over his left sleeve, he wore a spiked crown of gold encrusted with jewels of every colour. Vulkan's guard stood back at the edge of the beach with Ovis' own family standing with them, wating for the Emperor.

A golden craft appeared on the horizon, flying low to the sea, it slowed as it approached the beach, turning itself around as it came to a complete stop on the beach just in front of the two primarchs. A ramp lowered from the craft and the Emperor stepped out in all his golden glory, Vulkan and his guard fell to one knee as the Emperor walked to Vulkan, his custodes trailing behind him. Vulkan looked up at his father as he approached, basking in his golden aura, but as the Emperor came in to Ovis' area of effect his golden halo vanished, the Emperor looked at the 11th primarch who stood unaffected by his presence, but he kept his regal presence.

"Rise" the Emperor commanded and Vulkan stood, "You have done a great thing finding another primarch, I must think of a way to reward you"

"That will not be necessary father"

"I will think of something fitting later" the Emperor turned his attention to Ovis, "You must be Ovis"

"I am, are you the one who created me and threw me in to the void"

"I am, you and your fel…." the Emperor was cut short by Ovis' fist colliding with his face and throwing him on to his back; Vulkan stood beside Ovis, staring at his brother in shock as the sound of his children bursting out laughing filled the beach, the custodes rushed to their liege's side and stood between Ovis and the Emperor

"You've got a hard face" Ovis commented as he flexed his hand, "Now get up we have things to discuss"

As the Emperor rose, one of the custodes moved forward in an obviously hostile stance, his halberd raised to strike, Ovis grabbed the weapon as it was thrust at his chest, he back handed the custodes holding it and sent the transhuman warrior flying across the beach.

"Calm down, it's not like I punched anything important" Ovis spun the halberd in his hand as he examined it, "I'm keeping this"

Without another word the 11th primarch turned and headed for his palace. The Emperor stood again, his nose was crooked and a trail of blood flowed from it but a little biomancy fixed that, the Emperor looked to Vulkan who seemed surprised at what just happened.

"Is that how he greeted you?"

"No"

"I guess I'm special" a small smile played on the Emperor's lips as he followed after Ovis with Vulkan close behind

Ovis brought them all to his throne room, the room was silent as Ovis sat on the towering construct of scrap steel he called his throne. His children stood around the edge of the room, eyeing the custodes that surrounded the Emperor. The primarch looked down at the Emperor, his all-consuming aura saturating the room and dampening the Emperor's golden halo.

"If you have something to ask me then come out with it" Ovis stared down the Emperor, refusing to kowtow to him

"You know why I'm here, I want you to rejoin me and your brothers to fight for the good of our species, for us all to unite against the darkness of the galaxy and beat it back, together" the Emperor ascended a few of the throne's steps and stretched out his hand, his small speech touching the hearts of the astartes, custodes and Vulkan

"You expect me to give you all I've conquered for such meaningless drivel" Ovis was unconvinced by the Emperor's words, "I have no need for a father, I have one, I have no need for brothers, I have one, I have no need for sons, I have plenty. If you want what I have then you must gain it the same way I did"

Ovis stood from his throne, "You will duel me like any true man of Krake, if you prove victorious then I will join your Imperium no conditions but if I prove your better then you'll give me whatever I ask for, and what else will I ask for except your empire, one you seem unworthy to rule"

The Emperor's stance changed, Vulkan could see him forcing his aura to manifest despite Ovis, it was dim and flickering but visible. The Emperor drew his flaming blade, more smouldering than blazing now, and pointed it at Ovis, "Fine, I will beat you here and now"

"You are brash, I can almost see the resemblance" Ovis descended the steps, pushing the sword blade aside and completely snuffing out the small golden flames, "But duels take place around the islands of the eye and we need to find you a fleet since you don't have one"

The specifics of the duel and its rituals were explained and a fleet was arranged for the Emperor, all the men who crewed the ships were blood sworn to follow the Emperor and fight the duel with all the strength and skill they possessed, Ovis took his personal fleet and they travelled to the islands of the eye.

Ovis took a boat to one of the beaches and bowed his head slightly to the statue of his namesake before dropping a handful of gold rings in to its hand, the primarch waited until the Emperor arrived on the beach, the master of mankind looked at the statue of the God with his overflowing hand, as much as he did not like it he went along with the ritual and deposited a few gold coins in to the statue's hand.

The two entered the temple and took a seat as a priest poured them both drinks, they both dropped their blood in to their opposites cup and raise their goblets, taking a drink together, "They told you how it will go?" Ovis asked

"Yes, we drink and then tomorrow our ships will battle and a victor will be declared from that" the Emperor swirled his ale, "A strange custom but much more civilised than some worlds I've come across"

Ovis cracked a smile, "Well we're a civilised people, now let's drink till even we forget" Ovis held up his goblet and the Emperor tapped his against Ovis', "Now first thing first, since you know mine, what is your name because it can't be the Emperor"

The primarch and the Emperor drank and talked the entire night, as was tradition they tried to drink the other in to unconsciousness but neither of them wavered even slightly, after the sun had sunk below the horizon and the twin moons hung in the sky the two left the temple and headed back to their fleets.

Morning came and the two fleets formed their battle lines and prepared for combat. The Emperor was well versed in naval combat, he had been present at many of the greatest naval battles and more than once led to one side coming out victorious, the Emperor decided to not use any of his psychic gifts against Ovis, it would be almost useless here and he wished to win purely based on his command skill. The Emperor stood on the bridge of a battleship; his fleet consisting of 2 battleships, 5 cruisers and 25 escort ships, with Ovis' fleet being made up the exact same way.

Ovis opened the battle with his escorts charging the Emperor's line with a torpedo attack, the Emperor responded by turning his line away and letting the torpedoes pass by harmlessly, the Emperor's escorts went on the attack and duelled with Ovis' escorts as his ships opened fire first. Shells sailed through the air and struck Ovis' ships but caused little visible damage, Ovis returned fire, the duel went like that with the two lines exchanging fire as escorts tried to perform torpedo runs.

The Emperor managed every ship in his fleet as he tried to manoeuvre his fleet around Ovis and cross his T but the primarch countered his manoeuvring, he gave out orders personally as he put the millennia of naval knowledge to use. As the Emperor was about to switch his tactic the battleship he was on shook with an impact, there was no explosion like with a torpedo, the Emperor only had to wonder for a second as soon after Ovis climbed on to the deck of the ship.

"Come fight me Emperor!" he screamed as he threw deckhands in to the ocean, "Let's end this here and now!"

The Emperor left command to the man who had been in command of the fleet before it had been given to him and went to face Ovis. The Emperor drew his sword as he got down on to the deck and charged Ovis, the primarch had his own blade drawn and counter charged, the two blades clashed and sent out a shockwave that rocked the battleship. Ovis swiped at the Emperor's face with his lightning claw forcing the Emperor to step back, Ovis pressed the attack and lunged at the Emperor who deflected the strike and thrust his own lightning claw at the primarch. The two battled, completely focused on their opponent and searching for any weakness, Ovis' claw had gouged deep cuts in to the Emperor's armour and the Emperor's blade had torn Ovis' shirt to shreds.

As the battle continued the Emperor noticed a hole in Ovis defence and struck, thrusting his blade at Ovis' exposed chest, as the blade tip neared the primarch it was deflected in a bright flash of light as an energy field suddenly came in to being around him, the Emperor was thrown off balance for a second but Ovis took advantage of that as he tackled the Emperor and threw them both overboard.

Ovis swam around the Emperor like a missile, moving faster underwater than he did even on land, the two duelled under the water as the Emperor attempted to drag Ovis up and Ovis attempted to drag the Emperor down, the clash of the two's swords caused shockwaves that sunk any ships near them. Despite being out of his element the Emperor proved to be the better swordsman and eventually forced Ovis to the surface. As the Emperor surfaced himself he could see the 11th primarch had stopped fighting and just floated on the water laughing.

"The victory is mine" Ovis laughed as he splashed the Emperor

The master of mankind took a look around and saw the ships of his fleet were sinking or sunk, "I wasn't sure if I could beat you but I was sure my first mate could beat yours" Ovis celebrated in the water, diving down and surfacing

"Was this not supposed to be a test of our ability to command a fleet, I wasn't commanding mine and you weren't commanding yours"

"We were both commanding our fleets, I commanded my first mate to win, did you not do the same?" Ovis had a sly smile painted on his face and the Emperor saw his mistake, Ovis had played him from the beginning, but he had learned a little too late to never fully trust the words or actions of Ovis, they were never lies, merely conveniently placed half truths and misconceptions.

"I am a man of my word, what do you want?"

"That can wait until we're on dry land"

The Emperor and Ovis were taken aboard the Krake's tooth and returned to Kasain. The primarch sat on his throne as the Emperor stood at the base of it, there was palpable tension in the air for the first time ever the Emperor couldn't see any possible future, He could never divine any future containing Ovis, with anything the primarch did being a blind spot in the threads of destiny. The Emperor knew Ovis wouldn't accept another challenge after winning the first and he certainly couldn't hand the Imperium over to him either, despite how much he disliked it, it seemed that the 11th primarch was lost to him and he would be forced to put him and his legion down and strike them from records.

"Krake will not join the Imperium and I will not give up my crown" the Emperor scanned the room and considered how he could fight his way out, his custodes seemed to be doing the same, identifying who they needed to kill first as the tension mounted, "And what you will give me is your word"

The tension was broken and the Emperor was confused for a second, "What?"

"I will have your word that Imperial rule will never extend over the worlds of Krake, that my empire will forever be beyond your reach, I simply want you to leave me alone"

"So you only wish me to leave you and your empire?" for once the Emperor could say he was surprised, he had expected Ovis to demand the Imperium or at the very least tribute, and he wasn't exactly sure what to do next, "Will you not join the great crusade alongside your brothers"

"My brother has long since died along with my father but if they were in my place they will ask what are you offering me?"

The Emperor chuckled, almost bursting out laughing, he had tried to forget his human attributes to steel himself for the road he had to walk to protect humanity but Ovis was dragging the things he buried to the surface, he was exactly like the Emperor had imagined he would be and so different, "Well the first thing I can give you is the 11th legion and every world you bring in to compliance you are free to loot of whatever riches you wish" the Emperor had made Ovis and imbued him with his power and soul, the warp may have changed it slightly but it couldn't change something so fundamental about him, Ovis was the Emperor's greed incarnate, "And I will keep my word, Krake and the worlds under its control will remain outside my Imperium forever"

"Then I will pledge my skill and the resources of Krake to aid the Imperium in its great crusade" Ovis stood from his throne, "It will be written in stone and sealed in blood, this pact will not be broken not until the last star is snuffed out"

Ovis had it carved in to stone, two great slabs of granite twice the height of a primarch, Gothic on one side and Kraken on the other, the two slabs were perfectly identical with one meant to stay on Krake and the other to be put on display in the Imperial palace on Terra. Ovis agreed to take command of the 11th legion and take part in the great crusade as well as offer the might of his own empire and in exchange Krake and the 417 systems that made up its empire would forever be separate from the Imperium and when the great crusade ended Ovis could return with any loot he had claimed during the course of the crusade. The Emperor and Ovis placed their bloody handprints at the bottom of both slabs on both sides, sealing the agreement in blood and bringing the 11th primarch in to the fold.

Zaruthel Garth looked out of the window of the stormbird as it flew over the ocean, kicking up spray in its trail, the world seemed to be infinite ocean, even from orbit most of the land was invisible to even astartes' eyes. The pure white transport sped towards an island sticking out of the expanse of water.

"Only a few more moments" the legion master whispered to himself before looking at the battle brothers strapped next to him, "I guess I won't be able to boss you around anymore"

"Don't be so depressed, most of the other legion masters retained high ranking positions" captain of the 2nd, Morthel Yaran, reassured Orarth, "The legion master of the 7th legion was given command of his primarch's empire and the legion master of the 13th still acts as the 1st captain"

"And the legion master of the 12th was killed by his primarch" Zaruthel chuckled

"What's your point Zaruthel?" Orarth asked

"Don't expect the worse brother but don't be expecting to get an empire either"

"I was never Emperor material anyway"

The captain of the 6th, Iram Garn, suppressed laughter, "Strange, I thought we were all made of the Emperor's material"

Garn chuckled to himself as the other captains tried to understand his bad joke, "We're almost there so someone make sure to keep Iram quiet" Erent looked out of the front view port to see a mountain sticking out of the water

The stormbird slowed and eventually stopped, using its momentum to skim the waters surface and slide on to the beach. The captains of the 11th all unstrapped and waited as the landing ramp lowered, they were greeted by the sight of their Emperor surrounded by his guard.

The 11th legion had a strange relationship with the Emperor, they were not subject to his psychic suggestions or able to see his blinding golden aura, to the warriors of the 11th he looked like an ordinary man although even they could tell there was something more to him. The loyalty of the 11th wasn't based on some psychic suggestion like it is with the other legions, it was based on a desire to see the Emperor's dream come to reality, it was a point of pride for the 11th and a point of suspicion for all others.

"Karth Orarth" the Emperor greeted the legion master as he and his captains made the sign of the aquila and bowed their head

"My Emperor"

"I guess I shouldn't keep you waiting any longer" the Emperor put his hand on Orarth's back and led him up the beach

At the top of the beach stood the 11th primarch, Orarth and his captains all immediately fell to one knee as soon as they saw him. The astartes of the 11th felt no psychic resonance with their primarch like their cousins but still to them meeting him was an emotional experience, it felt like they were finally being rewarded for the decades they fought for the Imperium and were scorned by the one's they shielded, they were finally being recognised for their contributions.

"Name?" the primarch's voice rattled their reinforced bones

"Karth Orarth, my lord" he looked up at the primarch's silver eyes looking back at him, his reflection as clear as if they were mirrors, he was being assessed

"You should return to your fleet, I still have business to see to here" the primarch turned around and walked away

The captains of the 11th sat on the beach for a moment, in shock, they had expected a warm reunion with their gene-father, their nature forging a bond between father and son stronger than any other legion like it had between brothers but instead they were brushed off, not even learning their primarch's name.

Ovis gathered his family in the heart of his palace, away from any prying eyes and curious ears, his wife and 20 children stood in one of the rooms reserved exclusively for their use. The children of a primarch are monstrous things, closer to their father than even the astartes but still held back slightly by their human half. Ovis had 20 children with his wife, most of them being twins or triplets, and each was a shadow of their father; taller, faster, stronger, smarter and much longer lived than even astartes, they had been his trusted admirals as he expanded his empire and they would follow their father to the stars again.

"Why didn't you send that golden bastard back where he came from?" the eldest, Atris, looked exactly like his father, every detail of him was a copy of Ovis and those outside his family found it hard to differentiate the two

"They have a much bigger empire and he wasn't going to leave without me" Ovis explained his reasoning, "There are 19 others like me, besides me he has 17 pledged to him and good chunk of the galaxy at his back, I did it to stop conflict and this way we'll be able to raid to our hearts content without having to worry about integrating the world in to an empire"

"So what is going to happen to Krake?" Asla, his eldest daughter, was a giant of a woman, no one could deny her beauty but she was 8 foot tall and could pick up a battleship

"Our empire will remain independent but we won't be able to expand in to Imperial territory, that leaves very few options for us but we should be able to snatch up a few nearby systems before the Emperor gets to them"

"Well this just means increasingly exotic women for me, so I like it" Evis had always been more of a lover than a fighter when compared to his siblings

"And they really accepted this?" Asla asked

"Well their Mechanicum was throwing a fit because we control a number of forge worlds…."

Korist stood up and interrupted his father, "You didn't give away my forge world, I don't care about theirs but I want to keep mine"

Ovis silenced his son, "You can all keep the worlds you own, I settled with the Mechanicum, we can keep the forge worlds in exchange for a small number of the STCs we have but getting back to the original point they accepted it because they don't have time for the drawn-out war conquering Krake would be"

"So what are we going to do about it once their crusade is over?" Atris asked

"Hopefully they'll uphold the blood pact but if they don't then we should learn all we can about the Imperium and their capabilities" Ovis looked around the room and his eyes fell on one of his daughters, "I'm heading to Terra to learn the ins and outs of the Imperium and their ways, Lusenkia you'll come with me and head to Mars"

Lusenkia, the 2nd daughter and favourite of her father, she was unlike her siblings in almost every way, she didn't have their size or bulk and instead looked like a normal human woman, the spitting image of her mother the only thing that set them apart were the silver eyes she inherited from her father. Lusenkia had long been the favourite of her father, from a young age she would spend hours with him helping to design new ships and weapons, with this early and intense exposure to machines she was the most technically minded of Ovis' children.

"Let me guess I'm to learn how every weapon they have functions, I need to learn the weakness of everything they can possibly bring against us and smuggle that information back here" Lusenkia the younger had an unnatural ability to know exactly what her father was thinking

Ovis nodded, "The rest of you are to stay here until I have concluded my business on Terra, your mother is in charge listen to her" Ovis stood, "The legion made for me will also remain here so keep an eye on them and weed out anyone you think is undesirable, don't kill them I'll deal with them when I get back"

"I still don't like this" Ovis' wife complained, "He is clearly a witch, their kind can't be trusted"

Ovis looked down at his wife, "We're pirates are we anymore trustworthy?"

Lusenkia's glare was broken by a smile, "Fine, if you're going to do this then bring me back something nice"

"Did I not promise you the galaxy, if you asked for it I would compress a star in to diamond"

"Don't promise something unless you're willing to follow through"

Next time: Silent daughters