+++Chapter 4+++
"Enter" the word rumbled from behind the vast Iron doors. Much like the rest of The Chamberlin the design bore more on the side of functionality, than finery. The doors opened and the Primarch lifted his eyes from the mounds of parchment on his desk. His face lit up as Avaro entered
"Ah, Captain, I appreciate you taking the time to see me" he smiled. Nathan was astounded that the Primarch of all people would make such a statement; a being such as him surely had more to occupy his time than most. Rival gestured to the papers littering his desk. "Beurocracy" he grunted "never been able to stomach it." He chuckled, climbing to his feet "still, we have to keep these dusty bookkeepers informed, so unfortunately for me" he gestured again to the papers.
Avaro had remained standing in the centre of the large chamber whilst the Primarch spoke to him. Clad in his dull fatigues he felt a little out of place in the presence of the Primarch, the unfortunate fact was that he had little to wear other than his battle plate, and the Primarch's summons had requested that he not be dressed for war. The chamber bore little in the way of furniture, making the Primarch's high backed chair and desk seem all the more imposing, behind which was a huge observation window, allowing the Primarch to observe the fleet should he chose to do so. Battle trophies were the only real decoration, making the room resemble a larger version of a Legionnaire's chambers. Leering skulls of long dead Xenos foes glared down at the young Captain from the walls, amidst broken firearms and exotic looking weapons, some Avaro recognised as Tadrellian, possibly meaning they had belonged to the Primarch back in the liberation days of his Legion's home world. Above the green flames of the fire hung a large portrait of a woman. Her hair raven black, as with all Tadrel born, her lips were drawn up in an affectionate smile. Rival caught his gaze and walked over to stand beside him "my bride" he stated. Avaro didn't stir, captivated by the woman in the painting.
"She's beautiful my Lord" Avaro replied
"And yet she chose me" the Primarch joked. He gestured to one of the high backed chairs near the fire, whilst walking back to retrieve his own from the desk. Avaro seated himself and awaited his Primarch's return. "I'm the only Primarch to take a wife, did you know that?" he asked, Avaro shook his head. Rival placed the chair down and seated himself, staring into the green flames "sometimes I wonder if my brothers have the capacity to love a human" he stated "for all our values and vows to protect humanity and ensure its dominance, can you really protect what you cannot love?"
"I had never given it thought my Lord" Avaro admitted. Rival shook his head
"We are in private Captain, you may call me Valdes"
"My apologies, Valdes" Rival nodded in approval
"I suppose I should tell you why I summoned you here. Other than to talk about love of course" the last sentence took on a more jovial tone, Avaro chuckled a little
"That thought had crossed my mind"
"Do you remember the promise you made me at the victory celebration?" Rival turned to face him, his emerald eyes glinting in the light from the fire.
"You wish to hear a war story" Avaro confirmed, the Primarch nodded. Racking his brain for a tale worthy of a Primarch Avaro shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The Primarch noticed
"Any tale will do, I assure you I've likely heard worse."
"I suppose the war on sixty three fifteen would be most to your liking"
"Ah, the Eldar" Rival nodded in approval "your crowning glory." Avaro smiled
"My Company's crowning glory" he corrected. Rival laughed
"My mistake. Tell me of sixty three fifteen then Nathan." Growing slightly more comfortable in the war god's presence Avaro adjusted himself in his seat.
"When we assaulted the Eldar citadel, I was still in command of a single squad, the one that now belongs to Sergeant Orion. Captain Pax was leading us, once the breaching teams broke through the outer walls we stormed in, Pax at the forefront, myself and the rest of the company dutifully following. I remember the bolts of energy as they flew past, those tiny disks the Xenos guns were firing. First time I'd ever seen the Eldar since basic training. We destroyed the guns we had been asked to target without issue. The rest of the Legion assailing the various other portions of the structure. For the most part we were on our own. Then the Wraith Lord arrived. Wreathed in flames the creature appeared in a rent in the building's inner wall, created in the bombardments most likely. Pax wasn't even phased, ordering us into fire teams to lay down a suppressive volley. But the Xenos machine was too fast, damn near wiped out half the squad before Pax intervened, using his sword to deflect a blow meant for me. The creature picked him up and just… crushed him" Avaro paused in his account for a moment, as if to honour the fallen Captain "the rest of the unit scattered as soon as the Captain fell. I don't know why, but I started issuing orders to the rest of the Company, telling them to push up and continue the assault whilst myself and the rest of my squad dealt with the Wraithlord. The thing was so fast, darting from one side to the other, avoiding our fire and releasing volleys of its own. But the lads held strong, we didn't take any casualties thank throne. I could see the battle wasn't going to end at range, so I engaged. I only had a Chainsword; the melta bombs were long gone. To be honest my lord, the fight itself is more of a blur, I can't so much provide a blow by blow, it was just… brutality. The mechanical Eldar launching punishing blows with its sword, whilst I dodged around it and struck with my Chainsword where the joints were. After a while it scored a line across my breastplate and in a fit of rage I managed to cleave through its knee. I'll never forget the scream until the day I die, it seemed as though it echoed through my mind, clawing at my soul. I took the pommel of my weapon, and smashed through its seamless face, took a fair few hits before it finally broke through. Then I plunged the whirring teeth into its inner workings and killed it." The Captain looked up, having been lost in the green embers of the fire. The Primarch was sitting perfectly still, silently observing him; he had remained perfectly silent throughout the story. After a few moments pause he cleared his throat to speak
"You did your Captain proud Nathan" he said. Avaro smiled weakly
"If I had done that, he would still be my Captain" he replied. Rival shrugged
"Pax did what he needed to, as did you. Thank you for sharing that with me." Avaro smiled
"It's nothing Primarch"
"You have a talent for story telling" Rival got to his feet and walked over to a small table, almost concealed behind his desk. Lifting a battered Iron flagon, he began to fill it from the jug resting beside it. He poured a second for Avaro before returning. He handed one of the flagons to Avaro before resuming his seat. The contents of the flagon was dark, smelling both bitter and sweet at the same time, the Captain took a swig. The bitter tang of the rum washed over his taste buds and sparking something deep in his brain.
"What is this?" Avaro asked
"Tadrellion rum" Rival answered " from the home world itself, better that most of the stuff we drink after victories, doesn't hold a candle to the real thing" Rival lifted his own flagon and took a gulp of his drink.
"How long do you think we will be at war on Vermire?" Avaro asked. The Primarch shook his head
"Depends on how deep the infestation runs. I've sent word to the 86th fleet, requesting they join us when their work on eighty six-nine is done."
"You think we will require two thirds of the Legion to deal with this Ork Incursion?" Avaro was taken aback, usually the 73rd fleet could handle most issues on its own, the 86th were only sent for should the Legion require additional support.
"We may" Rival nodded "moreover, the more men we have the faster we shall have the green skins dealt with, and the sooner the Legion will be able to return home." Avaro felt a bolt of excitement strike him
"We will return to Tadrel after the Orks are dealt with?"
"I doubt it; the Warmaster will probably have other tasks for us to attend to. I fear we shall not set eyes on Tadrel for a long time."