Two primarchs in one place. Words fail me to describe the experience. I was awed. I was shocked. I was over-whelmed. I think I must have spaced out for a while, because once I was done chasing after my thoughts, Lord Angron and Janos were already having a conversation.
"Are you compensating for something?" our Primarch asked. It was meant to be a joke—I could tell it from his tone, but my brain only supplied me with blank confusion as to what it might have been referring to. Angron was looking at the Unforgiven—that oversized lascannon of his-
At this point I had to interrupt the Captain and ask him—quite incredulously—if a Primarch would really make such a crude joke.
Yes, really. Sense of humour is something you learn from the people around you—hence why some of my jokes will fly over your hard and vice versa. Lord Angron tends to find the same things entertaining as the gladiators of his planet did and sometimes those are… unexpected for one of his status. Still, this is neither here nor there.
While I was puzzling over the whole thing and wondering if it was something only a person from Angron's planet might catch easily enough, Janos simply said "yes" as he looked at the ceiling.
There was a moment of silence, before our Lord started laughing. Janos smiled a pale smile.
I wasn't certain if Captain Kharn hadn't omitted something, as to me it seemed that the punch line got lost somewhere.
He told me later it was the "I'm not making a joke" expression Janos had. I know the Griffons were about as confused as you were—their First Captain actually asked later me if Angron had managed to communicate with Janos behind our backs, because it looked like they had plotted the whole thing to confuse us. It must have been a Primarch thing.
Still, this went much better than I had expected. As I was about to relax and suggest I take the Griffons away, Lord Angron decided to ask another question. About as tactful as the first one, I might add.
"Your eyes look off," he told Janos. I was confused—I hadn't really looked at them, but from the glimpse I caught before deciding I preferred studying Angron's elbow, they looked normal enough. The Griffins were visibly uncomfortable, which puzzled me more.
"They're augmentic," Janos replied flatly. "I can give you a list of how much of me is missing, if you'd like."
That was not what I had expected. Of course, I had heard the XIth had been in need of surgery upon being discovered, but I had always taken it for exaggeration. Primarchs are insanely durable after all.
Naturally, I decided to ask the Captain if he had noticed anything.
Not really. Janos was wearing armor—the same shade of brown as his men. It was about as decorated: the main decoration was the golden winged star on his pauldron and chest. All I noticed about his eyes was that they were grey. Later on, though… but we will get to this point soon, actually.
Anyway, by this point, Angron decided to take over the conversation and asked, "How about you show me how you fight?"
"You don't have a shooting range big enough," Janos replied, a hint of amusement creeping back into his voice.
"I don't overcompensate," Angron replied.
Janos gave him a long measuring look and I could see our Lord starting to bristle—he dislikes prolonged eye contact. Then he shrugged and nodded. "Very well."
"Show them around," our Lord said as he led his brother away.
We stared at each other for a while—me and the Griffons, before one of them, a blonde with augmentic ears, gathered his wits and introduced himself. I think Janos had already made introductions for Angron, but I couldn't recall a single name. Stupid, wasn't it?
"Falk, Second Captain," he said extending his hand towards me. From his accent I gathered that he must have been Terran-born.
I shook his hand. "Kharn, Captain of the Eighth, Equerry to Primarch Angron."
He nodded in the direction of the two others. "The one with the tattoos is Cass, he's the First Captain and the one with the red hair is Adi."
"The Ninth," I guessed.
"However did you guess?" Adi muttered. I never figured out why he hadn't changed his name—it sounds so juvenile. Pity I never thought of asking him. It might have been amusing.
I suggested that the Ninth Captain of the Celestial Griffons might take offense at such a query, but Captain Kharn was dismissive.
That's why it would have been amusing. Would have given me a bit of sport, too, if he turned out to be offended enough. Something to remember for the future. But I'm getting off topic. You may be still under the impression that an Imperial battleship is fascinating and being shown around one is a great experience. It might even be one, if you don't spend most of your life in transit on one. They're all the same; the differences are purely cosmetic, mostly in decorations or layout.
Still, I was told to show the Griffons around and so I did. Captain Adi proved to be as prickly a companion as I expected. I really have no clue why he kept being offended by everything.
"I've never fought along the War Hounds," Falk continued, giving Adi a sharp look. Not that he cared much about that and nor did I, but I suppose some people do care about such things like not insulting your host.
I shrugged, but he didn't seem too deterred by that, and added, "I'm sure it will be an enlightening experience."
That one was too smart by half and thought himself witty—as if I weren't aware of our reputation.
"This is the mess hall," I replied, waving in the general direction. They weren't blind, they probably could tell where the door was. "Here we drink the blood of our foes out of their skulls."
"I always thought this was the Wolves of Fenris," Cass said. He had a low gravely voice—the kind that makes you wonder if there isn't something wrong with the owner's throat.
"If you spike it," I replied drily.
That got some laugh out of Falk and Cass, but Adi remained sullen. "Yes, yes, we know the stereotypes, War Hound. You don't have to make jokes to remind us they're not always true."
"Would you be so kind as to sulk in silence?" Cass muttered to his companion. "You'll make a better impression if you don't open your mouth."
I was quite surprised at this exchange; I had always believed members of the same Legion were… well, brothers. Such bickering seemed far from the ideal I had had in mind when thinking of the mighty Astartes interacting with one another.
We have our antipathies and friendships just like other men. Cass disliked Adi because he viewed him as competition and Adi disliked everyone. You meet people like that, don't you? Why should we be different? We're more efficient killers and harder to slay, but it doesn't mean we're completely dehumanized or walking paragons.
Yes, we are brothers—we will fight by each other's sides and protect one another, but just like blood-kin we will bicker. I may not remember my childhood well, but I do know that it's common for most siblings to fight a lot over the silliest things. Why would it be different with us?
After all, you didn't think of me as a paragon, did you? You all have an odd notion of us—on the one hand, we're some sort of ideal. On the other hand, you expect mindless butchers when you're to meet the War Hounds.
I'm not offended, but you should think about what I have said. If unaugmented humans have different personalities then why would augmented ones not vary, too?