Chapter 5:

The Lion Leaves

"Why are we still here, Cain?"

On the planet Morellia, in the tent of Ciaphas Cain, Hero of the Imperium, two men drank the night away. Colonel 'Iron Hand' Straken had partaken in quite a few glasses of amasec from Cain's private stores and was looking quite tipsy as a result. "Why are we still with the Astartes when they clearly... don't need us?"

"We're here to help the Imperium. We need to stop the Fallen from further harming the Imperium with their machinations."

"Are we really helping the Imperium? Or are we helping the Dark Angels cover up their mistakes? What have the Fallen done to us that the other Traitor Astartes haven't done? And why even have us? What... what's even the point of us besides cannon-fodder?"

Cain didn't know what to say to that. In a way, Straken was right. Since the discovery of the truth of the Fallen Crusade, things hadn't mended between the Astartes and human warriors. In fact, rumors of inevitable betrayal were beginning to spread among the Astra Militarum. That the Lion had only delayed things until they found the last one and then they would be wiped out to protect their secret. Even Cain was starting to lose faith in his position as a figurehead and he'd had little faith in this whole thing to begin with.

When the Crusade had started, Cain had mainly served as a motivational figure to his position as "Warleader" of the Astra Militarum division of the Crusade. He'd had to do very little fighting except for planets where they were sure a member of the Fallen had been. He'd come to enjoy his time fighting alongside the Dark Angels and their Successors. 'When did I become anything resembling an optimist,' Cain thought. 'I must be getting daft in my old age.'

"And now three Companies from each Chapter are leaving for Terra," Straken slurred. "With only one Company from each left to guard us... And what if the Inquisition shows up? They have to know by now, right? Your girl, that blonde one... she's an Inquisitor right?"

That got Cain's attention. "Amberly? Yes, she is, but she and Inquisitor Thrax aren't even in the same Ordos." Cain remembered his interview with Inquisitor Thrax of the Ordo Hereticus and how tense the room had been. That he and the rest of the Crusade had not been wiped out on Thrax's orders was a miracle from the God-Emperor Himself. "Besides, she wouldn't do anything to harm us?"

"Why? Because you and her are 'carrying on'?" Straken's one remaining eye narrowed in suspicion. He still didn't seem to trust Cain as a Commissar. There had always been tensions between the Catachan Jungle Fighters and the Commissariat. Something about a grand majority of the Commissars assigned to their regiments dying in the line of duty in quite sudden circumstances.

"No. Not because we are carrying on. It's just not her area of expertise. Besides, it would be too big to wipe out these many Chapters. Not even the Inquisition can accomplish that."

"You are right indeed, Cain," Came a deep voice from the tent entrance. "In fact that is what I am banking on." The two men stood up with Straken's signature iron hand darting to his Catachan Fang. At the tent entrance, bowing low so that his massive frame could fit without brushing the ceiling, was the Lion. Both men fell to their knees, their heads bowed low so they would not look the Lion in the eye.

"Rise, officers. Here, away from the battlefield, we are brothers. Cain, might I partake in some amasec?"

No one objected so the Lion made his way to the table and sat down on the ground at the end. Even fully sitting down, the Lion was still much taller than Cain or Straken. As he made himself comfortable, the Lion took out a massive goblet that would have taken both hands for a mortal man to lift. The Lion poured a full bottle into the goblet and took a sip before taking a longer drink. "A good vintage, Commissar. A good vintage indeed."

"My Lord," Cain said with hesitance. "How much did you hear?" Though he knew the answer to that already.

"Everything, Commissar. I heard everything. Don't worry, there will be no rebuke. You are right to be wary. This Crusade has not gone as well as I had hoped." He looked into his drink before continuing. "Ever since this began, my officers have been weary of you mortals finding out the truth of us. Now that the mortal officers know of the Fallen, they are even more suspicious. Apparently the paranoia of the First Legion has spread to its successors. I blame myself for this. I should have limited it to one Company per Chapter instead of four. But I wanted more ground covered. More chances of the Fallen being discovered. And it hasn't worked."

Cain noted the way the Lion said 'you mortals'. It was partly dismissive, but also regretful. As if the Lion regretted involving them at all. If Cain didn't know that the physiology of a Primarch distilled the contents of alcohol, he'd assume the Lion was a bitter drunk. "Why did you have us, Lord? What were we for?"

The Lion looked at Cain for a moment before answering. "Cannon fodder mostly, but also to help cast a wider net. Like I said, I wanted more ground covered. I wanted it done quicker. Instead I put you at risk of the Inquisition and at risk of my own officers and their paranoia. For that you have my apologies. The both of you." He looked at Straken with a sad smile. "You are right not to trust us, Colonel. Which is why I'm leaving Captain Lazarus of the Fifth Company in charge of the Astartes forces. He's a good man."

"Why are you leaving," Straken asked.

"Terra is under threat, Colonel. An old enemy has returned and is making his way there. No, Cain, it is not Horus, damn his name. I need to be there. I was not on Terra when it was first attacked and I will not be found wanting again. That is why we are going back to Terra."

"'We', Lord," Cain asked.

"Yes. My Astartes forces and the Astra Militarum will be returning to Terra. You are needed there more than you are here. The Astartes will take charge of the rest of the Crusade in my absence."

Cain was surprised by this revelation. "I don't know what to say, Lord."

"Say thank you. Besides, Cain, imagine the morale boost it will give to have Ciaphas Cain, Hero of the Imperium, standing strong on Terra."

Cain was normally fine with having others standing strong before him. It did put distance between him and danger, but he had to admit the idea did appeal to his inner hero. He knew he'd made a mistake in accepting the Lion's offer if this is what it was doing to him.

Straken took his seat back and raised his glass to the Lion with a smile on his lips and a glint in his one eye. "Thank you for the honor, Lord Lion. The Catachan 2nd Regiment thanks you."

"It is an honor well earned, Colonel. Tomorrow, we depart for Terra and we will defend it from the Heretics that would assail it."

"My Lord," Cain asked. "Do you have any idea who is the one doing the attacking?"

The Lion paused before answering. "An alliance of several Astartes Warbands. I have heard tell that a majority of them are of the Night Lords and the Iron Warriors. In my opinion, this will be over in no time."

Cain didn't like the way the Lion paused before answering, but chose not to press the issue. The Lion still had his secrets and this was one Cain was glad not to know.

Deep in the Void, on a vessel floating through space with no clear direction, a hooded figure in what resembled a monk's habit sat in meditation on the Bridge. Beneath his hood, there was no face visible, except for a thin line that stood for a mouth. The mouth moved silently, speaking words that if heard by mortal ears would cause them to bleed and their eyes to melt and their tongues to burst. Words that were old when Old Earth was new. Words of the Warp.

As the Cloaked One meditated, a tear in the fabric of reality opened and a massive figure in crimson armor holding a staff. Garlon Souleater tapped his staff twice upon the deck to signal his arrival. "I have come to tell you that we have the proper vessel for the resurrection of Lord Huron. In exchange, we shall help you in confronting the Lion and the Wolf at Zaramund."

The figure beneath the hood smiled, its mouth filled with sharpened teeth. "Excellent, Sorceror. I have been waiting for this for 10,000 years. Since the breakout at the Rock, I've planned for this occasion. The Lion will finally fall and the mongrel wolves will be wiped out. We will do what that arrogant bastard Magnus the Red never could!"

Turning to look at Garlon, the figure motioned for him to leave. "Go. Prepare your warband. We will see you at Zaramund."

Garlon gave a nod of his helmeted head in salute and turned back to walk through the tear. Returning to his meditation, the figure smiled as several armored figures emerged from out of thin air. They all had the build and stature of transhumans. Their armor was ancient Crusade pattern Mark II armor and painted black. Some wore cream colored robes over their armor. On their pauldrons were different symbols. Some had a winged sword pointed down while others had the head of a leonid beast. Others wore no symbol on their armor at all. A good amount, however, had a hooded skull pierced by a downward facing sword with a pointed sword pommel and cross-guard. Four arrow points diagonally pierced the skull, leaving the number of total points as eight. The Fallen had gathered after 10,000 years.

One knight in a winged helm, his red eyes peering through a slit, stepped forward and bowed to the Hooded One. "Is it time?"

"Indeed, Astelan," the Hooded one replied. "The Lion will soon be in our hands... and he will join us at last. We will rebuild Caliban and we will have our revenge on the Imperium, the Warp, and anyone else who crossed us."

Another stepped forward and spoke up. "What of our brothers that won't accept our offered hand?"

"Do not worry, Griffayn. Those that see sense will follow. However, some like Supreme Grand Master Azrael will refuse and pay the price for their arrogance." The Hood one stood and spread out his arms, the sleeves of his habit pulling back to reveal clawed hands. "Rejoice, my brothers. Rejoice, Lost and True Sons of Caliban. For 10,000 years, we were tormented and tortured by the hypocritical Dark Angels. Made to confess to crimes we did not commit! Made to confess to treacheries imagined in their paranoid delusions. We will make them pay for what they did to us. We will make them see the truth of the Universe and themselves. The Lion will join us and he will be at our head. We will fly for Terra and we will be at the Night Haunter's side when we tear that marble of hypocrisy from the Void! Revenge for the destruction of Caliban will be ours!"

Hundreds of swords were drawn and held in salute to the Hooded One. "FOR THE MEMORY OF CALIBAN!"

The Hooded One smiled and leaned its head back. "Soon, Lion, you will be with us."

Author's Note:

I love the Fallen more than the Dark Angels. To me, the Fallen are one of the few 40K villains with understandable and sympathetic motivations. There are still bad guys in the mix, like Astelan, but they could have been more had the Lion not been so closed off. Of course, Luther did ultimately lead them down this path, but when you read the stories about them during the Horus Heresy, you learn they never wanted to be part of the Imperium. They just wanted to be left alone. When you read stories like Luther: First of the Fallen, you learn about what Caliban was like and how the Imperium did take away something from it when they inducted it. If I had to be honest, they are more tragic than most of the Traitor Legions because of the knightly virtues they once embodied. Now Caliban is gone and those values have been lost forever. The Dark Angels are paranoid loonies that see enemies everywhere and don't trust anyone outside of their Chapter. Even the existence of Luther in the Rock was a secret kept from everyone. True I've been trying to write them as likable, but it's hard to deny that the Dark Angels are on the edge.

As for the Lion himself, his arc has been learning to take responsibility for his mistakes. Him taking Cain and the rest of the Astra Militarum soldiers is less about reinforcements, but also to not alienate another ally like he did with Luther. This is definitely leading up to what I feel is the culmination of the Lion's arc for this story. And i plan for it to be a good one. Now it's time to prepare for the first big engagement of the Siege of Terror.