The Primarch's First Awakening
Passage taken from An Account of the Defiance of Ultramar,
penned by Chief Librarian Castis Deciman of the Ultramarines Legion

[...]

"My son, you called for me, I am here."

Those words. By the Emperor's bones, I don't think anything in the galaxy could have prepared me for those words.

I have been the Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines for two centuries, and have served the Imperium for nearly twice that, yet I have never found myself so utterly at a loss as at the moment I heard those words.

Even now, decades later, I struggle to believe it was real, that the Lord Guilliman broke his long silence. That, if for a short time, our Primarch was returned to us. That he spoke to us, deemed us worthy of his leadership and counsel.

Do not mistake me, we of the Librarius had spent centuries studying the phenomenon. We had long known that the Lord Guilliman was at least peripherally aware of us. The emotions radiating from his chamber had guided the Chapter too many times for us not to.

Yet, all our knowledge had proven useless. For all the long centuries that we had spent attempting to contact our Primarch, we had nothing to show for our labors. Our every attempt had ended in failure.

I'm sure you must think us foolish, given all that has happened, but you must remember, that was the way it had been for many millennia. We had given up hope of ever establishing a connection.

We thought we had learned as much as it was possible to know about the Primarch's bouts of consciousness. We thought we had exhausted every theoretical and practical that could be conceived of. We had certainly lost enough brothers to the darkness as desperation or foolishness overcame their loyalty and sanity. We were certain he was unable to convey anything more than desperate emotion and did not, or more likely, could not respond to our attempts at communication.

In short? We despaired.

Perhaps that is why he chose that moment to shatter our delusions.

Perhaps that is why, for the first time since his entombment, Roboute Guilliman, Lord of Ultramar and True Born Son of the Emperor of all Mankind spoke.

To me.

My Primarch spoke to me.

I heard his voice in my mind as surely as I hear the hum of my power armor or the soft crackle of the lumens that flicker ever lower as I write. I saw his eyes ignite with gilded light and a crown of golden laurels flicker into existence at his brow, just as I see the parchment set before me.

It was a miracle, the greatest honor of my life.

"My Lord!" I remember crying as I fell to my knees, "You speak!"

I will admit, it wasn't the most respectful or eloquent of greetings, and even then I was vaguely aware of the strange look Agis was giving me. You must forgive my lack of manners, I was too surprised for anything else.

The Primarch didn't seem to mind, "Indeed," he sent, and I could feel the dry humor in his thoughts; yet another thing I hadn't expected, but now seems almost obvious. "I-"

"Deciman!" Agis interrupted and I nearly lost the tenuous connection.

I turned to glare at the Captain of the Second, wondering what could possibly be important enough for my brother to interrupt this miracle.

"Deci," he repeated, using the childhood nickname that had been forgotten when we joined the ranks of the Adeptus Astartes. "What's going on? What is this?"

It took me a moment to realize that he had no way of knowing what had happened. My brother was many things, but a psyker he was not. He had no idea of the miracle that had occurred.

"It's the Lord Guiliman," I tried to explain, feeling more like a fresh initiate stumbling over his lessons than the Chief Librarian that I was. "Something has changed, the connection worked! It's no longer mere emotion spilling over an empathetic resonance. He is more aware than we ever dreamed! There are words! Thoughts! He is-I can speak to the Primarch!" I was babbling by the end of the explanation, but Agis merely nodded, considering my words, would wonders never cease?

"Are you sure?" he asked at last, "This isn't some demonic trick or chaotic trap?"

It may seem treasonous, but it was a fair question. There have been times in our long history when such things have occurred. I should have considered it before I left the gates of my mind open, and my failure to do so was an inexcusable lapse on my part. I am lucky the Lord Guilliman was, and is, who he claims to be.

Even if I had been properly suspicious, the utter disgust that flooded across the bond at that accusation erased all traces of doubt I might have held.

"Watch how you speak, Captain." the Primarch snapped, his mental voice dripping venom as it echoed across my mind. "I am not my brothers and by Terra, I never will be. My loyalties are certain."

I am sure he did not mean for me to glimpse the flashes of immense battles and clashing demi-gods that were racing across his mind. I was not meant to feel his sorrow as his brothers were murdered or his horror as the empire he had labored to protect was ripped apart in the fires of war.

It was the first and only time I have ever seen him truly furious at one of his sons, and it was chilling to behold.

Agis jerked back as if struck, then bowed his head. My brother is no psyker; he did not hear the rebuke, but he confessed to me later that he felt the Lord Guilliman's wrath all the same.

Agis made no mention of the sorrow that followed the anger. I wonder if he felt it. If he understood that it was not the implication of disloyalty that had offended our father so, rather that one of his sons would have so little trust in him. I doubt it, my brother was never one for contemplation.

"It's him Agis," I said in the silence that followed, "I'm sure. I swear by the Golden Throne, this isn't something that could be faked. It's him."

I do not know where that certainty came from but at that moment I knew, as surely as I know the Emperor is the Master of Mankind and the Humanity will one day stand ascendant under his rule, it was no chaotic trick or trap. By the will of Him on Terra, our Primarch had been returned to us and nothing in the Materium or Immaterium would be foolish enough to stand against us.

Oh how naive I was.

Author's Note:

I live!

Sorry for the wait everyone, some stuff happened in real life that was just, not good. I promise that I'm not giving up, but updates are going to be sporadic until life stops being chaotic.

In other news, I've got some questions for you:

Firstly, what do ya'll think of Deciman? I really didn't want to use an OC but there are surprisingly few named Ultramarines post Heresy and prior to M41, and I couldn't keep calling him the Librarian.

Secondly, this is of course, purely hypothetical, if the Ecclesiarchy starts something with the Ultramarines, which Imperil Factions side with whom? Sisters and Black Templars are definitely Ecclesiarchy, while most of the Ultramarines Successor Chapters are gonna side with Guilliman, so where do everyone else's loyalties lie?

As usual, Huge Thanks to everyone who's commented/faved/followed. You're all amazing and I love to see what you think about this thing I have made. Your speculation on the last chapter was great.

Please try to keep in mind that I'm still very much a novice when it comes to writing, so any constructive criticism/critique/lore correction is welcome (and let's be honest, desperately needed). Please don't be shy. I need all the help I can get!

Last but certainly not least, a massive thanks to my wonderful beta Spooky-Cadet!