The emperor had been anxious for some time now. His crusade to reunite humanity had already faced far too many setbacks, chaos and the xenos had grown strong in the time bought with the theft of his children, and most of his children had become…. Less than they could have been if raised under his banner.
When his visions into the warp revealed to him the location of his 12th son it revealed more than the planet he was on. Or less than, given his visions had shown him nothing of the planet itself, only the outline of its existence.
The web of psychically interconnecting machines he could see now that he was actually in the system only increased his apprehension, his son was somewhere in this system. And he didn't know what condition he would be in, the potential that his son had been forced into a psychic hivemind was steadily rising, and depending on the nature of that hivemind it could be necessary to purge the entire system.
The way every ship in the system parted for his fleet, and how the minefield covering most of the asteroid belt failed to detonate were small spots of hope that this could be resolved with little conflict and his son intact.
Or it was a trap, he turned to the two Primarchs on the bridge with him, Sanguinius and Horus. "We are about to land on this world, where we will set out to find your brother. He may not be in the best condition, nor in his right mind. Be careful with him and alert me if you find him"
Horus nodded and Sangunius smiled, Horus spoke "don't worry father, we will find him" the emperor returned the nod and "I'm certain you will" chances were the emperors psychic sense would find the primarch the moment he passed through the planets scry shielding, but it didn't hurt to encourage his son's confidence.
Speaking of which he split his ship off from the formation, no need to force a response from the locals by parking an entire battle fleet in their orbit. Based on the sensor scans he had picked up they'd know the range of his weapons, keeping the fleet out of bombardment range was a sign of good faith.
The moment his ship got close to the stations orbiting the planet he felt a presence fall on him, the planet had a warp spirit. Like earth had, and like Fenris still had. The spirit had to be truly powerful if it had managed to protect its entire planet while within the warp, a near unheard of feat.
The emperor felt a moment of apprehension, if it could hold off all the chaos gods it stood a decent chance of hurting him. But his resolve firmed, if it tried to keep him from the planet's surface and his son he'd tear it out by the roots. His own spirit pulsed with that same resolve and the planet's soul seemed…. Pleased at his threat.
Just like that the surface of the planet became clear to him, granting him a far greater picture then the auspex screens his sons were watching.
It was a planet of monsters, and he knew that as he saw them, they saw him. A new super predator had arrived, and unlike most worlds, nothing on Nauvis feared the arrival of such a threat. Instead they planned how they would kill it.
Immediately what the sensors had identified as hills stood up and screamed, each linking together and launching an attack on his very soul, if he had been a demon it'd have torn his essence to shreds. He was far more than those foul abominations, and his defenses weathered the attack without so much as faltering.
He flared with golden light, his Primarchs taking a few short steps back from the radiating power. And he lashed out against the psychic presence of those insects, the emperor watched with grim satisfaction as the beasts began to burn and explode from the overload of psychic energy tearing through them.
The something that directed them turned its attention from preparing another attack to study him, and the emperor immediately hid his presence from it. No need to let it plan out its next attack. With his existence warded from its eyes the presence turned its attention away from him, seemingly forgetting his existence.
Sangunius stepped back towards him the moment the glare of golden light dimmed, "father! What happened? Are you alright? Are we under attack?" the emperor's face turned grim as he spoke "be wary my sons, this planet is a hostile place. A deathworld like few others. Already the beasts here have lashed out with formidable psychic might"
His sons knew that any psychic power the emperor called 'formidable" was something even a librarian would have trouble surviving. Horus sat in thought while Sanguinius spoke "that does not bode well for our brother then" the emperor shook his head, the newest primarch was alive and well. "He appears to be healthy, living in one of the many forts on the world's surface" it was Horus's turn to speak, "that is good then, the locals can fight off the native fauna. Perhaps they have anti-psyker tech we can use? The mechanicus will likely be interested in studying it."
The emperor glanced down on the planet's surface, which housed only two 'human' souls. One the center of the grand machine network, and the other his son. "Things are likely not so simple"
--
The emperor had been planning on just heading down with his two sons, and leaving most of their forces in orbit, but the overwhelming hostility of the wildlife made him change that to bringing along his custodians and a few groups of astartes.
While the 'human' here seemed to be able to defend his territory well enough, given he had territory at all. The Emperor's presence had riled up the entire ecosystem. Bringing an army to deal with the issues he had inadvertently caused would hopefully be a decent way of both showing force and getting political good will.
He had already given a short briefing on what little he knew of the situation, his son and the one other human on the planet were waiting for them on an outpost near the center of their territory, hostilities were not expected but if they did happen they were to expect automated defenses and hostile robots.
If hostilities did happen it was likely the emperor would need to teleport the shuttles out, as saying the planet had anti air defenses was like saying a primarch was good at fighting.
They had to be, already the air defense's were firing upon massive swarms of flying insects that were trying to reach his shuttles. Not to mention the smaller swarms of robotic flyers currently harassing that same horde. No, defenses like this were a must on a deathworld.
His sons and their respective lieutenants were each studying some aspect of the world that the sensors revealed. Already Horus was openly planning methods they could take or assault the fortress they were approaching. It was good to have a plan, but the emperor doubted Horus could take it without significant casualties on his part, this was technology from the early days of Humanities golden age.
Nothing from the truly absurd later years, when humanity stood at the pinnacle of technological progress, but it was well beyond anything anyone but the mechanicus or the Emperor himself could match.
Even the mechanicus couldn't build more of its most advanced technologies, something the emperor hoped would remain true. Humanity was not yet ready for dark age technology, They hadn't even been ready in the golden age. A lesson the Emperor had learned in the harshest of ways.
What machines he could see here were on the border of what the emperor deemed 'acceptable', if he had to assign a time period he'd say it was equivalent to 15th or 19th millennia humanity. This world could have even been lost in the warp since then, though it was doubtful.
He was pulled from his thoughts as the shuttle began its final approach, his custodian guard forming up to exit the vessel first, banners and weapons raised to make a proper entrance.
--
His son was waiting for him on the landing pad, and the emperor felt relief on seeing him safe with his own eyes. Clad in an armor that put him at a height far greater than that of his brothers, fully enclosed. The emperor was vaguely proud his son was wearing a helmet.
He strode towards his newest son with the boy's two brothers following close behind, their anticipation almost palpable. The Emperor's psychically enhanced voice boomed out across the landing pad "my son! After long years of searching I have finally found you" his son strode from the humans side his monotone voice echoing from his helmet "it seems you have, I take it that those are my brothers who follow you?" not an outright attack, and he wasn't reaching for a weapon. One of the more peaceful meetings with his sons then. The emperor only read a hint of hope and suspicion from his son's mind, the rest of the emotions hidden from a cursory glance.
"Yes they are, and they have longed to meet you for as long as they have known we found you. Do you have a name?" The question was not as demeaning as one might imagine, a machine hive mind has little need to give out names. And at closer inspection that was the only thing he could relate the humans mind too. A few psychic tendrils even connected to his son, though they only linked to an implant in his nervous system, only brushing against his soul. Nothing the emperor could not remove if he found the need. Though the way the hivemind wrapped around his son's soul like a shield was novel.
"Yes, I am Palisade, my father behind me is called Maker, it is the closest thing he has to a name. We should finish introductions and head inside" at that a shield of hardened air formed a dome over the base. The emperor knew what the reason was, that massive flock of flying insects was still approaching, and would likely reach the bases before it could be eliminated.
Still he felt not an ounce of worry from his son, he didn't think they were in danger. It was just caution. "A wonderful idea, I'd love to see your home. You may call me 'emperor' much like your father, It is the closest thing I have to a name." his son nodded at that, the emperor wasn't particularly worried about him calling the 'maker' father. He didn't need a parental relationship, just loyalty.
Horus and Sanguinius both strode forward to stand to his sides, facing Palisade with smiles on both their faces. They both introduced themselves "I am horus, Primarch of the Luna Wolves" "and I am Sangunius, Primarch of the blood angels, its a pleasure to finally meet you brother" Sangunius's smile grew wider as his legions name caused Palisade to stare at his wings.
With that their group headed into the base, followed by their entourage. Palisade spoke again, "we should have enough space for all of you, this hallway is lined with a few Barracks your troops can use while we talk." The emperor nodded at that, and gestured for his custodians and the space marines to investigate each of the rooms, only two custodians remaining to guard him.
There was a chance it was a trap but what he could read of the Makers and Palisades emotions showed they were genuine, or could somehow fool his empathy. The emperor spoke then "A minor correction, some of those soldiers are yours" Palisades emotions did not show surprise, only the confirmation of something he had already expected. "You have a war for me to fight then? I can only assume I was crafted as a general of some sort" by this point the group had arrived at the end of the hallway, and the door opened into a large room with a holographic table and chairs large enough to hold a Primarch. One of the walls had a glass door, showing cooled refreshments along with pre-prepared snack foods.
Palisade sat at the holographic table and gestured towards the other seats and towards the food stuffs. Make yourselves comfortable, all the food should be edible for baseline humans, even exempting that none of us are. The emperor took a seat at the table, just across from his son, Horus sat at the table while Sangunius went to browse the fridge. The Maker just stood on the end of the table with his hands on the edge, fair enough standing would mean he was eye level with the primarchs rather than staring at their chests.
"You would be correct with that guess, I am to reunite humanity to keep them safe from the galaxy's horrors" . The level of information being transferred from the Maker and his machines was astonishing, he genuinely seemed to be capable of feeling each and everyone of the millions of machines. That indicated a significant level of mental fortitude in order to not be subsumed by the links. It was clear how he had survived on a planet full of monsters, he had become one himself.
Horus spoke up then, Sangunius still busy rummaging through the fridge. "It is a noble purpose, many worlds have fallen to barbarism and others to xeno's predation. We reteach them how to take their rightful place among the stars" it was occasionally difficult to convince his children to lead the great crusade, but their blood called for war and command. They all accepted after a few days.
Palisade spoke then "I can understand the need, we have only been in this system a few years and already we have been attacked by orks" the emperor had already told both Sangunius and Horus that the planet hadn't always been in the system, so the revelation wasn't a surprise. Sangunius returned to the table, arms laden with trays of finger food and cups of water, he placed a dish down in front of everyone at the table before taking a seat beside Horus. Once he had settled he spoke "Orks are one of the myriad of threats we face to protect humanity, though they are among the most foul and numerous." with that he started eating, the emperor looked at the plate in front of him, some form of sushi paired with a variety of roots and fruits. Horus agreed "it seems like we find systems with orks more often than ones with humans, and we have a few maps of where old human colonies should be."
With that Horus started eating as well, and soon Palisade and the Emperor joined them both. The discussion turned away from politics and war for a few short moments. The Primarchs talking amongst themselves with only a few interjections from the Emperor. Eventually Sangunius turned towards the Maker "you have yet to say anything, it may be rude of me but are you capable of speech?" Palisade went to speak for him but stopped before he could finish a word, the Maker speaking for the first time since they landed, his voice decidedly robotic and coming from his suit. "I am capable of vocal communications. Yes, it is just not my preferred method. And I figured I'd let Palisade take the lead with this" Sangunius smiled and replied "I'm glad, and I figure I owe you a debt for keeping my brother safe for so long. Not all of us were so lucky"
The suit of armor that technically housed a human shrugged, "it isn't like he hasn't been pulling more than his weight, the intelligence your father crafted your lot with is useful for discovering new tech. And I have an entire planet at my disposal, keeping one person safe isn't even a blip in my expenditure." Palisade interjected at that "father don't dismiss your efforts like that, it isn't like you just locked me in a box and fed me the bare minimum, you tried to make sure I enjoyed growing up" the emperor noted Palisade had spoken out loud rather than mentally, they had been meant to hear that.
If the Maker was willing to talk now the Emperor had a few questions he might as well ask, "I can see you weren't naturally born either, how exactly did you end up on this planet? And how did you build all of this, none of it's more than a decade old" the maker turned his suit's gaze onto the emperor and he couldn't help but wonder what the human saw when he looked at the emperor. "Everything looks new, or is actually, because of constant renovations and upgrades. As for how I ended up here? My 'mother' ship crashed, dropping me freshly born on the planet's surface. The ship still had a working forge… so I built some tools, and then some tools that made tools. It kind of spiraled from there."
Horus had a calculating look in his eye as he spoke "you crafted all of this by yourself?" the emperor had to agree there, it was a bit like if an stc had been found without any technological data on it, but it still had the ability to mass produce planets worth of supplies. The tactical benefit would be astounding, it might even be capable of getting the great crusade closer to 'on schedule' rather than decades behind. But there was a reason he hadn't built any STC himself.
"Not quite right, it'd have taken me decades to craft everything you see here, probably far longer actually. No, I built the things that built this place, automation and delegation. At best I have crafted less than a hundredth of a percent of anything you see here. Though I was crafted for this like you were crafted for war, I make factories you win battles" the emperor spoke then "it is still an impressive feat to accomplish so quickly, I could use someone like you to design or build infrastructure on the worlds we conquer." if he could mass produce clones like the maker…. "I'm afraid I'm the only thing like me left, my pod and ship were nearly totally destroyed, didn't even manage to find an ftl drive on it."
At this point conversation slowed as the holographic screen on the table flashed red and the sound of the bases turrets firing reached them. A gesture at the screen and it began displaying a camera feed of a massive battle waging a few kilometers from the base, insects that had more in common with mountains than they did with their earth based kin were in battle with tanks that couldn't have been much larger than a baneblade. Innumerable smaller bugs darted about underneath the behemoths, waging a war in miniature against the drones the tanks brought with them. But the weapons from nearby forts and those on the tanks ripped into the bugs chitin with fountains of ichor. Palisade spoke then his tone vaguely jovial, "something has them riled up! They don't usually attack in these numbers anymore. At least now we're getting a show with our meal"
Sangunius and Horus looked vaguely worried but the Emperor could see their enhanced minds analyzing the situation, the bug's weren't actually managing to push closer. Throwing and crushing tanks as large like they were plastic children's toys sure, but more tanks were arriving. It was Sanguinus who spoke next. "Do you need aid fending off this attack? Our ships in orbit can launch an orbital bombardment within minutes" it was clear he didn't think the small force of astartes and custodians they had brought down would be enough to fend them off, which likely wasn't wrong. The bugs were just too large to hurt without vehicle support.
Palisade let out a laugh at that, finding something about what Sangunius said funny. "This is Nauvis! That isn't an attack, it's just a scouting party! The bugs will decide if an attack is worth it, and if it is, they will move to wipe out this base." at that Horus and Sangunius visibly paled, Horus saying "will you be able to hold out against a proper assault then?" The engineer spoke then "no, but the bugs will be forced to pull their forces from defense, and we will take territory elsewhere. It's a constant back and forth. If it looks like they will we will simply move the meeting to an outpost further into our territory"
Palisade laughed at his brothers expressions, "if you think that's bad you should see hightide. Not even the bugs dare go in the oceans, so they have to rise up to meet us"
AN-
actually proud of this one, decided the primarchs and the Emperor would just get what personalities I give them, rather than agonizing over how they 'should' act.
along a similar vein I have reached the point where my lacking knowledge on 30k is kinda hindering me, specifically I went to the wiki and found the names of prominent iron warrior astartes, so I could have them in pt.8, but my attention span didn't last.
so I'm likely just gonna make up names or have them all be 'renamed' with their primarchs arrival. pt.8 is actually already up to around 1k words.
also gonna be writing more arknights cross, maybe some rwby too, after I finish mainline ch.39.
reviews are lovely, is 2 chapters in advance link is in informational.