Chapter 3.2 A Tale of Two Mournivals
Raldoron paced swiftly through the door to the meeting room, which slid open silently to allow his passage. Before him sat the Mournival, seated at a curved conference table, decorated with the symbols of the Ninth and Sixteenth Legions. For the first time in many months, the entire compliment of the Mournivals were in attendance.
It was common for the Ninth and Sixteenth Mournivals to meet when deciding actions on their respective Legions, even when the Primarch wasn't present, however rarely did the circumstances allow for both Legions to be close enough to hold such a joint meeting. However, fate had decreed that this gathering was possible, and so the Warmaster had summon both of his Mournivals together to discuss the state of the Great Crusade, where the Ninth and Sixteenth should be committed, and even discussions on where other fleets should be directed as appropriate.
Before Raldoron sat First Captain Ezekyle Abaddon, directly to the left of the Primarch in the position of honour for his Legion. Although the Mournival was supposed to be one of equals, no one was going to tell Abaddon to change his seat next to the Primarch. His helm, sat on the table like the rest of the Mournival, displayed the symbol of the Full Moon, as it had done during the time of Horus.
As Raldoron sat down to the right of the Primarch, one seat away from his Lord, he placed his own helm down to echo those of the rest present. His black helm displayed the symbol of the Midday Sun in contrast to Abaddon's Full Moon.
Beside Abaddon sat "Little Horus" Aximand, the Son of Horus who looked most alike the late Primarch due to the various quirks of Astartes genetics, earning him his nickname. His helm bore the Half Moon, the next stage in the cycle.
Next to him sat Hastur Sejanus, who was joking with the last Son of Horus, Tarik Torgaddon. They were the light hearted side of the Sixteenth's Mournival, in contrast to the sternness of Abaddon and Little Horus. Sejanus' helm had the Crecent New Moon imprinted upon it, whilst Torgaddon's displayed the Waxing Gibbous Moon.
This completed the Sixteenth's Mournival, its members the same it had been since the Warmaster had taken ownership of the Sixteenth. The Ninth's Mournival however was quite different, reflecting the different nature of the Legion. Whilst all the Sixteenth's Mournival were Captains of various companies, the Ninth's Mournival brought in individuals from different aspects of the Legion.
Raldoron, as First Captain of the Sons of Sanguinius, formerly the Blood Angels, was a natural pick to be close to the Primarch. His understanding and sympathy for those under his command made him an excellent voice for representing the average Astartes within the Legion. This had earned him the Midday Sun he wore on his helm now with pride, a bright yellow in stark contrast to the black of his plate.
Beside him sat Askaellon, leader of the Sanguinary Guard, personal praetorians and protectors of the Primarch. His helm bore the symbol of the Night, the Absence of Sun. The symbol was a very dark blue, but with numerous white pinpricks representing the stars and suns of distant worlds. Many in the Sons of Sanguinius joked this made Askaellon an honourary Lunar Wolf or Son of Horus, something that neither Askaellon nor Abaddon found particularly amusing.
Askaellon had deliberately placed himself to the right hand of Sanguinius, a seat that he and Raldoron quietly fought over. In this instance, Askaellon had arrived first, pushing Raldoron to the second most seat on the Primarch's right. This conflict was a reflection of the clashing personalities. Askaellon was utterly loyal to Sanguinius, willing to sacrifice as many lives necessary for the Primarch, whereas Raldoron was far more considerate of those under his command. Askaellon was the hard edge of the Sons of Sanguinius whereas Raldoron was made of more flexible steel. This brought disagreement, especially over how to handle the Warmaster's recent reluctance to spend Astartes lives, but with that issue resolved the issue had cooled to a low simmer between the 2 again.
Next to Raldoron sat Nassir Amit, known as the "Flesh Tearer". His inclusion had been a surprise, especially only being the Captain of the Fifth Company, but Amit embodied the spirit of what the Legion had once been. Before becoming the Blood Angels, the Ninth Legion had been known as the Revenant Legion, and had a reputation for brutality on the levels of the current day World Eaters under Angron. Whilst many had reformed under Sanguinius, Nassir Amit had held onto his brutality, both in combat and in speech. Amit suffered no fools and his brutal honesty was something deeply respected, something that had guided the creation of the Ninth's Mournival as a voice both defiant in opposition to Askaellon's obedience, and unfiltered compared with Raldoron's more elegant style.
Nassir Amit's helm displayed the symbol of Dusk, the Setting Sun, a vibrant orange in contrast to the colouring of Raldoron's yellow and Askaellon's deep blue.
Finally, sat silently at the end of the table sat the last member of the Ninth's Mournival. He was High Warden Dahka Berus, the highest ranking Warden in the Legion. Whilst the Sixteenth had no structure like the Wardens, their position was often paralleled with the Chaplains of the Word Bearer's Legion. They existed as spiritual advisors and guides for any battle-brother who needed it. Since the edicts of Nikaea their role had taken a stronger position, ensuring the many psychically gifted of the Sons of Sanguinius continued to comply with the Edicts and ease their struggles and moral questions.
High Warden Dahka Berus himself spoke little during these gatherings. It was well known that the High Warden disapproved for the very existence of the Mournival. He had argued at its inception that the Emperor banned such gathering as cultish in nature, but Sanguinius had calmly debated with his son that it was just another level of command hierarchy, much like the Hosts and Sphere's of the Blood Angel's own traditions. This had mollified the High Warden somewhat, especially when much of the ceremony had been dropped for the Ninth's initiation rituals, and had also earned him a place in the Mournival.
Dahka Berus, on the rare occasions he spoke, always reminded those present of their loyalty to the Emperor and the Imperium. He always spoke against anything that did not advance the Great Crusade as effectively as possible, or failed to spread The Imperial Truth. Of all the members of the Mournivals, both the Ninth and Sixteenth, he was the most disliked due to his inflexibility beyond even Askaellon, and was rarely brought into conversations outside of official Mournival gatherings. However, his dissenting voice had proved of use on occasion.
Despite initial protest, his helm bore the Rising Sun, a golden half sun illuminating the darkness. In time the High Warden had taken this in stride, seeing it as the Emperor's light illuminating a dark galaxy hindered by the remnants of Old Night.
This mix of personalities had been very useful for the Warmaster, giving his many options on how best to engage a situation.
Today would probably be no exception. As Raldoron settled into his seat, the Primarch stood briefly to give greetings to the attendance.
"Thank you for coming, my sons," said Sanguinius warmly, "It has been some time since we gathered here like this. It pleases me to see us all here together again today. I wish to review with you all some plans we have for this next phase of the Great Crusade. Please do speak freely as always. We come to the best solutions when we are all candid."
A murmur of agreement echoed throughout the room. Tarik jabbed Sejanus in the side in a sign of 'Watch This' and called out, "He's talking to you, Nassir! You need to be a bit more honest with your contributions!"
This earned a chuckle from all present, even the High Warden let himself display a rare smile.
"If you contributed as much as you joke, Torgaddon, the Great Crusade would already be over!" replied Amit, grinning.
Tarik feigned a wounded expression for the jibe, before resuming a more attentive posture back to the Warmaster. Sanguinius let the light hearted interactions settle before resuming his speech.
"We have reports that Lord Commander Eidolon of the Emperor's Children has gone missing on One Forty Twenty. The initial compliance of that planet by the Emperor's Children seems to have disappeared, along with the first half of an expected support force, led by the missing Commander. My brother Fulgrim has requested to personally lead a relief force to ensure full compliance. I am considering sending the Twelfth Company of the Sons of Horus, and the Fourteenth Company of the Sons of Sanguinius to assist him in this matter."
"That's the world they call 'Murder'", muttered Tarik, "I had a brief look at the reports before. The world is populated by creatures dubbed 'Megarachnids', giant armour spiders."
"Foul Xenos," growled the High Warden, "The sooner the world is purged the better."
"I hope for Eidolon's sake he is dead," said Abaddon, "A failure of this magnitude will see him stripped of command at the very least. He always had too much pride, that one. He should have waited for the full expected reinforcements instead of galivanting off searching for glory. Not a mistake either of our Legions would have made, not at his rank at any rate. I'm sure the Twelfth Company of the Sons of Horus will ensure the Emperor's Children can see what professionals look like since some of them seem to have forgotten."
"I agree with the use of the Fourteenth," nodded Raldoron, "We're not anticipating any large conflicts in the coming weeks, we can afford for them to detatch."
"Then it shall be done," smiled Sanguinius, "Of course this does cause a delay in our schedules of compliance. From the reports it seems Jaghatai and his White Scars are making good progress nearby. Our plan is for him to pick up some of the compliance's that must be foregone by the Emperor's Children due to this incident."
"I can't imagine the War Hawk will be too upset," said Amit, "There are several Xenos worlds that now become his to fight. Should be some good sport for them. The Fifth can be as brutal as Russ' dogs when they are free to let loose. Good warriors."
"Speaking of 'Other Wolves'" said Little Horus Aximand, "Any word of how your Wardens are settling in with the Sixth Legion?"
"Tense, but calm," said High Warden Dahka Berus, "There were some conflicts initially, but with the grace of the Warmaster none have yet been put on trial for defying the Edicts. We greatly appreciate our brothers Seventeenth in working with us in this matter. They have been excellent at ensuring compliance. Although our numbers are few, we are able to maintain order."
"Speaking of our kin in the Seventeeth," said Sanguinius, rising to press a button on the wall behind him, uttering, "Please can you join us."
The door to the Mournival chamber slid open to reveal a figure in grey armour. The Astartes had symbols tattooed all over his face, and with him carried a finely crafted book. His helm was off, much like those present, but he did not carry it with him. He gracefully entered the chamber, bowing before all present.
"Warmaster. Captains. High Warden."
"My sons," began Sanguinius, "Meet First Chaplain Erebus of the Word Bearers. He is here with a small detachment of his brothers from the Seventeenth to work with our Wardens to learn from each other. We hope to eventually set a standard, much like we attempted on Nikaea, for a Chaplaincy in every Legion. Some of you may already be familiar with him, but I do request we make him welcome and extend him and his brothers every courtesy."
"I'm still not in favour of a Chaplaincy," growled Abaddon, "What is good for the Ninth or the Seventeenth isn't necessarily good for the Sixteenth. No offense, Erebus."
"I think there could be value in it," said Sejanus, "A spiritual core isn't something to be afraid of Ezekyle. And it wouldn't change the command hierarchy. It would be a way for lower level officers to raise concerns without fear of discipline."
"Its not about fear," grumbled Abaddon, "Its about changing the culture of the Legion."
"Nothing will be done without consent, Ezekyle," said Sanguinius in a calming tone, "We are very far from even considering such a move. This is a fact finding exercise only. The Sons of Horus are already excellent at complying with the Edicts so for the moment there is no need to take any action."
Sanguinius turned back to Erebus, continuing, "My apologies, Erebus. As you can tell there is much yet to be discussed on the matter. Hopefully you will have the time to speak with all points of view."
"Indeed, I can see. The High Warden I am already familiar with," said Erebus smoothly, as Dakha Berus nodded solemnly, "There are some faces I recognize also, though we have never met. Some I have met during previous campaigns but cannot say I know well yet. I do hope to get to know you all personally soon. I am sure there is much we can share about the Truth of the Imperium."
He turned to Little Horus Aximand and Torgaddon, asking with a mocking grin, "But as for you… I do believe we may have met somewhere before. Haven't we, my friends?"
"I can't say," replied Torgaddon with a smirk, glancing over at Aximand. Little Horus, subtly nodded in reply.