Chapter 56 A Tale of Three Sisters
M30.885

Magnus the Red

Perhaps I was being a bit too reckless, I thought as I gazed into a mirror at my female face. Even with my mastery of shape-changing, there were certain things that stayed the same. I still had only one eye, which still affected my depth perception.

But then again, recklessness had always paid off in the past. My legion, named the Thousand Sons, had been greatly affected by a mysterious affliction known as the flesh change. Thanks to my recklessness, I delved into the Warp and made a deal with one of the entities in there. It had gone into remission. Yes, I'd lost an eye, but to ensure that my sons would have the opportunity to claim the galaxy. I would never be the greatest marksman in the Imperium, but when you combat the forces of the Immaterium, you don't usually need to be precise. What was the term I'd heard an Imperial Army artilleryman use when they were fighting with artillery? Ah yes, "Dear grid coordinates."

My first foray into the Warp had allowed me to be in contact with Father long before I had met my Legion, and of course, it had also allowed me to master the psychic powers of my home world, Prospero. This mastery allowed me to assume the mantle of leadership, cleanse the planet of the parasitic Warp entities that controlled most of the world, and build a proper home for the people there.

So yes, I was perhaps too bold, but every risk was calculated and the rewards have been rich, fortune did afterall favor the bold. Granted, this situation was a bit different than my normal standard. Shapeshifting myself into a female form just so I could get along more with my two sisters – what exactly would that teach me? More than anything, it also rendered my armor useless, considering it was meant for a male body. I really had only two choices on that matter, though. One, have a female set of armor built for this body, which I could, but it would take forever to get here. Or two, rely on my psychic abilities and powers to defend myself.

Granted, my powers were well and truly capable of such matters, so I didn't need to worry too deeply about that. I could walk through this battlefield and not even get touched by the dust in the air from an artillery bombardment if I really put my full power into a defensive spell.

Letting out a deep breath, I leaned back from the mirror and stretched the muscles of my back before heading into the main chamber of my quarters. There, I had a few seamstresses and jewelers from Prospero put together a dress that they considered the pinnacle of cultural fashion from our world. Since I was a representative of Prospero, I was going to do my best to show that we were versed not only in war but in culture as well, even if I was not in my preferred form – the one I had grown up in.

I do believe, though, that some of the seamstresses had attempted to give me some armor to complement my attire. As part of the fashion, it looks like it could take a hit or two from a strike if need be in close-quarters combat. If one of the weapons wasn't powered by supernatural energy or a regular chain sword, it would probably block the blow without issue. Though I highly doubt anyone would be able to get that close for them to have a chance to test the durability of my dress. I also noted that they seemed to have used several precious stones in the creation of the light armor that would function as a strong conduit for channeling my psychic abilities, assisting me in maintaining the shields around my body with less effort.

I quickly dressed myself in the clothing before grabbing Ahn-Nunurta and heading towards the my way towards the transport that would take me down to the planets below.

After 6 months of fighting, Ark Reach VI through III have fallen, which left only Ark Reach II and I. The choice then was which to hit first. After some discussion, it was decided to hit Ark Reach I first. Ark reach II would probably be the hardest planet to overwhelm, so we needed all the forces we could gather for that operation. Taking out Ark Reach I now made the most sense, and that is why all three Legions were going to be deployed. I was quite interested in seeing how our three Legions combat styles would either clash or work together. I was sure it would be quite interesting. I had worked with Lorgar before. She was a rather understandable sister. If something didn't surrender, she'd decimate it until it broke and submitted. The fact that the enemy on this world hadn't yet was a testament to their determination and will. Already, I had seen some reports from some of my men who had been deployed to the other planets to familiarize themselves with the local population. They reported that the Word Bearers were building structures to honor the Emperor on the remnants of what used to be their own gods' places of worship. This was to show the populace that the time of their gods was over. From what I could tell, they were also offering the refugees who were willing to give up their faith to the Phoenix King better aid than those who did not. It would take time, but they were building a good foundation to rebuild this system into a bastion of the Imperium rather than an issue for the Administratum.

As for my other sister, Tanya, well, I had run into her once before. Father thought it was funny to have me shapeshift into a female disciple just so that I wouldn't be recognized. Amusing though that was, I was more interested in the fact that she hadn't figured out I was a Primarch. Considering that Lorgar had picked it up right away when the Emperor tried the same thing when we met, did that mean Tanya was not as observant a sister as Lorgar or did it mean she was less sensitive to a Primarchs natural warp Aura? I don't know what it really meant. I just knew that she hadn't figured it out when we met all those years ago.

Which was curious because she had been too occupied with her thoughts of that Mary girl, the one that she had seen in a vision.

Which was interesting all on its own. I had spoken to other Primarchs over the years and learned a few things about our nature. As far as I was aware, I was the only one who had communed with Father without actually meeting him. I was also the only one who had been able to understand my existence and what it meant from the moment I was born. All my other siblings did not understand their existence before pulling themselves out of the pod. As far as I could tell, they generally saw their Awakening on their homeworld as the first steps of their life. But Tanya Russ was different. I had some idea of some of the differences. Though the two had spoken, she had been careful with her words, and I had been able to generally figure out some of the implications. Tanya Russ remembered a life before this one, something that was rare even amongst the Primarchs. Rarer than even me. I had generally figured out the concept of how we had been created by this point. Some of our souls came from the Emperor and some from the Immaterium. So to actually have memories from a previous life was not impossible, but for it to only show in her and none of the other siblings I'd met was a curiosity.

And she was concerned about the possibility of another individual who had been in the Warp, some individual named Mary Sue if memory serves. Who was this Mary Sue? I wondered. I was aware of Lorgar, and she did match some of the descriptions I had heard. However, she also did not. Was she a bit on the religious side? Yes. But was she, as Tanya called her, a berserker? No. Lorgar was generally in control of her faculties. She didn't go and lose herself in her own anger. She didn't match the concept of a berserker. Really, the only one who matched that part of the description that I knew of was Tanya herself, oddly enough. I had heard of her outburst on the planet after we left all those years ago and her outburst on Rangdan. I wondered, was Tanya Russ just Tanya Russ? Or was there a possibility that she was Tanya Russ and, deep down, Mary Sue? The two souls merged after centuries lost in the Warp in an endless ritual of hate that resulted in them becoming one soul. It was not impossible, however it was a tenuous theory. Many of the things of the Warp didn't make sense to begin with. With more study, of course, it could be learned. But at this moment, how it all worked and how to control it was still in the infancy of its research in my mind. That's why I spent time on every planet, gathering up all the rituals and information of the local planets' psychic customs. It was one of the reasons I was quite interested in Ark Reach II, as there were rumors of a great library full of psychic knowledge stored there. If I could get my hands on it, what could I learn? What secrets could be unlocked about the Warp?

I had to stop myself from salivating at the thought of reading those books. It was improper, besides, there was no way I would be able to read them here on Ark each. I knew I'd have to gather them up and send them back to Prospero for study by the researchers there. I could go over the condensed versions when I had the chance. No doubt there would be things I already understood, but there might be things I didn't, which could be well useful in our push for further knowledge of the Warp.

As I had been thinking, I made my way all the way to the landing base and quickly boarded a vessel destined for the planet below. Our forces had secured the landing zone on our previous visit, so it was only a matter of pushing outward and taking things to the next level. I imagined my sisters were already well and truly embroiled in the fighting.

Aboard the transport vessel were members of the first Fellowship, including their leader, Ahriman. They had been talking amongst themselves, but as I boarded, there was a bit of silence. Noticing this, I said, "Good morning, Sons! Who's ready to liberate the wealth of knowledge from these enemies of the Empire?" I got a bit of a nod of agreement before Ahriman spoke up, saying, "Father, do we call you Father or what when you're like this?"

"Well, that's up to you, my son. You could call me Primarch if that makes you feel at ease. Father is fine. It really doesn't matter what you call me as long as you do your job."

There was a general nod of consent amongst most of the Marines. However, Ahriman was not one to leave things standing. It was one of the reasons he had risen to the top of the Legion and become one of my closest associates.

"Alright, my Primarch, but I do have one other thought. Are you sure it's safe to be doing this? You're walking down there without much armor and relying on your psychic abilities in a form that is unfamiliar to you, simply to fit in with your sisters. Even for you, this seems a bit rash."

I chuckled and nodded before saying, "I understand your point. Even I believe I'm acting a little rash on this. But can you say that you truly know humanity and the extent of your psychic abilities if you do not push the envelope of what we believe is possible? This is an opportunity to experience something from a form of humanity I do not experience often. I see no reason why I should not experiment. I'd say if every one of my Legion had learned this ability, they should experience this at least once. For does this not give you a better way to expand your knowledge base, to experience humanity from a different point of view?"

With that said, I felt I was getting my point across. There were men who still looked skeptical. Ahriman leaned against the back panel of the ship before saying, "Alright, my Primarch. I'll keep that in mind."

Nodding my head, satisfied with the conclusion of the conversation, I asked, "So, how does the war on the planet surface go? The ships should have been deployed from Lorgar and Tanya's forces three hours ago."

Ahriman answered. "It's going alright; some of our troops went in with them, of course, providing more psychic prevention against the enemy. The enemy is pulling out all the tricks from what we can see, trying to prevent any successful breakthroughs on their lines. Unfortunately, their lines are in good condition since they didn't know where we were going to land on their planet until we did. The planetary capital of the planet is already under siege. The minor provincial capitals are also not in very good condition. As for the main army, they seem to have realized that if they lose the planetary capital, it will all be over and are trying to regroup their forces towards the capital. It's the best place for a spaceport. If we take it, they not only lose out on any blockade runners from Ark Reach II bringing aid to continue their war, but we gain a way to bring down some heavy equipment into safe areas and can easily bring the planet into compliance."

"Good, good," I said with a nod before adding, "Where are we coming down? The outskirts of the planetary capital or one of the provincial capitals you mentioned? After all, if we could take one of those, I'm sure they have a minor spaceport that could allow us to build up troops here on the planet with some ease."

Ahriman scratched his head before saying, "We are going to be dropping down on a provincial capital just north of the main capital. From what I understand, Primarch Russ has already taken the provincial capital, and most supplies are going to be brought down to this area first before being sent off to where they're needed. And apparently, she wants to have a conversation with you before you set out on your conquest. Apparently, she's concerned you don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"Ha, big sister Tanya's worried about me," I chuckled at the novel idea that someone was concerned about what I was going to be doing. As well as the fact that, well, technically yes, she was the elder sister, by being found. I was at this very moment taller than her even in a female form, by a good six feet, I would estimate, though perhaps I was being a little too generous.

Either way, then I turned to Ahriman and said, "Well, we better not keep my sister waiting long. I'm sure she's quite interested in having a long chat. After all, she must be somewhat intellectual, considering her use of the Warp and some of her past campaigns. She probably has tons of questions about how it works, and I have tons of questions about how she's been able to manipulate it, considering how little we know about their craft."

Ahriman nodded before saying, "I've picked up some knowledge from one of the Rune Priests. Or rather, an interesting bit of knowledge, if you ask me."

"Speak on it, Ahriman. Tell me of what you've learned from the Rune Priests of the Wolves of Fenris."

"Well, the runes existed on Fenris before Primarch Russ arrived. The precise runes that they use nowadays are based on the old runes of Fenris after they have been modified by her and seem to rely more on mathematics in some form, harnessing powers through equations. Less feel and more calculated compared to what we do."

"Oh, now that is interesting. Scientifically controlling the Warp through mathematics and equations? How is that even possible? That could be an interesting skill to teach those who are not as favored in the abilities of the Warp. A sort of stop-gap, if you will. Definitely, we must learn how these runes work."

I patted the book on my side, already imagining the knowledge I could impart within it once I had an understanding of how Tanya's runes worked. That was another reason I was taking a female form, though I had not been open about it. It was a bit underhanded, but I believe that being in a female form would put her more at ease with sharing her knowledge. After all, we're sisters. Yes, it was a bit manipulative, but working on Prospero for as long as I had, I came to realize that us magicians don't readily give up their secrets. Sometimes you have no choice but to coax a secret out of a person through copious amounts of alcohol or other vices. Other times, it wasn't that tough, but it didn't make the option that easy, such as breaking into a person's library to learn the knowledge they had been hoarding.

But on one hand, I was not going to take this knowledge without offering some of my own. I would have a copy of my book created and sent along to Tanya once I had her knowledge added to it. After all, perhaps it was something she could learn from. As far as I was aware, no other Primarchs had been openly using their psychic abilities, so I was sure that there were more than just me with that ability. Particularly on my list of those that I sensed something from was Guilliman. Though my poking at him had not revealed too much information about what he might be hiding.

"Oh well, soon, soon I will learn what they hides. We have all the time to figure these things out once the Empire is fully created, and humanity is safe from the primordial annihilators within the Warp."

Tanya Russ
Ark Reach I

Okay, maybe I went a tad too far with this one. I've been experimenting with spellcraft recently, particularly with the spells I accidentally summoned during my rage against the Rangdans.

That spell had summoned a vast storm of ice and snow on their homeworld and had grown out of control. It very likely would have turned the planet into a new Fenris at the rate it was going if the planet had not been given a liberal cleansing by virus bombs. Still one of the most disgusting weapons I think I'd ever come across. Literally releasing a viral agent that caused all life to return to primordial soup and fill the atmosphere with easily combustible elements, then setting it alight—a disastrous weapon that I think humanity will regret making sooner or later. Well, if they weren't regretting it, I already regretted its construction. Granted, me experimenting with this ice magic could be seen as me experimenting with super weapons as well, but at least I knew people could survive on a frozen planet. Little experiments like this with smaller amounts of psychic energy could net me the ability to control it better next time I accidentally set it on full blast.

However from this test it would seem being in a better emotional state gave me more control over the spell, which… was problematic. I had seen over the years that there are many scenarios that set me off, the monstrosity that was the Dark Eldar, seeing my men killed when they were injured. Knowing this meant that even if I perfected control over small scale uses of that spell… well it meant that if I did not maintain control over it, it could go wild. The best way forward then, to utilize this Warp spell, was for me to master my anger over the monstrous, calm my inner storm as you will. However, even that could only work so far. I was alway running the risk of opening myself up to Warp in ways that could have unintended side effects: the Warp was a realm of emotions, to use it was to open oneself to the myriad of emotions of that realm and those close to you. I had already run into the notion that there was some form of connection between each Primarch and their men, they had lost themselves to anger just as I had during that raid on that Eldar world with Vulcan. Who's to say the confusion and anger my men felt battling the Rangdan on that bloody mountain didn't affect my mindset there, leading to the spell going absolutely feral. Not to mention what Malcador mentioned about that planet as well. The usage of this spell at the moment had been simple since it had been used before the fighting started, before my blood was boiling, however I could feel at the edges it was pulling at me, whispering at me to unleash it all, to give in to my anger, my Fury, MY… . I had control of this situation. My plan had worked, but plans rarely survive conflict with the enemy. If I was going to make this spell a standardized tool of battle , I would need to gain control over all possible factors that could cause it to go wild, and that would take, not only the mastery of my inner storm, but the connection between me and my own men.

Anyways, the district capital that I had just frozen over parts of with said spell was looking rather rather choked with ice and snow. The population of the city was not dead, though an external layer of ice had trapped people in their buildings. I'm sure many of those people were in danger from the very cold conditions. But they were probably setting up fires now or using heaters that were connected to power lines that thankfully ran under the streets and thus were not frozen solid, and shattering as our men moved through the city's outskirts. As for the military of this particular town, well, the main army seems to have pulled out to make way for the main capital. They gave up on the town as soon as it froze over. As for the home guard, they were being tough bastards, and I acknowledged that. Granted, without the main military amongst them, they couldn't really do anything to stop the Marines who were moving through the city. So, I had given my men an order to take it easy on them if possible—just break their weapons and kick them out into the snow, tell them they're prisoners of war, and move on. Of course, they weren't going to do that with someone who had something like an RPG that could actually threaten them. But the guys running around with pistols that couldn't penetrate anywhere on their power armor got a rather gentle slap and were then tossed into the snow.

Anyways, we had easily taken over the governmental building in the core of the city and the nearby buildings, converting them into a command post, as well as a refugee center and prisoner of war camp. Not too intermingled, as stated. Those who had simply been bitch-slapped for being careless were cared for to some extent. But those who actually put up a real fight and were obviously members of the military who stayed behind to protect their own town were being put in an actual camp to be watched over. We kept them separated from the general population so they didn't try to start a rebellion or something.

Fenrisian Guards and the Valkyries were keeping a close watch over them, ensuring they didn't do anything foolish. Meanwhile, my Marines were cleaning out the city. Elements of the Thousand Sons were also present, paired up with a few Wolf Priests, in case anything tried to break through the veil or be brought through by the enemy.

Taking a deep breath, I leaned back as Yrsa came forward with a cup of coffee ready for me, placing it on an assembled table.

"Thank you, Yrsa," I said, giving her a smile and sipping it deeply before adding, "Excellent as always." This elicited a giggle from her.

"You're welcome, Wolf King," she replied before heading back towards the kitchen area that had been set up, seeming to be preparing to brew another cup for me. Considering a cup was literally the size of a full caffeine brewer, it made sense. And the fact that she seemed to be making another one indicated she was preparing to offer one to Magnus when they arrived, which should be soon. I had questions and thoughts I needed to discuss with them, and hopefully, they could provide some answers.

"My word, it's cold outside," came Magnus's voice, drawing my attention to the front door and causing my jaw to almost unhinge.

She walked in wearing some of the most revealing clothing I think a Primarch could ever wear. I could only hold my tongue about that for so long before I said, "Perhaps if you wore full armor, sister, you wouldn't be so cold."

"Ah, you called me sister. We're getting closer already," Magnus said with a smile, leaning on her polearm weapon.

"I called you sister because there isn't a sane person in the world who would call you a brother while looking like that," I simply replied, which earned a chuckle from her.

"Sorry, my sister. I thought having some women from my homeworld put together some clothing for me would be the right choice. Didn't realize you were going to freeze the city over," Magnus said.

I shook my head before saying, "It's not frozen over; it's lightly coated. Anyways, the ice will end in the next two days or so. This isn't a continuous frozen effort, I think."

"Think?" Magnus asked.

I gave her a look before saying, "I'm trying to make that spell an exact science. Until I can confirm that it works properly, I have to say 'think'."

"Ah, yes, your Warp-craft is rather intriguing. I'd love to learn more about how you use mathematics to conquer and control the Immaterium for your own uses. It's an intriguing process that I don't think I've seen many civilizations use. At least, none that I have been able to find so far. Perhaps the Eldar use something similar, though they are so secretive and unwilling to share their knowledge that it's very likely we'll never know for sure," Magnus mused.

I nodded before saying, "I think I could tell you some rather interesting information. You're not too far off with your estimations of the Eldar being somewhat responsible for our Rune Craft, somewhat. But I have another subject to talk about before we get there, one that's been bugging me since I saw your transformation."

"Oh, are you perhaps interested in experiencing life on the other side of the spectrum, my dear sister?" Magnus said, leaning in. I chuckled at that. I could explain that yes, I'd already experienced that and perhaps I would like to go there one day, but I was more concerned with the other ramifications, ones that could make me a very useful ally if I could pull it off.

"What about a member of our family, Mortarion?" I asked.

"Ah, yes, Mortarion," Magnus said, seeming tired. "Let me guess, you're wondering if I can fix his curse." I nodded in agreement, which got a nod in return from Magnus. They continued, "If they were willing to use the Warp abilities that they were granted, I'm sure that they could fix themselves. However, they are too scared of their own powers to do that. And if I were to attempt to try and fix it for them, I'm of the opinion that they would not take kindly to it. At least from what I've been able to learn, they tend to avoid me whenever I try to reach out to them."

"They're worried about psychic powers and what they could do to us," I said matter-of-factly. "The only way they're not going to be worried is if someone teaches them how to use theirs and prevent it from going out of control."

"Agreed. The problem is that they do not want to learn. They want to bury their heads in the sand. And if I tried to teach them, they would ignore me. I understand their point of view quite well. There are things to be concerned about with Warp use that you need to be on point about, or things go badly. But by that same token, burying your head in the sand is not going to solve the problem. And I really can't do anything for someone who will not even acknowledge that they have such abilities."

"What about writing down exactly how you do it and giving them a copy of the information so that they can maybe figure it out on their own as they slowly conquer their concerns over the control of the Warp?" I suggested.

Magnus sighed before saying, "I guess I could put together some sort of pamphlet for them. But indicating how it would be done as a Primarch? I'll send it their way, though I doubt they'll keep it. More likely than not, they'll burn it. After all, they are too concerned that the use of the Warp could be corrupting to them and not realizing that if they do not gain the knowledge, how it will hinder their own development."

"Alright, well, I mean at least that's a start," I said, indicating that they should take a seat across from me before adding, "So, a cup of coffee?"

"Coffee?" Magnus said, sounding intrigued. Yrsa came up and put a cup in front of her. "Well, thank you, dear." She took a sip before saying, "Damn, this is a very good cup of coffee. Where do these coffee beans come from? I should have some of this imported to Prospero when I get the chance."

I shrugged before saying, "Oh, ask Yrsa when I have the chance. All I know is I've been purchasing several brands from across the galaxy ever since Prospero was tied into the trade network to experiment. This is one of the more enjoyable brands we've come across."

"Haha, I see you're living up to your home world's barbaric nature. When you're not out there making war, you're making trade deals. Ah, whatever dropped us on our home worlds really had a sense of humor, I think. So far, from what I've seen, every Primarch has found themselves transported to a world that best suited their taste and ways of doing things, and every single one of them has come to grips with whatever struggle was in front of them and succeeded. It's an inspiring tale when you think about it."

I nodded my head before saying, "That's one way to look at it, though I would say that whatever dropped us off after we entered the Warp was probably not doing us any favors. I might be suspicious that they were trying to kill us if not for the fact that all of us seem to have come out alive."

"Hmm, true, true. But enough about the past. How about your magic? What is the secret ingredient to your mathematics?"

I let out a breath before leaning back and saying, "Well, the secret ingredient is the World Spirit, I think."

"What?" Magnus said, tilting his head to the side. I snapped my fingers and projected a sphere of silence around us so that only the two of us could hear this conversation. I figured it would be better to keep this discussion as quiet as possible. I continued.

"From what me and the others have been able to dig up, Fenris was what the Eldar called a maiden world. A planet that was set aside to be as dangerous as possible in order to help those who were tired of modern Eldar society. It was lost and the World Spirit there went into hibernation until humans showed up and started colonizing it. Apparently, we were not completely strangers to the World Spirit, and so it sort of looked out for us as the Old Night broke upon the human federation. There's also some evidence that there were some scientists trying to control the World Spirit or integrate it into an artificial AI that was placed on the planet. It's hard to say exactly what was going on there. The important part is that the World Spirit is basically a minor Warp entity that allows us to channel spiritual energy by channeling it through the World Spirit instead of directly from the Warp. It doesn't matter how far away we get from Fenris. As long as we channel it through Fenris, we can accomplish our abilities without endangering ourselves too greatly. At least that's my belief."

Magnus looked surprised before saying, "Amazing. You know, I think I've spoken to a few other Primarchs, and one in particular I think you know, the leader of the White Scars."

I nodded, knowing Khan well by this point, and said, "Khan, of course."

"There are some similarities with what you speak of that correlate to their planet as well. I wonder if he has a similar situation going on. Perhaps not as integrated, though. This would require research. But if there are minor warp entities that are favorable to us, to humanity, that exist within our realm due to the Eldar, what could we accomplish with such powers? If we could harness them correctly, if we knew how they made these World Spirits, could we perhaps install them on our own planets, make them work for us?"

I shrugged before saying, "That's dangerous ground, I think. If you talk openly about the World Spirits to the average person, well, they're going to start asking what's the difference between a World Spirit and a God. If they start worshiping the World Spirit like a god, well, that might empower the World Spirit. And for me, it could also encourage them to worship other gods."

"Oh yes, your issue with one of the Primordial Annihilators. What was his name?" Magnus rubbed her chin.

As I leaned back, I said, "I don't think I ever told you all the details. You might have overheard some of them when I was talking with Father a while back, but if you really need to know, the entity that has ticked me off, the one that lies within the Warp, I call it 'Being X.' Hopefully, it is dead, but I haven't managed to put that smug, parasitical entity out of the picture just yet."

"Well, let's be honest then, tell me, Sister. From the moment I awoke in my pod, I could commune with the Emperor, even across great space and time. I knew he would come, and he knew my general well-being. This is why I don't think he rushed straight to me, because he knew I was safe. I know that there is some chicanery going on with the Primarch souls that many other Primarchs do not know. I know that something must have been done during our creation. So, can you fill in that hole, Tanya?"

I leaned back and gave it some thought. On one hand, I did say I probably shouldn't talk about this. On the other hand, Magnus obviously had an idea of what I was talking about, and she was obviously going to be the one in charge of learning much of the spellcraft of the universe, considering how reliant they seem to be on it. They were going to be the court wizard, so having more knowledge on how the Warp might work was good in the long term.

Leaning back, I said, "I don't recall everything from my creation, but let's just say I remember a few things. There was a person that felt I wronged them and some other things that helped me be a bit more knowledgeable on how to survive my first year alone on Fenris. I appear to be an outlier, but I think we can honestly say we are all probably reincarnations of other beings that existed in this plane of existence at one point, probably some of the strongest souls to ever exist, in my estimation."

"Fascinating, fascinating," Magnus said, rubbing her chin. "Thank you for the honesty on this. It's a little bit easier to understand the universe when I have more details. Now, as for your problem with 'Being X,' if they are still poking about, they are probably potentially very weakened from the description I remember you gave. The Emperor... well he made me swear secrecy on this particular matter. But since you've been honest to me Sister and we are currently in a silence field, I would tell you that the being that the Blue One was the one who subdued 'Being X' or at the very least one of his minions. Hmm, you said that this 'Being X' was the deity of reincarnation, correct?"

"Yeah," I said matter of factly, which got Magnus to rub her chin even harder.

She said, "Well, that's a bit concerning on another front. If they are the deity of reincarnation, this possibly means that they could have affected any and all reincarnations throughout the galaxy, and since all the Primarchs are technically reincarnations..."

I made a low grumble as I realized what they were implying. "You think this 'Blue One' possibly has laid plans with regards to all the Primarchs, then."

"Exactly. What their plans are, I can't say for sure, but I would just estimate that considering the title I've assigned to them, 'Primordial Annihilators,' they have nothing good in plan for humanity. We must be careful when dealing with such entities. Have they attempted to reach out to you?"

I looked at Magnus, confused, before saying, "Reach out? Not that I'm aware of." My mind slowly drifted to the side, trying to remember the strange dream after Rangdan. Then another thought reached out to me, and I continued, "Though perhaps not me."

"A few of the Primarchs have confided in me, expressing concerns about the Warp, as if something was trying to reach out to them. So, your theory that they might be trying to reach out to us is not impossible."

Magnus nodded before saying, "This is my concern. The Primordial Annihilators will try to find a vulnerability in our defenses, some way to turn us against each other. I think... why and how, I don't know. I don't think there is any true intelligence to their plan. I believe it's simply a need to bring forth their particular forms of emotion."

"Emotion? Wait, what do you mean you don't think they have intelligence?"

Magnus shrugged before explaining, "These things in the Warp are semi-intelligent, but I don't think they are sentient like us. For the most part, they simply thrive under certain conditions: the Red One for war and bloodshed, the Blue for magic and scheming, the Green for decay and death, and the Purple... Well, let's not talk about the Purple One. They aren't intelligent enough to engineer anything major. They are driven by the continuation of these elements that allow them to exist. At least, that's my belief. The soldier who's very good at killing will hear a whisper in the back of his mind to kill more. A Mage, who was delving deep in the arcane arts, may be pushed further than they are able to go. So on and so forth."

"I don't think that's correct," I said matter of factly, before continuing, "As I said, the Warp entity that makes up Fenris, the World Spirit, is quite intelligent, handicapped by their own existence but intelligent. If the ones who exist here in the material realm are intelligent, I believe that those in the immaterial realm would be just as intelligent if not more. And though I have my problems with 'Being X,' those were always theological debates. I never doubted its intelligence; I just doubt its ability to actually do the job it was supposedly in charge of."

"You doubted the job capabilities of a being in charge of reincarnation," Magnus said, her eyebrow over her still-good eye raised.

"Being X complained about having to reincarnate as many people as it had to. I pointed out that if it's having problems doing that, then it is unable to work out a good work schedule and is a bad time management person."

Magnus flinched at that before saying, "How and when did that happen? I would ask, but I'm starting to understand why you and Being X had a little bit of a tiff, enough that it existed beyond death."

"It was all his fault, I tell you," I said matter-of-factly, believing it. As I noted that Yrsa was coming back with another pair of mugs full of coffee, clearing my throat, I continued, "Well, I think that's enough private conversation." Snapping my fingers to dispel the spell, I added, "Anyways, I think we should finish our drinks and then get back to work. There's a plan to conquer and an enemy that doesn't want to surrender easily."

"Of course, of course," Magnus said, finishing her drink and placing the glass down as another glass was set down next to the original. Yrsa was smiling as she did this, then moved over to hand me one.

Taking the glass, I continued, "So, where are you going to take your Thousand Sons? My men are trying to locate the enemy's main Mage Force. They seem to be operating out of the capital city, which will be our next target."

Magnus nodded, sipping deeply from her glass before responding, "Yes, I think we'll head to the capital. It should be completely encircled by this point from what I understand, and my men are more than capable of dealing with the enemy mages. They don't seem to have too deep a knowledge of what they're doing, or they're unable to muster anything too dangerous to stop us. With any luck, we can neutralize the enemy forces within the main city and have this war over in a month. Then we can focus on the real threat – the forces on Ark Reach II. The reports indicate they are probably some of the best mages in this sector."

I agreed, saying, "Yes, their abilities are quite capable of causing problems. And that's only from the small raiding attacks we were able to pull off. We would probably see a near 3 to 5% attrition rate of soldiers when we hit that planet. Simply put, the special forces they have would probably be well entrenched. After all, whatever's left would be on that planet – the best units they have would be there, and they would have been digging in the entire time."

Letting out a sigh, I added, "We've got to do what we've got to do. The enemy will hold up there, and we will destroy them. It's simply a matter of it."

"Of course. Though, I was wondering if we could have a bit of a conversation on one thing," Magnus said, her tone contemplative.

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "Go on, what's this 'one thing'?"

Magnus smiled and continued, "They supposedly have a library there, full of their ancient teachings of the Warp. I would like to secure it for further study on my homeworld of Prospero."

Raising my other eyebrow, I replied, "No reason not to. Assuming they don't make a last stand there, sure, if you can secure the library, you can have everything in it. Though, if we have to fight our way to take it, no guarantees you'll find everything in good order."

"Understandable, and I accept that agreement," Magnus said, finishing her drink. She got up and declared, "Now, off to work I go. Talk to you later, sister."

"See you later, sister," I responded as I watched her leave, having to close my eyes and silence a particularly distracting thought in my mind.

Lorgar Aurelian
Ark Reach I

I was breathing heavily; that didn't happen often. Usually, during a fight with the enemy, I did not have as many issues as I was having today. But, wow, the enemy was being rather stubborn about being dug in, and so I was forced to hunt them down with my mace, smashing their heads in as often as I could.

I was in the capital city of Ark Reach I, and they were not surrendering an inch of ground. They were using their strange Warp-craft to hinder our operations to break into the main core of the city. I thought we had pushed directly north into what should have been the main park area in front of their governmental buildings. Somehow, we had pushed slowly to the northeast and had come out the other side away from the governmental buildings and into my own forces. It almost resulted in me being shot. To be fair, I had been shot by a bolt that bounced off my shoulder armor and thankfully hit a building before exploding. Irritatingly it seemed my troops needed some more training to confirm their targets before shooting. Now I was trying to figure out exactly what had happened. I had been on a direct course; the compass had pointed me directly to where I wanted to be. Yet here I was, as if I had spat out from the Warp off course to the other side of the city.

Shaking my head, I wondered if I should call for aid from Magnus. With aid from either Magnus or the Thousand Sons with their unbelievable amount of knowledge on the Warp, they would probably be able to figure it out. But it wouldn't do well for me to ask for aid from my siblings at every inconvenience, it would be far too pathetic. Obviously, the enemy's Warp-craft had some effect which made navigation through the city more difficult, putting up more resistance the closer one got to key strategic locations in the city to try and draw us in the wrong direction, as I had assumed they would.

But that still didn't explain how I had been confirming my direction through navigational beacons, and yet those beacons had led me astray. Could they have some sort of tech-adepts hacking into the navigation systems of our suits to give us the wrong directions? Or was it some sort of Warp technique to generate false beacons for us to follow? I hated these Phoenix King worshippers.

"My Primarch," came a voice from a familiar soldier. Turning, I saw Erebus approaching, his tattooed face half-covered as he walked. His helmet was hanging off his belt.

"Erebus, what are you doing here? I thought you were deployed to the western side of the capital," I asked, to confirm if the same spell had affected his forces as well.

"I was, my lord, but as I moved my advanced forces through the core of the city, we seemed to have been shifted in another direction than we expected. The Wolves that were with me believe that there is some sort of Magecraft in the construction of these buildings, allowing them to reshape themselves to some extent, perhaps even reorder streets."

"What a pain," I said, shaking my head, before adding, "Perhaps we should have artillery deal with the core then. If they will not allow us to fight them for the Capitol building, we should just destroy the Capitol building now."

Erebus nodded his head, "The Wolves are of a similar opinion. They are contacting their Primarch to get confirmation on the use of artillery. They expect to receive confirmation within the hour, so we are on a bit of a break as we recover forces and hold the line here."

"Good. As soon as we get confirmation from my sister, see if we can add any of our artillery to coordinate with the bombardment. For now, we'll recover and see if we can learn anything by having a meeting with other commanders in this area," I instructed.

Erebus nodded before saying, "Kor Phaeron is not too far from here. He had tried to lead an attack on the capitol building as well, but was again prevented from doing so. He's taken over a small gentlemen's cigar club by the looks of it. Very fancy decorations and Gothic infrastructure, but it has a good view of the Capitol building due to its location."

I nodded my head before saying, "Well, that sounds like a good place to start planning. Lead the way, Erebus. I'll follow. The rest of you, secure the line. Keep the enemy from escaping. We'll figure out how to break them soon enough."

"Of course, my Primarch." Several voices chanted in unison before rejoining the line. Many of them were not necessarily Space Marines or even Marines of my own units. I saw a mix of my Word Bearers and auxiliary soldiers, some Imperial auxiliary soldiers, Fenrisian guards, as well as the Fenrisian wolves. It was a good formation. They were digging in deep, tearing up the streets, then surrounding the governmental district and digging ditches to prevent enemies from escaping. My men weren't exactly the greatest at it, but the Fenrisian guards were apparently very good. I would expect nothing less as I'd heard that they had trained under the Iron Warriors in some sort of cross-training in the last few decades. If anyone could teach soldiers how to dig a trench, it was the Iron Warriors, that was for sure.

With that, I followed Erebus through the broken streets of a city on its last legs. When this conflict is over, it would probably be cheaper to bulldoze it all and build something new, or perhaps build nothing at all. But that would be for the Administratum to decide. For the most part, my men were starting some of the groundwork, building makeshift idols to the Emperor to help the people come to understand their new place in the galaxy. However, the Administratum would probably be the one to do most of the heavy lifting. As much as I would love to take personal control over this operation, the Administratum tended to insert itself into any situation where multiple Primarchs were involved.

I had been observing some of their interesting behaviors over the last few campaigns. For instance, whenever a Primarch conquered a planet themselves, they tended to allow the Primarch to do as they pleased. But if it involved more than one Primarch, the Administratum would insert itself into the conversation, implying that they should be the ones to deal with the planet. I wondered if this was perhaps a mechanism the Emperor had put in place to prevent his children from fighting amongst themselves over the rights to a planet. After all, any time two Primarchs argued over who should have the rights to deal with a planet, it had the potential to escalate into a conflict. Having someone there to arbitrate and say, "I'm actually the one who deals with this," might have been intended to diffuse such situations.

Well, I had plenty of planets to oversee. My men were already working on a good number of them at this point. I'll admit, at the moment a not so insignificant portion of those planets were rather recent. I'll also admit that some of my forces had been tied up with those operations instead of assisting the expeditionary fleets of the great Crusade. However, with encouragement, I saw the reasons to speed up operations and hasten the process of bringing more people into the light of the Imperium, to illuminate them with the brilliant future that our God Emperor had promised.

Plus, the more work I did now, the less attention I would likely draw. I had realized this after a conversation with Tanya. She was, after all, concerned with the idea of my defiance of the Emperor. If I focused more on spreading the Imperium and delegated small cults to handle the work, instead of trying to control the entire society, it would be less noticeable. The Emperor might be less inclined to intervene directly, giving me time to continue my work without immediate scrutiny.

However, I wasn't ready to reveal my book to him yet. It still needed a little bit of work. Some segments needed to be rewritten to better clarify certain points.

Finding the well-furnished building that must be the smoking club, I entered and found a place that was far too opulent for my taste. The walls were adorned with photographs of long-lost figures, possibly the Phoenix Kings that preceded us. The wood was rich, and although some sections were damaged on the first floor, as I ascended the stairs – knowing the elevator wouldn't bear my weight – I discovered that the craftsmanship became finer the higher I went. Upon reaching the sixth floor, I entered a supremely crafted room. Every aspect of it exudes opulence, with a well-stocked liquor cabinet in one corner. This was where the city's wealthy elite once stood, looking down on the humanity they ruled over.

At one end of the room, near a large circular window, was Kor Phaeron. He held a glass of alcohol in his hand as he gazed out over the burning city, hellfire consuming large sections of the southern part.

"What happened there?" I asked, approaching until I stood next to my adopted father, both of us looking at the devastation.

"From what I've managed to piece together, my Primarch, the enemy, attempted a breakout. They set the southern city ablaze and are attempting to move towards the landing pads on the northern side. As of now, we don't believe they've succeeded, but I'm increasing the amount of air sorties in that region to ensure that if any ship tries to break through the smoke cover and enter the atmosphere, it won't get far."

"Good," I said as one of his men brought a drink for me. It was rather amusing to watch a man in Terminator armor shake alcohol over some ice before handing it to me. Taking the glass, I accepted it, saying, "Not the finest liqueur I've ever tasted, but it's serviceable." Turning to my two legion commanders, I inquired, "What information have you brought me today?"

Kor Phaeron and Erebus exchanged a glance before Kor Phaeron spoke, "It's a concern that we're bringing to you."

"A concern?" I asked, now seated. "Is something amiss with the Phoenix Kings that I'm unaware of?"

"No, not the Phoenix Kings," Erebus responded. "We're concerned about the Wolves and their veterans. They do not seem to follow the Emperor as your book dictates."

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at them both.

Kor Phaeron continued, "To be frank, I think if Primarch Russ were to raise the flag of rebellion, not only would her legion follow her favored guard and her Valkyrie would as well. The culture she has developed on Fenris and in her own empire, her people treat her almost as a demigod. Although she claims not to care for such things, she evidently doesn't prevent her people from doing so. Additionally, there are mentions of this 'All Father,' an entity that does not appear to be the Emperor. Some of her men claim it is the Emperor, while others assert it's something much older. I'm concerned that she might not be as forthcoming about her motives as we would like to believe."

"Those are bold words and an even bolder claim. I don't believe a child of the Emperor would raise a rebellion." I said, sipping my drink. "I will admit that from a few interactions I've had, she does seem to exhibit some contradictions. However, I find it hard to believe that she would assert herself above the Emperor, as you're implying. Especially without proof."

"She might not do so now," Erebus continued, "at least not yet. Many times throughout the histories I've studied, when a monarch's rule is weakened or their authority compromised, there was always a chance that a successful general would declare themselves the next ruler. I'm concerned that if an opportunity arises where Primarch Russ gains too much power, she may attempt something not out of personal desire, but because her followers want her to."

"Preposterous!" I waved my hand dismissively.

Kor Phaeron spoke up, "I mostly agree with Erebus's sentiment. While Erebus might be stretching it a bit, his concern is valid. We should consider this for all Primarchs. When we examine the situation closely, it becomes evident that certain Primarchs, such as Tanya and a few others, are thinking on a more extended timescale. Perturabo, like Tanya, seems to be consolidating territories into his own personal empires."

"Primarchs Dorn and Guilliman have already established their empires," Erebus added then continued, "Furthermore, interactions between certain Primarchs are resulting in a subtle proliferation of the notion of 'empires within the Empire.' Primarch Mortarion is a prime example. Though he showed no inclination earlier, he's now consolidating planets under his influence. Similarly, the Dark Angels have adopted this approach after the Rangdan Campaign with the 6th Legion."

"A valid point, but not every Primarch interacting with my sister is pursuing empire-building," I noted. "Vulkan, and Jaghatai Khan, for instance, are not focusing on controlling vast planetary dominions within the Imperium. They are more dedicated to fulfilling their assigned roles. And as far as I know, Nobunaga isn't actively pursuing empire-building either."

Kor nodded in agreement. "As of now, those three aren't showing tendencies towards empire-building. However, Nobunaga recently encountered a planet inhabited by his favored beastmen and has laid claim to it. He might continue on this trajectory, establishing a sanctuary for abhumans within his own territory."

Erebus nodded and added, "Maybe this trend won't lead to anything significant. However, I'm concerned that the emerging trend of empire-building might pose a problem for the Emperor. If these 'mini-empires within the Empire' go rogue, it could lead to instability. Moreover, if they were to unite, given the bureaucratic inefficiency of the Administratum, they might struggle to handle the situation. Primarchs might hesitate to suppress their peers, and even the Emperor might not intervene, as long as they operate within certain boundaries, it would be beneficial if the emperor had someone on the same level as the other primarks to deal with any situation he can't take direct action on ."

I hummed, beginning to understand their implications. "You believe we should establish our own empire, a vassal state bound by treaty to the Imperium? That would make us just dangerous as my siblings, unless… . Perhaps we should create a document signed off on by Father and the Adminastratum? By creating a formal process, we would have legal authority within limits set by the Emperor, instead of a de facto authority that is potentially limitless. We could be the first, setting precedent for the others to follow. It would certainly be less likely to result in open warfare than the Administratum trying to take these hard won conquests away from my brothers and sisters."

Kor Phaeron responded, "At the very least, having control over more planets to contribute more troops would be advantageous. The quality of the Imperial auxiliary troops is lacking. Many are untrained criminals sent to their doom. We need skilled warriors by our side, especially if we face a formidable threat, such as a reunified Eldar empire. While it may seem impossible considering our circumstances, we must remember that in our universe, anything is possible."

I nodded contemplatively, taking a sip of my drink. "I will take your thoughts into account. We currently hold an alliance with a few planetary systems, centered around our homeworld. Perhaps it's time to formalize this alliance into something stronger. However, we must tread carefully. The Emperor does not tolerate rivals to the Imperium. The Rangdan and the Phoenix Kings are reminders of this fact. Our goal should be to create something substantial yet not too large that it poses a threat. And it should remain under my control to prove my loyalty."

"Of course, my Primarch," Kor Phaeron assured. "It won't be too challenging. A few well-placed messages and our Word Bearers will work on solidifying the societies we're aiding into a proper alliance with allegiance to the Empire."

"Very well, proceed with that plan," I agreed. "I should probably discuss this with Magnus. He might be interested in joining such an alliance. While I doubt they're pursuing their own empire, they might be open to the idea of aligning with mine."

"Understood, my Primarch," Kor Phaeron replied.

I chuckled softly before continuing, "Though I highly doubt such a scenario would occur. The Imperium's resources are largely controlled by the Mechanicum. Any Primarch attempting to break away from the Imperium would find themselves without the resources needed for their war machine, leading to swift defeat."

Erebus interjected, "I'm not so certain about that. Primarch Russ has taken some unconventional steps that could make them a prime candidate for such a situation. They've established their own Mechanicum enclave in their home system, allied closely with the Squat leagues. If they were to join forces in a rebellion, they might possess the necessary resources to break free."

I laughed, finding the idea far-fetched. "Unlikely, but noted. Perhaps we should also consider forming an alliance with a faction of the Mechanicum. Pooling our resources could indeed strengthen us in the long run."

"Perhaps you're onto something," Kor Phaeron agreed. "Pooling resources and forming strategic alliances could indeed be beneficial."

I nodded in agreement. "Indeed, let's explore these possibilities."

Writers note: oh hey new chapter hope you all enjoy and look like people are getting along… make alleinces getting ready to take down the BIG bad. Guess will see how that gose.

Please comment, review, and generally enjoy yourselves…

Edited by: Y1, John Mandrage, (Golden)

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