Terra took Horus's breath away, even after they had descended from orbit.
His father's capital was like nothing Horus had ever seen. Many of Cthonia's gang-lords tried to make their domains grander and more imposing, to show off their money and power, but even the richest gang on Cthonia didn't have anything like this.
His father's fortress, Bai-heng, was literally a hive carved into a mountain, reaching so far into the sky that the peak was wreathed in white clouds. Golden spires and silver platforms decorated the mountain like enormous jewels, with smaller airships buzzing around it like insects.
In the valley below lay an enormous, glittering city. It wasn't quite as grand as Bai-heng itself, but it was still fascinating. From the Epona, Horus could see an erratic mix of buildings such as grey skyscrapers and factories that wouldn't have been out of place on Cthonia, white palaces that looked like they were trying to copy Bai-heng and an enormous number of smaller buildings in a dizzying array of colours.
And the forest! Horus had never seen anything like that before, with tall, proud trees rising high into the sky, their green leaves practically shining.
Even the sky and air wasn't quite as dark as Cthonia. Or at least, as Cthonia used to be. Horus wondered why his father hadn't tested his experimental device here on Terra instead. Why Cthonia instead of his home world?
Horus couldn't help but be excited by it all as the Epona finally landed, eager to explore all that he had seen, but there was one thing making it hard: his father.
The Emperor had seemed to share his excitement for the last few days, until just half an hour ago, as they had finally come within sight of Bai-heng.
They had been talking, and then the Emperor had abruptly told Horus to get ready to leave the ship and then disappeared.
Now, as Horus and his friends all stood in the hangar bay of the ship, preparing to leave, his father was nowhere to be seen despite his promises to show him the Bai-heng hive.
What had happened?
"Hey, where's your dad, boss?" Arrec asked, eyeing the Custodians standing a short distance away a little nervously. While his gang had warmed to the Emperor considerably, they couldn't help but regard the Custodians and Space Marines with some nervousness.
"I don't know." Horus admitted, irritated at having to admit it.
Alyssa, leaning against a wall, frowned uneasily. "Did something happen?"
"No." Horus muttered. "We were just looking down on Terra, and he was telling me what he was going to show me. Then, suddenly, his mood changed, he told me to get ready to get off the ship and then he left."
"Hmm." Alyssa said, clearly puzzling it over.
"Too bad we have to leave this ship," Erik said, looking back wistfully at where they'd come from their rooms. "Damn nice place to live."
"My father told me we'd be getting an even nicer place to live soon." Horus told him. The ship was fascinating, but he really wanted to see Terra.
"Even nicer than this?" Erik said, his eyebrows rising. "Damn."
"Never mind where we're going to live, we're going to see another planet." Ezekyle said, looking excited. His mood had improved considerably over the last few days, and he seemed as in awe of the Emperor as anyone. "Another planet, just like Mikael from the old legends!"
Mikael was an old myth on Cthonia, of a man who had built a ship that could sail the stars, and explored a thousand new worlds, bringing back vast wealth and glory to Cthonia.
Every child on Cthonia dreamed of being like him, and Horus had always believed he would be. He just hadn't thought that day would come so soon.
"Horus."
They all turned at the sound of the Emperor's voice, who was striding towards them, a grim expression on his face.
"Horus, I've received some news from Terra, and there are matters I need to tend to urgently." The Emperor said briskly. "We'll talk later, but for now, I'll be sending you and your friends to settle in your new homes. Are we understood?"
"Yes, father." Horus said automatically, even as questions nagged at him. "But-"
"Good." The Emperor said, not letting Horus finish. "Be good son, and don't cause any trouble."
With that, the Emperor strode away towards the hangar door, which opened as he approached it, a ramp lowering, and the Emperor descended down it rapidly. Horus and the gang followed as quickly as they could, struggling to keep up with the Emperor's much larger strides.
They were unable to catch up, but as he reached the top of the ramp Horus caught a glimpse of his father walking away from the ship with a shorter figure in a hooded cloak and robes at his side, the two of them already baffling far.
And at the bottom of the ramp was another Custodian. This one was taller and larger than the others, his golden armour with more decorations and medals, a large, gilded spear in his hand. All of Horus's instincts screamed at him that this man was dangerous, more so than anyone he had ever met save the Emperor himself. Not even the Space Marines or other Custodians made Horus as nervous as this one did.
And the spear he was holding…something about it was strange, reminding Horus of his father for some reason, but he was unable to say why.
Before he could think about it too deeply, the Custodian called up to him, his voice deep and thunderous, carrying to them easily despite the distance. "Greetings, Lord Primarch. I am Constantin Valdor, Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes. Your father has entrusted me with the security of you and your companions for the time. Accommodations have been arranged for you all, please follow me."
Horus exchanged a look with his friends. This new Custodes was even more intimidating than the rest, but what else could they do?
With little other choice, they descended down the ramp to meet Valdor.
"Form a line, please." Valdor said, his voice even more intimidating up close. "Not you, Lord Primarch, but it would be best if the rest of you could move in an orderly fashion."
Horus frowned, but couldn't quite bring himself to object. His gang, usually rowdy and rebellious, fell into line quietly, all of them eyeing the Captain-General nervously.
Valdor led them down the platform towards a large gate leading into the mountain, Horus at his side and the rest of them in a not-quite straight line behind him.
There were people milling around everywhere, who peered at them curiously, but none of them came close, Valdor's presence like an invisible, moving shield.
Horus wanted to ignore the Custodian and go talk to them, to explore the fortress on his own…but something told him Valdor wouldn't like that. More than Valdor, Horus suspected his father wouldn't like that and the idea of displeasing the Emperor made something inside him squirm.
The inside of the fortress was as impressive as the outside, decoracted in a fashion similar to the Epona but even richer and more magnificent, with hallways so tall and wide that even Valdor was utterly untroubled by them.
They kept walking deeper and deeper into the mountain, the various people they saw bowing respectfully from a distance, but staying away.
It was all incredibly awkward and uncomfortable, and Horus longed to make conversation, to say something, anything, but Valdor's presence was too much. Everything about the Captain-General set Horus on edge for some reason he couldn't identify. He had dealt with threats before, but no one had ever made him feel like this.
A quick glance at his friends revealed that they were also unusually quiet and subdued, and not talking among themselves like Horus would have expected.
Finally, Valdor stopped in front of a set of large doors, where there were a bunch of normal humans in white and gold uniforms waiting for them.
"Lord Primarch," A man at the front with greying brown hair and pale skin said, stepping forward and bowing deeply, before speaking in accented but understandable Cthonian. Horus wondered where he had learn it.
"I welcome you and your companions to this place," The man said formally. "I am Hadrian. These are the accommodations for your companions, and have been outfitted to make them all as comfortable as possible. If you require anything else, I and the rest of the staff are available to procure it for them."
"Wait, my companions? What about me?" Horus demanded.
Hadrian seemed taken aback, but before he answer, Valdor spoke.
"Lord Primarch, your chambers are not here. I will be escorting you to them shortly"
"Wait, what?" Horus said, indignation overcoming his nervousness of Valdor. "This is my gang! I have to stay with them."
"The Emperor has informed me that you are to stay in the royal chambers with him." Valdor replied. "You may come down to interact with your friends whenever you please."
The servants and Horus's gang all watched the exchange, eyes bouncing back between the two of them, the servants especially looking shocked, but Horus ignored them.
"No." Horus said firmly. "These are my people, and I'm going to stay with them. I don't care what you say."
For the first time, the Custodian seemed to…not hesitate, but pause. "It is against your father's wishes."
"If my father has a problem with it, he can take it up with me." Horus growled. He thought the Emperor wouldn't try this again after the Epona. He would not be separated from his gang. They were his.
There was a long silence, and for several terse moments, Horus wondered if Valdor would try to force him to his chambers. But finally…
"...very well. You may stay here until the Emperor comes to fetch you."
With those words, Valdor turned on his heel in a movement so fluid it should have been impossible, and strode away, deeper into the halls of Bai-heng.
Horus watched him go as his gang burst into chattering behind him, satisfied at his success, but unable to ignore the sudden pit in his stomach.
"Narthan Dume and his generals have fallen to Chaos." Malcador informed the Emperor grimly as they entered the latter's study. "I am not sure how long he has been corrupted, but all the evidence that we've gathered leads me to believe that the Four have been planning this for some time."
A thunderous scowl crossed the Emperor's face as they strode down the long carpet to his desk. "What did they do?"
"The Pan-Pacific Empire launched a new assault on our border, with a number of warptech weapons not seen since the fall of Ursh. I suppose now we know where Kalagann's remaining pet sorcerers went."
"They knew I'd leave as soon as I located Horus." The Emperor said coldly, and Malcador could see his mind whirring, calculating and considering the various outcomes "What happened on the border?"
Malcador's grip on staff tightened, his knuckles going white. "Nothing good. They took our forces by surprise, and if not for the Fourth Legion, might have managed to overrun the border fortress and outpost entirely, allowing them to invade our territory while you were gone. The battle is still raging, as a matter of fact. I have dispatched Custodians to investigate and back up the Fourth Legion."
"Ushotan did well, then." The Emperor mused as he strode over to the window, gazing out at Bai-heng with his hands clasped behind him. Despite his calm tone, Malcador could see the reflection of his eyes in the mirror as they glowed, slowly but steadily turning a molten gold. Outside, the sun was setting, casting an ominous red glow upon the heart of the Imperium.
"He did." Malcador agreed, taking a seat at the desk. There was a time when the Thunder Warrior Legions would never have been given anything as mundane as border duty, they were too berserk, too reckless, too arrogant. A hammer and never a shield.
Those days were behind them, thankfully…but the reason for that was also likely the reason for this.
The Emperor was quiet for a moment, even as his presence in the Immaterium crackled with thunder and flame. "What of the Pan-Pacific Empire itself? How much of it has been overrun by Chaos?"
"We are still gathering information, but all reports indicate that the vast majority of the Empire's leadership, ranging from Dume's highest generals to most of the regional governors are all corrupted by Chaos. A few are still holding out, but Dume is working on purging them. I have already dispatched offers to the renegades."
"And on the ground level?"
"The usual human sacrifice has begun, and Dume's scientists have begun gathering even more test subjects," Not that Dume's 'research camps' had ever been anything less than monstrous, but this was a new low. "But we do not think Chaos has truly consumed any significant territory yet. The situation may yet be salvaged."
"That is good news, at least."
The Emperor's rage did not abate in the slightest, however, and he doubted his next words would improve Revelation's mood. But this was the most important thing of all.
"There is one more thing. We believe that Dume has discovered an STC, and is working on reactivating and producing it."
In the silence that followed, the Emperor's aura, already a sun to Malcador's senses, became even harsher and more wrathful, almost becoming a supernova in its blinding light and power. A lesser man would have been forced to his knees, and even Malcador could not help his heavier breathing, glad he had taken the opportunity to sit down.
"They dare?" The Emperor said softly. "To try this again?"
"It seems so." Malcador said, leaning back in his chair, trying to conceal his trepidation. Even he found the Emperor's fury unnerving, though he could hardly blame him. Malcador had been born in the twilight of humanity's Golden Age, just before the galaxy had burned in iron and warpfire. He knew all too well what Iron Men in thrall to Chaos could do.
- fighting infinite legions of iron soldiers warped by ruin and sorcery, their eye glowing with malicious fire, watching world after world crumble and burn. Friends and comrades dying each day, and hope dying with them, spending decades trapped in the same battle, wondering if there was even anything left fighting for-
"I truly thought Kalagann would be the last of the Chaos warlords. I saw nothing of this in my visions." The Emperor's voice simmered with barely contained rage.
"We expected something like this for a while. Chaos was bound to react to the rapid acceleration of our plans thanks to Isha." Malcador replied as evenly as he could through the choking haze of his friend's power.
Their original plans had projected at least another half century to bring Terra and the rest of Sol to compliance. Isha's aid meant that even Malcador's most pessimistic estimates had shortened that time span to another twenty years before they could begin expanding beyond Sol.
A response from Chaos to their unexpected speed and victories had been inevitable. But this was still a disaster. Mopping up even singular city-states corrupted by Chaos was a painful and time consuming process, and having to do it for the largest remaining empire outside of the Imperium itself…
Not to mention the obvious lengths Chaos had gone to in order to prevent them from detecting this. For all that even the Emperor's foresight was far less clear than it had once been, rarely had Chaos managed to conceal something from him so completely, to the point none of them had even suspected Dume of falling.
In fact, the only other time that Malcador could think of had been the theft of the Primarchs.
"And they certainly have other plans in the works as well."
"No doubt."
For a long moment, there was silence. The Emperor's gaze became distant as he cast his gaze beyond the veil of time to both look upon the Pan-Pacific Empire as it was now and to assess all the possible futures that he could, seeking to penetrate any shroud that Chaos may have laid upon them. In the Warp, his power condensed, no less bright than it had been a few moments, but becoming more focused to cut through the haze of madness that lay upon the Sea of Souls.
After what was a moment in reality but an eternity in its poisoned mirror, the Emperor turned, his eyes refocusing on Malcador.
"I will deal with the Pan-Pacific Empire myself." He said. "Prepare the Aetos Dios . Summon the entire Legio Custodes, I want the entirety of the Ten Thousand with me. Gather all the Space Marines that have no critical duties and deploy them as well. I have no intention of allowing Chaos to ruin so much of our effort. Inform Isha that she is to prioritize the production of war rations and medicines, especially to counter Chaos."
The Emperor paused for a moment, apparently considering something. "Also tell her that her access to the rest of Bai-heng is restricted until I return. She is to stay within the fortress at all times, under the wards."
Malcador grimaced but nodded. Isha would be undoubtedly displeased by such a restriction, but with the Emperor gone for however long it would take to deal with the Pan-Pacific Empire, some of the freedom they had given her would have to be revoked.
"I will do as you say. But what of the boy?"
"Horus will be fine." The Emperor said briskly. "He is a Primarch, he can be self-sufficient for a time. I want you to begin on his education, and find him the best teachers."
"Very well. Will you speak to him before you go, at least?"
"No, there is no time."
Malcador frowned slightly. "He will feel abandoned." The Sigillite warned. "You met him only a few short days ago and now you are already leaving."
"I will make it up to him when I return." The Emperor said shortly. "Send the Aetos Dios with the gathered forces. I will be going ahead on my own."
And before Malcador could say anything else, the Emperor erupted into flames and vanished.
Author's Note: As always, the next chapter is on my P-a-t-r-e-o-n.
Apologies for the lateness, I forget to post this chapter here even after I'd posted it on other sites.