Chapter 3 The Truth Unmasked
Chapter 3.1 I Was There The Day The Warmaster Destroyed The Imperial Palace
The world was called Terra, or so it claimed. It claimed to be cradle of humanity, which had survived Old Night, and now awaited the return of its long lost kin to return home and unite under the one true Master of Mankind, The Emperor of Terra. The absurdity was not lost on The Warmaster, nor the Ninth and Sixteenth Legions that discovered the world. But they were undeniable human, both genetically and culturally, and so bringing them into compliance with the Imperium was required, one way or another.
Diplomatic envoys were sent. A squad each of Sons of Horus and Sons of Sanguinius were sent as escorts to the baseline human diplomats sent to this new 'Terra'. The Warmaster had decreed all diplomatic envoys should be comprised primarily of agents from the dedicated Diplomat Corps attached to the Expeditionary Fleets, since transhuman dread was a serious concern, and treating with a baseline human would avoid unnecessary discomfort from the peoples they wished to incorporate into the Imperium. The exception took place when Sanguinius himself conducted the negotiations, which happened frequently as few could refuse the golden Angel of the Emperor.
In the case of 'Terra' however, this was to turn out to be considerably more problematic. The Astartes escorting the human diplomat did not pay due deference to this 'Emperor', and in his rage the 'Emperor' had the entire diplomatic envoy executed to a man. When the escort vessel returned to the Warmaster's fleets to report on the events that had transpired, Sanguinius was reported to have been apoplectic with fury.
Since he was serving with the Sixteenth at this time, Sanguinius detached the Vengeful Spirit, command ship of the Sixteenth Legion, and a number of support and escort ships to deal with the matter personally. First Captain Abaddon was instructed to continue the compliance taking place, though he insisted that Sanguinius take a member of the Mournival with him for his personal protection. The other members of the Mournival drew lots and it was Hastur Sejanus who was assigned to go with the Warmaster.
The Vengeful Spirit arrived in proximity to 'Terra', on schedule. Upon returning to real space, and approaching an orbital vector of the planet, Sanguinius ordered communications be established with the planet below. Whilst their technology was in some ways crude and rudimentary compared with Imperium standards, a line of communications was finally established, and Sanguinius began to speak with the world.
"My greetings to you, world of Terra. I am Warmaster Sanguinius, Primarch of the Ninth Legion, Primarch of the Sixteenth Legion, leader of the Imperium's Great Crusade to reunite humanity under the cloak of brotherhood. I wish to speak with the leader of your world, the one holding the title of 'Emperor'."
"I am he," came the smooth calm reply, "You should count yourself lucky that you cower in your mighty warships far beyond my grasp. Once again the representatives of the Imperium come before me. Once again, you fail to give due deference to me, The Master of Mankind, The Emperor of Holy Terra, and saviour and protector of our species through Old Night. Once again, you refuse to bow to my rule and rejoin the brotherhood of humanity I have kept safe here on our home world of Terra. I give you one last chance to come before me in supplication, or be gone from this world, ever to suffer the penalty of death should you return."
Sanguinius rolled his eyes as he looked over at Forth Company Captain Sejanus stood beside his grand command chair on the deck of the Vengeful Spirit. Sejanus smirked back with a nod. The absurdity of the exchange was not lost on anyone present.
"Emperor," replied Sanguinius, "I do not cower here. With a word I could descend from the skies and burn your world to ashes. I possess the force to remove your entire history from the galactic record with nothing but ruins to tell your tale. But I come not as a destroyer, but as a long lost brother, who has come to take you back into the TRUE fold of humanity. I come from the TRUE Emperor on the TRUE Terra, and his Imperium stretches the length of the entire galaxy. You have already slighted him by killing his envoy. You have also slighted ME personally. I sent Twenty of my sons as part of the delegation. Twenty of my sons you murdered in cold blood. I come to give you once last chance to submit peacefully to rejoin the Imperium. Do not be a fool and throw the lives of your people away."
"A fool? A FOOL?" came the enraged reply, "You demand subservience to your False Emperor on your False Terra and you call ME a fool? ME! The One Who Saved Humanity? Would that you were here and I would take your head and place it next to that of your supposed sons. Begone, agent of the False Emperor or take what is coming to you!"
Sanguinius grabbed the armrest of the command chair. Sejanus could see the dark rage of the Primarch boiling just beneath the surface. It was not rage for the insult or slights the voice had made on The Warmaster himself. It was the rage for the callous disregard for the lives of his sons, both those Sons of Sanguinius and Sons of Horus who now lay dead somewhere on the planet below. The Great Angel's patience was wearing thin, and when it expired nothing would be able to 'The Emperor' from his wrath.
"You murdered diplomatic envoys sent to you in peace," snapped Sanguinius, "That alone breaks the most basic covenant of our species. It is not for a lord or commander to murder a messenger delivering tidings to his house, nor slay a negotiator acting in good faith. The fact you break this simple of human contracts calls into question your very humanity itself. You are not fit to be the so called 'Master of Mankind'. You actions reveal only your pride and arrogance of your rule, and if you will not treat with us as equal children of humanity, then we shall do so from a position of superior strength. This is your last and final warning. Submit to me now, or I shall bring an end to your rule with whatever means I possess."
The vox communications from 'The Emperor' descended in a line of vile expletives the like of which few on the bridge had ever heard. The 'Emperor' raged and spat at the Warmaster with insults of the most virulent kind. Sanguinius continued to sit on his command chair, complete unphased. He raised his left hand slowly half way upright, fingers partially extended to the ceiling of the deck, then dropped it issuing a single command.
"Fire."
From the bow of the Vengeful Spirit, and host of other ships came a bloom of fire. Bolts of lancing energy and missiles descended screaming to the planet below, all hitting the central 'Imperial Palace' and its immediate surroundings. The diatribe of the 'Emperor' suddenly halted reducing the communications line to static. But the volley of ordinance continued.
More and more blasts speared into the surface of the planet, the region targeted for bombardment was completely leveled. As more kinetic force was applied to the area, a massive crater was dug, ensuring that any basement levels that could possibly exist were completely eradicated. Nothing remained of the heart of the power but smoldering ash, and hole almost deep enough for a titan to stand below ground level.
Sanguinius signaled an end to bombardment. Sejanus, stood close beside his Lord turned to him with concern written over his face.
"My Lord, I wish to speak with you. Not as Forth Captain of the Sons of Horus, but as Sejanus, member of your Mournival. I would speak plainly, if you would permit me my Lord."
"Of course, Sejanus," said Sanguinius, nodding and turning to face the Astartes, "I would always have you speak honestly to me. But if you have concerns about the aggressiveness of my actions I pray you do not worry. The former ruler of this world freely attacked agents of the Imperium on a diplomatic mission. It would not do to let the wider galaxy know they could attack our agents without severe retribution. Further, I doubt he would have ever have considered submitting to the Imperium's rule. He would have needed to be eliminated, one way or another."
"I do not doubt that, my Lord," nodded Sejanus, "My concern is not regarding the removal of this self proclaimed 'Emperor'. That was undoubtably necessary. My concern with how you have been conducting recent compliances since your appointment as Warmaster. There has been a growing trend noticed by many that cannot be ignored."
Sanguinius raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"What trend would this be, Sejanus."
"Well, my Lord," Sejanus pressed on, lowering his voice so only Sanguinius could hear, "It regards the losses of the Legions, or rather the lack thereof. Since you became Warmaster the losses of both the Ninth and Sixteenth Legions has decreased significantly. Our casualty rates for Astartes are the lowest across all the expeditionary fleets and Legions. However, our auxiliary losses are some of the highest. This is somewhat offset by your numerous diplomatic interventions which have made a considerable impact in lowering the losses of our expeditions significantly. However it has not gone unnoticed by the Legions that we are committed almost exclusively to battles where our technological advantage allows us to win decisively with few or no losses."
Sanguinius raise a hand to his temple as Sejanus continued.
"This has been kept quiet by the Mournivals to ensure no slight on your abilities as a commander get out, but it will only be a matter of time before the Imperial Army takes notice of their losses and complaints begin to surface. Also this matter before us will cause a significant amount of collateral damage. The death toll of the civilians in the area you targeted will be immense. And this is not the first time the civilian population has suffered under such harsh reprisals from us. Actions like this make compliance much harder for the Army as it will radicalize much of the population against the rule of the Imperium. This in itself makes maintaining compliance for our local governors much more precarious."
Sanguinius nodded at Sejanus and let out a long repressed sigh.
"So my actions have finally become noticeable even to the Mournivals. I cannot deny the truth any longer. Yes, Sejanus, I have been shielding you all from battle. Originally I was attempting to protect the Sons of Horus from harm, but I realised it would be cruel of me to not do the same for my own sons. And so I have tried to shield you all. But it seems in my eagerness to be fair to those sons under my care I have not been fair to the rest of the forces under my command… And our auxiliaries are paying the price for my miserly actions in refusing to spend your lives."
"But why, my Lord?" asked Sejanus softly, "We are Astartes, bred for war. You deprive us of our very purpose."
"Because every time one of your Legion dies, a piece of Horus dies with you," said Sanguinius sadly, "I know the Astartes can replenish the losses, but every new Son of Horus is one who never knew Horus in life, never knew his charisma, his smile, his personality. They carry his blood, but his memory slowly fades as the Sixteenth Legion bleeds away its finest. In time there will be none left who remember Horus as anything more than a name, a symbol, not the man he was."
"But it was always to be so," replied Sejanus, "None live forever. Except perhaps the Emperor exalted above all. But you do us a disservice not letting us do what we are made for. The Mournivals had significant discussions on whether we should tell you this. Abaddon and Nassir Amit argued you should be told bluntly that you were depriving them of battle and glory, robbing them of a chance to join battles worth fighting. Azkaellon argued you should not be told, and we should simply continue to cover for you regardless of the consequences. I argued you should be told, but not because of our loss of glory, but because your standing would diminish if members of the Imperial Army saw you as a butcher of men. Your reputation as Warmaster, and as Primarch, must not be called into question for your sake, and for the Crusades'."
Sanguinius nodded in understanding.
"Your point is well made, Sejanus. My fear of losing what remains of my brother has led me to poor tactical planning. I must be willing to let go of my brother's sons, and if they fall to hold their memory as close as the one I already do. But I must let the Astartes fight the battles that no one else can fight. Thank you, Senjanus. I am glad it is you who is here speaking these words to me, I fear they would not have been as easy to hear from another."
"That is why," said Sejanus, grinning, "I rigged the lots to see who would join you on this mission, Warmaster. Tarik knew of course, but he seemed to trust my judgement and said nothing."
Sanguinius smiled once more, saying, "You each impress me, Sejanus, every one of you in my Mournivals. Your Father was wise to have you close, and I am glad I have you with me now."
The compliance of the world renamed Sixty Three Nineteen, over its traditional name of 'Terra' was conducted swiftly and efficiently. Sanguinius led the detatchments of Sons of Horus and Sons of Sanguinius directly, with Sejanus by his side. Whilst some resistance was gathered, the loss of the Palace and overall command led to a fragmented response to the attack which was ultimately futile. Even some of the rebellious elements outside the capital were quickly dispatched, without loss to the Astartes.
In time, Sixty Three Nineteen would become a model world of Imperial compliance. Though it would take decades, or even centuries, in time its inhabitants would forget the old stories of the pre-Imperium world. The name Samus would never be spoken amongst the populace, nor would the name Samus come to trouble the Imperium or its people. But names far more infamous, and far more deadly would prove to be a plague that could not be easily denied.
