Chapter 4 The Death of Secrets
Chapter 4.1 Loyalty To The Truth
Sanguinius crept quietly into the Vengeful Spirit's medbay. It was hard for a being that was significantly taller than a baseline human with great white wings to sneak around, but the advantages of being Warmaster was he could order the path he wished to travel to be cleared so he was not seen. He took great care not to disturb the apocatheries or other patients in the medbay, but made straight for his destination.
Beside the bed of Ezekyle Abaddon, Sanguinius saw the figure of Mersadie Oliton sat by his bedside, listening to First Captain speak. Seeing the Primarch approach, she stood up and bowed before Sanguinius, being as deferential as she could manage.
"My Lord Warmaster."
"Miss Oliton," said Sanguinius with a smile, "May I borrow the First Captain for a moment?"
"Of course My Lord," she said respectfully, "He is yours to command after all. I shall return tomorrow, Ezekyle. Be sure you get enough rest this night."
"I shall, Miss Oliton," said Abaddon gruffly, "I will need further energy to manage your insistent prattling."
Mersadie smiled a humorous smile, and even Abaddon broke into a mild grin. Sanguinius nodded approvingly to himself. The First Captain's empathy had improved somewhat, and even the events of Davin hadn't dampened that. Much like his talks with Sindermann, Miss Oliton provided the warrior an outlet for his mental state which would keep the worst of his excesses in check. And given the losses on Davin, it wasn't surprising the First Captain would need a confidant to speak with.
As Mersadie Oliton departed, the Primarch found a series of solid objects to sit on next to the bed of Abaddon. The ordinary chairs were design for either baseline humans or Astartes and none fit his unusual frame that was distorted even for a Primarch, but as with most things in life Sanguinius had learned to be resourceful and make things work for his needs.
"How are you, Ezekyle?" asked the Primarch resting his head on his fingers.
"Alive," grunted the First Captain, "Relieved you are still with us My Lord. You were the first thing I inquired after following my awakening."
"I am fine, Ezekyle, don't worry about me," said Sanguinius warmly, "But I must thank you for your loyalty during the events of Davin. It is regrettable what happened to the High Warden… He was only doing his duty, but the whole event has… changed things. Truths that were held sacred are now in question. Also I am sorry for the loss of Aximand. I wish it had not been so."
"He did his duty as well," said Abaddon with a defiance he didn't really feel.
"Another piece of Horus is lost…" said Sanguinius, "It breaks my heart a little more every time it happens. However we must keep moving forward. We have no choice. I would ask a favour of you, Ezekyle. One you must keep from the rest of the Legion."
"Of course my Lord," said Abaddon, straightening his posture to give the Warmaster his undivided attention, "Your will is my command."
Sanguinius leaned in so that even the improved hearing of other Astartes could not pick up his words, "I fear the death of my brother, your father, may have more complexities than previously thought. There are truths that need to be understood."
"How so, my Lord?" whispered Abaddon, a sickly feeling rising in his stomach.
"The wound I suffered here on Davin I recovered from, as you can see," whispered the Primarch, "Yet your father died from such a wound. How is this possible? How is it you, my sons, were able to save me, yet the Emperor with all his power could not save Horus? I must find an answer to this question, and I fear the Emperor has been withholding a truth from us, a truth that could have saved my brother Horus."
"If this is so…" replied Abaddon darkly, "Then the Emperor betrayed Lupercal in the most insidious way. I must admit I was beyond all hope when your injuries were revealed to be severe. I clasped onto a fools hope provided by Erebus, and whilst in my desperation I was willing to try anything, I did not honestly believe it would work. But it has. And you are right, my Lord. This does beg certain questions as to how the Emperor was unable to do this thing."
"The Emperor has hidden many secrets from me," said Sanguinius in a low voice, "Secrets I know he shared with Magnus, possibly even with your Father. The warp has power far beyond anything previously thought possible. We have now seen these powers, and as such we MUST know the truth of them, even if it would risk violating the Edicts of Nikaea. If my Father will not tell us the truth we cannot go on blindly staggering through the universe without understanding what it is we interact with. We must find answers on our own."
"Such words would be borderline treason to most, my Lord," whispered Abaddon in reply, "Most of my Legion love you as we did Lupercal, but there are those like Sejanus or Tarik that might question whether your words hid disloyalty to the Emperor."
"I cannot believe my Father would simply let Horus die," murmured Sanguinius, "But… the evidence before me is inconclusive. Perhaps I simply don't want to believe my Father considers us disposable pawns in his game. But it just doesn't make sense. I go now to speak with several of my brothers on the matter, to try and uncover the truth of my revival, and although I am scheduled to return to the Ninth I have asked Raldoron and Askaellon to keep up appearances that I am in command whilst I depart for this meeting. I would ask you to do the same thing for the Sixteenth. Lead the Legion. If any ask for me, tell them I am indisposed. For all intents and purposes, I will still be on the Red Tear, commanding the Ninth."
"Of course, my Lord," replied Abaddon quietly, "Forgive me, but there are many in the Sixteenth who would not back you especially if your conflict lay with the Emperor himself. It may be wise to remove these individuals from command, or from the Legion itself. We cannot risk a civil war within the Legion."
"No," said Sanguinius shaking his head, "I do not wish for my sons to be disturbed until I am certain of what is true. I am not yet set on a course against my Father. Also I would not ask any son to follow me who does not believe in my cause as just. IF I do find myself in conflict with my Father, I will allow those sons who do not trust the path I to depart in peace. But until then I shall let the Legions continue as normal."
"I do fear for your safety, my Lord. You could lose any conflict before it begins, expending your strength fighting your own sons as those who would stand against you circle for the kill," pointed out Abaddon gruffly.
"I will not harm any of the Legions," said Sanguinius firmly, "I am not Perturabo who decimates his own sons. I am not Angron who murders or abandons his Legion in a fit of rage. I will not lead any man who does not follow willingly, nor will I harm any man until he stands directly in my path."
"As you say, my Lord," said Abaddon, bowing his head in acceptance, "I shall speak with Askaellon and Raldoron before the fleets separate so that we can coordinate our responses to any questions. It would not do to have different answers as to your whereabouts."
"Thank you, Ezekyle," said Sanguinius, smiling broadly, "I know I can always trust in you to do the right thing."
"I shall, my Lord. I shall always ensure your secrets are protected, and your safety placed above all else. No matter the cost."
