Chapter 10.4 – The Ghosts of Segmentum Ultima
"Angron?!" exclaimed Fulgrim, greeting the figure before him as he descended the ramp onto the Photep's flight deck.
Osiris shook his head, moving forward to great his brother. He enfolded Fulgrim in an embrace which the Primarch did not resist, surprised as he was.
"I see I'm going to have to have this conversation a great many times," he smiled, greeting his brother's astonished gaze, "No brother. Angron is dead. He died defending the Imperial Palace. I am Osiris, a Primarch reborn from the body of the Red Angel. I may share his blood and his face, but he is akin to me as a brother like yourself. He is not me. That pain has been left behind, and I wish his name to be left there as well."
The journey from Prospero had been… bumpy, to say the least. Osiris had helped the navigators wind their way through the storms, but even so there had been a few system failures which had required the surviving Astartes to fight back numerous Daemonic incursions.
Despite this the Photep, renamed the Solace Awakening, had made itself at last to Chemos, one of the many points on its journey.
"Well then it is a pleasure to meet you, Osiris," said Fulgrim, clasping his brother's arm, "You do seem more… agreeable than Angron was."
"Angron suffered a hard life," replied Osiris, "Much as many of the sons of the Emperor have. But his pain was constant, unyielding. He could not escape it. Joy was not something he knew after the Butcher's Nails were implanted, and he never had the chance to be anything other than a monster. I am what he could have been, had circumstances been different."
"A new chance then, a fresh start," nodded Fulgrim, "That is admirable. I have always said Love is a more powerful force to rule by than Fear."
"In the coming days, that truth may well be our path to victory," said Osiris, "The Imperium ruled too much through blunt force and demanded fealty. Our enemies will make this their own weapon. To counter it we must ensure that we rule not through strength of arms alone, but by the consent of the people we wish to govern. As you say, we need to rule through Love, not Terror."
"I take it Terra has fallen then, if you are here," said Fulgrim, looking around, "And I am impressed you managed to steal Magnus' favourite toy. Should we be expecting an attack any time soon?"
"Not for some time," answered Osiris, "He will be… occupied within the Warp for the immediate future. Though I do not think the trick I pulled will work a second time. His resolve will be stronger when he returns."
"You fought Magnus directly?"
"In a sense," replied Osiris, "Magnus is no longer a being purely of flesh. His essence is as much the warp as it is skin and bone. You cannot fight the warp with swords and guns alone. In my rebirth I have… abilities that allow me to combat Magnus on his own ground."
"You are a psyker?" asked a mildly suspicious Fulgrim.
"In self defence only," insisted Osiris, "I have many Sisters of Silence aboard that will vouch for my character."
"Then we have time to produce the weapons we need," sighed Fulgrim with relief, "You are not the only one who has taken to the theory that extraordinary weapons will be required in the time to come. In time I shall show them to you. I take it there were casualties during the fighting on Terra? Something in my heart tells me we lost more than we could afford."
"Yes," replied Osiris, "Angron, obviously. From what I can gather the Emperor escaped off world. Rogal Dorn did not make it, if my information is correct."
"Rogal…" muttered Fulgrim, his enthusiasm sinking, "Such a noble soul. I regret not being able to stand by his side. He is a great loss to us. Perhaps I should have stayed as he wished…"
"You would not have affected the outcome," comforted Osiris, "You have served a greater purpose in developing new ways for the Imperium to defend itself. Your fate would have been the same as mine if you had remained on Terra, and it would have gained us nothing. Take heart that the decision you made was right, and from the sacrifices made on Terra we stand a chance at restoring order once more."
"Your words are kind, and I am grateful," said Fulgrim with a smile, "But the question now arises, what should we do now? I assume your arrival here on Chemos was not entirely planned."
"It was, but as a point to a further destination," answered Osiris, "Our Father has made for Ultramar. Chemos seemed like a sensible waypoint. I suspect he will call our brothers to him there."
"Would that I could join you," frowned Fulgrim, "I fear if I were to depart with you Chemos would risk attack given our lack of Legion numbers. My forces are growing but we are yet to reach numbers necessary to secure Chemos."
"Then let me aid you in this dilemma, my Lord," said Tarik, emerging onto the flight deck, "The Solace Awakening has a compliment of six thousand Loyal Astartes, including Sister of Silence. We could easily leave the majority of that for you here on Chemos to bolster your defenses."
"Captain Torgaddon!" beamed Fulgrim, "It is good to see you alive. Is Sejanus with you?"
"Unfortunately he fell during the battle," replied Tarik, glumly, "He was not with us when we departed Prospero so I can only assume the worst."
"That is a pity…" said Fulgrim, respectfully, "But his loss shall not be in vain. And I would gladly accept your forces here to defend Chemos. If Father is calling his sons, I must be there for the gathering. Osiris, would you be willing to let me accompany you to Ultramar?"
"I would have it no other way," smiled Osiris.
There would be one other stop of note on the way to Ultramar, but their progress was still swift by the standards of the post-Imperium galaxy.
The Solace Awakening ferried the 2 Primarchs, with a few hundred warriors including a small number of Fase Pattern and Spectre Pattern Astartes prototypes on their long voyage to Macragge. The storms continued to hamper their travels, but despite it they powered through.
During this time, Osiris and Fulgrim had many debates, discussing good governance, the nature of Primarchs, and the best structure of human morality.
Fulgrim would come to regard Osiris as one of the wisest of his brothers, and whilst they did not always agree, they found more common ground and respect for each other's positions than almost any of their other siblings. Osiris respected greatly Fulgrim's drive for perfection, but warned perfection should be a means, not an ends, something which Fulgrim would take to heart in the many millennia to come.
On many an evening, the crew of the Solace Awakening could hear cheering, singing and laughter coming from the Primarch's quarters. The sound would bring relief and comfort to all who heard it.
In time, the Solace Awakening would find itself above the world of Nuceria on its lengthy journey to reunite with the Emperor.
Osiris gave the High-Riders one chance to surrender. From orbit his message was proclaimed far and wide, that any Slave Owner would face a just trial if he surrendered. None did.
And so, the brothers descended upon Nuceria. Although they had but a handful of warriors, it was more than enough to defeat the forces of the High-Riders. A Slave State is inherently unstable. It cannot stand if those with power are shown to be weak, which in time they inevitably were. Osiris and Fulgrim showed the High-Riders just how weak they really were.
Across Nuceria, Slaves rose up in revolt. Despite Osiris' pleas, there was the inevitable revanchism against the elites, with the loss of many of the young and innocent. However, when the dust settled, the Slaves had won their freedom. Osiris and Fulgrim were hailed as heroes, and what remained of the High Riders were to face their punishment before the feet of the Primarchs.
The record was set straight. The tale of how Angron had been stolen from Nuceria, not fled in cowardice, was spread far and wide. A shrine to Angron was built in the Desh'elika Mountains, a long with his comrades, so that the story of the Red Angel would live on. The truth of his horrific deeds after leaving Nuceria would be told honestly, a cautionary tale of the sins of abusing the human spirit. Osiris would never reveal his origins, allowing Angron to rest in peace.
The remaining High-Riders and their allies would face punishment. The worst offenders who refused to accept their guilt would find themselves in cold dark cells for the rest of their days. Those who admitted guilt were punished by service to the community. They would serve those whom they had enslaved, with all their wealth and finery taken to establish a new State. The High-Riders were not placed into Slavery, however. Osiris was very clear that the days of Slavery, to ALL Nucerians, was over. The High-Riders would serve out their punishments, then be accepted back as full members of society.
Osiris would see a new Republic take form under the watchful eyes of Fulgrim and himself. The desire to punish the High-Riders with death was high, and many vigilantes were imprisoned for taking so called justice into their own hands. But in time, a new peaceful norm settled on Nuceria.
The Greater Nucerian Council, along with its elected First Minister saw to the improvement of everyday life for their people. The High Courts of Nuceria, hand picked by Fulgrim and Osiris from the most honest and fair of the Nucerians, ensured despite what role a person had played in the old regime, all faced fair justice in the new one.
With a small handful of Astartes left on the world to oversee the continued operation of the new Nucerian Government, Fulgrim and Osiris departed leaving behind the seeds for a prosperous new Nuceria. Only time would tell if it would bloom or wither.
Ultramar was caught entirely by surprise by the arrival of the brothers. At first, despite the IFF code changes, the Vlka Fenryka almost destroyed the Solace Awakening entirely. Fortunately, after some hasty clarification by Fulgrim, the brothers were welcomed on Macragge as long lost family.
Ferrus and Fulgrim embraced each other in an embrace which seemed to last an eternity, so glad were they to see each other again.
Osiris and Roboute would find in each other a common ally in their beliefs for a better Imperium Secundus. Osiris would be grateful for Roboute's inner knowledge to achieve the outcomes Osiris desired, even if many of these would struggle to be enacted. Roboute would appreciate Osiris' honesty and empathy in swaying many minds to gain acceptance of his ideals.
Alpharius would be confused at Osiris' survival, for days being seen in the company of John Grammaticus discussing 'unforeseen variables'. In time however he would be a quiet but respectful comrade, their domains and paths only crossing rarely. Alpharius and Omegon judged that Osiris probably wouldn't approve of some of their more... necessary... methods...
Mortarion seemed to judge Osiris the same way he treated Fulgrim, choosing to ignore the fact the former Primarch had once been Angron. He disregarded the new Primarch with the disdain he showed for all those he judged as being pampered Princes.
Russ and Osiris would share many a tankard of mjod, telling wild stories long into the night, the Wolf King enjoying many of the tales Osiris had researched about his namesake's mythology.
Ferrus would have a level of respect, but the Gorgon remained as coldly stoic as always. The only one Ferrus showed any love for was Fulgrim. Quite often Osiris would approach Fulgrim's aid in working with Ferrus, resulting in at best a working acquaintanceship.
The greatest shock was held by the Emperor. To him, the arrival of a probability so remote he had dismissed it out of hand as impossible. Further more, Osiris bore a message from Malcador, another probability so remote it was practically unseen.
The Emperor would spend the next few weeks alone, grinding the gears of government to a standstill, much to the chagrin of Roboute.
The last words of Malcador echoed in the Emperor's mind, as he thought upon what his next course of action should be.