Lion El Johnson... The first 'born' of the Emperor, certainly not the most loved. And definetly not the strongest. But standing before him, his more aged form gave me one solid feeling beyond all others.
It wasn't the proud strength that stood out, it wasn't the collected and sharp intelligence he stared at me with. No, it was the calm steady attitude that he carried that could calm the very warp around him.
"You are not what I expected." He spoke quietly after the long silence of our mutual inspection.
I merely shrugged, as I wasn't going to ask what he thought. His thoughts didn't matter if he wasn't going to 'Attempt' to take my head off my shoulders.
Should he attempt to do so... He would be in for a rude awakening as I wasn't like any of our brothers and I had no compunctions punching a hole in the warp to throw us all into it if he made a move.
The lion's old wise eye's met my own before he said slowly. "You remind me of three of my brothers... Would you like to hear which ones?"
I tilted my head to the side and I decided to humor him and nodded.
The lion took a breath before he looked beyond me and spoke. "You remind me three of my brothers... One being the most foolish of my brothers, He believed so much in his power, in his hoarded knowledge that he believed he could do no wrong."
"Next I see a core of good, or at least the desire to do good and to protect those you care about that reminds me of the kindest of my brothers."
There was a pause as Lion El Johnson's jaw tightened before he said coldly. "But outside of that core of good that no doubt attracted... Our father's gaze. I see the fire of hatred and madness within your eye's Jake Bariss, I have seen those dark eye's of madness reflected towards me once long ago, many a time."
I was silent for a moment as I digested his words. And with a moment of thought I realized he was equating me to Magnus, Vulcan... And the Night Haunter in Conrad Curze.
I was lost in thought for a moment at being compared to the man who happily skinned people alive and threw their still living forms into the cities they once lived in.
"I am not mad like Conrad." I said quietly but firmly.
The Lion gave me one look before he said bluntly. "No? Then tell me, Jake Bariss, my little brother. What limits do you have for your revenge that burns so incandescently in your eyes?"
I opened my eyes to respond... But I realized rather dully that in my goal of making my Brother Moon, I didn't stop from using Xeno's and human bodies to make the celestial object of dead flesh I would pilot and become a god with.
Until I spoke quietly. "I will not harm humanity with my goals."
There was a long moment of tension as the Lion's heavy gaze watched me with only the hisses of the poorly maintained mechanical fields around us.
"Good. That is all that matters then. So long as the Imperium endures, the means do not matter however." The lion said a bit tiredly as his aura relaxed slightly.
But I myself didn't relax a single iota as I knew that the lion would relax before it pounced.
And my thoughts proved all to true as Lion El Johnson said plainly. "Jake, I do not want my son's to be pulled into whatever madness you have planned. Their bodily desecration, even if used to great effect, is an affront I cannot allow to taint my legion."
I gave a shallow nod before I said calmly. "I see, then you are cutting me loose then? How will you answer the Emperor's Reagent then?"
The Lion's face turned to stone before he said bluntly. "My lord brother's order was for you to be blooded. To slay the enemies of the Imperium, and here you have done so. Here, you already have a super weapon bound to yourself; here, you have your undead monster legion. You can take your... Legion of the damned and break into the Octarius Sector to take your foul spawn and bear down upon the endless tides, Orks and Tyrannids."
For a moment, I consider his words... Before I realized that in reality, his plans were perfect. For me anyway.
With no Primarch, no Custodians or otherwise watching me directly. I was going to be able to act with total impunity with my identity as a son of the God Emperor of Mankind.
Still, it didn't come without it's risks.
That's what I would think. If I didn't have a minature Halo ring ready to fire at this moment.
"Then I will be taking my ships and leaving then. It... It was good to meet you, Lion El Johnson." I spoke as I stood up with my own custom armor that was a mix of biological and mechanical mastery, silently following my movements.
If I started just flash-banging worlds with the lowest setting of the Halo Ring I had, then I may very well never see this brother again before my ascension.