Aboard the Shadow's Sovereignty, Primarch's Office.
"Luther salutes the Primarch, Lord Nareth, and thanks you for your timely intervention in slaying the xenos."
Luther, with his neat black hair, resolute features, and thick beard, spoke respectfully.
The image of the golden light imprisoning the Slaught in amber flashed through his mind.
Nareth scrutinized Luther. The Primarch keenly noticed the suppressed turmoil hidden in his eyes, sorrow and anxiety plagued him.
He looked weathered, much older than his augmented body suggested.
Luther was, in a very real sense, the Lion's adoptive father, though they had never addressed each other as such.
He had named the Lion. In Calibanite, Lion El'Jonson meant 'The Lion, Son of the Forest.'
As the most renowned hero of his generation, Luther would have been the greatest hero of any age on Caliban... except this one.
He had slain more great beasts than anyone, except the Lion.
Luther and the Lion had led the expeditions against the great beasts together. But when it was over, the Lion received all the glory.
They were adoptive father and son, and also brothers-in-arms who fought side-by-side.
They had once been inseparable. Now they were estranged, like strangers.
In name, Luther was the Dark Angels second-in-command, but in reality, he was relegated to training neophytes.
He led Astartes, yet he himself had only undergone partial implantation surgery.
Nareth's pupils contracted slightly. He had already found a breakthrough to "corrode" Luther.
'Luther craves power. He secretly kept the Chaos tomes they seized.'
As Nareth pondered, the other Dark Angel spoke.
"Zahariel salutes you, and thanks you for your aid."
Nareth's gaze shifted to Zahariel, pausing for a moment on the special sword at his waist.
The Lion Sword.
After Zahariel slew the lion-beast, avenging his master Amadis, he had extracted the beast's sharp teeth.
He had earned the respect of all the knights and the Lion's friendship. The Lion had personally forged the Lion Sword for him.
Nareth then thought of his cousin, Nemiel, who would one day be killed by the Lion's flying fist.
'Who would have thought that Nemiel, who would later condemn the Lion for defying the Emperor's decree at the Council of Nikaea and having no right to use psykers, had once, upon the Lion's arrival on Caliban, conspired with others to assassinate him?'
'And the one who stopped them was Zahariel.'
Thinking of Zahariel and Nemiel, and their future fates, Nareth mused with some emotion.
'Once loyal, Zahariel, personally tested by the Emperor himself, will become one of the first Fallen.'
'But Nemiel, who led the Inner Circle knights in an attempt to assassinate the Emperor, becomes his faithful follower, his head punched off defending the Emperor's decree.'
'What a ironic reversal of fate.'
The Primarch's lips curled slightly as he reined in his thoughts. From their eyes and expressions, he saw the melancholy of exile.
'Zahariel, since becoming a Dark Angel, has never had a chance to prove himself.'
'The only operation he participated in was the Sarosh Incident. He persuaded Luther, and he was the one who jettisoned the nuclear device from the Invincible Reason.'
'He played a decisive role in the Sarosh Incident, yet still, for being Luther's adjutant, he was mercilessly exiled, ending his brief two-year stint in the Crusade.'
Nareth thought of Zahariel's adherence to Caliban First. He would rationally assess the situation and not cling stubbornly to loyalty to the Lion. He would become a Fallen.
'He can be "corroded," even more easily than Balsar Kurthuri.'
'Zahariel's abilities, however, far surpass most Legion Librarians, including Balsar. His psychic talent is quite special.'
'He is valued by both the Lion and Luther. He is the only Dark Angel the Lion has ever called 'hero' and 'kinsman.''
"My Lord," Luther said, his eyes flickering as he presented his prepared explanation. "Caliban came under xenos attack. I led the fleet in pursuit."
"En route, I received an astropathic distress call from Port Aquila's Governor and came to render aid."
"Hmm." Nareth nodded slightly, not probing Luther's explanation.
'While possible, it's not the main reason you're here.'
'You still chafe at being a mere spectator to the Great Crusade, stuck on Caliban training neophytes.'
'With the Imperium's north under invasion, your actions here might go unnoticed.'
His gaze coalesced, a playful thought occurring to him.
'No need for such secrecy. Everything you desire, I can give you.'
'Opportunities for glory. The power you crave. Even Caliban, which you wish to protect.'
'I will give you all of it!'
Cold sweat beaded on Luther's brow. Just as he began to feel uneasy, Nareth spoke.
"The xenos invasion of the Imperium is unprecedented. Caliban needs a fleet for its protection."
The Primarch paused deliberately, seeing through Luther and Zahariel's dimmed eyes to the deep melancholy within, before continuing with a smile.
"I will provide you with that opportunity. You may come aboard the Shadow's Sovereignty and accompany me."
"I welcome the Dark Angels to join us."
Nareth spoke with a smile, thinking to himself.
'I'll take as many as you have. Ten thousand isn't too few, several tens of thousands isn't too many.'
Luther and Zahariel's eyes gleamed. They spoke in unison.
"Thank You, my Lord. We will not disappoint Your trust."
Nareth watched their departing backs, a smile curling his lips.
'Lion, since you disdain them, I might as well do you a kindness and take your sons off your hands.'
He thought of the paternal tenderness the Lion would display ten thousand years later, reconciling with the Fallen.
With a patience he did not currently possess, he would forgive sons who shot at him, sons who drew blades against him.
He would allow sons to not swear fealty to him, accept their demands, receive their oaths...
'Lion, with your hair and beard white with age, you'll have to work so hard reconciling with your sons.'
'Now, you won't have to tire yourself out like that.'
'You're welcome, Lion El'Jonson.'
Having decided to take on this selfless, mutually beneficial, anonymous good deed, Nareth instructed Arsena Dunn, who stood attentively nearby.
"Make arrangements for the Dark Angels. Let them all settle in aboard the Shadow's Sovereignty."
"Pay special attention to these names: Zabriel, Afikal, Librarian Bevydan..."
Nareth listed dozens of Fallen with outstanding abilities. The list did not include high-ranking figures like Merir Astelan, Cypher, or Israfil.
They had not come with Luther to see him; they were likely left behind on Caliban.
Nareth wasn't concerned about missing them. By "corroding" Luther, the pivotal figure, most of the Fallen and future neophytes would already fall under his control.
As Nareth pondered, Luther and Zahariel boarded the shuttle.
Luther, repressed for nearly twenty years, sat comfortably in his seat and said with a smile to Zahariel opposite him.
"Zahariel, our gamble has paid off, better than even our best expectations."
Zahariel looked at Lord Luther, understanding the pressure he bore.
All of Lord Luther's followers had been exiled back to Caliban, watching their former comrades follow the Lion into the stars, winning glory.
Lord Luther had been searching for a way out. Now, he had found it.
"My Lord, I hope the glory we win will earn the Lion's forgiveness."
Zahariel saw the shadow that fell across Luther's eyes and immediately regretted his inopportune words.
He quickly raised another topic that would interest Luther. "Lord Nareth possesses special, powerful abilities."
"That Captain, she could use mental attacks on the worm-creature. The golden scales on her body were more defensive than power armor."
"I've never seen such abilities. I think..."
Zahariel spoke thoughtfully, voicing his speculation.
"Her power might come from Lord Nareth himself."
Luther's eyes lit up. If he could obtain such power, even without undergoing the full genetic augmentation, he could intimidate all Dark Angels.
Perhaps even...
Eleven standard days later, the two fleets set sail.
Three thousand three hundred Dark Angels among Luther's followers did not return to Caliban. They boarded the Shadow's Sovereignty.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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