Guilliman shook his head.
Jaghatai Khan had never come to the 500 Worlds of Ultramar, not even close. If the Khan had appeared anywhere near the realm, he would have been notified immediately. He certainly would not have been left to establish this so-called "Imperium Secundus" and bring such humiliation upon himself.
"Father, we have received no word of any Imperial vessels arriving in Ultramar," Kratos reported to Axis. "And there has been no news of Jaghatai Khan at all."
Sanguinius, standing beside them, nodded in agreement.
"Kasha," Axis said, turning to his wife, "use your psychic abilities. See if you can find them in the Warp. If you can, guide them here."
"I understand. I will try," Kasha replied, setting aside the joy of seeing her son. She immersed her consciousness completely into the Immaterium to begin the search for Jaghatai Khan's White Scars fleet.
While Kasha was occupied, Axis continued his conversation with Guilliman and Sanguinius. He began by explaining the current state of the Imperium and revealing which of their brothers had turned traitor.
He described the disastrous battles on Isstvan III and Isstvan V, where the loyalists had suffered a catastrophic blow, leaving three legions shattered. He also mentioned that Lion El'Jonson, Leman Russ, the Iron Warriors, and the Children of Tomorrow were all engaged in a desperate fight against the Rangdan Xenos on the front lines.
"A truly brutal war," Sanguinius remarked somberly, "To be honest, I never imagined Horus and Fulgrim would betray our Father."
Horus had been the Emperor's most favored son, and Fulgrim's standing was second only to his. Otherwise, his legion would not have been granted the honor of being named the Emperor's Children.
It was only in recent decades that Kratos's rise had captured some of the Emperor's affection.
But even so, Horus remained the Warmaster of the Imperium. After the Emperor's return to Holy Terra, it was Horus who truly led the Great Crusade.
"I will kill these traitors with my own hands," Kratos vowed.
"By the way, Axis," Guilliman asked, "did you dispatch Jaghatai Khan to bring all three of our legions back to Holy Terra?"
"No," Axis replied, "I sent him to retrieve the Pharos system you have established here, this second beacon that functions similarly to the Astronomican. You both know how violent the warp storms have become. The Emperor and Magnus now sit upon the Golden Throne together just to maintain clear communication in a small sector of space.
"Even then, they cover less than a tenth of the Imperium. It is barely enough to ensure basic communication and warp travel within a few regions. With the aid of your Pharos system, the Emperor's Astronomican could pierce through the raging storms, opening a new, safe route for all Imperial vessels to travel and communicate through the Warp."
"I see," Guilliman said with a nod, "I understand, Axis. I will immediately give the order to begin dismantling the Pharos. We will bring it back to Holy Terra completely intact, along with all the intelligence we have gathered." He understood that warp travel and communication had become exceedingly difficult. If the Pharos could augment the Astronomican, he was more than willing to give it up. Everything was for the sake of the Imperium of Man.
"Guilliman, Sanguinius," Axis asked suddenly, "what are your current views on the Imperium and the Emperor?"
In the original timeline, both Guilliman and Sanguinius had been staunch loyalists. Sanguinius had even been killed by Horus during the final battle for Terra. Yet, Axis knew of another timeline where the Great Betrayal was not started by Horus, but by Guilliman, with Sanguinius at his side.
Since Horus had started this rebellion, Axis had assumed he was in the primary timeline. But after encountering the Chaos-champion Khârn from ten thousand years in the future, he understood his reality was just one of many parallel universes. He needed to confirm the loyalty of Guilliman and Sanguinius one last time.
"Axis, you can't possibly suspect us of betraying the Emperor, can you?" Guilliman said, his tone firm, "I will disband Imperium Secundus at once. I will personally travel to Holy Terra to atone for this transgression before our Father. Whatever punishment he deems fit, I will accept it gladly. But please, believe in my loyalty."
"Axis, I too will go to Holy Terra and beg our Father's forgiveness," Sanguinius added with a grave expressionm "But my loyalty to the Emperor and the Imperium remains absolute. I would die for them both." They had no excuse for the matter of Imperium Secundus and could only seek the Emperor's mercy.
"The Imperium has been wracked by betrayal," Axis explained, "I must be certain of every primarch's allegiance to the Emperor and the Imperium. Previously, I even had Kasha probe the minds of every member of the Children of Tomorrow, and the Iron Warriors to confirm their loyalty."
"Father!" Kratos interjected, "If necessary, my Golden Legion and the legions of my uncles can all submit to mother's scrutiny!"
"That will not be necessary. I can confirm the three of you are loyal. Would I not trust my own son?" Axis said, "Besides, the information I have from the future confirms your loyalty."
"Information from the future?" Sanguinius's expression changed, "Axis, have you seen something in the Warp?" The future he had foreseen for himself was one where he would die at the hands of his most beloved brother.
"I have indeed seen visions of the future in the Warp," Axis confirmed, "For example, I saw the Iron Warriors' primarch, Perturabo, betray the Emperor. But as it turned out, the Iron Warriors remained loyal. More than that, I have a prisoner from the future."
"A prisoner from the future? What do you mean?" Sanguinius and Guilliman asked in unison, utterly confused by the statement.
"It is exactly as it sounds. You may not be aware, but a few months ago, Lorgar attempted to invade my domain while I was away and Kratos's main force was engaged elsewhere. However, the Emperor foresaw this, and I was able to return to Nuceria ahead of schedule through the Eldar Webway, thwarting Lorgar's plot.
"In doing so, I captured an unexpected prize: a Chaos Space Marine from the future. The Champion of Chaos, Khârn, a being from a dark and hopeless future ten thousand years from now." Axis dropped this stunning revelation, leaving the three of them speechless.
Kratos was especially shocked.
A terrible thought occurred to him. "Father," he asked, his face paling, "the Khârn you speak of... is it, could it possibly be, Khârn, the First Captain of the Golden Legion?"
This was not good news.
Khârn had watched him grow up and, in many ways, was both a mentor and a friend. Kratos could accept Horus's betrayal, but he could not stomach Khârn's.
"No, not the Khârn you know," Axis clarified, "This Khârn is not that Khârn. His life was entirely different. In his timeline, he was always a son of Angron. The Khârn of our legion has always been my son, a loyal member of the Golden Legion. In fact, he was the one who personally defeated Lorgar and captured him."
Axis then recounted the details of that battle to the others.
"Wait, Axis, you're saying you captured Lorgar?" Guilliman asked, astonished.
"That is correct," Axis confirmed, "Lorgar is now my prisoner. I intend to transport him to Holy Terra to face the Emperor's judgment."
"Now that is truly excellent news!" Sanguinius declared, "That despicable traitor will receive the punishment he deserves and pay the price for his shameful heresy." The display of power was undeniable.
Axis did not even have to act himself; his most powerful son alone was capable of felling a primarch.
"Axis, what are our Father's orders for Sanguinius and me?" Guilliman asked, "Shall we march against Horus's traitor host?" Combined, their three legions numbered over 600,000 Astartes, approaching the 700,000 mark.
Furthermore, Macragge possessed a simplified gene-seed implantation procedure that could reduce a Space Marine's creation time by several years. If needed, he could raise an army of over 100,000 new Astartes in a few years.
Had he not been consciously limiting his legion's size, Guilliman could have expanded the Ultramarines to over a million strong within some few decade. No other legion in the entire Imperium could boast such capabilities. Axis's Golden Legion stood at around 280,000, while Sanguinius's Blood Angels numbered over 180,000.
Axis shrugged with a hint of frustration. "If we could find Horus, you wouldn't be needed. I could go alone, cripple him, and annihilate his entire legion. The problem is, we cannot find him." He wanted nothing more than to locate Horus, destroy the traitor, and see if fate could truly be broken.
But Horus was now a phantom. Flitting across the galaxy with the Warp as his ally, he was impossible to track. Unless he revealed himself, finding him was out of the question.
"Perhaps once our Pharos is connected to the Astronomican on Terra, and communications are restored across the Imperium, we will be able to locate Horus," Guilliman suggested.
"That is what I am hoping," Axis said, "Which is why the two of you can transport a special prisoner back to Holy Terra for me."
"The two of us will transport the prisoner?" Sanguinius asked, "Then what about you, Kratos, and Kasha?"
"I have my own business to attend to. I need to plant more Tree of Might. There are still four planets to visit. I will not be able to return to Holy Terra for at least two or three months," Axis explained.
Sanguinius's expression changed dramatically. "Axis, you have been planting the Tree of Might fruit this whole time? Does this mean Father has approved Magnus's plan?" he asked intently.
Kratos and Guilliman looked at the two of them, puzzled by the mention of Magnus's plan.
"Yes," Axis nodded, "The Emperor has approved Magnus's plan. You are one of the candidates, along with Lion El'Jonson and Leman Russ."
"I never thought Father would agree to such a plan," Sanguinius said, "If it is only Horus we face, Axis, I believe I could defeat him myself. There would be no need for you or our Father to intervene."
"It is not so simple," Axis countered, "You have no idea the pressure the Emperor is under. The four Chaos Gods stand behind Horus. His power is now far beyond your imagination. Only the Emperor and I can be certain of defeating him." The version of Horus empowered by the Ruinous Powers was nearly as strong as the Emperor.
The final battle was less a duel between Emperor and Horus and more a confrontation between the Emperor and the four Chaos Gods using Horus's body as a vessel. And while the Emperor had ultimately destroyed Horus's body and soul, the Chaos Gods themselves had suffered little.
Not to mention, the Dark King was lurking in the shadows, orchestrating events to ensure the Emperor would be interred on the Golden Throne, a goal shared by the four Chaos Gods.
"I understand, Axis. Guilliman and I will return to Holy Terra," Sanguinius said with a decisive nod.
"Good," Axis replied, "And Kratos, I have a message for you from the Emperor. From this day forward, you are granted the full status of a Primarch and will command your own legion. It will be formed from my Golden Legion. The 150,000 warriors under your command will be its foundation."
"I understand, Father," Kratos acknowledged with a nod. His grandfather had spoken to him about this before. His father's sons would become his legion. He had already been treated like a primarch for some time. As for the details of Magnus and the Emperor's plan, he knew better than to ask.
"You should choose a name for your new legion."
"Father, I have already decided," he declared, "My legion will be called the Sons of Axis."
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ps? it's 200 ps per bonus chapter!