In truth, Kratos had decided on a name long ago, from the very first time his grandfather, the Emperor, had spoken to him of the matter. His Legion would be called the Sons of Axis.
He was greatly favored by his grandfather. Although he was not a Primarch and possessed no gene-seed, the Emperor had granted him treatment and status nearly equal to that of a Primarch.
"The Sons of Axis. Very well, that name will do." Axis rubbed his chin and nodded at his son.
He mused that naming conventions in the Warhammer universe were rather strange. There were the Emperor's Children, the Sons of Horus, and now the Sons of Axis. It felt as if this was to be a successor legion to his own.
"My lord Father," Kratos declared with a determined expression, "I will select a new homeworld for the Legion. I will not fail your expectations. I will carry forth the spirit of the Golden Legion and make it glorious."
"I believe you can," Axis said, "In the century I was gone, you have already proven yourself. Under your command, the Golden Legion is no weaker than any other Legion led by a Primarch. As for a homeworld, I think you can keep Nuceria. Consider it a gift from me. I will go and find a new planet to serve as my own homeworld."
Axis still wanted to choose the planet Catachan as his homeworld.
Unfortunately, even by the end of the Great Crusade, he had searched the entire Imperial archives and found no record of such a planet. Axis planned to search for it himself after the Great Betrayal was over.
"That will not do, my lord Father!" Kratos immediately refused Axis's proposal, "Everything the Golden Legion has is on Nuceria. The planet is the very core of our Legion. Hundreds of surrounding Imperial worlds operate in its orbit. I have already taken one hundred and fifty thousand Legionaries with me. I could never accept Nuceria as my homeworld. Besides, I have already chosen one for myself."
He scoffed at the idea.
He had already received a force of 150,000 men from his father, the very foundation upon which he would build his new Legion. As for a homeworld, it had to be one he chose personally. He would not accept Nuceria.
"Axis, Kratos is right," Guilliman interjected, "A Legion's homeworld is its symbol. Nuceria is the homeworld of the Golden Legion. That is of immense importance to them. You may dote on your son, but a Legion homeworld cannot simply be given away as a gift."
Guilliman thought to himself that Axis was being far too reckless.
Nuceria had been the heart of the Golden Legion for over a hundred years. It held deep spiritual and emotional significance for them, much like Macragge did for the Ultramarines.
Even Sanguinius, standing to the side, nodded in agreement.
"Alright then," Axis conceded, "Choose a planet for yourself. Do you have a suitable candidate in mind?" He privately resolved that when Catachan was eventually discovered, he would find a way to claim it as one of the Golden Legion's recruiting worlds.
"My lord Father, I have already selected a suitable planet," Kratos explained, "It is a world I discovered during the Great Crusade, which I have long used as a supply base. Its population has reached eight billion. There is also a forge world and an agri-world in the neighboring orbits, along with several mining worlds. The entire star system can serve as my Legion's headquarters."
He had selected this planet decades ago, and the Emperor had already dispatched logistical personnel to aid in its development.
The agri-world and mining worlds had been established in recent decades.
"I see. What is this planet's name?" Axis asked.
"I have not yet given it a formal designation, my lord Father. I believe you are the one who should have the right to name this planet," Kratos said.
This was a momentous day for him.
He had finally received his true name, Kratos, bestowed upon him by his parents, and now he had his own Legion. It was only fitting that his father also grant a new name to its homeworld.
"Hmm," Axis stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Let us call it Planet Vegeta. That was the name of my old home."
Kasha, who was still scouring the wrap, twitched her eyelids. Again with the vegetable.
Planet Vegeta, the place of his birth. It seemed fitting to use its name for his son's Legion homeworld.
"Planet Vegeta. I understand, my lord Father. My homeworld shall be called Planet Vegeta," Kratos confirmed. The name of the world where his father was born was indeed a fitting choice.
From that day forward, the Sons of Axis Legion was officially founded. Its homeworld was designated Planet Vegeta, while the nearby agri-world and forge world were named Vegeta II and Vegeta III, respectively.
At the same moment father and son were settling on these matters, Kasha, who had been sitting on the ground searching the Warp, opened her eyes.
"Axis, I have found Jaghatai Khan," she announced, her eyes glowing with a golden light. She had successfully located the Khan's fleet.
"How far are they from Macragge? Can you guide them here?" Axis asked.
"No problem. I will guide them now. They must have also seen the light of the Pharos, which is how they found the right direction. Otherwise, the White Scars' fleet might have been lost in the Warp for a very long time," Kasha replied.
Simultaneously, aboard Jaghatai Khan's flagship, Swordstorm, Kasha's voice echoed across the bridge as she established a connection with the Primarch.
The Navigator on board was instantly alarmed, thinking they had encountered a great enemy of Chaos.
However, a glimmer of golden light that followed quickly reassured him, for it was the power of the Emperor.
"Jaghatai, do not resist. It is I, Kasha. I will now guide your fleet to Macragge," her voice resonated through the vessel.
"Is that you, Sister Kasha? I understand. I will have the fleet follow your lead," Jaghatai Khan replied.
He had lost track of how long they had been navigating the Warp. This mission had turned out to be somewhat embarrassing, as it seemed Kasha and Axis had already reached the Macragge system ahead of him.
With Kasha's psychic guidance, a golden path unfurled in the Immaterium. Jaghatai Khan's fleet rapidly advanced towards Macragge, reaching the target system in just three days.
During those three days, the Ultramarines began erasing all traces of the Imperium Secundus using special measures.
They sealed all documents and records pertaining to it, telling the general populace that the recent events had been part of a special military exercise.
Though news of the Second Empire had spread across the 500 Worlds of Ultramar, with a bit of control and a blackout enforced by all the planetary governors, the memory would fade. In a few decades, the citizens would forget the incident, and the Imperium Secundus would be sealed away forever.
At the same time, the dismantling of the Pharos device began. Axis and Kasha took the opportunity to spend time with their son, listening to him recount the events of the past several decades.
It was a heartwarming family reunion. After a century of separation, Axis was finally together with his family again.
Kratos told them many stories.
He recalled how in his infancy he had believed a woman named Euten was his mother, and it was only after arriving on Holy Terra that the Emperor revealed his true parentage.
Axis and Kasha expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Lady Euten. Axis personally gifted her a phase-teleportation bracelet and Tree of Might fruits.
By the time the White Scars' fleet arrived at Macragge, most traces of the Imperium Secundus had been wiped clean.
Jaghatai Khan, accompanied by several of his sons, took a lander down to the surface of Macragge to meet with Guilliman, Sanguinius, Axis, and the others.
"I never imagined," Jaghatai said, looking at Axis with a hint of resignation, "that you would depart after me yet arrive at Macragge first."
He knew that if he had not seen the strange beacon of light from the planet, confirming it was the Astronomican-like device he was searching for, he might still be lost in the tides of the Warp.
"Anything can happen during Warp travel," Axis replied, "It was just as possible you could have arrived before me. But the end result is what matters. At least you reached your destination safely." He grimaced inwardly at the sheer unreliability of Warp travel.
He knew that the superluminal engine, capable of safe travel at forty times the speed of light within a range of dozens of light-years, had to be deployed as soon as possible.
As for the Webway Project, Axis had a faint premonition that it might not succeed.
"Let's dispense with the pleasantries, Axis," Jaghatai said, his tone turning serious, "I must complete our father's orders. I am here to bring the Pharos system back to the Imperium." It was the mission the Emperor had given him, and he would see it done, no matter what.
"Of course," Axis said, "This time, Sanguinius and Guilliman will return to Holy Terra with you. You will also be responsible for escorting two rather special prisoners."
"Special prisoners? Who are they?" the Khan asked.
"One is Lorgar, whom I captured. The other is a Chaos Space Marine from ten thousand years in the future. The situation is this..." Axis proceeded to recount the war that had taken place on his former homeworld.
"Lorgar? And a Chaos Space Marine from ten thousand years in the future? That is truly difficult to believe," Jaghatai said, his interest piqued, "May I see this warrior from the future?"
"Certainly," Axis replied, "Guilliman and Sanguinius should come as well. It's time you all met this Chaos Space Marine from the days to come."
The other two Primarchs had been busy for days destroying evidence of the Imperium Secundus and had not had time to see the captives. Now was the perfect opportunity.
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ps?