"Gentlemen, while I hate to interrupt, could you please spare a thought for the lady who spent nine hours meticulously preparing this dinner?"
Lady Euten's slightly reproachful gaze cut through the garden, landing on the father and three sons, who were immersed in a moment of brief familial warmth.
Caelan looked up at the gathering dusk. 'So, it had gotten dark.'
No wonder it was so dim around him; he had thought the Warp was acting up.
Caelan smiled apologetically. "This is my first reunion with my sons in twenty years. I lost track of time."
Lady Euten sighed, stepped forward, and deftly smoothed the crumpled collar of Caelan's robe.
"I understand your affection for your sons, but please don't forget to maintain a father's dignity in front of them."
Though not exactly disheveled, in her eyes, Caelan had indeed lost some composure.
Guilliman and Angron remained silent. Caelan was their father.
Konor and Gallan would also be tolerant. The lower classes called it being disheveled; for Caelan, it was called being unpretentious.
The servants dared not speak out of turn.
Only Euten would dare to scold Caelan.
"Next time, for sure." Caelan's expression was very serious, not at all perfunctory.
No one had ever scolded him like this before.
Because they respected him, loved him, feared him, dreaded him. Those who respected and loved him didn't mind; those who feared and dreaded him didn't dare to mind.
Only Euten.
Guilliman and Angron both took half a step back, exchanging a glance.
"This is your mother?"
"Yes."
"I envy you."
"Thank you."
In that moment, the bond between the two brothers seemed to deepen once more.
They truly were brothers; only they could understand each other!
"And your mother?"
"Sister Claudia is too stubborn. Father is a bit afraid of her."
"I don't understand."
"She is eighteen years old this year. Father is also eighteen."
"So... why are we having this conversation?"
"This is an application of my essence. Father should have told you. Rest assured, I am not peering your inner thoughts."
"I'm not worried, brother. I have nothing to hide."
The two brothers got along very well. They both felt the other was the most reasonable and understanding brother.
"Roboute, I have met many brothers. Only you feel the most... kindred."
"What are the others like?"
"They are all brothers worth trusting with one's life."
"All thanks to Father's teachings."
"Yes. Without Father, we wouldn't be who we are."
"How long are you two going to stand there?" Caelan's voice carried across the garden. "Little Angron, Roboute, time to come home for dinner!"
"Coming, Father."
"Sorry to keep you waiting. We're on our way."
The two brothers simultaneously quickened their pace towards Caelan.
Behind them, the Astartes whispered amongst themselves on the comm channel. "Do you think there will be a place for us at the dinner table?"
Gil glanced at Vossoto. 'You, a Legion Master, are acting like a child?'
Gil said, "With all due respect, but if this is a family dinner for the Primarchs, we should not intrude."
Vossoto argued, "We are the Primarch's sons. We are also the Primarch's family!"
"Smooth." Gil had gotten used to using 'smooth' to express amazement.
Gage said, "Brother Gil, a question has been bothering me for a long time. I don't know if I should ask it."
"Then ask."
"Your Primarch has been back with the Imperium for twenty years, yet he still has the build of a youth. Why is that?"
"The Primarch has his own plans."
There are vast cultural differences between different Space Marine Legions, and their modes of warfare are also completely different.
Gil didn't expect them to understand his Primarch.
"Are they following you all the time?" Lady Euten asked quietly.
Caelan said, "It's fine. Let them follow."
Every Imperial expeditionary fleet has a diplomatic delegation. Although the Space Marines also accompany them during negotiations, they are more of a symbolic presence demonstrating Imperial military might.
But Macragge has a Primarch. They don't need to overstep.
Their sole purpose for setting foot on Macragge was to pay homage to their gene-father with almost pilgrim-like reverence.
In fact, besides guarding the Primarch, they had nothing else to do.
To welcome the Imperial delegation, Konor had prepared an unprecedentedly grand banquet at the Consul's domus.
Prominent figures from all walks of Macraggian society would attend. The Imperium would also send representatives.
The Mechanicum, Fleet Lord Commanders, Space Marine officers, Remembrancers, Order of Iterators missionaries, and Lord Generals of the Imperial Army would all be present.
Lady Euten personally supervised the banquet preparations. She specially arranged for oversized custom-made cutlery and seating for the Space Marines.
In the brilliantly lit banquet hall, aside from the overly terrifying Mechanicum Magi who were kept at a distance, the Imperial representatives were eagerly courted by the Macraggian nobility.
But the most focus was still the circle around the Primarchs and the Consuls.
Wherever they went, they became the centre of the banquet hall.
Although the Space Marines were also highly sought after, they always remained around the Primarchs, maintaining constant vigilance.
They were participating in the banquet, but they seemed more like bodyguards than guests.
SLAP!
Vossoto suddenly and roughly pushed aside a mortal. This drew attention from those nearby.
But when they saw the mortal who had been pushed, the Macraggians' expressions changed into confusion.
Because the person pushed aside was not a Macraggian noble who had offended a giant, but another Imperial representative.
And when the Imperial representatives saw who was pushed aside, they too looked away.
"What are they doing?" Lady Euten frowned. She didn't understand why the Space Marine was being so rough and clearly disapproved.
Angron thoughtfully explained to his brother's adoptive mother, "That is a Remembrancer, madam."
Caelan nodded, "That explains it."
"Why?" Euten asked.
"Every expeditionary fleet has a team of Remembrancers. They belong to the Remembrancer Order. Their job is to record the glorious deeds of the Great Crusade, so that future generations of humanity will know how humanity came to dominate the galaxy."
"They have the right to attend and observe all council meetings and record any details they deem necessary."
Euten said, "That sounds good."
Caelan explained further, "Let me put it more bluntly, Tarasha. Imagine, no matter where you go, whether you're eating, bathing, or changing clothes, a strange man is watching your every move. Would you still think it sounds good?"
A look of obvious disgust appeared in Lady Euten's eyes. "Couldn't you use a more decent analogy?"
"Forgive me, but in the eyes of the Imperium's warriors, that's exactly what Remembrancers are like. Missionaries are more approachable than them."
Remembrancers were a group of people, including but not limited to poets, journalists, photographers, painters, actors, singers, composers, chroniclers, etc.
Remembrancers would record the Great Crusade as they saw it, using their preferred methods, such as poetry, painting, historical records, photographs, news articles, etc.
To prevent Remembrancers from being rejected by expeditionary fleets, the Emperor himself had issued the Decree of Remembrance to protect their rights.
However, the Decree of Remembrance was precisely the source of the conflict.
According to the Decree of Remembrance, Remembrancers had almost unlimited permissions in recording.
And they were usually overly obsessed with the truth.
In the eyes of the Imperium's warriors, Remembrancers were a bunch of people who liked to wield a small authority as if it were a mighty weapon, harping on trivial matters.
When a Space Marine Legion captured a world at great cost in casualties, the Remembrancers wouldn't record the brave sacrifices of the Imperium's warriors. Instead, they would record how much damage the Space Marines had caused to the world, how many innocent people they had harmed.
This, of course, made the Space Marines unhappy. War isn't a dinner party; casualties are unavoidable.
The deaths of mortals are certainly unfortunate, but aren't the sacrifices of the Space Marines even more worthy of remembrance?
This attitude wasn't limited to the Space Marine Legions; the Imperial Army and Fleet Commanders didn't like them either.
But the Remembrancers' duty was precisely that. They had to record not only the glorious honours but also the shadows cast by that glory.
This led to Remembrancers being almost universally loathed within expeditionary fleets.
Like that tactless Remembrancer just now, he was clearly trying to sneak over and eavesdrop on the Consul family's gossip to record it.
Vossoto pushing him away instead of putting on a 'fine head' show was already very restrained behaviour.
Even they didn't dare pry into the Primarch's privacy. What right did a Remembrancer have to offend the Primarch?
Almost all Remembrancers shared the same stubbornness when recording history.
When the Horus Heresy erupted in 30K, many mortal Remembrancers attached to the traitor Legions followed Horus over to Chaos. Yet the traitors still slaughtered them without mercy.
Because even if the Remembrancers turned to Chaos, they would still meticulously record the Legions' betrayal.
Their primary job was chroniclers. Chroniclers must record the truth.
Caelan respected the Remembrancers' work, but if one were assigned to record how he taught the Primarchs, Caelan would still politely decline.
No one likes being watched all day, and Remembrancers were precisely that kind of people.
Euten understood and didn't pass comment.
This was an internal Imperial conflict, as long as the Space Marines weren't bullying mortals for no reason.
She was Guilliman's adoptive mother and didn't want to see her adopted son's Legion Master be that kind of person.
Euten asked, "And what are the missionaries?"
Caelan answered, "Missionaries belong to the Order of Iterators. Their sole duty is to spread Imperial Truth. They also occasionally act as advisors for Imperial forces."
"Their selection criteria are a hundred times stricter than for Space Marines. Every missionary possesses rare talent. They are natural politicians, orators, publicists, and educators. They are the voice of the Imperium."
"The Emperor is the proposer of Imperial Truth, but the missionaries are its defenders."
The Emperor didn't believe in Imperial Truth himself, but the missionaries fervently believed in it.
When the Horus Heresy broke out, the Remembrancers were either slaughtered or disbanded. Only the missionaries remained active throughout the Imperium.
Even after Imperial Truth collapsed, many of them later became the first Commissars of the Imperial Army.
And among the four mortals presented to Neoth by the Imperial Chancellor, one was a missionary.
Another of the four was a Sister of Silence. The remaining two were both from the Resurrected faction, one of whom later sided with Chaos.
Only the missionary remained loyal to the Imperium, even leading to the founding of the Inquisition millennia later.
They lived within a lie, dedicating their lives to it. This was undoubtedly a sacrifice.
Missionaries were highly respected in the Imperium.
Because Space Marines and Imperial Army soldiers were also supporters of Imperial Truth. Missionaries spreading it didn't annoy anyone; instead, Space Marines would spontaneously support them.
In contrast, Remembrancers were like sticky plasters, constantly bothering officers with questions, and the officers were forced to answer due to the Decree of Remembrance.
Both missionaries and Remembrancers were necessary, but the fact that Remembrancers were unpopular remained.
Konor interjected, "It seems the Imperium's control over faith is indeed strict and comprehensive."
Caelan said, "Because it is terrifying enough, and we know its terror all too well."
"Fortunately, I don't believe in gods." Konor's voice held a hint of relief.
Macragge's reason for rejecting religious belief was simple: they didn't want theocratic authority to supersede royal authority.
The Senate, as the symbol of secular royal power, had ruled Macragge for generations. They had no need to use religion to consolidate their position, so they naturally scorned theocracy.
If the populace indulged in ethereal beliefs, who would fear the Senate's authority?
Although they stumbled into it by accident, as long as they didn't believe in gods, there was almost no conflict with the Imperium. Joining the Imperium would face almost no obstacles.
Caelan asked, "How are the negotiations with the Imperial delegation going?"
Konor answered, "Very smoothly. The treaty of peaceful annexation has been formally signed."
The Imperial delegations had led diplomatic negotiations with tens of thousands of worlds. They were highly experienced in diplomacy.
The template treaties they brought were applicable to almost all willing human worlds.
Anyone who wanted to join the Imperium could sign the treaty the same day.
Once the treaty was signed, even if some within Macragge still objected, the Imperium had a legitimate reason to intervene.
This wasn't Imperial interference in internal affairs, but restoring order at Consul Konor's request.
"Gentlemen, this is not your council chamber for discussing politics!"
Caelan and Konor in sync admitted fault. "Our mistake."
"Their relationship seems really harmonious."
Angron's voice was very soft, with a barely perceptible trace of envy.
Caelan and Claudia's relationship was also good, but it always lacked something.
Angron didn't fight the Warp, but he also wanted a mother.
"Because they are both my parents." A gentle smile appeared in Guilliman's eyes.
"But I'm a little confused. Which of your fathers is Lady Euten the wife of?"
"Neither. My adoptive mother is my adoptive father's steward. There is no marital relationship between them. But she is still my mother."
'No marital relationship with the adoptive father, yet still a mother?'
Angron looked up at his brother, who was much taller than him. He seemed to understand!
Caelan and Claudia were not married, but they could still be his parents.
Why did his father and his mother need a marital relationship?
They could be completely independent individuals!
Why did he have to dwell on it?
Angron nodded, "I understand. Thank you, Roboute!"
"What did you understand?" Guilliman was bewildered.
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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