Chapter 24: Planning for the Future
The Mechanical Sages had already coordinated the Titan Legion's deployment when word arrived of the Dark Angels' refusal. They exchanged glances and fell silent, each processing the implications.
Omega reclined in his chair, turning a cup of coffee between his massive hands. The beverage came courtesy of Sage Russell, prepared to exacting standards. His expression remained composed.
Alpharius, meanwhile, simply took Russell's cup and drained it in one draught.
"Brother," Alpharius said quietly, setting down the empty vessel, "something about this troubles me."
Omega smiled and took a measured sip of his own coffee before responding. "You and Lion El'Jonson are both men of secrets. Why can't you find common ground?"
"That's the problem." Alpharius's frustration was evident. "What I offered would have served him with no cost. The Dark Angels are wounded; their strength is depleted. He should have accepted."
"I cannot fathom his logic. Now I am doubting whether he is just another Angron? All pride, no sense?"
Omega set down his cup and laughed, a genuine sound, warm and knowing. The Mechanical Sages watched the exchange with interest as he spoke with deliberate care.
"Perhaps the fault lies not with Lion El'Jonson, but with the Emperor."
Alpharius went still. "What do you mean?" The implication troubled him.
Was there something between the Emperor and the Lord of the First that neither of them understood?
Omega laid out his reasoning. "The Emperor's wisdom exceeds all question. Lion El'Jonson has placed his own will beneath His hand. He confines himself to duty in the present moment."
"He will serve whomever the Emperor chooses as commander, whether himself or another. Until the Emperor speaks, he reveals nothing of his own ambitions. He cannot risk showing our Father even a shadow of personal desire."
"So he does want the Warmaster's seat?" Alpharius asked, his tone layered with meaning.
"Whether he wants it or refuses it, only Lion El'Jonson knows. That is the Dark Angels' secret. We will just waste effort divining the thoughts of others. It's a hollow pursuit."
"How is it hollow when you're analyzing him now?"
"It's Speculation, nothing provable."
"Fair."
Alpharius found that dealing with another secretive Primarch exhausted him far more than usual conversations with Omega. He studied his brother carefully, beginning his own calculations.
Omega sensed the scrutiny and rolled his eyes, returning to his coffee with an expression caught between amusement and mild discomfort.
The Mechanical Sages, observing this silent examination, had to suppress laughter at the sight of two transhuman intellects circling each other with mutual wariness.
It was not just satisfying but truly fortunate to have two Primarchs who could resolve confusion through dialogue, and it was equally entertaining to watch them observe one another like predators assessing threats.
Alpharius knew Omega had spent the past decade mastering Legion command and technical warfare.
Yet Omega had never stood before the Emperor. Alpharius could not be certain of his brother's true thoughts.
He regarded Omega thoughtfully. "Will you share a secret with me?"
The Mechanical Sages stiffened at the question. Everyone kept secrets; that was the nature of power. But secrets remained secrets precisely because they stayed unspoken.
Russell and the others speculated privately: Omega's secret surely concerned cuisine, technological advancement, or perhaps military doctrine.
Under their curious gazes, Omega studied Alpharius's thoughtful expression, considered for a moment, and nodded.
"Yes. I intend to study the Rangdan Aliens' mimicry capabilities. I want to understand the knowledge and technology underlying their abilities. Since it involves xenos technology, I need your advice."
The revelation struck them like a physical blow.
The Emperor had issued explicit decrees: Rangdan technology must be destroyed completely. No research. No exceptions.
After the initial shock faded, Alpharius asked carefully, "Why pursue their abilities? Do you want their bio-engineering as well?"
Omega replied with certainty, "Their bio-engineering doesn't interest me. Only the mimicry itself, the underlying principles of how they transform. This relates directly to us. By studying how their transformation works, we can better understand what the Emperor made us."
Apothecary Russell understood immediately. "My Lord, you intend to unravel your own abilities by studying alien mimicry. It's a remarkable approach, and there are indeed profound parallels."
"If such research proceeds, I will participate," Alpharius declared. He held the Rangdan in disdain, yet understanding the Primarchs' own nature was too valuable to refuse.
The Mechanical Sages had already conducted preliminary research into Rangdan physiology, structural composition, and bioengineering to comprehend the alien species' nature and capabilities.
When Omega proposed his thesis, the Sages embraced it immediately. They burned with curiosity about what drove a Primarch's abilities.
The alien archive within that space fortress became invaluable. Alpharius commanded his forces to seize every scrap of data and every weapon bearing Rangdan's technological signature.
The Dark Angels noticed the seizure and reported it to Lion El'Jonson. He asked no questions, simply ordering the fortress consigned to the system's sun.
When the void-battle above the Basiank system concluded, the Alpha Legion withdrew in orderly fashion, consolidating their forces for the journey home. They left the aftermath to the Dark Angels.
They had arrived with over seven hundred warships. They departed with barely three hundred, many bearing combat scars and requiring urgent repairs.
Mindful of the Warp's dangers, Mechanicus technical teams completed restoration work at the system's edge before transit was attempted.
A fortnight later, the fleet translated back to Forge World Shana via the immaterium.
As the vessels docked and the Mechanical Sages coordinated repairs and accounted for their losses, both Primarchs gazed out upon the rust-colored surface of their domain. The passage of time weighed on them, as immutable as the forge itself.
What had once seemed magnificent and vast—a thousand void-vessels bearing Legion strength—now returned diminished.
Space Marines fallen to enemy weapons or the void. Warships destroyed or grievously wounded, the mathematics of attrition rendered in blood and void-steel.
Alpharius gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Anyone uninformed might think us a mere company of some lesser Legion. A decade has passed, and our thousand-ship fleet has never recovered."
Omega, understanding the harsh reality of warp, spoke with quiet resolve. "Among all the Primarchs, Robert Guilliman's Thirteenth Legion—the Ultramarines—commands the greatest numbers, their fleet numbers into the thousands, with logistics and transport vessels bringing the total near ten thousand. We could study his methods and learn from his approach."
Alpharius opened his mouth, then laughed. His brother's ambition was formidable. "How? We have no Ultramar—that jewel of prosperity. Guilliman is simply more fortunate than every other Primarch. He was given not merely a world, but an entire stellar domain."
"No Primarch hears of such abundance without feeling its weight of absence."
"This star region's resources are already distributed among all the Legions. Even that falls short of what we need. I recall you yourself arguing that unchecked exploitation breeds planetary instability."
Omega's expression grew resolute. "Yet Guilliman's void-fleet far exceeds ours. Did his Five Hundred Worlds descend into chaos? No. Therefore, a solution exists, one rooted in his governance methods."
"We lack five hundred worlds. But we can begin now. Apply Guilliman's administrative principles to our holdings. Encourage development and exploit planetary resources our victories have brought within reach."
"Population, resources, technology, we will accumulate these over decades, perhaps centuries. Even if we gain governance of only one hundred worlds, the Alpha Legion's strength will expand significantly."
"How do we begin?" Alpharius asked, his excitement evident.
"I haven't determined the specifics yet."
Alpharius "..."
Alpharius burst into laughter, undeterred.
His new determination remained unchanged. With Omega at his side, he believed nothing lay beyond their grasp.
[End of Chapter]