The friction that had long simmered between Lion El'Jonson and Roboute Guilliman smoothed over instantly with Vulkan's presence acting as a buffer.
However, as the three Primarchs remained immersed in their exchange, a combined detail of Adeptus Custodes and Imperial Fists abruptly arrived on the scene. As the Astartes stepped aside, a mechanical form of hauntingly familiar design appeared in their midst.
It was the backup chassis known as the Emissary.
"Axion?"
The automaton nodded, its metallic head tilting as a simulated smile spread across its silver-white face, a gesture of programmed cordiality that radiated zero warmth.
"Based on protocol, I have opted for face-to-face communication in non-emergency circumstances."
"Vulkan, Lord of Drakes. While this unit has agreed to provide the necessary elixirs, I must insist on efficiency. Chemical synthesis requires time, and you have failed to specify the required dosage volume. Provide sufficient data to this unit immediately."
Vulkan, though moved by the reunion with his brothers, had not forgotten his primary purpose. He sought to purge the genetic flaws of his sons, to ensure they would no longer suffer the catastrophic mutations inherent to their gene-seed. But at this moment, he did not know exactly how many of his progeny remained active across the Imperium.
To resolve this, Vulkan turned to his brothers. Upon learning that the Iron Men were assisting Vulkan in curing his sons' genetic afflictions, both the Lion and Guilliman were visibly stunned.
The Lion remained deeply distrustful of machines born of such ancient, forbidden technology. Guilliman, however, remained silent, his mind racing. Knowing the nature of the Iron Men, he couldn't help but wonder what price Vulkan had paid to secure their aid. He had no way of knowing that Vulkan had, in fact, done nothing at all.
Regardless of his suspicions, Guilliman was more than happy to assist. When the Indomitus Crusade was launched, the Torchbearer fleets he organized had made contact with almost every loyalist Chapter they encountered. This had not only brought hope and reinforcements to the Chapters but had allowed Guilliman to compile an exhaustive record of the Imperium's vast Astartes forces.
Soon, a data-slate was brought to the hall by the Ultramarines. Vulkan and the Lion pored over the roster, which detailed nearly every active Chapter within the Imperium.
An awkward silence quickly fell.
In the list, the number of Successor Chapters explicitly claiming descent from the Ultramarines approached four hundred. This did not even include those of "unconfirmed" lineage.
Faced with the peculiar stares of the Lion and Vulkan, Guilliman could only manage an embarrassed, thin smile. He truly didn't know how his lineage had become so prolific; during the ten millennia of his stasis, too many things had happened that defied his own logic.
As the list scrolled further, the three Primarchs noted the entries for the Space Wolves, Imperial Fists, and Blood Angels. Combined, the successors of these three Legions did not even total four hundred.
Vulkan looked with surprise at the additional notations behind many of the Blood Angels' successors.
"Roboute, what does this 'Reconstituted' tag mean?"
With a heavy heart, Guilliman recounted the Devastation of Baal. Had his own sons not arrived to reinforce the system, the Blood Angels would have likely suffered the same fate as the original Imperial Fists – complete erasure. Hearing of the Tyranid invasion and the harrowing sacrifice of his brother's sons, even Vulkan felt a surge of righteous fury.
Then, they reached the Dark Angels. The list contained only a handful of names. Vulkan looked at the Lion in shock.
"Has your lineage suffered a disaster on the scale of Baal as well, Lion?"
Guilliman let out a huff of irritation. "Don't mind him, Vulkan. You know the Lion's... eccentricities."
At Guilliman's prompt, Vulkan suddenly recalled his brother's secretive nature and nodded understandingly at the Lion, who looked distinctly disinclined to elaborate.
As they scrolled deeper, the numbers grew sparser. The Iron Hands and their successors numbered barely over eighty. The White Scars had just over seventy. The Salamanders and the Raven Guard, mother Chapters included, hovered at a mere sixty each.
Then there were nearly a hundred Chapters of unknown origin, names like the Blood Ravens, the White Templars, and the Carcharodons. Some were standard Codex-compliant Chapters of a thousand battle-brothers; others were on the brink of extinction, reduced to mere dozens or hundreds of warriors. Conversely, some were massive entities whose numbers likely exceeded several thousand.
Vulkan looked at the meager number of his own progeny, his heart a whirlpool of complex emotions.
"Roboute, give me a more detailed dossier. I must go and see my sons."
Guilliman nodded silently. He did not share Vulkan's level of anxiety regarding his progeny. His own gene-seed was the most stable and produced in the highest volume; his sons were resilient by nature. No matter the blow, they invariably found a way to stand back up.
After a few hours of further discussion, Vulkan and the Lion prepared to depart Terra. Vulkan needed to return to Nocturne to locate his flagship. The Lion, meanwhile, was effectively kicked off the throneworld by Guilliman. Without Vulkan there to moderate his mood, the Lord Regent found his blood pressure spiking every time he looked at his meddlesome elder brother.
Vulkan boarded the Titan's Spear once more. As the Warp-conduit tore open, the Fire King felt a rare sense of anticipation.
…
While Vulkan traveled toward Nocturne, Guilliman was sharing the good news with Archmagos Belisarius Cawl.
Cawl, busy with his endless research, had initially intended to offer a grand rhetorical flourish upon hearing of another Primarch's return, until he heard the name "Vulkan."
The Archmagos fell into a long, uncharacteristic silence. Among the loyalist lineages, the Salamanders' gene-seed was notoriously unstable, possessing an exceptionally high mutation rate. While most mutations were technically "benign," they were nonetheless indicative of an erratic genetic foundation.
After the Lord of Drakes had vanished, Cawl had used Salamander gene-seed for certain "forbidden" mutagenic experiments, quietly forging specialized Astartes units to assist his own clandestine agendas.
Despite his tampering, the gene-seed born of a Primarch, handcrafted by the Emperor, retained a fierce distinctiveness. Almost all of Cawl's secret Salamander-derived warriors eventually sought out their roots and were absorbed by the parent Chapter. Except for one.
The Chapter known as the Black Vipers.
The Salamanders were aware of their existence, but the Black Vipers were the result of a taboo experiment Cawl had conducted in the shadows. This was why the Dark Krakens, the Covenant of Fire, and the Dragonspears had all eventually returned to the fold, while this solitary Chapter remained shrouded in secrecy.