Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor

'Hmm? What's the Emperor playing at? Hinting I should choose that damned spear? Not a chance.'

With a pleasant smile on his face, Nareth replied,

 "Indeed, I shall select a weapon."

With a hint of mischief, he stepped to the left, paused two seconds in front of the Dionysian Spear, then walked right past it toward the silver power gauntlet.

"I choose this one."

The Emperor's golden eyes flashed with a subtle trace of disappointment. Smiling, he still seemed to be giving Nareth another chance.

"This opportunity comes but once. Are you certain?"

"I'll let you reconsider."

"No need. I've made my decision. This is the one I want."

The flicker of disappointment in the Emperor's eyes deepened, noticeably enough for Nareth's sharp senses to detect.

Feigning ignorance, Nareth turned to look at the gauntlet again.

The Emperor stepped forward. Even though he was disappointed, he honored his promise and explained the item to his son.

"This gauntlet was obtained during the Unification Wars. Its original owner was the techno-warlord Gimalyon."

"In battle, it released an invisible field that immobilized an entire squad of Custodians."

"After I killed Gimalyon, I added it to my collection. I later discovered that it occasionally emits golden light, and nearby items would behave strangely, as though…"

The Emperor's golden eyes gleamed as he found the right word:

"Ordered. Objects around it rearranged themselves according to some inner logic."

"More than a dozen weapons in my vault moved from their original spots and lined up by size."

"Eventually, I had to install a rune field to stop these anomalies."

As he spoke, the Emperor deactivated the rune array, and his eyes swept over Nareth's left hand.

"Gimalyon had a cybernetic left arm, likely customized to wear this gauntlet."

"It should fit you perfectly."

Nareth picked up the silver gauntlet and slid it onto his hand, feeling an odd sensation immediately.

With the Emperor right in front of him, he didn't explore further, just adjusted and secured it in place.

He opened his left palm, then clenched it firmly.

'A perfect fit. Smooth and flexible.'

"Let's go," said the Emperor, taking the lead.

Nareth followed, suppressing his surging spiritual senses and curiosity about the gauntlet.

Then the Emperor spoke again:

"I've spoken with your brother, Horus. He'll help you adapt, and the two of you will work together."

"When he deems you ready, you'll take full command of Fleet 33 for your own campaign."

Nareth nodded. He knew that every Primarch returning to the Imperium went through a similar process. There were three main mentors: The Emperor, Malcador, and Horus.

Both Vulkan and Horus were personally trained by the Emperor. Leman Russ learned under Malcador.

But since the Emperor and Malcador were often busy, Horus handled most of the teaching. Primarchs like Sanguinius, Fulgrim, and others had all studied under him.

Horus also formed strong bonds with most of his brothers this way, which contributed to his massive influence.

Now Nareth was being added to that number, and he didn't resent it.

"I'll be ready soon," Nareth replied.

The Emperor nodded in approval. As they exited the private treasury, Nareth turned back for one last look, reluctant to leave.

While heading to the hangar platform, Nareth's comms activated. He opened the channel, and Wojciech's voice came through.

"My lord, as per your instructions, the armor has been adjusted accordingly. You may don it now."

Nareth had seen the armor crafted by the tech-priests before, but had been dissatisfied. He had explained the modifications to Wojciech, who then relayed them to the artisan team.

After a brief thought, Nareth decided to return to the Final Scythe first to wear the armor, before boarding his new flagship.

On the way, he issued an order to Howard: coordinate the transfer of the 29 regiments to the Relic-class warship.

As a massive mainline battleship, it had no current garrison and could easily hold over 70,000 troops.

One star-cycle later, on the Final Scythe's forge deck:

With the assistance of numerous artificers, Nareth donned the newly forged armor made specifically for him.

The armor was entirely black, with a blood-red cape, and devoid of excessive embellishment.

The only symbol was engraved on the chest: a mark formed of chaotic black arcs, wings, spikes, and an abstract crown, the emblem of the Black Emperor Pathway.

The design was so dark that it nearly blended into the armor. If not observed closely, it looked just like a shadow.

But the twelve Captains, including Cezak, standing nearby, could see it clearly.

Having spoken with all the legions beforehand, Nareth was ready to announce his long-planned reforms, the transformation of the Reapers into his own legion.

"As you can see, from this day forward, all Legion power armor will be repainted, black."

"Wojciech, show them the chest emblem."

Wojciech turned the data slate to face his chest. The Company Captains leaned in, feeling a strange pressure.

The emblem was nearly identical to Nareth's, except it lacked the crown.

After a brief silence, the Company Captains all responded in unison:

"As you command."

Nareth strode in front of them, already perfectly adjusted to his new armor. Looking down from above, he continued:

"You are no longer the Reapers. From this day forward, you are the Shadows of Order."

"All Legion vessels and vehicles will be repainted accordingly."

"You are no longer called the Reapers. From this day forward, you are the Shadow of Order."

Nareth noticed a flicker of confusion among the Captains.

Cezak asked:

"Father… why change the legion's name? And what does 'Shadow of Order' mean?"

"An empire cannot be built on slaughter alone."

"Killing is only a tool. What truly matters is the new order we bring to the worlds we conquer."

Cezak instinctively wanted to argue, after all, the Astartes were the Emperor's angels of death, and the Eleventh Legion, perhaps more than most.

But when he met Nareth's jet-black eyes, he felt a pressure like a mountain had landed on him.

His lips, parted to speak, snapped shut like magnets drawn together.

He turned his head slightly to avoid his gene-father's gaze and thought quietly:

'It's just a name'

Nareth's sharp perception caught the frowns on Cezak's face, as well as those of Third Captain Samir, Seventh Captain Sanchez, and Eighth Captain Robin.

They hadn't voiced opposition, but they hadn't accepted his philosophy either.

He didn't press them. The Reapers had long been treated as tools of execution; changing that mindset would take time.

And Nareth wasn't like Corvus Corax, who exiled his more brutal sons to the galaxy's fringe.

Instead, he would reshape them slowly, from within.

He continued: "Yet battle and killing remain necessary. Thus, we are the shadows of order."

"We will envelop our enemies like darkness."

"And from that shadow, order shall rise anew."

This was part of his reasoning. The other part was strategic: to bind the entire legion to the "Shadow of Order" identity.

That phrase pointed directly to the Black Emperor Pathway.

The new armor, the chest emblem, these were tools to establish that connection.

After hearing his explanation, the four previously reluctant Captains visibly relaxed. In unison, they declared:

"We are the Shadow of Order! We bring slaughter to forge new order!"

Nareth nodded in satisfaction and gave his next order:

"Relay my ideology to your Company and complete your preparations."

Then, Nareth and Wojciech boarded their transport ship to head for the Relic-class warship.

Three more transports followed behind, carrying the Eleventh Legion's Apothecaries, medical equipment, and other supplies.

...

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

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