Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor

The Vengeful Spirit was an awe-inspiring battleship, so massive that even the largest capital ships looked insignificant beside it. The ship's colossal acceleration cannons alone dwarfed the entire length of most other vessels.

After Nareth's transport docked, he and First Captain Cezak proceeded to meet the Luna Wolves waiting to receive them.

As they approached, Nareth sensed a presence behind and to the side, a kin, but one that made his body tense instinctively, like a predator sensing another of its kind.

He looked ahead. Standing with his helmet tucked under his arm was a Luna Wolf Astartes with black hair tied into a tall ponytail, bound in a silver sheath and sticking straight up like a palm tree.

His facial structure, with wide-set eyes and a prominent nose, bore a striking resemblance to Horus, and he was clad in gold-and-white power armor.

The Astartes with the sky-high braid stepped forward and gave a slight bow in respect.

"My lord, I am Ezekyle Abaddon, First Captain of the Luna Wolves, here to welcome your arrival."

"Abaddon…" Nareth mused. "Your victories are numerous."

Abaddon assumed it was the Reapers who had reported his feats and smiled at the Primarch praise.

"Thank you for your recognition, my lord."

Only then did Abaddon glance past Nareth to the Astartes behind him, and immediately noticed the change in Cezak's armor.

The once-crimson plating was now pitch-black. Only the red scythe on his right shoulder pad hinted at his identity as a former Reaper.

"Well, well… Reapers. Are you here to clean up our leftovers?"

The taunt hit a nerve. Cezak, already feeling stifled, had anger boiling in his eyes.

"Abaddon, do you want a fight?"

Abaddon smirked, his gaze sharpening as he squared off with Cezak.

"Gladly. But I must first complete the task Father gave me."

Nareth frowned. Astartes, as battle-born warriors, often instinctively clashed when they encountered each other. He didn't approve of such pointless challenges.

"If you want to compete, then do it on the battlefield, let's see who racks up more kills."

With that, he turned to Abaddon.

"I'm sure you don't want to keep Horus waiting."

Abaddon retracted his gaze and nodded.

"Please, follow me."

Cezak suppressed his urge to fight and followed Nareth forward.

Moments later, on the Vengeful Spirit's bridge, Nareth met Horus.

"My brother," Horus said, walking away from the strategy table with a beaming smile. "I hope you're getting along well with your sons."

The keen-eyed Primarch noticed that, unlike the last time, Horus's words felt sincere, not mere pleasantries.

'Looks like the Emperor had a talk with him. Horus is really trying to play the role of a big brother now.'

"Horus, of course, I'm getting along with them."

He clapped Cezak on the shoulder.

"Look, Cezak's doing quite well, wouldn't you say?"

Though Cezak's instincts told him to resist, the moment he felt his gene-father's touch, all defiance melted away.

Horus glanced at him, the once-defiant First Captain now stood obedient, like a pet basking under the hand of a Terran noble.

"You're ready. It's time we begin our journey."

"But first, let me introduce my council."

Three Luna Wolves stepped out from behind Horus.

"These are my Council of Four Moons. Each is named after a phase of the moon.

You've already met Ezekyle, he represents the Full Moon."

Nareth knew of this group. The Four Moons were composed of the most elite Astartes from the Luna Wolves and the future Sons of Horus.

Besides serving as Captains, they acted as Horus's most trusted advisors aboard the Vengeful Spirit.

Nareth, too, was planning a core command unit for the ShadowS of Order, but that would have to wait until Howard and others completed their enhancements.

"This is Tarik Torgaddon, the Crescent Moon."

Nareth's gaze swept across Qruze and Aximand, lingering briefly on Torgaddon, the tallest among them.

Having seen many of both his own and Horus's gene-sons, Nareth observed that his sons were slightly taller on average, though the difference between him and Horus was still greater.

'My height, 411 cm, must stem partly from the 'Barbarian' sequence. It amplified my physique, thus increasing my height.'

While thinking, Nareth and Cezak approached the strategy table.

Horus turned to the hololithic projection of a star map and said:

"I thought you'd prefer to lead your sons in conquering worlds near your home system."

"So I've left those for you."

Nareth gave a slight nod; he recognized Horus's goodwill.

But he also understood: Horus was playing the big brother role, while subtly extending influence through generosity.

"Our target is here. We call it the Ape-Man Cluster."

"It's a unique region, four planets with varied environments but all high-gravity worlds, populated by Ogryns."

"Before Father summoned me, I had just begun conquering one of them. The Tenth Company is still there."

Nareth stared at the four glowing green planets on the map.

'Ogryns.' His eyes narrowed slightly.

'Perfect. Their arms are the main ingredient in the "Barbarian" potions.'

The expedition fleet launched soon after, with Nareth remaining aboard the Vengeful Spirit.

Thanks to the return to the Imperium, Navigators were now available, sparing Nareth from having to manually manage Warp travel.

The arrival of an Astropath also allowed him to maintain limited contact with Vostroya.

Aboard the Vengeful Spirit, Nareth took the chance to learn everything about the Imperium from Horus.

Horus was astonished at how fast Nareth absorbed, processed, and mastered complex knowledge.

Upon arriving at the Ape-Man Cluster, the fleet synchronized with the Tenth Company.

The entire Warp journey had taken only 16 Terran days.

Hearing this, Nareth couldn't help but admire the benefits of being reunited with the Imperium.

Warp travel is now faster and safer.

The Tenth Company had already completed the mission Horus had assigned them, conquering one of the four worlds.

Three more remained.

Horus tapped the hololith to enlarge the largest of the four planets.

"This one is primarily a grassland world. The Ogryns herd mammoths and similar beasts as food sources."

He turned to Nareth.

Though his brother had proven a quick learner, Horus still had doubts about Nareth's performance in real battle.

Was he ready to lead the Eleventh Legion?

He had decided to observe Nareth during this joint campaign.

"Let's go to this world together. Let these brutes know what true strength looks like. What do you say?"

"Agreed." Nareth gave a nod.

He had already decided that this battle would be where he'd begin reforming his legion's style.

"I'll return to my legion first and deliver a pre-battle address. Let's rendezvous on the surface."

Back aboard the Void Hunter, Astartes enhancements were still ongoing; none had yet completed the ascension.

Nareth boarded a transport back to the Final Scythe, pondering which company he would personally lead in the coming battle.

He glanced across at Cezak, then subtly shook his head.

'To establish a model for reform, it's better to start with someone more… flexible.'

With that thought, a name came to mind.

...

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

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