Fandom The Great Heresy ( a 30K rp)

[Karcen]

"Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. Always remember that, my child. It is like a cancer that gnaws away all that was once good in a man. To send men to their death's without noble purpose and consign those you fight against to the grave is a burden no man can bear and no man should forgive. Fight when you must, but wield the power of your Legion with a solemn heart. The beast of war does not return to its iron cage until it has sated its hunger in the blood of the innocent." - The Emperor


These were the closing days of the great crusade and all knew it, but none could have guessed why. The galaxy was for the most part in the hands of humanity, now they were just on clean up duty moping up pockets of xenos and finding those last few humans that had been lost. The stars once more belonged to humanity and the future for once was starting to look bright once more after millennia of darkness. The Emperor had emerged and brought order to earth and his children had helped him bring order to the Galaxy, one that would not fall like the last one due to the warp, or at least that was what he said. Right now at the very edge of the Galaxy in the segmentium Ultima the largest gathering of legions since Ulinor where Sanguinius had been named war master and the Emperor retreated to Terra with Rogal Dorn. Now The Reliquary. The Dreyre Jotunn, The Nullifiers, and The Gore Hounds having finished this last crusade were to meet up before they planned on once more dispersing or lingering in this area known as the Ghoul stars. What none of these demigods could know was that the worst tragedy of humanity was already happening.



Ixia stood looking out the window into the void aboard her flag ship The Ark of knowledge. The ship was no imperial STC craft, or at leats no STC they had normal access to, as with all her devices she had needed to have her fleet made by her home system away form the mechanicum and their dogma. The Ship was far more advanced for her home had been an ark as well and it had kept the knowledge of the old days that all others had forgotten. Where other human ships where blocky and crude hers were more streamlined and refined almost like the Eldar and their bone ships. Ixia knew her brothers would soon be translating out of the warp for this crusade was done, the humans they could save had been liberated, and the xenos purged. Here at the edge of the galaxy, just before the endless void of intergalactic space, there had been a xenos that were like the myths of old Terra. They were pale, and tall, and thing, and feed of the life of others. The normal guardsmen had called them Vampyres, but ixia preferred pale bloods for their blood was a milky white. these inhumanly thin Xenos had been empowered by the warp and wielded it's powers to take over human worlds and oppress them. The armies of humans at their beck and call along with the warp spawned powers had proven more than one legion could handle as they controlled not one world or one system but they were a small empire. That was in the past now, the war had not been long and losses had been minimal, yet it lacked something and brought little joy like victories of old had. The galaxy was no long that mysterious place it had once been and while there would never ben an end to war, it was clear the great days were over now was the time to start turning swords to plowshares.

Ixia looked over her chambers decorated in countless little inventions, some half made, some little more than sketches. She had never thought she would have time to make them all, as till now she had always been distracted by one war or another, or building up this world or that. Things would calm down and the primarchs could perhaps return to what they had done before their father had comes, or perhaps it was to late. Ixia's mind went to Angron, the red angel, his mind had been distorted and destroyed thanks to those nails. Ixia and the Emperor had both looked into them and found they could not be removed without destroying her brother. So how could one that could only feel anything when he was fighting ever go back to a normal life? What of the dreadnaughts, those marines that had given theirs lives and now gave their deaths to fight for humanity, what was their reward, to be left to gather dust? There had to be more the imperium had been made to conquer and it had, but had anyone thought about what came after? Ixia sighed and looked back out into the twinkling void, this was not the time for such depressing thoughts, and many of her brothers already knew the answer to her worries, their skills more than just war just like her, there was a future, a golden future just beyond the horizon. Ixia looked to the chronometer, if her calculations were right then her brothers and their support should be here soon. It pained her to even entertain the Mechanicum, their dogma and blind stupidity had lost them everything they had ever wanted and cost her a parent. Those damned priests, her father should have just killed them once the crusade was going full steam.

Ixia again let her annoyance fade, she would be rid of this priest soon enough, this was just a wrap up meeting and should anything private need to be said he could be kicked out of the room, or ship, or just thrown out an airlock. Ixia walked towards the door already in her armor, as it felt wrong to meet her bothers in anything less than her finest regalia as they likely would come in theirs. her mechanical tendrils moved about mostly staying out of her way as she did not give them any directives and their simple intelligence only worked to interpret her thoughts to aid their movement. Reaching with a tendril Ixia opened her door to look to one of her marines standing there waiting for her to emerge. This wasn't something she had requested, so something must have happened.

" Is there news on my brothers?" Ixia asked not sounding to interested as if it was message of a delay then she would have to endure her own thoughts for hours or days longer.

" no my lady, the astropaths have intercepted odd communications" The marine replied.

That was not to strange the astropaths saw and heard so many odd things in the warp, the days something wasn't weird to them was the day the warp became predictable " So what is the message?" She asked assuming it had already been figured out.

" I don't know my lady they were still working on it, but it seems to be a message from the war master to multiple legions" she said, the marine was one of those few females that had survived the process of become an astartes. Ixia being female had tried to over come her legion's issues by using those of her gender, but that had not worked out well and thus only a few women were still a round, not that one could tell by looking as the armor was all similar.

The warmaster gathering other legions, that was something that had not happened in awhile, normally he came to help others when they needed it. It was also strange that none of the four of them had been sent a message about this mustering. Ixia had an odd feeling about this an apprehension and worry that she could not place. She just worried that they had missed something, some race that was more powerful than they had thought and was now striking back. " Go back to them when they have translated it come tell me no matter what is going on tell me as soon as you can" ixia ordered wanting the know what was wrong.

The marine nodded and left heading to the atsropath's sanctum. Something was going one, some player moving against the crusade, perhaps it was just a rebellion, or some xenos they had thought gone. The mega arachnids had been a challenge according to the warmaster. It was just some pocket of Xenos or humans that were more of a challenge than they had thought, that had to be it. Still there was a worry in the back of her mind that there was something they had missed, some bit of lost knowledge that could illuminate this mystery. Ixia soon convinced herself she was just worrying to much, and overthinking things as she often did, this was nothing new and would happen many more times in the future.

Soon enough Ixia reached the bridge of her ship and took up the command throne to wait for her brothers to arrive, who would be the first she wondered.


Zeth HighSanguinaryPriest VomitIcicle Soviet Panda

 

[Soviet Panda]

A rift to the warp opened, the fabric of the materium screaming in agony as it was split, and out floated the flagship of the Dreyre Jotunn along with the fleet it lead. The Felkyr was a gargantuan mass of metal that was very much in stark contrast to The Ark of Knowledge that had sat patiently waiting. It dwarfed all those around it and contended to do the same with the flagship of the Reliquary Legion and his sister. If one were careful about where they spoke, they could argue that he was compensating for something. But to those that knew his simplistic strategies of smashing any resistance in as few blows as possible, they would know the purpose of such a goliath.

And what of Grimwald himself? Where was the Primarch of the Dreyre Jotunn? Where one could expect him, sitting upon the command throne and overseeing everything. Training was going well, those that had successfully undergone the process of becoming a Space Marine were practicing with the two handed powerswords and wielding heavy bolters, the vast size of the Felkyr and those like it allowing for training areas to even simulate battlefield conditions capable of training whole regiments. Techpriests were calming the various machine spirits that assisted the Felkyr's primary machine spirit, that as far as Grimwald could tell was seen as a demigod of some sort by the robed individuals. And considering they had just successfully navigated the Warp to where they had intended with few to no casualties, everything was going smoothly. Now he just had to signal Ixia, not like she needed to be told of his arrival. Even with his relatively weak psychic power he could sense his sister, from this distance at least.

"Techpriest, hail The Ark of Knowledge and let them know of our arrival. I will be arriving on board in a moment, but let us observe proper etiquette and ask." With that, Grimwald stood up from the command throne, already bedecked in his armor and with his sword on his back, and began to stride towards the teleportarium. Why bother boarding with traditional means when he could just flit through the immaterium? That was his thought process at least.

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

After what felt like mere weeks in the warp, the Insidious Shadow, flagship of the Nullifiers Legion transitioned into material space, along with a splinter third of their fleet, the other two thirds opting to either hold over their homeworld, or finish taking their leisurely stroll on an Exodite world. Cassius Titus, Primarch of the Nullifiers, like the rest of his astartes was nowhere near the bridge, in order to not drive the astropaths and navigators made with their nullifying presence. Resplendent in his Adamantine and silver plate, he waited in the hangar as Servitors and technicians prepped his personal Thunderhawk to transport him and a few of his most trusted Pariahs to his sister's Ship. He, like many in his legion wondered what purpose he and his fellow Primarchs had, when called to this system by the Warmaster Sanguinius. Stepping aboard his transport, he pushed the thought aside, as he waited for the go ahead to leave his ship.

It had been a few years since he had seen his siblings, and while he knew many did not approve of him being in their presence, he still felt a modicum of joy at being reunited with them, even if he may have to stand apart from them as to not harm them. Taking a seat, he listened to the vox chatter, as a countdown started. Upon completion of their final checks, the Thunderhawk began to rumble, and vibrate as her engines roared to life, the claxon alarms sounding out in the hangar bay as technicians, and servitors hurried out to not be caught in the vacuum as the large blast doors opened. Moments later, the gunship/transport rocketed out of the Insidious Shadow, and towards The Ark of Knowledge, it's streamline and eldaresque hull a stark contrast to his and his other sibling's ships. "Pilot, hail my sister's ship, and request permission to board." The Null Primarch said, looking out the porthole into the vast sea of stars and to the planet below. Moments later, the pilot gave the affirmative, on their request, and banked the transport towards the designated hangar. With a light shudder, the transport set down in the immaculate bay, as it's rear ramp began to lower with a hiss of atmosphere. Awaiting them, as his honor guard descending the ramp stood an escort of Reliquary Astartes. Following behind his Nullifiers, the Reliquary escort saluted as his own guard stood at attention. Stepping towards, what must have been a captain, he spoke. "I would like to see my sister Ixia, and if he happens to be aboard, of which i have no doubt, my brother Grimwald." While his tone remained friendly, his eyes told that he would not be denied.

Karcen Soviet Panda

 

[Zeth]

The august gathering of three Primarchs took its toll on the Materium as their respective fleets emerged from Empyrean, but the wounding of local space-time was several discordant notes away from over. Downward in respect to the elliptical galactic plane, two light-second away from Tenth's Legion's fleet, the very fabric of space started vibrating. Spatial oscillations heightened in frequency, twisting starlight that passed through this piece of unsteady space into brief flashes of blues and reds.

As if trapped in oil-spill, brief flashes of color started staining this patch of turbulent space, distortion of massless photons and captured matter sloshing into a shoal of small whirlpools, each one turning more opaque with the addition of time and depth. From out of the eye of each roiling formation a spectacular cluster of explosions of color and matter radiated outwards, shining a beam of madness as dozens of starships breached from the Beyond.

To those who were paying attention to augurs and aetheric arrays, the emerging vessels would quickly fall in a spherical formation - apparently not suffering from obligatory blindness and the subsequent recovery period that was otherwise sure to follow a warp-space translation. Where Warp Drives were supposed to be resting dormant as they cooled in the frigid yet welcome void of reality, plasma drives already burned on starships that were as diverse as they were numerous. In stark contrast with the uniformity of Legion warships, starships that broadcasted transponder codes of Xaozanus Expedition were more of a patchwork gathering of every imaginable voyager that one expects in Imperial space, clustering around behemoths that by their bulky shapes could only be industrial vessels.

Explorator Expeditions were famous for traveling for centuries in the depths of space but they were also known for secrecy, especially those of the Akkadian breed.
Yet it seems that these adamantium behemoths pulled voyagers of every stripe in their own gravity well as they traveled, most of the industrial ships even now breaking away from the spherical formation as they descended on the local asteroid belt, each followed by their own small shoal. For those paying attention to transponder codes of each ship, they would notice that following the Expedition's ident-tags would be call signs from various organizations, some known some less so. Retired naval elements of the Imperial Army, solar-barques of star-spanning cartels, unknown elements from obscure Rogue Trader dynasties and charted civilian and paramilitary vessels from organizations trailing lineage, oaths, and service to dozens of different worlds. This fleet only lacked warships from some of the Legions to complete this macrocosm of the Imperium.

It is perhaps of this absence that the gathering had a Mechanicum rather than a Legion core, as the spheroid formation sported at tactical positions amid the shoal of trading, exploring, and retired Imperial vessels, the antenna-transfixed temple-ships of the famous Mechanicum. However if the formation itself is anything to go by, the centerpiece of the sphere was missing, the radius of the hollow formation big enough to sport even the titanic bulky of a Gloriana-class starship.

With transponder code broadcast to the vessels in-system, the fleet kept its position and apart from what appeared to be factory-vessels gorging themselves on the local asteroids, there was no activity, the Expedition seemingly content to maintain the station and undoubtedly distance from other fleets. Reclusive they may be, but Mechanicum was not known to stand on ceremony, so whatever kept this odd gathering at the distance most certainly marred the fleet's orderly arrival.

In the wake of so much aetheric dissilience, space calmed yet before it had a chance to fully recuperate its material harmony, a single pinprick of uncolor and madness opened, this portal appearing just half a million kilometers away from The Reliquary Fleet.
From the portal, a lone vessel emerged with no escort in its wake, false lighting still dancing across the fading Gellar cocoon, harmlessly dissipating across its scarred and ancient hull. Judging from its shape the vessel was an ancient - if unknown - variation of some jovian pattern; its keel probably laid down in the void docks of Thule before the nascent Imperium even had the chance to reach the gas giant's moon.
The vessel's tonnage marked it as a cruiser, yet what seemed like added bulk to its superstructure had its width comfortably in the grand cruiser territory. Aetheric and energy lance scarring across its stern marked her as a seasoned voyager yet as she approached, the onlooking navalman would undoubtedly be under the impression that such superficial damage only emphasized the lumbering bravado with which she moved rather than detract from it. A sort of rugged, clumsy elegance that can only arise from accrued seniority in the depths of space. It was venerable and it was definitely a she. Indeed, upon closer inspection, the ship looked very cared for, her gilded prow and a bulky stack of plasma turbines appearing in excellent health.

Across her port and starboard something suddenly detached, revealing a small set of blazing trusters - from this distance not much different than signal lights. Effortlessly the ship executed a high-energy turn, her plasma stacks burning bright toward The Reliquary picket line before even the portal of madness behind her even had a chance to close.
Much like the rest of them, the vessel too recovered as uncharacteristically fast from the translation as the rest of its companions, beaming transponder codes to the Legionary ships before they had a chance to open fire. Communication revealed signals with ident-tags belonging to the Xaozanus Explorators, the ident-substrata consisting of a call-sign 'Ad Astra' and a message:

++ In the name of the Emperor, beloved by all, Mistress Zahara Renenet of the Dynastic House Sagittarius-Zenia, representative of the Xaozanus Expedition, answers the Tenth Primarch' summons. With this, she requests an approach vector to the 'Ark of Knowledge' and permission to board. ++

 

[VomitIcicle]

Ardimydas sat upon his command throne, brooding. His subordinates noticed. More specifically, his closest confidant and friend, Corastek.

"Something wrong, my lord?" The dreadnought asked, power claw clicking inquisitively. Being interred in the great walker had done little to dull the marines senses, perhaps due to Ardimydas personally commisioning his vessel from the finest artisans and tech-priests he could find.

"Judging by the signals we are recieving." Ardimydas said with a sigh. "It seems our compliment for whatever fight awaits us consists of souless freaks, raging barbarians, and tech-heretics."

"And an Exporator fleet." Corastek said helpfully.

"Yes, and the Mechanicus." Ardimydas said bitterly. The ones who had brought hope to his legion, brought them salvation in the form of steel and iron.

The ones who had stolen his sons.

Not literally, of course. But he saw how they influenced the Gore Hounds, perhaps even himself, in a way. Occasionally he would find himself muttering a rite of prayer to calm the machine spirits. A small price to pay for salvation, he supposed.

"My lord?" Corastek asked. "Shall I prepare your shuttle?"

"Yes, I suppose." Ardimydas responded absentmindedly. "Have you hailed them?"

"They await your arrival, my lord."

"Prepare my Stormbird."

A few minutes later, the super heavy craft emerged from the Gloriana-class. The massive dropship a mere speck in comparison to the proud warship.

 

[Karcen]

A short time latter

Ixia stood in the meeting room, which had chairs made that could hold a primarch and a holollith. The other primarchs and the magos were already here each coming in their own way, though most were polite enough to stick to ships over teleporting in. still They were all once more in one place as like in the great crusado even in this campaign they had hooked up and dispersed as needed to pacify this area of space. Ixia in truth planned to stay here as she had found some strange ruins that were unlike any before and odd materials that were like her blank brother and shut down psyker abilities. Though something in the back of her mind made her doubt she would get much time to do so, that mysterious message was still bothering her. If the translation could be made soon then perhaps she would tell the others and go investigate what was going on with Istavaan.

The hololith was currently projecting a star map of the area with major battles and victories maps out. The hologram itself was unlike other imperium devices and did not sputter or go fuzzy, instead the image was clear and crisp. The campaign had been a fresh change of pace in truth as at least they were fighting xenos instead of just some other humans, it really seemed in no time the galaxy would once again be in the hands of humanity, maybe then they could deal with the mechnicum and their religious nonsense. It was almost disgusting that she had to tolerate one of their kind on her ship, and what was worse that technophile's religion seemed to have infected one of her brothers, father was right to destroys such a disgusting notion.


" Well with us all here and out guest here as well how about some refreshments" Ixia said snapping her fingers and on que several man sized and shaped machines came out. These were the steel men as she called them as men of iron scared people to much. They were thinking machines of a sort. They didn't have real independence or emotions, but they could understand commands that weren't literal and helped bulk out her forces. Tthem.

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Upon seeing his sister, Cassius charged in and wrapped his sibling in a great bear hug laughing joyously. He hadn't been in such a great mood since his lovely stroll on an exodite world with his legion. He could still hear the knife ears screams making him feel all so warm and fuzzy inside. Releasing his sister and stepping back, knowing full well the effect he had on his siblings and psykers alike, he smiled broadly. "It is so good to see you again Ixia. How fair you and your legion?" He asked taking a seat at the large table. As he did, one of her Steel Men, came by and set a drink before him. Looking closely, he noticed the small dent in it's arm, allowing him to recognize the Machine. "Thank you Barnabas." before returning his attention back to his other two siblings. Taking a pull on his beverage, he was delighted to find it was Amasec. Savoring the flavor, Cassius let out a slow breath, further allowing him to pick up the different grains used to distill the beverage. Setting his glass down, he returned his attention to the gathered Primarchs. "Good to see you again my brothers and sister."

 

[Zeth]

This post features Mistress Zahara Renenet, Rogue Trader and Captain of Cruiser 'Ad Astra' and one of the myriad of adventurers bonded to the Xaozanus Expedition. She acts as a representative of the aforementioned faction and of Archmagos Xaozanus.

* * *
​

Onboard the Tenth's Primarch flagship, Mistress Zahara marched straight from the hangar bay to the meeting chamber, in a hurry matched only by the urgency of her earlier translation into the Materium. The reason why she rushed to the meeting was at first obvious. Ixia's predisposition toward the Machine Cult was painfully obvious and she did not want the Expedition to suffer Primarch's wrath because Magisters couldn't tend to her summons. There was however a second, more subtle reasoning to her urgency as she just wanted to get this whole thing over with. She didn't look forward to meeting the Primarchs, she hated the Imperium, and their pompous Crusade as they burned their way across the stars to galactic dominance. This is not why she pledged her family to Xaozanus' efforts and she wanted out of this mess.

To say that she disliked having 'Ad Astra' outside of the Expedition's formation, surrounded by Legionary ships, would be an understatement. Yet in light of recent events and the campaign's successful conclusion, she hoped Imperial meddling would be at its end. They did their due to the Imperium and she hoped the Expedition would be finally left to their own devices.

Yet despite her reluctance to get this over with and the impending dread of the meeting, she allowed herself several moments of an idle mind, as she walked and admired the flagship's interior. The ship's graceful contours in stark contrast to the utilitarian brutes of the Mechanicum and brutalist slabs of the Imperial Armada was matched only by the functional grandeur of its interior. Even the lithe, yet graceful bearing of an occasional solar-speeder that could be found within the Expedition was not a match for the sophisticated grace of this titanic vessel.

Yet, despite the ship's form making her inner shipwright giddy with awe, she couldn't help but notice that something integral was missing. The thought did not mar the experience but did make her bile rise at the helplessness of pinpointing the source. As if sensing her inner turmoil, a small sphere detached from the escorts that followed in her wake and levitated at her shoulder. The azure slit marred its flawless spherical surface with the shape of an iris, pulsing information straight into Zahara's central nervous system.

From the depth of her subconsciousness, a sense of certainty of being in the right place at the right time - despite the difficulties they met - reassured her. She parted the veil from her face wide enough to reveal a small smile to the Sky Eye, appreciating the silent support despite the responsibility she loathed. As she paused before a portal waiting to be admitted to the meeting chamber, the rogue trader confessed to herself that she was beyond nervous. Luckily, this time she switched her void-proof attire with the older design that came with a urine catheter. She won't allow her body to humiliate her like the last time she faced a Primarch.

She rubbed the small Cog Mechanicum medallion for good fortune and proceeded to hide the necklace beneath the cloth hanging from her void-proof bevor. With part steely determination and part resignation to her fate, she stepped into the chamber.

* * *

​

Breathing was hard and talking was harder - and she was still mustering strength for the later. The barrage of sensations that kept assaulting her senses was relentless and she could feel her bladder giving up on her. She managed to smile behind the veil as the warm liquid failed to escape the confines of her suit-dress. She would exult in this small victory if the sense of self didn't threaten to completely abandon her to the blissful realm of unconsciousness.

From the weakness of the flesh, Omnissiah deliver me!

Only once before did she meet a Primarch, as an envoy but not as an ambassador. Now, there was more than one of them. And the one embracing the other made her want to scream, to claw her way out of this accursed place and never return lest the Primarich' uproarious laughter expels her very soul out of her body.
However before she had a chance to make a break for it, the coiling sensation that snaked from her viscera and around her throat, suddenly stopped its ascent, apparently arrested before it had a chance to choke her.

A sense of calm settled over her and with a heavy sigh, her eyes opened just in time to see colors returning to their proper hue. The chamber was less radiant. She took a breath as the Primarchs greeted each other, spying with her eye a falling cascade of information-runes across her monocle:

++ Emotional outburst detected - higher congnition jeopardized ++
++ Shunting excess to neuro-vaults ++
++ Compensating... ++

Aural distortions eased into the background as her ears popped, blood pressure easing itself outside of the boundaries of the ecstatic redline. Monocle continued printing data on her biorhythm and she figured she was lucid enough to proceed.
Something approached her, offering refreshments but she waved it off unable to pay attention to it. She yearned for a strong drink but she didn't want to risk filling up the catheter.

She knelt before the assembly, momentary relived as the sight of the august figures was blocked by the brim of her hat.
Despite her expectations, her voice was free from quivering and she found her throat numb. For a moment she wondered if that was one of the side-effects of her implants:

"In the Name of the Emperor, beloved by all, I Zahara Renenet of the Dynastic House Sagittarius-Zenia, am honored to be in the presence of the sons of the Master of Mankind and His daughter. If it pleases you, I bear the interests of the Xaozanus Expedition this day and the word of its Ur-Magisters. They would've been with you if not for the issues with 'Azrashkan' emerging out of the Empyrean. The flagship will arrive to the local space in a few sol-hours."

With her introduction over and purpose stated, she did not indulge herself further with momentary respite but moved to the table, provided no one of the assembled objected. This may not have been obvious to her at first, but she subconsciously positioning herself to be at the opposite side of the table from where Primarch Cassius stood.
In doing so she did not take a seat but stood, terrified at the prospect of offending the assembled Primarchs by making them think she equated herself to them.

 

[Soviet Panda]

After Grimwald and his retinue screamed through the Warp and appeared on the Ark of Knowledge, he was very relieved that he did not appear a few feet further forward, where a solid metal wall would have entombed him. A brief, barking laugh of relief was all he allowed himself before turning towards a stunned and more than startled Legionnaire of the 10th legion. "Lead the way, Astartes, to where my Sister wants us all to gather." His booming voice echoed throughout the corridor and seemed to jolt the Legionnaire out of their stunned stupor. Giving a quick salute, they did as they were told, albeit a little lost themselves. But Grimwald didn't notice, and soon enough he was where he had wanted to be. And giving the Legionnaire a firm pat on the shoulder that nearly sent them sprawling onto the floor, he dismissed them to meet with his siblings.

Even as the head splitting pain and utter isolation brought on by a null grew greater as he approached his brother, it did not stop him from giving a near bone breaking hug, much like the one Cassius had given Ixia though several multitudes greater, even lifting the smaller Primarch off the ground. "Oh, it is good to see you as well, Cassius. If I remember right, last time we met we were clearing out a traitor world and you had the gibbering idiots they called sorcerers smashing their heads against whatever they could get their hands on. And my dearest Ixia, I'm always in awe of what you and you're legion can create. And..." here he had to pause as he looked at the last of his gathered siblings, searching frantically before finally locking onto the name. "Ardimydas. I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of a proper fight when you're involved. It's already been and done."

When the ambassador for the Xaozanus Expedition introduced herself, Grimwald acknowledged her presence with a quick glance before taking a seat next to Cassius, almost as if defying (or perhaps denying) the immense pain the null next to him caused. As the robotic servants gave them their drinks, Grimwald eyed each of them warily. Though he did trust his sister, his Father had told him all about the Men of Iron and the weapons they could field as well as the utter destruction they had wrought. But these did not seem to be to the same caliber as the Men of Iron Father spoke of, they seemed dimmer, less intuitive. That didn't mean he'd drink anything they brought him. But after Cassius took a sip and appeared fine, Grimwald followed suit and was disappointed. By his standards, this was akin to bubbly water.

"So, what have we all gathered here for? Did we miss a few of the xenos on our first cleansing of this planet?"

 

[VomitIcicle]

HighSanguinaryPriest

Zeth

Soviet Panda

Ardimydas felt a powerful migraine come on as the souless one entered. "Must have we invited him to the meeting? His laughter makes my skin crawl." Nonetheless, he clasped Cassius's wrist and pulled him into a brief hug, a rare bit of affection from what many of his brothers considered a grim specter.

He resisted smashing the nearest automaton to bits as it approached, instead opting to refuse the refreshments with as much coolness as he could muster. He eyed the rogue trader for a moment, face expressionless behind his helmet.

His attention drawn towards Grimwald, he broke his idle gaze and grunted something akin to an awknolodgment towards his brother.

"Is this meeting really necessary? I'm sure a debriefing could've been performed over vox. Where we would not be in constant pain from the psyker-killer."

 

[Karcen]

Ixia would smile through the hug of Cassius having to endure the pain that his anti warp presence caused in her and almost all the primarchs. They were all to some degree or another psykers, as all being were connected to the warp and even machines of sufficient complexity could gain some warp presence. The Men of steel did not have such a presence for they lacked the true robust emotional programing of ships and titans which ad full AI sometimes. Either way once they were all seated and had their drink or had refused it as some just didn't get the difference between her men of steel and men of iron. Two of her brothers didn't seem to feel this was needed or seemed to think there might be a pocket of resistance. Really why was it so odd for bothers and sisters to meet up? Did they just see wars, did they not think of being anything but generals? Had their attitude been what father had wanted if they were not scattered? Well They surely felt a little happy for a small family gathering plus one.

" Surely we need no more reason to meet than to celebrate a campaign well done?" ixia said " We are a family even if we don't act like it much with how father has us out waging war all the time" She continued her tone clearly showing she did tire of endless wars.

Still she did have another reason now to call them here. She had that mysterious message that the astropaths were figuring out, that was something big and if the warmaster was calling so many then they should go too. Still it was sad only one of her brothers here acted like one, the others having as much affection as the clockwork followers of the nonexistent machine god.

" There is also some news that came to my attention. The warmaster is gathering legions to the Istvaan system" she said and the holographic display would shift moving out to a galaxy map before focusing in on the Istvaan system. " The astropaths are still decoding who is there and which planets in the system they are going to and why, but given the system was complaint it must be a rebellion" She continued not sure when the full message would be translated and she also realized if there were so many legions there, then they might need repairs if the mechanicum forces were not present or did not have the numbers. " I suggest we all go there to reinforce whatever the warmaster needs so many legions for and i would ask that the mechnicum envoy asks her lord to come as well as while he might not be normal support i am sure there will be more repairs than tech priests there" She fully explained letting the other take in the information before speaking again " Any questions?"

 

[Zeth]

Clutching it as if it is a shield or a life-saving vest, Zahara' gauntlets gripped the high-backed chair, her body half-hidden behind the body of the furniture. Yet even sitting, the giants in the room dwarfed her.
Fleetingly aware of the fight at the surface of her consciousness between her flesh and neuro-vault implant, the veiled lady decided not to make things harder for herself, so she fixed her attention away from the floor. As if it offended her, her light-brown eyes glared at the pristine dance of lithocast projection as it formed an ordered representation of the Istvaan System.

Wisdom of the Magi eluded her but the harsh life in the void though her how to be handy with a spanner and welding torch, so she had some appreciation for whatever mysteries endowed this hololith with such a crispy clear projection. In comparison, it made the sorry excuse of the one she had at the bridge - with its flickering and grainy projections - pale in comparison.

She was thankful for the momentary distraction and as Lady Ixia briefed them, Zahara focused on her words and the background noise, her sight fixed on the hololith. While the nature of those gathered made the Rogue Trader oblivious to the presence of automatons and the rare glimpse of the Imperial Family and the camaraderie between them, Zahara's companion seemed less overwhelmed. Noiselessly it levitated a hand's breadth above her right shoulder, the tiny sphere's azure ocular, unblinkingly staring at the hololith for a moment before turning to the mechanical humanoids among them.

" I suggest we all go there to reinforce whatever the warmaster needs so many legions for and i would ask that the mechnicum envoy asks her lord to come as well as while he might not be normal support i am sure there will be more repairs than tech priests there"

The fiercely independent attitude that has driven Zahara into self-exile among the stars, made her chafe at any open act of contrition. Even when she petitioned for the formal membership into the Expedition she did not bow or grovel before its Ur-Magisters, though to their credit and her respect, they made such petty formalities obsolete. But when Ixia uttered the words 'mechanicum' and 'envoy' and then turned her attention, Zahara couldn't help but respond to the magnetic forces that pulled the veiled woman to peak from beneath the brim of her helmet and look directly at the demi-goddess.

Her pupils widened as she stared at the face of the Tenth Primarch and the perfect skin of her face, framed as it was by the wavy auburn hair. She would enjoy no small mercies, as the bold sophistication of the Emperor's only daughter reflected itself into the very fabric of the materium around the Mistress of the Reliquary, the area alight with the unflinching divinity that warmed the soul and blinded the eye; heralding loudly the offspring of the One sent by Creation Itself to Mankind.

Overwhelmed by such potent glory, the fiercely proud and unflinching Zahara wanted nothing more than to debase herself right than and there, and to offer her life at the altar of imminent death for in this moment she has seen it all. Thankfully, as she lowered her head in obeisance, the brim of her helmet broke visual contact enough for her implant to beholden her back to faltering sense of self. She couldn't help but confess to herself that she may have just witnessed the most beautiful woman that has ever walked and called herself human.

The vibrant feathers poking from Rogue Trader's helmet rustled as the woman shook and then slowly nodded, as a delayed reply to the Primarch.
Managing to get a grip of herself from where she stood, still seeking cover behind the chair, Zahara feigned a cough - her gauntlet coming over her veiled mouth - hoping that her shaky state remained hidden, less the godlings took even more notice of the mortal in their midst.

"By your will, my Lady!"

She was shocked by the fervor and the clarity infusing her voice, and as she released a shaky exhale Zahara wondered to herself if the newfound conviction was wholly a product of her will or was it an influence coming from...them? She heard stories of their potent charisma bending minds and wills of baseline humans but...she did not expect to be so completely overwhelmed.
Glancing at the rotating planets captured in the hololith, she was vaguely aware of the reservations, questions, and petitions with which she came to this gathering. She came to represent the interests and needs of her faction yet all she accomplished was cementing further submission of the entire Expedition to the needs of the Imperium. She spared a thought wondering how Ur-Magisters and the rest of the Expedition would react to Ixia' invitation. She could not imagine any of them accepting it, especially in a system with such heavy imperial presence but in truth, she couldn't care less at the moment as caring seemed so outside of her momentary capacity.

Rogue Trader leaned against the high-backed chair following what was being said, already tired from the ordeal and defeated by the colossal might of her own perceived failure.

 

[Soviet Panda]

"Forgive me, sister, I've been fighting for as long as I remember. I've been a part of the Crusade for a century, going from one planet to the next and claiming it in the name of our Father." Grimwald said as he took another sip of the bubbly water. He decided it was best to ignore Ardimydas' remarks, not wanting a potential fist fight to break out. Though, truth be told, Grimwald would enjoy having a good brawl. But he knew better than that, not on Ixia's ship at least.

"If Sanguinius has so many Legions already called to him, then what matter would our presence make? My question is what has happened at Istvaan that requires the Warmaster himself to even want the assistance of the other Legions? Surely he should be all that is required to handle whatever this is." He had not realized that he had ran out of drink, and so when he went to take another sip, he was surprised when nothing wet his mouth. Giving the empty glass a baffled look, he sets it down and waits for the other's input.

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

"I agree with Grimwald. Does it not seem odd to call all the legions to a single system? The only time that has happened was when the Emperor, long may he reign, made Sanguinius Warmaster." Cassius said, before taking another sip of the sweet liquor. While he would love to see the rest of his siblings, this rubbed him the wrong way for reasons even he didn't know, and he lacked the psychic abilities of the others. "Call it a gut feeling if you will" he added before draining the rest of his cup. While he loved his brother Sanguinius along with most of his siblings, something felt off about this calling of the legions. Perhaps it was his imagination and years of constant war. "I suggest if we go, we do so with extreme caution."

 

[Karcen]

Ixia listened and of course those concerns had crossed her mind, if the warmaster needed so much help then what could be the issues and such a thought made her worry in a way that her brother seemed not to. She wondered more like a mother, even when it came to her brothers and if one of them needed help she couldn't help but try. That had lead to her help angron where even their father had not, though he had only though of removing the nails not lessening them. She felt whatever was going on there was big and likely the others felt it as well. The ambassador had been unable to resist completely agreeing even though their blank brother would be removing any warp based influence they seemed to have. Ixia had never been able to tell if their ability to get others to go with them was warp stuff or just some genetic control switch their father had messed with. Either way the call for caution was one ixia could agree with, though she doubted whatever had made the warmaster call all those legions there, would still be alive.

" Lady Primarch" A voice suddenly cut in as the marine returned bursting into the room despite outside guards protests, Ixia might need to promote her if she could get past them. " The translation has finished" She said going right up to Ixia and handing her a data slate.

" Thank you, return to whatever duties you had" Ixia said looking over the data slate reading the best interpretations that could be made, guesses at age and authenticity along with replies. " Hmm lets see Blood angels, Space wolves, Death guard, The Emperor's children at the start" She read aloud as there were two message calling for different legions months apart " Then The salamanders, The iron Warriors, Night lords, World Eaters, The alpha legion, The raven guard, serval months latter" She said confused " He called almost all of the crusade over a Xenos backed rebellion?" She finished not believing it something was wrong. The only legions not there aside from the four here were the thousand sons, and the white scars.

This could not be, not even ullanor or the Rangadan Xenocides had needs so many and the Rangadan had, had ... no they weren't allowed to even think about that. There was no way a xenos threat could ever become so powerful, and yet it had there was no other explanation as why would the Warmaster lie, he was their commander every legion followed him? There had to be a reason for this, an explanation for why sanguineous would call the legions there, but Ixia could not fathom what it could be. The warp it had to be the warp, perhaps it had spat out some remnant of the Men of iron that had turned on most of humanity. That had to be it, that was the only reason such forces would be needed. While all these thoughts and confusion were going on the mechanical waiter would actually keep refilling Grimwalds' drink anytime he drained it.

" We need to head to Istvaan with all due haste, while these orders are old the fighting might not be done and to require these forces I can't imagine what the threat is not even Xenos with" Ixia caught her herself before going to far " Xenos with good commanders " She correct " Did not need this many legions so the threat must be dire "

Ixia didn't know why but she again felt like this was some kind of turning point, if she was a normal human Ixia would call it woman's intuition, but she was not a baseline human and such explanations should hold no sway. This was a galaxy of logic not one of old superstitions, so this feeling had to just be an emotional reaction to worry about her brothers. Ixia knew her brothers cared about each other, but she never saw them feel to such an extent, it was just a difference between a brother and a sister.

Ixia turned to the mechanicum Ambassador, Ixia did hate the mechanicum for their religious doctrine and silly misunderstanding of warp shadows. Still the fleet of the exploritor was a bit more flexible than the legions who tended to focus on boarding actions, though Ixia broke that mold as her ship was better at ship to ship combat without boarding with it's advanced weaponry. " Do you have any idea when the Magos will translate out of warp, he should be properly warned where we are likely going?" Ixia asked showing some concern for the mortals even if they were mechanicum. Her brothers all knew of the Xenocides most had been there, but this fleet, these mortals, likely had not and the horrors of that place had driven so many mad, the fleet deserved to know the dangers.

 

[HighSanguinaryPriest]

Cassius nodded in agreement as he went to stand, pulling out a Vox caster from his belt. "Sidonis, Prepare Tenth company, and send them to Istvaan with due haste. I want them to report what is going on." He said before a crackling response was heard from the caster.
"It shall be done my lord. The Phantoms are already prepped and waiting in the hangars." Replied the first captain. Popping his joints with a stretch, Cassius returned his attention to the others.
"I'm sure you are all familiar with my Phantoms, or Scout Marines yes? Their skills in stealth along with the null field should render them practically invisible to any warp sensitive being. We should have reports coming in soon. I suggest we hold our forces back until we have more information." He said stowing his vox caster. "Once we have more information on the battle, then we shall smash into the enemy."

 

[Soviet Panda]

Grimwald's eyes narrowed at the Man of Steel that refilled his glass, but he did not hesitate in drinking from it. He listened to what Ixia had to say of the report from her subordinate. He knew that the Warmaster had called many Legions to him, as his Sister had said, but all the names she listed off surprised him. All but five Legious would be gathered at Istvaan for apparently some Xenos rebellion. He knew first hand how hard some could fight to hold onto their empire, but a rebellion? Then again, the Istvaan system had been shrouded by a Warp storm for some time, who knew what it could have spat out?

Standing up and turning to his Marines, he begins to give his orders. "We are returning to the Felkyre. Sister, I will be using your teleportarium. Crew of the Felkyre, place a homing beacon in the teleportarium. Gunnar, instruct the Astropaths to plot a course to the Istvaan System, have orbital assault teams on stand by for arrival."

Turning back to his family, he gives them a polite bow and a wave. "I will be seeing you all once more in Istvaan then. Oh I hope it's a good fight. End this war with a real bang."