Dantioch had spent many years as the Diarch of the First Spear, alongside the Xth's Voitek who served as the other Diarch. He looked over the other members of the First Spear's IVth Maniple, that the Emperor Guilliman had called forth, the First Spear as the Astartes force for the First Expeditionary Fleet's Adeptum Mechanicum force. So he had not been far when called, that the IVth's Maniple was the only one called, leaving their brothers on the Ark Mechanicus. He felt nearly naked with only his genebrothers and power armor around him, the spear had been performing fine and any recent failures would have been on both Diarchs heads and dealt with by the Fleet Magus not the Emperor himself. He ensured his own power sword and volkite pistol was cleaned and polished, before ensuring that the radium serpenta, and transonic blades of his Maniple's Marshals were in similar condition. The weapon was an extension of the body after all and it was important to keep it in excellent condition so the machine spirit within would resonate with one's soul.
He looked at the world on the viewing screens across the bridge of the Emperor's ship, it was a sparse world with little green, however he noted the orbital defenses and the mining station consuming an asteroid in the planet's orbit. "My Emperor?" The rest of his forces waited before the dias as he walked up to the command throne where Guilliman rested.
"Good." He spoke in a calm manner calmly looking over the gathered legionaries. "This is all of the IVth with us?"
"No, it is simply the commanders and those of specialized positions." The Primarch nodded, then looked out to the world.
"They are later iron age in much of their technology, and speak of a wandering city that raised walls to the heavens." He looked over the screen and with a gesture a serf changed it to a mural of a figure. It was standing, a humanoid form though vastly larger wrapped in black metal with subtle decorations it lacked the details of a photograph so little else could be determined about the figure. "This is the Iron Elder, the leader of those wanderers who have established a trade empire here."
"So we will track down these Wanderers and have them join the Empire, what of it involves the special attention of my men, Lord." The man was the lord of the imperium and brother of his genefather but he didn't wish to have pointless discussions when there were plans to prepare and war to get ready for.
"This Iron Elder resonates with the arcanum to detect the Primarchs, or at least something in the nearby systems is a Primarch and this Iron Elder would be the likely candidate. Further the Arcanum indicates your genefather is the one here." That caused Dantioch to draw short and he could hear the mutterings of the Marshalls behind him.
The warp journey to the next world in the trade empire had Dantioch and his gene brothers filled with a tense energy. Voitek came to him as he rested tending to his armor.
"Brother Dantioch, you have been reserved." The IVth's Diarch looked to Voitek as he spoke, his brother was standing in full armor. Knowing the Xth this was either a genuine concern or seeking out any weakness to keep on hand. Thankfully the IVth's Maniple was separate from the dog eat dog philosophy of the Xth, and the Xth had settled down since the early days of the crusade through the right for direct subordinates to challenge for command when not in battle was something he personally saw as a waste.
"It is likely when we transition to real space that my genefather will be waiting." Worry wasn't the exact feeling that he had coursing through him. Instead it was an apprehension. What would his Primarch be like, would he be proud, apathetic. He had gotten a chance to speak with a World Serpent about their Magnus and that Legion spoke highly about their liege, despite the ruined stage he had found his legion in. The IVth was standing strong with a long series of victories alongside their battle brothers.
"This is good news." Dantioch looked up at the Xth's leader. His armor was polished and as maintained as he could keep it. "With a Primarch at the lead the Spears can pierce deeper, the Hammers strike harder, the shields haven't broken to any of our wargames."
"A measure of the lack of our siege breaking I would say." He gave a wry smile over the old argument, before slowly dawning his armor, the servitor serfs pulling away from their alcoves to connect the power pack to the armor's systems. "Come, I would like you to Join the IVth on the bridge for when the Emperor speaks to this Iron Elder, he thinks is our Genefather."
A mechadendrite reaches out and pats the pauldron of his armor as Voitek nodded. "Of course brother, though I know you keep a record of the other spears, I'd like to know if any of their Diarchs might be looking to challenge me." It was a pointless request Dantioch always informed Voitek when he believed a challenge was coming, he understood the play and accepted it without a word. With a quick prayer to the Omnissiah and they both headed to the bridge.
The transition into real space was uneventful though Dantioch noted a small sound as their gellar fields shut down once safely out of the Immaterium, he would have to speak to the local maintenance serfs on the level of care the machine spirit of such a mechanism required. When the vox screen connected he could feel Voitek shift the Xth's Legionary pulling his mechadendrites down around himself digital weapons and volkite culverin silently purring. Dantioch himself couldn't help but be taken by the design of the bridge on the other side of the display. Front and center is a captain, a small humanoid figure in a grey and blue bodysuit with a reflective mask covering their face and colorful robes around them. But that wasn't the true figure that drew the eye. Instead it was a massive man in an iron suit engravings breaking up otherwise smooth metal as the series of pipes and cords only just peek from the joints where the plates don't quite match. Around one wrist is a circle of small weapons all glowing lightly red, the machine towering over the human though the small movements showing a grace that belies its massive metallic frame.
He knew that Guilliman was right the moment he laid eyes on the figure before him. This was his genefather.
His sons? That is what this Emperor said was his gift for joining their imperium, a legion of men formed in his image. He cast his eye to the man in his powered armor, a blade at his hip and a sidearm ready to be drawn. What made them his sons, his family? Not any battle they fought together, for this was his first encounter. Not any hardship or join that befell them both, for again he had never met them. They were to him as the people he protected on the world's they visited, a distant relation. He would not discount them the strength to become family but that this Emperor spoke so loosely of the term gain Perturabo a bad taste in his mouth, and while he was sure that the Fleet could bruise this Empire and escape he would be condemning the world's he had promised to protect. He couldn't stop the empire in a war, but the requirements to join were acceptable though broad and forgiving enough he worried it was just a trap that this Emperor was just another like the devil.
In the end there was little choice but to accept the dominance of the Imperium and hope that his people would endure. After joining he had much to do..
(Choose 3)
[X][IV]New Sons
Family means something; it is more than a simple relation, it is a bond forged by connections and traditions. He will bring this legion under his family; it will just take time.
-[X]The Xth
His sons have a brotherhood with this tenth legion. If he is to bring his legion into his family he will reach out to their brothers in arms.
[][IV]The Mechanicum
An organization that had been controlling his legion for a long time, as he is taking their rains he should reach out and work with them as well as his own forces.
[][IV]The Red Giant
The Emperor calls him brother too, but you don't have that connection yet, he is deeply aware of witches. Your fleet has had problems with them in the past and on occasion this has led to unfortunate accidents; he can bond with his brother as they work out a solution to this.
[][IV]The Hunt
With the Imperium he has a mechanism beyond any other to search the void for the devil. Its justice has been evaded for too long.
[X][IV]Leave them Better
His legion has taken worlds, many are left in rubble for newcomers or the remnants to repair. This would not do, he would have to go and rebuild as many as he can to teach his legion to rebuild as they destroy in the future.
[X][IV]Iron Without
His armor was crafted by his own hands and years of practice, echoes of the devil and the age he represents stays within. By working with the mechanics of his legion and this machine cult he can craft his armor better and perhaps his new sons can learn something to improve this Mark III armor that they call their own.
Guilliman had to move quickly on the first fleet left to its own devices as he took his flagship back to the capital world he had much to juggle and he had been lucky to be near when the fleet's Arcanum detected this Perturabo. He would need to thank Malcador for the arcane technology; without it he would have been ill-prepared for either of his encounters with his brothers. He was reading reports the empire slowly expanding beyond even his superhuman mind to manage all the high level events across it. However, one of the recent reports one stood out and he decided to focus on it in the coming years between his other duties.
[][XIII] Dead Worlds
Some Xeno, and other subject nations have been ravaged by disease and occasionally unknown pirates. The only link is how devastated the world is after these events.
[][XIII] Sighting of an Eldar City Ship
The Eldar are an enigma and the chance to speak with them is rare, much less the chance to do so from a position of strength.
[][XIII] His own Sons
Guilliman had little interaction with the Imperial Legion after setting them up as Diplomat generals and later establishing recruiting worlds like Cthonia. He didn't know many of them personally.
[X][XIII] His Brothers
Two of them have been found, he should reach out, to insure that they have a unified vision of the crusade. That he was not fermenting bad blood at the highest ranks of the imperial bureaucracy.
Magnus turned to Torm the Master of the Wyrm Guard. "Speak again son, least I misheard you."
"Another Primarch has been found, he is a strange kinsmen by all reports." Magnus nodded and looked back to the Archive Library of his ship around them. So far the empire's foes have been without number, but many had little honor in their defeat. No great challenge of wits or strength in most that would surrender in days or collapse before that. His brother would be a change of pace from that of a puzzle he could not just push over, and he could weave it into his ideas to teach the arts of the Shaman's to the other legions.
On the other hand, the blind council, and Sigillite of Terra had asked for an audience and he had no reason to refuse such things. Though both projects would take away from time he could be pursuing the crusade or his own studies.
[X][XV]A Brother, a Library
Meet with this Perturabo and begin Magnus' plan to create Psyker divisions in each of the legions.
[][XV]A Sigillite
He has been requested, something about a Psychic beacon. The Navigators have spoken about it before.
[][XV]A War
He has a Crusade to continue other things would only distract him.
[][XV]A Study
He has his own work to continue.
-[]Of Runes
-[]Of Spirits
-[]Of Aether
