The Lost Primarch Quest

Thinking Cap


Kesar lay down his tools. He had finally finished work on the insight rune. It had taken him years of work and many setbacks.

His sons would not expect his to leave his ship board workshop for several more hours and as agreed they would let him know when they were about to drop out of warp. It would be good to spend some down time at home while the fleet restocked.

He wasn't wearing his armour but instead comfortable casual clothes in the style of his homeworld. It helped him concentrate on his work.

Feeling happy with his success he decided to put the rune onto a hat rather than a necklace as was his usual equipment for initial human testing. The hat was striking being white and pointy with no brim. It was a gift from the most recent compliant world: Exodus. It had immaculate records of its history but no tech manuals and was one of the most primitive worlds that had a unified world government and was primarily peaceful.



He hoped that a rune of insight would help with his more cerebral duties like planning out his budget, doing research and planning out his often fraught interactions with his atypical family.

He put the hat on and sat on his comfy chair away from the workbench. He let his mind wander as he tried to tell the difference the rune made to his thought processes.

It would be nice to have a Eureka moment because I wore to rune. I wonder where that term comes from. I heard it from a Magos after they solved a problem and they explained the meaning but I didn't ask about its history.

I wonder if Father ever struggled with inspiration? Maybe he wishes he has a hat as cool as mine. Maybe if he had this hat he would make fewer social gaffs. For someone wanting to be an Emperor he really isn't good with people.

Hang on. He must know that he has bad people skills and up until recently he was happy to hide in the shadows and do SCIENCE. Something changed to push him into the light.

Sure the Federation fell but since father must have been an architect of that why isn't he trying to rebuild it? Despite its flaws it allowed for far greater personal freedoms than what is being built to replace it.

He must know that something is coming. That would explain why he is so focused on having the crusade succeed.

Say there is a looming threat. What could it be? Either it is a known unknown; something new from a known source, or an unknown unknown; an out of context problem.

Given that an out of context problem could be literally anything from extra-galactic alien swarms to the return of dead gods so ancient that they were forgotten completely so there is no point considering that further but what known unknown might it be?

Is it Chaos? If it were then he would have trained all of his sons in how to fight it. Lorgar fell because he wasn't warned of the threat and more of my brother's might follow since father is reluctant let us slow down and properly train to resist it's insidious threat. No it isn't Chaos that has him worried.

The pointy eared bastards? They can certainly cause a lot of damage but their numbers are so few that they aren't an existential threat unless they figure out their population issues. Possible but unlikely.

The only other contender are the Ork. They are certainly a plague but their lack of unity and the ease that their numbers can be pruned back by a stronger force keeps them under control.

Hang on. The Eldar empire before their fall used to control the Ork population and then later the Federation took over those duties. There has been no organised push back against Ork growth since then. Their numbers must be the highest since I don't even know when.

All they would need is a unifying warboss and the Orks could indeed be the threat that father foresaw.

He is rushing the crusade so that he has a big enough force to face off against a unified Ork empire. It is a supposition but the logic holds.

This threat is severe enough that he is willing to risk his children to succeed. No not risk. It is why he made us. We are weapons, made to conquer in his name. He doesn't think of us as his sons. We are just thunder warriors version 2 and they were both expendable and expended.

There are threats coming that require unity to survive let alone defeat but is that plan of the Emperor really what is best for my brother's and our sons? Maybe Lorgar had the right idea leaving. Maybe Chaos is better.



That last thought was definitely wrong. Kesar threw the hat off and rushed to touch the nearest purity rune. It burnt him slightly as it purged him of the corruption that the mere thought had caused.

He would have to be far more careful in any future experiments but even discarding the obviously planted thoughts by warp creatures he found sleep difficult that night.

I have finished a post battle chant to be used after a large number of wardens have died. The first parts of it are very quiet almost whispered but with a sort of certainty behind them while the last part is very fiery and loud.

Kesar turned towards Lion and nodded. "I trust you, Lion." The First didn't bother to respond verbally, he simply nodded and left. The Astartes from the exchange program were drawn forth, and Kesar sent another 999 Wardens alongside Oriacarius.
In the warp, Tzeentch paused and smiled.
The Lion met with Alpharius in another location, alongside the 2 thousand Wardens, one thousand Dark Angels, 500 Iron Warriors, 500 Alpha Legionaries, 1000 Raven Guard, and 1000 Night Lords prepared for war. Turning towards the elusive Primarch, Lion spoke. "Method of entry?"

The normally jovial Primarch was completely serious in his response. "We have a Dark Age one-time teleporter. It can send a group of 5000 in randomized groups."

Lion frowned at this. Their entrance would be far harder for him in that case. "Can you send me first?" Alpharius just nodded before Lion spoke. "Do it."

The Hydra stepped away from the platform as the Lion organized the groups. Then, Alpharius pressed a single button, and the Lion disappeared alongside a group of 1000 Astartes.

Stepping forth onto Cadia, the Primarch of the Dark Angels immediately analyzed the situation. Dorn was visibly relieved at seeing Lion arrive. His forces would lose if not for his arrival. Additionally, he had been forced to engage another Bloodthirster, and he paid for it. The Primarch of the Imperial Fists clutched his abdomen where the Greater Daemon. Flashing back to what happened, Dorn knew his first captain would need some sort of reward for his actions.

When the Primarch was wounded, Sigismund had stepped in and distracted the daemon. This respite allowed him to continue directing the battle and likely saved his life. However, his First Captain was already badly wounded, and after his brief clash, was even more wounded. Amazingly, the Astartes was currently conscious, although he was too wounded to actively fight. Still, his action was incredibly brave and necessary. Turning towards Lion, Dorn spoke. "I held."

"Now we push." Lion surged into the battle, with the incoming Astartes by his side. While he was a skilled general, the battle line needed reinforcements immediately. Astartes continued to trickle in by the hour, but for now, the Lion surged throughout the battlefield, with his reinforcements diving into combat. All the while, the First continued to kill. As the battle continued during the opening day, the Lion massacred the corrupted forces. Every 40 seconds, the Primarch would kill a corrupted Astartes. In total, he killed 2039 Imperial Fists himself as the Wardens, Dark Angels, and Imperial Fists fought the corrupted Astartes. Lion frowned at the ratio of kills to losses after the first hour. As it was, the ratio was just 2.5 to 1. Unacceptable. As the Imperial Fists continued to die, alongside the Wardens and Dark Angels, the Lion ordered Oriacarius to begin phase 2.

16 kilometers away, the Alpha Legionaries Cobra 2 and Cobra 3 continued their fight against the Bloodthirster. Cobra 2 spoke as he fell back and dodged more strikes. "I don't think we are going to survive this one."

Firing his Volkite which hit and did nothing, Cobra 3 replied. "We won't. But the longer it fights us, the better of the others will be." The Bloodthirster roared at this as it spoke.

"I WILL RIP YOUR SKULLS FROM YOUR BODY!" Snarling, it charged at Cobra 3, who dove to the side. Lashing out with his chainsword, the Astartes swore as the strike was blocked. However, then the creature conducting its parry. Swinging its ax, the Bloodthirster smiled. "I WILL SPILL YOUR BLOOD!"

By inches, Cobra 3 leaped over the ax. However, his landing was slightly unbalanced. Thankfully, Cobra 2 managed to pull him back. Unfortunately, the Greater Daemon took advantage of the two Astartes being next to each other and unleashed his axes at full strength. As his arm blurred, Cobra 2 and 3 realized something. They couldn't dodge this. The two were blocking off the others escape paths, and as such would die. Still, Cobra 3 raised his chainsword in what would be a futile attempt to block the strike. As he did, Cobra 2 acted.

Stepping in front of Cobra 3, he raised his chainsword and braced. "Live brother." Then the Bloodthirster's ax ripped through the chainsword. Cobra 2 smirked as he initiated a full armor lockdown on his suit. As he raised his arms to grab the daemon's arm, the ax cut through the front layer of his armor. It continued through his body and exited through a part of the back. However, it still got stuck in the armor.

Cobra 3 froze as his brother's blood coated his armor. Raising his hand, he looked at Cobra 2's blood. Then he turned towards the Bloodthirster. Trembling with rage, the Astartes roared and charged. Screaming obscenities, the Astartes charged the Greater Daemon without thought. The Bloodthirster smirked at the anger it felt radiating from the mortal. Khorne would be pleased with their souls. Slashing with his ax, the Greater Daemon paused as his arm encountered far more resistance than it should have. Glancing at it, he found the source. The Astartes he had just killed had managed to lock itself to the ax.

Cobra 3 took advantage of this and managed to set his feet. Rotating his body to the left, he altered the grip on his chainsword. His dominant left hand was placed on the bottom of the hilt, with his right hand on the crossguard. Roaring, he thrust forward. Rotating his core, he pushed forward with his legs and struck the Greater Daemon. Unlike the other strikes, however, this one was followed with strength and rage. The Bloodthirster roared as its skin split. The chainsword continued forward and cut deeply into the creature. Then, the Alpha Legionary pulled the sword to the left. Tearing its way out of the Bloodthirster, the chainsword sizzled with acidic blood as Cobra 3 snarled. "You'll pay for that." The Greater Daemon roared as it felt the strike. Perhaps these Alpha Legionaries would be worthy opponents.

Meanwhile, the Iron Warriors set about their work. Fortifications needed to be made, and they would do it. However, this was not going to be anywhere near simple. Under fire and in melee combat, the Astartes turned to their brothers and nodded. If they couldn't build their fortifications because of the need to defend themselves, then the choice was simple. They would simply ignore the need to survive.

Stepping forward, the Iron Warriors ripped apart the command center. As groups dug trenches, others began to use the supplies they looted. Tent poles and tarp was used to make raised firing posts. Additionally, the few supplies of metal and excess armor were used to make barriers. All this, however, came at a cost.

As the Iron Warriors built up the fortifications, they ignored the corrupted Imperial Fists who were trying to kill them. When they worked on building the fortifications, they would place themselves in positions that were open and paid for it. When a defensive structure was made, several Iron Warriors lay umoving near it. However, they still did their duty. During the second day of battle, all the Iron Warriors present died building a grand set of fortifications which Lion was happy to see. The Primarch of the Dark Angels approved of the pragmatism. While it was unfortunate to lose assets, the fortifications would certainly help him. Dorn, however, had a much more negative reaction. After seeing his sons try to kill his loyal sons and watching so many of them die, his usual calm was compromised. A such, he was worried about the innate lack of care for the own lives among the Iron Warriors.

However, for now, phase 2 began. Lion stopped his movement on the battlefield before speaking. "Make a hole." Immediately, the Dark Angels complied, closely followed by the Wardens. Oriacarius continued to conduct the battle as the Astartes drilled an opening in the corrupted Fists. Then, the Raven Guard, Night Lords, and Alpha Legionaries dispersed and prepared their ambushes.

As the corrupted Fists had their lines collapse, the Bloodthirster moved over and roared. In response, the Lion walked over as he continued to cut through the corrupted Astartes. Then, he blurred. Staying just underneath the sound barrier, the Lion leaped behind the Bloodthirster and slashed. The Greater Daemon went fully on the defensive as it struggled to survive against the Primarch's assault. Oriacarius diverted some of the Dark Angels to watch Lion's back in case he was ambushed, and this was noticed by the Primarch of the Dark Angels. Then, he blurred once more. Striking once, twice, thrice, a total of 47 times in under a second from a total of 11 different positions, Lion ripped apart the Bloodthirster. Total time elapsed, 33 seconds. Marching forward, the Primarch sent a single message to Oriacarius. "Best case scenario achieved. Commence Contingency Alpha 4."

Meanwhile, a single Alpha Legionary continued to fight the last remaining Bloodthirster. After his momentary rage, Cobra 3 had calmed down and continued his duel. Dodging another set of slashes, the Alpha Legionary lost his helmet as he was clipped by a strike. Firing his Volkite, the Astartes was not surprised to see that the weapon did nothing again.

The Greater Daemon lashed out with its arm and Cobra 3 leaped over it. Ducking under the ax, he lashed out with his chainsword. His off-balance strike glanced off the Bloodthirster before he had to block the backswing.

Then, the Khornate daemon adjusted its grip and twirled the ax around its fingers. Looping around the chainsword, it embedded itself into the Astartes who looked at it momentarily. "Damn it all." Gurgling, Cobra 3 felt his sight dimming. He was dying. The corpse of Cobra 3 fell, even as Khorne laughed in joy at the fight.

With the Bloodthirster dead, Lion took stock. Currently, he had 1000 Wardens, 1000 Imperial Fists, and 500 Dark Angles in the combat area and was faced with 13000 corrupted Imperial Fists. However, he had already reduced their numbers. They just hadn't realized it yet.

Battlefields were rather loud places. Weapons fired constantly, soldiers screamed and swore, and all around them, thousands of duels were performed. There never truly was a quiet moment. And as such, a true master of stealth and deception could slip through the cracks and wreak havoc. The Night Lords, Raven Guard, and Alpha Legion had never worked together before, and many, many mistakes were made. But, there skill and mastery were undeniable.

In a single moment, the 2500 hidden Astartes launched their strike. Corrupted Astartes screamed in agony as the Night Lords released poisons that caused such pain that caused Astartes to die from it. In the shadows, the Raven Guard picked apart isolated groups in complete silence. Flanking forces died within moments as they were ambushed by groups that outnumbered them 4 to 1. And throughout it all, the Alpha Legion performed wonderfully. Ammunition dumps exploded, and weapons ceased to function. Mines and explosives exploded, and commanders were convinced to kill their own troops to prevent rebellion. For a moment, the group fought itself, and the Lion took full advantage.

Lion walked forward and destroyed the group as Dorn fought alongside him. The Imperial Fists' Primarch was not in a good mental state. A third of his sons had risen up and tried and successfully killed the other third. If the Lion had not arrived, Dorn knew that he would have lost. He roared in anger and sorrow. Why was he given this task? Why was it that he had to kill his sons?

It wasn't fair. Not in the slightest. Decapitating what was once the captain of the 37th​ Company, the Unyielding One wiped his sons' blood from his cheek. As he did so, the blood streaked across his face as it mixed with a few drops of water. The Primarch didn't notice. He was too busy killing his sons. Every death weighed on him. How did he miss it? How did he fail so spectacularly?

He couldn't save his sons. He couldn't save his First Captain. He couldn't even save himself. Sigismund had saved his life, and his broken body was forced to watch for hours as the Imperial Fists died. The First Captain of the Fists wouldn't have even been in danger if he hadn't planned better. Hell, the Alpha Legion were the ones that saved Sigismund. The Alpha Legion were the ones that killed the Bloodthirster general. The Alpha Legion were the ones that killed half the Greater Daemons. Dorn took a step forward and stabbed Storms Teeth through another one of his sons.

This time, he missed one of the Astartes' hearts. Instead of dying quickly, the Lost Fist screamed in pain before he futilely tried to harm Rogal Dorn. Pulling out his sword, the Astartes finally died as Dorn continued to kill his sons.

"Only in death does duty end." Dorn killed another one of his sons. He took a step forward. He killed another. He took another step. He killed. Again, and again, and again he killed the sons he had failed. He killed the ones he loved. The ones that brought a smile to his face. Now, there was no smile. Just a cracked mask. The Unyielding One yielded to his actions. And tears dripped from his face. Still, he stepped forward. "Only in death does duty end."

Lion continued to tear through the corrupted Astartes. Finally, they had reached numerical parity, after hours of fighting. In total, he was now left with 1000 Wardens, 1000 Fists, 1000 Raven Guard, 1000 Night Lords, and 500 Alpha Legionaries. Total losses, 2500. For this, he killed 20000 corrupted Astartes. Acceptable, but the ratio should have been higher. Something to improve upon it seems.

The Primarch of the Dark Angels paused as another Bloodthirster made itself known. Looking at it, it was heavily wounded. It would not be a threat at all. While he could finish it, perhaps Dorn would prefer to kill it. Lion did believe that there would not be any danger of the Primarch dying, but there was still a risk of wounds. Still, if there was even a chance of Dorn dying, then he would step in and kill the Bloodthirster. However, he could also allow Dorn to try killing it, even if he was in danger. A thought also struck him. While Oriacarius was a very skilled First Captain, having him grow in direct combat skill would be ideal. While he was not part of the Dark Angels, Lion wanted to try convincing Kesar to send Oriacarius to the Men of Iron to assist the fleet. In the end, Lion chose to

[] Kill it himself
[] Let Dorn try to kill it, but step in if there is any danger
[] Let Dorn try to kill it, don't step in even if there is danger
[] Let Oriacarius try to kill it
[] Write-in