A First Captain's Independence
After his conversation with his Father, Kesar was worried. More concerned over the future of his Legion than any time before, including after the catastrophic fighting aboard the station. For this new task his Father had put him on was dangerous. Not just physically, though the dead would surely mount if any future world was nearly as difficult as that station, even with the lessons learned from it. But the fear of corruption, for any more of his sons being Lost. And, a small part of himself worried about his own risks, of the scars he had gotten fighting Daemons and the worry of what they could mean. And so, before doing anything else, he went to have a long talk once more with Oriacarius.
This conversation was far more subdued. It was not about what the Legion could learn from a fight, but instead what they could learn of their greatest Shame, and their bitterest regrets. The Loss, and what they could do to minimize those risks when going up against corruptive forces again and again. Kesar even brought up his greatest fear, of failing like his sons before him, and being Lost to the daemons of the Warp. Something he hoped he would destroy himself before doing, if ever even put into such a position. However, he knew that his sons thought the same, and yet they were Lost anyways. The machinations of daemons are sinister and often unfathomable, to believe himself outside their reach an act of arrogance he refused to allow himself. And so, he put to Oriacarius a dire charge. "If by some damndable means I know not, I am ever corrupted against Mankind and all things good, my son. I require you to split from me. To recognize my lapse and lead the Legion against me, to drop all ties and add me to the list of the Lost, and destroy me. I need you to keep your independence son, so that I may continue to work against the Daemon without fear that if I should falter, I would drag my sons down with me. Promise me this Oriacarius, and ready yourself for it, just in case."
This was something Oriacarius never wished to face. An enemy he could not fight. The idea of his Father, his Primarch, his Lord being lost to the depredations of the warp? Unthinkable, and yet... he was being asked not just to think of the concern, but to ready himself for it. To prepare to replace his father as the head of the Legion, should it prove necessary. This was not something he could conceive of, how could he ever be a match? He had lead the Legion before the Primarch had been found it was true, but he had not the skill, the wit, the charisma, the strength or speed of a Primarch. How could he do this task? ... but how could he say no? How could he refuse this charge? How could he allow his Legion to fall to the corrupting influence of Chaos? The Legion served Mankind, and it must always do so. No one person could be worth more than All of Man. He would have to do this. He would have to prepare. Create contingencies against even the most dire of threats. What would he do if the other Primarchs were to be Lost? All this and more went through Oriacarius head as he pondered his gene-fathers charge. Before he looked up into the eyes of his Lord, and with a face grimmer than ever before he said two words that would forever change the relationship between them. "Yes, Kesar." Not lord, not father, not Primarch. If he were to do this task, he must separate himself from standard Legion thinking, to ensure he always questioned the meanings behind Kesar's actions, to ensure they held no taint of the daemonic.
Kesar sighed, and nodded. Understanding the thoughts going through his First Captains head. Understanding what this would mean, and relishing in having a backup in case he himself fell. Though he intended for such to never be necessary. It could not be guaranteed. So with that most dire of tasks completed, they began a much less terrifying topic, how to take a world overrun by daemons, whilst keeping their Legion intact.
After the discussion was over. Oriacarius began his own work. Creating contingency after contingency, something his mind worked well at. From the corruption of his own Gene-Father, to the corruption of himself, for if a Primarch could be corrupted, surely he himself could be as well. Though he would work every day to gird himself against such a horrible end, he would not shame his Lord, no shame Kesar by being less willing to conceive of his own failure. In the days that followed some of these contingencies were put in place, others kept within his own mind to be studied, and improved. Training plans were updated to include more flexible leadership expectations, and throughout it all contempt for the Daemonic was underscored. Something to strive for, nearly as much as the intent to serve Mankind as best as possible. And so the Legion changed made that slight bit more ready to face the coming darkness, for it was certain, as the tip of the spear against the madness of the Warp, they would find it, and bring the Eternal Sovereigns Light when they did.
