Rogal Dorn had already awakened, his severed arm in the process of regeneration, the bones regrown.
"Please don't move, Lord Dorn. Your arm is regenerating and needs several hours to fully heal," an Apothecary said.
"You're a Space Marine? Which chapter? I think I was captured," Dorn said, rubbing his head.
After the Heresy, Dorn led Imperial Fists to board a Chaos ship—a simple battle where he alone could have slaughtered all Chaos Marines.
Though not the most powerful Primarch, he ranked high. Space Marines were to him what mortals were to Primarchs—helpless.
But after killing the traitors, he was ambushed by a Necron who severed his arm and captured him with a device.
Dorn recognized the Necron at once. Upon waking, he found himself here. He felt deep shame at being captured—perhaps the first Primarch ever taken by Xenos.
His arm was soaking in nutrients, blood vessels regrowing. Such advanced regeneration! The Imperium didn't have this technology. He must have been captured for a long time.
"Lord Dorn, Lord Rhodes will see you soon and explain everything. You are safe now," the Apothecary said.
"Rhodes is your commander? What's his rank? Can I speak to him?" Dorn asked.
He needed to know how long he'd been missing—such news must be kept secret, as a captured Primarch would devastate Imperial morale. He needed to see the leader; perhaps all witnesses would need memory erasure.
The Space Marine before him was huge—almost as big as a Custodian! Astartes tech must have advanced greatly; he must have been gone a long time.
"Lord Rhodes, like you, is a Primarch—of the new era, ten thousand years later. We are his sons. You've been gone for ten thousand years, Lord Dorn," the Apothecary said.
"Ten thousand years? It's been that long?" Dorn sat up sharply, nearly pulling out his healing arm.
He had guessed he'd been gone a long time—maybe a thousand years, tops. But ten thousand? And the Imperium had new Primarchs? Had the Emperor left the Golden Throne and made new sons?
Dorn didn't know that, without Rhodes, humanity's tech and power ten thousand years later was even less than in the Great Crusade.
"Don't move. You were a Necron captive for ten thousand years. I can tell you about the new era," Rhodes said, entering the medbay at four meters tall in Primarch form.
"You're the new Primarch? Can you tell me what happened while I was gone? How did you find me?" Dorn asked.
He had many questions, but secrecy was the priority.
"Yes. Elena and I are new Primarchs. You've been gone ten thousand years. You're not the first to return. There are now at least a dozen Primarchs in the Imperium. The first I rescued was Horus—"
Rhodes was interrupted.
"Primarchs can't have children. And how can there be female Primarchs? If so, you're siblings—how could that be? And you rescued Horus first—are you a traitor?" Dorn asked.
"I'll explain. Elena and I weren't made by the Emperor—we merged with a cosmic beast, a xenos lifeform that elevates ordinary beings beyond Primarchs. The Emperor chose us as new Primarchs. Elena is the gene-mother of all Battle Sisters.
Oh, you may not know Battle Sisters. After the Emperor took the Throne, people used Lorgar's holy texts to form the Ecclesiarchy, worshipping the Emperor as a god for ten millennia. The Sisters first called themselves the Emperor's wives, then daughters—the most devout in the Imperium," Rhodes explained.
"Impossible! My father hated being worshipped as a god, especially by Lorgar's heresy," Dorn protested.
His father, worshipped as a god for ten thousand years, with an Ecclesiarchy and Battle Sisters—this was Lorgar's doing! And a cosmic beast? So this new Primarch wasn't his sibling. And there were female Primarchs with children! All this was mind-boggling. Then what about Horus? The ship, the Astartes, this new Primarch—none seemed corrupted, so why was Horus the first rescued?
"Calm down and let me finish?" Rhodes said patiently.
"Fine, tell me everything about this new era. I can handle it," Dorn said, taking a deep breath.
Rhodes then told Dorn about everything since his disappearance: Russ's departure, Vulkan's disappearance, the War of the Beast, the Twin Emperors era, the Age of Apostasy, Abaddon's Black Crusades, the fall of Cadia, Rhodes and Guilliman's rise, the Baal campaign, Magnus and Horus's returns, Vulkan's return, humanity's alliance with the Eldar, the new Astartes, legions' return, Lion El'Jonson's return, Sanguinius's return, Primarchs fusing with cosmic beasts and gaining the power of giants, the slaying of the Void Dragon, the new Imperial Titans, and more.
"So, all of this is your doing? You discovered the cosmic beast? Created the new Astartes? Brought back the Primarchs? Are you claiming to be the savior—the second Emperor? Everything you say credits you alone," Dorn said, suspicious.
Rhodes smiled. "I'm humble, but facts are facts."
Originally only two Primarchs would have returned, but because of his appearance, the number of returned Primarchs was now nearly as high as in the Great Crusade—and much more powerful.
Any Primarch fused with a cosmic beast could now defeat ten or more old Primarchs.
"I need to return to Terra," Dorn said.
He didn't fully trust Rhodes—this guy painted himself as a savior. Still, all Imperial advances—new weapons, FTL engines, Primaris upgrades, Primarch returns—were linked to him.
"Alright. We'll be heading back to Terra soon."