[The rise of the Eleventh Primarch was so swift, miraculous, and incredible that even among the Emperor's proudest sons, his early miracles were the rarest and most dazzling.]
[In a mere few years, he overthrew the rule of Xenos warlords and megacorporations, leading formerly unarmed common folk to defeat countless armies composed of transhuman soldiers and Xenos. Even the most accomplished generals under the Emperor could not have achieved this.]
[Although the details of these great campaigns are never mentioned, they were undoubtedly arduous and glorious: the remains of Xenos armies strewn across the planet would not lie, and the Eleventh Primarch's homeworld has never fully recovered from its war of independence.
They paid too heavy a price in that vastly unequal conflict. Moreover, the Primarch's most cherished friends, the first army who rose up with him, all perished in the war.]
[To this day, the problem of labor shortage continues to plague that world; its population has not adequately grown even after rejoining the Imperium.]
[Although there have always been voices within the Imperium advocating for the terraforming of this world, the Emperor respected the Eleventh Primarch's will and ideas. His homeworld, much like Baal for the gene-Primarch Sanguinius, exists in a state of exceptionally mysterious autonomy. Its inhabitants seem very reluctant to communicate with the outside world, making the Eleventh Primarch's past rather enigmatic.]
[The only certainty is that the Primarch's homeworld belongs to a technologically advanced society. They seem to possess various technologies unknown to the Imperium, and the entire society's automation is extremely high, effectively solving the problem of labor shortage.]
[But on the other hand, the Eleventh Primarch has refused any cooperation with the Adeptus Mechanicus of Mars, instead forming a loose alliance based on mutual interests and common goals with some very remote and rather heterodox Forge Worlds.]
[This behavior has caused this consistently maverick Primarch to be denounced by Mars on more than one occasion, but he has never directly responded to such accusations. Just as he has acted regarding every issue since rejoining the Imperium, he simply quietly follows his own path.]
[As for the Eleventh Primarch himself, he seems always to be associated with individuality and reclusiveness. Perhaps due to being an Untouchable, this Primarch does not always like to participate in activities among the Emperor's sons, and his Legion rarely fights alongside allied forces. Among other Astartes Legions, only a select few have ever set foot on the Primarch's most silent flagship, the Glorious Queen.]
[Perhaps related to the bloody wars against transhuman armies in his early years, this Primarch seems to intensely dislike genetically enhanced warriors like Astartes. He exercises a very utilitarian rule over his Legion; all warriors of the Eleventh Legion regard him as the 'Highest in Status' and 'Strongest in Power.' This respect and obedience even surpass the father-son bond derived from bloodline.]
[And the entire Eleventh Legion is permeated with a very strong utilitarian ethos. Because the Primarch insists on recruiting only from his homeworld, the Astartes of this Legion have established a very strict hierarchy based on their homeworld's customs. In this system, strength is respected to the greatest extent; experience and wisdom, without the backing and protection of strength, can even be despised.]
[On the other hand, the Eleventh Legion always wages war against psychic Xenos. They specialize in this, always managing to resolve everything themselves before reinforcements arrive. At other times, they also engage in wars against renegade human regimes. The outcome of such wars is often utter destruction and subjugation; only the most outstanding resistors survive their selection.]
[The Eleventh Primarch was even reprimanded by the Emperor for this, but he did not change.]
[Rumors also claim that the Legion transports war captives back to their homeworld. As for what they are needed to do, no one knows...]
[And those worlds that gain the Eleventh Primarch's approval and submit to him fall into a very peculiar state: the Primarch himself seems to have no interest in directly ruling them. He will support several independent regimes or organizations, letting them contend to determine a victor. Therefore, worlds conquered by the Eleventh Legion often do not experience true peace but instead fall into a strange cycle of war and attrition, frequently losing population to maintain the quality and capability of the remaining populace.]
[However, the Primarch also introduces his automation technology to these worlds, which ensures that the taxes paid by these worlds always meet or even exceed their quotas. Consequently, this behavior has always been tacitly approved within the Imperium.]
[Furthermore, the Eleventh Legion and their Primarch are known for their extreme hatred of Xenos. In their solitary conquests, apart from the extermination of psykers and secessionist regimes, all other efforts are dedicated to the annihilation of various Xenos worlds. They seem particularly fond of confronting Xenos that are technologically advanced or possess unique abilities.]
[This situation continued until, during a time when the main force of the Eleventh Legion was annihilating a technologically advanced Xenos threat at the edge of the galaxy, an internal Imperial investigation team unbidden visited the Primarch's homeworld. The Primarch was furious at this offense; he personally executed all visitors. Only fragments of this investigation ultimately leaked.]
[It is understood that, according to the investigation team's records, the Eleventh Primarch's homeworld appeared remarkably desolate. Apart from the Hive Cities serving as concentrated residential areas, most of the planet's surface remained barren, with even occasional sightings of nomadic scavenger clans who would run away or even attack upon seeing the investigation team.]
[Within the Hive Cities, however, the investigation team did observe a rather flourishing paradise. Abundant automated equipment liberated productivity, and propaganda for 'Hero Mothers' encouraging childbirth was visible everywhere.
Advertisements for extreme sports clubs and wilderness adventures were prominently displayed. It is claimed that on this world, due to the Primarch's call, venturing into the wilderness for self-training has become a mandatory rite of passage for all the younger generation, with death rates consistently high.]
[The investigation team found every location within the Hive Cities to be flawless, the only unfortunate aspect being the underground areas: although equally vast, even more so than the surface areas, the Primarch's development plans during his rule were declared failures due to geological structure and other issues. It is said that this is a common affliction of this world, and all underground expansion plans for Hive Cities are strictly forbidden.]
——————
(This section is noted in an obscure corner.)
[Upon leaving the underground area, the investigation team encountered a deranged old man. Dressed in a severely worn military uniform, he incoherently claimed to have been one of the first warriors who fought for this world.]
[It is noteworthy that this old man did not address the Primarch as 'Ruler' like others. When referring to the Eleventh Primarch, he screamed wildly.]
[The Dragon.]
[He was then shot dead by the arriving security forces.]
——————
Knowing an old scholar keen on learning is sometimes not a bad thing.
Morgan couldn't help but think this when she extracted information from Ahriman's mind that the Thousand Sons Captain himself had already forgotten.
Evidently, Ahriman had seen some confidential data regarding the Eleventh Legion, and the provider of this data was most likely his gene-father, who was equally keen on knowledge.
After reviewing these materials, Ahriman should have undergone a related memory wipe to forget things he shouldn't remember. However, it was clear that this previous erasure was completely incomparable to the Dark Angels' recent one; perhaps with Magnus's personality, he wouldn't have cared anyway.
Ahriman believed he had forgotten them, but in corners he had never paid attention to, this knowledge and these memories were effortlessly extracted by Morgan.
The silver-haired, mischievous lady instinctively felt that this information would be useful to her.
Her never-before-seen brother, the one who led his Legion to single-handedly hold a Rangdan battlefront, perhaps his name would soon reach her ears, accompanied by some major events.
But they would not be good events.
Amidst the constant echoing cackles within her, Morgan grew more and more certain of this.
——————
[Morgan...]
As the silver-haired lady fell into thought, another cold voice was also pondering her name.
Nemir stood in the center of the room, head bowed, allowing his gene-father to sink into long contemplation over the document in his hand.
Jonson was still clad in his black armor. He meticulously perused the document in his hands, his memory traversing time and space, searching for the owner of this name.
[Is she that alaph, the one who distinguished herself in the Sabis system?]
"Yes, my lord."
"Her strength and psychic aptitude displayed in the Sabis campaign were indeed alaph-level, and her performance during the battle was also very good. Her attitude towards the procedure was also very compliant."
Jonson did not reply. He continued to read.
[Both squads responsible for escorting her during the war were annihilated, with no survivors?]
"They encountered a main Rangdan force during the battle of Sabis IV, my lord..."
Nemir said no more, knowing that the Lion himself would find the answer.
Jonson closed his eyes. He seemed to be inquiring and learning something through a communication link. Moments later, he opened his eyes again, continuing to flip through the document, which was filled with every action and experience of Morgan since she joined the Imperium, clear and precise, even including quite detailed records of the internal activities of the Thousand Sons Legion.
Jonson thought for a moment.
[Why is there no information about her experiences and circumstances before joining the Imperium?]
"She comes from the southern regions of the Ultima Segmentum. Acquiring specific intelligence will require some time."
The gene-Primarch nodded.
[You will personally oversee this matter. Confirm that this alaph is indeed loyal and controllable. If so, bring her to the Unbroken Truth.]
"As you command."
After Nemir had retired, Jonson glanced at the documents a few more times, then set them aside.
He had more important matters to attend to.
——————
Commanders have their duties, and soldiers have theirs. Even seemingly idle individuals may have responsibilities known and observed only by themselves.
And beneath the accumulation of these myriad duties, all things in the world inexorably pressed forward. Even a moment as bloody and significant as the Sabis campaign was swiftly left behind by time. After the Dark Angels left sufficient defensive forces, no one paid attention to this once war-torn Ironbottom Sound anymore.
Time once again advanced.
The Rangdan, seemingly hesitant due to their heavy losses, began to gradually retreat their blockade and encirclement of the Forge World Xana. More and more Rangdan fleets either fell back to their own territories or vanished far into the northern reaches of the galaxy, leaving no trace.
On the northern front, the Eleventh Legion, fighting alone, continued to report victories. Although the Untouchable Primarch and his sons did not achieve a great victory like that in the Sabis system, they did reclaim many worlds, effectively stabbing a sharp blade into the heart of the Rangdan Empire.
In the rear of the war, optimistic discussions were already underway about how the Eleventh Legion would cut off the Rangdan supply lines, leading to the annihilation of the Rangdan Empire's eastern army caught between the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves, thereby completely securing victory. Some even debated who was the greatest contributor to this war, and even some Astartes would quietly join the discussion.
Everyone, or at least most, believed that once the spearhead of the Rangdan Empire was blunted, the outcome of this war was already predictable: the Rangdan might offer countless desperate resistances, but the Imperium's crushing victory was already a foregone conclusion.
But there were also those who didn't concern themselves with these matters.
Like Miss Morgan, who was more interested in the things before her eyes than in distant, so-called victory reports.
[Pardon me for asking, where did you find these?]
"A Feudal World, the scenery was quite nice."
Zahariel offered a somewhat sheepish smile; clearly, he was still feeling remorse over the unpleasant regrets of the Sabis system. This Caliban-born Dark Angel was still too young to empathize so deeply with faults that weren't his own.
"I mentioned it to Senior Koos-Wain, and he kept an eye out for me."
Morgan listened, then nodded with a smile.
Then, she placed the gift: a small bag of grape seeds that could be sown and awaited harvest, into her breast pocket.
[In any case, thank you for your help.]
"It's nothing. Actually, I'm more curious, what do you need this plant for?"
Morgan chuckled.
[A secret.]
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