"Lord Horus, you summoned us?"
Entering the strategy room at the bow of the Vengeful Spirit, Second Company Captain Tarik Torgaddon asked as he opened the door.
Several days had passed since their 63rd Expeditionary Fleet had cleared and swept the entire Dalinite Nebula.
With the xenos in the system defeated and annihilated one by one, apart from a small force left behind to maintain local security, the majority of the expeditionary fleet had successfully returned.
They were about to follow the Vengeful Spirit back to Holy Terra, as per the Emperor's request.
Now, the eight rediscovered Primarchs would gather together in the depths of the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra to discuss a matter of utmost importance.
And as the first-found son, Horus and his Luna Wolves would naturally not miss this grand event.
During this return journey through the Warp, Primarch Horus had suddenly summoned all the captains of his Luna Wolves to this conference room for a discussion.
"Yes."
Seeing the remaining captains following behind Torgaddon, Horus stood up and replied.
The Eye of Horus in the center of his pearl-white battle plate still saw all, and along with the black wolf pelt on his shoulder, it was the noblest symbol in the legion.
Horus, beloved by all the Luna Wolves, was now frowning.
"Have you all heard about the matter of the Emperor's Children's Lord Regent Kasjia defeating the xenos on the Silent Star?"
Sigh.
So he summoned all the captains just for this?
"Phew, Lord Horus, you should have said so earlier."
"The grand coronation gift we prepared for the Warmaster can't be given out now," Torgaddon said jokingly, accompanied by a burst of laughter from behind him. Horus's expression also became a little surprised.
"Warmaster?"
"How did you come to know of this?"
"How? My lord, this matter is being talked about from Holy Terra to the farthest frontiers of the Imperium of Man."
"I suspect we don't even need any Astropaths to communicate. The whole galaxy is spontaneously discussing who will become the Imperial Warmaster."
Ever since it was known that the existing eight Primarchs would return to the Imperium for a conference at the same time, a rumor that the Emperor will select a Warmaster during the conference had been fermenting throughout the Imperium.
Some gossips even claimed that this collective return of the expeditionary fleets was for the Warmaster to go back and give the Emperor a "grand birthday celebration."
Not only that, even among the crew of the Vengeful Spirit, there were betting pools on who would become the Warmaster.
"Of course, being loyal, I bet ten Aquila coins on you," Torgaddon said with a mock bow, which again drew a burst of laughter.
"Tarik, but I heard you also bet on other Primarchs?" even First Captain Abaddon, Torgaddon's closest friend, teased him.
"That... that's just because the bookie was being unfair. He said all of us Luna Wolves would bet on Horus, which made the game unplayable."
"I just had to balance the odds a little—"
"Alright, Captain, alright."
Horus smiled. He scanned the captains present, and finally, his gaze fell on the somewhat reserved newcomer.
His power armor, pearl-white inlaid with an amber Eye of Horus, was as bright as new, clearly well-maintained.
The newcomer's face was handsome, with a few small freckles, and his hair was the common grey-gold of Cthonia, cut into a buzzcut.
But looking at his ramrod straight posture and tense facial expression, he seemed a bit too "stoic."
"It seems we have a newcomer among our captains."
"This, this is the newly promoted Tenth Company Captain, Garviel Loken," Torgaddon introduced. "I've tried to talk to him, but he's still a bit uptight."
"An honor, Lord Wolf-Shepherd!" he shouted, as if under some command, a thunderous war cry.
Followed by a perfectly standard military salute, to show his respect for the Primarch.
This was definitely the longest burst of laughter the captains had ever had.
Everyone was amused.
"Please, Captain. There's no need for that."
Even Horus himself couldn't keep a straight face.
In wartime, the discipline of the Luna Wolves was naturally like a fierce but intelligent wolf pack.
But now that the war was over, the Luna Wolves naturally returned to being a harmonious big family.
All legionaries, all battle-brothers, would get along harmoniously here.
At least, for now.
"Let's get back to business."
Horus adjusted his laughing expression and tone, and turned to the giant projection device behind him.
"Captains, you all fought well in the Dalinite Nebula xenos purge."
"As members of the Luna Wolves, your actions have proven the glory of the Sixteenth Legion."
He paused here, then suddenly changed the subject. "But it's not enough."
"The battle of Kasjia and the Emperor's Children on the Silent Star has made me feel... uneasy."
"Back then, when I was the only Primarch under the Emperor, I was very proud of my status as the first-found son."
"A thirty-year head start made me believe that my merits and my legion would far surpass those of my later brothers and sisters, that I would surely become the most trustworthy big brother in everyone's hearts."
"But it seems my various brothers and sisters are all quite extraordinary."
Regarding the upcoming appointment of the Warmaster, although Horus considered himself to have worked hard and achieved much, he dared not say it was a sure thing.
"Ferris, who has the closest ties to the Mechanicum and possesses countless heavy firepower; Rogal Dorn, the master of defense with his Phalanx; and the recently returned master of five hundred worlds, the son of war, Guilliman."
"They are all strong contenders for the position of Warmaster."
Horus paused for a moment.
He could not ignore him.
The strongest, and also the most likely to be chosen, Primarch.
His strongest competitor.
"And the taciturn master of the Second Legion..."
His brothers and sisters were indeed very promising.
But perhaps a bit too promising.
It made him, who considered himself the big brother, feel a little out of place.
"Are you wondering what this has to do with the battle of Kasjia and the Emperor's Children on the Silent Star?"
He sighed heavily.
"I have to say, Kasjia and his men far exceeded my expectations."
"Even the Third Legion, which I previously thought was almost impossible to rebuild, might, in the future, be built by him and Fulgrim to be even more terrifying, even stronger than us."
As he spoke, the projection device behind him changed, showing images of several xenos warships.
"This is the footage left by the Mechanicum personnel stationed on the Silent Star."
"The invading xenos fleet was extremely large. Even though they were not equipped with void shields as a defensive measure, their super-heavy firepower and sturdy hulls were also no match for the a Lunar-class cruiser left behind to guard."
The projection's image changed to the miasma-covered surface of the Silent Star.
Countless crystal-construct-like xenos were deployed from the warships to the surface, firing at the defensive fortifications of the Emperor's Children.
"Hmph, not a big deal," Abaddon was clearly a little unconvinced.
"If I were to lead five hundred Justaerin (a type of elite Luna Wolves Space Marine unit) and prepare in advance, I could still defend the surface."
"Perhaps you could," Horus nodded.
"But what if I told you that Kasjia not only defended it but also completed a counterattack, and didn't even use a single Space Marine company to do so?"
-------
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