Apologies ahead of time for the length, but this was already cutting a good chunk out. I typed this while listening to an audio book, so I skipped some of less important details of their cloaks blowing in the wind, etc. If any part is hard to follow please let me know
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS FOR BETRAYER
Context- Lhorke, a Dreadnought of the War Hounds Legion, was a terran born Marine who was interned in the Dreadnought before Angron’s discovery and thus did not have the nails. Left to rust, H\he is awoken on the Conqueror as it prepares to be boarded by Ultramarines. The World Eaters squads stationed on defense ignored orders and all descended to attack. Lhorke is a silent critic of Angron and blames the descent of the Legion on him. We get to see the following from his perspective as he was on Ghenna when Russ came to detain Angron and his Legion for butchering another world.
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“I am not your lackey to judge, you have no authority over me, over any of us.” Angron stated as the cybernetic dreadlocks attaching the nails to his head began to tense.
Russ smiles, “... yet here I am.”
Angron wiped a hand across his mouth as if the simple gesture could make the pain go away “To do what? To start a war that will leave both our Legions in ruins? Leave, leave before this becomes something you regret”
Russ spoke again, pale eyes unwavering “the surgery must end Angron, the Emperor himself wills that it be so, the massacres ends here as well, look what you have done to this world.”
“Cleansed it…”
“Butchered it, reaved it, Ghenna is scared of all life, is this a deed you want listed beneath your name when statues rise to celebrate the Great Crusade?”
Angron cared nothing for statues and said so plainly, Russ shook his head “You cannot sail the stars in this frenzy purely because you’re too damaged to learn the art of war, the implant surgery must be reversed. Your sons will submit to mine, then we will return to Terra. Once we reach the palace, everything will be done to remove this parasitic engines from your Son’s minds”
Despite the twitches, Angron’s eyes were wide in genuine surprise, “You think you have any authority over me? You think you can threaten me and expect to walk away?”
“I think there is a good chance of it, aye”
Angron grinned though it was an anguished thing “and if you die?”
“Lorgar wrote something several years ago that has nourished my thoughts each day and night since he shared it with me” Angron snorted to show just what he thought of pious scrivener brother’s musings but Russ was unphased “It is not enough that corruption is recognized, it must be opposed, it not enough that ignorance is acknowledged, it must be defied, win or lose what matters is making a stand for the virtues that we will bequeath to the human race. When this galaxy is finally ours we will hold a worthless prize if we plant the last aquilla, on the last day, on the last world, having led humanity into moral darkness”
Angron listened but cared little. Even then he was a stubborn creature, taking spiteful pride in his own isolation. “Lorgar wages war with a quill, but the galaxy will not be brought to heel by crude philosophy. Your ideals are meaningless.”
“Ideals are what we fight for brother” there was something colder in Russ’s tone then, a decision had been made, frosting his voice.
Angron had laughed, the sound rich and true “Such pretty lies! Hehehe, we fought for the same reasons men have always fought. For land and, for wealth and, for bodies to feed into the grinders of industry. We fight to silence anyone who might draw breath and whisper opinions different than ours. We fight fight because the Emperor wants every world in his hands, because all he knows is slavery painted in the inoffensive notion of compliance. The very notion of freedom is horror to him!”
“Traitor” Russ hissed
Angron stood tall, still grinning “Do we give choice to those we slaughter? A true choice? Or do we broadcast that they must throw their weapons into the fires of peace and BOW DOWN, faces pushed into the mud like beggars, thanking us for the CULTURE we force upon them. We offer them compliance or death. How am I traitor Wolfling, I fight as you fight, I’m as loyal as you are, I do the Tyrant’s bidding”
“We offer them freedom” Russ spoke through clenched teeth “You are mutilating your own sons and poisoning their minds. Are you lost so far in your delusions?”
Angron’s smile faltered. His face seemed slack, his eyes staring past Russ. Defeat was still etched on features twitching in pain. “You are free Leman Russ of Fenris, because your freedom matches the Emperor’s will. For each war I am asked to wage against worlds that threaten the Imperium’s advance, there comes another time I am told to conquer peaceful worlds, that wish only to be left alone. I am told to do destroy entire civilizations and call it “Liberation”. I am told to demand millions of men and women from these worlds, to take up arms in His hordes and I am told to call this a “tithe or recruitment” because we are too scared to call it the truth. SLAVERY!”
“ANGRON!”
“Be silent, you have given your threats Dog. Now hear me, listen to another hound barking for once”
“Then speak” Russ said
“I am loyal, same as you. I am told to bathe my legion in the blood of innocents and sinners alike and I do it, because it is all there is left for me in this life. I do these things and I… enjoy them… not because they are moral or right or because we are just souls seeking enlightenment in a dark universe” Angron said mockingly “BUT BECAUSE ALL I FEEL IS THE BUTCHER’S NAILS HAMMERING INTO MY BRAIN, I serve because of this mutilation. Without it? Perhaps I might be a more… moral man, like you claim to be. A virtuous man, aye? Perhaps one day I might ascend the steps to our Father’s palace… AND TAKE THE SLAVING BASTARD’S HEAD”
Both Legions tensed, thousands and thousands of warriors clutched bolt weapons and chain-blades closer.
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I’ll cut it there to avoid any BIG spoilers.
Submitted November 17, 2018 at 08:02AM by Lurkkin https://ift.tt/2Kb8rFo
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