On the tenth day aboard the Bucephalus, Hogg Menethil woke up in bed. He didn't need to sleep, but had kept the habit. A room had been built for each Primarch aboard the Emperor's flagship.
Over the past few days, Hogg and the Emperor had talked a lot, and Hogg had truly felt the Emperor's trust in him. As they chatted, their conversations had started to wander off topic.
From Hogg exposing the Emperor's past with noblewomen in ancient Terra's Rome, to the Emperor exposing Hogg's former life as a single dog, they had also discussed all sorts of works from the 2K era. The two had found plenty of common ground.
Hogg discovered that the Emperor wasn't as boring as he'd imagined. In truth, he was just a socially awkward research nerd with a slightly flirtatious streak. His status as a Perpetual had left his social skills as bad as a dog's.
Of course, Hogg had taken more than a few psychic beatings, but all in all, the Emperor—Neoth—was a pretty decent guy. Hogg had also been given permission to call him Neoth.
At first, Hogg had been very puzzled about why Neoth trusted an outsider from another universe so much. When Hogg asked him, the Emperor fell silent, then said:
[Because you are human. I saw your whole life in your memories. You were raised—or, perhaps, protected—very well. That is why I trust you. You may not be exceptional, but I am honored to have a son like you.]
After hearing the Emperor's answer, Hogg was suddenly moved. But he quickly realized Old Man Yellow had charmed him, and the two of them started trading insults again. It ended with Hogg admitting he was wrong.
For the past few days, Hogg had followed the Emperor around, learning and researching. Of course, Hogg was the one being researched.
Thanks to his Primarch-level brain and sturdy body, the two exchanged information at lightning speed, giving Hogg a more detailed understanding of the Imperium.
The Imperium's Great Crusade was now in its middle-to-late stages. The Solar Segmentum had been fully brought under control and served as the Crusade's rear base, while other Segmenta were treated as the front lines and gradually reclaimed by the Imperium.
In addition, eleven Primarchs had publicly returned. Afa was still in hiding, while the Lion had only just returned.
The Emperor had given Hogg two years to recuperate and get things in order. He had also assigned him a Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus from Mars as his teacher.
Then he'd thrown Hogg onto an information-upload machine and used his psychic powers to bombard him with all kinds of knowledge nonstop for a week. It had nearly turned Hogg's brain to mush. The Emperor said it was to broaden his horizons and keep the Primarch's brain from going to waste.
"Primarch, you have three minutes left to rest. Next, you will study the basic principles of constructing a Plasma Reactor."
The emotionless synthetic female voice came from Candice Laza's bionic organs. When the Emperor had assigned Candice Laza the task of teaching a Primarch, she had initially felt immensely honored and excited.
The most direct sign was that, upon receiving the news, the operating frequency of her electromagnetic sensors had risen by seventeen percentage points, and the electrical signals traveling through her organic tissues had become more active. There was nothing more worthy of study than teaching a Primarch.
But as she looked at the Primarch sprawled across the soft sofa aboard the Bucephalus, Candice Laza's attitude shifted a little.
According to the data the Emperor had shared, the Eleventh Primarch's ability to learn was astonishingly quick compared with that of other Primarchs. Only Ferrus, the Primarch of the Tenth Legion, could match him. But he was simply far too lazy.
As an old saying from ancient Terra went, "He hardly looks like a ruler." As soon as no one watched him, he would slump in a corner like a lump of discarded motor oil.
"Ah! My dear Magos, I've been studying nonstop for seventy-three hours! I've only had ten minutes to rest?" Hogg's voice rang out, strong but listless.
Hogg's schedule had been packed these past few days. He studied during the day and at night, and had to make time for the Emperor to research him. Every so often, he also got smacked around by psychic power.
[Hogg, your Legion is about to arrive.] The psychic call rang in Hogg's mind.
[Ah! Got it, Dad.] "Candice Laza, my sons are coming. I can't let them see me like this, can I? I'm requesting a day off." Hogg's plaintive voice came from the sofa.
"Sigh! All right. But tomorrow, I expect to see you build a stable Type Seven plasma infantry reactor on your own."
Hogg arrived on the deck wearing the Power Armor the Emperor had personally made for him. Unlike the other Primarchs, who stood three or four meters tall, Hogg was only two meters tall, so his armor had been custom-made. It was a scaled-down version of the Adeptus Custodes' Power Armor, with a focus on defense and a modular design that would let him swap out different modules later.
After the Emperor handed him the Power Armor named Raider, Hogg had immediately grabbed a bucket of paint and turned its golden plates black. The Emperor was so furious that he smacked Hogg's head with several golden psychic blows, until it glowed.
A gray-black Gloriana-class Battleship appeared beside the orbital spaceport near Alicia. As the vessel docked, the Space Marines of the Eleventh Legion, the Dark Raiders, began their march to meet their Primarch.
More than ten thousand warriors of the Eleventh Legion stood in the square of Alicia Hive City. The people of Alicia gathered around them. As the sound of metal scraping against the floor reached Leman's Ear, a figure stepped onto the platform.
The Eleventh Legion's Space Marines had been uneasy, but in an instant, a tremendous sense of joy filled them. Even though they had never met him, they knew the figure before them was their father. Even a thousand years from now, the memory of this moment would remain with them for the rest of their lives, a source of pride.
Looking at the valiant warriors below, Hogg felt their connection in his heart and immediately knew who they were. Those are my kids. He removed his helmet, revealing the Primarch's face to everyone.
Gazing quietly at his sons, Hogg Menethil began his first speech.
His clear voice rang out, reaching every corner of the Hive City. "Take off your helmets and let me see your faces, my sons."
At the Primarch's words, more than ten thousand warriors removed their helmets in unison, revealing an assortment of bizarre hairstyles. Hogg had prepared a speech, but the sight of the colorful spectacle left him speechless, his face twisted as if he were constipated.
But in the eyes of the Eleventh Legion's warriors, their father was handsome and beautiful, with snow-white hair and a golden halo above his head. He smiled at them with satisfaction. The immense pride and joy nearly left them unable to keep their balance; they had to increase the output of their servo motors just to stay upright.
Hogg let out a breath and composed himself before continuing his speech:
"My sons, warriors of the Eleventh Legion, the moment you came to my side, I felt your loyalty and your unyielding will.
"My proud children, the bonds of our genes bind us together, and the light of the Imperial Truth guides our way forward. We are human—proud human beings!
"I promise you this: as your Gene-Father, I will lead you from one victory to the next, and we will fight to protect humanity!"
Petals that had been prepared in advance showered down from the sky, and the people in the square cheered of their own accord.
The Eleventh Legion had welcomed home the Primarch who belonged to them, and every person of Alicia was swept up in the atmosphere. They vowed to follow in the footsteps of the Emperor's Children.
[Are you satisfied, my lord?] A hooded figure appeared beside the Emperor, who had concealed himself among the crowd.
[Yes, Malcador. We need bonds to stabilize his existence. We need allies. He has become my son. Is there any connection more powerful than that?]
[But the future we glimpsed showed that your sons would...]
[...]
[No. He is different! I trust my judgment. He is human, and he will remain human.]
[Very well. I will abide by your judgment, my lord.]
As petals fell from the sky, the two figures vanished from the square. After all, they weren't the main characters here today.
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