Three Pillar Men

When humanity first looked up at the stars, the seed of curiosity was planted.

Through the growth of their population, the development of their culture, and the founding of nations, humanity climbed step by step to the summit. At last, they left the planet that had nurtured their lives and ventured into the vast universe to begin their own adventure.

That was humanity in the orthodox, heroic view of the universe. To the people of the Warhammer World, it was nothing but a fantasy.

The Blacklight raced through the Webway and soon reached the Solar System. During the journey, however, Hogg had also discovered the Webway's shortcomings.

First, this galactic highway, opened by the Old Ones, wasn't under human control. They'd encountered many Warp creatures and space pirates holed up along the way. To maintain their speed, the Blacklight had wiped out plenty of Xenos and all sorts of bizarre things.

Second, the Eldar, having lost their technology, couldn't maintain the Webway. They could only use it, not repair it—and the Eldar who'd joined Blackwatch were no exception. As a result, Hogg's exhilarating joyride kept stopping and starting, and every so often they had to transfer through the Warp or Realspace.

Most importantly, humanity couldn't control when the Webway opened. That was why the Emperor had gone to such lengths to launch the Great Crusade and build the Human Webway.

After entering the Solar System, humanity's birthplace, they underwent an inspection at the outpost on Pluto. Then, escorted by the Adeptus Custodes, the Blacklight was allowed to fly on to Terra.

From the bridge, Hogg saw the thoroughly transformed Mars Forge World. A vast artificial ring drifted in orbit around the planet, home to the Imperium's largest shipyards. The Blacklight had been built there. Even from high above the planet, the towering manufactorums were visible to the naked eye.

A Tech-priest belonging to Blackwatch curled his lip and began badmouthing Mars to Hogg. "My lord, you may not know this, but the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars are a bunch of heretics. All they do is scavenge technology and lock it away like a family heirloom."

Hogg nearly lost his composure at that. The pot calling the kettle black—the Tech-priests in his own organization were no better. Still, though Blackwatch's Tech-priests weren't as wealthy as Mars's, they had one major advantage: they knew how to share.

Most of the Tech-priests in Blackwatch were unconventional sorts who couldn't make it on Mars. There, the Magos guarded their meager possessions like treasures, and it was harder for newcomers to learn anything than to climb to the heavens.

But things were different on Alicia. There was a dedicated archive for them to consult, and monthly technical forums. Every so often, they even got to tinker with Xenos artifacts seized by the military.

Blackwatch's open and inclusive culture attracted many talented but unappreciated Tech-priests, as well as young ones. Most of them had also witnessed Hogg's power, and joined the Blacklight Sect. This made Mars a talent pool for Hogg.

All in all, Mars had little regard for Hogg, the Primarch. The two sides couldn't stand each other.

But, to keep his subordinates from losing heart, Hogg could only reassure them. "The past is the past, and the present is the present. With all of us working together, I believe Alicia will become the Imperium's most renowned research center."

Then Hogg used matter rearrangement to fashion a little figurine and handed it to the young priest. The delighted Tech-priest let out a puff of smoke, and his determination to join Blackwatch only grew stronger.

Hogg was chatting away when Kitten interrupted him. "My lord, Terra is here."

As the Emperor's children, every Primarch could be called a legendary figure. And this time, the ones returning were the mysterious Primarch of Blackwatch and Angron, the Twelfth Primarch, who had only just been reunited with the Imperium.

Terra's nobles turned out in force, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the Primarchs. Thousand Sons Space Marines, there to make a good impression, surrounded the landing pad, while Magnus had come to welcome his brother.

But no one was more excited than the War Hounds, who'd found their father. Every one of them watched the descending Stormbird, eager to be the first to welcome their Gene-Father. In their hearts, they also thanked Hogg for helping them find him.

The hatch opened, and the young Angron was the first to emerge. The War Hounds present could hardly contain their joyous cries. The instant they saw him, they knew he was their Gene-Father.

"Still, our father looks exhausted!" one of the War Hounds whispered.

"It must be the strain of the journey. I heard the planet where they found Father had already been hit with Exterminatus by Blackwatch, and a major battle had broken out there," First Company Captain Kharn explained to his brothers.

The War Hounds were chatting when a thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd. They all turned to look and saw a giant, fully eight meters tall, step out.

Even people who'd seen other Primarchs were stirred. They'd never seen such a mighty giant before, and couldn't help wondering, Wasn't Blackwatch's Primarch supposed to be a little shrimp?

Seeing his brother, Magnus, dressed in a scholar's robe, excitedly stepped forward to greet him.

Gazing up at the towering giant before him, Magnus, usually so quick with words, couldn't think of anything to say to praise Hogg. In the end, prompted by Angron, he managed to blurt out, "Good heavens! Brother, you're tall."

"Now that's a boy who knows how to talk!"

Hogg warmly welcomed Little Pony and Magnus, ruffling the heads of both Primarchs with an easy familiarity. His towering figure became the center of attention, and he basked in the praise and admiration of those around him.

"Brother, Father is waiting for us in the Imperial Palace. Our other brothers are there too." Magnus led Hogg and the others toward the palace, describing Terra's architecture to the two who'd never been there before.

The golden palace stood atop the spine of the Himalayas. Marble-paved floors stretched all the way to the horizon. Even from space, it was easy to spot humanity's greatest landmark.

Magnus pointed to the building radiating golden light. "Brother, this is humanity's guiding beacon, the foundation of the Imperium—the Astronomican. Our father built it to guide human ships traveling through the Warp."

It was Hogg's first time seeing the Astronomican. He felt its immense psychic energy. He'd known about it, but hadn't imagined it was so enormous.

The entire Imperial Palace was built around the golden pillar of light, which bathed everything in gold. To be honest, after getting beaten up by the Emperor so many times, the sight of gold made Hogg feel a little queasy. Alicia was better than Terra, anyway.

"All right, Little Pony, take me to meet our father. I'll have plenty of time to look around later. I'll ask you to show me the sights then."

"Fine, brother. Also, my name is Magnus."

The proud Magnus didn't mind Hogg's nickname. After all, Perturabo had said his brother had no manners, and he actually liked being called "Little Pony."

Following Magnus, the two finally reached the entrance to the Imperial Palace.

Beneath the high-hanging shadow of the moon, three Adeptus Custodes wearing very little stood guard at the entrance. The Astronomican's light shone on their bronze-colored skin, making it gleam with oil. The sight left Magnus, who'd been chatting so enthusiastically, speechless.

A strange, rousing melody rang out from the sky. The three struck incredibly arrogant poses and opened the doors.

Unsure whether this was a Terra custom, Angron asked, "Magnus, why aren't they wearing clothes? And why have they covered themselves in oil?"