The Old Man in Yellow Arrived

Half a year passed in a flash.

During that time, besides resting and recovering, Lorgar built an organization of his own.

One evening, a messenger hurried into Lorgar's Palace.

"My lord! My lord! Look at the sky!"

Hearing the messenger, Lorgar sighed and set down the report he had been writing.

So this day had finally come.

Lorgar walked slowly out of the Palace. Above the clouds hung a dark mass of warships.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Engines roared from the clouds as a massive Transport Ship came to a stop beside the temple.

As the Transport Ship settled, civilians nearby were hurried away. The guards stood ready with spears in hand, swallowing nervously as they stared at the unknown craft.

"Lower your weapons. Leave this to me."

Dressed in a white robe, Lorgar approached the transport with several guards.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With a grinding of steel, the transport's hatch slowly opened. At the front stood a towering, powerfully built figure with crimson skin.

"Magnus..."

Lorgar recognized the man at the head of the group at once: Magnus the Red, also known as the Lord of Prospero, Primarch of the Thousand Sons of the 15th Legion—and the greatest culprit behind the Imperium's descent into the 40K crisis.

"So you're my brother."

Magnus looked at Lorgar, and Lorgar met his gaze without hesitation. In that instant, Magnus sensed it: the bond shared by their gene-brothers.

"I brought Father to find you, brother." Magnus stepped aside.

As the next figure emerged, nearly every guard and civilian present dropped to their knees.

The Emperor's Psychic Energy made everyone who saw him perceive him as the ideal of perfect form they desired. Lorgar was unaffected. He simply watched the old man before him.

The Emperor raised his head to meet Lorgar's eyes, then spoke slowly. "My son, I've come."

"Humanity needs you. The power you possess could be its salvation."

"Who are you? Why should I go with you?" Lorgar asked, staring at the Emperor.

This was a necessary step: question him first, then state his terms.

Guilliman got the 500 Worlds. It wouldn't be too much for me to ask for a few star systems as home worlds, would it? If Guilliman could command an army, so could I.

"I am the Master of Mankind, Emperor of the Imperium of Man. History has given me countless names. You may call me the Emperor."

"You and Magnus are my genetic sons. I have found some of your brothers already; others remain scattered across the galaxy, waiting for me to find them."

"Using your genes, I created a legion of genetically enhanced warriors. You will lead them, and this planet beneath our feet will become one of their recruiting worlds."

"Humanity now suffers across the galaxy. I have launched the Great Crusade to reclaim it all. Will you join us?" the Emperor asked.

"I will, on one condition," Lorgar said.

His sudden answer caught the Emperor off guard, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Name it." The Emperor looked straight at Lorgar, golden light shining from his eyes. A few seconds later, his furrowed brow relaxed.

"One recruiting world isn't enough. I want every inhabited planet in several star systems around Colchis to become a recruiting world for my legion."

"Agreed."

Now it was Lorgar's turn to be stunned. Wait, seriously?

Wasn't the Emperor supposed to be an antisocial shut-in? A terrible father? An outright bastard? And he agreed that easily?

"You and your soldiers may also undergo the transformation. Choose some of them to join the legion." With that, the Emperor returned to the transport.

"I'll take you to meet your legion tomorrow morning," the Emperor told Lorgar outside as the transport's hatch closed.

After the Emperor departed, Tech-Priests and large numbers of construction personnel arrived on Colchis with Lorgar's tacit approval. They began building Hive Cities and other structures on a massive scale.

"Hercules, would you like to join my legion?" Lorgar asked when they returned to the Palace, turning to Hercules beside him.

"My lord, can I really?" Excitement shone in Hercules's dark eyes.

"Yes. If you wish, you'll be the first person on Colchis to become a Space Marine. That honor will follow you through ten thousand years of war."

"Yes! My lord, please let me give my life for you!" Hercules said excitedly.

Lorgar regarded Hercules calmly. "I want you to remember this: once you gain power, don't lose sight of who you are. You are one of the Sons of Colchis, a Son of Glory. Use your strength to help the oppressed among the countless Stars."

"Remember your power and your duty. The greater your power, the greater your responsibility."

The next day

Lorgar arrived at the temporary landing pad on time. A Transport Ship was already waiting.

"I'm counting on you to look after Colchis," Lorgar said, turning to Senatis.

"Understood, my lord." Senatis, now the Planetary Governor of Colchis, knelt on one knee.

"The first group of legion candidates has been selected—approximately 120,000 in all," the chief recruiter reported to Lorgar. "They are Colchis's bravest warriors and its people of highest character."

Lorgar had made a few changes to the Word Bearers' legion structure, including some of its titles.

For example, he had named the military officers responsible for Space Marine recruitment Holy Word Overseers, whose main responsibility was managing recruitment.

Lorgar now had fifteen recruiting worlds, home to trillions of people. Of those, perhaps only tens of thousands could become Space Marines.

But that was enough.

"My lord, this way..."

A man in gray armor who looked like a Space Marine Company Captain led Lorgar aboard the transport.

"Tell me your name, soldier," Lorgar asked the Company Captain escorting him.

"My name is Paulus Trichmann, captain of the legion's Fifteenth Company," Paulus replied.