Ability Is Responsibility

On the warship's training deck, Lorgar stood on a raised platform and quietly watched the legionaries training below.

At the center of the training deck lay the Legion's Duel Arena. Lorgar immediately spotted Company Captain Paulus, clad in Mk II Expeditionary Power Armour, dueling another company captain with a Power Sword whose Disruption Field was inactive.

Mk II Astartes Power Armour was also known as Expeditionary Power Armour. At the height of the Great Crusade, Mk II armour was nearly everywhere. Millions of suits were produced on Mars and elsewhere for the Legion's wars. For much of the Great Crusade's two centuries, Mk II was synonymous with the Legion, the Imperium, and the Imperial Truth.

Though the Mortals of the Imperialis Militia outnumbered the superhuman Space Marine Legions by more than a hundred million to one, the stern face of Mk II armour embodied either fear or hope for the scattered peoples of humanity. It depended on whether they resisted or welcomed the approaching expeditionary fleets.

The Power Swords they used were one type of Power Weapon. A control on the hilt activated a Disruption Field, sheathing the blade in a layer of devastating energy.

Once activated, the field broke down matter at the molecular level. With its aid, a Power Sword could easily cut through flesh, bone, and most armour, making it an exceptionally effective and powerful melee weapon.

Power Swords had existed since the Imperium's founding, so they likely originated in the Dark Age of Technology.

Even now, during the Great Crusade, powerful Power Swords were exceedingly rare, weapons many warriors dreamed of wielding.

Only a handful of people in the Adeptus Mechanicus still possessed the knowledge needed to make these deadly weapons. Many surviving Power Swords were centuries or even millennia old.

Naturally, Power Swords had become symbols of elite status, and many officers carried them as marks of prestige.

Because Power Weapons required so much time and so many rare materials to make, the Imperium issued them only to senior Astartes and its most powerful figures.

Paulus wielded his Proteus Pattern Power Sword with the grace of an accomplished swordsman.

After a century of battle, Company Captain Paulus could use every weapon in the Space Marine Legion's armoury, from a tactical knife to a massive Meltagun that required charging.

Company Captain Paulus was among the first warriors inducted into the Word Bearers Legion. A true Terran-born legionary, he had fought for the Word Bearers since their earliest days.

He came from the Eurasian region of ancient Terra and had been a formidable swordsman even before joining the Word Bearers.

Sharp blades flashed across the Duel Arena, moving too quickly for the other Space Marines present to follow. With his extraordinary vision, however, Lorgar could watch the fight frame by frame, as though it were a film.

To Lorgar, even the Legion's finest warriors could not match his speed.

"Company Captain Paulus! Victory!"

While Lorgar was momentarily lost in thought, the Duel Arena's referee suddenly shouted the result.

Lorgar looked back at the arena. Paulus's tremendous strength had snapped his opponent's blade, and the edge of his own sword now rested against the legionary's throat.

"Hey, Brother Lancelot." Paulus put away his Power Sword. "You should keep an eye on the wear on your weapons. Trust me, you don't want your sword snapping in the middle of a fight with the Orks."

"Thanks for the reminder, Brother Paulus." Lancelot put away his weapon. "This duel has given me plenty to think about for a while."

A nearby Servitor collected the broken Power Sword. The Word Bearers Legion was hardly short of weapons; Lancelot only needed to file a report with the quartermaster and get another one issued.

"My lord."

When they saw Lorgar enter the training area, every Space Marine still training hurried to salute.

"Carry on. I'm just looking around," Lorgar said with a wave.

"Brother Lorgar."

At that moment, Magnus's towering figure appeared beside Lorgar.

"Brother Magnus?" Lorgar said, turning toward him.

"Brother Lorgar, my Legion and I are about to depart. I hope to see you again in future battles." A faint smile crossed Magnus's crimson face.

"You will, Magnus," Lorgar replied politely.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lorgar saw Magnus back to his shuttle. He then had several Chapter Masters relay the Legion's new organization to every Word Bearers Legionary.

The Chapter Organization would remain, but the five main Chapters would become thirteen.

One Chapter would answer directly to Lorgar. Similar to a Primarch's guard and a corps of Vigilators, it would consist of legionaries of exceptional skill and noble character.

The other twelve Chapters would draw on the organizational structure of the Dark Angels' wings, with each specializing in areas such as armoured warfare, large-scale frontal combat, infiltration, or suppression.

He also established the position of Chaplain. These Chaplains, however, would be stronger and more loyal than ordinary Space Marine Chaplains.

Within the Legion, the Chaplains would serve a role much like Commissars. Armed in their convictions with the undefeated "Imperial Truth and Primarch's Doctrine," they would be made sufficiently loyal.

Chaplains also needed to be skilled speakers who could stir emotions. Even if a force was scattered, a Chaplain had to be able to rally it quickly and use his preaching to bring more Mortals into the army.

Lorgar summed up the Primarch's Doctrine in one simple sentence: "With great power comes great responsibility."

They could grasp its meaning for themselves. He had no intention of spelling it out for them.

Lorgar also officially began writing the Lectitio Divinitatus. Unlike the religious nonsense that filled such texts, this one focused more on the role and conduct of Space Marines.

They were Space Marines of the noble Word Bearers Legion. With superhuman bodies and strength, they ought to possess noble character as well.

They had been chosen for the Legion not merely to fight for humanity, but, more than that, to fight for all that was just. Having been granted powerful bodies, they had to shoulder the great responsibility that came with them.

Bearing the Emperor's word, they would strike down humanity's enemies.

In the Primarch's name, and in the name of every noble virtue, the Word Bearers Legion's great crusade had officially begun.