"Before we depart, let me tell you this: I understand the conflict in your hearts, how one can fight for duty while the other bleeds for their Legion brothers who will be sacrificed. But this is a civil war. It is a time of confusion and realigned loyalties. We have many heads, but we act as one – a Legion with a single will. We are a union of like-minded individuals. We will not tolerate betrayal. We will not allow our pact to break. We will not suffer the myopia of our sister Legions, nor the averted gaze of the Imperium. We are the Alpha Legion and we have a long-term vision." — Omegon, twin primarch of the Alpha Legion.
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Alpha, Gloriana-class Battleship of the Alpha Legion XX, commanded by Primarch Alpharius Omegon.
The sound of breaking glass echoed on the bridge of the Gloriana-Class Battleship. All the Astartes' eyes focused on Prince Aegon, but soon returned to operating the gigantic imperial battle cruiser.
"How dare she." A whisper, almost an angry growl, escaped Aegon's tightly closed lips. News had arrived that many of his allies were being arrested or killed at that very moment.
Those on planets were merely imprisoned and awaiting trial, but those off-world were practically killed, and the death toll only tended to increase. He didn't need to be a genius to know that Alysanne was behind all this.
The news of House Greyjoy joining the Sardaukar Fleet was no longer new, but a fact everyone knew, especially in the struggle between factions. Although there was no proof that the Greyjoys caused the deaths, a fool could see that everything seemed too much of a coincidence.
If it were anyone else, merely being suspected could lead senators to find a way to arrest and interrogate the suspect, but since it was Princess Alysanne, even the most loyal senator to the laws of the Imperium dared not touch Alysanne.
The mere idea was suicide, so even though there were suspicions that Alysanne was promoting this massacre, everyone closed their eyes and did not investigate for fear of finding any clue that would incriminate the princess.
That's why Aegon was furious; even his allied senators refused to accuse Alysanne without proof before the God-Emperor. And even if they had proof, they themselves would destroy it and pretend they never saw anything of the sort. Again, attacking Alysanne was political suicide.
Unless the Princess committed High Treason against the Imperium, it was unlikely that any political action or judgment would amount to anything.
Why did Aegon want to be the Crown Prince? Simply because of this and, of course, the right to the Ruby Throne. As Crown Prince, he could conduct his experiments with much more security and calm, and he could also have the help of the Imperial Laboratory itself, where the most brilliant minds of the Imperium resided.
But he could do nothing about Alysanne; this feeling of powerlessness was like a snake biting his heart, the envy was so great as to be compared to that which Michikatsu Tsugikuni felt when accepting Muzan's offer and becoming Kokushibo, Upper Moon 1.
For an imperial prince and son of a god, being limited was such a bad feeling that it made Aegon's usually calm and cold expression abnormally emotionless.
Alpharius, the Primarch who accompanied Aegon in the extermination of heretics, looked at the scene with an expression full of interest. However, because of his helmet, Aegon and no one else could see his appearance.
Honestly, having a twin brother who was a cult to everyone but the God-Emperor, Alpharius did not understand Aegon's feelings of envy. To him, his brother, Omegon, was his other half, someone he could trust unconditionally. So, he was quite curious about the relationship between Aegon and Alysanne, which had gone from being brother and sister to true enemies.
Of course, Alpharius didn't ask; it wasn't his nature to ask questions. He preferred to do things in the shadows and simply observe. He still remembered the God-Emperor's words upon meeting him for the first time.
"Alpharius, you are an observant man, which is good; observing before doing things is something even I sometimes forget. But remember, don't stay too much in the shadows, or you will become a shadow. Just as the hunter will one day become the prey."
Alpharius used those words as his life motto: blend into the shadows, but never become a true shadow, for the shadows will consume you one day.
"Forgive my words, Lord Alpharius." Aegon regained his composure and spoke in a calm and gentle tone, looking at the Primarch with an increasingly greedy gaze, although he hid it well. He wanted to have the power to create such monsters. Monsters capable of destroying entire planets with their own powers.
How could Alpharius not see Aegon's greed? Aegon was not the first to want the technology that created the Primarchs, and it will not be the last time this happens; everyone wants supreme and loyal soldiers by their side.
If it were anyone else looking at him with such a greedy gaze, Alpharius would have killed them, but since Aegon was the son of the God-Emperor, he did not touch the Prince, although he would speak about the Prince's greed to the God-Emperor.
"I am a Primarch, and use my title when we are on a military campaign, Your Highness." Alpharius said in a calm tone; his voice sounded hoarse and metallic under his battle helmet. As for respect, he respected Aegon, but this respect was because of Aegon's blood, nothing more. He did not respect Aegon himself, but his lineage.
Although being called Lord was not wrong, as the God-Emperor was quite generous with rewards, all Primarchs had private fiefdoms and some planets scattered throughout the galaxy. They even had shares in the actions of the Special Guilds, especially the Imperial Special Guild.
But he was on a military campaign; any title other than Primarch when referring to him was disrespect and a crime in military court.
The smile on Aegon's face stiffened for a moment, but he reiterated his words. "Yes, Primarch Alpharius." Although he seemed fine on the outside, inside a flame of anger and fury ran through his body, making him clench his fists.
He wanted to approach the Primarch, but the Primarch's words made that idea completely disappear from his mind; he didn't want to talk to a being who had no political sense whatsoever.
Aegon didn't know it, but Alpharius was a born and skilled politician, but he didn't do it out of malice or anything else; it was simply the fact that he was following the military laws of the Imperium; a soldier is a soldier until the last minute of the military campaign.
How could Alpharius not know what Aegon was thinking? But he simply didn't want to get involved in that political vortex. It wasn't just Alpharius; all the Primarchs were reluctant to get involved in this vortex concerning the struggle for the throne, or rather, Aegon's struggle for the throne.
A fool could see that Alysanne would never cease to be Crown Princess; only Aegon's faction wanted Aegon to be the Crown Prince, for only then could they receive the benefits that Aegon himself had promised them over hundreds of years.
Alpharius himself did not understand why Aegon was fighting so hard for a Throne he would never sit on. The God-Emperor was immortal; it was simply impossible for the God-Emperor of Humanity to abdicate his throne to his son or daughter; even Alysanne was just a substitute in case something forced the Emperor to be absent for a long time.
So, all the struggle, sacrifice, and pain that Aegon was suffering because of this was quite useless in Alpharius's eyes, but again, as he didn't want to get involved with Aegon, he remained silent, just observing with interest.
While Alpharius thought deeply, Aegon began sending messages to the members of his faction, calming them down to start a counterattack against Alysanne's forces.
Just like the members of his faction, the members of Alysanne's faction were also not clean, and although he didn't have as much proof, he also had his share of proof against some of Alysanne's senators.
He would not stand by while his pawns were killed as if they were nothing; he would make Alysanne feel the same pain he was feeling at that moment.
"Primarch Alpharius, we have arrived at the Sagittarius III System."
"Primarch Alpharius, the planetary defense system of Sagittarius Secundus is activated, and we are its targets."
"Primarch Alpharius…"
The controllers began to report the situation after the Imperial Fleet's exit from the Warp, making Alpharius and Aegon show cold expressions. Whether Primarch or Prince, both felt a deep disgust against these traitorous heretics.
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(Note: Today I saw a Chinese Warhammer fanfic; the guy made Fulgrim a woman, and I found it very funny. I couldn't help but think what all the female Primarchs, including the Emperor of Humanity, would be like. Fortunately, this heretical and blasphemous idea was extinguished from my mind.)
Read the advanced chapters on my Patreon!
/GOTSW
Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.