Wheel of Fire Prime, Southern Continent.
Hannibal, leading his honor guard, had just captured an Ork fortress.
The chosen prey was neatly butchered with the Hunting Bear Blade, while the legion's cooks busily prepared the cuts.
With an elegant smile on his face, Hannibal listened to Suarez's report, then said with interest:
"Nareth has once again defeated Leman Russ."
"Father and Horus had the right judgment; Malcador was the one who miscalculated."
He paused in thought, glancing around, his eyes briefly filled with nostalgia.
Then Hannibal issued his order:
"Command the legion to begin stockpiling provisions. Select the best cuts of meat and send them to the legion battlehips for preservation."
On the western side of the Northern Continent, Leman Russ fell silent after hearing Jorin's report.
For several seconds, the air felt as frozen as Fenris's icy wastes, and even the wolves around them said nothing.
Freki and Geri sensed the heavy mood, their eyes wide as they looked to their wolf-kin.
Suddenly, the Wolf King burst into hearty laughter and addressed his pack:
"Men of Fenris will never be broken by defeat!"
"If we lose, then we'll just win it back next time!"
The wolves roared with laughter, and the oppressive atmosphere vanished instantly.
Jorin gripped the handle of his power axe, Sanchez's loathsome face flashing in his mind.
Freki and Geri blinked their great eyes and buried their heads into their fur.
Leman Russ's voice thundered across the entire fortress as he shouted:
"Move out immediately, we continue the cleansing of the Orks!"
At the same time, Nareth ordered the battered Second Chapter to withdraw from battle, while the others continued their purge of the orks.
Back aboard the Throne of Shadow's Sovereignity, Nareth first pulled out eleven fangs from the Ork warlord and thought to himself:
'The fangs of an Ork warlord make better potion ingredients than those of ordinary Gretchin.'
'The auxiliary materials are complete, now I only need the main ones: an Osirian Psybrids and a Brain-Eater.'
'The "First Rangdan Xenocide" should provide everything I need.'
Nareth sent the fangs and the warlord's banner back to the Kingdom of Disorder, then summoned his paide, Arsena Dunn.
"Order the astropath to send a message to the Emperor, the Sigillite, and Horus: Tell them I have slain the ork warlord entrenched on Wheel of Fire."
But the aide did not immediately act. He instead spoke up:
"My lord, there is an urgent astropathic message from the Fifteenth Legion that I believe you should know."
Nareth turned to him. "What is it?"
"My lord, after the campaign with the Jorgall, the Fifteenth Legion followed your orders, departing from the Persephone System and exploring southwest along the galactic map."
"They reached a system the ancients of Terra called Sthenelus, and made a major discovery."
'Sthenelus, one of Perseus and Andromeda's sons in Greek myth.'
The name struck Nareth with familiarity, his thoughts racing.
'Yes… Sthenelus would later be more commonly known as the Medusan System. Medusa IV would become the homeworld of the Tenth Legion, the Iron Hands.'
'Ferrus Manus has been found.'
'But in my memory, he wasn't rediscovered until two years later, in 824.'
'It's because I sent the Thousand Sons to explore the southwest, they discovered the Medusan System early.'''
As Nareth reflected, the aide continued:
"When the Fifteenth Legion reached the Sthenelus System, they found it a cold, lifeless tomb."
"Yet the system was littered with wreckage, derelict ships, silicate dust clouds, and shattered asteroids."
The Student of Ratiocination spoke with speculation, his voice trembling slightly:
"In such circumstances, the Astartes of the Fifteenth would naturally assume this to be a void-battlefield of the Old Night."
"Knowing them, curiosity for knowledge would drive them to search for data-slates and archives."
Nareth nodded slightly. This matched his understanding of the Thousand Sons and Azhek Ahriman. The aide continued:
"When the fleet approached Sthenelus IV, they discovered an immense orbital construct, built during the Dark Age of Technology after stripping the planet's resources bare."
"The massive orbital ring was badly damaged, with many fragments falling to the surface."
"The Fifteenth faced a gauntlet of challenges: sudden ion storms, rogue space-mines, and a host of ancient yet still-lethal automated defense systems."
The Student of Ratiocination spoke again, completing the report logically:
"My guess is that, despite losses, the Thousand Sons pressed on, drawn by the lure of hidden knowledge."
The aide pulled up data slate excerpts.
"Upon reaching low orbit, auger arrays pierced the dense atmosphere, filtering away its glare, and revealed a nearly lifeless world wracked by quakes and unstable geology."
"Scans showed deep beneath its ice sheets and tundras, vast abandoned mining shafts reaching the planet's core. Its surface was torn with scars and impact craters."
"Then the Fifteenth picked up a ghostly transmission, a signal of distorted Techno-arcana and Gothic-like speech. Its source was irregular, almost heartbeat-like, emanating from titanic petrified reactors beneath the crust."
Again, the Student of Ratiocination added:
"Of course, the Astartes would not abandon their search. They dispatched an expeditionary team to the surface."
The aide reported further:
"To their astonishment, they found human survivors on the surface, enduring even after the cataclysm. They had formed into clans."
"Through psychic communion with tribes like the Avini, the Astartes learned the locals called their world Medusa."
"They also learned of a figure in their myths, a demigod who walked among the clans, teaching them knowledge, guiding them to grow stronger."
"This demigod did not rule them, but maintained their rivalry, while leading them to unearth relics and develop technology."
"He even slew a silver dragon known as Asimos."
At this, Nareth knew beyond doubt: this "demigod" of Medusa IV was none other than Ferrus Manus.
The Iron Hands' very name came from the moment Ferrus slew the silver wyrm, its molten metal fusing with his ruined arms to form his indomitable iron hands.
'Originally, Ferrus Manus's return ceremony was held alongside Leman Russ's Wheel of Fire triumph.'
'Even with my interference, it will likely still be held together, but with the added presence of Hannibal and myself, victors of Wheel of Fire.'
The aide pressed on:
"After Ahriman met the Medusan demigod, he concluded that this giant, Ferrus Manus, was indeed another primarch."
"They immediately reported this to you. What I've shared is the best reconstruction of their astropathic message."
"The missing fragments, I supplied through reasoning."
Nareth nodded, praising him:
"An excellent deduction."
At the primarch's commendation, Arsena felt something inside him break; he was that much closer to truly becoming a Student of Ratiocination.
"I believe the Emperor will be pleased by this news. Order the astropath to send both reports, the discovery of a new primarch on Medusa IV, and my slaying of the ork warlord."
The aide bowed. "At once, my lord."
Meanwhile, the Eleventh Legion continued purging the remaining greenskins on Wheel of Fire Prime.
Ten star-days later, Nareth received word from his aide:
"My lord, the Emperor is pleased with your accomplishments."
"He summons you to the Sthenelus System, to accompany him in reclaiming the primarch."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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