Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 402 Secret Meeting (Part 1)

A solemn atmosphere filled the meeting room, where representatives from the six battle groups sat upright.

Representatives from the Holy Blood Angels, the Flesh Tearers, the Blood Knights, the Celestial Lions, the Black Templars, and the Imperial Fists each occupied a seat at the conference table.

Anuka Yolandil, the Chapter Master of the Sky Lions, remained calm and composed; Mordreck, the High Marshal of the Black Templars, had a stern expression; Thor Garadon, the Third Company Commander of the Imperial Fists, had a determined look in his eyes; Erasmus Tycho, the Third Company Commander of the Blood Angels, was slightly lost in thought; Gabriel Seth, the Chapter Master of the Flesh-Tearers, had a solemn expression; and Amit, the new Chapter Master of the Blood Knights, remained silent.

This meeting was of extremely high caliber. The leaders of the Flesh Rippers, Blood Knights, and Sky Lions were all present, while the Holy Blood Angels and Imperial Fists sent senior company commanders as representatives. The Black Templars were represented by a high-ranking marshal.

Beside Chen Xi, a warrior clad in golden armor stood silently, his presence adding to the solemn atmosphere of the room.

No one spoke first, and the meeting room fell into a brief silence.

The heavy silence in the conference room was broken by the hum of machinery as the heavy, finely crafted doors slowly opened, driven by a hydraulic system.

The great sage Kaul strode into the room with steady steps, the great axe in his hand, inlaid with Mechanicus runes, striking the ground with a dull thud with each step.

The mechanical prosthetic eye gleamed with a calm blue light as he slowly sat down opposite Chen Xi, the metal joints emitting a soft grinding sound.

“Lord Chen Xi!” Kaul broke the silence first, his mechanically modified voice carrying a unique metallic quality, his tone unusually solemn: “Are you sure you want to make this public to them?”

Chen Xi's gaze swept over every Astartes warrior present, and he slowly nodded: "Time is running out."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried immense weight.

“I must make sure the Empire is prepared…” Chen Xi added after a brief pause, “At least the most loyal warriors.”

The expressions of the six Astartes delegates immediately became even more serious.

The Blood Knights' new Chapter Master, Amit, unconsciously tensed up, while High Marshal Mordreck of the Black Templar frowned deeply.

After a moment of silence, Kaul finally nodded slowly to show his understanding.

“Lord Chen Xi,” Gabriel, the leader of the Flesh-Tearer Battle Group, finally couldn’t hold back any longer. His voice was slightly hoarse from suppressing his emotions: “What exactly is it that requires such seriousness?”

His gaze shifted to the golden-armored warrior standing silently to one side: "And why is this Imperial Guard here?"

The imperial guard clad in golden armor stepped forward. The exquisitely crafted golden armor gleamed under the conference room lights, every line of which proclaimed the emperor's supreme authority.

His heavy footsteps were particularly clear in the silent conference room.

“I am only here to bear witness,” the Imperial Guard said slowly in a deep and resonant High Gothic language, each word carrying an undeniable weight, as if bearing the weight of millennia.

"And I endorse everything His Excellency Chen Xi has said and decided." He paused for a moment, letting the last sentence fall heavily: "All of this is the Emperor's will."

Garadon, the company commander of the Fist of the Empire, frowned and turned his sharp gaze to Chen Xi: "Lord Chen Xi, is this related to the prophecy you mentioned?"

His voice carried a hint of urgency. As one of the few people who had heard Chen Xi reveal his prophecies about the future, Galadon keenly realized that for Chen Xi to gather representatives from the two founding battle groups, it must be something of great importance.

All he could think of was the prophecy about the return of the Son of God.

“Yes, it has a lot to do with the return of the Son of God that I mentioned before.” Chen Xi nodded affirmatively, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, finally settling on the three children of Saint Gilles.

Seeing their gloomy faces, he added, "You don't need to be discouraged. According to prophecy, even archangels have a chance to return."

"Wait!" Company Commander Galadon suddenly raised his voice, an incredulous expression on his face: "Lord Chen Xi, didn't you say last time that only two Primarchs would return?"

Caul's mechanical prosthetic eye flashed red as he turned curiously to Chen Xi, his mechanical voice carrying a hint of inquiry: "Lord Chen Xi, I'm very curious, did you actually predict that the two Primarchs would return?"

As far as I know, only one Primarch will return.

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became restless and uneasy.

The battle commanders exchanged shocked glances, and hushed conversations rose and fell among them.

The contradiction between the prophecy and the information revealed by Kaul plunged every Astartes present into a complex mix of emotions—anxiety about the unknown mixed with an irrepressible anticipation.

The news of the Primarch's imminent return is shocking enough, but the identity of the returning one is even more crucial.

Embarrassingly, however, both Primarchs of the two founding chapters present met with misfortune—Saint Gilles of the Blood Angels was confirmed dead, and even his remains were desecrated; while Roger Dorn of the Imperial Fist was left with only a severed hand, the rest of his body still missing.

Facing the intense gazes of the six Astartes, Chen Xi slowly nodded in confirmation: "Indeed, ten thousand years ago, His Excellency Robert Guilliman only entrusted you with the task of finding a way to resurrect him after he encountered danger."

"And you have found the solution over these ten thousand years; now all that remains is to awaken the lord of the Thirteenth Legion."

Although Chen Xi had previously been vague, only hinting at the possible return of the Primarch with a few words, this time he not only explicitly acknowledged that a Primarch was about to return, but also directly mentioned the name Robert Guilliman.

This unequivocal declaration greatly enhanced the credibility of Chen Xi's statement.

When they learned that it was the Primarch of the Ultramarines who was about to return, the six Astartes warriors all showed an undisguised sense of loss.

While this Primarch of the Thirteenth Legion is certainly worthy of respect, he has no direct connection to the heritage of their respective chapters and cannot solve the urgent problems plaguing their chapters.

The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became subtle, with the initial excitement upon hearing of the Primarch's return intertwined with the current disappointment, creating a complex and oppressive atmosphere.

"Then, who is the Second Son?" the Chapter Master Seth pressed on, still unwilling to give up.

His voice carried a glimmer of hope—since the first son's return was hopeless, a second son's return was better than nothing, especially since Chen Xi had just clearly stated that even Primarchs like Saint Gilles and Dorne were not entirely without the possibility of returning.

“The son of the second return…” Chen Xi paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the expectant faces of the crowd, before finally deciding to tell the truth: “It is the Lion of Caliban.”

(End of this chapter)