Hierax relived that moment every time he saw the primarch. He had known that awe and gladness the day before on the Macragge's Honour. He knew them again now. So he did not know what to do with his anger.
But it did not leave him.
'Legionaries of the Twenty-second Chapter,' Guilliman said. 'You have suffered loss, and you have fought on.'
Oh, that was true. Though not all of the 22nd had been permitted to fight as they knew how. For most of the campaign, the Destroyers had remained on the ship. Guilliman had given Chapter Master Phalaris leave to send them against dug-in orks on the barren moon of Agrigentum V. Where we couldn't do any harm, Hierax thought. The company as a whole had seen little action, relegated to reserve status. The bitter irony was that Phalaris had not been killed in the field. One of the ork vessels, its construction so crude Hierax wondered if the brutes even understood they were traversing the void, had slammed into the superstructure of the Cavascor. The ork construct, more stone than metal, had disintegrated. The bridge of the strike cruiser had been gutted. It still had not been fully repaired. Command was spread across multiple secondary control centres across the ship. The casualties had been severe. Along with most of the mortal bridge officers, four captains had died. So had Phalaris.
As senior captain, Hierax had overseen the elevation of new captains. The interim command of the company had fallen to him. Phalaris had been senior captain himself before becoming Chapter Master. That mechanism for the passing of the mantle was a tradition in the 22nd. It had served the Chapter well. The 22nd cohered. Its warriors had a sense of their Chapter's distinct identity, and that point of pride helped sustain them during the frustration of inaction.
Now the tradition was being broken. Violently.
'The strength of the Thirteenth Legion,' said Guilliman, 'is the strength of each warrior, and the strength of every warrior. Our sum is a greater whole, one that depends on every individual, yet transcends all of us, without exception.' He paused, then repeated, 'Without exception.'
Gage's left eye twitched. A tiny gesture, and a fleeting one. Hierax saw it. The Chapter Master Primus was startled.
But you know as well as we do who the Chapter Master is. So why are you surprised? What other meaning did you hear?
'I have taught you my precepts,' Guilliman continued. 'They continue to evolve, as they should. War is fluid. We must be too. The theoretical is worthless if it becomes a certainty. It must be tested. The practical is worthless if it is a ritual, unsupported by anything except the habit of use.'
That was pointed, Hierax thought. The primarch was teaching the Chapter right now. So why does this feel like a chastisement? Haven't there been enough of those of late?
'Our Legion is adaptable. It must always be so. This is the truth that undergirds the theoretical and the practical. We must embody what we believe, or those beliefs mean nothing. Empty cant will surely result in defeat, and it deserves no less.'
Guilliman paused again. He swept his gaze over the assembled Chapter. Hierax felt the touch of those eyes. He sees us all. It should not be possible. Not so many thousands in a few seconds. Yet Hierax had no doubt. He sees us and he knows us.
But if he knows us, came the question, came the doubt, why is he doing this?
He just told you, Hierax answered himself. This is why he has been speaking. He wants us to understand.
I don't though. I can't.
'Legionaries of the Twenty-second,' Guilliman said. 'You have a new Chapter Master.'
More bootsteps now from within the gunship.
Guilliman turned as the warrior appeared. 'Chapter Master Eleon Iasus, I welcome you to your new command.'
Iasus' armour was resplendent. Newly polished, its hue reflected the lighting in the bay with the blue of indomitable purity. Hierax stared at the new marking on his right pauldron: a winged skull, and the XXII of the Chapter numeral. The iconography drove home the truth of the new state of things even more forcefully than Guilliman's greeting. The die was cast.
As one, every legionary saluted Iasus. He crashed his fist against his breastplate in return.
Several long seconds of motionless silence passed. The necessary gestures had been accomplished. Hierax looked at the tableau formed by Iasus standing just forward of the assault ramp, flanked by the primarch and the Chapter Master Primus. Iasus faced his captains. The ranks of the battle-brothers completed the frame.
Behold the Twenty-second, Hierax thought. The last moment of what we were has passed. The first moment of what we will become is about to begin. I wonder if I will recognise that form.
'You look as unhappy as Hierax,' Guilliman said.
Gage had been watching the Cavascor recede as Masali Spear set course for the Macragge's Honour. He turned away from the viewing block. Guilliman was looking at him with patient amusement.
Gage did not share in the humour. 'I'm worried, not unhappy,' he said. 'Hierax most definitely is unhappy, though, and he's not alone.'
'I know he is, and I didn't expect him to be.' Guilliman's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, but their focus became las-precise. They bored through Gage's soul. 'I know you don't expect me to change my mind.'
'Of course not.'
'But...'
Gage hesitated. He had been debating with himself whether to bring the subject up or not. He had not known Guilliman had chosen Iasus as Chapter Master until embarking for the Cavascor. He had guessed, but Guilliman had made it clear his own counsel was enough on this matter. It had not been Gage's place to intrude. Now he was inviting Gage's thoughts. Too late to make a difference, he thought. So to what purpose?
Greater understanding, he decided. The primarch always wanted to know more. His hunger for information was insatiable. Always more data, before and after actions, always collating, always refining. Very well, then. Gage would tell him what he thought. There would be consequences attendant on the elevation of Iasus. If they could not be stopped, they should at least be discussed.
'Have you considered the impact on the Chapter of passing over Hierax for Iasus?'
'What would make you think I haven't?' When Gage didn't answer at first, Guilliman said, 'The fact that I made that decision at all?'
Gage thought through his response. 'The Twenty-second's character is... non-standard.'
'To put it mildly.'
'I don't mean the composition of the units.' Though that was certainly part of its individuality. The 22nd was a patchwork of specialised companies. Destroyer squads were rare in the other Chapters. Nemesis had two full companies. 'I mean in its sense of identity and traditions'
'So did I. Go on, though, Marius. I'm listening.'
'The proportion of Terrans is high compared to most of the Chapters. It is less than it was, but its influence is strong.'
'So it is.'
'The Terrans are a minority there now too, I believe, but they make up most of the officers'
'And even those originally from Ultramar have adopted their culture, rather than the other way around.'
'Yes.' Gage wondered why Guilliman was encouraging him to say what the primarch already knew. He guessed that somehow he, not Guilliman, was the one who was meant to be acquiring new information, or new understanding from the dialogue.
'And?' said Guilliman.
'The successor to a fallen Chapter Master has, until today, been the senior captain.'
'So it has.'
'A mechanism not unusual in the other Chapters,' Gage added.
'Very true. You anticipate particular consequences.'
'I do. Theoretical - this break with established practice will be perceived as a deliberate targeting of the Twenty-second.'
'Precisely because the practice is so common elsewhere'
'Yes'
'Go on,' Guilliman said.
'Iasus is not even a member of the Twenty-second, never mind senior captain. Theoretical - his elevation will be perceived as an insult at best. Theoretical - unhappiness
with the mere fact of his command could lead to consequences on the battlefield.' Guilliman stirred. 'Clarify that, Chapter Master Primus.' 'Reduced efficiency. Second-guessing up and down the chain of command.' He had not meant more than that. Anything worse was truly unthinkable, and beyond the wildest theoretical. Guilliman nodded. 'I won't dispute your reasoning. Those are possibilities.'
'Then why...?'
'Because all of your analysis is correct. The Twenty-second is distinct. It is more Terran in its character than the other Chapters. It does have traditions of its own that have governed its internal functioning.'
Gage was baffled. 'Its effectiveness on the field has never been in doubt.'
'No, it hasn't. Yet.'
'I still don't understand.'
'The culture of the Twenty-second has a strong Terran influence, and that influence is itself shaped by the Destroyer companies.' Guilliman had never made a secret of his distaste for Destroyer tactics. Even so, he had never disbanded them.
'We haven't purged the Destroyers from the Legion tacticae.'
'And I won't. At the same time, I see a necessity to reduce their influence. Nemesis,' he said, and grimaced. 'We are not the Twelfth Legion, Marius. To have an entire Chapter adopting that name should give us pause. The Great Crusade is a force of enlightenment, liberation and reclamation. I honour my Father with creation, not destruction.' He gestured at the viewing block next to him, filled with the reflected light of Thoas. 'The extermination of the orks is a means, not an end. Nemesis. That is not a term of creation.'
'Will you forbid the use of the name?'
Guilliman shook his head. 'That won't be necessary.'
Gage began to see the strategy behind the elevation of Iasus. 'Theoretical - short-term disruptions caused by the breaking of traditions may lead to longer-term stability after the period of readjustment.'
Guilliman began to smile. 'Agreed.'
'Practical - appoint an outsider as leader. The necessary adaptation will result in the desired change in culture.'
'Yes,' said Guilliman. 'The point isn't to alienate the Twenty-second. The point is to integrate it more fully into the wider culture of the Legion. The process is not a painless one.'
Gage thought. It certainly isn't. He opened his mouth to speak again, then thought better of it.
Guilliman noticed. 'You still aren't convinced.'
He wasn't. The short term concerned him. He was worried about how prolonged that short term might be. He was worried about the immediate effect on the battlefield, and the longer-term consequences that might flow from that. Disturbing theoreticals spun out from the recent practical.
'What it comes down to, Marius, is I trust Captain Hierax and his brothers, perhaps more than they do themselves.'
'I see,' Gage said, remaining noncommittal. Then he changed his mind. 'That is precisely what I'm worried about,' he said. 'If they lack trust in themselves, what then?'
Guilliman frowned. He looked at Gage as if he were speaking gibberish. 'There is a difference,' he said at last, 'between the theoretical and the nonsensical speculation.'
Mobilisation was only hours away. The armada had moved into its final disposition. The ships were ready to begin the drops. The orks could measure their reign over Thoas in hours. Hierax could feel the rising energy reaching across the void from vessel to vessel. The culmination of this war was approaching. He knew it. And he would be watching it from orbit.
He pushed the thought back down. There were too many shards of anger rattling around in his head. He had to keep them contained. He was about to speak with his new Chapter Master.
Phalaris' quarters had remained empty after his death. Hierax was grateful for that. Despite the internal assumption across the 22nd that he would succeed Phalaris, propriety and tradition had dictated he not occupy those chambers until his elevation. He had been spared the humiliation of removing himself from the quarters. There was one shard of anger with which he did not have to contend. He was the first of the captains to meet with Iasus. The Chapter Master was respecting seniority. Hierax had half-expected he would meet with the Macragge-bom Lobon first. When this did not occur, Hierax was furious at his own pettiness. Lobon, meanwhile, was at least as angry as Sirras over the elevation of Iasus. Hierax stopped outside the iron doors to the Chapter Master's chambers. He knocked. The doors slid aside into the stone of the corridor wall. The study beyond was a space that was darker and heavier than Guilliman's compartment on the Macragge's Honour. The round crystalflex window on the void took up less than half of the far wall. The lumen strips along the walls where they met the high ceiling were subdued, giving the impression that the only light came from the orb above the desk.
Iasus stood behind the desk. He smiled when Hierax entered. 'Thank you for coming, captain,' he said.
Hierax gave him a brisk nod. 'The honour is mine,' he replied.
He didn't expect Iasus to believe that any more than he did. He did not, though, let his bitterness infect his tone. There would be no insubordination in anything he said, or in how he said it. Iasus' smile became pained. 'No,' he said, 'I really do think the honour is mine.' He gestured to the iron-and-wood seat before him. 'Will you sit, captain? I think we have a lot to discuss.'
Hierax nodded again, and accepted the invitation. Iasus sat also. They faced each other across the desk. Hierax had encountered Iasus a few times before, on the battlefield. The meetings had been brief. Hierax had placed no importance on them then. He knew Iasus by reputation. Word had spread about the captain who had made a point of fighting alongside every squad. Hierax could see the potential strategic value of the policy. Deeper knowledge of the squad level could translate into more effective deployment of the company as a whole. Today, though, he was not inclined to view Iasus' methods in the most favourable light. If you think you'll be able to curry favour that way in the Twenty-second Chapter, he thought, you'll find we're less impressed by such methods.
Iasus said, 'You expected to be where I am sitting.'
'I expect nothing except to serve.' Hierax spoke with his jaw clenched tight.
Iasus' eyes turned cold. 'I do not accept that answer,' he said. Hierax glared at him. The Chapter Master was several decades younger than he was. How many more campaigns had Hierax fought in? Dozens, at least. Iasus had not experienced the cataclysm of Osiris. He had not seen the destruction of a quarter of the fleet in a single battle. Your experience is shallow next to mine, he thought. How dare you think you can command me?
He can because he is Chapter Master, he reminded himself.
He mastered his temper. 'I should rephrase,' he said. 'I knew there was no certainty of my elevation. There was the expectation born of tradition.'
'So I understand. And you should understand that finding myself here was not what I expected. I did not seek this office, Captain Hierax. I had no ambitions to leave my company and my Chapter and take the place I daresay was seen as destined for you.'
'I didn't think you had,' Hierax said. That was the truth. He resented Iasus' presence, but he did not envy him his task.
'Good. Then at least we have the beginnings of common ground on that point.'
Optimist, Hierax thought.
'I am fully aware or the situation we find ourselves in. The appointment of a Chapter Master who has not served with the Chapter is unusual enough.'
'Unique, I believe,' said Hierax.
'And the nature of the Twenty-second makes the event doubly so.'
'Agreed.'
'I think we can also agree the primarch doesn't act on whims.'
'We can,' Hierax said. His words sounded odd in his head. He wasn't sure if he believed them. Whether he did or not, either possibility was disturbing. If he admitted the truth of what Iasus said, then he needed to think carefully about the deeper implications of what Guilliman had chosen to do with the Nemesis Chapter. The impact of the appointment would go far beyond questions of hurt pride and the tension created by the arrival of an
outsider. Iasus shared none of the traditions of the 22nd. If he even knew of them, he would have no reason to follow them. He might well feel compelled not to. His command would be a wind of change through the Chapter. If Guilliman had thought through the consequences, then Iasus, whether he knew it or not, was here to dismantle the Chapter as it existed now, and had for its entire history.
If Guilliman did not foresee what might come...
Hierax shut down that line of reasoning. It was absurd. It was dangerous. He believed it was possible for the primarch to be mistaken. He did not believe Guilliman could be blind.
'I think we understand each other so far,' Iasus said. 'Let me clarify things a bit further. I am under no illusions about my command. I know it is not welcome. But I also know I was placed here for a reason, and you must know that I intend to carry out my duty. I respect the achievements of the Twenty-second, and I respect all its warriors. I would be respected in turn. But if I am not, I will have my authority respected, because of the place from which it derives.'
'Of course,' Hierax said.
'We are agreed, then?'
'About what?'
'About what must be done. I accept the nature of the Chapter's feelings towards me, but I will have discipline. It will be enforced, and its enforcement begins with the captains. With you, senior captain.'
Hierax kept silent and still until he mastered his temper. 'I am as conscious of my duty as you are of yours,' he said at last. 'I have given you no reason to see me as derelict.'
'You are insulted.'
Hierax met and held lasus' gaze. He said nothing.
Iasus said, 'I have no wish to injure your pride further.'
The corner of Hierax's left eye twitched slightly. The implied critique of his priorities stung. His temple throbbed with anger.
'But,' Iasus continued, 'I believe it necessary to be abundantly - even excessively - dear at this juncture. The Twenty-second has a storied history. It lost a great leader in Phalaris. I will do everything in my power to ensure a continuity of glory. To that end, I will need your help, Captain Hierax.'
Roboute Guilliman: Lord of Ultramar Page 3