Horus’s side had moved camp in the evening, placing the butte to the west of their position. Since this planet rotated like Terra, this meant they had the opportunity to approach the defending side with the sun to their backs. The butte itself made a great sunblock, so the sunset wasn’t an issue. Horus had insisted that they hold all of the visual advantages that they could.
Alpharius, just as suspicious as Omegon about the lack of patrols, had the Alpha Legionnaires sweep the area around their camp for any type of spying equipment. It was easy for people to think that the Night Lords and the Raven Guard were similar due to their preference for shadows, Konrad and Corvus looking so similar didn’t help.
However, this comparison didn’t hold up when looking at how those two Legions used the shadows. Konrad’s focus was on terror, using the shadows to enhance the fear generated by his tactics. Corvus was all about stealth and using the shadows for misdirection. This also meant that the Alpha Legion was closer to the Raven Guard in actual operations. Alpharius was certain that none of the other Primarchs could keep a secret as well as he and Omegon could. Omegon was just as certain that the Lion was at least close to being their equal. Dynat and Herzog reported no devices on their return.
“But they know we’re here, right?” Dwancis asked.
“Of course they do,” Martreus said.
“And they know we know that they know we’re here,” Qayle said. “They want us to think that they don’t care that we’re here.”
“But that’s silly,” Chathyn said. “Of course they care that we’re here.”
“Maybe not concerned is the better word,” Omegon suggested. “Though Rogal isn’t the best at nonchalance.”
“It’s because he’s a worry wort,” Alpharius giggled. “But Qayle’s right, it’s a message. Rogal is trying to say that he thinks he knows what we’re going to do, and is prepared for it.”
“But it doesn’t make tactical sense for them to build their stronghold on the east side, because it gives away the lighting advantage,” Chathyn said.
“There’s all sorts of factors to consider in choosing a spot,” Perturabo said suddenly. “We haven’t surveyed the rest of the butte, perhaps this was the steepest side, the one with the most defensible features. Visibility is only an issue during sunrise. And it’s not like they can’t see us, it’s just harder.”
“Hey, Perturabo,” Alpharius said, casting a quick look at the initiates. He held Omegon’s gaze a moment longer than the others. “Doing a morale check of the troops the night before battle?”
“More l like a preparedness check,” Perturabo said with a shrug. “I leave morale to Horus, or others like Fulgrim.”
“We are ready,” Alpharius said. “Just waiting for the dawn.”
“Even though you are the ones with the fewest Legionaries?” Perturabo asked, raising an eyebrow.
“We’re ready,” Omegon said firmly. “Though I suppose you have a point in that we should rest before the early start.”
“Indeed,” Perturabo said steadily. “I should leave you to your rest.”
With that he walked away, the Alpha Legionnaires stared after him a long moment without speaking.
“Wait, did he just tell us to go to bed?”
*******************************
Breathe in, hold for ten seconds, breathe out Ferrus thought to himself. Why am I this nervous?
“Everything alright, my lord?” Iron Father Wayland asked, noticing Ferrus fidget.
“I’m alright,” Ferrus said quickly, avoiding eye contact.
Wayland was silent for a long moment, “You don’t have to do this. I can tell Sharrowkin that there’s been a change of plan, and you can confront Lord Fulgrim after the war games are over.”
It was Ferrus’ turn to be silent for a bit before answering. “I… think that’s what we should do.”
“Very well,” Wayland said, and stepped away from Ferrus. “Sharrowkin, you’re off the hook.”
“I see,” Sharrowkin replied. “I’ll return to the nest then.”
*******************************
Sharrowkin’s return to the Raven Guard area was interrupted when he heard a group of people trying to be stealthy and failing at it.
“Who’s there?”
“What have we here?” a voice asked back from the darkness.
“Looks like a little Raven strayed from the nest,” another voice called, this one had a clearer Olympian accent.
“You know, ravens are attracted by shiny things,” Sharrowkin said casually. “And can be quite loud about it when we find something particularly interesting.”
“There’s ten of us,” a third voice said. They were clearly trying to surround him, he quickly sent off a signal to Alexus Pollux. The Fist isn’t likely to be far away, I just need to entertain our attempted escapees until he gets here.
“Well, brothers?” a fourth Iron Warrior said. “Shall we?”
“Ah! There you are, Barabas!” a jovial Pollux called. “You know Lord Dorn has plans for you tomorrow. Come along, your men too.”
“I thought I told you not to call me that,” Dantioch growled. He was the one of the only Iron Warriors that hadn’t yet spoken to Sharrowkin.
“Ah, but you insist on calling me Alexus,” Pollux chided. “It only seems fair to call you Barabas.”
“That was a fast response,” Sharrowkin said. “Taking tips from the White Scars?”
“Isn’t one of your mottoes to be where the enemy doesn’t expect you to be?” Pollux asked. “Why defer credit to the Scars?”
“Misdirection is our aim with that saying,” Sharrowkin chuckled. “Speed belongs to our cousins from Chogoris.”
“I see,” Pollux said. “We were already on the trail, but didn’t expect them to get sidetracked by a lone Legionary.”
“They may not have been if they were better at avoiding light sources,” Sharrowkin said. “I believe they were on the move when I called out to them.”
“I see,” Pollux nodded. “Fists, let’s get our wayward cousins back where they belong.”
*******************************
The hour before true dawn was full of activity, both inside and outside of the butte. Azkellon was fairly certain he had convinced Sanguinius to not join the battle from above, but knew his lord would be in the air at some point. He was still mulling over the conversation with Pryskella regarding over protectiveness, and thought he had approached it in a much better way than before.
Ferrus was making sure his apology gifts were tucked away where they weren’t likely to be found. He wasn’t embarrassed by the potholders; in fact, he thought it was a great way to relate to one of Fulgrim’s favorite hobbies. However, he certainly didn’t want anyone from the other side to find them first. Pryskella was making sure her most recent project was also tucked safely away. She wasn’t done with it, and it would certainly raise questions.
Perturabo and Mortarion were acting as Horus’ seconds, making sure everyone was in position for laying the siege. To their annoyance, Fulgrim and one of the Alpha Legion initiates were missing.
*******************************
“Are you sure about this, Frederick?” Fulgrim asked, adjusting the rope he was tying around the jug of dzira. It had turned into a very rich purple color, not far off the one used by the Emperor’s Children. Omegon found it kind of funny, and Fulgrim was quite proud of the way it had turned out.
“Of course I’m sure,” Omegon said, holding the jug steady. “People do this in areas where ursids are found. Besides, no one looks up.”
“What about Sanguinius and Corvus?” Fulgrim objected. “They can fly.”
“If they see it at all, they’ll probably think it’s a defense mechanism to help us ID if anyone gets to our camp.”
“That makes sense,” Fulgrim nodded. He was getting fond of this initiate and was considering doing more exercises with the Alpha Legion to try and keep tabs on him. He’ll go far in the Legion, and he’s good at playing Alpharius.
“Omega, you need to hurry up,” Alpharius’ voice came suddenly across the private channel. “The Emperor’s Children are getting nervous, and Perturabo is about to prove he can get as angry as Angron.”
“Yes, lord,” Omegon said, knowing Fulgrim was going to hear him. “We’re almost done.”
“Alpharius reach out to you?” Fulgrim asked. He had just ignored another signal from Lucius.
“Perturabo is looking for us,” Omegon said. “I think everyone else is ready.”
“Ah,” Fulgrim said. “We’re done here, so let’s go. I don’t want Mortarion to cancel my display of force.”
“Right,” Omegon said, heading down the tree. Fulgrim followed, guiding the long end of the rope so they could find the dzira again and retrieve it.
*******************************
“Alright, no one panic, we’re here,” Fulgrim announced, quickly signaling for Omegon to rejoin the Alpha Legion.
“Does that mean it’s line dance time?” Angron asked. Lorgar winced slightly at Angron’s choice of words. Fulgrim chuckled, noticing both reactions.
“It is kind of like a line dance,” Fulgrim said.
“Yeah, an intimidation tactic,” Magnus said, he had been learning about them as part of his research about sieges. It had actually been his idea, but Fulgrim ran with it as expected. Horus was more than happy to let him be the choreographer.
“Are you sure you don’t want to join us, Joysepha?” Lorgar asked.
“I’m happy to observe, Lord Aurelian,” she answered patiently. She and Pryskella had discussed the previous evening if they were participating at all in the siege. They had stayed to the side in the void battle, but Pryskella had participated in events on the ground. After their discussion nearly became an argument, it had been decided that they would participate essentially as assassins, going after the Primarchs from the other side. Rogal and Horus had been informed, but they had decided to not tell the other Primarchs.
“Are we doing this or not?” Horus asked.
*******************************
“What are they doing?” Corvus asked, looking down on Horus’ side from a ledge in the butte.
“I have no idea,” Sanguinius said, also watching the others.
“It looks like Magnus is trying to control Angron,” Corvus said. Sanguinius giggled.
“Are you guys seeing this up there?” Vulkan asked.
“Yes,” Corvus giggled. “We see it. Any thoughts?”
“Uh, they’re trying to dance before their victory?” Vulkan suggested. “Ready?”
“Yes,” Sanguinius said, sobering up quickly. He and Corvus each grabbed a rope, and took off.
Corvus had set his flight pack so that he could fire it once, then glide down with his rope and be quieter. He had a plan for getting back up to the butte, but wasn’t sure if it was going to work. Sanguinius didn’t have issues like that. It only took a moment to reach the attacker’s camp, and another moment to find the area that the Iron Warriors had claimed as theirs.
“This tree looks good,” Sanguinius said.
“Agreed,” Corvus said, testing the tree he and Sanguinius had landed on. It was just on the edge of the Iron Warriors area and sturdy. A few moments later, they had a double line tied tightly to the tree.
“Race you back!” Sanguinius called, and launched himself. He had already noted that there wasn’t any anti-air weaponry held back at the camp, which meant it was on the “dancing line” that they had to cross. This meant speed was his ally in this run back to the butte.
“It’s secure?” Azkellon asked as Sanguinius landed.
“Yes,” he replied. “You can test it.”
Azkellon nodded, and gave Agapito Nev a long, meaningful look before taking the reinforced bar that the Iron Hands and Salamanders had made, setting it on the top line, and pushing off the side of the butte. He was the only full sized Space Marine on the surface who had a jump pack, and it was important that they had someone who could test this little delivery system and get back.
“What do you think of Fulgrim’s display of force?” Sanguinius asked Agapito after a moment.
“I don’t think it’s working quite the way Fulgrim meant for it to,” Corvus said, dropping out of the shadow walk.
“Why do you say that?” Sanguinius asked, taking Corvus’s sudden appearance in stride.
“I zoomed in while crossing the line,” Corvus answered. “Fulgrim’s face was all dismay. Clearly Angron’s not going along with what Fulgrim wanted to do.”
“That means a weakness,” Agapito observed. “Captain Azkellon should be able to confirm.”
Sanguinius nodded, then froze at the distinct sound of anti-air fire. “Azkellon!”
“They were too slow,” the leader of the Sanguinary Guard said, landing neatly next to his Primarch. “Though I recommend we move away from here.”
“Agreed,” Sanguinius said. “Looks like the rope held up. Stopping isn’t an issue?”
“No,” Azkellon said. “Their legs may not thank them though.”
*******************************
“But it could be a mind game,” Ferrus said as the defense sat down to review their situation. “That’s been Fulgrim’s theme this whole time. We can’t trust that Angron’s actions and Fulgrim’s reactions aren’t planned and orchestrated.”
“I know he’s our thespian,” Corvus said. “But it looks genuine. It wouldn’t surprise me if they are just as upset with him as we are regarding what happened during the void battle. I can share the recording.”
“It’s mind games. I’m certain of it,” Ferrus said after a long moment.
“Well, two can play at that game,” Rogal said. “But it requires a bit of planning.”
*******************************
“Angron, what was that?” Fulgrim shouted. The display of force had ended, and they were settling into the siege lines. Kharn stepped forward, clearly trying to get in between the two Primarchs. Angron waved him aside.
“Lo—Angron?” Kharn asked. He was trying to be better about not addressing Angron as lord, but it was a process. “It was my suggestion that we go off script.”
“It was?” Fulgrim asked, becoming angered.
“It was,” Angron confirmed. “But I was the one who approved it.”
“Why was this even brought up?” Fulgrim growled.
“I was… offering a compromise,” Kharn said quietly. “To give Angron a more constructive way to release his anger at what happened in the void battle.”
“I’m still in charge,” Angron said. “He’s right to be angry with me, not with you.”
“We’ve had days to sort this out,” Fulgrim said. “And instead you wait and ruin that? What if they use it against us?”
Angron thought about that for a moment. He hadn’t sought out all the details of what had happened in the void, but he did know that Ferrus was irate. None of the Primarchs knew anger to the same depth as Angron did. Knowing that, and what it was likely doing to Ferrus, gave him an idea.
“They can only use it against us if they know that what I was doing wasn’t the intention,” he said finally. “They only have whatever the Blood Angel was able to get in his flyby.”
Perturabo growled at the mention of the flyby. They hadn’t been aware of the Sanguinary Guard’s presence until they heard his jump pack. Angron glowered at him, then continued.
“If they are aware of it, we can use it. Ferrus’ anger is similar to mine, and to be that angry at Fulgrim means that he at least feels betrayed. So that means he won’t trust any reactions from Fulgrim.”
“But the others can tell that my reaction was genuine,” Fulgrim objected.
“Ah, but we know you are an actor,” Angron pointed out. “If Ferrus isn’t being overtly angry, there isn’t a good reason to doubt him. He’s the Fulgrim expert. Besides, I have a reputation to keep regarding coordination and grace outside of combat.”
“I guess,” Fulgrim said. “But how do we leverage it?”
“We play up how uncooperative I am,” Angron said. “Then when we actually fight it out, I lead them on a merry chase and the Alpha Legion sneak in behind and take their camp.”
“That feels a bit simplistic,” Mortarion said. “What do you think, Alpharius?”
“I think the idea has merit,” Qayle said carefully. He didn’t want to commit to anything without discussing it with the actual Alpharius.
“Agreed,” Horus said, taking control of the conversation. Any other conversations were interrupted by the sound of clanging, it sounded like four people running into each other. “What was that?”
“It came from the supply dump,” Mortarion said. Perturabo and Konrad were already moving, their Legionaries following.
Arriving at the supply dump, also known as their camp from the previous evening, they found five Iron Warriors at the base of a tree. They were piled at the base of a tree, attached to what looked like a zip line.
“How did they get here?” Konrad asked.
“Maybe the Blood Angel did more spying than we thought,” Shang said. “He could have glided down with the lines. We caught him on the way back to the butte.”
“Possibly,” Perturabo growled. He had already noted that Dantioch was not among them, then saw the piece of bark that the back-most Iron Warrior had.
“Bo, your part of the display of force was undersized. We’ll give you these guys to bolster your forces.-- Rogal,” Perturabo read. “ROGAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Ooh, that sounds angry,” Fulgrim said, catching up just as Perturabo was yelling. He took a moment to read the note. “Oh! Rogal, that’s harsh.”
“Lord Perturabo,” one of the Iron Warriors stated, clearly uncomfortable with the situation they were in. “Can we get some assistance?”
“Golg,” Perturabo growled. The other Iron Warriors quickly moved to assist their battle brothers.
*******************************
The second day of the siege was mostly theater on both sides. Angron and Horus made a great show of arguing on the line, in clear view of Sanguinius and Ferrus. Jaghatai and Rogal did their own performance for Konrad, and a very excited Chathyn. He had barely contained himself until he could speak to his Primarchs about it.
“Lord Khan was arguing with Lord Dorn,” he said. “Why would they be at odds?”
“Jaghatai was always an odd choice to be on the defense,” Alpharius said. “He likes to be on the move.”
“That’s probably what the disagreement was about,” Omegon added. “Being cooped up isn’t something he likes. Though this training is supposed to be a challenge for all of us.”
“What if they’re playing mind games?” Qayle asked. “Like what Lord Angron suggested we do about his… deviation from Lord Fulgrim’s choreography.”
“It’s possible,” Alpharius said. “Jaghatai would be a good choice. He has a reputation, like Angron does.”
“How do we proceed then?” Herzog asked.
“I think we need to continue as if the disagreement is real,” Omegon said, Alpharius nodding along with his twin. “Just as they have to assume on some level that we aren’t as united as we would like. It can be hard to keep us all in line.”
*******************************
“How do you think we did?” Jaghatai asked Corvus.
“Why ask me?” Corvus replied, confused.
“Because you’ve been a leading man,” Jaghatai said simply.
“That doesn’t mean I can judge a performance,” Corvus objected. “Just that I know how to act. You can act just as well as I can.”
“I guess,” Jaghatai said. “But it would be nice to know if they bought it.”
“I don’t see why not,” Corvus said. “Unless we’re into convoluted levels of mind games. Like Lion’s level of mind games.”
“I can hear you,” the Lion growled. He had been brooding on his missed chance to get at Konrad before the siege.
“It’s true, and you know it,” Corvus shot back. The Lion snorted at that.
“It doesn’t really matter,” Roboute said suddenly. “The only real practical we have is to stick to our plan. Just like they have to stick to theirs, whatever it is.”
*******************************
“I’m beginning to see why Valdor and Cavlor like them so much.”
“Really?”
“Yes. They can be a handful, but they also care about each other.”
“I can see that. Lord Fulgrim even seems to be taking an interest in one of Lord Alpharius’ initiates.”
“Oh? What does Lord Alpharius think of that?”
“I’m not sure. Even with the tell that Valdor gave us it’s hard to keep track of which one is him. Isn’t that strange?”
“A little. But there is something about Lord Alpharius that seems off. Something for us to investigate after the war games are over.”
“Agreed. Maybe we can get farther than the Abs, the Pecs, and the Biceps.”
“Ha! That would show them. They’d be so angry.”
“Oh yes. Hopefully seeing them fight will get us a direction to go in.”
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