Monarchia Burns

The primarch should have stood tall, should have remained stoic. Instead she was weeping as the Ultramarines made the air thick with the smoke of burning bodies, of a perfect city destroyed. Her father, her creator, not the one that raised her, looked down at her with disgust.

"Is this all you have? Tears? A world you worked so hard to build up brought down to nothing, your perfect city destroyed, and this is all you can give? Unless they flow with enough strength to quench the fires and drown your brother they are useless!"

Loraine slammed her fist into the ground “Why!? Why would you do this? They followed your word as gospel, they were to be perfect citizens in your Imperium!”

“No, they were perfect followers in your congregation of ignorance and denial; I shall not be worshiped as a god because there is no such thing.”

“Then command them to stop and they will follow you!”

“Would they slit their own throats if I commanded them?”

“What? I-“

“I sense hesitation among your choking and tears. They indeed might. This is sickening. They are not men, they are supplicant cultists. Even more reason to burn this place to ashes.”

“Please Father, spare them! I beg of you! I have taught them this way! They know not what they do!”

“So the fault is yours then? Do you mean to die in their place? To have your legion join the second and eleventh?”

Tears streamed from her eyes “If it would save them, I would gladly sacrifice myself.”

The Emperor stared at her “You would sacrifice yourself? Well then, would you sacrifice your ideals?” The Emperor summoned his sword to his side and dropped it to the ground “Attack me. Let go of your foolish ideals and I will spare those who still live.”

“I can’t! I will not! I cannot strike you my lord!”

“Pathetic. Any one of your siblings would have swung at me to save innocent lives; some would have even done so with the intent to kill. But only you would refuse to even pick up a sword.” The Emperor of Mankind prepared to leave.

“If you admit they are innocent then why? Why!”

“Because I need generals, not diplomats. If you do not become what I need, then Chlochis will be next, and your legion will join II and XI,” The Emperor paused as he looked upon the burning city “There will be those who escape the Ultramarines. You and your legion are to hunt them down and kill them. Do not fail me, I will be watching.”