Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor

Nareth stepped out of the luxurious suite and looked at the two Reapers standing before him, both clad in crimson armor with scythes emblazoned on their chestplates.

Their hair was short and neat, black eyes deep and piercing. Slung over their left arms were bright red helmets, revealing smooth yellow skin around their necks.

They looked like smaller versions of himself.

They weren't armed with boltguns, but instead wielded chainswords and bolt pistols.

'Reavers.'

As Nareth studied them, his gene-sons gazed back at their father.

The moment they laid eyes on the face of their gene-father, it was like witnessing the descent of a god. Their minds blanked out for a moment.

Instinctively, they loosened their grip on their ever-ready weapons, the thirst for bloodshed briefly fading.

Meeting Horus had made them feel the power of a Primarch. But this, this was different. From their father, they felt something more.

They couldn't yet describe the sensation. When they snapped out of it, they subconsciously tightened their grips on their weapons again, for strength and grounding.

Only then did the two Reapers walk toward Nareth.

Up in the observatory gallery, Horus, returning from reporting to the Emperor, turned his head, clearly anticipating something.

A moment later, he saw the two warriors kneel on one knee before their gene-father.

"Father, I am Cezak, Reaper Captain of the First Company."

"Father, I am Sanchez, Reaper Captain of the Seventh Company."

"They didn't hesitate to offer loyalty to their gene-father," Horus remarked.

"I honestly expected more resistance; they're proud."

"When I gave you your sons, they were no different," the Emperor replied, his golden eyes watching the reunion below.

"Come with me," Nareth said to the two standing sons, then led them into the dining hall.

Howard and the others set down their barely touched wine glasses and rose from the table.

They looked at the two, and the Reapers returned the gaze, each side evaluating the other.

After a moment of mutual assessment, a trace of disdain flashed in Cezak's eyes. He turned to Nareth and said:

"Father, your sons await you. They hope you'll come to the Final Scythe to meet them."

Nareth looked upward. The Emperor smiled.

"They've waited long enough. You should see them immediately."

"Once your ship arrives, I'll summon you again."

"As you command, my lord."

With that, Nareth left with the two Reapers and his entourage.

Aboard the transport ship, Nareth looked at the two across from him and spoke:

"Tell me about the current state of the Eleventh Legion."

Cezak was prepared. He immediately replied:

"The Legion currently numbers 11,433 Reapers, all stationed with the 33rd Expedition Fleet."

Nareth nodded with satisfaction. That was a solid number.

In the Great Crusade era, legions typically expanded in two major phases:

After the conquest of Luna, a hub of human genetic research since the Dark Age of Technology. Once the Emperor captured the Selenite gene-cults facilities following the battle that earned Horus the name "Luna Wolves," Astartes production could begin on a massive scale. Most legions grew from hundreds to tens of thousands.

After reuniting with their Primarch.

Apothecaries could extract fresh genetic material directly from the Primarch.

The Primarch's homeworld often became a recruitment ground.

These conditions led most legions to swell to hundreds of thousands, some even exceeding 200,000.

Currently, the Eleventh Legion wasn't among the smallest; this was reassuring.

While Nareth was deep in thought, Cezak continued:

"We began as the Emperor's blade, delivering decisive and devastating strikes. At the time, we strictly adhered to the Principia Belicosa, the foundational guide for the Astartes organization."

"Later, when Horus returned and we were placed under his command, the 16th Legion's organizational structure was maintained. He was always a strict adherent of the Divisio Militaris doctrines."

"The biggest change came from the Luna Wolves' influence; we developed extensive use of tactical squads. Over half of our force is now composed of Reaver squads."

Nareth immediately understood why Horus was so familiar with the Reapers; the core tactics of the Eleventh Legion had absorbed Horus's Reaver doctrine, explaining their current gear and structure: bolt pistols and chainswords.

The usually quiet Sanchez spoke up, unsure if Nareth had read the Principia Belicosa yet.

"The Luna Wolves use a two-tiered structure: Company and squads."

"Their company ranges from dozens to hundreds. Each squad consists of 10 or 20 Astartes."

"The Reapers, however, use a fixed structure: each company has 1,000 men, each squad 10 men."

Cezak added:

"Currently, the Eleventh Legion has 12 companies. We lost several hundred Reapers recently fighting a xenos insectoid species called the Tregara."

Nareth nodded. He recalled how the Luna Wolves, and later the Sons of Horus, maintained only a two-layer command structure, unlike other legions that used three as their numbers swelled.

In large campaigns, the Luna Wolves would organize temporary commands by grouping companies under appointed senior captains.

Cezak glanced at Sanchez. Understanding the cue, Sanchez said:

"Our Solar Auxilia support includes the 11th, 33rd, 111th, and 333rd Regiments, four in total."

Cezak let Sanchez handle the mortal units he didn't care about, then resumed:

"The 33rd Expedition Fleet is composed of:

One Emperor-class battleship: the Final Scythe

Four Retribution-class battleships

Ten cruisers of varying classes

Twenty-three escort ships."

As Cezak finished, the transport approached the Final Scythe. Nareth looked out at the crimson-hulled Emperor-class battleship.

He could already sense the presence of over a thousand gene-sons eagerly awaiting him below.

Moments later, Nareth landed at the docking bay of the Final Scythe.

The area was packed with Reapers in red armor, their eyes filled with excitement at the arrival of their gene-father.

Surrounded by his sons, Nareth walked to the strategic command chamber of the bridge.

There, eleven captains and thirty-one lieutenants dropped to one knee, pledging loyalty.

"Father, I am James, Reaper Captain of the Second Company."

"…"

According to the Principia Belicosa, each company had three lieutenant. Reapers followed this as well.

In their last campaign, they had lost one company lord and five lieutenant commanders.

Looking around at them all, Nareth smiled:

"We'll have plenty of time together, no need to rush."

"Prepare your briefings. I'll speak with each of you one by one later."

"Right now, I need to settle the Vostroyans who came with me."

.....

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

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