" So I may have disappeared for another ten thousand years... "

" Brother, hypothetically speaking, what if it was proven artificial intelligence was far more efficient than servitorization? "

// @forgottnseccnd... im so sorry robu you must deal with this shitlord

Roboute and Cawl look at each other with perfectly practiced pokerfaces. Then back to Aurelius.

"Can you ensure that the software would never be corrupted by chaos? Or that if it is, it's easy to eliminate?" Roboute asked calmly, letting no emotion seep into his aura while Cawl subtly stabbed him in the back with chemicals that would prevent him from sweating and releasing hormones and pheromones. They could not risk giving any indication of what they had.

" ... Why do some believe I require companionship of an intimate nature... "

@tertiusdecimusfilius continued from here.

The horrid connection made things hard to hear, much less comprehend. Silence persisted on the other end for a few moments, the only thing being heard were what could be described as rasps of breaths-- like the very vox spirits attempting to come forth were bleeding to death.

" m̢̍͑̌ ͯ̄ͬh̡ͫe̔̄̀ͬ̆̈́̉ ̨-̷̓̿͋̆̃̉ͪ- ̓rͪͨ̉eͥ͗̀!ͭ Ĝ̑͠ỏ̧̂́͛̌̎ ͣͣ͜n̎o͐̀̊͊̆̐rͨ̽ͧͦ̂͞tͬ̑̐͒̈́̎ͤh̾̈̃ͭ̌.͞ ͣͫ̐͆I̶ͭͩ̍͑̔̓ͨ ̢a̓̍̍ͤ̃m-- "

More crackling... but what would be left with the Lord-Commander was one last part of this mysterious message being ended with a single...

" B̴͊i͋ͦͧ̔͆ͬ̓̀gͤͨ ̾̾͜bͬͪr̿ͧ̑oth͢e̢r̓ͭ̆͑.̡̒̂́ "

And suddenly, the vox spirits were released from this odd hold, only bringing further confusion to the crew. Some tried to continue their duties, yet others would look to the Avenging Son for guidance. "My lord..." came the voice of one deck officer, voice quiet, " ... what should we do? It could very well be a trap. We cannot find the identifications of who they were... "

Some Ultramarines looked to each other-- but they were at the attention, ready for action alongside their Primarch.

Aurelius silently huffed a little chuckle, in 13 feet tall.

" What if I ate rocks. "

" How do you tell your sons you are not a god. Asking for a friend. "

" I am going to say the hottest take in the 42nd Millennium... and that is needless sacrifice is what the ancient Terrans would call, cringe. "

" ... my Ars Amatoria is still in the Imperial libraries...? Did Father really just not check the name? "

A message came in.

“Well well old friend, I thought you were still alive. Now someone owes me money. Anyways, need supplies?”

The message started with clear joy, switching a smug, than back to happy.

A pause at the message. Aurelius could barely focus on much as he was attached to the damn wall, using his very energy to keep everything powered. The techpriest Nirisch shifted as he kept the vox to his Primarch's lips.

" ... Supplies... yes, that would be good... " Aurelius spoke, yet it was more of a tired mumble as he did his best to keep his head up. " ... who is this? This is... Ursa Major... "

Nirisch nervously murmured as he held the vox with his servo arm, adjusting the many wires that connected the Primarch's arms, legs and back to the wall of the engine room. " Right... okay, my Lord... um-- ah-- could you ask if they have any sort of auramite? "

A grunt, Aurelius's eyes flicking over beneath his helmet. Auramite? That was rare... they'd be able to get their hands on ceramite, or adamantine...

" ... do you have any possible auramite in your supplies? My techpriest requires them for his masterworks... "

" ... Brothers? " Mumbled a voice over a crackling vox-cast. The source of it wasn't able to truly be traced-- at least, in terms of any identification. But, a tired eye could be seen staring into the pict-recorder, one that glowed a faint blue... albeit with a burst blood vessel, turning a part of the eye red.

" Is that you? Are you really... are you really there? "

Open Starter.

A Primarch's rage was perhaps one of the worst things to experience. It was perhaps the Emperor's Wrath incarnate, a piece of the very Master of Mankind's own anger placed so carefully within one of his creations, a sign of what the Primarchs were meant to be. Perfect generals. Perfect warriors.

Even worse when the ones with such a calm demeanor finally lose the filter they kept for so long.

" THAT IS ENOUGH! " Roared the Stars Repentant Primarch, his knuckles turning white. His grip tightened upon his swordspear-banner, STABBING the very bottom of the pole into the rockcrete. Cracks splintered along the ground, forming spiderwebs of broken rockcrete. Aurelius's hand pulled away from his banner, all to begin grasping the large greatbow that been on his back. He held the grip of his bow, icy eyes now flashing with pure anger.

" You will HOLD your tongue IMMEDIATELY. How dare you... how DARE you? "

@wayward40k continued from here.

And before the immaculate man was a dirtied, scarred, disheveled Primarch attached to a wall. Complete opposites, it seemed. The helmed Primarch lifted his head for a moment as if in bewilderment, yet his tone was quick to become defensive with Serge. " Curiosity? " Aurelius's voice echoed from the depths of the other's mind-- it did not boom like his Father's, but still sounded gentle even with his sudden outburst. The red emergency lights and the faint glows of the stasis field that surrounded Aurelius's broken body contrasted with the tone Serge had that Aurelius chose to deem sickly sweet.

He tried to watch Serge's movements, figure out what it was that he was doing. Yet Aurelius knew deep down he wouldn't be able to do anything... at this rate, with how things were going and Nirisch attempting to meet with a wealthy Imperial family... well, he would need to pass the time somehow.

" So you are here out of curiosity. Why? What is it that leaves you curious, Shapeshifter? "

@wayward40k continued from here.

The helmed Primarch looked at Serge with a little sparkle in his eyes-- for once, he seemed to have regained some of his confidence from the olden days. It... was odd, being able to stand, to touch, to feel, away from the wall of the engines room. An auramite hand took Serge's own, shockingly gentle with his hold as he focused his mind. Perhaps he could offer some extra power, if only to make him far more tangible and give Serge some extra energy.

With his other large hand placing itself onto Serge's shoulder, the Primarch breathed out as if to calm himself. Though, he was already calm... mostly. He was only focusing his mind on Serge, trying to channel some of his own energy to the shapeshifter.

" ... Well, I will still make sure I do not step on your feet. " Aurelius hummed... and the dance began.

Understandably, Aurelius was... not the most graceful in this state. His legs often wobbled like a newborn Grox's and sometimes he nearly tripped over himself, but he kept to his word. Despite his fumbles, he didn't step on Serge's foot and made sure to move in ways where he wouldn't actually pull Serge down with him-- even if he didn't need to worry about that too much.

It was... a little odd, doing something like this. For ages, he was used to the shocking pains of volts going through his body, the mental exhaustion of trying to constantly fight the whispers of Chaos that tried so hard to tempt him... but this was... calm. Gentle.

It felt like the old days. He remembered something like this before.

A grand celebration-- music played throughout Holy Terra as the arrival of Ferrus Manus was celebrated and yet it had secretly lauded his own arrival-- Aurelius had not been one for grand parties, he was terrified of socialization of any kind back in the day from how he had been so used to his home planet of Iskaarre. He wore the best attire for it, wore his best mask. And... while perhaps a bit embarrassing, he remembered dancing with his mother while she carefully guided her son through the balldancing she learned. To impress someone now that you're like a prince! She had told him.

This was something so simple... but he cherished it. Aurelius furrowed his brows a little as he tried to continue his steps.

" Y-You are far more skilled than I. I am... out of practice. "

// OK BUT REAL TALK... being hardcore inspired by Fear & Hunger and its concepts of divinity (watching an animation with a baller song, ITS GOT FLASHING LIGHTS AND BODY HORROR AND GORE THOUGH SO BE WARNED), esp with how aurelius's legion worshipped him like a god for how he saved them by... literally just being kind to them and bringing them comfort after what they had to do in service of the Imperium, bc their legion was originally a penal legion

where sons of families would be taken to forcibly be made into space marines, usually hypnodoctrinated to not remember who their families were to 'bring penance' in the name of the Emperor for assisting or even speaking of an enemy of Mankind, technically being considered something similar to the Thunder Warriors but a bit more 'upgraded', made to be brutal... until one space marine didnt get a proper hypnodoctrination process, leading to them realizing WHAT actually happened and what they've been doing to their families, so they began to preach that if their genefather had found them, surely he would despise them for being kinslayers, so they all chose to 'pay penance' instead. the guy that had the realization wouldve been Reclusiarch Columba, the legion's senior chaplain/ religious leader

but then. they actually FIND their genefather aurelius. they actually get to fucking see him, and instead of him treating them with disgust or hatred, he... cried for them. he kneeled to them and cried and held them in his arms, and taught them about the stars to bring them comfort

so they start to worship him as a god, because they deadass cant comprehend someone being so kind to them like aurelius was, because they were designated as a penal legion by the Emperor himself, so how can their genefather see the good inside of them when they were made to be prisoners?

aurelius's legion is like, a whole package of whatd be considered the anathema of what the imperium wants. aurelius wants to trade with xenos, he wants to actually have artificial intelligence return to treat said AI and men of iron like comrades instead of lesser beings, he wants to foster faith (in a healthy way) and encourage it if it brings them comfort and does his best to be a benevolent being... and with how the warp is, and aurelius as a powerful divination psyker, he probably knew about the warp, as well, EVERYTHING that emps didnt exactly want

so ive just been thinking on how, with the imperium worshipping emps to the point it really HAS made emps into a full-on god (he was already powerful as fuck but u get me), how aurelius probably had gained some sort of power from his legion (and planets he may've conquered) worshipping him and believing in him, with their beliefs possibly strengthening him and shit

... possible eldritch horror aurelius? POSSIBLE ABSTRACT-LOOKIN GOD AURELIUS? HOOOHOHO

@sanguiniusreborn continued from here.

What met the beloved Sanguinius was not fanfare, nor sons of Aurelius that hoped to cheer and welcome the Primarch on the old, decrepit ship-- what met him instead was silence. An eerie, eerie silence.

The ship, much like the rest of the Legion, seemed to have been forgotten by the world in its entirety-- yet it always lingered near the Polaris star of the Milky Way galaxy, looming, waiting to be found. There were only remains of civilization upon the large city-ship, skeletons and remnants of Heresy-era weaponry and armor. Where the Angel would have been if he was meeting the very brother behind it all, was in the engine room. And there was Aurelius.

Attached to the wall like a battery, experiencing the same fate as their very own father-- powering the ship, dormant, weakening for ten thousand years, unable to move. Arms and legs were connected to wires, tubes, cords and cables, his body heavily-scarred with some wounds still having not yet healed... and the only thing the disgraced Primarch wore was his old helmet. His glowing blue eyes met the Angel. He slumped.

" ... It has, hasn't it? " Aurelius's voice finally broke through, in the back of Sanguinius's mind, as a deep and smooth baritone.

" It had been some time, indeed. I... " A pause-- Aurelius struggled to form his words, only finding himself faltering at the end. " I... I thought you were dead... "