Infiltration

Orland Risley walked through the castle halls, curious as to why Baldur had called for him. 

'Did I perform too well in the battle? Can I perhaps become a member of the Paladins?' Orland thought to himself, hoping that he could join the Honour Guard. 

Orland knocked on Baldur's office door, nervousness creeping into his mind. He never thought that he would be able to talk to the Primarch on a personal level so soon.

"Come in," he heard the Primarch's usually cold voice coming from the other side

The Astartes opened the door and saw Baldur sitting behind his desk, not even looking up to see who had entered. He walked into the room and stood before the desk with his arms behind his back, not daring to sit down without permission.

"Name?" Baldur asked, still not looking up

"Excuse me, Sir?" Orland asked in confusion, for he had been called by name by the Primarch

Baldur finally looked up and his cold eyes bore into Orland's. Baldur's aura crashed down on Orland and forced the Astartes to his knees, not even able to look up at him. 

This was his unique Primarch Aura. All Primarchs had them and it was what made them such legendary figures. Their aura could be used to draw others to their side, cause worship and respect, express their emotions on a spiritual level to those around them, deny aspects of the Warp, and even be used to suppress others. 

Baldur usually kept his low as he wanted to earn the respect of others from his actions, not just his being. But during times of battle or when he wanted to get words out of a person, he didn't mind allowing them to feel his power. 

"I asked for your name," Baldur's voice had grown very cold, something colder than he had ever shown to an ally

The cold words entered Orland's ears once more, but this time, he heard the hidden threat behind them. And he knew what they meant.

'I've been found out!'

Orland wanted to run away but he knew he couldn't. He was too close and Baldur's aura was too powerful. Not to mention running, he could barely think about lying to the 2nd Primarch. 

"Wh-what do you mean, my Primarch?" Orland pretended to be confused, hoping, no, praying that it was just a test. But the only nearby god was Baldur. And he surely was not about to answer his prayers.

"Do you think I do not know of 20th and the purpose of his Legion?" Baldur asked sarcastically. "He was trained by Malcador but he is no Psyker like me and Magnus. So what can the Spymaster of the Imperium and most powerful human Psyker teach a Primarch who is not a Psyker?"

'Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!' was the only word that was going through Orland's mind. Not only had he been found out but it appeared that Baldur had found out about their entire Legion. 

"Alpharius has taught you well. You replaced one of my men perfectly, even having surgery to have the same voice and fingerprints as him," Baldur stood up and walked around his desk, picking up Arauthator along the way. 

The spear hovered over the man's neck, ready for Baldur to push it ever so slightly and stab into the man's neck before watching him choke on his blood. But he still had questions that needed to be answered. 

"This is your last chance to answer my questions and be given a swift death. Otherwise, I will allow my Witches to take the answers from your mind," Baldur promised him, with Selene and several witches appearing out of the shadows around the room. Orland saw the various feet around him and knew that the man would make good on his words.

"W-w-what questions do you have from me?" Orland finally surrendered 

"When did you kill my son? The real Orland," Baldur specified 

"He was dispo..."

"Killed. You and the other members of your Legion coordinated to kill him," Baldur corrected him, not letting him downplay the murder or dishonor his son's death.

"We... killed him when he was in recovery from his final surgery. On Terra, we were not divided by Legions or Gene-Seed but simply by when we were recruited. We were able to switch myself and him during a shift where the guards were already working for us," Fake-Orland admitted 

"How many of my sons have you killed?" Baldur asked before specifying. "The 20th Legion as a whole and those that work for them. Not just you."

"I'm not sure," Fake-Orland spoke honestly. "We each have contact with only 2 others within the Legions we are inserted into. This is to prevent a single one of us from burning the rest of the infiltrators."

"I do know how many," Baldur spoke slowly, letting everyone hear the rage and pain in his voice. "17. You have killed 17 of my sons."

Baldur stabbed down, killing the Alpha Legion Astartes without so much as blinking. 

"Join your brothers in the afterlife. I will send many more to accompany my sons."

Baldur left the room, leaving the Witches to get rid of the body. He didn't have time for the last of the infiltrators. He had to speak with the Emperor

---

Inside the Imperial Throne Room, Malcador and the Emperor stood across from the Baldur, but both could feel something was different. They could feel that he was truly upset from how unstable his astral form was.

"Baldur. What is bothering you?" the Emperor asked with worry in his voice

"I worry that I shall be branded a traitor, Father," Baldur admitted to his father, confusing both Malcador and the Emperor

"Why would you be called a traitor?" the Emperor asked

Baldur looked at the both of them before focusing his gaze on Malcador. 

"Because if I ever come to Terra, I will kill your 20th son and Malcador. For they have murdered my sons!" Baldur's voice boomed while the room became covered in white flames. Malcador tried to push back against Baldur's psychic flames but he was only able to block them for a moment before his astral body was consumed by the flames. 

In the real world, Leman and Horus saw Malcador burned by white flames until he was turned to ashes. Both had thought that their father had been upset with the man, unaware of the truth in the astral world. 

"Enough!" the Emperor shouted, sending a tidal wave that clashed with Baldur's flames before extinguishing them. "Explain yourself!"

Baldur laughed at his father but it was the type that would send chills down the spines of lesser men. 

"Simple. Malcador taught my youngest brother to spy on us and he did so by killing some of my sons before replacing them with his own. So tell me, Father. Why shouldn't I kill them both?" Baldur asked, smiling at his father for the first time

'Damnit, Malcador! You had to poke the bear!' The Emperor had long figured out that Baldur cared deeply about his relationships. He had been asking about his brothers for years, even though he only had a single memory of each of them. He also always asked for updates on his sons before they joined him on Feluc.

The Emperor knew he had to stop his 2nd son from acting out, otherwise, it would slow the progress of the Great Crusade.

"I will punish them both for this, Baldur. It is unacceptable that they have done this and have harmed your sons. I ask for your patience and forgiveness this time. It shall not happen again," the Emperor promised, not wanting to have to go to war with Baldur's army.

If it was before he had Astartes, it might have been a bit easier just against the Imperial Knights. But with both groups under his command as well as a large number of powerful Psykers as well as the leftovers of Magnus's sons, if Baldur rebelled, the Emperor would not be able to put it down in a quick manner. And that was all the reason that so many worlds would need to go against him. If one of his sons rebelled, he would be a beacon that would unite the rest of the Galaxy. 

Baldur didn't say anything but his astral body disappeared. The Emperor could only hope that his words had calmed Baldur enough to stop him from doing something that could shake the Imperium. 

When the Emperor left the astral realm and was back in his real throne room, he saw his Horus and Leman kneeling before the throne, their backs drenched in cold sweat. 

When he unleashed the tidal wave, he let out his aura and sent the Primarchs to their knees in the real world. 

The Emperor ignored them before he looked to his side to Malcador's body had completely recovered and he was wearing a different set of robes. 

"Tell your student to behave and leave the 2nd Legion alone, lest he wants to fight the 2nd Primarch himself," the Emperor warned his right-hand man, not specifying who the student was. Only Baldur and Magnus were aware of Alpahrius, due to remembering the 20th pod as children.