The Bull meets his father
Apis
quickly accepted his new role as head of a legion of super-humans. During his
years of expanding the Sargonite Empire, he had come to view himself as more
than a man. He now ruled as the god-king of hundreds of thousands. His word was
not only law; it was the very fabric of his subjects’ universe. The first wars
of expansion were extraordinarily brutal and vicious. Entire populations were
skinned, blinded, crucified or deported for resisting his laws. Word of his
atrocities spread, and many cities surrendered even before he could reach their
walls.
Although Apis was described as a bloody-handed tyrant, he was also praised as a warm, friendly man, and his subjects loved him. He would give distribute the spoils of war to his citizens, and walk the slums of newly conquered cities. Here he would feed the poor, and adopt many orphaned children. This made him popular amongst the common people, and secured a stable empire. The people knew that he was as caring as a father to those who followed him, but a savage, cruel master to any who opposed him.
When the primarch of the second met the Emperor, he did it as Apis-bel-nisheshu, god-king of the Sargonite Empire. The Emperor of the Imperium of Man was an inferior, not a god. But Apis could see the advanced technology and great power the Emperor wielded, and decided to join his father in the crusade. This would give an army with which to later dethrone his creator. From the moment Apis met his father, he was intent on taking his role.
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| How Apis saw the Emperor |
It is
curious that the Emperor accepted the apparent fanaticism in his second son,
but as with the flaws of his other sons, who knows what plans he had for him.
The Taurii, or Alefim in Sargonite, became one of the most fearsome legions in
the Imperium of Man, but their loyalty to their primarch was much stronger than
to that of their Emperor. The most loyal of Apis’ subjects could be found in
the Bekhrum Sharruti, the hand-picked men of the king.
The Bekhrum Sharruti
Excerpt from the scriptures of Magos Historicus
Hadradatus Archos
[…]To his
enemies, Apis was known as Moloch, the raging, black bull of destruction,
heralding the coming of the end. Only those who loved him called him by his
true name. This duality in the view on the primarch of the Second, also
survived through the crusade, and the enemies of the Imperium learned to fear
the coming of Moloch.
It may seem strange that this towering, horned figure of terrible myth was also loved by many. The White Bull became the patron saint of the oppressed and downtrodden. He became the father of the fatherless, the protector of the weak, or so he wanted the people to believe. To his fellow primarchs, he was an enigma. One day a caring brother, the other day a tornado of hate and fury.
We have no
sources other than the interviews with his surviving legionnaires. There is
especially one such interview, or confession rather, that is especially
intriguing: the tale of Apisreshishi, “Apis-has-lifted-my-head,” Rab-kisri of
the Bekhrum Sharruti.
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| Source: https://images-cdn.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/Dark-Heresy-2nd/core-book-previews/preview-2/DH19-art-adeptusadmin.png |
Excerpt from confession of Apisreshishi of the IInd Legion
++++++Subject: Apisreshishi, former legionnaire
of the second legion+++++
++++++Interviewer: [Redacted]+++++
Subject description: The legionnaire sits bound
in great chains. His eyes dart nervously continuously, never resting. His long,
braided, black hair is wet, and his face is streaked with sweat, in spite of
the room’s low temperature.
[Redacted]: So, you have finally come to your senses? Are you ready to confess your sins, legionnaire?
[09.35 seconds pause]
Subject: I… I will tell you my story. [Subject’s eyes continue to scan the room as he talks.] I was born in the city-state of Uruk, in the Karakalla delta. I was the third son of … [subject pauses, he looks as if he tries to remember something. After 05.14 seconds, he closes his eyes, his brow furrowing.] …it does not matter…
When my
father left for war, my mother tried to keep us all fed, but… it…. It was hard.
Word of my father’s death… It… [The
subject closes his eyes. His manacled hands reach for his face, but cannot
reach it.]
I think
some of my siblings died that winter. We were left on our own for most of the
time, as mother was… away finding food. I think… I think we had a neighbour,
who would come into our room at night… I don’t know… [The subject clenches his fists.]
[Redacted]: How old were you when your father died?
Subject: I think I was about ten summers… I… I think father gave me a wooden horse for my birthday.
[Redacted]: Was it about this time that Apis and the Sargonites conquered Uruk?
Subject: Yes… He came in the winter, outside of the war season. The streets… red…. He came as a god of fire and death… furious... without mercy…. [The subject’s eyes freeze for a fleeting moment, as if he is somewhere else.]
I could not
find my mother… I.. I think… I think he came for us when we were looking for
her.
[Redacted]: Who? Apis?
Subject: Yes… Or Moloch as we called him, the rampaging bull of chaos and destruction… He… He came for us though the smoke. At first he seemed a horned demon… His huge silhouette, an omen of death. [The subject’s gaze focuses on the table in front of him.] But as he came closer… we could see his eyes. He was smiling. He was smiling at us, with the kindest, warmest eyes I have ever seen. [The subject’s eyes turn to [redacted]. We knew who he was then.
[Redacted]: What do you mean? You knew he was the lord of Sargon?
Subject: [The subject’s voice is firm. His eyes are focussed and clear. He takes a deep breath.] We knew he was our only true father. He had always been our father, and now he had come for us…
Forged in the flames of war
The Bekhrum Sharruti, the handpicked men of the king, were more than mere legionnaires. When Apis conquered a city, he would put the men and women to the sword, but he would spare the children. Both the girls and boys were trained to become rulers in the new divine kingdom of Sargon. Contrary to tradition, the girls became learned scribes, priestesses and bureaucrats. The boys became soldiers, and the fiercest of them was initiated into the brotherhood of the Bekhrum Sharruti.
These
orphans were sure that Apis was a god and their true father. They were his most
loyal followers, and when the primarch of the Second was reunited with the
Emperor, the Bekhrum were the first to receive the gene seed.
It is very important to remember that the priesthood of Mars were especially intrigued by the rediscovery of Sargon, as it was the source of an incredible potent metal. This bronze-like substance became known as Sargonium in High Gothic, and the Mechanicum soon established close relations to Apis and the Second. In the fires of the forges of Nimrod, the tech-savants of Mars forged magnificent armours and weapons for the Second legion. The Bekhrum Sharruti received the finest of these marvels.
The power armour of the Bekhrum Sharruti was incredibly strong, forged with sargonium. Their helmets were moulded in the shape of a fierce bull, to honour their father. The Bekhrum favoured close combat, where they wielded their power glaives with terrible fury. In the trenches they formed solid phalanxes of glaives and shields and cut through the enemy with ease.
What we learn from the interview with Apisreshishi, is not only his great love for his father and god, but also the purpose of the Bekhrum. They were not the veterans or the most elite troops of Apis, but aspirants to the King’s Guard. The Bekhrum were fanatical warriors, but only some of them received the honour of donning the royal terminator armour. We can see that Apis’s heresy was apparent already from the start.
So in the same way that the Vlka Fenryka hone their youngest in the flames of combat, so did the Taurii. The lessons and indoctrination in the Bochum made some of the finest legionnaires in the Imperium of man, but this heresy was soon to be put down.
So that was it for now. Feel free to leave questions and comments below.
- Olvebanipal
- Olvebanipal
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