Fulgrim's sword traced perfect arcs through the air, each strike a masterwork of martial artistry. Yet Gorblasta's power klaw knocked them aside with casual ease, the Prime-Ork's movements lacking grace but possessing an economy of motion that spoke of terrifying efficiency.
"That all you got, pretty boy?" Gorblasta's perfect Gothic carried across the battlefield. "All that fancy dancing, and you can't even scratch my paint job?"
Fulgrim's perfect features twisted in anger. This was wrong. He was a Primarch, a son of the Emperor himself. This xenos aberration should be falling before him, not standing there with that insufferable grin. He increased his speed, his blade becoming a silver blur as he unleashed his full repertoire of techniques.
Gorblasta didn't even bother to dodge. He Parried half the strikes with his Choppa, while his power klaw casually batted aside the rest. "You know what your problem is? You think fighting's about looking pretty. Da Dakkabringer, now he understands - it's about results."
The first real blow caught Fulgrim by surprise. Gorblasta's power klaw moved with impossible speed, catching him in the midsection and sending him flying through a ruined wall. Before he could fully regain his feet, the Prime-Ork was on him again.
"Come on then!" Gorblasta roared, his massive frame somehow moving faster than before. "Show me why you thought you could take my head!"
Around them, the battle took on a new dimension. Massive Nobs, each bearing the same checkerboard pattern as their warlord, began systematically dismantling the Emperor's Children's defense lines. These weren't the usual brutal Ork assaults - these were precision strikes against weak points, executed with tactical acumen that no Ork should possess.
Fulgrim launched himself at Gorblasta again, his sword seeking any vulnerability in that perfectly-maintained armor. The Prime-Ork caught his blade between two massive fingers of his power klaw.
"Nice sword," Gorblasta mused, before applying just enough pressure to snap the blade in half. "Was nice, anyway."
The broken weapon fell from Fulgrim's hands as Gorblasta's other arm caught him by the leg. The world became a blur as the Prime-Ork used him like a makeshift flail, slamming him into the ground repeatedly before launching him through several more walls.
As Fulgrim pulled himself from the rubble, his perfect armor now dented and scratched, the first real tendrils of doubt began to creep into his mind. He had never imagined defeat was possible. He was perfection incarnate, wasn't he? The Emperor's perfect son?
"You're thinking about it all wrong," Gorblasta called out, walking through the debris field with measured steps. "You came here expecting some dumb Ork with a big choppa. Instead, you got me - a student of Da Dakkabringer's philosophy."
Fulgrim spat blood, his transhuman healing already working to repair the damage. "You're nothing but a xenos aberration."
"Am I?" Gorblasta's laugh was almost gentle. "Look around you, pretty boy. Look at your sons falling before my Nobs. That's not random violence - that's calculated warfare. Everything Da Dakkabringer taught us through his examples."
Through the gaps in the rubble, Fulgrim could see his Legion failing. The Emperor's Children, who prided themselves on their perfect formations and flawless execution, were being systematically taken apart by Orks who fought with terrible precision.
"The worst part?" Gorblasta continued, his armor's systems humming as he advanced. "This ain't even a proper fight. I'm just warming up for when Da Dakkabringer himself shows up. You?" He gestured dismissively. "You're just practice."
The truth hit Fulgrim harder than any physical blow. He wasn't losing to some lucky Ork - he was being systematically dismantled by a being that had transcended its species' limitations through obsessive study of his brother's warfare doctrine. Every move Gorblasta made was calculated, every strike designed not just to hurt but to teach a lesson in humility.
"Get up," Gorblasta commanded, his voice carrying none of the typical Orkish enthusiasm for violence. Instead, there was something worse - disappointment. "Show me why you thought you could challenge a Prime-Ork. Show me what made you so confident."
Fulgrim rose, his movements no longer carrying their usual fluid grace one of his legs were fractured. His perfect features were marred by dirt and blood, his armor's pristine surface scarred and dented. He had no weapon, no advantage, and for the first time since awakening to his true nature as a Primarch, no certainty.
"I am the Emperor's son," he declared, but the words rang hollow even to his own ears.
"No," Gorblasta corrected, "you're a newly-found child playing at war. You've got power, sure. Skill, definitely. But you ain't got understanding." The Prime-Ork's armor reconfigured, weapons systems deploying and retracting in a hypnotic dance. "You ain't got no idea what real warfare looks like yet."
With devastating speed, Gorblasta closed the distance. His power klaw caught Fulgrim by the throat, lifting the Primarch off his feet. "Let me show you what your brother taught us about the true meaning of combat."
The beating that followed wasn't just physical - it was pedagogical. Every strike was precisely calculated to cause pain without serious damage, every throw designed to demonstrate Fulgrim's helplessness without killing him. Gorblasta wasn't fighting to defeat an enemy; he was teaching a lesson about the price of arrogance.
As Fulgrim lay in the rubble of what had once been a magnificent plaza, he felt something break inside him. Not just his body, which his transhuman physiology was already struggling to heal, but something deeper. His certainty in his own perfection, his unshakeable confidence in his superiority - they lay as shattered as his sword.
"Remember this day," Gorblasta said, standing over the fallen Primarch. "Remember what it feels like to face something beyond your understanding. Da Dakkabringer showed us that there's always more to learn, always room for improvement." The Prime-Ork's voice took on an almost gentle tone. "Maybe now you'll start learning too."
Gorblasta stood amid the rubble of the battlefield, his checkered armor's sensors picking up the telltale signs of precision bombardment. The sky had become a canvas of explosions, each detonation placed with mathematical perfection. He raised his power klaw, gesturing to the heavens with something approaching reverence.
"It's time, boys!" he roared, his perfect Gothic carrying across the battlefield. "Da Dakkabringer's here!"
His enhanced vision caught flashes of movement through the smoke and debris - figures in navy blue power armor striped with red, bearing the double-headed eagle. The Liberty Eagles had arrived, and with surgical precision, they were extracting their fallen brother Primarch. Gorblasta's armor systems recorded everything, comparing the tactical patterns to his archived memories of that fateful day on the 'Da Scrapyard.'
"Perfect," he whispered, watching as waves of coordinated firepower began hammering his position. "Just like before."
The bombardment intensified, each strike precisely calculated to maximize destruction while minimizing wasted energy. This wasn't the usual Imperial approach of overwhelming force - this was the Dakkabringer's signature style, where every shot served a purpose, every explosion played its part in a greater cacophony of destruction.
Gorblasta ordered a tactical withdrawal to his Iron Citadel, a massive fortress that rose from the landscape like a fusion of Orkish ambition and advanced engineering. As he moved through its corridors, a Nob rushed up to him, bearing news from the void.
"Boss! Da fleet's nearly at da Bludskrag system! Everything's ready!"
The Prime-Ork's face split into a knowing grin. These forces that the Liberty Eagles were currently engaging? Mere cannon fodder, boys grown on this world to maintain appearances. His real WAAAGH! was approaching - a force he'd spent years preparing, equipped with technology reverse-engineered from genetic memories.
From his throne room atop the Iron Citadel, Gorblasta could see the massive pyramid in the distance. His enhanced senses detected the subtle energy signatures that marked it as an observation post. "Watching me, ain't you?" he muttered. "Good. See what your example built."
Sudden visions flashed through his mind - Steel warriors moving with impossible precision, gods made of living metal that could reshape reality itself. Gorblasta shook his head, dismissing them as messages from Gork and Mork, showing him future worthy opponents. The gods had guided him to this exact spot, told him to build his empire here, promised him that the Dakkabringer would come to test his worth.
The Iron Citadel's shields hummed with power, their protection derived from STC templates that his forces had discovered and modified. Gorblasta didn't understand half the terminology his Mek Boy used to describe the systems - words like "quantum harmonics" and "plasma containment" meant nothing to him. But he understood results, and the fusion reactors hadn't exploded yet, which was more than could be said for typical Orkish power sources.
"Da difference between me and other Warbosses," he mused aloud, watching multiple tactical displays, "is that they just want to fight. Me? I want to prove something." His power armor whirred as he adjusted his position on the throne. "Want to show that we understood da lesson you taught us, Dakkabringer. That proper dakka needs proper thinking."
Around him, his fortress buzzed with activity. Unlike the crude Orkish strongholds of his lesser kin, every system here was maintained with religious dedication. His followers had learned that the path to perfect dakka required perfect preparation.
"Come on then," Gorblasta challenged the distant pyramid. "Show me if I learned your lessons right. Show me if all this..." he gestured at his technological empire, "is worthy of da one who showed us what real dakka looks like."
-------------------------
"Hey you! You're finally awake," Franklin's voice carried its usual warmth and humor as Fulgrim's eyes flickered open in the pristine medical bay. The wounded Primarch's perfect features were still marred by fading bruises, a testament to the savage beating Gorblasta had delivered.
Fulgrim's consciousness returned in waves, each bringing with it fresh memories of humiliation. The casual way the Prime-Ork had dismantled him, the mockery in those unnaturally intelligent eyes, and worst of all – the constant references to his brother's superiority.
"You..." Fulgrim's perfect features contorted with barely contained rage. "This is your fault." his pride seeking any target for his wounded ego.
Franklin raised an eyebrow, his casual posture unchanged. "My fault? Did I tell you to challenge a Prime-Ork to single combat?"
"You taught them!" Fulgrim spat, trying to sit up despite his body's protests. "That... that aberration spoke of you like some sort of prophet. Said you showed them the 'true meaning of dakka.' What did you do, brother? What corruption did you spread among the xenos?"
"Corruption?" Franklin chuckled, the sound only stoking Fulgrim's anger further. "I just fought them. Efficiently. Effectively. If they learned something from that, well..." He shrugged. "Can't fault them for having good taste in tactics."
Fulgrim's hands clenched the medical bed's edges, his knuckles white with tension, the edges began to bend. "You think this is amusing? That monster made a mockery of me! Of my Legion! And you sit there laughing?"
"What would you prefer?" Franklin's smile remained, but something shifted in his eyes. "Should I weep for your wounded pride? Console you over losing a fight you shouldn't have started? Tell me, brother, what response would soothe your ego?"
"You couldn't have done better!" Fulgrim snapped, his voice rising. "That creature... its strength, its speed... You with your reliance on firearms and distance. You wouldn't have lasted a minute in close combat with it!"
Is that what you think?" A note of steel entered Franklin's voice, though his smile never wavered. "That I'm just some gunslinger who can't handle himself in a real fight?"
"I think," Fulgrim said, venom dripping from every word, "that you've built your reputation on overwhelming firepower because you lack the skill for true combat. That Ork... it was stronger than you. I just had an unfortunate match-up."
A deep chuckle echoed in Franklin's mind. "I said it once and I'll say it again, The proud one needs his ears stretched," Khaine's voice carried equal parts amusement and disdain. "He reminds me of my children before I taught them humility. Through pain."
He needs to learn," Franklin responded internally. "And it seems the soft approach isn't working."
"Then teach him as I taught my children," Khaine's voice held centuries of experience in breaking pride. "When they refuse to acknowledge defeat, crush them so thoroughly that denial becomes impossible."
Franklin stood slowly, his jovial demeanor fading like mist in morning sun. "You know, brother, I've been very patient. Understanding, even. You're newly found, still adjusting to who and what you are. I let your blatant ignorance of my orders slide, But there's a difference between pride and foolishness."
"Then prove me wrong," Fulgrim challenged, managing to fully sit up despite his injuries. "Unless you fear facing me without your precious artillery?"
Franklin's eyes met Fulgrim's, and the Fulgrim felt a chill run down his spine despite himself. "Meet me in my private training cage," Franklin said, his voice carrying none of its usual warmth. "Bring your sons if you wish - though I'd recommend against letting them watch their father's second humiliation in as many days. This is better settled privately... Fulgrim."
The way Franklin spoke his name made it sound like a judgment.
As Franklin turned to leave he glanced back, his eyes holding something that made even Fulgrim's hearts skip a beat. "This is me being kind, brother. Don't mistake it for weakness."
As the door hissed shut behind Franklin, Fulgrim was left with the unsettling feeling that he might have gravely miscalculated.
------------------------------
The cage's crystalline floor reflected the fading image of Eldanesh as it dissolved into motes of crimson light. Franklin stood at its center, power sword held in a relaxed grip, his armor pristine despite the intensity of the bout. The image of the greatest Aeldari warrior-king had once been a nearly insurmountable challenge. Now it was barely a warm-up.
"Why do you dress for war to face a child?" Khaine's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with amusement. "He could not survive three passes against you as you are now. Why such ceremony for one so... limited?"
Franklin adjusted one of his gauntlets, "Because," Franklin said, "if I'm going to teach him a lesson, it needs to be absolute. No room for excuses, no space for him to claim I somehow got lucky or that he wasn't fighting at his best." He looked up at where he sensed Khaine's presence was strongest.
"You have come far, my champion," Khaine observed. "In all the galaxy, you stand among the finest blades I have witnessed and the sole person to be my disciple. Only a handful in all of history could match you now."
Franklin moved through a practice sequence, his movements carrying the weight of countless hours and countless deaths against the phantom of Eldanesh. "High praise, coming from the God of War himself."
"The Emperor's might remains unknown to me although I glimpsed a bit during the War for Altansar," Khaine admitted. "But your brother? He is no mystery. He has talent, yes, but it is untempered by true challenge. He has faced his first defeat, and refused to learn and instead deflecting it on you, his failure."
"This isn't about my standing," Franklin said, running through a series of warm-up forms. "This is about being a proper older brother. Father's busy with his grand designs, so it falls to me to help guide my siblings. And sometimes guidance requires..." He executed a perfect thrust that would have found Eldanesh's heart, had the phantom still been present. "...a firm hand."
"The way of the warrior," Khaine approved. "When words fail, let blade speak to blade. Show him the difference between his imagined perfection and true mastery."
Franklin took his position in the center of the arena, feeling the weight of the Death Sword at his side. He had come far from the days when he first found himself in this galaxy, far from his first encounters with the various threats that plagued humanity. Each battle, each duel, each war had added layers to his expertise. The jovial exterior he presented to the world masked centuries of relentless training, of pushing himself to match and exceed every challenge.
"Time to be the big brother," Franklin murmured, sensing Fulgrim's approach. "Time to teach a lesson about pride and its price."
The arena's lights dimmed slightly, as if the chamber itself was preparing for the coming storm. In these moments before Fulgrim's arrival, Franklin reflected on the path that had led him here. His brother saw him as some crude practitioner of overwhelming firepower, never guessing that Franklin's doctrine of maximum dakka had grown from a deep understanding of warfare in all its forms. To truly master the art of destruction from afar, one first had to master combat in all its aspects.
A lesson Fulgrim was about to learn the hard way.
---------------------
The training cage's harsh illumination cast stark shadows across Fulgrim's features as he moved toward the weapon rack. His wounds from the battle with Gorblasta had healed, leaving no physical scars - but the damage to his pride remained raw and bleeding. His hand reached for one of the power swords, seeking the familiar comfort of a blade.
"Hold up there, brother." Franklin's voice carried that perpetual hint of amusement that Fulgrim was beginning to find increasingly irritating. The Liberty Eagle's Primarch tossed something through the air - a sword that made Fulgrim's eyes widen in recognition.
It was identical to his broken blade from Chemos, down to the smallest detail. The weight, the balance, even the slight wear patterns he'd come to know intimately during his time as planetary governor. Franklin must have had it fabricated within hours of his rescue.
"Wouldn't want you making excuses about unfamiliar weapons," Franklin said with that infuriating smirk. "Or claiming you lost because you didn't have your favorite toy."
Fulgrim gripped the sword's hilt tightly, his perfect features arranged in a mask of composed dignity. "I don't make excuses, brother."
No? Someone was, earlier" Franklin took his position across the cage, his stance deceptively casual.
Studying his brother's form, Fulgrim felt a surge of contempt. Franklin stood there with an open guard, making no effort to adopt any of the classical stances. This was the warrior who had earned such reverence from that Prime-Ork? This gunslinger who couldn't even be bothered to take a proper defensive position?
How hard could this be?' Fulgrim thought, his analytical mind already plotting out the perfect sequence of strikes. His brother might be renowned for his firepower, but this was bladework - Fulgrim's domain of expertise. He had mastered every school of swordsmanship on Chemos, had developed his own innovations in the art. Franklin, for all his supposed tactical genius, was a soldier who relied on overwhelming firepower. In close combat, surely, the gap in their abilities would be obvious.
Fulgrim's blade moved in a perfect arc, a thrust that would have skewered any normal opponent through the heart. His superhuman senses tracked every microsecond of the movement, his mind already planning the follow-up strikes that would demonstrate his superiority.
And then, there was darkness.
Consciousness returned to Fulgrim like a tide washing over sand, bringing with it the unfamiliar sensation of defeat. His head throbbed where Franklin's strike had landed, but it was his pride that bore the deeper wound. As his vision cleared, he found Franklin standing over him, patient and unperturbed, as if they were merely engaged in a training exercise rather than a duel between demigods.
"Impossible," Fulgrim muttered, rising to his feet. "A momentary lapse. Nothing more." But even as the words left his lips, doubt crept in like a shadow at sunset.
Franklin's response was a knowing smirk and a beckoning gesture. "Again, brother?"
Their blades met in a shower of sparks. Fulgrim's technique was flawless – each thrust, parry, and riposte executed with mathematical precision. Yet somehow, within seconds, his sword went spinning across the training cage floor.
"Pick it up," Franklin said, casually kicking the blade back toward him. The words carried neither mockery nor malice, yet they cut deeper than any blade.
Fulgrim retrieved his weapon, his movements still graceful but tinged with a new hesitancy. Again their blades crossed, and again Fulgrim found himself disarmed.
"Pick it up."
The pattern repeated, each iteration crushing another layer of Fulgrim's carefully constructed self-image. His legendary speed seemed sluggish against Franklin's efficiency. His perfect form crumbled before Franklin's pragmatic brutality.
"Pick it up, Fulgrim."
The words became a mantra, each repetition stripping away another layer of certainty. Fulgrim's movements grew increasingly desperate, his technique deteriorating as frustration overwhelmed his disciplined mind.
"Pick it up."
Where once there had been fluid grace, now there was only mechanical repetition. The sword felt foreign in his hands, as if it were rejecting his touch.
"Pick it up."
Rage finally broke through Fulgrim's composure. With a roar that shook the training cage, he charged forward, abandoning all pretense of technique. His blade whistled through the air in a killing arc – only to be met with casual precision by Franklin's parry.
"Pick it up."
Fulgrim's next attack lasted less than a heartbeat before Franklin's backhand sent him sprawling. The impact wasn't just physical; it shattered something fundamental within the Primarch of the Emperor's Children.
"Pick it up, Fulgrim." Franklin's voice carried a note of finality. "Stand up! Face me again!"
His hands trembling, Fulgrim grasped the sword one final time. He gathered every lesson learned on Chemos, every victory, every moment of triumph. His eyes studied Franklin's seemingly open stance, now recognizing it as the trap it had always been. When he lunged, it was with everything he had left.
The disarm was almost gentle. The backhand that followed was not. As Fulgrim crashed to the floor, something broke inside him – not with a crash, but with a whimper.
"I-I am flawed..." The words escaped him like a dying breath, carrying with them the weight of a lifetime of certainty crumbling to dust.
His mind raced through memories of Chemos – each perfect victory, each flawless performance now tainted with doubt. He had unified a world, bested countless champions, risen to heights none could match. Yet here, on the galactic stage, he had fallen. First to the Prime Ork, and now to a brother who was supposed to be his equal.
Panic clawed at his throat as the implications crashed over him. Every duel, every triumph that had formed the foundation of his identity began to crumble. They were Primarchs, cast from the same mold, forged by the same hand. How could the gap between them be so vast?
Franklin watched the war playing out behind Fulgrim's eyes, recognizing the moment when teaching could become torment – or transformation. His voice, when it came, carried the weight of hard-won wisdom.
"The perfect being," Franklin began, a hint of bitter amusement in his tone. "Hehe, There is no such thing as perfect in this world. That may sound cliché, but it's the truth. You, my brother, admire perfection and seeks to obtain it. But, what's the point of achieving perfection? There is none. Nothing. Not a single thing."
He looked at Fulgrim, his presence no longer overwhelming but supportive. "I do not believe in perfection! If something is perfect, then there is nothing left. There is no room for imagination. No place left for a person to gain additional knowledge or abilities. Do you know what that means?"
Fulgrim stared at him, transfixed by words that seemed to shake the very foundations of his worldview.
"For Warriors such as ourselves, perfection only brings stagnation. It is our job to rise above things more powerful than anything before us, that is what makes a Primarch, but never to obtain perfection. In short, the moment that foolishness you ingrained in your mind, in your life, in your actions, you had already lost. You can only defeat yourself, Fulgrim."
The words hung in the air between them, heavy with truth. Fulgrim looked down at his hands – hands that had wielded a blade with supposed perfection, hands that now trembled with the weight of revelation.
"Then what..." Fulgrim's voice cracked. "What am I supposed to be?"
Franklin's response was gentle but firm. "Better than you were yesterday. Not perfect. Not flawless. Just better. The moment you stop trying to be perfect is the moment you can start becoming stronger."
The stillness of the training cage was shattered by the urgent buzz of Franklin's personal vox. A bridge officer's voice cut through the heavy atmosphere: "Lord Valorian, long-range augurs detect a massive Ork fleet translating into realspace. Estimated arrival: thirty minutes."
Franklin's expression shifted instantly from philosophical mentor to warrior-king. Yet as he turned to leave, he paused, looking back at his broken brother still kneeling on the deck. Fulgrim remained there, a statue of doubt and self-recrimination, the discarded sword lying before him like an accusation.
"You know, Fulgrim," Franklin's voice carried a new edge, dropping the gentle teacher's tone for something harder, more practical. "Right now, you remind me of those fancy porcelain vases your Legion's so fond of. Beautiful, perfect – and absolutely useless once they're cracked."
Fulgrim's head snapped up, a flicker of his old pride warring with his newfound uncertainty.
"Oh yes, you're broken. Shattered, even." Franklin continued, his words deliberate and sharp. "But here's the thing about being broken – it gives you a choice. A real choice, maybe the first genuine one you've had since you were found on Chemos."
The deck vibrated subtly as the Etna's weapon systems began powering up, preparing for the coming battle. Franklin's Mechsuit auto-sealed with metallic clicks, but his eyes remained fixed on Fulgrim.
"You can sit here, wallowing in your own sadness and broken pride like a pompous bitch," he said, each word landing like a blow, "mourning your lost 'perfection' while the galaxy moves on without you. That's one option. Nice and easy. Very dramatic. Completely worthless."
Fulgrim's hands clenched, his knuckles white against the deck plating. The air grew thick with tension as Franklin continued, his voice taking on an almost casual tone that belied the weight of his words.
"Or," he said, "you can do something far more interesting. You can rise from those ashes like a phoenix. Not perfect—thank your own strength for that—but better. Stronger. Real."
Another vox chime echoed through the chamber. "Twenty-five minutes to contact, Lord Valorian."
Franklin turned fully toward the exit, his massive frame silhouetted against the doorway. "The choice is yours, brother. But make it quick. The galaxy won't wait for you to finish your existential crisis."
He paused one final time, looking over his shoulder. "Oh, and Fulgrim? If you decide to stop being a statue, there's an Ork Waagh coming that could use a good stabbing. Might be educational – they don't care much for perfect form, but they're remarkably good at teaching reality."
With that, Franklin strode out, his footsteps echoing down the corridor as he headed for the bridge. Behind him, he left silence, a discarded sword, and a Primarch at a crossroads.
The training cage's lights cast harsh shadows across Fulgrim's features as he stared at the space his brother had occupied. The sword lay before him, no longer a symbol of perfection but a question waiting to be answered. In the distance, the muffled sound of battle stations being called echoed through the mighty vessel.
Twenty-five minutes. Time enough to wallow in defeat or time enough to begin again. Time enough to cling to broken ideals of perfection or time enough to embrace the freedom of imperfection.
The choice, as Franklin had said, was his.
-------------------------
The void above the capital world blazed with the aftermath of battle. Wreckage from the defending Ork fleet drifted listlessly through space, testament to Battlefleet Liberty's overwhelming firepower. Yet contrary to all known Ork behavior, the newly arrived massive Ork fleet held position, making no aggressive moves.
On the bridge of the Etna, a junior communications officer cleared his throat nervously. "Lord Valorian... we're receiving a transmission from the surface. It's... well, it's properly formatted and everything."
Franklin leaned forward in his command throne, brown eyes twinkling with amusement. "Let's hear it."
The message was clear, concise, and most shockingly of all, properly punctuated. Gorblasta the Mightee formally requested the presence of "Da Dakkabringer" for a meeting on the planet's surface. Long-range augurs showed the massive Prime-Ork standing alone in a clearing, apparently completely unconcerned about his vulnerable position.
"This has to be a trap," Denzel Washington said, hand resting on the hilt of Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. "No Ork just stands around waiting for a chat."
Steven Armstrong folded his augmetic arms across his chest. "We've got a clear shot. One good barrage from the Etna's main batteries and-"
Franklin's laughter cut him off. "You're both thinking like it's a normal Ork WAAAGH! This is a Prime-Ork we're dealing with. Of course he knows diplomacy." He stood, stretching his fifteen-foot frame. "Besides, where's your sense of adventure?"
"My sense of adventure doesn't usually involve walking into obvious traps," Denzel muttered, but he was already smiling, knowing there was no talking his Primarch out of this.
"Stand down all weapons," Franklin ordered. "Let's not be rude to our hosts. I'll take the Gate of Liberty down - everyone hold position until the fun starts."
The massive teleportation device hummed to life, its portal connecting to one of the six Monoliths on the surface. Franklin stepped through, emerging onto the battlefield with casual confidence. In the distance, Gorblasta's twenty-three-foot frame dominated the landscape, his black and white checkered power armor gleaming in the sunlight.
As Franklin approached, he could appreciate the craftsmanship that had gone into the Prime-Ork's armor. It wasn't the usual ramshackle Orkish construction - every plate was perfectly fitted, every joint moved with precision, and the weapons systems integrated seamlessly into the whole.
"Da Dakkabringer!" Gorblasta's voice boomed across the clearing, somehow managing to convey both religious awe and competitive challenge. "You finally came! Been waiting for dis moment, I has!"
"Heard you were looking for me," Franklin replied casually, coming to a stop at a respectful distance. "Got to say, the diplomatic approach is a new one for your kind."
Gorblasta's massive face split in a grin that showed perfectly maintained bionic teeth. "New times require new methods. Besides, proper dakka requires proper protocol, yes?"
"Does it now?" Franklin's eyebrow raised with interest. "And what exactly constitutes 'proper dakka' these days?"
The Prime-Ork's eyes lit up – literally, as targeting systems activated behind his cybernetic implants. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order?"
What followed could only be described as the most sophisticated dick-measuring contest in Imperial history. Gorblasta raised his right arm, his power armor reconfiguring into a weapons platform that would have made a Titan princeps jealous. With a thunderous roar, he unleashed a barrage that turned a section of jungle into atomized particles.
"Not bad," Franklin nodded appreciatively, reaching into a dimensional pocket. "But how about this?" He withdrew a weapon that seemed to drink in the light around it. With casual ease, he aimed at a distant mountain peak. There was a sound like reality hiccupping, and then the mountain simply ceased to exist.
Gorblasta's laugh boomed across the battlefield. "Now that's proper dakka! But I'm just getting warmed up."
The contest escalated. Gorblasta demonstrated weapon systems that somehow merged Orkish brutality with near-Mechanicum precision. Franklin countered with examples of Independence Sector technology that bordered on the miraculous. Each demonstration was met with genuine appreciation from both parties – a Primarch and a Prime-Ork united in their love of overwhelming firepower.
Finally, Gorblasta's grin widened impossibly further. "You've got lovely toys, Dakkabringer. But let me show you something special." He raised a massive hand, gesturing behind him.
The ground began to shake. From behind the ruined mountain range emerged seven titanic forms that made Franklin whistle in genuine appreciation. Mega Gargants, each one the size of an Imperator Titan, but built with a level of sophistication that defied everything known about Orkish engineering. They moved with purpose and precision, their weapons arrays humming with barely contained power.
"Impressive," Franklin admitted, studying the massive war machines. "You really pulled out all the stops on these beauties."
"Da biggest dakka we could build," Gorblasta declared proudly. "Took years of proper planning. No random bits and pieces. Everything calculated, everything optimized for maximum dakka delivery."
"Well then," Franklin's grin matched the Ork's in intensity. "It would be rude not to respond in kind." He touched a control on his wrist, and behind him, the six monolithic portals began to pulse with energy.
What emerged made even Gorblasta's cybernetic eyes widen. Castigator Titans, lost to history since the Dark Age of Technology, stepped through the portals one by one. Each was a masterpiece of human engineering, their forms combining elegant design with overwhelming destructive capability.
They moved with a grace that defied their immense size, falling into formation with the precision of a parade drill.
But they were merely the prelude.
The final portal flared brighter than all the others combined. The titan that emerged had to duck to pass through, its massive form dwarfing even its fellow Castigators. This was Ouranos, the Father of Titans, a war machine that stretched the definition of what was possible with human technology.
Its towering humanoid form rose to its full height, a single cyclopean eye blazing with fierce, volatile energy
Every surface bristled with weapons, each one capable of ending battles single-handedly. Its left hand ended in a massive power claw that could have plucked Stormbirds from the sky, while its right clutched a disintegration cannon that made Franklin's earlier demonstration look like a laser pointer.
"Probability of Ork victory: Impossible!" Ouranos's voice shook the ground, its artificial intelligence displaying the characteristic arrogance of its class.
Franklin somehow produced both aviator sunglasses and a cigar, the latter of which he lit with deliberate casualness. "You know, Gorblasta, I usually keep the titans under wraps. Makes things too easy, you understand and I can't wage war when your opponents are already running for the Hills. But for an Ork who appreciates the finer points of dakka?" He took a long draw on the cigar. "Well, I figured you deserved the full show."
Gorblasta stared at the assembled titans, his augmetic systems trying to calculate their combined firepower and repeatedly returning error messages. Finally, he threw back his head and laughed, a sound of pure joy that echoed across the battlefield.
"Now that," he declared, "is proper dakka! Da stories were true – you really do understand!"
"Understand what?" Franklin asked, though his grin suggested he knew exactly what the Prime-Ork meant.
"That there's never enough dakka – but that doesn't mean you stop trying to reach it!" Gorblasta's eyes gleamed with something approaching religious fervor. "Look at this! Your titans, my gargants – this is what happens when you properly pursue the path of dakka!"
The two forces stood facing each other across the battlefield – Seven Mega Gargants representing the pinnacle of sophisticated Orkish engineering, and seven Castigator Titans embodying humanity's mastery over technology. The air crackled with potential energy as targeting systems locked, weapons hummed, and Artificial intelligence stirred in anticipation.
"Well then," Franklin took another puff of his cigar, "shall we see whose dakka reigns supreme?"
Gorblasta's answer was to begin deploying even more weapons from his armor. "Been waiting for this moment since I saw you take down that titan on 'Da Scrapyard.' Time to see if I've brought enough Dakka"
As both leaders prepared for battle, their massive war machines moving into combat formation, one thought was shared by all witnesses: This wouldn't be just another battle. This would be a contest between two beings who had elevated the concept of overwhelming firepower into an art form.
The Battle of the God Engines is on the Horizon.
A/N: What Color is Your Titan?
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GOT IT