"Deceit and betrayal"
- —Book's tag-line
Fallen Angels is the eleventh volume in the Horus Heresy series of novels and is a direct successor novel to Descent of Angels.
Synopsis[]
With news of Horus' treachery spreading across the galaxy, the Great Crusade grinds to a halt as the primarchs and their Legions decide where their loyalty lies -- with the Emperor, or with the rebel Warmaster.
The Dark Angels, too, face a time of testing, both among the stars and on their homeworld of Caliban. Luther, once Lion El'Jonson's trusted second-in-command, now languishes as an exile in all but name while his master struggles to thwart the Traitors' advance upon the Forge World Diamat.
But an ancient evil gathers its strength beneath the surface of Caliban, and the Ist Legion will soon be thrust into a deadly conflict where all that they know will be cast into doubt.
Plot Summary[]
On Caliban[]
In the one-hundred-and forty-seventh standard year of the Great Crusade, Luther and roughly five hundred Dark Angels are reassigned to Caliban after just one solar week into their first tour of the Great Crusade.
They were officially reassigned to increase the recruitment quotas of the Legion. However, many suspect an ulterior motive. Most of those reassigned were natives of Caliban, and those reassigned had only the Sarosh campaign under their belts.
Among those reassigned was the Librarian Zahariel. Zahariel does not know the real reason for the reassignment -- if there is one -- but he has his suspicions. During the Sarosh campaign, Luther became aware of an assassination attempt on the Primarch Lion El'Jonson's life by the Saroshi natives but initially did nothing to stop it, seeing the elimination of his best friend and competitor for glory as a way to increase his own stature.
Only at the last second did Luther reject such selfish and disloyal sentiments and act, at Zahariel's insistence, and in so doing stopped the assassination. Zahariel does not know whether Johnson knows the truth of the matter, or if he merely suspects it. Nor does he now if Johnson is punishing Zahariel by association.
Although Luther tells the Dark Angels on Caliban that once they fulfill their mission they may return to the Great Crusade, he privately confides to Zahariel that he is lying: for them, the crusade is over.
Fifty-three standard years pass, and Luther greatly increases recruitment of new Dark Angels for the crusade from Caliban during that time. Lion El'Johnson does not visit Caliban even once in that span of years. Zahariel begins to suspect that the Dark Angels on Caliban have grown more loyal to Luther than to Johnson.
In the two hundredth standard year of the Great Crusade, Luther stops the newest batch of recruits from deploying to the Great Crusade. The reason, he tells Zahariel, is that a rebellion has been going on all over Caliban for roughly a solar decade.
Zahariel is shocked. Despite the fact that Zahariel had been serving as Luther's aid-de-camp sending regular reports to Johnson, he knew nothing of this rebellion. Nor was it part of any of the official reports. Luther admitted to falsifying his reports to keep the rebellion secret while he dealt with it.
Eventually, Luther and Zahariel meet with four leaders of the insurrection. The first three were Calibanite nobles. The fourth was Sar Daviel, a former member of the Order, the progenitor knightly order that was absorbed into the Dark Angels, who had been denied entry into the Astartes due to a grievous wound inflicted by one of the Great Beasts of Caliban.
During the parley, the rebel leaders ask what the Imperium has actually given them: their lands and forests are stripped, mountains levelled, and people crammed together all to fund the Imperium's goals -- goals that have nothing to do with the interests of Caliban. "What we know is that that we're being impoverished for the sake of people we don't know and have never seen. We've had our culture and traditions taken from us," they bitterly told the Luther.
It is later revealed that the Imperium has been cramming the population of Caliban into the worst residential zones of the new hive cities, while immigrants from Terra receive the best accommodations.
The Calibanite insurrection leaders appeal to Luther, whom they say is the real hero of Caliban. Although Lion El'Jonson fought the Great Beasts and led the attacks, it was Luther who actually united the planet. Luther gives the leaders 24 solar hours to put down their arms, or suffer retribution. Luther orders Zahariel to keep the meeting a secret.
Eventually, the rebellion affects the Administratum's work on Caliban. In order to prevent Imperial bureaucrats from reporting the rebellion to Terra directly, Luther sanctions a limited Astartes action to deal with the shut down of Sigma-Five-One-Seven, a materials processing plant housing thousands of workers and powered by a plasma-based thermal core.
Zahariel leads a small force to eliminate any rebel resistance at the site. Zahariel discovers that the entire workforce has been sacrificed in a corrupt Chaos ritual.
The Warp energies generated by the sacrifice were directed into the summoning of a Warp entity called a reaver-worm, which in turn was raising the dead workers to fight. Zahariel and his team ultimately destroy Sigma-Five-One-Seven's thermal core, eliminating the reaver-worm and its slave-corpses.
During the encounter, Zahariel makes a startling discovery. He had already noticed that the winds of the Warp are stronger on Caliban than any other world he had visited. But now he saw with his witchsight the truth: a massive, vile taint pulsed through the entire planet, staining every living thing and corrupting them like cancer.
And this Warp taint, this evil, was inextricably part of Caliban itself. After exfiltrating the site, Zahariel ordered it destroyed.
Zahariel reported the taint to Luther. The current Lord Cypher, Captain Merir Astelan, and the Librarian Israfael were also present to hear the Librarian's report.
The group surmised that the reason no one ever knew about the planet's Warp taint was because no one ever had reason to look. By the time the forces of the Imperium had arrived at the world, the Great Beasts of Caliban had been rendered extinct and thus no visible sign of the Warp taint remained.
The group also deduces that the sorcerers who conducted the ritual were from Terra, and they used the Calibanites' deaths to fuel their rituals. Luther orders that Caliban's taint be kept secret because if the Imperium discovered the truth, it would destroy the planet. Israfael initially objects but ultimately relents when Luther says he needs time to think on the matter.
Luther goes into isolation to deliberate, and only the Lord Cypher has access to him during that time. Roughly a solar week later, Zahariel converses with the Watchers in the Dark. The Watchers reveal that they are a xenos species that has kept Caliban's Warp taint at bay for millennia.
The Great Beasts of Caliban were essentially created by the Warp's constant touch upon the world. Any Humans that wandered near places of power, where the Warp's taint seeped through into realspace, were slain by the Great Beasts.
Any that survived became warlocks and were hunted by the old knightly orders that dominated Caliban before Lion El'Jonson's campaign to wipe them from the face of Caliban succeeded. Zahariel pledged to them that he would save the planet from destruction, but the Watchers say Caliban is doomed, and nothing Zahariel does will stop it.
With Luther still in isolation, Zahariel orchestrates another meeting with the rebel leaders. At the meeting, he finds that one of the primary military minds behind the rebellion is none other than Master Remiel, a veteran knight of the Order and later the Dark Angels who everyone thought would become the next Lord Cypher. Instead, he had been denied entry into the Astartes due to his age, and the title of Cypher had passed to the current Lord Cypher.
The rebel leaders have been aware of Caliban's Warp taint, and report that thousands -- tens of thousands -- of Calibanites have been dying in droves in the unforgivable living conditions into which they have been pressed by the Administratum.
Surmising that these hardships and the violence of the rebellion itself is simply more sacrificial fuel for another sorcerous ritual, the group agrees to a truce in order to stop the killing and hopefully avert another Warp incursion.
Zahariel and the rebel leaders return to Aldurukh, the fortress-monastery of the Dark Angels on Caliban, in order to inform Luther of the truce and the new ritual that is likely underway.
On the way there, Sar Daviel tells of how he left the Order. Daviel had been gravely wounded when the Order defeated the Knights of Lupus in the last battle of the Lion's campaign against the Great Beasts. While convalescing, Daviel and other wounded knights had been put to the task of organising, cataloguing, and transporting the vast library of the Knights of Lupus to Aldurukh.
He and another knight read the books, which were filled with all manner of knowledge, including ancient, occult tomes. From those books, the knights realised that the Knights of Lupus knew of the world's Warp taint, which was why they were studying the Great Beasts the Order discovered within their citadel during their final assault. The Knights of Lupus had hoped to control that power.
When the Emperor came to Caliban, Daviel set off on his own to find a way to save the world from its Warp taint. He searched for the last survivor of the Knights of Lupus, who he learned ultimately had become the current Lord Cypher. The primarch chose this surviving Knight of Lupus for that crucial office because he had no ties to the Order itself and so his loyalty would belong to the Lion alone.
Upon reaching Aldurukh, Zahariel forces Cypher to take him, the rebel leaders, Israfael, and Merir Astelan to Luther. Luther is deep within Aldurukh, reading the books in its library. Luther was ragged and thin as if he hadn't eaten or slept in many solar days.
Zahriel informed Luther that a new ritual, much larger and more dangerous than the last, is under way. Luther says Caliban's fate is already sealed. Luther tells of his first meeting with Lion El'Jonson in the wilds; and he says that the Lion knew of the Warp taint all along and "he's spilled an ocean of blood to keep the truth from us."
According to Luther, the Lion goaded the Knights of Lupus into war, annihilated them, and then ordered them hunt down to the last man. According to Luther, the Lion went to great lengths to silence those who knew too much, and it only got worse once the Emperor arrived.
Finally, Luther says: "Don't you see? Jonson knew that the Imperium would one day destroy Caliban. That's why we're here. He didn't just forsake us, brother. He sent us here to die."
Israfael objects to this defamation of the primarch and the Emperor and informs Luther he is no longer fit for command. He orders Zahariel to take command of the Legion forces on Caliban. Zahariel suddenly asks Sar Daviel who the other knight was that read the books of the Knights of Lupus with him. Daviel answers: Ulient. Zahariel's memories, which had been psychically blocked by Israfael at the Emperor's command, returned in a rage.
He remembered that he had stopped the assassin Ulient from killing the Emperor on Caliban. In return, the Emperor had ordered his memories of the event blocked in order to prevent any knowledge of dissent from Imperial rule on Caliban from spreading.
Zahariel asks why the Emperor could not have simply trusted him, why he did not trust in his honour to keep the secret. Israfel answered that it is not an Astartes' place to question the motives of the Master of Mankind. Remiel interjects that if Terrans want to live like slaves, they can go ahead, but Calibanites will never be slaves. Israfel attacks Remiel but Daviel puts his body in between the blow, dying as a result.
Luther shouts an order and Zahariel and Astelan attack. Israfael launches a psychic torrent of energy at Luther, but psychic wards painted on his skin dissipate the attack.
The Lord Cypher fires a plasma shot from one of his Plasma Pistols into Israfael's chest, incapacitating him. Luther orders the Librarian healed and imprisoned. Luther then commanded Astelan and Zarahiel to stop the ritual and proclaimed that "Caliban is a free world once more."
Ultimately, Zahariel and Luther lead a small force to stop the Chaos ritual. This ritual involved thousands of dead Humans, all animated by a large number of reaver-worms. As they reached the ritual site, Luther ordered Zahariel to contain, not destroy, the Warp entity summoned by the ritual.
Luther had brought with him a heretical book that taught him how to subjugate the Warp spirit by learning its true name. Zahariel initially objected to the use of such sorcery but ultimately relented to Luther's plan.
At the climax of the ritual, a single, summoned reaver-worm bathed in the unleashed psychic energy, and began to transform into something new, or else some thing was using the reaver-worm as a portal into the mortal world. Zahariel contained the creature while Luther cast a spell taught to him by his book.
The Warp creature possessing the reaver-worm, or trying to break through the worm into the physical world, screamed in pain and offered power and understanding to those who would free it. Luther commanded it to reveal its true name. The being them attempted to possess Zahariel in its desperation.
Luther commanded it again to reveal its true name. The Warp entity let out a furious roar, but the summoning ritual failed, the link to the Immaterium collapsed, and the daemonic creature was banished back to where it had come. Zahariel proclaimed that Caliban was saved but died after his body could no longer contain the power of the Warp's taint.
Eight solar months later, Zahariel awoke in Aldurukh to his great surprise. Luther had brought Zahariel back to life five solar minutes after his death using knowledge gleaned from the heretical library book he had brought to the ritual. Zahariel had dreamed during that time, and continued to dream.
Luther explained that the Calibanite rebellion was over and that all the Terrans present on the world had been rounded up. Luther says they must plan to secure Caliban's freedom from the Imperium. Zahariel expressed his disbelief that such a thing is possible; sooner or later Imperial reprisals would come and Caliban would be finished.
At that point, Luther informs Zahariel of Horus' recent rebellion against the Emperor and says they must make the most of the time they have while the Emperor is distracted by the Horus Heresy. Luther says they will master "the secrets the Emperor tried to conceal from us," referring to the power of sorcery.
He asks if Zahariel remembers the name of the Warp entity from the ritual. Lying, Zahariel says he cannot remember its name. Luther appears to accept this but says that next time they will be successful in their efforts to seize the power of the Warp.
As Luther departs, Zahariel's thoughts turn to the Warp creature, which "was still there, deep beneath the earth, where it had lain for millions upon millions of years. The psychic bridge [Zahariel had] witnessed beneath the Northwilds arcology hadn't been to draw the being through into the physical realm from the Warp, like at Sarosh, but to send it back. Zahariel knew the source of Caliban's taint. And he knew its name."
On Diamat[]
Meanwhile, across the galaxy, in the two hundredth standard year of the Great Crusade, Lion El'Jonson and his Dark Angels prepared to assault the Forge World of Diamat.
Having heard of Horus' rebellion against the Emperor, the Lion, primarch of the Dark Angels, set a plan in motion to cut off Horus' ability to lay siege to Terra. Having learned of incredibly powerful Titan-like siege engines built in secret on Diamat by the Mechanicum, Johnson diverts a strike force of 200 Dark Angels Astartes to Diamat with orders to secure them.
However, he only tells his Astartes that Diamat must be secured to keep the incredible production power of Diamat out of the rebel Warmaster's hands. The Lion knows that time is of the essence; a huge strike force of Astartes is headed to Isstvan V to deal with Horus' betrayal. The Lion believes that Horus will try to secure the siege engines quickly and consolidate them on Isstvan.
Brother-Redemptor Nemiel, now a Chaplain, is chosen for the mission to Diamat. Nemiel had distinguished himself in a campaign against the Orks, rallying his brothers and serving as the source of inspiration that carried the day.
The Dark Angels strike force makes it to Diamat in the middle of a rebellion against the Loyalist Mechanicum led by the Hereteks of the Dark Mechanicum. The Dark Angels' fleet is severely crippled and a group of Astartes are sent to the surface to secure the forge cities.
Ultimately, Nemiel and his squad uncover the treachery of the Dark Mechanicum forces on Diamat, independently discover the siege engines, and secure the warehouse containing them.
In the ensuing betrayal by the Dark Mechanicum forces, nearly all of the Astartes and their fleet are wiped out. The Lion joins Nemiel in the warehouse with the survivors, believing that they would be safe there from bombardment by sheltering amidst the extremely valuable siege engines. The Astartes are unable to unleash the siege engines themselves because there are no manual controls, as the Dark Mechanicum had prepared them to be used by their allies in the Warp.
However, the Dark Angels are able to gain control of one of the siege engines by transplanting Brother Titus from his Dreadnought sarcophagus into the siege engine.
The Sons of Horus arrive, and together with the rebel Dark Mechanicum forces on Diamat, assault the Dark Angels, but are repelled by Brother Titus controlling the siege engine. Out of time to complete their mission, the Sons of Horus retreat from the planet.
After the planet is secured by the Loyalists, the Lion converses with Perturabo, the primarch of the Iron Warriors Legion, who was stopping at Diamat to refit on his way to "deal" with the Traitors at Isstvan V. The Lion did not appear to suspect that Perturabo had already sworn his loyalty to Horus.
The Lion asks Perturabo to keep his involvement on Diamat a secret, saying: "I wouldn't want the Emperor to believe I did any of this with an ulterior motive in mind."
The Lion expresses his belief that Horus was chosen as the Warmaster only because he was the first primarch found, and that if he had been found first, he would have been the Warmaster.
The Lion asks Perturabo to support him for Warmaster when the Emperor chooses Horus' replacement. Perturabo agrees to do so.
And with that, the Lion gives Perturabo the siege engines for use against the Traitors on Isstvan V, never realizing that they will be used against the LOyalists in the greatest betrayal in Human history at the Drop Site Massacre not long after.
Sources[]
- Fallen Angels (Novel) by Mike Lee