Editing Aubrey The Grey (section)

===Youth===

Aubrey's childhood was an oddity, even for a [[Primarchs (Hektor Heresy)|Primarch]]. Although he was lost along with eighteen of his superhuman brothers, his incubator came to rest on Lazarus, a planet inhabited by the inhuman Lazarites. These alien creatures recovered the capsule and discovered the infant Aubrey within, but as they were not human they deliberated on whether to let their captive live at all. Aubrey's life was spared only at the whim of the sadistic General Tareq, who felt it would be more interesting to see if the child could survive the rough life of a Lazarite. No mercy was given to the foundling and he was brought up in the lowest caste of Lazarite culture; The Doctors. In Lazarite culture, it was the doctors who were the disgrace. For a warrior, the highest honour and caste of the Lazarites, to have his blood spilled in anything but combat, such as by a surgeon, was the most vilified of possibilities. Aubrey showed prowess in learning, quickly becoming one of the most renowned doctors of the Lazarites in his early twenties.

By quirk of fate, Aubrey gained the opportunity to repay his saviour and performed a life-saving operation on General Tareq. Shamed and grateful in equal measure, Tareq offered a pact; if Aubrey told no-one of his surgery, the General would allow him to become a warrior. Aubrey rose through the ranks of the Lazarite military as quickly as he had risen through their medical world, becoming a valiant warrior and leader. Soon he took the place of the now retired general. His ascension to general was a very treacherous one. Although Lazarite culture was in principle based on merit and accident of birth should place no prejudice on a warrior, few took kindly to what they saw as a mis-shapen out-worlder giving orders.

Aubrey quickly learned the arts of Lazarite politics, just as he had those medicine and warfare. Under the honour code of the Lazarite warrior the only way to silence sniping comments was with the blade. Forged by the super-science of the Emperor of Mankind to be a peerless warrior, Aubrey was a natural swordsman and spent countless hours honing his craft to a razor-edge. Though it was not unusual for a Lazarite officer to bring a sword by his hip into the theatre of war, only Aubrey did so for the sake of duels with his own men. After many assaults upon him, the Primarch dueled his way to a bregrudging form of respect. He was eventually approached by Brother Makai, Major Vex, and Sergeant Vaas. Major Vex had also been another rising star in the military leading to comparisons to the off-worlder. This was a grave affront to Vex's honor. How could some lowly off-worlder garner so much respect?

Vex challenged Aubrey to single combat. Inevitably, the Primarch quickly gained an advantage. However Vex had an edge of his own. His brother Vaas had slipped into Aubrey's blind spot and struck Aubrey with a club, allowing Vex to wound Aubrey and win the duel. Aubrey's pride was wounded. Lazarite honour allowed for interference by kinsmen and to overlook the possibility of Vaas deciding the issue was a grievous error. Aubrey knew the only way for him to regain his status was to beat Vex and Vaas at the same time. Without kin of his own to even the odds, Aubrey took up a second blade and practiced new techniques in secret. For their second meeting, it was Aubrey who approached Vex and demanded a rematch. A very cocksure Vex accepted, with his brother Vaas now insulting Aubrey and attempting to enrage the Primarch. The reply was an icy emerald glare and the glitter of sunlight on Aubrey's blade. The fight began. Aubrey toyed with Vex, showing only a single blade and not pressing the issue. The Primarch's first target was Vaas, but he could not honourably strike a warrior who had not entered the duel. Slowly the duelists circled until Aubrey felt the position was right. He suddenly quickened his pace and swept forward, pressing Vex into a corner. Alarmed, Vaas leapt to his brother's defence only to find his club blocked by a second sword, drawn faster than the Lazarite eye could see. With a flick of his wrist Aubrey disarmed Vaas, a second lightning strike laid open the warrior's legs and sent him to the ground. Vex, consumed by fear and rage, rushed at Aubrey and was defeated as quickly as his brother. From that day on, Aubrey held his head high, two swords by his side.

Success with the blade and in command led to further advancement. In time, Aubrey became recognised as Tarellia's supreme commander with full authority to prosecute interstellar wars against lesser civilizations. However, as in the past, his elevation aggravated chauvinists among the Lazarites and a series of revolts broke out, slowing expansion efforts. Of more import to the expansion of the Terellian sphere was the arrival of Imperial Crusade ships bearing the markings of the [[Heralds of Hektor|Wolves of Dawn]]. These ships were far more powerful than the Lazarite warships present and many feared invasion. But the Astartes' mission was more subtle. Following up the reports of [[Rogue Traders (Hektor Heresy)|Rogue Traders]] who had dealt with the Lazarites and learned of Aubrey's presence, [[Hektor Cincinnatus]] took his honour guard to the surface of Lazarus and demanded an audience with the supreme commander. 

Aubrey presented himself in Lazarite finery of black, scaled leather highlighted with silver filigree. Naturally, he wore his blades - alien to Hektor's eyes - at his side. The two Primarchs spoke through an interpreter, the Rogue Trader Alvec Rhan. Such measures were not unusual, but Hektor was unnerved to hear his brother speaking a serpentine tongue so unlike any form of Low Gothic in the Galaxy. After some pleasantries, Hektor made it clear that Aubrey's place was in the Emperor's service as a leader of the Great Crusade. Politely, Aubrey insisted that he already had duties to attend to and that he could not desert his post without being bested in a duel. Not being one to shirk from a fight, Hektor issued a challenge and the two Primarchs faced one another in ritual combat: spear and shield pitted against twin swords. It cannot be doubted that Hektor won the duel, but Alvec Rhan's testimony suggests that this victory had more to do with superior Imperial technology than superior skill.

On the long return voyage to Ancient Terra, Hektor and his entourage helped Aubrey prepare for a meeting with the Emperor. Aubrey quickly mastered High Gothic and the essentials of Terran etiquette, though the philosophies of the nascent Imperium were exotic to his mindset and he particularly questioned the human-centric view of the Galaxy. Hektor deflected arguments by suggesting that it was his own explanation that was lacking and that the Emperor could make his case better in person - an excuse which helped to win Aubrey's friendship, but hardly steered him towards the Imperial Truth. So it was that, despite the natural awe that Aubrey felt towards the Emperor, he quickly leapt into debate. After an arduous week of debating, during which Hektor was occasionally called upon to provide testimony, it was agreed that the Lazarites would be put under quarantine with the ultimate fate dependant upon Aubrey's conduct.