Guilliman and Magos Kauer were the only figures left within the vast parliament hall, the others having departed.
Kauer, a towering Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus, rivaled the Primarch in height thanks to his extensive mechanical augmentations. Millennia of technological advancements had left little flesh and blood within his form.
His back resembled a colossal metal carapace, housing a humming force field generator, several articulated mechanical arms, and a series of suspended metal skulls wired with nerve cables.
Bolstered by his connection, Kauer's body bristled with an array of salvaged energy weapons from across the galaxy.
His lower body was entirely replaced with intricate machinery, each step accompanied by a whirring of pistons and the clinking of metal.
A pulsating glow emanated from Kauer's chest, a testament to the miniature nuclear fusion reactor powering his arsenal.
Even for someone accustomed to the Adeptus Mechanicus, Guilliman couldn't help but marvel at Kauer's form. It was a stark embodiment of the Mechanicus' philosophy – the flesh was weak, the machine, superior.
Their unwavering devotion to technology bordered on fanaticism, a complete rejection of the human form.
"Kauer," Guilliman addressed him, his voice measured, "come closer."
Kauer, a crucial component in Guilliman's resurrection, was also one of the few he could trust, at least for now. Bound by a millennia-old promise, Kauer had traversed the galaxy's major sectors, searching for lost technologies buried within ancient monuments.
Such individuals, driven by singular goals for millennia, were a rarity in this treacherous universe. Loyalty, it seemed, was a fleeting concept.
Guilliman, however, understood the ever-shifting nature of alliances. He had to prepare for the possibility of betrayal, even from Kauer.
"Regent, what are your orders?" Kauer rumbled, his metallic bulk leaving deep scores on the marble floor. His mechanical eyes, a chilling fusion of flesh and metal, flickered with an internal glow, revealing glimpses of rotating gears.
A brief silence followed before Guilliman produced a data storage device. "This device contains knowledge I gathered in secret ten thousand years ago. This knowledge will empower us to forge a new army, one that will reclaim control of the galaxy."
The information on the device was, of course, not from ten thousand years past. It was a meticulously curated selection from the database Guilliman had accessed.
Attributing it to an older era was a clever ploy, a way to circumvent potential scrutiny in the future. Let the Mechanicus attempt to verify its origins – an impossible feat considering the time travel involved.
"Technology from ten thousand years ago?" Kauer echoed, his mechanical voice devoid of inflection.
"Indeed," Guilliman confirmed. "Bypassing the constraints of the Mechanicus and building a new army is another reason why I deem Ultramar the ideal staging ground."
The Adeptus Mechanicus, once a crucial imperial ally and primary provider of wargear, had become increasingly insular and inflexible over the millennia.
New product development crawled at a snail's pace, taking centuries for even the most basic innovations to reach the battlefield. Guilliman, however, craved speed and efficiency.
The galaxy's fate hung in the balance, and he wouldn't be bogged down by the Mechanicus' bureaucratic lethargy.
Guilliman knew he couldn't afford to wait for the notoriously slow Mechanicus to verify the technology.
By the time they finished their archaic verification process, the Imperium would be nothing but dust, and he himself might be a plaything of the Chaos Gods.
Staying within Ultramar, his base of operations, offered several advantages. Here, the influence of the Mechanicus was less suffocating. With the backing of Calgar, Celestine, and others, Guilliman had more freedom to maneuver.
The combined resources of the five hundred worlds could fuel the construction of a formidable new army – a force capable of dragging the Imperium back from the brink.
The sheer size and complexity of the Imperium presented a daunting challenge. It was a tangled web of power struggles and dependencies.
The High Lords of Terra, planetary governors, interplanetary aristocrats, the Astra Militarum, the Imperial Navy, the Adeptus Custodes, the Inquisition, and countless interstellar battle groups – all engaged in a constant jockeying for influence.
Adding further complexity was the Mechanicus, a supposed ally that danced to its own tune. Their history of betrayal, as evidenced by the infamous Beast War where Orks nearly toppled the Imperium, cast a long shadow.
The Ecclesiarchy, the state religion, was another festering wound. Power struggles and greed ran rampant within its ranks. Their "atonement crusades" frequently threw loyal battle groups into the heart of the Eye of Terror, condemning them to a gruesome fate at the hands of the Chaos Gods.
Successive rulers had merely patched the holes in the Imperium's crumbling edifice. Now, it was terminally ill, and cosmetic repairs wouldn't suffice. Only radical reform and a complete overhaul could hope to revive it.
The foundation of this transformation: an army of unparalleled might.
Kauer examined the data storage Guilliman offered, his expression initially skeptical. He didn't believe the Primarch possessed any groundbreaking technology. But respect for his position compelled him to interface the device with his cranial data port.
The information surged into his processors, and a look of pure elation washed over his previously stoic face. This was knowledge he'd never encountered before – genetic modifications, blueprints for cutting-edge warships...
And then, he saw it: the schematics for the Death Star, a weapon capable of annihilating entire planets. A thrill of excitement coursed through him.
This technology was far beyond the grasp of the modern Mechanicus. It was knowledge lost to time, knowledge incapable of replication. Its disappearance meant the Imperium had irretrievably lost access to this devastating technology.
Most of the Mechanicus' arsenal didn't come from research and development, but from the recovery of ancient Standard Template Construct (STC) data caches.
The reliance on archaeological finds for technological advancement was a crippling weakness of the Mechanicus. Innovation, while present, was shackled by strict adherence to STC system. Any deviation was viewed as blasphemy against the Omnissiah, the Machine God, punishable by execution.
"Are these technologies not backed by STC system?" Kauer inquired after absorbing the data.
"No," Guilliman admitted readily. "These are the fruits of ten thousand years of accumulated knowledge."
Technologies lacking STC provenance were anathema to the Mechanicus. They would wage war against industrial worlds that dared to utilize such "blasphemous" innovations, resulting in internecine conflicts that hindered progress.
Guilliman, however, saw an opportunity in Kauer. He recalled the Magos' reputation as a radical, a proponent of reform within the Adeptus Mechanicus.
A growing faction within the organization challenged the blind adherence to ancient dogma, advocating for innovation to bolster the Imperium's might.
These "radicals" were branded heretics by the conservative faction, leading to bitter internal struggles.
"What course of action do you propose, Regent?" Kauer asked, his voice devoid of the usual suspicion reserved for unorthodox technology.
A hint of a smile played on Guilliman's lips. Kauer, he recognized, wasn't one of the dogmatic conservatives. Technology, for him, held a higher value than the mere presence of an STC system.
"I require a new army, from battleships to individual soldier equipment," Guilliman declared.
"We need a complete overhaul to crush the traitorous forces of Chaos and the alien hordes. I will issue a decree authorizing you to mobilize the industrial might of all five hundred Ultramar worlds..."
"Work with them, Kauer. You've assured me of your capabilities, and I trust you to deliver. Once I've purged the remaining Chaos taint from Ultramar, this army will become the vanguard on my march to Terra."
Kauer bowed, a metallic clicking sound accompanying the movement. "I shall not disappoint, Regent. I will ensure your forces are well-equipped."
"Excellent," Guilliman replied, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Prioritize the development of the Thought-shaping technology. It must remain a closely guarded secret. No details are to be leaked."
"Consider it done, Regent," Kauer confirmed.
Guilliman, aware of the potential repercussions, nonetheless pressed forward. The future of the Imperium hinged on innovation and a powerful military, assets the stagnant Mechanicus couldn't readily provide.
He was gambling on Kauer's ingenuity and the desperation of the Ultramar worlds to forge a new path, a path that might just save the Imperium from the encroaching darkness.
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marsolino· Mar 17, 2024
