"You're heading to Sotha?"
Guilliman felt a knot in his stomach when Daniel mentioned his destination. After the parade, the Primarch planned to hit the road and completely drive the Chaos traitors out of Ultramar. The Five Hundred Worlds were the Imperium's crown jewel and Guilliman's home base. He needed to ensure the sector was locked down before he could make a run for Terra.
The Primarch had originally planned to invite Daniel to join the expedition. However, Daniel politely refused, stating he needed to investigate some things on Planet Sotha.
Guilliman immediately grew wary when Sotha came up. The planet was tied up in secrets that simply couldn't see the light of day.
"Are you worried I'll stumble upon your little secret?" Daniel asked with a teasing smirk.
Guilliman froze. "You know?"
Daniel observed the Primarch's reaction. "I know some things, but I'm not sure: are you afraid the Pharos Lighthouse on Sotha will be found?" He paused. "Or are you afraid I'll use it to dig up dirt on the Second Imperium?"
Guilliman's face fell. Brother, please keep your voice down! That historical stain was toxic! Even during the Horus Heresy, they hadn't dared to establish a separate nation.
He had directly founded the Second Imperium. If that story got out, he, the Lord of Ultramar, would be sharing a table with Horus at the traitor banquet.
"You don't need to sweat the Second Imperium," Daniel reassured him. "The more you worry about it, the more people will use it as a weapon against you."
"People don't care about the truth," Guilliman countered, shaking his head. "They'll only fixate on me founding the Second Imperium and use it to undermine my authority. Especially now that we're trying to clean house across the entire Imperium, they'll be hunting for our Achilles' heels."
Guilliman could imagine how entrenched the bureaucracy had become. The old High Lords' Council was probably a bloated, inefficient mess—a network of complex interests that constantly bled the Imperium dry.
This network was a cancer, parasitic on every aspect of the Imperium. Cutting it out completely risked massive internal collapse or paralyzing the entire Imperium. Power and wealth had made those individuals lose their fear of God.
Once Guilliman implemented reforms that cost them, they would unite and try everything in their power to take him down. The stain of the Second Imperium was undoubtedly the perfect excuse. Guilliman even suspected they might declare him the traitor and rally the troops to destroy him.
"Even the Emperor doesn't care, so why should you? Under the circumstances at the time, establishing the Second Imperium was the smartest move," Daniel stated bluntly. "You had completely lost contact with Terra. The Astronomican couldn't see you, and astropathic messages weren't getting through."
"Who knows the real story? If I were in your shoes, I would have thought the Emperor had fallen to Horus too. The establishment of a Second Imperium united the Loyalists, bringing the warriors who wanted to avenge the Emperor together under a new banner."
"Thank you for your vote of confidence, Guide." Guilliman smiled. It was always gratifying to gain support and recognition. "But we've gotten off track. Guide, why exactly are you going to Sotha?"
"According to the intelligence I received after waking up, the place is now a bare rock, completely stripped clean of all organic matter by the Tyranids." During the Second Tyranid War, Sotha was invaded by the Hive Fleet.
The Emperor's Scythes Chapter stationed there suffered heavy losses and were forced to retreat. The entire planet was literally chewed down to a stone ball by the Tyranids.
Daniel explained, "Isn't the Pharos Lighthouse still on Sotha?" He continued, "The Astronomican can no longer penetrate the Great Rift. Without the Astronomican's guidance, navigation in the Dark Imperium is next to impossible."
Guilliman immediately grasped Daniel's meaning. "You want to activate the Pharos Beacon and use it to aid navigation in the Dark Imperium?"
"Yes," Daniel confirmed. "It's the only viable backup plan we have right now."
"Then you're going to be disappointed," Guilliman said, shaking his head. "The Pharos Lighthouse utilized a significant amount of Xenos technology. I sent men to study it, but they only learned how to activate it. Later, the Night Lords invaded Ultramar intending to seize control of the Pharos Lighthouse, which sparked the Battle of Sotha. The beacon was ultimately sacrificed—overpowered by the loyal Iron Warrior Barabas Dantioch to disable enemy communications—and I later ordered its complete destruction."
Daniel smiled, then laid his own knowledge on the table. "You failed to destroy it completely, and that's all that matters. Besides, the Pharos Lighthouse is Necron technology. Human and Necron technological pathways are worlds apart, but I have a way to bridge that gap."
"Most Necron tech comes from another ancient race—the C'tan. The machine spirit of the Imperial Glory is a C'tan that hasn't fully matured yet. She can reverse-engineer the Pharos Lighthouse and obtain the key technology."
Guilliman looked at Daniel, genuinely surprised. "I learned about the C'tan machine spirit from Cawl and Amalrich, but I never imagined she could actually reverse-engineer technology."
"Also, I'm curious: are you always so wide open when talking to others? You just told me such a critical secret without hesitation. Aren't you worried about creating problems down the line?"
"Only honesty can clear the air and ensure that we cooperate in the future without suspicion," Daniel hinted. "Didn't the Emperor's secrecy about the Webway Project lead to mutual distrust and ultimately the bitter taste of betrayal?"
Guilliman sighed. Daniel's words took him back to the long table in the basement of Hera Fortress—the one he'd built for his Primarch brothers and Magos to visit Macragge someday. Every Primarch had a designated seat.
The Emperor would sit at the head, with the Primarchs on either side. They would freely discuss the future of humanity and what they planned to do after the war. However, all that was for naught with Horus's betrayal.
"Back then, even though we had our disagreements, we never thought it would escalate to the point where brothers would kill each other and light the whole galaxy on fire."
"No trust can withstand constant suspicion," Daniel said. "Mutual honesty is the foundation for earning trust."
Guilliman nodded. "You shared a secret with me, so I should share one with you."
"Do you know that for the past ten millennia, Cawl has been completing the tasks I assigned him?"
Daniel nodded. "I know."
"Then do you know what I asked him to do?"
"He created the Armor of Fate for you and optimized the Astartes. Oh, and he also used the Primaris Stack you gave him to create the Primaris Marines."
Guilliman's mouth twitched. "Cawl told you that?"
"No, the Emperor did," Daniel said, sticking to his usual tactic of blaming things he couldn't explain on the Emperor. "By the way, what was the secret you wanted to tell me?"
Guilliman was speechless. You already know all the secrets; what is left to say?!
"I have no secrets, and neither do the Ultramarines. Let's take a deep dive into the Primaris, instead."
The Primaris Marine was the culmination of Cawl's millennia-long research. He had also created large numbers of Primaris warriors in places like Mars, ready to be awakened when Guilliman returned to Terra. He planned to launch a massive crusade to reclaim the territories lost to the Chaos hordes.
As for why Cawl hadn't deployed this army to help resist the Arch-Enemy at Cadia, the answer was simple: the political climate wouldn't allow it. If the Primaris were revealed, Cawl would immediately be branded a traitor by the Ecclesiarchy, the Inquisition, and the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The day Cawl announced the birth of the Primaris Marines, the next day he'd be six feet under after "committing suicide." The day after that, the painstakingly crafted Primaris warriors would be declared tainted by Chaos and completely destroyed by the insane Mechanicus. Only with Guilliman, the Emperor's own son, stepping up and taking ownership could these disasters be averted.
In addition to Sotha and the Primaris Marines, Daniel and Guilliman also discussed the issue of the Saints. They formulated the exchange rules for Contribution Points and Eagle Coins. Guilliman promised Daniel he would find a way to allow the Saints to freely exchange for various weapons and equipment.
After everything was settled, Daniel left Guilliman's study.
As soon as he stepped outside the door, a golden light curtain appeared before him.
Mission: Safely Escort Cawl Back to the Solar System
You successfully escorted Cawl to Macragge and resurrected the Primarch, but the hope for redemption lies on Terra. The Chaos Gods certainly wouldn't allow him and the Primarch to return to Terra safely. Find a way to protect him and ensure his safe return to Terra.
Reward: Gain a large amount of EXP Points. Players can unlock Primaris upgrades after reaching a certain level.
"Primaris upgrade? That's a great perk for players who chose the Astartes path." Daniel glanced at the task and chalked it up as something that would happen anyway. Regardless of the quest, he was going to send players to follow the pilgrimage group to Terra.
Daniel didn't linger at Hera Fortress. He immediately headed back to the Imperial Glory in low-orbit to prepare to take a group of players to Planet Sotha to analyze the Pharos Lighthouse. The rest of the players and Sha would stay on Macragge and wait for future arrangements.
"Master, you're finally back!" As soon as he stepped off the tarmac, Arale's projection appeared beside Daniel, circling him enthusiastically.
Daniel chuckled at the lively Arale. He waited until she had finished fidgeting before giving the order. "Go post a mission. Recruit a group of players to follow me to Sotha."
"Roger that, Master. Arale will get right on it!"
Arale was lightning-fast. In a moment, the new task was sent to the players' data pads.
At that time, many members of the Emperor's Cattle Regiment were watching the arena battle at Hera Fortress. Warmaster, wearing only his battle uniform, was fighting an Eldar warrior. Eldar warriors were known for their speed, moving like ghosts and incredibly fast.
Warmaster held a shield in one hand and a sword in the other—a tactic he'd developed after repeatedly reviewing his battle with Lucius. Lucius had been too fast and his attacks too tricky. Trying to match the opponent's speed or swordsmanship was a fool's errand. By using a shield, he could neutralize the opponent's speed advantage.
The idea was paying off. The Eldar warrior was fast, but his attacks mainly bounced off the shield and couldn't break Warmaster's defense. Warmaster, meanwhile, was able to launch swift counterattacks with his sword.
Clang!
The Eldar warrior's blow landed on the shield, sending a shower of sparks flying. Warmaster swung his shield to interrupt the attack, then thrust with his sword. The Eldar warrior stumbled back, but Warmaster pressed the attack, constantly ramming his opponent with the shield.
The Eldar warrior was forced to roll to the side to create distance. Before he could catch his breath, Warmaster charged again with the shield. The Eldar warrior raised his sword to block, but was hit with such brute force that he was knocked back with a loud bang against the fighting cage.
"You win," announced the God-chosen Champion of the Ynnari, Thousand Masques, standing calmly outside the cage.
The surrounding players immediately erupted in cheers.
"Brilliant!"
"Warmaster is GOAT!"
"You actually defeated the Eldar. Can you get any cooler?"
Warmaster smiled slightly at the player. "No sweat, it was nothing."
"That guy's showing off again," Yuji and the others muttered, rolling their eyes.
Amalrich and the seasoned veteran Sade were also watching the battle.
"He's making tremendous progress," a Black Templar commented, a little surprised.
"The progress of the Saints is honestly terrifying," Amalrich agreed. When they first met, Warmaster's combat skills were nowhere near this level. Only a few days had passed, and he was already capable of defeating an Eldar warrior.
"Next, it's my turn." Yvraine stepped forward and looked at Warmaster. "Do you have the guts to challenge me?"
Warmaster was about to respond when the voices of Yuji and others broke through the chatter.
"New mission alert! The Guide is recruiting a group of players to go to Sotha to investigate something!"