| Malcador's Tower |
At the round table, I turned towards Malcador, who was seated to my right and said to him.
"First I will go over some changes I will make to the Adeptus Astartes, the space marines. The surgery has been successful enough for all twenty legions. Some legions have stable geneseed from their primarchs and others not so much, leaving them with genetic flaws or mutations. These flaws can be resolved later on, the fact that each legion is complete and loyal to their respective primarchs through geneseed recognition is what matters.
These spacemarines are far more powerful than guardsmen and will serve well as elite strike troops, but in the face of psychic xenos and chaos daemons, without superior numbers and proper combat knowledge, they will become fodder.
So, going forward, there will be two mandatory specialist groups that every legion must have going forward. The first specialist group will be called Librarians, and the leader among them will be called Chief Librarians. The librarians will be psyker spacemarines, each meticulously trained to use the warp safely.
The first batch of librarians for each legion will be trained by you, Malcador, and will be taught how to approach combat against psychic xenos. Along with how to face off against chaos sorcerers and chaos daemons, along with learning how to banish chaos daemons back into the warp using their true names.
Furthermore, every Chief Librarian will undergo a second surgery to include part of my geneseed. This will ensure that the Chief Librarian will be incorruptible and when need be, I can directly possess them in times of dire need. Any concerns related to this first change?"
Immediately, Valdor, who was seated across the table in front of me, voiced his concern, "In the case that a Chief Librarian ever dies, what will happen to their geneseed?
Jenetia, who was seated next to Valdor on his right, also nodded her head in agreement.
Hearing this, I understood his underlying concern of what might happen if a chaos daemon or xenos gets their hands on it.
I could also sense his slight irritation that some astartes will be given my geneseed and his lack of trust that the legions can keep my geneseed safe.
I replied back to him, "Each geneseed I make will have a trace of my psychic power. Upon the death of the Chief Librarian, if I sense that the astartes nearby can't recover the geneseed, I will destroy it myself."
I sensed that both of them were uncomfortable with the idea that I would destroy what can be considered a small part of myself.
But I gave them a look that told them not to think about it.
After that, I looked to my right, directly at Malcador, to see what he had to say.
Malcador just looked exasperated at the new work he'll have to do.
He looked up towards me and said, "I understand the necessity of psykers in the legions; I will make sure that each of them know how to keep their abilities under absolute control."
I nodded in satisfaction at this answer and then I turned towards Alpharius who was seated to my left. I was curious if he had any opinions on this matter, especially on the matter of me giving the Chief Librarians my own geneseed. Which in a sense would make them also sons to me.
Alpharius said nothing, but in his eyes was tacit approval of this.
Finally, I made a quick glance at Trazyn, who was seated to Malcador's right and Valdor's left.
I wanted to see if there was even a speck of interest from him, and from the slight tilt of his head I could tell there was.
The reason for me inviting Trazyn here was to show sincerity and let him see that we are making steps towards becoming an efficiently powerful army. One that will seem like worthy allies to Trazyn and the other Necron Overlords he may bring into our alliance.
The main reason was so that he would become more interested in "collecting" more of humanity for his museum. If he does start "collecting" more, it will give me a proper reason to start "collecting" things from him myself.
I really wanted to get my hands on some of his ships, specifically the inertialess drive and some eldar ships he has. Although the current scientists of humanity, the Tech priests, are rather incompetent overall.
At least a few of them may be able to understand something, perhaps one of them can even become an apprentice to Trazyn if they are interesting enough to him.
But this is all something that will happen later on in the future.
"Next," I said to them all after I looked away from Trazyn. "The second mandatory specialist group will be called Chaplains. This will be a group of space marines who will go through a ritual to have a chaos daemon put in their minds. In their minds, they will repeatedly have to fight this chaos daemon using their will until they achieve a state similar to blanks. Soulless beings who have no presence in the warp, making them nigh-incorruptible by chaos."
This time everyone looked at me with questioning gazes as if I was mad, I ignored their gazes and continued.
"The Librarians can't be everywhere dealing with every trace of chaos corruption. There needs to be a vanguard against these enemies, one with superior numbers who can hold off the forces of chaos long enough for the Librarians to banish chaos daemons.
Chaplains will also act as the spiritual leaders for each legion. They have seen the great enemy and know what behaviors amongst spacemarines should be monitored and regulated.
They will also be the ones to inspect every world a legion conquers to check for even the slightest signs of corruption. And they will build a fortress on every world and continue to stay there to ensure that signs of chaos do not appear once the legion is gone.
I will be the one who supervises their training and within the Chaplains for each legion. The leader amongst them will be called the High Chaplain. Only the High Chaplain along with four trusted Chaplains under his direct command and very select personnel will be allowed to conduct the ritual needed to put a chaos daemon within the mind of a Chaplain candidate.
Also using faith I will infuse every High Chapel 一"
Before I could finish, Malcador interrupted me with urgency in his voice.
"Absolutely not my friend, you can not use faith. We both know the cost if you use faith as power."
Following Malcador's interruption, Valdor also voiced his opposition to this.
"My Liege, you have executed many dangerous plans and even succeeded. But using faith as power is something Iー"
Valdor hesitated for a moment because he believed he may be crossing the line a bit as a loyal tool of the Emperor, but then continued what he wanted to say with firm will in this tone.
"I, as your spear, your guard, can not allow you to use faith. In the past, you told me the cost of you using faith. There is no need for you to use faith and risk becoming a god, the thing you loathe."
After Valdor said that Jenetia nodded her head in agreement and then she started speaking using the handsigns that Thought Mark had.
She said to me, "We truly do not wish for you to no longer be the man who united terra and seeks to unite all of humanity. Please do not use faith and risk becoming a completely different person due to the subtle corruption of chaos and what the prayers from faith ask of you."
Alpharius also spoke up and said, "From what I've heard, using faith may turn you into a different person. One who is uncaring and similar to those four abominations, father I believe you wouldn't just use faith without a proper plan."
Honestly, I felt warmth in my heart, I heard their concern and I sensed their will to stop me from doing something so reckless.
I knew if I didn't give them irrefutable proof that I can use faith without any major consequences, they would do all they can to oppose me.
So, I channeled my power and directly isolated Malcador's tower completely from the prying eyes in the warp.
In this space of absolute isolation, I called upon the faith stored in me from the other Emperors of Mankind.
Then, I entered my "The One" form in front of them. I let them see with their own eyes my newest trump card against chaos.
Every present looked at me in shock as they saw bright golden flames surrounding me, pulsating in patterns as if it was alive. On my body there were glowing runes of ancient and forgotten languages of humanity. Even the scars on my body had a golden glow that seemed to symbolize what I have sacrificed to this day.
Behind my head was a pointed flaming halo and then they looked into my eyes. They saw bright blue eyes that seemed to see a distant future and around my eyes were rings of flames that seemed to symbolize my will to achieve that distant future.
"Truly intriguing," Trazyn said out loud as he took out an orb to try and record this and he even took out a pad trying to record information on my current power.
Of course, I destroyed the orb and pad he brought out, leaving him absolutely annoyed that he wouldn't be able to add this scene before him to his museum.
Malcador was currently inspecting me heavily, using his psychic sense to try and figure out how I am using faith without any drawbacks.
I could sense that Valdor and Jenetia were extremely unnerved by my current appearance. They looked at me with shock, concern, and something else.
Alpharius stared directly at me with awe written all over his face, I really did not want to sense what was currently going through his head.
I dismissed my "The One" form and to answer some of their doubts, I told them.
"I achieved this form through extremely pure faith, faith that even chaos and the prayers spoken won't be able to mess with me as a person. As for how I obtained this pure faith, I can not say, but know that I will never use this power recklessly."
After I dismissed my "The One" form and said that, everyone snapped out of their shock and scrutiny.
Malcador said to me, "Fine, I will trust you on this matter, my friend."
Everyone else nodded in agreement with Malcador.
So, I continued to finish what I was saying earlier, "Every High Chaplain will be infused with a major part of this faith power I have. It will give them the power to summon my flames as a weapon, create a shield in a large area around them, and detect abnormalities a lot better than the Librarians.
Through the faith power I will give High Chaplains, I will be able to supervise the ritual the High Chaplain performs on Chaplain candidates and intervene when necessary. The Chaplains who succeed in the ritual will also get a small part of my faith power. Which will do the same thing as the High Chaplains, but on a lesser scale. Only through their deeds, will, and loyalty will the faith power the Chaplains possess increase."
Malcador then questioned me, "Is it truly worth it to create these Chaplains compared to the Librarians?"
"It is," I started to say and then continued. "Chaplains are easier to create than Librarians, although they will have less versatility. But the fact that there is no risk to them losing control over their power, unlike the Librarians, makes them extremely valuable.
My goal here was to shape the Librarians into a decisive sword for the legion and the Chaplains into a stable shield. Both groups will also act as a counter to each other should one of them fall towards chaos or even a psychic xenos. No Librarian or Chaplain may ever become the Captain of a company in a legion. They will forever act as the left and right hand of every Captain of a company."
Malcador hummed in approval of this and I looked towards everyone else present. They all expressed their tacit approval of this.
So, I continued on to my final change to the legions I want to make.
What I said next made Malcador, Valdor, and Jenetia look towards me in shock once again.
"Once I commence the Great Crusade, I will seek out Erda and have her join us again. I need her to develop a way to improve the strength of the spacemarines and aid me in making some changes to the custodians."
Malcador's head snapped towards me and said, "Are you sure you want to bring her back here? Especially after she unwittingly became a pawn for chaos and allowed them to get their hands on the primarchs."
I also sensed Valdor's self-doubt in his abilities, when I said changes to the custodians, but just as I was about to reassure him.
"Who is Erda and how exactly did she allow those four to get their hands on me and my brothers?" Alpharius asked me in a puzzled tone and a frown on his face.
"First," I said while looking at Valdor. "With Erda's help, I want to weaken your genetic augmentations against the warp, so that I can implant parts of my soul, faith power and some other things. This will make you all a very special kind of psyker that will be fiercely loyal and incorruptible. This new power I wish to give you all will aid you all when it comes time to attack chaos in their own domains. I will explain in further detail another time."
"And Alpharius," I said as I turned towards him. "Erda is a perpetual like me, a mutant branch of the human species who possess special abilities and are immortal. Some are immortal in terms of age, or they simply can't die unless you attack their soul. Some perpetuals were created artificially and some are born naturally, just like me, Malcador, and Erda.
Erda was one of the very few perpetuals who never left my side when I first started my plan to save humanity. She aided me greatly, especially thanks to her skills as a geneticist; in fact, she can be considered your mother. It was through our combined geneseed, along with many other things, that you and the primarchs were created.
I had kept her outside the plans I had made for our sons, the primarchs, because in every vision I had seen of the future. My sons were stolen from me and scattered through the warp, it was a fate I could not change.
So, I shut out everyone from the plans I had for the future of my sons. I did that to block any potential hidden agents of chaos and to find a way to keep my sons by my side. But little did I know, I became an unwitting pawn of fate.
Blocking Erda from knowing what I planned for you all and from even seeing you all. Lead to her becoming disillusioned with me and she eventually decided that she had to save you all from me. Which was due to the visions of the future she must have seen about you all.
Eventually, one day when I had to turn my full attention towards the webway entrance hidden in the Imperial Palace. Erda destroyed the protective boundary around the laboratory and sought to scatter you all to planets that she chose.
After she infused her power into each of the pods to guide you all to the planets she chose and then she fled fearing my wrath. But little did she know, that she became an unwitting pawn of chaos. The four were waiting for the moment she destroyed the boundary and once it was destroyed and when she scattered all of you into the warp.
They immediately grabbed all of you and altered the destinations Erda set for your pods. They also destroyed the protections I put on the pods, so that they could taint all of you with their power. Before I could arrive and salvage the situation, they had already sent some of the primarchs to planets of their choice.
Even now, Erda hasn't realized that what she thought was a chance to save you all from the bitter future she saw, was exactly what set that future in motion. As of now, she lives in self-imposed exile in a secluded spot here on terra called Guelb."
Silence took hold for a while as I let Alpharius digest this information. A few moments later he asked me, "What she did can be considered unforgivable, why is it that you let her walk free?"
I thought to myself, 'Once again I have to explain the original Emperor's actions, if only I became the Emperor sooner.'
I sighed and replied, "It is indeed unforgivable, but I must acknowledge it is a fault shared by the both of us. I have kept many secrets and told many lies. Some of which I should have been more open about and in this case, I should have said more. If I had said my concern, perhaps the scattering never would have happened.
I have already once stated I will be more open to prevent chaos from ever using my silence as a weapon against me. Me resolving this matter with Erda will be one of my many first steps towards this. Though most of all I believe the primarchs need a mother, one who can be by their side and guide them in ways I never will be able to."
At that, Alpharius looked towards me with bright eyes and I looked away because that look felt a little too close to fanaticism.
I also felt Malcador's gaze, as if he was witnessing the impossible, which kind of stung. Is it really that impossible that I would admit faults and seek to reconcile?
Valdor had a firm look on his face, but I could sense he seemed to have the same thoughts as Malcador.
Even Jenetia had the same look.
Now I was starting to feel offended.
I looked over to Trazyn and said to me, "I guess you're not as much of a thug as I thought you were."
Hearing that, I decided that I'm definitely raiding his museum when he isn't looking.
I internally sighed and said, "Let's move on to the next matter, there is another perpetual I will reconcile with and bring back into the group. His name is Ollanius Persson. He used to serve as the Warmaster of my armies until the day I did something that left him also disillusioned with me."
Malcador sighed, as he knew what would happen next.
Alpharius looked towards me and said, "I do not believe you should keep forgiving these perpetuals who became disillusioned with you."
Valdor also nodded his head in agreement.
I shook my head and said, "What Ollanius did was nothing compared to what Erda did. There was a time Ollanius and I were attacking a tower made etched in Enuncia, a language capable of altering reality. He wanted to destroy this tower and the dark knowledge it contained, but I wanted to keep it against certain future threats. So, Ollanius stabbed me with his dagger and destroyed the tower; after that, we parted ways."
After I said that, I felt emotions of extreme rage come from Valdor, Jenetia, and Alpharius.
Malcador also sighed again and rubbed his temple, as he fully expected his friend to be completely oblivious to how two of his loyal vassals and one of his sons. Would react to hearing that he wished to forgive someone who once stabbed him in the back.
I looked a bit stunned at their sudden attitude change, as if they were about to jump out the window and order the immediate hunt of Ollanius.
I thought to myself, 'It really can't be that bad compared to Erda scattering our sons? Right?'
-To Be Continued...
(A/N: My schedule is back to normal, so it's back to 3 chapters a week.
I'm a big fan of Chaplains so I really wanted to keep their existence and tried to justify it coming into existence this early. Along with making them like the Exorcists chapter.
One more Plans chapter, a Trazyn pov chapter, then it should finally be the commencement of the Great Crusade.
Also I am starting to plan out a second fanfic that I might start writing next month. It's another WH:40K fanfic that will have a Lamenters MC. It's an idea I can't get out of my head unless I write it and if I do end up writing it. The updates will be sporadic, most likely once a week. It won't interfere with updates of this fanfic.)