NOVEL NEXT Chapter 93: Chapter 93
---3rd Person POV, Macragge's Honour---
Warning the laser batteries and other Imperium vessels about the approaching starship, the lieutenant ensured that everyone knew it was an allied vessel. Just as the last ship confirmed they received the information; hundreds of golden lights began streaming toward the enemy fleet. Blissfully unaware of what they were, the enemy ships did not try to fire upon them or take evasive action. With no form of resistance, the lights oversaturated the enemy's shields on contact and burrowed into the hulls of the ships.
"What in the heck were- ", the Captain of Macragge's Honour began to say, as a series of massive explosions blew apart most of the fleet and crippled the remaining vessels, "The Emperor preserve us, what manner of weapon are those!"
"According to reports, they are specialized ordinances that are fielded by xeno races from other parts of the universe. Each light source is a unique, guided missile that burrows through armor and shielding. Once inside they continue to bore completely through the ship, or burrow into critical areas and detonate.", Guilliman answered, as the Endless Horizons came into view.
Surprised to see the former Absolute Resolve on the battlefield, as it was reported to be a mangled mess just a few months ago, Guilliman was happy to see she was in the right hands now. Proudly displaying Victor's Coat of Arms and her assortment of new weaponry, the Endless Horizons now stood as a testament to what the Imperium of Man could become. Even though true scientific and technological research had all but vanished during Guilliman's long slumber, Victor's arrival could bring about a renaissance for both the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Imperium as a whole.
'The Imperium of Man has fallen short of the unimaginable vision the Emperor of Mankind had for our future, it is time we return to the path he set before us. While I cannot blame the Adeptus Mechanicus and High Lords of Terra for all our shortfalls, they should have used their influence and power to correct things long ago. This burden now falls to me, and I will ensure my father's will is followed…no matter who I must remove from power to do so.', Guilliman thought, knowing he would have to trim a lot of fat from the ruling class, "I am heading to the hanger to greet our honored guests. Captain, you have the bridge."
"Sir!", the ship captain acknowledged, saluting the Primarch.
---Twenty Minutes Later---
Arriving in the hangar, just as Victor and his party were disembarking their transport shuttle, the Primarch found himself unable to breathe upon seeing his face. While a good two foot shorter than the man he remembered, Victor was the spitting image of the Second Legion's Lost Primarch. Carrying himself just as his Lost Brother had, the man before Guilliman observed his surroundings closely while exuding an air of confidence, control, and power. While many would believe Victor was just curious, Guilliman could tell he was looking for weaknesses and vulnerabilities should he have to fight his way out. Opening his mouth to greet Victor, a familiar voice began to speak within Guilliman's mind.
"The blood descendant of my Lost Son, Klordius Aremus, has returned home to the Imperium.", the Emperor spoke, "Welcome him home as a Lost Son of Terra, heir to the Second Legion, and as member of our family."
Confirming what Guilliman's gut already told him, the sense of joy and relief he felt was incalculable. The arrival of Aremus' heir to his ancestral homeland could not have come at a better time as the Imperium of Man was in dire need of hope for better, brighter days.
"Welcome to the Imperium of Man, Victor von Stark. It is a pleasure to finally meet the one who defeated Khârn the Betrayer and his Butcherhorde.", Guilliman said, reaching out his hand.
"I am honored to meet you as well, Roboute Guilliman. Word of your legendary political and tactical genius proceeds you.", Victor replied, firmly shaking the Primarch's hand, "I look forward to working with you on whatever matter you wished to discuss."
"Please follow me, I have a meeting room set up for our discussion today.", the Primarch stated, turning and walking toward the exit.
Following closely behind him, Victor and his family silently followed the Primarch into his flagship.
---Victor POV---
Taking a seat around the large table in the center of the room, Guilliman offered us some tea before taking his seat. Retrieving a stack of papers from under the table, he split them into two piles and took a moment to collect his thoughts before beginning our conversation.
"Thank you for meeting with me today, Victor. I know you must be an incredibly busy man so I will not take up too much of your time.", Guilliman said, looking at me, "I initially wanted to work with you on two separate issues, but information I received a short time ago has changed things. With that in mind, let us focus on the most pressing issue for the Imperium today. Tell me, Victor, what do you know of the Great Rift here in the Imperium of Man?"
"The Great Rift is an enormous Immaterium gash in the middle of the Imperium of Man that was created during the fall of Cadia Prime. Due to how the Imperium's communication and transportation networks are set up, it has literally broken your nation in two.", I answered, having Luxion project a holographic map of the country, "The breach starts at the Eye of Terror in the west and the Hadex Anomaly in the east."
"Yes…that is correct…", Guilliman replied, seemingly intrigued by Luxion, "In addition to communication and transportation issues, the rift is causing many problems for those trapped on the other side. Without the Emperor's Light to protect them, the worlds and their inhabitants are slowly being corrupted by the Daemons and the Warp. The brave souls who traversed the Warp without the aid of the Astronomican have brought with them disturbing news of the atrocities that are befalling our people. Our Adeptus Mechanicus and relatively new xeno allies, the Ynnari, have all tried to find a way to cut through the rift to no avail. We are steadily running out of time and need a plan to resolve this issue."
"Have you asked the Galactic Republic and other nations for assistance? From what Victor told us, only your nation uses the Warp to get around quickly. Since other countries would be less affected, surely, they could help you right?", Olivia inquired.
Letting out a long, frustrated sigh, Guilliman agreed that was an option but there was a problem.
"...as Victor has experienced firsthand, the current leadership of the Imperium has all but ruined our relations with other nations and organizations. Since my return to active duty, I have done what I can to mend bridges, but other members of the government continue to trample over my efforts. It has become so bad that the Bounty Hunter Association almost refused to relay my message to you.", Guilliman admitted, with a grim expression.
"If you are the acting head of the government, surely you can just replace the incompetent idiots below you that are ruining your efforts.", Mylene commented, not understanding what the problem was.
"Haha, I wish it were that easy. The Imperium of Man controls, governs, and protects over a million populated worlds. To enact meaningful changes, we would have to cull many corrupt government officials and replace them with competent people. That would take time which our people do not have the luxury of right now.", Guilliman explained.
Realizing how large the Imperium of Man was, my fiancées began approximating how massive their population was. Crunching the numbers and checking their math, their faces paled when they saw how large the number could be. Sliding me the sheet of paper, just to make sure they were not crazy, they asked me to confirm if the number was vaguely correct.
"That number would be correct if the population of each world were the same as our homeworld, but that is not even close.", I stated, "Guilliman, would you say that the average population per world is about two trillion people?"
"That sounds about right.", Guilliman acknowledged, "Forge Worlds have far less than that, while many Hive Worlds likely have significantly more than that. Two trillion is a fair assumption on average."
"The Galactic Republic oversees 1.3 million worlds currently, so it is safe to say that the Imperium of Man has 1.4 million as they are a bit bigger than them. 1.4 million worlds times the average 2 trillion population equals…", I said, quickly solving the problem for them, "roughly 2.8 quintillion citizens. That does not include the space faring groups with no permanent planetary home, so the number is probably around 3 to 3.5 quintillion."
(AN: For those curious, here is the math: 2 trillion per world x 1.4 million worlds equals 2.8 quintillion people. Since there is no exact number of worlds under the Imperium's rule, I made them slightly bigger than the Galactic Republic which has 1.3 million worlds.)
Staring at the correct number on the paper, my fiancées' faces glazed over as the number was far too high to imagine. With roughly 1.4 quintillion people trapped on the other side of rift, they realized why he was desperate to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Looking toward me with expectant gazes, everyone was hopeful that I had some sort of plan to fix this issue. Giving my fiancées a smirk, I turned to Guilliman and nodded my head with confidence.
"I do have a plan in mind to address the rift, however, I need to examine a few things before I can be certain it will work. Can you arrange a time for me to examine a Blackstone Fortress and pylon from Cadia Prime? If things work out the way I think they will, not only will we be able to close the Great Rift, but also smaller breaches around the Imperium.", I told Guilliman, "It could also led to the develop of better shielding for the Warp, and a means to greatly empower the Emperor of Mankind on the Golden Throne."
Looking me in the eyes for a moment, Guilliman was cautiously confirming whether I truly thought those things were possible. Likely having been promised such things in the past, he was rightfully wary of such large promises. Sensing no deceit or falsehoods in my eyes, as I honestly believed it was possible, a smile crept upon his face.
"Closing the Great Rift is all I am after, but I will graciously accept anything else you can offer us. I promise you will be properly compensated for all your effort and hard work for our people.", Guilliman swore, "As for the examination of both items you mentioned, it will take some time, but I will strong arm the Adeptus Mechanicus into making them available for you."
"Excellent, assuming the surveys go well, once I have the results in hand I can begin manufacturing equipment immediately. Given the scale of the operation, I believe we can have everything ready in two to three months.", I informed him, as Jarvis showed me our production docket for the next twelve months, 'I will give them basic equipment they need, and keep the advance gear for my men. Till their xenophobic mentality simmers down, they cannot be trusted with more advanced weaponry.'
"You could have them ready in two to three months afterward?!", Guilliman gasped, "…the Adeptus Mechanicus would take several years to field new equipment…"
"Unlike the Imperium, most civilized galactic nations can produce enormous quantities of goods and materials in a short span of time. Take for example the Algrand Empire, they have starships which can construct entire cities in a matter of days.", I explained, looking at him with a hint of disappointment, "I know at one point the Imperium of Man was an advanced society that embraced scientific and technological progress. With you at the helm I hope it returns to that as your neighbors are steadily leaving you in the dust."
"I assure you, that is high on my list of priorities once the rift is dealt with. While leadership has become superstitious of science and technology, I want us to return to the path the Emperor of Mankind set us in the beginning.", Guilliman assured me, "Now then, is there anything else you need from me in the meantime?"
"Do you have any data on the Great Rift itself? Any scientific data you have would help reduce research and development time of my solution.", I said, receiving a grin from Guilliman.
Sliding me both stacks of paper, Guilliman indicated that the first was data specific to the rift while the second was for the Warp at large. Surprised at how detailed the information was, I thanked the Primarch for the data and promptly had Jarvis scan everything into my suit. Stowing the physical copies away in my storage afterward, Guilliman rose from his seat to thank us for our time today.
"Thank you again for your assistance with this sensitive matter. I will be in touch as soon as the arrangements are made.", Guilliman stated, offering his hand once again.
"Not a problem, I am glad we are able to help your citizens return to a semi-normal lifestyle again.", I replied, rising from my seat and shaking his hand, "So we can better communicate with each other moving forward, please take this."
Handing him a subspace transceiver, I gave him a brief overview of how to operate the device. Grateful to have a substantially quicker method to communicate with me now, he attached the unit to his hip before escorting us back to our shuttle pod.