The Imperial Navy and the Astra Militarum will also have all their current designations canceled and be reorganized into the Human Empire Army.
Almost every world still in contact across the entire Human Empire has basically received the news.
Aside from the message about legion reconstruction, there's also the Primaris Space Marine transformation program!
According to the announcement, this new surgery will make Space Marines even stronger and taller!
Every Space Marine Chapter that received this news has been thrown into chaos, except, of course, for the Blood Angels, who had prior notice. All other chapters are confused and stunned.
The Space Wolves, White Scars, Dark Angels, Iron Hands—these original founding chapters are all in a daze.
Not to mention those successor chapters that have already split off. Right now, all Space Marines are discussing two things.
Within Imperial space, on a Space Marine homeworld, a chapter garrisoned there is engaged in heated discussion.
"The Emperor's awakening, the return of the Primarchs—this is a good thing for the Empire. But we have believed in the Astartes Codex for ten thousand years.
And the ten-thousand-year-old, thousand-marine chapter system—is it really going to be abolished, and are we really going back to the legion structure? Many chapters can't even trace their parentage anymore," said one Space Marine.
Take their chapter, for instance—they can no longer trace their founding. Their gene-seed likely comes partly from the Ultramarines and partly from the Salamanders.
This situation is commonplace. Many chapter gene-seeds, to ensure they are not corrupted by Chaos and for stability, have in fact always incorporated some Ultramarines gene-seed.
"This is the Emperor's own order! We only need to obey. The Emperor has already ordered the return of the legions— even the Imperial Navy and Astra Militarum will be merged into the Empire Army," said a company captain.
"But has the Emperor truly awakened? Could this be a rumor spread by the High Lords?" asked the chapter's chaplain.
"It shouldn't be. We've been in contact with surrounding star systems, and the news has spread throughout the Imperium. Holy Terra is safe.
Besides, all Navigators and Astropaths say the Astronomican's light is now stronger than ever. If not for the Great Rift, the Empire's territory would have already expanded by a quarter," said the chapter master.
He'd confirmed this news from many sources; the entire Empire has received it. It can't be a Chaos plot.
The Emperor's power has indeed increased, and he has truly awakened, able now to indirectly rule the Imperium.
"Also, with the legion system restored, us chapter masters will be retained. Above us, there'll be brigade commanders and vice-legion commanders," added the chapter's adjutant.
The new rank structure is clearly designed to accommodate all chapter masters—though everyone is a chapter master, officially their rank is now the same within the Empire.
Some original founding chapter masters will be promoted to vice-legion commanders. The successor chapter masters will keep their title and still command a thousand-strong Space Marine force.
"Then which legion do we return to? Salamanders or Ultramarines?" asked a company captain.
A key question.
"Personally, I suggest returning to the Ultramarines, since they have a living primarch—Lord Roboute Guilliman has returned," said the chapter master.
The Empire seems to have considered this, allowing all chapters to trace their gene-seeds. If you have two primarchs' seeds, you can choose which legion to rejoin.
"Let's go with the Ultramarines! I hear they're now performing new surgery to create Primaris Marines. These new Primaris are much stronger than the old ones."
After a vote, this nameless chapter chose to return to the Ultramarines.
Across the vast Empire, countless Space Marine chapters are making their choices.
Some, though, have chosen to wait and see how the founding chapters decide.
The first founding chapter master to act was the Blood Angels.
The Blood Angels' homeworld, Baal, under Rhodes' care, is now covered by the upgraded Astronomican.
After the Emperor's Golden Throne was upgraded, a third of the Empire's lost territory was illuminated and, after months out of contact, Baal and neighboring systems have returned to the fold.
With communications restored, Blood Angels Chapter Master Dante was the first to make a statement:
"Space Marines are the Emperor's creation, and must be loyal to the Emperor himself!
Therefore, the Blood Angels will unconditionally follow the Emperor, whatever his orders."
Dante officially renamed the chapter the Blood Angels Legion, calling on all sons of Sanguinius to return.
All chapter master positions would be retained as part of the Legion.
This was a decision agreed upon by all Sanguinius' sons after the Battle of Baal, so there were no surprises—the Blood Angels were the first to fully rebuild their legion.
For various reasons, Roboute Guilliman didn't want the Ultramarines to be the first, since many in the Empire had their eyes on them.
After the Blood Angels' move, it caused a huge stir. Next came Jaghatai Khan's White Scars, who announced their return to the Empire.
They would obey all the Emperor's orders, form the White Scars Legion, and recall all sons of Jaghatai.
For the White Scars, the Empire granted special privileges—their Khan and Great Khan titles would replace chapter and brigade commander ranks.
After the White Scars, the Salamanders also announced their stance: accepting the Emperor's and their primarch's leadership, and reforming the Salamanders Legion, calling all successor chapters home.
The Imperial Fists also made their position clear. Already stationed on Holy Terra, they knew the Emperor had truly awakened and thus, without question, declared full return to the legion.
The Imperial Fists' strongest successor chapter, the Black Templars, were contacted personally by Marshal Helbrecht, with persuasion from Rhodes, Guilliman, and others.
With over 5,000 members, the Black Templars chose to return to the Imperial Fists. However, because of some things Rhodes showed them—
Especially his gene-seed's berserk transformation and survival abilities, Helbrecht managed to convince several expedition marshals and some Black Templars to join Rhodes's legion, taking his gene-seed.
The Black Templars' High Marshal had no objection, since their numbers were large—over 3,000 could return to the parent legion, an immense force that could have turned the Fists into the Templars.
The remaining 2,000 joined Rhodes' legion, able to carry on the Sigismund legacy.
And, undeniably, Rhodes' gene-seed suited the Black Templars' berserker tactics even better.
Rhodes promised these Black Templars they'd form a Black Templar Brigade, maintaining a force of 10,000.
With founding chapters supporting unification, some raised doubts or objected—most notably the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels.
The Space Wolves directly refused, even claiming the Emperor's awakening was just a conspiracy by Roboute Guilliman.
Guilliman had, ten thousand years ago, used dirty tricks to split up the legions.
The Space Wolves would return to the legion, since they had no real successor chapters, but doubted the Emperor's awakening and refused the new Primaris transformation.
As for the Dark Angels, they made no statement at all—their homeworld destroyed, they now dwelled in the Imperium's shadow, many not even receiving the news.
The Iron Hands' stance was ambiguous—they were still waiting and seeing, but not as outright defiant as the Space Wolves.
Rhodes's own Legion—the Warmaster Legion—and Elena's Sisters of Battle, the Ice Queen Legion, also received Imperial recognition.
The most excited were the Sisters—having a female primarch was a point of immense pride. Elena was a former Sister, adopted by the Emperor, ascended to true primarch, and defeated the Empire's greatest foe, the Warmaster Abaddon.
The Ecclesiarchy immediately sent representatives to Holy Terra to worship the Emperor and unconditionally support his decisions.
From now on, all Sisters of Battle would join the Ice Queen's ranks, arriving on Terra in batches to undergo Primaris Space Marine transformation.
Guilliman: "Rhodes, tomorrow you and Sister Elena will meet the Ecclesiarchy. Be polite.
The church is still important for the Empire, especially for maintaining the Emperor's rule and training the Sisters."
"Got it. What about the Space Wolves?" Rhodes asked.