"A strength of ten thousand men," Guilliman finally said slowly, "I believe that is a number all our brothers can accept."
This scale would preserve the numbers of the other Legions while still granting the Primarchs' honor the greatest possible respect.
"Of course, the other brothers can accept that," Axis said, "Now let us discuss another matter, Guilliman. The one-thousand-man strength for a Chapter refers to combat personnel, does it not? You cannot possibly intend to count logistics staff and new recruits in that total."
Even the future Chapters, which nominally had a thousand Astartes, could often only field six or seven hundred in true fighters, as one had to account for the neophyte companies.
Guilliman fell silent.
"Let us say the Scout companies number two hundred strong, and they will not be counted as part of the official establishment," Axis continued. "The Chapter strength will remain at one thousand, but it will be composed entirely of full battle-brothers."
Truthfully, had the Emperor not just communicated with him, Axis would have pushed for even more.
"Fine!" Guilliman exhaled sharply, "I understand! Do you have any other demands? State them all at once."
To have brokered this demobilization agreement at all, Guilliman had already expended a great deal of effort.
"There is one more thing. My Legion, the Golden Legion, is to retain a strength of one hundred thousand Astartes. As it happens, my Legion has a surplus of thirty thousand men. These thirty thousand, along with some of my new recruits, will be split off to form fifty new Chapters."
Axis thought to himself that the ten-thousand-man limit was only for the Astartes Legions of his brothers, not his own. He would have ten times that number.
Back on his homeworld of Nuceria, the urgent demands of the Great Betrayal had spurred an accelerated production of new recruits. He estimated that by the time he returned, two or three tens of thousands of neophytes would be ready. These new soldiers, combined with his thirty-thousand-strong surplus, were perfect for creating fifty new Chapters.
"Axis!" Guilliman's fury was instant. "By what right do you demand such special treatment? You would dismantle our brothers' Legions, yet leave your own untouched?"
A strength of one hundred thousand was, for all intents and purposes, a full Astartes Legion.
"I have this right because I am entrusted with a unique mission," Axis retorted with a cold snort. "Guilliman, if you truly wish to know this secret, I will tell you."
He needed a Legion of a hundred thousand to deal with the multitude of threats the future held.
The War of the Beast, the countless chaotic conflicts, the Drukhari, the Necrons, the Orks, was there any corner of the galaxy that did not demand the presence of an Astartes Legion?
"You!" Guilliman began.
"I bear the solemn duty," Axis declared, "of helping the Emperor rise from the Golden Throne."
"Enough!" Guilliman roared. "I understand, Axis. But this is my limit. Your Legion may remain at one hundred thousand, but my Ultramarines must also retain a strength of one hundred thousand."
Very well, he thought. The Golden Legion would keep its strength.
As the Emperor's most trusted commander, Axis had that right. But as the Imperial Regent, Guilliman had to ensure his Ultramarines could match them. He could not sleep soundly with Axis's Legion at a hundred thousand strong, plus all its successor Chapters, without a counterbalancing force.
As it was, Guilliman already commanded four hundred thousand Astartes. Splitting them into Chapters would still yield three hundred Chapters, and according to his plans, these new formations could in time create successor Chapters of their own.
"It matters little to me," Axis said with a peculiar smile as he looked at Guilliman. "If you wish it, so be it. And if any of our other brothers object to the plan, perhaps they too can be allowed to maintain their current numbers."
"You!"
Seeing that sly expression on Axis's face, Guilliman realized for the first time that he needed to re-evaluate his understanding of the Golden Legion's Primarch.
He had always thought of Axis as a pure warrior, but now it seemed, the man had some cunning on his own.
"That is enough! The two of you will stop this quarreling."
It was Malcador the Sigillite who finally intervened, unable to watch any longer. "With the exception of the Ultramarines and the Golden Legion, all other Legions, including that of Kratos, will be limited to ten thousand Astartes."
The two of them, the Emperor's Champion and the Imperial Regent, the two highest commanders in the Imperium save the Emperor Himself, were bickering like common street ruffians.
Guilliman gave a final, cold snort and turned to leave. He had a war to prepare for.
"Axis, you must understand," Malcador said once they were alone. "A Legion of such immense size is not particularly useful to the Imperium in its current state. Chapters are more flexible and far easier to manage."
Though he was a Perpetual, Malcador represented the interests of mortals to a certain degree. After all, the High Lords of Terra and the administrators of the Imperium's bureaucracy were almost entirely mortal, while a great many Astartes had come to see themselves as beings beyond humanity.
An Astartes could live for seven or eight hundred years without issue, while a mortal was fortunate to reach eighty, having no access to the life-extending procedures of the elite.
"That is why I agreed to his plan," Axis replied. "And it was also the Emperor's will."
If he had not received the tacit approval of the old man on the Throne, Axis would not have insisted on maintaining his Legion's strength.
In truth, the difference between ten thousand and a hundred thousand meant little to him personally.
"Axis, are you saying you can still communicate with the Emperor?" Malcador asked. He had thought that privilege belonged to him alone.
He too could commune with the Emperor through the Golden Throne, but each exchange was painfully brief, for every moment of contact wracked his soul with immense torment.
"Yes. I can speak with the Emperor," Axis confirmed, nodding without hesitation.
It was no secret worth hiding. Because of his ki, his soul was constantly being reinforced until it had become as tangible and resilient as his physical body.
This allowed him to withstand the Emperor's voice, a force so potent it could obliterate the soul of an ordinary person who heard it. In truth, the Primarchs could also likely withstand it; in the millennia to come, Guilliman himself would speak with the Emperor.
The Emperor could even commune with certain mortals, like the chosen girl during the Plague Wars. The Emperor had always possessed mouthpieces; it was just that after ten thousand years and the daily sacrifice of a thousand psykers, his mind and reason were no longer entirely his own.
"I see," Malcador mused. "Then that means Magnus and Kasha should also be able to communicate with the Emperor, perhaps even your son Kratos!"
Those three possessed psychic might far greater than his own. In theory, the other Primarchs should be able to withstand it as well.
"They should. But there is no need to inquire further. All is as my father-in-law wills it. Mentor Malcador, while we are on campaign, I must trouble you to focus on integrating the Pharos with the Astronomican. If possible, it would be best to reduce the number of psykers we use each day, or stop the practice altogether."
Sacrificing psykers did indeed bolster the Emperor's psychic might, but not all of them went to their deaths willingly. Their hatred and resentment were negative energies that would surely affect the Emperor.
"I am aware of this and have already begun the work," Malcador said, "I should be able to complete the project by the time you return from the war against the Rangdan. As for the number of psykers, I can only do my best. Since the Emperor took his seat upon the Golden Throne, it has been running ceaselessly without any form of replenishment."
"There will be replenishment," Axis said. "Once the Ecclesiarchy is established, the faith of all humanity can serve as spiritual sustenance for the Emperor."
"The complete formation of an Imperial Cult cannot be achieved overnight. It will take decades, even centuries. In the interim, we must continue the service of psykers. However, if the Pharos system proves effective, perhaps we can reduce the number of sacrifices to around five hundred. That is the absolute minimum."
Axis nodded in understanding. "I see. In that case, I will go see Lorgar now."
With a wave to Malcador, Axis made his way to the dungeons. He passed ranks of grim Custodian Guards and descended into the subterranean prisons of Holy Terra. He came to see Lorgar alone, having sent all others away.
The method he intended to use for his persuasion was a special one, so he had even dismissed the Custodians guarding the cell.
With a grinding creak, the cell door opened. Axis stepped inside and deactivated the stasis field.
"It's you, Axis," Lorgar rasped, struggling to speak. "Have you come to mock me? To humiliate me again?"
"No," Axis said, casually taking a seat before Lorgar and crossing his legs. "In fact, I came to inform you of the battle's outcome. We have achieved a total victory. Horus has been slain by the Emperor, and the forces of Chaos are in full retreat."
"I knew that fool Horus would fail," Lorgar sneered. "But if you came expecting to see me defeated, Axis, you are mistaken."
"Good. I actually admire a man with a strong spine. Had you begged me for mercy or shown any sign of panic, I would have lost all respect for you."
"Hmph. Say what you have to say and leave. Don't disturb my rest. Or perhaps my time has come? Are you here to kill me?" Lorgar asked.
"Then I will be direct and dispense with the pleasantries. Lorgar, I want you to write a creed, a testament of praise to the Emperor, the God-Emperor. I intend to establish an Imperial Cult with the Emperor at its center of worship," Axis stated.
At these words, Lorgar froze.
He raised his head and stared at Axis with utter disbelief. His gaze was a mixture of confusion, astonishment, and a burgeoning flicker of outrage and fury.
"Hahahaha!" Lorgar's laugh was manic. "You must be joking, Axis. I must admit, it's a very clever jest."
"I have no time for games, and I never joke. We leave tomorrow to fight the Rangdan. I'll be frank. The Emperor needs an Imperial Cult to maintain his rule, and for that, I require your assistance."
Axis deliberately omitted the fact that the Emperor now sat upon the Golden Throne as a half-dead being.
"You bastard!" Lorgar began to struggle violently against his restraints, his voice a furious roar. "I must see my father! I will see him and demand to know why he did this to me! Why? Why?"
His father was proposing the establishment of a state religion centered on himself. Was that not exactly what Lorgar himself had created? Was Monarchia not the blueprint for an Imperial Cult? Yet his father had destroyed it, had shattered his life's work. And now, he wanted Lorgar to rebuild that very faith. What then, was the meaning of anything he had done?
"The Emperor cannot see you," Axis said calmly. "Besides, do you truly believe the four Chaos Gods are your friends? Let me tell you a secret. I have made a small pact with Khorne, and the Emperor knows of it."
With a flourish, Axis produced an iron brand engraved with the symbol of Khorne. An aura of terrifying, chaotic Warp energy radiated from it.
That single revelation was the final straw that shattered Lorgar's inner defenses.
"You!" Lorgar's face contorted with venomous rage. "Hahaha! You are all liars! Every one of you bastards is a liar! You… you damned liars! You deceived me!"
"It is you who were too foolish, Lorgar, too unwilling to adapt," Axis said smoothly. "The Four Chaos Gods are indeed the Emperor's enemies, but they are also enemies to one another. And yes, the Emperor destroyed your Monarchia, but did a single person die in your faith? He merely destroyed a city.
"Cities can be rebuilt. As long as the people remain, is that not what matters? You misunderstood from the very beginning. The Emperor was not against you building Monarchia and a faith centered on him. He was against the fact that you were delaying the Great Crusade to do it."
"Silence!" Lorgar roared. "I will never agree to this!"
"What a shame," Axis mused. "I had intended to speak with the Emperor, to tell him that if you were willing to do this, it could serve as your penance. We would commute your death sentence to simple imprisonment."
"Do you think I fear death?"
"Oh?" Axis asked, a slow smile spreading across his face. "In that case, I suppose you also have no interest in the future position of Ecclesiarch?"
The words struck Lorgar's most vulnerable point, silencing him completely.
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ps?