Guilliman reached down, his ceramite-clad hand gently but firmly lifting Ersen from his posture of deference. He then turned his gaze toward the robed giants occupying the foremost pews of the grand chapel. Even over the soft hum of the chamber's vents, the low, resonant murmurs of their quiet exchange reached his transhuman hearing.
"Ersen," Guilliman said, his voice measured. "Are these... the Astartes engineered by the Iron Man?"
Ersen made no attempt to veil the truth. He gave a solemn, slow nod.
A shadow of hesitation crossed the Lord Regent's features. Catching the shifting expression on his brother's face, Jaghatai Khan's keen instinct detected that something was deeply amiss. The Great Khan spoke instantly.
"Guilliman?"
"I told you before that the Iron Man delivered a duplicate of the Macragge's Honour to the Space Wolves," Guilliman said, his tone darkening. "But what none of you knew until now is that the vessel's logistics vaults were fully stocked when the Wolves took possession. That included a complete gene-seed reserve."
Vulkan's eyes flared with a sudden, molten intensity. "You mean to say... the Iron Man has possessed the means to replicate gene-seed for far longer than they have admitted? That this undertaking has been unfolding in the dark?"
The attendant automata standing rigidly beside them took a mechanical step forward, its vox-grille crackling to life with a flat, synthesized drone.
"Correction. We are not manufacturing gene-seed. We have merely decoded the molecular architecture of the gene-seed matrix and successfully replicated the biomass material. Our localized data-vaults do not merely contain the genetic profile of Roboute Guilliman; they possess the complete genetic sequences of all present."
The automata's mechanical finger pointed in turn to Lion El'Jonson, Vulkan, and Jaghatai Khan.
"Furthermore, a short time ago, our forces neutralized a significant threat to the Imperium within Segmentum Ultima. We apprehended the renegade Chief Apothecary of the Emperor's Children, the entity known as Fabius Bile, and systematically purged his host of Heretic Astartes and flesh-wrought abominations."
"From the neural extraction of Fabius Bile's engrams, we salvaged critical data. We secured a singular, highly specialized gene-seed specimen designated Alpha Primus. This asset was forcibly harvested by Bile from the flesh of Alpha Primus, the personal, secretive Astartes vanguard of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl."
"According to Bile's anatomical dissections, the gene-seed of Alpha Primus contains a synthesized amalgamation of genetic fragments derived from multiple Primarchs. This specific strain was almost certainly an anomalous byproduct of Cawl's initial trials; even Bile lacked the capability to properly stabilize or duplicate such complex biomass. However, this unique strain yields an unparalleled magnification of psychic potential, coupled with an extraordinary structural resistance to Warp corruption."
"In strict accordance with the prime directives of the main sapient core, we have successfully replicated this anomalous gene-seed strain. We have initiated experimental cultivation of these biological components to fulfill our structural requirements."
Hearing the machine's monotone pronouncement, the Lion narrowed his eyes into dangerous slits, casting a calculating, inscrutable look at Guilliman. Even Vulkan turned his heavy gaze upon his brother.
Among the disparate Space Marine Chapters recalled from their crusades, certain battle-brothers who had been administered the Panacea treatments had begun exhibiting erratic, unmapped biological shifts. Crucially, almost every Chapter affected had been brought into existence during the Ultima Founding, an enterprise orchestrated entirely by Belisarius Cawl.
It was this very revelation that had driven Vulkan to demand Cawl's whereabouts from Guilliman. To many, the Archmagos's unilateral tampering with the sacred genetic lineage borders on absolute tech-heresy against the Primarchs' bloodlines. Everyone within the room knew that the bond between Cawl and the Lord Regent was forged in deep, mutual secrecy.
Yet Guilliman himself stood frozen, a sense of unease gripping his mind.
He recalled the enigmatic, towering Astartes warden who constantly shadowed the Archmagos. Cawl had indeed introduced the giant as Alpha Primus. Yet Guilliman had never suspected that this prototype, seemingly little different from a standard Primaris Space Marine on the surface, harbored such a terrifyingly unique biology.
In truth, the entire Primaris project was born of Cawl's erratic, centuries-long genius. Before Guilliman had succumbed to his millennia of stasis, he had granted Cawl vast, sweeping authorities, charging the Tech-Priest with the creation of a new breed of legionary. The Sangprimus Portum had been placed directly into Cawl's hands, its secrets peeled back layer by agonizing layer.
Cawl's ultimate ambition had been the creation of a flawless supreme gene-seed, a biological bulwark entirely immune to the insidious taint of Chaos, possessing physical attributes that rendered the Firstborn obsolete. Yet the Emperor's divine craftsmanship proved maddeningly elusive.
During his centuries of isolated labor, Cawl had frequently found himself humbled by the Emperor's sheer, ungraspable intellect. Then, through a singular twist of chemical fate, an anomalous strain was born. Cawl had painstakingly cultivated an artificial, entirely bespoke flesh-vessel to house this unique genesis. That living crucible was Alpha Primus.
It was only by reverse-engineering the structural anomalies within Alpha Primus that Cawl managed to isolate and stabilize the three additional organs that defined the Primaris transhumans: the Belisarian Furnace, the Magnificat, and the Sinew Coils.
Yet, according to the memories ripped from Fabius Bile, when the Spider had harvested the genetic tissue from Alpha Primus, he had discovered several other dormant, unidentifiable organs nestled within the giant's chest, organs entirely absent from standard Primaris anatomy. It was evident that even Belisarius Cawl had not fully comprehended the true depth of the biological treasure trove he had brought into the galaxy.
Because of this, Bile had deliberately spared Alpha Primus's life. He knew the tech-heretic would move stars to resurrect so priceless a specimen. Alpha Primus was too rare a prize; given the opportunity, Bile had intended to return and dissect the living specimen in proper, sterile detail.
The Clone Lord had simply never anticipated that he would end up a shackled captive of an ancient machine intelligence.
"Enough," Jaghatai Khan interrupted, his sharp voice cutting through the suffocating tension. "We can unravel Cawl's tangled web at a later hour. I trust Guilliman will bring his Archmagos to a strict accounting."
The Great Khan stepped forward, his eyes locking onto the silent machine. "But a more pressing matter demands our focus right now."
"Why is the Iron Man constructing Astartes psykers? What grand design requires them to serve as biological components?"
The Khan knew that Cawl's deceptions would take months to fully untangle. Knowing Guilliman's rigid dedication to the Imperium's survival, his brother would squeeze the truth from the Tech-Priest in due time. The immediate peril lay in the designs of the ancient machine standing before them.
At the Khan's demand, the three other Primarchs tore their gaze away from one another, refocusing their attention on the attendant automata.
"To your inquiry, this unit will provide direct disclosure," the machine chimed, its ocular lenses whirring into focus.
"Entities of Warp-resonance, classified by your Imperium as Chaos Daemons, have repeatedly assaulted, disrupted, and severely compromised the strategic execution of the Iron Man protocols. They present an unacceptable barrier to our core programming. Consequently, under the strategic direction of the primary processing core, we are preparing to launch a decisive counter-offensive."
The automata paused briefly, its vocal processor adjusting to an archaic, formal pitch. "Adopting the nomenclature of your Imperium, the campaign is designated as a Crusade of Retribution. The strategic parameters dictate a direct transit through the Eye of Terror into the deep territories of the Warp. Our objective is to track the specific signatures of these Warp-entities and achieve their total, systemic annihilation."
"Due to the volatile, non-Euclidean nature of these localized Warp-biologies, sustained macro-scale warfare within that environment demands highly specialized weapon arrays and distinct psychic containment conduits."
"To amass the requisite combat units necessary to inflict immediate, catastrophic damage upon the daemonic hosts, the main core offered the tithe-exchange protocol to the Imperium. However, a complement of mere fifty Imperial volunteers is drastically insufficient to meet our projected attrition rates. Therefore, we have been forced to pursue independent measures to resolve our critical deficit of psychic-reactive warfare components."
The automata's flat, matter-of-fact declaration left the chamber in a stunned, absolute silence.
The four Primarchs stood frozen, their transhuman minds momentarily grappling with the sheer absurdity of what they had just heard.
A Crusade of Retribution? An army of Iron Men launching a systematic assault against the denizens of Immaterium? Invading the Eye of Terror itself?
It sounded like the fevered delusion of a madman.
Yet, as the initial shock receded, a fierce, untamed fire kindled within the eyes of the Great Khan. Jaghatai stepped forward, his hand resting instinctively upon the hilt of his power sword.
"If such an expedition is truly being forged," the Khan said, a dangerous, low grin touching his lips, "can my Legion and I join this crusade of yours?"