Epilogue Three: The Solar Triumph and Navigator Rebellion

After centuries of warfare the Great Crusade is finished. The Aquilia flag flies from the Halo Stars to the Eastern Fringe. Nearly every species that has not bent the knee to humanity has been destroyed. For the first time in millenia humans look up at the stars with pride and hope, instead of fear. Under the High Lords of Terra's leadership the quality of life for mankind has increased drastically. Marcus Augisto, Rogal Mauer, and Philip Lot hold positions among the High Lords as Lex Chancellor, Warden, and Speaker respectively. To mark these accomplishments and the new era, a great Triumph is announced.

All twenty Legions and every other branch of the Imperial military assemble at Terra. In a Triumph leading from the Damocles Space Port to the Lions Gate. Two million Astartes, thousands of Titans and all manner of Warmachine marched in a parade the likes of which humanity had never seen. Picts and videos from this event would be spread throughout the Galaxy and become some of the most famous images in human cultural memory.

At the Triumphs' height the twenty Primarchs offered tributes to the Emperor. Each matched the personality and skills of the offering Primarch. Some presented prisoners like Alpharius Omegon, who brought the stasis-locked leaders of the Cabal. Others war trophies like Baraca's mountain of Ork skulls. Kalib and Konrad brought strange ones like the True Names of Daemons or the bones of those who would doom the Imperium in another future.

With the tribute and honors bestowed on the Imperiums greatest heroes. The Emperor declared the next phase of the Imperium of Mankind. The threat of Xenos from the material universe had been crushed. Now the threat of warp-spawned predators must be dealt with. The new war would not be of bullets and blades but of hearts and minds. While the Legions continue to fight to defend the peace they won. Every human alive would fight to make the galaxy a better place.

In the ensuing Centuries much of the Imperium changed. After much debate and argument, Marcus Augustio passed the Marcus Reforms. Which limited the Legions size to a million members when not in an active war. While splitting the spare Astartes into hundreds of Chapters, more mobile defense forces to help police and guard the massive Imperium. With the million strong Legions still existing as the Imperiums standing army.

Throughout this era of progress, the Emperor delegated much of the Imperiums' running, as other projects consumed his time. Deep within the Imperial Palace the Webway Project had begun. The project consisted of the Golden Throne as the prime Soul Engine and the various Anchor thrones like Dark Glass and the Throne of Glass. The Golden Throne is powered by the Emperor or Magnus and "spins" a new section of the Webway into being. This new piece of artificial space/time needed to link to the Anchor thrones to become stable, until it did, it would be incredibly unstable.

Agents of the Navis Nobilite learn of this project and work to undermine the Webway Project. Agents of the Gold Order are aware of this scheme and monitor it. The Emperor engages in a risky gamble, to let the plot progress far enough to give him reason to fully subjugate the Navigators, but not far enough to threaten the project. The brewing Navigator rebellion starts with a series of coordinated "delays" of crucial ships that causes incredible confusion and strife across the Imperium. This plays right into the Emperor's scheme and is used as proof that the Navigators are not reliable enough and if they could be replaced, they should be.

A hidden schism within the Navis Nobilite starts between loyalists and rebels. The loyalists are outnumbered but feed crucial information to the Gold Order. Leading to the arrest of a number of powerful Navigators. This proves the spark to the full Navigator rebellion and the Navigator Quarter locks down overnight. The Paternova's ability to influence all Navigators is put to terrible use and the Sol system is blockaded. Navigators either unwilling or unable to reach the Imperiums heart. Within the massive fortress-state that is the Quarter, the Navigators prepared to starve out the Throneworld and force the Emperor to stop the Webway project.

Unknown to them, The VIII Primarch and a force of his Legion had been hiding on Terra for months awaiting this day. News of the Navigators' rebellion just has time to spread to the outer reaches of the Imperium before Konrad Cruze strikes. The precognitive abilities of the Night Lords and the Navigators nullify each other. Which suits the VIII perfectly. Under cover of darkness, the Night Lords slip into the Palace of the Navigators. Konrad Cruze himself sneaks into the Mutant citadel, and finds the Paternova himself. The mutant lord's psychic screams take months to fully fade. By the time the Paternova finally dies the rebellion is over and the Navigators fearful of their fate.

Many of the Navis Nobilite's elites are executed. Some publicly, the Imperium's citizens were appalled by the twisted mutations apparent in the old Navigators. The most powerful Navigators meet a worse fate aiding the Webway Project, powering some of the Anchor Thrones or being used as "spare batteries" when the Emperor and Magnus switch places on the Golden Throne. The surviving Navigators are left shaken and rudderless. When the Emperor offers them a duty of penance in exchange for their lives, they gladly accept. The humbled Navigators start aiding the Imperium, map the Webway and seed potential gates across the galaxy. Additionally, a tithe of young male Navigators are taken by the XV Legion as recruits, further weakening the Navis Nobilite.