Chapter 10
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In the large council hall, only Guilliman and Cawl remained. Everyone else had left.
As a Archmagos of the Mechanicum with a mechanical body, Cawl was no less tall than Guilliman, a Primarch.
Over the past ten thousand years, Cawl had undergone several rounds of technological modification, leaving very little flesh in his body.
His back was a huge shell-like metallic construct, standing with a force-field generator. It also extended several metallic mechanical arms in motion, and several floating metal skulls connected by neural cables.
While the Mechanicum's form was adorned with numerous high-energy weapons collected from across the galaxy, all connected to his brain and spine.
His lower half had also been entirely mechanized; each step he took was accompanied by a mechanical hum and the sound of reciprocating pistons.
A light radiated from Cawl's chest, a clear indication that the madman had jammed a nuclear fusion energy source into his chest to power his numerous weapons.
Even though Guilliman had had close encounters with the Adeptus Mechanicus before, he still marveled at their design.
Indeed, they truly embodied the phrase, "flesh is weak, but iron is eternal."
The Adeptus Mechanicus had completely forsaken human desires.
"Cawl, come forward," Guilliman said, his tone resolute.
Cawl was key to his resurrection and one of the most trustworthy individuals at present.
At least for now, Cawl wouldn't betray him.
A man who, for a promise, had roamed the galaxies for thousands of years to resurrect Guilliman, searching for technology lost in the annals of history and buried in ancient ruins.
If such a man couldn't be trusted, then there was no such thing as loyalty.
Of course, in this damned universe, everything could change with the passage of time, and Guilliman had to prepare for the possibility of betrayal from everyone.
"Regent, what do you command?" Cawl stepped forward, his heavy metallic body leaving marks on the marble floor. His eyes glowed with a mechanical light, and if one were to stare into them, one could glimpse the turning of gears.
The Mechanicum's eyes were no longer mere flesh, but cybernetic implants, with various detection capabilities.
Guilliman was silent for a moment, then produced a data storage device, saying, "The knowledge stored in this device was secretly collected by me ten thousand years ago. It could help us form a new army, which could help us regain control of the galaxy."
Naturally, the data stored within wasn't actually ten thousand years old.
Rather, it had been curated from databases by Guilliman.
Claiming that it was ten thousand years old was merely a pretext, intended to deceive any possible obstructions from the Mechanicum in the future.
If they didn't believe it, they could verify it by going back ten thousand years.
What, they can't verify it?!
Well, that's not his problem. This technology was from ten thousand years ago.
Bypassing the Mechanicum and forming a brand-new army was one of the main reasons why Guilliman wanted to stay in Ultramar, the 500 worlds.
The Adeptus Mechanicus, a crucial ally of the Imperium and the main supplier of its machinery, had become more closed and conservative over the past ten thousand years, and it would take centuries to establish a production line for a brand-new product from the testing phase.
Guilliman does not have the time to wait for the Adeptus Mechanicus to validate the technology he offers.
By the time they complete their validation, the Imperium would have crumbled, and he would likely have become a plaything for the Chaos Gods.
He decided to remain in Ultramar, his stronghold, where the influence of the Adeptus Mechanicus is not as prominent.
With the support of people like Cawl and Celestine, he has more operational room. He can harness the power of the 500 Worlds to quickly forge a powerful, brand-new army.
This formidable army will be the driving force to pull the Imperium back from the brink.
Given the current complex situation of the Imperium, this is Guilliman's best choice.
The Imperium is too vast, its various forces tangled and interdependent.
The High Lords of Terra, planetary governors, the nobility of various worlds, the Astra Militarum, the Imperial Navy, the Adeptus Custodes, the Inquisition, other Space Marine Chapters, etc., all have their internal struggles.
On another front, the Adeptus Mechanicus sees itself as an ally of the Imperium but acts independently.
The infamous Beast Wars nearly led to the Imperium being overrun by Orks due to the Adeptus Mechanicus' indifference.
Then, there is the Ecclesiarchy, another obstacle, with severe power struggles and several so-called Penitent Crusades. Each time they throw over a dozen chapters into the Eye of Terror, it's like delivering a gift to Chaos.
Those chapters forced to die in the Eye of Terror are generally loyal but become the servants of the Chaos Gods due to the suspicion of the Ecclesiarchy.
To maintain their rule over the Imperium, successive leaders have patched things up repeatedly.
Now the entire Imperium is patched up; it's ugly and bloated.
The Imperium is critically ill, beyond saving through minor fixes. Only through thorough reform, a sweeping change of blood, can the Imperium be revitalized.
The prerequisite for all this is that he must have a supremely formidable army.
Cawl looked at the data storage device given by Guilliman with a puzzled expression. He did not think Guilliman possessed any extraordinary technology.
Out of respect for the Primarch, Cawl accepted the storage device and plugged it into the data port at the back of his head.
The data from the storage device flooded into his processor, and his initially confused face burst into ecstatic joy.
This was knowledge he had never encountered before.
It contained gene manipulation and blueprints for building new battleships.
Seeing the blueprint for a Death Star, a hint of excited flush appeared on Cawl's face.
This was a weapon of mass destruction!
This so-called Death Star battleship was definitely not technology possessed by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The current Adeptus Mechanicus has lost much knowledge, and worse, these pieces of knowledge are irreplaceable.
Once lost, it means the Imperium has permanently lost that technology.
Most of the technology of the Adeptus Mechanicus is not obtained through development, but by excavating STC (Standard Template Construct) templates. These are archaeological endeavors, any innovation tends to be minor tweaks to the existing STC template technology. Any substantial modifications are highly suspect, risking accusations of defiling the Omnissiah and potential execution.
"Do these technologies not have STC templates?" Having reviewed the information, Belisarius Cawl looked up at Guilliman.
"No, these were obtained through ten thousand years of study," Guilliman confessed honestly.
If a technology lacks an STC template, the Adeptus Mechanicus forbids its application. If applied regardless, they would wage war in the name of the Omnissiah, annihilating any industrial world that dared to use such technology.
Guilliman studied Cawl. If he remembered correctly, Cawl was a radical, part of what might be called the reformist faction. Nowadays, another voice is emerging within the Adeptus Mechanicus, calling for a break from blind adherence to ancient doctrines and innovative reform of various technologies to strengthen the Imperium.
The conservative faction, however, sees this radicalism as a betrayal, a blasphemy against the Omnissiah, leading to intense conflict.
"So, what do you need me to do, Lord Regent?"
Hearing this, a slight smile appeared on Guilliman's face. As he had expected, Cawl was not like the conservatives of the Sol system.
For Cawl, the origin of technology - whether it was from an STC or not - was of no concern.
"I need a brand new army. Everything from battleships to individual soldier equipment needs to be updated, ensuring our overwhelming power against the Chaos traitors and aliens. I will grant you the authority to mobilize all industrial worlds within the Five Hundred Worlds, to cooperate with you. Cawl, give me a confident answer, tell me that you can easily handle this. Once I've cleared the remaining Chaos forces from the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, I should have an army ready to pave my way to Terra."
"I will fulfill your wishes, Lord Regent, and strive to equip your army." Cawl bowed slightly, his mechanical body creaking with the motion.
"Excellent, remember, this psycho-indoctrination technology needs priority development and strict confidentiality. No related information should be leaked." Guilliman said quietly.
"Understood, Lord Regent."
Here ends the chapter.