The bodies of the dead men hung for three days at the Gates of Esharion, just as Caelion had decreed. Stripped of clothes, they swayed with the wind above the city's main entrance. No citizen could pass in or out of the city without seeing them. No trader, no pilgrim, no child could avoid seeing this message which was burned into their very mind. The age of parasites that held positions of power was over.
Caelion on the other hand had begun the process of rebuilding the industry of the planet which has long been dead. He spent 4 days surveying the various industry sectors that were still capable of producing things. Most of what he saw were worker who wore tattered clothes and were malnourished. These were the types of people that were injury prone which meant the efficiency of the industry would decline within the first few months.
Within Forge Block Delta, a ruined manufactorum once known for its precision lasrifles, Caelion approached the man in charge as starving workers knelt in rags as he passed.
"Why is this forge not at optimal capacity?" he asked. This was a test to see if the man was smart enough to tell him the truth or dumb enough to lie.
The man shuffled around, trying to find what he wanted to say. The reactors are damaged, my lord, Weeks of labor, perhaps months…."
Caelion raised the Hammer of Truth, pointing it at the man. "You have one week. If the forges do not improve even by a little, then I will burn you inside the forge." he paused and looked at the workers. "And feed these workers, clothe them, and if you lack resources, put in a request and we will deliver enough for everybody to eat."
The man bowed so low, that blood started to drip from his forehead as he was afraid of picking his head up off the ground. "By your will, it shall be done, My Lord." Caelion nodded and moved on to the next places he needed to visit.
Once it reached the end of the day, Caelion returned to his Palace and began making plans for the future development of Karthax and the surrounding systems. To begin, Caelion put in a 50 million recruitment order of all able-bodied people to enlist in his crusade and fight for the redemption of their world and the Imperium. Children were actually given an education where they would get to have a promising future as Caelion intended.
Using the soldiers he brought with him, dozens of training facilities were being set up across Karthax to begin the training of the 50 million recruits that would soon join his army. These facilities would take a few weeks to complete, but once they're done, the training of millions of soldiers can begin. This will also allow the factories to get up and running to start making the weapons and armor that the soldiers would wear.
On top of this, a small battle fleet was separated from the main force and set to immediate construction and patrol duty. Under the watchful eye of High Admiral Velkorr, these ships moved back and forth between the trade moons, scouring the void for any signs of Chaos activity. Small bands of Chaos warriors were found and ultimately destroyed which began the process of riding the system of Chaos infestation.
Caelion further split off 15 Space Marines Legions and sent them into the surrounding systems with a small detachment of Imperial Guards to start bringing order to those regions. These systems, once vibrant centers of Imperial commerce and culture, had fallen into varying states of disrepair. Some were merely isolated and desperate, their vox-transmitters silent. Others had been infiltrated by cultists or opportunistic xenos raiders who preyed on weakened defenses.
Each Legion was assigned a specific objective: secure the system capital, eliminate any Chaos or xenos presence, and begin the process of reintegrating the world into Caelion's sphere of influence. They were given authorization to use whatever force necessary, but with explicit instructions to minimize civilian casualties and preserve infrastructure wherever possible.
Caelion didn't like the current state the Imperium was in as it often conducted mass genocides killing trillions of people at a time. He heard a brief explanation of the situation from his brother Guilliman before his departure from Terra, but even then, he couldn't believe that the Imperium had devolved into such a place.
Though with the reforms he implemented to the Adeptus Ministorum, he was sure that the Imperium was now on somewhat of a path towards the right direction.
———
Back on Terra, Guilliman was sitting across from the newly selected Ecclesiarch of the Adeptus Ministorum. His name was High Priest Severian and he was selected by Caelion to become the next head and ensure that his changes were implemented while he was gone on his crusade.
"My Lord," started Severian. "This is the list of things that Lord Caelion left for me to do in his absence." Guilliman took the dataslate and scanned through its contents. Guilliman's eyes narrowed as he read through the proposed ecclesiastical reforms, doctrinal revisions, and structural reorganizations.
"He intends to disband the Frateris Militia entirely," Guilliman said, thinking about the benefits that would bring.
"Yes, my lord," Severian confirmed. "Lord Caelion believes that these forces could be used in other places to help protect the Imperium instead of as mobs of fanatical believers who often wield no weapons. He proposes redistributing their personnel to planetary defense forces and giving them proper training, where they can serve under proper military discipline."
Guilliman set down the dataslate. "My brother moves quickly." he started to get memories from the old days when Caelion led his Legion during the Great Crusade.
"There has been... resistance," Severian admitted carefully. "Cardinal Vossius of the Segmentum Obscurus has denounced the reforms as heretical. Three shrine worlds have formally protested. And there are whispers, only whispers, mind you, of armed opposition forming in the outer reaches."
"Armed opposition," Guilliman repeated, "Against the wishes of the Emperor's sons."
Severian shifted uncomfortably, not used to facing a Primarch. "They do not believe he is truly the Emperor's son. Some claim he is a daemon wearing a false face, sent to corrupt the faithful. Others say he is a puppet of xenos influence. The propaganda spreads faster than we can suppress it."
Guilliman leaned back in his chair. "Propaganda requires resources. Identify the sources of funding. Trace the vox-channels. When you find the architects of this sedition, bring their names to me personally."
"It will be done, Lord Regent."
"And Severian," Guilliman added, "Do you doubt Lord Caelion?" he asked, testing the man to see where his loyalty was.
"I have no doubt that Lord Caelion is the Emperor's son nor any plans he may have. If not for him, I would never have had the chance to serve in such a position and carry out mass galaxy spanning reforms." answered Severian without any hesitation.
"Good," stated Guilliman. "In that case, let me tell you a little more about my brother and about some history that has been wiped from all Imperial records."
Hearing this Severian sat up straight and listened. If the Lord Regent was telling him something like this, then he must have gained his trust and that was one of the things Caelion commanded him to do.
"As you may know, the Emperor had 20 sons." Guilliman began. "However, there are truly only 18 who are talked about throughout history. That is because something tragic happened during the Great Crusade which has never been spoken of in thousands of years. It was during the middle of the Crusade where the Primarch of the 2nd Legion had went missing. He and his entire Legion couldn't be reached or found anywhere.
This was something that had caught the attention of the Emperor and he ordered Caelion to investigate. It took months of searching before Caelion found our brother. However, what he found was a creature that was no longer our brother. It was some corrupted Monster, much like the Chaos monster you can run into all throughout the galaxy. Not only that, be he was insanely strong compared to his previous self, but that wasn't enough to beat Caelion who was second only to the Emperor in terms of raw psychic might among the Primarchs."
Severian's eyes widened. The revelation was staggering, forbidden knowledge that had been expunged from every archive, every chronicle, every memory of the Imperium for ten millennia.
"What happened?" he asked quietly.
"Caelion fought our brother for three days and three nights. The battle devastated an entire star system. Worlds burned. Moons shattered. And in the end, Caelion prevailed. He killed the 2nd Primarch and personally led the purge of the entire 2nd Legion, every single Space Marine who had followed their gene-father into damnation."
Severian sat in stunned silence.
"The Emperor made the decision then," Guilliman went on. "Both the 2nd and 11th Legions would be erased from history. The 2nd for their fall to Chaos, and the 11th... because Caelion knew too much. He had seen what we could become if we strayed from the Emperor's light. He had done what none of us wanted to contemplate, he killed one of his own brothers."
"So, the Emperor sealed him away," Severian whispered.
"For his own protection as much as the Imperium's," Guilliman confirmed. "The other Primarchs who knew the truth were sworn to silence. The records were destroyed. The monuments were torn down. Even the memory of what Caelion had done was deemed too dangerous to preserve. But the Emperor knew; He always knew that one day, the Imperium would need him again. That one day, the threat would be so great that only someone who had already faced the worst of Chaos and prevailed could stand against it."
Severian's hands trembled slightly as he processed the weight of what he had just learned. "And now he has returned...to finish what he started."
"To save what remains," Guilliman corrected. "My brother does not seek glory or power. He seeks redemption, for himself, for his Legion, and for the Imperium that has lost its way. That is why he chose you, Severian. Because you understand that faith without truth is merely another form of corruption."
Severian nodded slowly. "Then I will not fail him, my lord. Whatever resistance forms, whatever lies are spread, I will see his reforms through to completion. The Adeptus Ministorum will be reborn."
"See that you do," Guilliman said, rising from his seat. "Because if you fail, if the Adeptus Ministorum returns to its old way, my brother will not show mercy a second time. And neither will I."
As Severian departed, Guilliman stood alone in his chambers, staring out at the endless sprawl of the Imperial Palace. For a few years, he felt alone in his mission to save the Imperium, but now with Caelion awakened, he felt glad that his brother was out there fighting.