Chapter 444: Appointed as Regent of the Imperium! Horus' Reform! Forbidden!
"Malcador, take him away."
With a single command from the Emperor, the appointment of the Regent of the Imperium was settled. The rest was no longer his concern, and it was time to set the date for his journey to the Imperial Webway Project.
"Yes."
Malcador accepted the Emperor's decree, then stepped before Horus and gave a respectful bow.
"Lord Regent of the Imperium, please follow me. I will acquaint you with the Imperium's most classified information and the procedures of governance."
"From this moment, you are the most powerful of all the Primarchs."
Hearing Malcador's words, Horus felt both pride and unease.
In his imagination, he was supposed to have outmaneuvered his rival in countless political struggles, defeating him step by step to seize this position.
But in reality? Malcador had simply surrendered it willingly, handing the post over without resistance.
That left Horus strangely unsatisfied.
There was no sense of achievement at all.
"I will first introduce you to Terra's political institutions and the distribution of offices. You can then consider how to assign the warriors of the Luna Wolves to various posts."
Malcador showed not a trace of grief over losing his office. On the contrary, he was secretly delighted. Now was the perfect moment to cash out and withdraw—to go enjoy a pleasant life within the Universal Megacorp.
Remaining on Terra, slaving away as an overworked bureaucrat? Whoever wanted that job could have it.
"You can simply send me your list. Before I depart, I will arrange every personnel transfer on your behalf."
No matter the political system, control over appointments and transfers was the truest form of power.
No matter how high someone stood, one order could end them.
For most of the time, the Emperor rarely exercised this authority directly. Whom to employ and how was almost always left to Malcador's discretion.
That was why so many mere mortals held the office of High Lord. It had been the Emperor's tacit permission, and Malcador's practical decision.
Now, with the Emperor preparing to leave for the Webway, and Malcador stepping aside, the authority over personnel lay entirely in Horus' hands.
He could build whatever political structure or environment he pleased.
"Then I'll trouble you for that." Horus could not conceal the excitement in his voice. For some reason, Malcador suddenly seemed much more agreeable to him.
Seeing Horus so polite felt strange to Malcador. In the past, Horus had never treated him kindly.
As the head of the Imperium's bureaucratic system, Malcador's High Lords and officials had often offended the Luna Wolves.
Their conflicts were constant—over supplies, battle assignments, and the division of spoils.
To rebuild the Imperium, Malcador had no choice but to strip each Primarch of certain resources, reallocating them where needed.
And in the process, enemies were inevitable.
But now? Malcador no longer had to play this thankless role.
Young man, endure it in your turn…
Looking at the triumphant Horus, Malcador could already imagine him in the future—hollow-eyed, worn down by Infinity affairs of state.
It was easy to rule poorly. One could simply delegate away all responsibility, let subordinates devour resources unchecked, and live comfortably while the Imperium rotted.
But ruling well—preserving resources, upholding justice, restraining greed—meant enduring the torment of ceaseless, trivial burdens.
Doing wrong was cheap and immediately rewarding.
Doing right was costly, difficult, and all too easy to ruin.
In the hands of a decent man, one foolish mistake could bring more disaster than the schemes of a thousand villains.
That was the nature of power.
It magnified both wisdom and folly without caring about the moral worth of the wielder.
Only a ruler who bore compassion yet wielded thunderous resolve could truly master it. Passion alone was never enough.
At this moment, Malcador led Horus out of the palace to tour Terra's key offices and core institutions.
Meanwhile, news of the Emperor appointing Horus as Regent of the Imperium spread swiftly across Terra, then out to every corner of Imperial space.
Within mere hours, Horus had leapt from Warmaster to the highest pinnacle of Imperial politics. This shocking revelation would soon ignite an unprecedented storm throughout the Imperium.
The Luna Wolves, stationed at Mars' orbital docks awaiting orders, were the first to hear.
Learning that their Primarch had become Regent, they could hardly believe their ears.
Wasn't he the Warmaster? How had he suddenly become Regent?
Abaddon and many of the Luna Wolves were full of doubts. Could it be that the Emperor's secrecy had all been to prepare such a grand surprise for Horus?
But wait—
Wasn't Horus the one who despised Imperial bureaucracy the most? How was he now its supreme representative?
So, it wasn't acceptable for anyone else to be Regent, but it was fine if he himself became one? Wasn't that hypocrisy?
Of course, no Astartes dared to accuse their Primarch of being two-faced. But if Horus was now Regent, what did that mean for them?
Regent and Warmaster were separate posts. Horus could not hold both. Only the Emperor himself could.
Since the Emperor had not abdicated, Horus could not remain Warmaster while serving as Regent.
"If the lord is Regent, then we're left without a Primarch? Without his command, who will lead the Luna Wolves?"
Abaddon voiced what many Astartes feared. Without Horus, their cohesion would shatter, and their campaigns would falter.
Just then, Garviel Loken contacted Horus on Terra and relayed his orders to the legion.
"The lord has told me all Luna Wolves will remain on Terra to assist him. He intends to expel the mortal bureaucrats and grant us their offices!"
"Even our serfs will share in it."
Imperial serfs—failed gene-stock, criminals, or prisoners—were so lowly they ranked beneath an Astartes' hound.
If even such slaves could rise by Horus' favor, it showed how inflated his ambitions had become.
As Captain of the Tenth Company, Garviel Loken was among the rare Luna Wolves loyal to the Emperor. To him, Terra was sacred beyond words.
Now offered the chance to remain close to the Emperor, Loken welcomed it wholeheartedly.
But Abaddon and the other senior officers were bewildered.
This wasn't their arena. Politics could never compare to the thrill of conquest. They had no patience for wrangling with mortals.
And if they blundered and earned the Emperor's wrath, the consequences would be dire.
Anxiously, Abaddon opened a private channel with Horus.
"My lord, why must you become Regent? We are not fit to be bureaucrats."
If given a choice, Abaddon would rather Horus remain Warmaster. That way, the Luna Wolves would stand as the Imperium's undisputed First Legion.
Space Wolves, Dark Angels—let them step aside!
"You'll learn if you don't know," Horus rebuked sternly. "The Imperium's bureaucracy has been corrupted beyond redemption. I need trusted hands to help me reform it!"
"You are my proudest warriors. I refuse to believe you could do worse than mere mortals."
To Horus, if his warriors could memorize the most intricate battlefield orders, they could master the functions of government as well.
Seeing that Horus' resolve was immovable, Abaddon clenched his teeth and saluted.
"As you command. I will relay your orders to all forces, including the companies still on Cthonia!"
After all, how hard could it be? Bureaucrats were only mortals. Surely they could do no worse.
Seeing his trusted aides and warriors rallying behind him, Horus felt deeply gratified. He braced himself, ready to sacrifice everything for the reform of the Imperium.
Not long ago, Malcador had guided Horus through the political landscape and institutional system of Terra, sharing his own views on the flaws within the Imperium's structure and his ideas for reform.
This gave Horus a clear understanding of just how much resistance he would face. But in order to prove his capability to the Emperor, no matter how difficult the task, he had no choice but to press forward.
Upon assuming the office of Imperial Regent, Horus's very first move was a whirlwind of personnel changes—placing his own people in all the key positions.
Most of the High Lords and mortal officials showed little reaction. After all, with the Emperor's blessing, their feeble arms were no match for Horus's iron grip.
…
Two months later.
After formalizing an agreement with the Emperor and beginning full cooperation, the fleets of the Universal Megacorp set out across the Imperium to help construct a new warp-route network, deploying garrisons along the way.
To accelerate construction, the Megacorp employed vast numbers of AI-driven automated machines—sparking considerable controversy within Imperial territory.
Fortunately, the Megacorp had anticipated this. While spreading public narratives that AI posed no threat, they wielded the Emperor's decrees as their backing, pushing forward the construction with speed.
Within the Sol System, chisaji Fox surveyed the engineering works ahead, nodding thoughtfully.
"In as little as two months, the new routes will begin to take shape."
"With another half year of refinement, they'll be fully operational. Altogether, about a year—provided, of course, that Imperial departments cooperate."
Though a figure of towering stature within the Megacorp's scientific community, Chisaji fox personally oversaw the project—not because he needed to, but because Li Ang wanted to demonstrate the Megacorp's respect for the Imperium and its Emperor.
That was, after all, the least a contractor could do.
"A single year—that's over in the blink of an eye."
Malcador smiled with satisfaction. If the Megacorp truly could complete the new network in a year, then even if uprisings or famines flared within the Imperium, they would still be bearable.
Once the routes were open, peace and prosperity would no longer be far out of reach.
"I must warn you," Chisaji fox said gravely, "though the extradimensional devices can carve out vast stretches of the warp, creating safe work zones, that does not erase the warp itself. At the edges where reality overlaps with the warp, daemons are likely to breach into the material world."
"We'll station heavy forces at these sites, but during this time, star systems must be sealed off. Travel will be strictly forbidden. Imperial departments must cooperate without exception."
Malcador froze. Why hadn't this been mentioned earlier?
He had assumed the Megacorp merely needed to secure a few footholds and garrison troops. He hadn't realized entire star systems would have to be sealed off, prohibiting all passage…
Impossible!
The new network stretched across the breadth of the Imperium. If voidships and fleets were barred from traveling, the administrative and transportation systems of the Imperium would grind to a halt.
In concrete terms: decree transmission efficiency would drop by 70%, transport speed by 75%; the likelihood of uprisings would rise by 60%, and the risk of famine, plague, or daemonic incursions would soar by 90%!
Had he known this, Malcador never would have let Horus take over as Regent. Such tangled, chaotic governance—how could even Horus withstand it?
"Lord Chisaji fox, is there no way to avoid sealing star systems? The project could be extended a little longer if necessary…"
Malcador offered an awkward smile. Since being replaced by the Emperor, the old cadre of High Lords had been purged by Horus, leaving Malcador with little influence.
"I know the resistance will be immense," Chisaji fox replied, shaking his head, "but it must be done. The Ruinous Powers will not relent. The faster the routes are finished, the sooner we seize the initiative."
For him, it was only a one-year project. Surely the Imperium's governments could endure that much. What difficulty was there in that?
Yet what seemed trivial to Chisaji fox was nearly insurmountable for the Imperium.
Years of the Great Crusade had left Imperial provinces desperately short on food and resources. Living hand-to-mouth was the norm. Eighty percent of Imperial sectors faced acute shortages, their populations reliant on shipments coordinated from Terra.
Corruption, embezzlement, and the inefficiency of decree transmission only deepened this dependence on the transport network.
To block the routes was to jam clots into the arteries of the Imperium's body politic—collapse could come at any moment.
Worse still, even if Terra issued the decree, there was no guarantee that provincial governors would comply. Many would pay lip service while quietly ignoring it.
"The matter of resource transport can fall to us," Chisaji fox assured, thumping his chest. "I promise no citizen of the Imperium will starve. But the no-passage edict requires the Imperium's full cooperation."
With the Megacorp's vast production capacity, they could ferry Infinity supplies through stargates to the provinces. Resources were no real problem.
The true obstacle lay with the local officials.
"…Very well. I'll report this to Horus. But from here on, you'll need to negotiate directly with him."
Malcador sighed, unsure whether Horus could withstand the strain.
…
The new route project blazed ahead. Under Terra's command, provinces cooperated with the Megacorp's engineering divisions—sealing systems, establishing no-fly zones.
But in the Fenris system, the Megacorp ran into trouble.
The planetary governor, Hector, flatly rejected the no-passage order. Repeated negotiations failed, forcing Chisaji fox himself to intervene.
Yet Hector remained unyielding.
Fenris was home to the Space Wolves, Sixth Legion of the Adeptus Astartes, and the world of their Primarch, Leman Russ. Once a pleasure world of the Dark Age of Technology, it teemed with colossal beasts of staggering vitality.
Harsh winters and abundant natural wealth made Fenris one of the few self-sufficient systems—supplying recruits and resources alike. Beasts provided diamond-hard fangs for blades, hides for warm clothing, and mineral wealth for arms and armor.
With such self-reliance, and with Hector himself a native of Fenris's tribes, his defiance carried weight.
The Space Wolves' territory was their own to command.
"I admit the new network is important," Hector declared, "but you cannot strangle an entire star system in the name of caution! Do you know how many depend on us for supplies?"
Because of the Imperium's vast sprawl, provinces had been granted sweeping autonomy. With sufficient justification, a governor could refuse Terra's orders—as Hector did now.
"If Fenris is sealed off, vast swathes of the Imperium will starve, freeze, and lose their livelihoods! Can you bear that responsibility?"
He glared, bristling with fury.
Chisaji fox sighed, forced to argue personally.
"Governor, I understand your concern for the people. But you need not worry over supplies—we will provide them. All you need do is enforce the no-passage order. Be patient for one year—less, even—and the routes will reopen."
"When construction ends, I will personally recommend to the Imperium that you be commended for your contribution to the network."
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