Chapter 452: The MegaMegacorp's Utopian System! The Necron Shard on Mars!
In low orbit above Terra, the flagship of the Universal Megacorp's Ninth Expeditionary Legion—the Mantle—stood silently near the starport, like a blade suspended above Terra's skies.
When Jack Wells had first piloted the Megacorp's flagship to Terra, the adepts of the Martian Mechanicum and Terra's local officials had all turned pale with fright.
A super-warship a hundred kilometers long, capable of standing upright in space—such a sight had left them utterly stunned. Compared to the Mantle, the Imperium's own flagships looked like mere toys.
But now, after so many days had passed, the citizens of the Imperium here had gradually grown accustomed to the colossus. Their initial fear of the Flagship slowly faded away.
At this moment, Roboute Guilliman was seated within the flagship's command bridge headquarters, face to face with Paul Atreides, discussing the question of optimizing the Imperium's political system.
"Regent Guilliman, what you require now is to study our methods of administrative management, and to reform and optimize the Imperium's governance, correct?"
After hearing Guilliman's explanation, Paul gave a simple summary. Though he had only recently advanced from a frontline pioneer to a management role, he was not unstudied in matters of politics.
After all, his father Leto Atreides was the foremost leader of a Great House in the Dune universe. From childhood, Paul had been immersed in lessons of political rule and management strategies beyond the reach of ordinary men.
Thus, Paul quickly grasped what Guilliman wished to express, and understood what the Regent truly wanted.
"That's right, Lord Paul. To be frank, ever since the new warp-route system was fully opened, it now takes only a day or two for administrative reports from the farthest Imperial territories to reach Terra."
"Even the most distant, remote regions require no more than five days to transmit information to Terra. This has caused Terra's administrative system to face an exponential surge in workload."
When Guilliman said this, his tone carried an unmistakable helplessness. Everything has two sides—there is no such thing as benefit without cost.
The Megacorp 's new warp-route system had indeed opened the arteries and meridians of the Imperium, expanding its political reach by dozens of times.
But likewise, the number of administrative documents flooding into Terra each day had multiplied several times over. The current scale of the High Lords' Council could barely support such a massive influx of data.
At the Imperium's present state, even if the Emperor and Malcador both returned and worked tirelessly together, they still could not process the overwhelming volume of files.
Horus too had known that among the Infinity transmissions reaching Terra, only a tiny fraction contained valuable information. The vast majority were filler—useless "water-cargo."
But he had not dared to disregard them. For if one crucial piece of intelligence were missed, the consequences could be catastrophic.
"Beyond the recent flood of administrative files, there are still countless petitions and documents that have been backlogged for decades—even centuries. Left unchecked, this will spell disaster for the Imperium sooner or later."
Guilliman could scarcely imagine how the Imperium had managed to keep dragging its vast state-machine forward on such a decayed system. It was like trying to pump a grown man's body with the heart of an infant—it was suicidal.
Paul nodded thoughtfully. In truth, his understanding of the Warhammer universe was no shallower than Guilliman's—particularly concerning the Imperium.
The Megacorp 's central archives held vast amounts of material for him to study, allowing him to grasp the full scope of the Imperium's current plight.
As for the Megacorp 's own political structure, it was not all that complicated. Nor was it so advanced as to be incomprehensible.
The foundation was the universal application of AI-driven administration, which freed up vast numbers of bureaucratic workers. AI oversaw and resolved more than 95% of all administrative issues.
Most governance was not inherently complex; it was the interference of "human factors" that transformed minor matters into convoluted webs of favor-trading.
AI eliminated this problem at the root.
Of course, the Megacorp was not purely ruled by law alone. Its highest structural design still required Li Ang 's personal oversight; AI merely replaced the base-level administration.
Thus, the Megacorp functioned as a society of 95% AI rule of law + 5% elite human rule. This balance allowed for the highest efficiency in managing its massive, tangled affairs.
Moreover, AI Europa oversaw all the Megacorp 's data processing, rendering every citizen's income and property transparent. Any trace of embezzlement or bribery was laid bare.
With this core technology, corruption within the Megacorp became a high-risk, suicidal act.
Yet the true deterrent against corruption was not the AI's data surveillance, but rather the Megacorp 's rational system of resource allocation and open upward mobility.
Only when everyone could obtain their share of resources through legal, merit-based effort could there truly be a society without thieves, without corruption.
In a fair social environment, shortcuts became high-risk, low-return endeavors. Over time, no one even thought of straying from the rules—because there was no need to.
This was Li Ang 's carefully built utopian system. He had never trusted in human virtue. He believed instead that environment was the true force shaping whether people became good or evil.
Thus the Megacorp continued to unify universe after universe, gathering new technologies, raising productive capacity, and enriching humanity's material existence.
The abundance or scarcity of resources directly determined the light and darkness of human nature.
As long as the cake could keep expanding, a true utopia was possible.
Human nature was neither wholly bright, nor entirely dark.
That the Megacorp had reached its present heights was already laid in stone back in Night City's Little Chinatown of the main universe, when the principle of "Equivalent Exchange" became deeply ingrained in every heart.
"Equivalent Exchange"—it carried both the beauty of science and the key clue to humanity's path toward Great Unity. Compared to all the slogans of peasant uprisings or revolutionary movements through history, it was far more practical and achievable.
Guilliman wished to transplant the Megacorp 's system into the Imperium. But fundamentally, it was impossible. The Imperium lacked the necessary foundations and conditions.
Its education was impoverished, its people feared AI, and enlightenment of the masses would take at least a generation or two.
To put it bluntly, the Warhammer universe carried the highest management cost of any universe the Megacorp had ever encountered—bar none!
Beyond the Daemons of the Warp and the lurking xenos within and beyond the galaxy, the Imperium was torn by internal contradictions: Primarchs and mortals, nobles and commoners.
Even the seemingly troublesome Dune universe had been easier— Li Ang only needed to dominate a handful of Great Houses to control its humanity completely.
But the unified Imperium was another matter.
Every faction had its vested interests. Most were nobility ennobled during the Great Crusade. Any reform would inevitably strike at the core of their privileges.
To assimilate the Imperium into the Megacorp 's political system could not be done quickly. Even Li Ang himself had already prepared for a long-term reconstruction of the Warhammer universe.
The process would require at least twenty years—about a full generation.
"Lord Paul, for the sake of our shared humanity, I must beg your assistance. If you have any other demands, speak them freely."
Guilliman knew full well that Paul was correct. But he still needed a concrete plan—no matter if it only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. All he required was something to hold out until Father and Malcador returned.
If things continued as they were, he feared the Imperium would not last that long.
Seeing this, Paul could only reflect and consider a solution for Guilliman.
Although the Megacorp 's system was ill-suited to the Imperium, it was not impossible to optimize its current administration.
All governance boiled down to three steps: discovering problems, reporting problems, and solving problems. Now that the new warp routes had eliminated delays in reporting, only the solving remained.
And problem-solving itself divided into two stages: deciding how to solve it, and carrying out the execution.
Clearly, the most time-consuming, labor-intensive part was execution. The Megacorp 's potential role was to ease some of this burden.
"Regent Guilliman, it is not that we refuse to help you. But the truth is, the Megacorp and the Imperium differ in many ways. Much simply cannot be transplanted wholesale."
Paul did not immediately agree, but deliberately wore a look of difficulty. With outsiders, no matter how easy a matter might be, one must always act as though it were arduous.
Only then would the other side value this, and all future cooperation.
From childhood, Paul had been immersed in the art of negotiation and exchange. Naturally, he was already a seasoned player who knew exactly how to maneuver for maximum benefit.
When it seemed Paul was about to politely decline his request, Guilliman's face fell with disappointment. But the very next second, Paul shifted his tone:
"However… if it's about solving the problem you're facing now, I do have an idea."
Hearing there was still hope, Guilliman immediately pressed, "What idea?"
It didn't matter what the method was—so long as it could resolve his immediate crisis. Guilliman was certain that if the Imperium's administrative system continued to drag on like this, collapse was inevitable. If they didn't find some way to optimize it soon, the empire they had struggled so hard to build would crumble at any moment.
"Now that the new warp routes are complete, travel across the Imperium has become much more convenient. And with our fleets wielding far more advanced jump technology, we can reach any corner of the Imperium swiftly.
"At present, with the Great Crusade just ended, what the Imperium needs most is nothing more than rest and recovery. Of these, material resources and security forces are the two most critical aspects of governance.
"We can provide the materials. We can provide the security forces as well. But we do not currently have the corresponding enforcement authority. If you grant the Megacorp fleet certain judicial powers, we can directly enforce Terra's decrees in its stead."
Paul's expression remained calm, as though requesting enforcement authority from the Imperium was in no way overstepping his bounds.
"Terra's governing institutions have to go through far too many layers of bureaucracy just to direct a Primarch's legion. But if you hand such orders to the Megacorp fleet, it becomes no more than a single word."
"In this way, you could save yourselves a tremendous amount of time, while also clearing away a portion of the useless paperwork."
Paul's proposal was essentially to package the Megacorp fleet as Imperial envoys, imperial commissioners carrying Terra's mandate to act across Imperial territory.
Any who dared resist would be crushed—after all, the Megacorp wasn't part of the Imperium's own hierarchy. Should trouble arise, responsibility would fall squarely on the Imperial Regent Guilliman.
After listening carefully, Guilliman reflected for a moment. The method was crude, yes, and likely to offend many. But it was still far better than working himself to death!
Guilliman was not like Horus, forever concerned about "brotherly bonds." He did what had to be done. The dirty work could be handed off to the Megacorp. And if some Primarch did take offense, well—so long as the Megacorp stood in the way, that anger wouldn't land directly on him.
What's more, the plan was highly feasible.
The Megacorp fleets were immensely powerful; no Space Marine Legion could stand against them. If it truly came to blows, it would be the Primarchs who suffered.
Guilliman was confident: when faced with the enforcement power of the Megacorp fleet, the Primarchs, unless utterly insane, would avoid provoking them at all costs—spare themselves a disastrous loss.
"If that's the case," Guilliman said solemnly, "then on behalf of the countless billions of humanity, I offer you our deepest gratitude. Whatever requests you may have, speak freely. So long as it falls within the bounds of my administrative authority, I will not refuse."
There were no free favors in this world. Guilliman understood that if the Megacorp fleet truly became Terra's designated enforcers, the operational expenses would be astronomical.
Whether or not such costs were negligible for the Megacorp, or regardless of the exact state of relations between them and the Imperium, humanity would still have to offer something in return.
Locking eyes with Paul, Guilliman wondered: what treasure would the Megacorp demand this time? Some relic of the Golden Age? Another STC fragment?
But those had almost all been plundered clean already. If they were all gone, how could the Imperium continue trading with the Megacorp in the future?
And what of the Mechanicum adepts on Mars—would they collapse into despair and madness?
At that thought, Guilliman sighed inwardly. He hoped Paul would not ask for anything too outrageous. The Imperium's coffers were already nearly bare.
Soon enough, under Guilliman's gaze, Paul revealed what he sought:
"Long ago, the Emperor sealed a fragment of a C'tan on Mars. We want to take that fragment with us."
At those words, Guilliman's brows furrowed. A C'tan fragment? What was that? He had never even heard of such a thing.
When had the Emperor sealed such a thing on Mars…?
Seeing Guilliman's ignorance, Paul chuckled softly:
"No matter. If this is beyond your authority, we can always negotiate directly with the Emperor. He's with us now—it won't be hard to reach him."
The fragments of the Star Gods—C'tan—were relics from the age of the Old Gods. Outside of the Emperor and Malcador, virtually no humans understood what they were.
Currently, the Megacorp was attempting to procure C'tan shards from the Necrons. But Trazyn's efficiency was abysmal, infuriatingly slow.
Months had passed without so much as a single reply. Perhaps his social standing was too poor; perhaps no one believed his words. Either way, he was still struggling to persuade other Necron Overlords.
The Megacorp could hardly afford to just sit idle, so their gaze had now shifted toward the Imperium of Man.
In the Warhammer universe, the Star Gods were an ancient, godlike species that fed on suns, devouring stellar energy to fuel their reality-warping powers.
Born from the fires of the Big Bang, they were pure energy beings. In their earliest state, they had neither form nor true consciousness, existing only to feed. They resembled vast swarms of cosmic dust circling stars, silently draining their energy until nothing remained.
It was only when they encountered the Necrontyr—the precursors of the Necrons—that their existence changed.
The Necrontyr, having discovered these terrifying beings, forged living-metal bodies for them, granting them form.
In that moment, the C'tan "awoke." Flesh merged with mind; they gained self-awareness and unfathomable intelligence.
But morality they never had.
Soon after, one of their number—the Deceiver, Mephet'ran—convinced the Necrontyr he could grant them mechanical ascension, to transcend beyond death itself.
In truth, Mephet'ran and the other C'tan conspired to feast upon the Necrontyr's very souls, consuming the entire species and transforming them into today's Necrons.
Yet cosmic retribution followed. The War in Heaven—waged between the C'tan, the Necrontyr, and the Old Ones—nearly destroyed the galaxy. Resources the C'tan devoured grew ever scarcer.
Famine spread.
At that moment, Mephet'ran whispered into the ear of their champion, the Nightbringer: the only way to survive was to devour their own kin.
Once that door was opened, the C'tan fell upon one another in a frenzy of self-cannibalism.
In the aftermath, only four of the mightiest endured: the Nightbringer, the Deceiver, the Void Dragon, and the Outsider.
Weakened beyond recovery, they were then betrayed by the Necrons. With their ultimate weapons, the Necrons shattered the surviving C'tan into countless shards, imprisoning them within tesseract labyrinths, to be wielded as batteries or weapons.
Of them, only the Outsider managed to escape annihilation, hiding away, surviving as the last intact C'tan.
Even so, while a shard was but a fraction of a true Star God, the value was still immense. For the Megacorp, it was a prize beyond compare.
But their aim was not simply the shard's power or energy.
What they wanted was the knowledge the C'tan possessed, and an understanding of their very essence as a species. Perhaps, in doing so, they might fashion corporeal forms for deities like Amon or the Primordial Heaven Sovereign.
To anchor living gods within the Megacorp's utopian capital—just the thought of such a vision was enough to set the imagination ablaze.
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