Chapter 268: Why Bother Searching Yourself, When You Can Just Ask for One?
Lucan closed his eyes and checked the System interface.
[Fully Control Habitable Planets (9/10)]
"This habitable planet requirement is a real pain," he muttered to himself. "Humanity's adaptability to new worlds is just too low to begin with."
The System's criteria for "habitable" were far stricter than Lucan had imagined. Worlds in the Warhammer universe that were considered prime real estate due to their relatively low pollution levels still fell short of the System's standards. Only worlds that could be classified as "Paradise Worlds" met the criteria.
But finding a planet that could truly be called a paradise in the 41st Millennium was no easy task. Its ecosystem had to be perfectly suited to human physiology, and it could not possess any high-value resources. Otherwise, any valuable planet discovered by the Imperium would be exploited to its fullest extent. Abandoning resource extraction for the sake of ecological protection? Impossible. Preserving the environment was a luxury that always came second to survival and the production of more wargear.
Lucan's efforts to terraform his own planets had never ceased, but even with his best efforts to restore their ecosystems, he had only managed to create two or three worlds that met the "habitable" standard. The rest had been discovered using his star charts and warp drive in undeveloped systems.
But even so, he was still one short.
He opened his eyes, temporarily exiting the System. As he pondered how to acquire this final planet, his gaze fell upon Guilliman.
Suddenly, he had an idea.
Why bother with all the trouble of developing and searching for one myself, when I can just get one that's already finished!
Guilliman felt a chill as he met Lucan's intense gaze. There was a distinctly mischievous and calculating look in his eyes.
At that moment, Guilliman and Ferrus were accompanying Lucan on the journey to Terra. The moment Trajann Valoris had met Lucan, he had been eager for both him and Guilliman to travel to the Throneworld. The return of Ferrus was an unexpected and welcome surprise for the Captain-General.
News of Ferrus's revival was immediately relayed to his home world of Medusa. The Iron Hands, fresh from a victorious, large-scale tank battle against the forces of Chaos, could not believe the news. They knew better than anyone that their Primarch was dead. Although they had always believed he would one day return, they had never imagined it would be in this manner. While Lucan and the others were en route to Terra, the Iron Hands began to mobilize nearly all their available forces to make the same journey.
Ferrus himself felt a degree of trepidation. The nature of his current existence was highly unusual. A key reason the Ultramarines could rapidly replenish their numbers was that Guilliman was alive and could provide a vast supply of gene-seed. But in his current state... Ferrus couldn't provide a single drop.
Upon learning of the impending return of Guilliman and Ferrus, the entirety of Terra began preparing a celebration to welcome the sons of the Emperor. For the common citizens of the Imperium, this was the best news imaginable. But for a certain subset of the population, it was not.
Furthermore, the existence of the Zerg and Protoss was now fully known to the Imperium through the reports of the Cadian soldiers. This had caused a massive uproar among those in the know. Even though both xenos races had helped win the war for Cadia, they were still met with suspicion from the Inquisition. The more powerful they appeared, the more the Imperium feared and worried about them. The alien heart is unknowable. It was the Inquisition's duty to uncover the origins of these xenos. The mysterious warrior known as the DOOM Slayer, in particular, had been labeled as "extremely dangerous" in their records.
The return of another Primarch had also doubled the pressure on the High Lords of Terra. They could feel the power they held slipping from their grasp. Upon hearing the news, some members of the High Lords' council began to use the situation to their advantage, preparing to make a final stand.
It was almost impossible for the human Imperium, whose ideology had always been extremely xenophobic, to immediately accept the existence of xenos allies. The appearance of the Zerg and Protoss seemed to offer the High Lords a sliver of hope to retain their power. The fact that the Primarchs had fought alongside these xenos gave them what they believed was leverage. They could not punish Guilliman or Ferrus, but with no other options, they sought to use the letter of Imperial Law to force Guilliman to make concessions.
Lucan's rise to prominence had also drawn the High Lords' attention to the Koronus Expanse. The Expanse had traditionally existed outside the Imperium's taxation system. Now, learning of Lucan's ability to mass-produce powersuits and all manner of wargear, they had taken notice. They had already ordered the Adeptus Administratum to investigate the Expanse and were preparing to impose the Imperial Tithe on the region. They even hoped Lucan would hand over his technology. The reports from Cadia had not hidden what Lucan had done, and the High Lords, particularly the Adeptus Mechanicus of Mars, were more eager than anyone to acquire it.
The fact that Lucan could control these xenos had also led the High Lords to order him to submit to an Imperial investigation.
However, Lucan had no intention of heeding their demands. Handing over his technology was out of the question. As for the taxes, Guilliman and Ferrus had already promised to handle it. Once they had retaken power, they would grant Lucan a new status and tax exemptions for some of his worlds. In return, Guilliman hoped that Lucan would provide some wargear to the Imperium at a low cost, or even as aid.
For safety, Trajann had never revealed to the High Lords that Lucan was sanctioned by the Emperor himself. With the Emperor's endorsement, the "unreasonable" existence of xenos could be made reasonable. If it came down to it, the Primarchs and the Custodes could simply tell the High Lords that these were new bio-weapons created by the Emperor's own gene-craft.
Regardless, Lucan and Guilliman had to travel to Terra. It was the center of power and faith for the entire human Imperium, and many decisions could only be issued from there. Guilliman needed to return to reclaim his power, and he also wanted to hear from his father's own lips what the truth was about Lucan's existence.
"Lord Lucan," Guilliman finally said, unnerved by the stare, "could you please not look at me like that? If you have a request, you can simply tell me."
"Hehe, Guilliman," Lucan grinned. "I do, in fact, have a request."
"Please, Lord Lucan, speak. If it is within my power, I will not refuse. You resurrected me and saved the Imperium. Your contributions have been witnessed by all."
"Within Ultramar," Lucan began, "are there any Paradise Worlds? If so, I would be willing to offer sufficient resources in exchange for one."
"A Paradise World?"
"That's right. I don't need it to have any industrial facilities or any other value. I just need its ecosystem to be pristine and suitable for human life. I don't even need administrative rights; you can keep your existing Ultramarines personnel in place. All I need is for the planet's ownership to be transferred to my name."
"What would you want with such a planet?" Guilliman asked, perplexed. "While pleasant, Paradise Worlds have very low strategic value. They are generally used as resort worlds to reward decorated soldiers."
"Just consider it a vacation spot I'm setting up for my own soldiers within Imperial space," Lucan said with a shrug.
Although he did not understand Lucan's reasoning, Guilliman chose to agree. "You do not need to pay any price. Your contributions to the Imperium have more than earned it. You can wait until I have finished my business on Terra, then I will have someone change the planet's ownership rights, and you can send your people to take possession of it."
"No, don't wait," Lucan said insistently. "I'm in a hurry. Can't it be done via astropath? Send a message to Macragge now and get it done!"
"Alright," Guilliman sighed. "Though I do not understand your purpose, I will have someone send the message now. It should be resolved quickly."
Ultramar was not subject to the authority of the Terran government. Although the internal governance of the Ultramarines' realm was complex, when a Primarch gave an order, all doors were opened.
In just a few hours, Guilliman had settled the matter for Lucan. An astropathic reply was received.
"The planet is now yours, Lord Lucan!"
Hearing Guilliman's words, Lucan quickly opened the System. As expected, the requirement for the final planet had been met.
[Habitable Planets (10/10)]
[Requirements Met]
[Third Game Program can now be loaded]
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