The first year of the 31st Millennium was a year of triumph for the Terran nobility, and a moment of glory for the Great Crusade.
After a protracted struggle, they had finally wrested power from the Primarchs and the Astartes.
The Imperium was theirs.
In the Palatine Arc, adjacent to the Europa Wall of the Imperial Palace, the nobility celebrated night after night with lavish banquets.
By day, they strode briskly to their luxury cars, passing through the Kushito Gate to the new seat of Imperial power that had replaced the War Council: the Great Chamber of Legislature.
This chamber housed the Council of Terra, where the Terran nobility decided the fate of the Imperium.
The First Lord of the Council, the Regent Malcador, and the Fabricator General of Mars, Kelbor-Hal, represented by his envoy-legate, sat upon bronze thrones flanking the hall.
On Malcador's side sat six lords: The five lords appointed by the Regent: Simion Pentasian, Master of the Administratum; Harr Rantal, Grand Provost Marshal of the Adeptus Arbites; Ossian, Chancellor of the Estate Imperium; Sidat Yaseen Tharcher, Chirurgeon-General of the Orders Hospitaller; and Jemm Marison, High Lord of the Imperial Chancellery. And Captain-General Constantin Valdor, clad in ceremonial golden armor.
Beside the Martian envoy sat the other six lords.
The Master of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Nemo Zhi-Meng, clad in green robes, his potent psychic powers barely contained, with two Sisters of Silence standing just outside the chamber.
Lauren Visccher, the Paternoval Envoy of the Navis Nobilite, her forehead adorned with ornate jewels to conceal her third eye, was still young and showed no signs of mutation.
Cohran Hursula, the Master of the Astronomican, unlike his usual practice of keeping his eyes closed to avoid being blinded by the golden light, sat with his eyes wide open.
Kelsi Demidov, Speaker for the Chartist Captains, representative of the Merchant Fleets sat on a pinewood chair from Rynn, stroking a gyrinx from the galactic south with her right hand, which wore a ring crafted by House Borgkamp of Cypra Mundi.
Two of the five Lord Commander Militants of the Imperial Army were present: Haldane Ma'lon, Lord Commander Militant of the Solar Auxilia, and Barton Drake.
The Astartes Legions, the main force of the Great Crusade, had no seat here.
The Primarchs, the members of the War Council that had guided the Imperium for two centuries, had no seat.
Horus Lupercal, the Emperor's first-found son, the Warmaster who commanded the Imperium's military forces, had no seat, but his Auxilia had two.
Light fell upon the marble floor, casting a brilliant glow.
"Noble lords, fellow councilors," declared Councilor Hernandez.
"I must remind you all of the cause of the Long Night. The abuse of sorcery."
Malcador gripped his staff. The noble was referring to the Revelations, which had been circulating on Terra for over a century.
He had ordered its suppression and had commanded the Adeptus Arbites to investigate any slander against the Shadows of Order and the Thousand Sons. But those behind it were elusive, embedded in every stratum of Terran society: nobles, scholars, laborers... Even after a century, they could not be eradicated.
He and the Emperor believed a powerful entity was operating in the shadows, but repeated psychic searches had failed to pinpoint its location.
Nareth's methods were cold and ruthless; he had ordered the assassination of over a hundred thousand people. He had even orchestrated the Night of Blood, which had terrified the nobility, earning him the private moniker Bloody Monarch, silencing all strata of society.
However, he had also used this to acquire the assets of many nobles, replenishing the depleted Imperial treasury.
Magnus had done nothing, so the recent wave of anti-psyker rhetoric had focused on him.
One after another, councilors rose to speak.
"We must never allow the Old Night to return. Abolish sorcery, lest the end times come again."
"A new Imperium, a new Council of Terra, a new era, begins with the proscription of unsanctioned psykers."
"..."
The wave of condemnation suddenly subsided as Barton Drake spoke.
"Psykers have made immense contributions to the Great Crusade. They offer more tactical options." The "Weapons Master" was taller and more robust than Haldane Ma'lon, sitting nearby. In the entire hall, only Valdor was more imposing. When he spoke, all the councilors fell silent.
"No!" Haldane Ma'lon's voice, though not as booming as Barton's, was firm.
"They are a latent threat. If they lose control, they can endanger the entire command structure."
Their eyes met, the air thick with invisible tension.
"The Imperium needs the service of psykers. They can uncover dangers and deal with threats conventional forces cannot," Lauren Visccher said, her voice a smooth melody.
House Visccher was deeply tied to Nareth. Her ascension to the Council of Terra, beating out Bolam Haardiker, was due to her close relationship with him. She also believed that Haardiker and the Navis Nobilite of Uranus would support Lord Nareth.
Their alliance with him had brought immense wealth to their houses.
More importantly, mandrake, which Navigators consumed daily to ward off the visions and pain of the Warp, was indispensable.
Except for the foolish House Belisarius. They had debased themselves, serving the brutish Russ and his Wolves. They had been expelled from Uranus by the Master of the Navigators and banned from using the Port of Bliss.
Belisarius and the Space Wolves could only enter and leave the Solar System through the Gate of Hades, near Pluto.
Nemo Zhi-Ming, the Master of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, took a sip of mandrake-infused tea, the flames and writhing tendrils in his eyes receding.
"Psykers should not be excluded from the Imperium. They are part of it."
He had little private contact with Nareth, but the Astropaths also depended on mandrake produced in the Shadows of Order's domains; other sources couldn't meet the vast demand.
Malcador surveyed the assembly. "I have heard the pleas and opinions of all present. The Master of Mankind will render His judgment."
He rose, looking at Petronella Vivar, seated in the front row. "I must remind you all, today is a significant day."
"Lady Carpinus's biography of Primarch Nareth is being released today."
"It is not only the first biography of a Primarch, but also written by Lady Carpinus herself. I have had the privilege of previewing parts of it, and I assure you, it is not to be missed."
"You should proceed immediately to the Principa Collegiate for the launch."
He gave a slight bow. "Lady Carpinus, please forgive my absence."
"I must convey your thoughts to my master in their entirety."
He smiled. "Of course, I will also see to acquiring my own copy; Ossian will bring me a collector's edition."
"I hope you will forgive my discourtesy, and sign it."
Ossian stood up following the Sigillites' words, "Lady Carpinus, the Archives will be honored to house your work."
"I hope my presence on behalf of the Regent is not an imposition."
Petronella rose gracefully, her black hair piled high in an elegant style she had chosen specifically for the occasion.
She lifted the hem of her black dress in an elaborate curtsy.
"The honor is mine."
"Yesterday, my father arrived from Cairo. As we toured the Principa Collegiate, he recalled his great-great-grandmother's dying words: she would never forget the Great Oath of Urar."
"She said she would never forget standing beside the Master of Mankind. She was fortunate to have witnessed the Emperor's rise and the unification of Terra. She warned her descendants that House Carpinus would always be the Imperium's faithful recorders."
Petronella raised her chin. "I have inherited this tradition. My biography of Lord Nareth is my first work."
"I invite you all to the Principa Collegiate, to examine the fruits of my labor."
The councilors responded in unison. "Of course. No one would miss your first work."
The nobles of the Imperium left the Great Chamber of Legislature, not returning to their estates beyond the Europa Wall, but heading together to the Principa Collegiate.
Petronella, having hurried back, stood with her father, the patriarch of House Carpinus, at the entrance, welcoming each distinguished guest.
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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