Ten thousand years ago, a machine designed and built by the Emperor himself transformed under the blow of a golden hammer, radiating as brilliantly as it did when first forged. A colossal machine, long buried deep underground, roared back to life, shaking the entire mountain range. The light gathered into a dazzling sphere, growing ever brighter, expanding relentlessly, until it burst past its critical point and erupted in a thin, volcanic jet.
A terrifying shockwave radiated from the core of the Astronomican, spreading through every corridor. Those who remained within Chamber of the Astronomican and the hollow mountain were swept away by the blast. Upon landing, they rolled more than ten meters across the ground to steady themselves, resulting in several injuries.
"That lord succeeded," Saisa said, standing up from the ground, bruised and battered, not even bothering to check her own body. Her first thought was that the Astronomican had been safely restarted, her voice trembling with excitement.
Surrounding survivors cheered one after another, overcome with joy. They had worked generations in the Chamber of the Astronomican. The duty to guard the Astronomican was etched into their flesh, an instinct and faith that sustained their lives. The moment the Astronomican went out was the most painful—what they had protected for generations had vanished, leaving only cold, silent machinery. Many could not bear the blow and chose suicide or degeneration. Even those like Saisa who survived continued to suffer, often uncertain of what kept them going. The Astronomican was out, and with it, their pillar and faith in life. Meaning faded, leaving them as walking corpses sustained only by the most primal instinct to survive.
But now, a mysterious hero, single-handedly restarted the Astronomican, returned the Emperor's light to the world, and gave them back the meaning of life.
"Thank Omnissiah," a tech-priest shouted in binary, and others soon followed, singing praises to the great Omnissiah, lauding the primal force.
The Imperial Army stationed outside Hollow Mountain also noticed the Astronomican's reactivation for the first time.
"The Astronomican is back... it's back!" a patrolling sentinel cheered, spreading the good news to colleagues. Officers rushed from their hidden headquarters to open ground, gazing up at the pillar of light rising into the sky, their eyes wide with shock and irrepressible excitement. The reignition of the Astronomican signified the Emperor's will to guide his people. To show their devotion, they gave the Aquila salute to the dazzling pillar of starlight.
…
Farther from the Chamber of the Astronomican, in the riot-torn hive capital, black-armored enforcers, wielding electric batons and lasguns, formed defensive perimeters on major streets, wary and alert. Gunships and armed aircraft hovered overhead, engines rumbling, while tanks and APCs idled on the ground. The rioters facing them were poorly equipped, but some carried homemade bombs and powerful firearms. As the standoff continued, tension mounted, ready to explode.
Suddenly, blinding light poured down, shattering the tense air. Everyone instinctively looked toward the source. A brilliant beam of light pierced the dark night sky, stabbing into the void. Anyone living on Terra knew that beam was the Light of the Astromomican and the embodiment of the Emperor's will. In the past, it was unremarkable—just look up and it was always there. But then, the familiar starlight vanished overnight, plunging countless people into panic and despair as rumors of the Emperor's death spread.
Now, with the Astronomican relit, it meant the Emperor had not fallen, and his will once more protected Terra. Many fanatical mobs knelt to the ground upon seeing the star's light, weeping uncontrollably. He had returned. He had not abandoned them. Some cultists, their faces twisted, had underestimated the power of Imperial faith.
…
At an airport in Terra's low orbit, Guilliman was discussing the state of the Imperium with his companions when the cheers surprised him. Looking through the observation window at the brilliant beam slicing through the void, he smiled. On a cosmic scale, the beam was thin—only five kilometers wide—but it shot straight from Terra into infinity, illuminating the void like a searchlight.
"He succeeded. We have witnessed another miracle," Guilliman thought, knowing the mysterious, nameless one would never disappoint.
"Praise the Omnissiah. His messenger is truly the god's incarnation," boomed the massive Fabricator-General Raskian, unable to hide his excitement. The Mechanicus had always been responsible for maintaining the Astronomican and the Golden Throne, and Raskian knew just how dire the situation was. As long as human technology could repair it, he would never deal with the Dark Eldar.
"All this is the Emperor's will," Celestine and the sisters prayed, their faces radiant with piety. Greyfax, Crowl, and the other Inquisitors wore complex expressions—the nameless one was too unconventional, his methods strange, even consorting with daemons. By the standards of the Inquisition, he was outright heresy. Yet he had repeatedly turned the tide, saving Imperial loyalists from peril, and now repaired the Astronomican. Not even the holiest living saints could compare to such achievements.
His logic was truly contradictory.
…
On the palace's outer wall, Trajann Valoris, the Chief Custodian, gazed at the distant pillar of light. He heard voices in the light—as if billions were praising the Lord of Mankind.
"What happened?" Tribune Italeo approached him.
"The Astronomican was relit by a mysterious nameless one," Valoris replied. He had long heard from Navradaran about the Primarch and the nameless one. Navradaran had stated in communication that the nameless one could repair the Golden Throne and wished for the Chief Custodian's full cooperation. Valoris didn't believe it at first, but Navradaran's guarantee of life and glory dispelled his doubts and gave him hope.
Protecting the Emperor was not just the Custodes' duty—it was their very reason for existence. If the Golden Throne were destroyed, could they still claim to be the Emperor's shield?
Ten thousand years ago, the Custodes failed to protect the Webway or the Emperor. Ten thousand years later, they were powerless before the failing Golden Throne. This thought always filled Valoris with frustration—he had protected nothing.
But now, the Astronomican had been repaired and relit, proving Navradaran's words true, and indicating the nameless one might truly be able to restore the Golden Throne.
"Italeo, take a team and immediately investigate the situation at the Astronomican. Remember, show respect to the nameless one. Do not do anything foolish."
"Understood, my lord," Italeo nodded and left. Valoris turned his gaze back to the pillar of light.
…
The whole of Terra was abuzz over the Astronomican's reactivation, and every human world that could see the Astronomican greeted it with cheers.
Amidst the raging warp, a desperate captain pressed a gun to his forehead. It was over—completely lost in the warp, with no anchor to reality. Suicide by gun was the best outcome; falling into the claws of those warp horrors, death would be a mercy.
As the captain prepared to pull the trigger, he heard his navigator, nearly collapsing from prolonged warp observation, cry out, "Light! The Emperor's light! Captain, I see the Astronomican! We can jump back to realspace!"
The captain immediately tossed the gun aside, leapt from his throne, and dashed to the console. With the Astronomican as an anchor, the ship could return to realspace.
"I just said I'm so devout—why would the Emperor let me die?" the captain said, excited. "Obey the great Emperor's orders, get us out of this hellhole! I've had enough!"
Across the stars, similar scenes played out: many ships navigating the warp evaded the storm and returned to realspace. The Imperial fleet, now reinforced, fought on every battlefield across the void.
Since the Great Rift, the Astronomican had gone out, astropathic messages flew everywhere, and the Imperium teetered on collapse. Many once believed the Great Marauders had seized Terra, destroyed the Imperium, and killed the Emperor, bracing themselves for the end.
Now, with the Astronomican reignited and the Emperor's light returned, it meant neither Terra nor the Imperium had fallen.
"For the Emperor! For humanity!" commanders and commissars shouted, raising their arms amid countless cheers. For a time, Imperial morale soared like a rainbow, while the forces of Chaos suffered steady defeat.
Aboard the bridge of the Vengeful Spirit, Abaddon was preparing for the Crimson Path, planning to enter Terra, behead the false Emperor but, after learning the Astronomican had been reignited. Enraged, he struck the command platform, tearing into the massive console.
"Curse you, false Emperor!"
Abaddon paced back and forth, his eyes burning with near-tangible fury. On the bridge, none dared meet the gaze of the furious warlord, lest they bear the brunt of his wrath.
"Send word to that battle group at once, accelerate the Crimson Path's progress! The Imperium must not be given a second chance!" he roared.
His advisors and subordinates rushed out, sending the Great Despoiler's orders to Chaos warbands scattered across the galaxy.
…
The Astronomican's light reappearing in the warp drew the attention of the Chaos gods. The ancient four urged their daemons to accelerate their assault on realspace, waging ever more frequent wars.
Magnus, having just crawled from the depths of the Webway, also heard the news of the Astronomican's reactivation.
"Roboute Guilliman..." The daemonic form howled with boundless malice. His feud with Guilliman and the nameless one would never end like this.
Mortarion, Lord of Death, received the message with eyes full of hatred. He wanted to solve his current problems. He never expected Guilliman to move so quickly, nor to return to Terra and restart the Astronomican.
The Lord of Death swore silently to himself: all Guilliman's actions would be in vain, the hope of the Imperium would be crushed, and the age of the Emperor would end.
The light of the Astronomican was so dazzling, even the Tyranids took notice.
As for Datch, he knew none of this. After repairing the Astronomican, a completion prompt appeared before him:
[Mission complete: Astronomican successfully repaired. Congratulations!]
[Mission rewards: 2,000 EXP, 2,000 points, Reputation +500, purple gold gourd x1]
….
Bonus chapter at 300 PS
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