Chapter 18
This was an unprecedentedly bright moment for the Imperium.
With the territories of the Pacific Rim Empire absorbed into Imperial rule, the eastern approaches to Terra now lay open, and the influx of population and industrial resources greatly strengthened the Imperium's strategic position.
What pleased Yuki most, however, was the remarkable improvement in relations between the Thunder Warriors and the emerging Legiones Astartes.
The Astartes had discovered that these towering veterans did not scorn them for their inexperience. On the battlefield, the Thunder Warriors often placed themselves between danger and the younger warriors, shielding them without hesitation.
The Thunder Warriors, in turn, recognized that although these gene-forged warriors were smaller and still maturing in strength, they possessed unwavering loyalty, discipline, and a courage worthy of respect. The disdain that once lingered between them gradually faded.
The Thunder Warriors still drove the recruits relentlessly, pushing them to exhaustion and beyond, but the training ground was no longer filled with tension. It had become a crucible rather than a proving ground of resentment.
Yuki watched all of this with quiet satisfaction.
Progress was being made.
To address the genetic instability of the Thunder Warriors, she had even drawn the Emperor himself into extended research sessions. If their work succeeded, these warriors might yet be spared the fate of degeneration and madness that haunted their gene-forging.
A few days earlier, the Emperor had designated land near the Imperial Palace for the construction of a genetorium complex and appointed Lady Astartes as its overseer. Since her recovery, Yuki had spent nearly all her time within its laboratories.
Meanwhile, the number of Astartes had increased noticeably. Patrols of black-armoured warriors could now be seen across Imperial territory, enforcing order and securing newly compliant regions.
An idea had taken root in Yuki's mind.
The Thunder Warriors' weaknesses were not limited to genetic instability. Their shortened lifespans and reduced resistance to Warp corruption made them ill-suited for prolonged campaigns beyond Terra. If elements of the Astartes gene-seed implantation process could be adapted safely, it might allow these veterans to transition into a stable role alongside the Legiones Astartes.
Three months had passed since the fall of the Pacific Rim Empire. The Imperium now stood in a rare period of consolidation and military reorganization — the most tranquil span Yuki had known since arriving in this age.
"Your Highness, an Astartes has arrived bearing a message."
A mortal attendant knocked cautiously upon the door.
Yuki smiled and inclined her head.
"Thank you, sir."
"No, no — Your Highness is too gracious."
She bowed lightly and patted the man's shoulder before departing.
An Astartes clad in matte black power armour stood in the genetorium hall.
"Sirius, neophyte of the First Legion, greets Your Highness."
He performed the aquila salute, fists crossed over his chest. Since the Emperor had unveiled the twin-headed eagle as the sigil of the Imperium, the gesture had begun to spread among the Legiones Astartes.
Yuki returned the salute.
"What is it, warrior?"
"Your Highness, the Emperor requests your presence at the palace. He has matters of importance to discuss."
"I understand."
He turned to leave.
"Wait."
He stopped immediately.
Yuki approached and studied him in silence. The transhuman warrior stiffened beneath her scrutiny, like a cadet awaiting judgment.
"What is your name?"
"Sirius, Your Highness."
She smiled and gently touched the side of his helm.
"Sirius… it is a pleasure to meet you."
Alpharius sat in the Sigillite's private chambers, staring blankly ahead like a puppet with its strings cut.
He collapsed into a chair, barely noticing when Malcador entered.
"What troubles you, Alpharius?"
He blinked, returning to himself.
"Teacher… Her Highness… she seemed to recognize me."
Malcador studied him.
"What did she say?"
"She said, 'It is a pleasure to meet you.'"
Malcador exhaled softly.
"You should call her sister."
Silence lingered.
"…Then may I see her again, teacher?"
Malcador hesitated.
He pitied the child. Returned to his kin yet forced into obscurity, tasked by the Emperor with a role that would deny him recognition, sunlight, and brotherhood. While his brothers would one day stride across the galaxy in glory, he would remain a shadow.
It was a cruel duty.
But Yuki's awareness changed things. Both were wise enough to understand silence and necessity.
"…You may go when you wish."
Alpharius nodded slowly.
"Thank you, teacher."
As he left, Malcador lifted his cup and murmured to himself,
"What a tragic necessity…"
"How is it?"
Inside the palace, the Emperor regarded Yuki, who was reading from a data-slate.
"Father… isn't this deeply flawed?"
The Emperor's brow tightened. Perhaps he should not have shown her the draft.
The Imperial Truth rested upon two central doctrines:
Human Primacy — that humanity must reclaim mastery of the stars and cast down all threats to its survival.
Rational Enlightenment — that superstition, mysticism, and false gods were chains upon human progress, and that reason and science must guide mankind's destiny.
To the masses, these principles were presented as absolute truth. In reality, they were weapons — tools to unify humanity and sever its spiritual dependency upon the Warp.
They sounded unassailable.
Yet Yuki found fissures within them.
"If humanity is supreme," she said, "what defines humanity? After millennia of isolation, mutation, and adaptation, many lost colonies may no longer resemble Terran baseline. Are they to be judged alien?"
The Emperor remained silent.
"And if all things are to be explained through reason," she continued, "what of the immaterium? We need not name its horrors, but people should understand that something exists beyond reason — something dangerous. Prepared minds are harder to corrupt than ignorant ones."
She spoke carefully. As a psyker, she could claim only impressions — visions of corruption and malign presence within the Warp.
The Emperor sighed.
He had considered these same dilemmas. But time was a blade at humanity's throat. The birth of the Prince of Excess would bring only a brief calm to the Warp. He did not possess the luxury of philosophical perfection.
This was where they differed.
The Emperor believed humanity must act swiftly.
Yuki believed an empire built too quickly might fracture under its own weight.
"This is flawed… and this is incomplete," she said at last. "If nothing else works, leave these matters to me. I will handle them."
"Very well."
She froze.
"…What?"
He had agreed too quickly.
"You— you…" Yuki pointed at him, speechless.
The next day, the Emperor issued a proclamation to the Imperium:
Yuki was appointed Permanent Vice-Emperor, vested with all civil and administrative authority, save command of the Legio Custodes.
Yuki: "Arminus—!"
Malcador: "What a catastrophe…"