Chapter 13: Reform of the Human Empire

Chapter 13: Reforming the Imperium of Man

Guilliman fell silent, sitting in his seat as he scrutinized them.

The stakes had been laid out; those who agreed to join would do so, and those who did not would simply be excluded from his plans. This reform was undoubtedly a massive storm for the current Imperium. He had to select loyal and obedient individuals to carry it out, ensuring as much as possible that his will would not be distorted, nor exploited by Chaos.

Resistance to such reform was inevitable. No one likes the feeling of losing power. When Terra was still known as Earth, ambitious men had waged countless wars over tiny kingdoms spanning mere millions of square kilometers, all for that supreme power to look down upon the masses. Among the stars, such opportunists were even more numerous. They craved power—the power to decide the fate of a planet or a sector with a mere whim.

After a moment of contemplation, Cyler was the first to step forward, bowing slightly. "The Cyler family is willing to serve you, Lord Regent. Please accept my humble loyalty. The Cyler family swears here today that our devotion to you shall remain as scorching as the sun of Terra."

With a leader established, other planetary governors stepped forward one after another to offer their salutations.

"The Valens family is also willing to serve you."

"The Cyler family is also willing to serve you."

They knelt before Guilliman, allowing their mechanical limbs or flesh-and-blood knees to press into the cold floor as they declared their allegiance. Seeing this, the few Rogue Traders present exchanged glances, hesitated for a moment, and then all knelt as well.

"The William Trade House will resolutely carry out your will."

"The Nancy Trade House will resolutely carry out your will."

In total, roughly half of those present had chosen to submit and kneel.

The remaining half wore expressions that shifted uncertainly, their eyes growing grave. Some even gripped the holsters at their waists, scanning the hall with wary gazes, terrified that a group of Ultramarines clad in blue power armor might burst in with power axes to strike them down—this was no laughing matter.

Guilliman’s words had crossed a line. Clearly, he intended to strip Terra and the Sol System of their control over the Imperium. From the perspective of the Terran authorities, this was nothing short of treason.

Guilliman smiled, looking at those who had not bowed and remained tense.

"Do not worry. I have no such intentions as you suspect. To me, the most important thing is how to save this dying Imperium, not to wallow in a struggle for power. Over the past ten thousand years, the Imperium has drifted far from the path my father set; I must steer it back onto the right course as soon as possible."

"Those who have not knelt, you may leave. Please grant me and my followers some time and space to discuss the reforms of the future. You need not fear any retaliation from me; I am not a man who commits terrible deeds for the sake of power."

Guilliman kindly invited those individuals to leave, leaving behind only those who had knelt on one knee.

"Everyone rise. I am glad you chose to stay."

Guilliman gestured for them to stand and find seats. The Imperium of Man was vast, spanning tens of thousands of light-years—far beyond any empire humanity had ever conceived. With inefficient travel and communication, reform was an incredibly complex and delicate matter.

Guilliman planned for these reforms to disseminate slowly alongside the new technologies in Cawl’s possession, subtly transforming the entire Imperium over the course of one or two centuries. Each policy shift would be handled with the utmost caution to minimize negative repercussions.

The roles and functions of the officials and trade houses that had not followed him would not be replaced immediately; instead, like a frog in slowly boiling water, their influence would be hollowed out bit by bit.

Once everyone was seated, Guilliman offered a smile, ensuring he could better integrate into the conversation.

"I am pleased you have stayed to assist me in implementing this plan, which may seem blasphemous to some. Yet, everything we do is for the sake of our species' survival in this dark universe and to preserve the Imperium my father created, so that it does not crumble into dust or fall beneath the tides of Chaos."

"We harbor no disrespectful thoughts, my Lord."

"Lord Regent, you need not worry; we have no such intentions."

"Regardless of your thoughts, your presence is a good thing. During the ten thousand years I slept, the development of many worlds broke my heart. The Imperium has utterly abandoned them, leaving them to struggle in ignorance and stupidity, offering up the only things they have while dressed in rags. It ignores the fact that every life is equally important to my father. I do not say this is a betrayal, but war and greed have distorted everything. Some possess everything—fresh food, water, even a beautiful private garden and a crowd of servants—while others can only scavenge for food in toxic waste to survive. This is unreasonable."

"People will only fight for what is worth protecting. If they have nothing and live in hell, what reason do they have to reject the hell that Chaos creates for them?"

Guilliman did not hide his inner anger regarding the current state of the Imperium. Had anyone else spoken such words, they would likely have been assassinated by now or declared a traitor. Humankind was born to obey the Imperium and believe in the Emperor; this was the core ideology promoted by the Ecclesiarchy. If someone else had said this, their corpse would have been unfindable by the next day.

Cyler and the others who remained shifted uneasily in their seats. They wondered if, once the meeting concluded, the Inquisition would come knocking to "send their regards." Fearing for their lives, they offered no opinions, choosing only to listen.

"I will sign orders for you. A new system of wealth distribution will be implemented in Ultramar and subsequently expanded to the entire Imperium. At the same time, I will raise funds to establish specialized educational institutions, promoting compulsory education on every backward and ignorant world. I am determined to ensure all children receive schooling and enlightenment, learning the new ideology of the Imperium to destroy at the root any organization involved with Chaos."

"The laws of the Imperium will also apply a unified standard. We shall abolish those damned feudal nobles and dictators. We do not need their existence; we must reduce the possibility of people rebelling and joining Chaos."

Guilliman laid out his reform ideas one by one, having them recorded to serve as the foundation for future plans.

During the Great Crusade ten thousand years ago, the Emperor, in order to accelerate progress, allowed planetary governors to remain as they were so long as they promoted the Imperial Truth and paid their taxes. The Imperium was deformed; some planets practiced socialism, others dictatorship, and yet others slavery.

After the Emperor was gravely wounded and placed upon the Golden Throne, and the Primarchs departed in the ensuing wars, the High Lords of Terra lacked the resolve to execute such reforms. As long as taxes were paid on time, they allowed those twisted systems to persist.

The High Lords of Terra were once effective, but now they were utterly useless. Each meeting was a clash of interests between various factions; everything they did was sluggish, even bordering on deranged. The great houses exhausted themselves trying to pack Terra with their own people, struggling to ensure their own factions held positions in the Administratum or the Departmento Munitorum to protect their interests.

Guilliman did not want to play political games with these people while fighting the Chaos Gods, nor did he want to worry about being stabbed in the back. He demanded absolute control.

After several hours of discussion and the formulation of a relatively complete reform plan, Guilliman dismissed the meeting, authorizing these individuals to form a new organization—similar to a council—to serve him and refine the plan.

As the Rogue Traders and planetary governors filed out, Guilliman rubbed his eyes, looking slightly weary. Since awakening, he had barely rested. First, he had repelled the Chaos forces, then listened to reports on the state of the Imperium, and now he had held successive meetings with various representatives to soothe them and make arrangements.

He stretched his fingers and exhaled a long, calm breath.

A soft electronic chime sounded, and the voice of Sicarius, Captain of the Second Company of the Ultramarines, came through the comms device at his side.

"My Lord, several other Chapters who heard news of your awakening have arrived and request an audience with you."