Chapter 31: A Brand New Warrior 1/4
"Guidos, your efforts are appreciated," Guilliman said.
Guidos had been selected from among the psykers who had pledged their loyalty to the Primarch, tasked with maintaining the avatars of the Tech-Priest deep within the bowels of the *Macragge's Honour*. This sector of the vessel was shrouded in absolute secrecy; even loyalists like Sicarius were forbidden from entering without cause.
"To serve my master is my greatest honor," Guidos replied, his eyes entirely white as he looked up with a respectful bow.
"It is an honor to have your loyalty. Let us begin; I must know what intelligence Cawr has sent me so that I may keep the situation under control," Guilliman said with a nod.
Guidos nodded and turned, walking into the deep darkness. Guilliman followed him. As they descended, the air grew searingly hot, and machinery hidden somewhere in the depths began to hum. An oppressive, uncomfortable psychic pressure weighed heavily upon Guilliman. Enduring the sensation, the Primarch stayed close behind his guide.
The two eventually arrived before a massive door. Its structure was complex, composed of three interlocking layers of reinforced, meter-thick turtle-shell plating. As they reached the gate, Guidos stepped aside, allowing Guilliman to step forward for identity verification. A red beam of light scanned the Primarch’s pupils.
"Retinal scan verified."
Following the retinal scan, various security devices emerged from the steel walls to test the Primarch’s physical, psychological, and mental state. Only after every parameter was confirmed was Guilliman permitted to enter the inner sanctum.
They stepped into the chamber; it was plunged in total darkness.
"Illuminate," Guidos commanded.
The machinery in the room hummed, transitioning into a deep, low rumble. One by one, white light sources ignited along the ceiling, revealing the room's layout. The details became clear: ten sealed panels were arranged at eye level along the walls, and pipes were suspended from the ceiling, secured tightly with metallic bolts.
"Cawr’s psychic communications are exceptionally dull, lacking the vitality that comes from a soul touching the vast void. I suspect he may be using machines to transmit them. Though I once deemed such a thing impossible, I must admit, he is a master."
"You could say that," Guilliman shrugged. If not for his own database, Tech-Priest Cawr would undoubtedly be the most knowledgeable individual in humanity. He had lived for ten thousand years—truly, ten thousand years—a concept unimaginable to any other life form in the Imperium.
The perpetuals of humanity had either perished during the Horus Heresy or gone missing in its wake. Based on all currently available intelligence, Cawr was the longest-living entity in the Imperium.
"His messages are extremely simple, immune to the corruption that so often plagues psychic communications since the opening of the Great Rift. Cawr’s transmissions are neither interfered with nor maliciously tampered with. Such technology is precious to us now; the Great Rift has changed much, and it has left the fate of our kind hanging by a thread."
"That will change, Guidos. I promise you," Guilliman said.
"I believe it, my Lord." Guidos stepped toward a massive piece of machinery. "By the will of the Omnissiah, initialize sequence."
Leaning on his staff, Guidos spoke the activation code. A series of clicking sounds emanated from the curved steel walls, followed by the shrill whine of machinery. Detection rays fanned out from the walls, scanning those before them.
[Identity verified: Astropath Guidos. Please provide the secondary unlock code.]
At the mechanical prompt, Guilliman stepped forward to let the rays scan him.
[Identity confirmed: Gene-Primarch Roboute Guilliman, Regent of the Imperium of Man, Lord of Ultramar.]
[Identity scan complete. Genetic scan initiated.]
A horizontal green beam projected from the wall, expanding upward and downward to scan both the Primarch and the Astropath.
[Genetic scan confirmed. Identity verified. Requesting confirmation of the cipher.]
With the sound of a mechanical engagement, Guilliman’s position was enveloped by a cone of silence, shielding all sound from the outside. The cipher had been provided to Guidos by Cawr; it was kept in absolute secrecy, with even the Primarch denied knowledge of that specific portion. This precaution was meant to prevent Guilliman's memories from being read, which could compromise the encrypted communication. Cawr had once noted, "Never underestimate Chaos; they are far cleverer than we imagine."
Once Guidos finished speaking his part of the cipher, the acoustic shield around Guilliman vanished. A similar shield rose around Guidos, and Guilliman spoke his own part of the code.
[Cipher verification successful. Primary system activated.]
With a mechanical groan, the metal panels on the walls slid open one by one. Behind each panel lay an illuminated tempered-glass tank. Each tank was filled with nutrient fluid, in which severed human heads were suspended. Their necks were encased in metal plating, with neat bundles of cables and pipes extending from ports beneath them, connecting to the machinery above.
The machines behind the panels roared to life, their operation softening into a steady hum. Circuits etched into the glass of the tanks began to flicker, and the faces of the severed heads began to contort in agony.
"My Lord," Guidos whispered.
"Yes. You may leave," Guilliman gestured.
Guidos performed the sign of the Aquila, pulled his hood up, and walked back into the darkness. Guilliman paid his departure no mind, watching instead as the circuits of the room were activated one by one.
A dull, metallic voice resonated—it was the voice of the Tech-Priest, sounding like brass grinding against brass, devoid of any emotion.
"Lord Primarch."
"Cawr, how is the progress?" Guilliman asked.
The one speaking to Guilliman was an avatar of Cawr, or perhaps, his secondary personality. Cawr would convert relevant information into code to be sent, and upon being received by the *Macragge's Honour*, it would be translated into data. The avatar used this information to converse with Guilliman.
This technology treaded upon a certain red line of the Imperium. It was also one of the reasons Guilliman trusted Cawr. Without his protection, if Cawr’s technology were exposed, a simple execution would be a mercy; he would likely be lobotomized, transformed into a servitor, and his consciousness harvested for inhuman experiments by his enemies. The radical Cawr had antagonized many conservative Archmagos; the conflict between them was irreconcilable. If not for the existence of the Imperium, they would have likely gone to war in the name of the Omnissiah long ago.
"Progress with the Archmagos is going well. New technologies have been implemented, and the Primaris Space Marine project is underway. The Space Marines will undergo four additional technical improvements: the Magnificat, the Belisarian Furnace, the Sinew Coils, and the Heart of Guilliman."
"The Heart of Guilliman?" Guilliman frowned.
"Yes. The Tech-Priest found new inspiration from your technology. The gene-engines within the super-soldier technology will be integrated with the Heart of Guilliman, granting the warriors even greater potential. Your wisdom is so profound it is terrifying, my Lord. The emergence of the Heart of Guilliman will be epoch-making; it perfectly complements human physiology and can easily mold humans into supermen. More importantly, this unique organ can be deactivated remotely, allowing us to paralyze any Primaris Space Marines who might refuse to obey the Imperium’s orders. In this way, we can minimize the chance of a second Horus Heresy."
"The Tech-Priest even intends to revise the surgical procedures for Space Marines, listing the Heart of Guilliman as the first organ to be implanted. This will increase the success rate of the surgery, facilitating the mass production of Primaris Space Marines."
"A mad plan, but one worth researching. I will grant you further authorization," Guilliman said with a faint smile, completely indifferent to the consequences.