Chapter 39: A Suitable Candidate 1/4

The Gloriana-class battleship *Macragge's Honour* emerged from the warp, having locked onto the real-space coordinates of the Thalassa system after an intermittent three-week journey. Guilliman had not sent word to Thalassa of his arrival. The sudden appearance of such a massive fleet from the warp instantly triggered the system’s defensive alarms. The fleet tasked with defending Thalassa, fearing an incursion by Chaos traitors seeking to seize the imprisoned daemons and sealed artifacts, nearly opened fire. A disaster was only averted after both sides exchanged Imperial pass-codes and verified their identities.

Guilliman’s fleet entered the Thalassa system and set a direct course for its destination: the planet Thalassa itself. Thalassa was a fortress world, extensively modified by the Inquisition for security. The entire planet was ringed by a dense network of weapon platforms, orbital mines, and missile silos. It would be impossible for a Chaos fleet to capture this world without suffering heavy losses.

The Thalassa system served as the base of operations for active Inquisitors within the Ultima Segmentum, housing a vast collection of daemonhosts and warp-tainted artifacts. The nature of a daemonhost is unique: individuals with specific biological predispositions are selected, and Inquisitors inscribe specific sigils, runes, and protective incantations upon their flesh. The original soul is then purged, turning the body into a specialized vessel of meat and blood. Once prepared, mysterious rituals and the daemon’s true name are used to bind the entity within the vessel, imprisoning it.

This was an effective method of containment. However, radical Inquisitors, in their desire to better combat the daemonic, often pushed boundaries. They would craft daemonhosts to use as weapons against other daemons or to interrogate for intelligence. Such actions were inherently dangerous; if discovered, they were deemed heretical and could lead to a sentence of Excommunicate Traitoris. Contact and commerce with daemons were among the most intolerable sins in the Imperium. Once exposed, it almost always invited suspicion and strikes from various factions.

This was precisely why Guilliman needed a "white glove"—a proxy. He could not afford to leave behind any leverage against himself, especially while he was still unable to exert total control over the Imperium. Radical Inquisitors served as his perfect cover. If things went awry, he could sacrifice the pawn to protect the king. This was not due to cruelty or viewing people as mere tools on Guilliman's part; rather, it was because the Ruinous Powers were omnipresent, and he had to be prepared for every contingency.

Horus had turned against humanity because he felt alienated by the Emperor's exclusion of him from the Council of Terra, eventually succumbing to the temptations of Chaos. The greatest enemy of the Imperium was the Ruinous Powers, yet their control over the material universe was limited; they could only manifest through agents to sow chaos within the Imperium. Guilliman could not be certain if there would be another Horus. If there were, who would it be? Calgar? Cawl? The Custodians? The High Lords?

No one could predict who the next traitor would be or in what form they would seek to destroy the Imperium. Guilliman could only ensure he held the best hand possible. To hold a strong hand, he needed to stand on the moral high ground. To occupy that position, he could not afford any flaws, or at least, he could not be caught with any. He wanted his reputation, but he also needed the intelligence gathered from the warp. This "white glove" project was a top-secret endeavor he had to carry out.

Daemonhosts were remnants collected by the Inquisition after purging radical Inquisitors; they were locked in the depths of the fortress city, destined to remain sealed for eternity, barring any accidents. Beyond daemonhosts, the origins of warp-tainted artifacts were far more complex. The galaxy had existed for thirteen billion years since the birth of the first star. Countless civilizations had risen and fallen, their monuments erased by the passage of time. Even the Necrons had not existed for more than a hundred million years. One could only imagine what secrets this ancient galaxy hid.

The Aeldari were not the first race to contact the warp, nor were their creators, the Old Ones. Many ancient races had risen, studied the warp, sought forbidden knowledge from it, and crafted countless artifacts of mysterious power. As these civilizations collapsed, those creations were lost in the ruins. A vast number of these so-called "artifacts" were buried in unknown places, ancient and evil things waiting to be rediscovered. These objects often possessed a pure malice, using any means necessary to tempt the ignorant into breaking their seals and granting them freedom. The Inquisition collected and sealed these items to prevent them from poisoning the minds of humanity.

Guilliman’s arrival caused quite a stir. High Inquisitors emerged from their estates to line up at the spaceport and welcome the Lord Regent of the Imperium. In scale, the Inquisitorial welcome was far less extravagant than that of the Ecclesiarchy, as there was a vast difference in their respective financial resources. The wealth of the Ecclesiarchy was legendary throughout the Imperium. With the exception of Forge Worlds under the Adeptus Mechanicus, recruitment worlds under the Space Marine Chapters, and special worlds like Thalassa that served as containment facilities, all Imperial worlds were subject to religious tithes. Another reason for the smaller scale was that the fortress city of Thalassa held few ordinary citizens; its population consisted almost entirely of servants to the Inquisition. These servants were destined from birth to serve the Inquisition, studying lore and rituals, waiting to become daemonhosts or to deploy alongside Inquisitors to cleanse xenos and daemons. Their numbers were small compared to the populations of church worlds.

Guilliman did not care for elaborate ceremonies. He had not come to Thalassa for vanity. As the airlock hissed open, he stepped out, flanked by his Honor Guard, and walked down the red carpet toward the assembled Inquisitors. All the Inquisitors not currently on assignment were gathered there. The arrival of the Lord Regent filled them with encouragement—a light impossible to ignore had appeared in the dark galaxy.

"My Lord Primarch." The High Inquisitor Lord, known as Covenant, led the others in kneeling to pay their respects.

"Rise," Guilliman said, looking at Covenant, who had an artificial device implanted in his jaw. "I have come to rectify the disorder within the Inquisition, and I require your full cooperation. Submit all Inquisitorial records to me; I must conduct a review."

Guilliman used this excuse to mask his true intent. Of course, untangling the chaotic relationships within the Inquisition was something that truly needed to be done. The disorder of the Inquisition was unimaginable. Nominally, all Inquisitors held equal rank. This meant no Inquisitor had the authority to question another, nor to demand explanations for their plans. More terrifyingly, they wielded immense power, capable of mobilizing the Imperial Navy, planetary defense forces, and, if they were politically savvy, even the Adeptus Astartes. The consequences of such vast, unchecked power were self-evident.

Under Guilliman’s command, the records of all active Imperial Inquisitors in the Ultima Segmentum were brought to him.

"You have done a great deal of work," Guilliman said, looking at the mountain of files and addressing the High Inquisitor Lord of Thalassa, Covenant.

"It is our duty, my Lord." Covenant lowered his head, his mechanical jaw emitting a soft, rhythmic hum. He had lost his jaw in a previous operation and had been forced to use Adeptus Mechanicus technology to replace it.

After a brief conversation, Guilliman began to review the files. A Primarch could process information at a speed unimaginable to an ordinary human, thinking and analyzing simultaneously. With such capabilities, it took Guilliman only a few hours to read through all the Inquisitors' dossiers and extract the candidates he desired.

"This Eisenhorn—why does he have several instances of summoning daemons? Is he a loyalist?" Guilliman asked, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at Covenant, feigning dissatisfaction.

"Yes, my Lord," Covenant explained, struggling to maintain his composure. "His summoning of daemons was never intentional, but rather forced by circumstance. The enemies of the Emperor he faced were too powerful; to eradicate these terrible foes, he was forced to use such extreme measures."

"Is he currently serving at the Inquisitorial College?" Guilliman asked.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Then have him come to see me. I must conduct a review to ensure no shameful heretics are lurking within the Imperium, becoming a hidden threat," Guilliman declared.