Chapter 59: Primaris Space Marines

Chapter 59: Primaris Space Marines

Primaris Space Marines were the cornerstone of the second phase of the Imperial Crusade.

Guilliman needed these warriors to help him swiftly crush the Orks and the Necron dynasties, reorganize the Imperium, and bolster humanity's military might.

Thanks to the Heart of Guilliman, a technology integrating dark matter biological engine systems, the hazards associated with upgrading from legacy Space Marines to Primaris Space Marines were far less terrifying than in the original timeline; the risks had been drastically reduced.

In the original timeline, upgrading legacy Space Marines to Primaris carried a high risk of failure, casualties, or perdition.

Now, however, such issues were non-existent.

The Heart of Guilliman, a brand-new organ, possessed nanite-level regenerative capabilities and tightly regulated the entire transformation process to ensure no aberrant mutations occurred.

With the aid of this specialized organ, the augmentation process into Primaris Space Marines had been greatly streamlined.

The success rate was exponentially higher, and the time required for the upgrade was compressed multiple times.

While upgrading a legacy Space Marine to a Primaris previously took half a year, it now required merely half a month.

Transforming a raw recruit into a Primaris Space Marine was likewise simplified. Where the original timeline demanded at least six months to forge a mortal into a Primaris, the duration was now shortened to a mere month and a half—four times faster.

More importantly, despite the accelerated timeframe, stability had not been compromised in the slightest; rather, it was far more exceptional.

The sole deterrent preventing Guilliman from mass-producing troops on an unprecedented scale was the necessity for rigorous psychological screening and conditioning of recruits to eliminate any latent seeds of corruption.

To minimize the potential for corruption, Cawl had already attempted to excise the intrinsic traits of the Primarchs, thereby enhancing the Primaris Space Marines' resistance to Chaos.

He was also preparing to introduce state-of-the-art power armor designed, when necessary, to suppress a warrior's emotions, rendering them colder, crueler, and ruthlessly efficient.

Through these multi-layered precautions, the probability of seduction and betrayal against humanity approached absolute zero.

Furthermore, under Guilliman's authorization, Cawl had established a clandestine research team tasked with forging Primaris Space Marines using pure baseline human genetics.

Humanity had wielded genetic engineering technology for tens of thousands of years.

Long before the Emperor unified Terra, potent genetically modified entities were commonplace.

To secure their supremacy, various warlords had frantically augmented themselves with genetic elixirs, making feats such as shattering a tank with a single punch standard practice.

Yet these altered beings were inherently unstable, incapable of mass production, and vulnerable to flesh-change mutations at the slightest misstep.

It was to counter this that the Emperor created the Primarchs, mass-producing Space Marines for the Great Crusade.

The existence of a Primarch served as an anchor, restricting the genetic mutations of Space Marines within controllable margins to prevent total collapse.

Naturally, the efficacy of this anchor was also limited.

The Flaw of the Blood Angels and the flesh-change of the Thousand Sons were both manifestations of the uncontrollable nature of genetic engineering.

With the advent of brand-new technology, genetic modification had found another, far more potent anchor:

The Heart of Guilliman.

By fusing dark matter with living cellular tissue, human genetic sequences could be edited much like computer code.

As long as all baseline data was inputted into the Heart of Guilliman to regulate the genetic alteration and stabilize it at the cellular genetic level, the process would never spiral out of control.

Armed with this anchor, the Imperium discarding the Primarchs to create Primaris Space Marines from pure human genetics became an attainable reality.

Naturally, this endeavor was known only to Guilliman and Cawl, kept strictly confidential from the public.

The time was not yet ripe.

If word leaked out, many would inevitably suspect Guilliman of treasonous ambitions.

Every Chapter harbored a fierce sense of identity rooted in its lineage and culture; abruptly introducing pure-human Primaris Space Marines would undeniably provoke backlash.

This undertaking had to be pursued gradually.

Pure-human Chapters would be introduced little by little, eventually replacing legacy Chapters and diluting the influence of the Primarchs.

"Everything must be done step by step."

Whenever this crossed his mind, Guilliman could not help but feel a lingering sense of exasperation.

Yet there was no alternative; excessively radical measures would cause the Imperium to collapse entirely.

The war for Ultramar had drawn to a close.

The Realm of Ultramar had regained stability, steadily advancing Guilliman's sweeping reforms.

The Ecclesiarchy, the Inquisition, politics, economics, culture—all bore a completely rejuvenated visage.

New military formations had been cast into shape, imprinted with ideological doctrines demanding absolute abhorrence of Chaos and unwavering loyalty to humanity.

A vast multitude of Chapters and military forces journeying to Macragge underwent comprehensive upgrades with the assistance of Archmagos Cawl.

Greater engines of war and formidable warriors were forged anew.

The colossal expeditionary fleet lingered in the Konor System for a full month.

Guilliman seized the reprieve to reassess the reforms of Ultramar alongside his long-term strategic blueprints.

He also commissioned a cadre of scholars, granting them supreme clearance to assemble a dedicated historical research team tasked with authoring the definitive, complete history of the Imperium.

Throughout this period, factions from all corners of the Imperium, having successfully traversed the Warp storms, continuously arrived to pledge their allegiance to Guilliman's cause.

Among them were the Collegio Titanica, radical factions of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Silent Sisterhood, the Adepta Sororitas, Knight Houses, and myriad others.

Every single day, Guilliman carved out time to receive representatives of these groups, encouraging them to enlist in his grand endeavor and urging them against excessive resistance to change.

This relentless flurry of activity persisted until the fleet dispatched from Macragge finally delivered the requested Primaris Space Marines, alongside the requisite Primaris lore and Tech-Priests.

Only after receiving the fruits of Cawl's year-long labor did Guilliman shift his focus back to military campaigns.

Preparations were underway to march upon the Charadon Sector, eradicating the Orks and the Necrons.

Following a year of consolidation and application, Archmagos Cawl had successfully integrated the associated technologies.

The various Chapters were now fully equipped to upgrade their own Primaris Space Marines independently.

Upon the implantation of the Heart of Guilliman, the augmentation procedure bore virtually zero probability of failure.

Furthermore, the upgrade took a mere half a month—no longer than the duration of a few transit voyages.

Guilliman permitted the various Chapters to conduct their own upgrades, striving to forge combat readiness prior to the campaign in the Charadon Sector.

Subsequently, he convened a plenary military council aboard the *Macragge's Honour*.

Every Chapter Master, Warmaster, and senior fleet commander was mandated to attend.

Guilliman selected the Triumph of Macragge Hall within the flagship as the venue for the assembly.

The Triumph Hall, originally utilized during the Great Crusade to host delegations from other Legions, was vast enough to accommodate thousands of souls in spacious grandeur.

Generals of the Astra Militarum and the Imperial Navy gathered together, exchanging quiet words.

The Sisters of Battle stood in silent prayer, awaiting the commencement of the council.

Tech-Priests and Archmagos of the Adeptus Mechanicus remained aloof from the personnel of other departments.

Most of them had undergone extensive bionic reconstruction, their lingering flesh encased in machinery and intricate, whirring gears.

Using binary code, the Tech-Priests and Magos debated the technologies pioneered by the Lord Commander and Cawl.

Those granted Guilliman's endorsement to board the *Macragge's Honour* belonged entirely to the radical factions of the Mechanicus.

They cared little whether an STC blueprint underpinned the technology.

With a Primarch endorsing it, the artifice could never be construed as heresy.

The Silent Sisters maintained their stations at a distinct remove.

As Blanks, they radiated a deeply unsettling aura at all times, causing those standing closest to them to shiver with unreasoning dread.

Adherents of the Ecclesiarchy clustered around Saint Celestine, whispering softly as they debated what cosmic omen the simultaneous manifestation of a Living Saint and a Primarch portended from the Emperor.

Representatives of the Collegio Titanica and the Knight Houses stood shoulder to shoulder, discussing cutting-edge tactical doctrines alongside the recent engagements that had erupted across the systems of Ultramar.

Every single branch under Guilliman's command, down to the logistical, advisory, and support divisions, dispatched delegates to attend.

Some sectors sent living delegates, while others projected holographic avatars cast by the swarms of servo-skulls hovering overhead.

The assembly was densely populated, bustling with life, and filled the entire hall to capacity, humming with a restless, palpable clamor.

Until the moment Guilliman arrived.

Instantly, every eye turned toward him with reverent gaze, awaiting the Primarch's decree.