Chapter 271 — Foundations of an Empire
The workshop remained quiet following Halsey's question.
Everyone was focused on Gaius.
Halsey sat with her arms folded, her eyes fixed on him.
The question still hung in the air.
Primarch.
What was a Primarch?
For a few moments, Gaius said nothing.
Then he let out a slow breath.
"I suppose some additional explanation is necessary."
His gaze settled on Halsey.
"You have asked questions that cannot be properly answered without understanding the larger picture."
Halsey remained silent.
She simply listened.
The answer itself interested her.
But more importantly, she could already tell it connected to something much larger.
Gaius turned his attention toward the others seated around the table.
Tony.
Naruto.
Mindy.
"And it would be useful for all of you as well."
The shift in tone immediately caught everyone's attention.
Tony straightened slightly in his chair.
Naruto uncrossed his arms.
Mindy's playful expression faded into seriousness.
Gaius continued.
"There are many things about my universe I have not explained."
His voice remained calm.
"Not because they were secret."
A brief pause followed.
"But because they were not immediately relevant."
Everyone listened.
His expression grew more serious.
"However, I do not know what the future holds."
The workshop remained silent.
"I do not know if the Multiversal Chat will ever issue a mission involving my universe."
That possibility immediately changed the atmosphere.
Naruto glanced toward Mindy.
Mindy glanced back.
Neither spoke.
Gaius's gaze swept across everyone present.
"If that happens, then understanding the Imperium, its enemies, and Humanity's situation may become important."
That simple statement carried weight.
This was no longer merely history.
It was preparation.
If the chat ever sent them into Gaius's universe, then understanding it beforehand could be the difference between success and failure.
A brief silence followed.
Then Gaius gave a slight nod.
"So I will explain."
Everyone focused entirely on him.
"Not just what a Primarch is."
His voice remained steady.
"But the foundations of my world."
"The Imperium."
"The Emperor."
"The Primarchs."
"The Astartes."
"And the enemies that threaten Humanity."
Halsey's eyes sharpened immediately.
This was exactly what she wanted.
Not isolated facts.
Context.
Structure.
Understanding.
Even Tony leaned forward slightly.
His curiosity clearly sharpened.
Across the table, Naruto and Mindy exchanged a glance.
Both had heard pieces of this before.
Mentions.
References.
Fragments scattered across conversations.
But neither had received the full picture.
Gaius looked at all of them.
"To understand why gene-seed is important, you must first understand where it came from."
Everyone listened.
"And to understand that..."
His voice hardened slightly.
"You must first understand the Emperor of Mankind."
Immediately, Jarvis responded.
The AI seemed to anticipate what would be needed.
A holographic display appeared above the table.
A massive stone statue formed in blue light.
The figure towered over the projection.
A giant man clad in ornate armor.
A sword rested at his side.
One hand gripped the hilt.
The other extended outward.
Even as a statue, it radiated authority.
The kind of presence that demanded attention.
Halsey immediately studied every detail.
Naruto and Mindy focused on the display.
Gaius looked toward the statue.
For a moment, his expression grew slightly distant.
"There are many legends regarding the Emperor's origin."
The workshop remained quiet.
"None can be verified."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
Halsey listened closely.
"Many claims exist."
Gaius folded his arms.
"Some say He has guided Humanity since ancient times."
"Others believe differently."
He shook his head slightly.
"None of it can be proven."
The uncertainty surprised Halsey.
For such a central figure, she had expected something more concrete.
Then Gaius continued.
"But what is known is this."
His tone strengthened.
"When Humanity entered the Age of Strife, the Emperor revealed Himself."
"At that time, Humanity had fallen into division. Worlds were isolated, knowledge was lost, and civilization itself was collapsing."
Even Naruto could grasp the scale being described.
This was not a single nation falling apart.
It was an entire civilization spread across countless worlds.
Gaius continued.
"The Emperor united Terra."
He glanced briefly at Halsey.
"Terra is what you know as Earth."
Halsey gave a small nod.
That much was already familiar.
Gaius continued.
"After uniting Terra, He launched what became known as the Great Crusade."
The hologram shifted.
Images of starships appeared.
Then worlds.
Military formations.
Expanding routes connecting system after system.
"The purpose was to reunite Humanity."
"To reclaim the lost worlds of mankind."
"And to forge a single Human civilization once more."
He looked back at the Emperor's statue.
"To accomplish that goal, the Emperor created twenty sons."
For the first time, Halsey leaned forward slightly.
Her full attention locked in.
"The Primarchs."
The word returned.
Primarch.
The term that had started this entire discussion.
"There were originally twenty Primarchs."
A brief pause followed.
"But only eighteen are known."
Halsey's eyes narrowed.
Then Gaius delivered the next line.
"Two Primarchs were erased from Imperial records."
Silence followed.
"Their Legions were erased as well."
That immediately caught Halsey's attention.
Erased.
Not lost.
Not destroyed.
Erased.
The distinction mattered.
Her mind immediately began analyzing the implications. Records removed. Histories altered. Entire military formations deleted from official knowledge.
Across the table, Tony reached the same conclusion.
Neither interrupted.
They waited.
Gaius noticed their expressions.
"The Legions were the Astartes of each Primarch."
Understanding appeared on Halsey's face.
"So each Primarch had their own force of Astartes?"
"Yes."
Gaius nodded once.
"The gene-seed used to create an Astartes originates from a Primarch."
He continued.
"The Primarchs were created by the Emperor."
"The Astartes were created from the Primarchs."
His gaze settled on Halsey.
"In simple terms, every Legion descended from its Primarch."
The workshop quieted again.
"And all Primarchs possess immense power," Gaius added. "When they were scattered across the galaxy and landed on different worlds as infants, most of them went on to conquer the planets they were raised on."
He paused for a moment, as if recalling something Guilliman had once said.
"Not all of them… but most."
Halsey immediately understood the significance of gene-seed recovery.
It was not merely biological material.
It was lineage.
Inheritance.
The foundation of an entire military structure.
If each Legion traced itself back to a Primarch, then every recovered progenoid preserved that lineage.
The idea that most Primarchs went on to conquer their home worlds only reinforced their significance. In a galaxy as advanced as the Imperium, conquest required far more than strength alone.
It required overwhelming capability in both strategy and power.
That realization made the Primarchs feel even more significant.
A new question formed immediately.
"Do Primarchs and their Legions have their own differences?"
Gaius nodded.
"Yes."
"And they are very distinct."
He paused.
"Not only in doctrine or armor, but in their innate strengths as well."
That caught Tony's attention.
"What kind of differences?"
Gaius nodded again.
"The Primarchs are not just commanders."
"They are the genetic source of each Legion."
Tony frowned slightly.
"So… like a template?"
"In a sense."
Gaius inclined his head.
"But more than that."
He continued.
"Each Primarch's gene-seed produces Astartes with shared traits."
"Not only physical, but behavioral tendencies as well."
Halsey's eyes narrowed.
That was significant.
Very significant.
Behavioral inheritance.
Not just physical augmentation.
Naruto spoke up.
"Does that mean if a Primarch is bad, his Astartes are bad too?"
Gaius immediately shook his head.
"No."
"Not in that way."
He looked at Naruto.
"The gene-seed can influence tendencies, but it does not decide who they become."
"Astartes may share traits with their Primarch, including discipline, aggression, temperament, and certain abilities."
"But they are still shaped by training, experience, and circumstance."
Naruto considered that.
"So it's not fixed?"
"No."
Gaius nodded once.
"It is influence, not control."
Naruto seemed satisfied.
Halsey remained silent.
But her mind continued working.
Influence was still measurable.
Still significant.
Especially on a biological level.
Gaius continued.
"I am an Ultramarine."
His voice remained calm.
"An Astartes of our Primarch Roboute Guilliman."
The name meant nothing to most of them.
"We are trained as both leaders and soldiers."
"And are considered among the most stable of the Legions."
Tony folded his arms.
"So… how different are the other Legions?"
"Very different."
The answer came immediately.
Tony blinked.
"How different?"
He wanted an example.
Gaius thought for a moment.
Then answered.
"The Blood Angels."
The name drew attention instantly.
"They are among the most noble Legions."
A brief pause.
"But also one of the most flawed."
Tony frowned.
"Flawed how?"
Gaius chose his words carefully.
"They carry a genetic flaw in their gene-seed."
The workshop grew quieter.
"Under certain conditions, it can trigger a psychotic break tied to inherited genetic memory."
His expression remained steady.
"It is rare without cause, but when triggered, they lose control, become extremely violent, and ultimately die. It is a 100% fatal outcome."
Halsey's eyes narrowed.
"So it's a biological failure state."
"Yes."
Gaius nodded.
"And it is linked to their Primarch's final moments."
Silence followed.
Tony's curiosity sharpened.
Naruto looked confused.
Mindy simply listened.
"It does not happen often," Gaius continued. "But when it does, they lose themselves completely."
"It's called the Black Rage."
The unfamiliar term settled over the table.
"When it triggers, they perceive everything as the enemy."
Tony exhaled slightly.
That was far worse than a simple psychological disorder.
Then Gaius added.
"They also have another flaw."
The room remained attentive.
"The Red Thirst."
Before questions came, he clarified.
"It is a compulsion. A constant urge for blood they must control."
Silence followed.
Mindy blinked.
She leaned forward.
"Vampires?!"
The sudden interruption cut through the tension.
Everyone looked at her.
Halsey was still processing when she finally spoke.
"Armored vampires?"
The question hung in the air.
For a moment, silence filled the workshop.
Then Tony quietly looked away, clearly fighting a smile.
Naruto looked between them, confused and amused.
Gaius simply stared at Mindy in silence.
The discussion had somehow shifted from the foundations of an empire… to armored vampires.
Mindy, still under his gaze, coughed lightly.
"Sorry," she said, a mischievous smile forming as she tried to brush it off.
Gaius looked at Mindy in silence.
Before the moment could linger, Tony stepped in.
"And Gaius," he said, "I'm curious. It's quite different from what I heard before. I thought it was called Chapters. Why are you using Legions?"
Gaius turned to Tony.
"Because we have not spoken about the Horus Heresy," he said. "The betrayal that brought the Imperium into ten thousand years of ignorance, and almost doomed humanity to extinction."
The atmosphere in the workshop shifted immediately.
None of them had heard of this before.
~~~
Enjoying the story? Want to support future chapters and help this world grow?
Check out my Patreon here:
patreon.com/ZanderLee
Every bit of support keeps me writing, thank you.