The Empty Crusade (Horus Heresy)

He would tell his closest confidants that he knew he could have saved them. However like many sacrifices that were called for in the days of unification the slow replacement of the Thunder Warriors was truly an easy decision. Through their sacrifice the Astares had been born, and the Legions slowly forming would save many for the course of the upcoming war.

Men would tell tales and the great poets of this generation would record the battles of the Thunder Warriors. Of their strike at the heart of the Pan-Pacific Empire, of the forces being first to stand against the Lunar conclaves as they unleashed gene horrors upon the forces of earth.

Here Guilliman stayed his hand. His force broke the first line of defense but he did not drive a stake into the heart of the technocratic Selenar cults. For after bringing forces to bear, while they had rebuffed his first entreaties, now he had shown that he could bring the force to bear to destroy them. He couldn't do so, while it was within the strength of the newborn imperium, the loss of the knowledge of the emperor meant the skills of the Selenar gene-wrights.

For their destruction would prevent the Astares from blossoming in numbers. Worryingly Guilliman had learned of a small number of the Legions developing complications in their geneseeds. He knew what he would have to do, if he could not gain access to the knowledge of the lunar cultic nation, they would be cut from recruits and given honor.

He would have to rebuild them if he found his brothers among the stars. Unless they had been broken by the same illnesses that plague their legions.

The fate of the Astares would depend on the Selenar Cults, but the imperium would have to deal with another entity before it had the tools to push into the galaxy. Guilliman had already struck deals with the Navigator houses of Terra, but the conquered homeworld of man lacked the industrial power to be the beating heart of the crusade so as the first act off world beyond Luna he went to the red world.

The twin of Terra, Mars stood before him as the ship communed with the vox relays of the red planet. His father would have appeared before them and made them kneel with power and charisma. Guilliman was realistic enough to understand that such a show from him was unlikely.

Some would say that the fate of the imperium was decided on these two worlds. That all that came after we're echoes of the new Emperor's choices here on the regolith of Luna and the sands of Mars.

Of Luna and the Selenar Cults, it is indisputable that the power of Terra would crush them. But in doing so Guilliman would lose the knowledge of genesmithing, and in it the key to the expansion of the Legions with no Primarchs yet found, as well as the cures for the curse wrought in some of their geneseeds. However the other extreme of turning them into an independent nation connected to the imperium with treaties and pacts would not cost any men in a grand war of Terra's satellite. It would make negotiating with Mars harder as giving out such a position to the much smaller and less influential would give Mars expectations. The path of subjugation remains viable though unless given concessions for their cult, easy enough to add their worship to the Cultua and sanction it as he had with the palatable faiths of Terra, but other requests would be made and some battles would have to be fought to wrestle control without giving up much.

In the end the fate of Luna was…

[][Luna] Annihilation
[][Luna] Subjection
-[][Luna] Conquest
-[][Luna] Few Concessions
-[][Luna] Major Concessions
[][Luna] Alliance
-[][Luna] Few Concessions
-[][Luna] Major Concessions

The red planet would not accept any agreement lesser to the fate of the Selenar. The Mechanicum would demand the right of their cult, though his system of the Imperial Truth could allow the quest for knowledge though he could see many would trespass some of his tenants. War with Mars could be won but while lacking in Astropaths and Navigators the esoteric powers of the Machanicum could send warning to their scattered empire meaning war would be the only fate when reaching a forge world. It would also destroy the vast machines and factories it sought to claim. War could be won but he was unsure of the cost behind it.

Alliance would cost little but the parts needed to grant the Mechanicum the capacity to reconnect their empire. However Guilliman saw hints of danger and zeal within the Mechanicum. Without strength of personality he could not crush them and allow the red world to remain independent. However it would likely cost much to force the Mechanicum underheel by force or by guile.

Sitting in the command throne of the Imperial Ascendancy, a ship crafted for the Emperor before him, Guilliman was ready to make plans to leave them to their curiosities. The Mechanicum was a bureaucracy as well as a cult. The Forge Master and the conclave of Magi behind him would surely keep their worst under control. Just as he reaches for the vox caster to begin negotiating a voice appears behind him.

Turning around golden armor glinting sword of fire casting harsh shadows as it is drawn he registers who stands before him as with a wave of his hand the blind Psyker stops Guilliman's movements. "You know little First Found, 13th Made the curiosities of the Mechanicum echo the cruel histories that lead us to this point." The Sigillite lowered his hand but Guilliman did not finish his strike, as he was released.

"In ages past the Silica Animus, and mixing of machines and Psyker powers lead to many grand tragedies, and surely to not stamp it out here would be to court the doom of man." Guilliman considered before speaking.

"I have not had much time to search the records. This is true, so while I don't know the depths of the past painted by these technologies, I know of tools that are dangerous. Fire can burn the cook, a mortars can strike allies as easily as foes, psykers such as yourself court insanity, and gene-wrights can call abominations and plague. However one can not discard a tool for the simple fact that its nature can be deadly to the user. We do not throw away the fire, the mortar, the Psyker, or the gene-wright. We are careful, watchful in our use." The blind man smiles.

"Of all his traits it seems that you have a touch of his arrogance, I hope it does not lead you to an impossible battle as it did he." And with that the Psyker was gone, invisible, or perhaps he was never there to begin with. The Sigillite was a reclusive figure within the imperium and even Guilliman did not try to divine his actions or motives. As much as he believed his argument of tools, he couldn't help but wonder if the Cult Machanicum had the foresight to not burn themselves, or if they would need a guiding hand.

In the end the fate of Mars was…

[][Mars] Annihilation
[][Mars] Subjection
-[][Mars] Conquest
-[][Mars] Few Concessions
-[][Mars] Major Concessions
[][Mars] Alliance
-[][Mars] Few Concessions
-[][Mars] Major Concessions