Thirty thousand years ago, humanity had no science—just swords. When the Void Dragon escaped, the Emperor and his immortal companions defeated and sealed it on Mars.
Back then, the Void Dragon wasn't anywhere near as massive or powerful as now. The mere appearance of this fragment stopped all machinery on Mars.
Ninety years ago (912.M41), the Void Dragon accidentally escaped its labyrinth and attacked the Necron Sautekh Dynasty, destroying dozens of tomb worlds—before being sealed again. But this time, the fragment was fully unleashed.
"Get ready. We'll move it elsewhere," Rhodes said.
He had Tartarus select a suitable system—600 light-years from Terra, home to a super red giant.
"Maybe we should wait and see if the Mechanicus will submit to this so-called Machine God," Guilliman suggested.
The Mechanicus had served humanity for 10,000 years. Though some sided with Chaos and Horus during the Heresy, most remained loyal to the Emperor—especially the lower ranks and many tech-priests.
"Rhodes, prepare for teleportation. I need to see which Mechanicus members truly submit to the Void Dragon—those must be purged," the Emperor said.
Thanks to Rhodes, all the primarchs had fused with cosmic beasts—their psychic powers now near demigod level. Even from the Imperial Palace, they could observe events on Mars.
Rhodes nodded, and, with the Emperor and other primarchs, continued watching.
Most Tech-priests, Magi, and High Magi knelt before the Omnissiah—the moment they'd dreamed of. The entire Mechanicus worshipped the Omnissiah.
They respected the Emperor, but mostly as the Omnissiah's avatar or messenger.
The Omnissiah was the only officially recognized god in the Imperium.
Now, the god they'd worshipped for millennia was real, standing before them—ecstatic devotion swept Mars.
But some hesitated—remembering the event 90 years ago, when the Necrons invaded and the Void Dragon was revealed. Since then, Inquisitors and senior Mechanicus members investigated and concluded the Omnissiah might be the Void Dragon.
His accidental release of scientific knowledge, and the machine spirit, created the Mechanicus.
Now, with the real Void Dragon manifest, what choice would they make?
"My servants! Here is my first command: from now on, all of humanity must worship only me, the Omnissiah. No other gods!" the Void Dragon decreed.
After 30,000 years of imprisonment, he'd watched as Mars' colonists absorbed his unconscious emanations, began to worship him, and augmented their bodies into machines.
All machine spirit rituals praised him.
If he were whole, all machine spirits would be his—and he would rule all technology in the cosmos.
Humans were curious—no less gifted than the Necrons. The trick he used on the Necrons worked on them too. The Mechanicus had already converted over 90% of their bodies; what difference did the rest make?
"Great Omnissiah, are you the Emperor's avatar?" a young Tech-priest, only half-augmented, dared to ask.
The question stunned all nearby Mechanicus members.
Indeed, if the Omnissiah appeared, what did that make the Emperor?
"The Emperor is not my avatar, nor my messenger. He stole my faith. Humanity could have been so much more! You could become immortal machines and conquer the galaxy as my servants," the Void Dragon declared.
He bore the Emperor a deep grudge, but now was not the time for revenge—he had to conquer Mars.
Once he owned Mars, he would control the Imperium's industry.
"Heretic abomination—liar!" someone spat.
A Sister of Battle, over two meters tall, raised her bolter and fired at the Void Dragon. Though her shots did nothing, she was the first to attack.
Besides the Mechanicus and their Skitarii, there were many Astartes and Sisters on Mars for training as tech-sergeants.
The Void Dragon could control the tech-priests, but not the Sisters or Astartes—especially not the Emperor's daughters.
All Sisters now had fanatical faith in the Emperor—once fervent, now utterly zealous.
"You're the Void Dragon, a fragment of a C'tan! Everything you say is a lie. You want to turn us into Necrons—grotesque monsters. You'll never succeed!"
Some Astartes trainees joined in. They were from various chapters, training with the Mechanicus before returning to their legions.
With the Sisters and Astartes attacking, the Skitarii turned their guns on them.
"Are you betraying the Imperium?" an Astartes demanded.
"We are loyal to the Omnissiah," some Skitarii replied.
"No, we are loyal to the Emperor! But our bodies are not under our control," others, still conscious, shouted.
Though they venerated the Omnissiah, thanks to the Imperial Cult, most lower-ranking members still believed in the Emperor.
Those Mechanicus members still loyal to the Emperor began to resist—including some High Magi.
"You filthy xenos! How dare you control the Emperor's warriors! Stand firm, soldiers—break free with the Emperor's power," the Sisters exhorted.
"May the Emperor protect us!"
"Faith and loyalty!"
Sometimes zealots really do work miracles. The Sisters' faith shone gold, and some Skitarii broke free, joining the Sisters and Astartes.
Fierce fighting erupted. The Mechanicus split—some loyal to the Emperor, some to the Omnissiah.
"Looks like the Imperial Cult isn't entirely useless. Lorgar's writings are still useful after ten thousand years," Rhodes commented.
Indeed, the Imperial Cult's scriptures were written by their heretic founder, who truly worshipped the Emperor as a god. Though slow to spread, worlds converted by Lorgar and his Word Bearers were the most loyal—almost immune to betrayal, thanks to religious control.
Until the day the Emperor destroyed the Monarchia, shattering Lorgar's faith, leading him to Chaos—but not to the Four, instead becoming a Chaos Undivided Daemon Prince.
Rhodes' remark darkened the mood among the primarchs.
To them, Lorgar was the most loathsome after Horus—the first to betray the Emperor and the real cause of the Heresy.