"Since that's settled, prepare for war," the Emperor said.
If his son was so confident, a little trial by fire wouldn't hurt. By his calculations, Sanguinius probably couldn't defeat the Void Dragon alone, but could hold out and survive, then the others could join in. With Rhodes as the ace, and that golden being as backup, there'd be no problem.
The Emperor was confident in Tartarus's power—even more so than when he walked among mortals. If he stood up from the Golden Throne, even then he might not defeat Tartarus; at best, they'd fight to a draw.
With Tartarus, the Void Dragon could be destroyed, eliminating Terra's greatest threat.
"Father, Sanguinius, Lion, Rhodes—please, don't be so reckless. This battle is not as simple as you think.
To destroy the Void Dragon, we have to unseal it from Mars—humanity's most critical forge world.
There are countless Mechanicum personnel there, vast industrial facilities, even the Imperial battle barge yards.
If we fight recklessly, the Imperium would suffer massive losses. We need at least a month to evacuate Mars and its starports," Guilliman interjected.
Since the Emperor resolved to deal with the Void Dragon, Guilliman had been preparing: calculating the number of Mechanicum to be moved, the time required, and making plans to minimize Imperial losses. The Mechanicum was vital to humanity—new Titans, Knight suits, even FTL engines were under construction. Any mishap would be disastrous.
Hearing this, Sanguinius and the Lion's enthusiasm faded. Guilliman was right—if they rushed in, the loss to the Mechanicum would be a huge blow to the Imperium.
"I was too hasty, Guilliman. Let's take the time to evacuate the Mechanicum and clear a battleground," Sanguinius said.
Another month's wait would let him get used to his new body and train with his brothers, even spar with Rhodes—whose strength he greatly anticipated.
"In fact, I already knew this. I agreed for another reason.
Guilliman, Rhodes, I trust you've guessed my intentions," the Emperor said.
He'd long wanted to reform the Mechanicum; most had stopped doing real science, relying on archeotech, and suppressing innovation, even stifling geniuses like Belisarius Cawl.
They chanted and worshipped the Omnissiah, turning science into theology, and even made a Machine God. psychic strength was less than the Eldar's, but their numbers were overwhelming—so their worship could easily create a warp god.
This was a serious problem. Humanity's blind worship of the Machine God had already spawned Vashtorr, perhaps even older than the Necron and Old One era.
During the Eldar's 60-million-year dominance, he was powerless, but with humanity's rise, he grew strong again.
So the Emperor wanted to clean house. Science should not become religion; curiosity strengthens Vashtorr, but worship breeds greater evils.
Now, with Rhodes's people introducing new technologies, the Mechanicum felt pressure.
With Salome as the new Fabricator-General, supported by the Emperor and Cawl, many of Mars's factions were suppressed.
The Emperor planned to reform the Mechanicum, making it a true scientific and industrial powerhouse.
This battle was the perfect excuse—an accident releasing the Void Dragon, causing the deaths of many Archmagi and weakening the Mechanicum. Perfect.
"Father, but if we do this, what about the Crusade? Without the Mechanicum, we can't field enough war machines," Guilliman objected.
"Guilliman, humanity has never depended solely on the Mechanicum. We're not destroying them all—just as we replaced the Thunder Warriors.
With Salome's new tech, Cawl's training, and Balt and Yapool's advances, we can raise a new generation of human scientists.
Some sacrifice is needed for the long-term future. The Mechanicum must change," the Emperor said.
He was determined. Now was the time; losses could be quickly replaced. Salome and Cawl would take over, overthrowing the old ways and advancing new tech for human greatness.
The Primarchs fell silent—this was very much like the Emperor.
After taking Terra, he'd purged the Thunder Warriors, then planned to eliminate the Navigator houses. With Rhodes's FTL engines, the Mechanicum was already trying to replicate them.
While not a full substitute for warp travel, within hundreds of light-years, these engines were safer.
If the Emperor's webway plan succeeded, the Navigators would be rendered obsolete.
But this was harsh—the Navigators had served faithfully for over ten thousand years.
The Mechanicum's contribution to humanity was even greater; without them, the Crusade would have failed.
"I oppose this, Father. The Mechanicum is conservative, but we can reform them gradually.
Rhodes's scientists and Salome's apprentices are already making progress," Vulkan objected.
He knew his father loved purges, but this was too extreme.
"You're too kind, Vulkan. I've given them ten thousand years. They haven't changed. No need to hope for more. Just eliminate them—the losses can be quickly replaced," the Emperor replied.
His son just didn't understand—sometimes necessary things must be done.
"I support Father. The Mechanicum hasn't advanced in ten thousand years. Without Rhodes's tech, they wouldn't have made a new Titan in all that time," Guilliman said.
As Regent, he knew the Empire's problems—reforming the Mechanicum was essential, and after that, other conservative factions would need cleansing too.