Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor

With this thought in mind, Nareth turned to Arsena and said:

"Select some houses. I will meet with them later."

On the third morning after arriving on Terra, a group of ordinary people dressed in ornate, diverse garments arrived at the hall of the Primarch's residence.

They were Terra's finest sculptors. Most of them had been honored fifteen years earlier by being selected to craft the statue of another Primarch.

Of them, eleven sculptors were focused solely on recreating Nareth's face: his jet-black hair, broad forehead, obsidian-like eyes, and straight nose...

More sculptors worked on his side and back, standing, kneeling, reclining, studying the Primarch's presence from every angle.

From an artistic standpoint, a collaborative effort by many sculptors was far from ideal. Such work often suffered from inconsistency due to the differing hands behind it.

But this was the only feasible method. Past experience had taught the sculptors that no single master artist could complete this sacred task alone.

They had also tried using recording devices to capture the Primarch's image, but the results were far inferior to direct observation, just as painters prefer live models over photos.

A mortal's senses and mind, when captivated by part of a Primarch's being, would naturally overlook the rest, resulting in an incomplete reconstruction.

Time and again, the sculptors reluctantly pulled their gazes away, jotting down whatever inspiration they had managed to grasp.

Most used traditional parchment, while a few employed data slates or other recording devices.

Every so often, they would withdraw in fear, then fall into a trance-like daze for several seconds, or even minutes, before snapping out of it, only to realize that their earlier inspiration had already slipped away.

As he stood motionless for the sculptors, Nareth's mind raced. He was already thinking about the supply lines he'd discuss with Malcador soon.

'According to the Treaty of Olympus, logistics were originally Mars's responsibility.'

An hour later, Nareth finally spoke.

"That's enough for today."

The sculptor in white robes before him, who had been observing his eyes, frowned and protested:

"Lord Primarch, we still have inspiration left unrecorded..."

"I understand. But I have other matters to attend to. I trust you all can complete the statue with the materials you've gathered."

The Primarch's trust reinvigorated them.

"My lord, I will faithfully capture your glory."

"My lord, I shall portray the Emperor's son in full splendor."

"…"

Satisfied, Nareth nodded and was about to leave when the white-haired sculptor suddenly stepped forward and, gathering his courage, blocked the Primarch's path.

"Lord Primarch... at least... allow me to take a photograph."

He hastily explained, "It would help me better visualize your full appearance."

Nareth considered it briefly, then nodded.

"Very well."

The sculptor raised his picter, arms slightly trembling, and snapped the photo.

Nareth left the courtyard and sent a message to Malcador. The Regent replied, inviting him to talk by the lake.

'Choosing a relaxed setting for this kind of talk, huh.'

Soon, by the lakeside, Nareth saw Malcador approaching, flanked by two gray-robed scribes.

"Nareth, how did it go?"

"The sculptors were diligent. I'm confident the results will be good."

"They all see this as an honor and will devote themselves fully," Malcador replied, then looked at the Primarch more intently.

"I must thank you again for being willing to provide supplies. It takes a great weight off my shoulders."

Nareth calmly accepted the Mlcador's praise and said:

"But this support won't be indefinite. Supplying the Legions was supposed to be Mars' responsibility."

"Indeed. They are working on it, making progress on two fronts to improve their logistics."

"They're identifying resource-rich worlds among the newly reclaimed territories to establish new Forge Worlds."

"They've already seen some success. In 813, Mars founded a new Forge World on Mezoa."

Nareth nodded slightly. He had already conquered the Triken System, where the main world was destined to be turned into a Forge World. Three Knight Worlds would also be established there.

'The Mechanicum is the faction I've exploited the most. Vostroya used to be under shared control between the Imperium, Mars, and local nobility. Now it's solely mine. And the Daxos Twin World Star, once loyal to Mars, now have the Vextrix family swearing allegiance to me.'

Nareth felt no guilt for this. The Mechanicum always targeted high-value locations, and seizing those early only made strategic sense.

His mind drifted to another yet-undiscovered world: Cypra Mundi, a convergence point for many warp routes and the future naval headquarters in the Obscurus Sector.

More importantly, it would grow into one of the Imperium's four greatest shipyards, rivaling even Mars.

He immediately decided: once his talk with Malcador was done, he would issue orders to explore and locate Cypra Mundi.

As they walked along the cold lakeshore, the Regent's voice rose again:

"Re-establishing Vostroya's link to Mars has made them realize that some of their past exploration fleets and colony ships may have succeeded after all."

"But so far, nothing has been rediscovered."

Nareth nodded. He knew of a few lost Forge Worlds from the Dark Age of Technology, like Zhao-Arkhad, which would eventually be found by the Thousand Sons.

'I can't ignore these worlds either. If I can find and control them, I'll gain local supply hubs and rare technologies.'

Nareth glanced at Malcador beside him and said:

"As for the end date for my supply contributions, I believe we need clear criteria."

"You already have a proposal, don't you?"

"Yes. The 11th Legion will use Vostroya as its center and explore a region with a diameter of 330 light-years, establishing a sector. It will be a contiguous, neighboring territory on the star map."

In the Imperium's hierarchy, control over the galaxy was structured as: Segmentum > Sector > Sub-sector > System > Planet.

A typical sector spans 200 light-years; sub-sectors, 10 to 60 light-years.

Nareth's proposed sector, however, spanned 330 light-years, significantly larger than usual.

His strategic goal during the Great Crusade was to establish a domain at least as vast as Guilliman's Ultramar Sector.

In addition, he would secure key strategic nodes in other areas, investing minimally for maximum gain.

These included already-mapped points like Necromunda, the Triken System, and the Daxos Twins, as well as planned targets like Cypra Mundi, Vigilus, and potential worlds such as Modian.

Malcador stared into the lake for a moment, then said:

"Continue."

"For every Forge World Mars establishes or rediscovers in adjacent sectors, my promised supply scope and volume will decrease by 20%."

"When five such Forge Worlds are operational, I will cease supplying other Crusade fleets. The 11th Legion will be self-sufficient."

Given what Nareth knew of the Mechanicum, their hunger for resources and efficiency, he was certain they'd establish five Forge Worlds within 30 years.

.....

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

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