The six far systems Aurelia had drawn into a loose wreath beyond Sol—once a kindness so Terra would not be lonely—took on function and names. Cartographers argued; Mechanicum binharic tried to claim; Malcador's pen decided. They would be known, without cult or creed, as the Laurel.
System: Corona Laureata (Laurel‑Alpha) — the Crown Yard.
Planets: Navalia Primus (orbital ring‑yards for super‑heavies), Regia (administration & scholam), Moneta (munitions moons). Purpose: Build capital hulls and their hearts.
System: Pharos Noctilux (Laurel‑Beta) — the Lighthouse.
Planets: Pharos Station (Choir‑Fort & Astronomican‑keyed beacons), Cantor (astropath scholam), Noctilux (null‑material foundries). Purpose: Navigation, choir safety, signal clarity.
System: Clypeus Aegida (Laurel‑Gamma) — the Shield‑Forge.
Planets: Bastion (void‑shield latticeworks), Aegis (Gellar harmonics), Tor (armour plate & honeycomb spines).
Purpose: Keep ships and souls intact between stars.
System: Ferrum Vulcanis (Laurel‑Delta) — the Anvil‑Chain.
Planets: Vulcanis (macro‑pattern manufactoria), Incus (artillery beds & rail spines), Scoria (ore & isotope refineries).
Purpose: Heavy weapons, engines, Titan frames.
System: Mnemos Lex (Laurel‑Epsilon) — the Archive.
Planets: Scriptorium (pattern‑codices, no abominable intellects), Archivum (data vaults), Lex (test ranges & proving halls).
Purpose: Hold, vet, and teach patterns without birthing creeds.
System: Hortus Fonte (Laurel‑Zeta) — the Restorative.
Planets: Pomarium (agri‑domes), Viridia (medicae & reconvalescence), Fontes (waterworks & habitation).
Purpose: Feed hands, mend minds, steady the pulse of a workforce measured in millions.
Mars watched with bright, red hunger. Magos called the work archaeotech‑honest and held their breath waiting for the word they most feared and craved: sanction. Fabricator‑General Kelbor‑Hal sent courtesies first and contracts second; Aurelia answered with designs that refused to be rites. No catechisms. No prayers to tools. The agreements bore that line in Malcador's hand.
1 - Colossi of Terra (Colossi‑class Titan)
What it is: A walking throne‑city—three times an Imperator—kept as Terra's last wall. Crewed by a Triune Synodia of Princeps and Moderati; never by machine‑minds.
Weapons: Conversion‑Helios sunspires (star‑lance towers) for line‑of‑sight kills; Crown Prism arrays (prismatic annihilators) that plane‑cut fortress tiers without firestorms; Quietus‑Nova gravity mortars that crush rather than burn; wrist‑mounted Gravitas Mauls for gate‑breaking and engine‑duels.
Defences: Laurel‑Crown Overveil—three skins at once: Clypeus Void‑Lattice (soaks overpressure as light), Palladium‑Veil (bends warp‑wash off the hull), and a pariah Sheath around sanctum decks; phase‑stride pylons under each foot to "step a blade's width" out of traps; Eternity Doors and firebreak cloisters throughout. Use: Makes the Palace a continent; it stands where fleets cannot.
Deployment & Limit: Sealed cap across all Crownwork giants: 300 total, Laurel‑and‑Terra only; Colossi allocated to the Inner Cordon and the Laurel ring.
Warnings: Terra‑bound by edict; over‑striding can crack the mantle; Mechanicum rites forbidden—Custodes warrant required.
2 - Aquila‑class Battlecruiser (Aurelian Pattern)
What it is: Fast heavy sword‑and‑shield cruiser built to fight all day.
Weapons: Crown Prism spinal cutter for precision ship‑kills; twin rail‑lance galleries (port/starboard) for armour-punching; broadside Photon‑Vela batteries for sustained pressure; dorsal Grav‑Shear projectors to break attack runs; prow Quietus‑Nova for opening moves.
Defences: Corona Aegis (naval Overveil): Clypeus Void‑Lattice Palladium‑Veil pariah Sanctum Sheath around choir/bridge; reinforced phase‑keel trimmers to ride translation chop; Aquila‑Span emergency bridges for mid‑fight rescue/boarding.
Use: Holds flanks, breaks blockades, saves convoys; the ship you send when you can only send one.
Deployment & Limit: Within the sealed cap of 800 Crownwork hulls, assigned to the Laurel ring and Sol's Inner Cordon.
Warnings: Needs Laurel crews; magnetics and lattices demand patient maintenance.
3 - Stellaris‑class Battleship
What it is: A moving bastion twice an Emperor‑class, built as a command core.
Weapons: Triple‑spine Incus Rail‑Spines; terrace Conversion‑Helios macro‑lances; prow Crown Prism array for surgical beheadings; area Gravitas Curtain to pin enemy formations; heavy Aquila‑Span throwers for shielded boarding at range.
Defences: Bastion Net: Gloriana‑grade Clypeus wrapped in Palladium‑Veil with pariah Casemate Sheaths; layered Aegis‑Null plating along keel/vaults; redundant Solace‑Thrones and Navigator Diadem hubs. Command: Mortal Saturnine Bridge‑Mind; Pharos Beacon Array built‑in.
Use: Turns scattered task forces into a fleet; decides wars with logistics as much as fire. Deployment & Limit: Counts against the 240; posted one per Segmentum within the Laurel net; Terra holds one in reserve.
Warnings: Upkeep only at Corona Laureata; choir vaults must remain humane.
4 - Aeternum‑Maximus Behemoth (95‑kilometre Battleship, on the ways)
What it is: A single grand‑heavy under construction at Navalia Primus—ninety‑five kilometres of fortress‑ship.
Heart: sealed Athanor‑Prime crucible with star‑shard sheath.
Weapons: Ring‑crown Crown Prism coronet (multi‑facet annihilation); planetary Conversion‑Helios terraces; prow Quietus‑Nova trinity; flank Photon‑Vela galleries; dorsal Grav‑Shear bulwarks that shove fleets off course.
Defences: Maximus Mantle: tri‑ring Palladium‑Veil, deep Clypeus meshes, full‑ship Aegis‑Null spine, pariah Sanctum Sheaths; segmented Eternity Doors create self‑healing compartments.
Use: A moving citadel‑system—flag, arsenal, harbour—that can steady a whole Segmentum when storms make Terra far.
Deployment & Limit: Unique; still on the way; will consume three slots of the 10 cap upon commissioning; Sol custody only.
Warnings: Translation risk scales with pride; deep‑warp sallies forbidden by edict; Mechanicum compliance under protest.
But there was more, the Princess wanted to fill the armouries of Terra with what she considered to be advanced weaponry, to fit Custodes, Space Marines and Guardsmen alike.
1 - Aquila‑Bolt Rifle (Aurelian‑pattern AR‑Laureate) Type: Bolter (legionary/auxilia)
Effect: Stabilised propellant and laurel‑mag feed; crown‑tipped mass‑reactive rounds with inward‑shaping to cut ricochet. Sealed for ash/void. Why it matters: Higher hit‑rates in urban fights; fewer friendly casualties from spall.
2 - Volkite Corona Type: Photonic rifle/carabine Effect: Re‑tuned volkite beam with corona focus—thermal flensing that tapers before over‑penetration; anti‑materiel fuse for engines. Why it matters: Ork mobs and chitin waves vanish without cooking the hab behind them.
3 - Adrathic Lantern (Aurelian tune) Type: Archeotech beam sidearm (Custodes/command)
Effect: Narrow, saturating strike with hard interlocks and pariah baffling; deletes target matter without chain‑detonation. Why it matters: Ends abominations quickly, spares bystanders.
4 - Corona‑Edge Falchion ("Eternity‑Edge") Type:Phase‑tuned blade
Effect: Monatomic edge with phase whisper; hums at the skin of matter; quiet breach on locks/plate. Why it matters: Silent kills and clean entries when thunder would cost lives.
5 - Rex‑Anvil Warhammer Type: Dual‑mode grav/kinetic maul
Effect: Switch throws grav‑pulse to crumple automata or kinetic crown to break shields. Why it matters: Terminators and Custodians end engine things without collateral.
6 - Laurel Scutum Type: Projector buckler (arm‑mount)
Effect: Compact Clypeus vane eats las/bolt; Palladium fringe sheds warp splash; hooks to squad vox for timing. Why it matters: Breachers cross open ground that killed companies before.
7- Mark Aurelia‑Tempest Plate Type: Assault power armour (Astartes/Custodes variants)
Effect: Micro‑grav relays and self‑healing microcells; heat‑shed lattice for long bursts. Why it matters: Fights last hours, not minutes; wounded keep moving.
8 - Aletheia Long‑Lens Type: Sniper/marksman rifle
Effect: Truth‑parallax optics read through glamour; ward‑filament rounds disrupt sorcerous mantles. Why it matters: Sorcerers and glamored warlords fall at range; ambushes thin out.
9 - Quietus Charge (Caesura Grenade) Type: Area‑denial ordnance
Effect: Local time‑drag for heartbeats; locks flame and shrapnel in syrup; ceilings hard‑coded. Why it matters: Buys seconds where seconds buy platoons.
10 - Nullfire Projector (Sable‑Choir issue) Type: Portable anti‑warp beam
Effect: Broadcasts still‑harmonics that empty warp resonance; safe under Silent Sister lead. Why it matters: Daemons unravel without collateral; boarding decks stay hospitals, not altars.
11 - Guardian Spear, Corona‑Shaft Type: Custodes polearm upgrade
Effect: In‑shaft grav‑gyros cancel recoil; head carries power‑leaf and bolt thrower; pariah sheath at the ferrule. Why it matters: Tighter thrusts, cleaner shots in the press of bodies and halls.
12 - Ferrum‑Cantor Gauntlets Type: Power fists with grav hum
Effect: Micro‑grav along knuckles; pry plates without pulping crew; palm latch for breaching charges. Why it matters: Tanks open like jars; survivors live to surrender.
13 - Photon‑Vela Shoulder Battery Type: Heavy support (Astartes)
Effect: Portable photonic broadside with heat‑shed fins; safe interlocks; aegis baffle to spare friendlies. Why it matters: Cuts flyers and light armour; denies avenues without friendly burn.
14 - Laurel‑Edge Gladius Type: Infantry blade (Solar Auxilia/elite Guard)
Effect: Monomolecular edge with hexagrammic spine; resists warp‑sour rusting. Why it matters: Line troops finish what their guns begin.
15 - Regia Storm‑Pistol Type: Compact micro‑rail sidearm
Effect: Ferrum darts at hypersonic launch; low flash, high penetration; magazine hymn‑lock keyed to bearer.
The Princess's hands didn't stop, and perhaps, that was a bad thing for everyone and herself.
II. Enough, and the Undoing of Enough
She had taught herself to stop—pages, not books; sips, not seas—from the Basilica Liminali where knowledge waits like a lake that wants to be drunk. It kept her whole.
Then, one courier from the void brought a short reply to a long report:
It is good. Good job. —The Master of Mankind
Two small words did what storms could not. Proud felt like sunlight she had not known she needed. She began to hear it again. Enough learned to bend. She told herself it was for the Imperium, for her brothers at the edge of maps. It was also, quietly, for him.
Malcador saw the change first: lamp‑smoke mornings, ink‑stained nights; a girl at a bench drawing hull ribs until her shoulders shook; whispers like prayers she would not call prayers: one more design and he will speak; one more and he will trust; one more and the door will open.
He tried to name the fence again. "Pages, Aurelia. Not books."
"I know," she said, eyes bright and far. "Just one more page." The page did not end.
The Great Crusade shone at its noon; the long evening already stirred in its shadows. Praise, ungentled by presence, became a drug. She did not break. She thinned.
He wrote where no ink dried: She does not sleep. She thins. Obedience braided to love becomes a noose when the hand that ties it stays remote. Secrets make hunger; hunger makes work; work makes the secret feel earned. We will have to teach her to stop again. Praise must be rarer, and presence more often. The one thing the Master withholds is the one thing she is breaking herself to earn. If we do not mend this, the Crown we are building will be heavy with regret.
He found her once, face salt‑streaked and dry already, drafting ribs for a hull too large to name. "It will be enough," she whispered to no one. "Then he will speak. Then he will open the door."
"Child," he said, and did not say your father may never. He set the quill down himself. For an hour, the page was allowed to end. And so, the walls built around her, were stopping her to grow.