Chapter 70 Idealists
"What do you mean the Radiance of Macragge has departed… but left the only Macraggian behind on Terra?"
Alpharius lowered the intelligence slate slowly, his expression tightening.
A newly rediscovered Primarch was not merely welcomed — he was immediately installed as Minister of State Affairs, placed at the heart of Imperial governance. No period of adjustment. No ceremonial command transition.
And the XIII Legion?
Gone.
Their father had not even stood beside them long enough to learn their names.
Horus raised the matter with the Emperor.
The Emperor offered no objection.
"Allow Yuki to proceed."
That answer did not comfort him.
The Second Legion had remained effective in their Primarch's absence because they were reinforced by Thunder Warriors and Yuki's Legion.
But the XIII Legion had simply departed aboard the Radiance of Macragge.
Horus wrote immediately.
He advised Guilliman to attach his legion to the XVI for unified command oversight.
Guilliman's reply was brief:
Don't panic, brother. Watch.
Ultramar Awakens
Instead of reinforcing Horus, the Radiance of Macragge returned to Macragge.
From there, ships began departing in waves — each laden with recruits, equipment, and administrators.
Thus began the XIII Legion's expansion from Ultramar itself.
Guilliman had spent days reviewing campaign reports from across the Imperium.
He reached a simple conclusion:
Deploying full Legions for limited objectives was inefficient.
Often, small elite forces could achieve strategic goals with fewer casualties and greater flexibility.
Inspired in part by the scalable structure Yuki used in her own Legion, Guilliman reorganized the XIII.
The Legion was divided into self-sufficient expeditionary battlegroups numbering several thousand warriors each.
These forces spread outward in a wide operational web.
If resistance intensified, nearby groups could converge rapidly.
From Terra, Guilliman maintained constant astropathic communication with his acting commander, Marius Gage, ensuring cohesion and discipline.
Supported by Macragge's efficient industrial base and the developing infrastructure of Ultramar's worlds, the Ultramarines' victories multiplied.
When Horus finally grasped the scale of what was happening, he stared at the reports in disbelief.
"Are you serious?" he muttered.
"You're sitting behind a desk… and conquering faster than most field commands?"
Alpharius found himself unexpectedly intrigued.
He had not cared about this brother before.
Now he wanted to meet him.
The Ministry Incident
"Sis, come down. I promise I won't scold you."
"Really?"
"Really."
That was suspicious.
Alpharius blinked.
His sister was clinging upside-down to a column near the ceiling of the Ministry of State.
Below her, Guilliman stood with one hand pressed to his temple.
The moment Yuki dropped lightly to the floor, Guilliman spoke:
"Sister, you must explain these discrepancies in supply allocations and personnel records…"
Yuki widened her eyes innocently.
"Guilliman, am I the only corrupt official in the Imperium? Why are you always targeting your sister?"
Guilliman would have ignored artistic indulgences. Entertainment budgets. Decorative extravagance.
But gene-laboratory inventories that did not reconcile with recorded shipments?
Dangerous chemical stocks unaccounted for?
Death-row prisoners listed as transferred, yet absent from execution rolls?
If mishandled, the materials alone could devastate an entire palace district.
This was not clerical error.
This was deliberate obfuscation.
Yuki did not enjoy being evasive. Some projects simply consumed resources at levels that would attract attention if openly filed. Empty accounts were cleaner.
Besides — she was the Vice-Emperor.
Who would audit her?
Apparently: Roboute Guilliman.
And the worst part?
She had tricked him into this office.
Her moral high ground was limited.
"Why are you still standing there?"
Alpharius heard Malcador's voice behind him.
"Do not speak," the Sigillite's psychic whisper continued. "Go to my residence. Wait."
Alpharius cast Yuki one last look before leaving.
Malcador entered the room.
"Guilliman," he said calmly, "there are matters it is better not to examine too closely."
Guilliman's expression remained grave.
"Prime Minister, I understand political necessity. What I do not understand is why the Vice-Emperor herself must be involved."
If scandal touched her, it would damage the Throne itself.
Yuki spoke quietly.
"I guarantee the research is beneficial. Nothing immoral."
Guilliman hesitated.
Then he sighed and returned to the documents.
The Weight of Empire
From Macragge's marble forums, Guilliman had once looked upon the Imperium's fleets and imagined a rational, ordered civilization.
Now he saw the truth.
Magnificent military power.
Fragile internal administration.
An empire built for conquest rather than governance.
He and Yuki had discussed reforms extensively. They agreed on most objectives.
The problem was talent.
Training competent administrators across thousands of worlds was proving painfully slow. Even Yuki's experimental education programs had produced disappointing yields.
One proposed solution was statistical:
educate massive populations and rely on numbers to produce quality.
Both rejected it.
A civilization could not be built on chance.
They would need their brothers.
During this period, Guilliman worked with relentless intensity, his transhuman cognition processing document streams at astonishing speed.
"Take a break," Yuki said, setting fruit beside him and gently removing the files from his hands.
He retrieved them immediately.
"Almost finished."
She sat beside him.
"Have you contacted Tarasha Euten recently?"
For the first time in days, he smiled.
"She is well. I told her about my work. She is proud… and concerned."
The smile lingered, tinged with longing.
"Then go see her," Yuki said.
He looked up sharply.
"And the Ministry?"
"I will handle it."
She opened the office door.
"Guilliman," she added softly, "you know I arranged things so you would come here."
"Yes."
Her performance had never fooled him.
"I wanted to give you another path," she said. "Do you like it?"
He looked away from the light.
"…I am only tired."
"Then leave," she said gently. "Leave if you wish."
He stared at her, confused.
"Why?"
"I will never force you. Lead armies. Govern worlds. Return to Macragge and rule in peace. All are your choices."
He picked up a document.
"Macragge requires additional infrastructure funding to support its role as a strategic eastern hub."
Yuki smiled.
"Approved."
What bound Guilliman was not obligation.
It was ideal.
He dreamed of a unified human civilization entering a new golden age. If serving in an office furthered that dream, he would serve.
He wondered:
If Konor Guilliman still lived, would he have sworn loyalty to the Emperor?
Yes.
The realization filled him with a strange guilt.
Had he betrayed his father?
No.
He added another zero to Macragge's development budget.
Macragge is a vital imperial node, he told himself.
This is strategic necessity.
His brothers, however, might interpret it differently.
Alpharius studied the budget revisions, his expression twisting.
"Are you going to keep pretending, brother… or should I?"
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