"I see. That's great. Report back when a suitable delivery system has been developed. As for your question, General… just as you wouldn't want your son dying alongside the Xenos, neither do many others. A better way has been found, and we shall use it."
"As you wish, my lord," the man said before sitting down.
"Very well. With that settled, I would like to know what measures you've all taken since the rift."
With that, the meeting began in earnest as each attendee outlined and explained their new protocols and precautions to ensure the planet's safety.
Yet the more they spoke, the more Bastion questioned whether they truly understood their own words. Their measures were logical—sensible, even—but only within the narrow context of their limited education, which barely surpassed that of a high school student. They were trapped in a rigid worldview, shackled by dogma and ritualized living.
"These are all excellent proposals, but we need a stronger system. I hope all of you are willing—and strong enough—to support it, so this planet can withstand the storm to come," Bastion declared, nearly half an hour into their briefings.
"And what do you have in mind, my lord?" Draven asked.
He already knew Bastion's visit wasn't merely to hear their opinions. The Saint had come to overhaul the system, just as he had done with the Ecclesiarchy.
He had wrested control of the Sororitas from the Cardinal's grasp… without outright declaring it… and renamed them the Custodes Sanctis, his personal honor guard.
The Adeptus Sororitas were no more. If Bastion could reform even the Ecclesiarchy, Draven harbored no illusions: the military would be next.
Resistance was futile. The man had dismantled the only force capable of opposing him in a single afternoon.
"The answer is simple—and it will clarify your purpose," Bastion replied before laying out his vision for restructuring the military.
His plan was straightforward: to create a self-sustaining system, one that could function without his direct oversight. No framework fits this ideal better than the three branches of government.
He proposed seventeen ministries, each governing a specific sector or field, forming the executive arm. The goal was a hyper-specialized administration to replace the planet's bloated bureaucracy.
The military would fall under the Ministry of Defense and Security—officially, the Adeptus Munitorum. The generals before him were formally elevated to High Command, with Draven appointed Grand Marshal of the entire army.
"Lord Arbiter, your duties will henceforth be separate from the military. The Adeptus Arbites shall remain judges but will wield no authority beyond the courtroom. Let the military and communal police serve as the people's enforcers—while you remain impartial and independent," Bastion concluded.
The room fell silent as the attendees studied the new structure projected on the hololith. The more they examined it, the more sense it made—yet something felt off. Like the others, Draven couldn't pinpoint the issue, but the benefits were undeniable.
Gone were the days of conscripts—unmotivated, poorly trained soldiers rushed into combat. In their place, Bastion proposed mandatory service paired with an intensive training program, capable of producing elite soldiers in just six months, and in vast numbers.
"My lord, I understand the rest, but why strip the Arbites of their authority?" a general ventured.
"They are not being stripped," Bastion countered. "The Adeptus Arbites are a magisterium, not a military branch. Their duty is to uphold the law—not with batons or bolters, but with the impartial scales of justice. They must embody the Emperor's vision for Mordaxis."
By tomorrow, he would extend these reforms to the planetary administration, ensuring seamless integration. The military had been streamlined into a tactical, efficient hierarchy.
The Adeptus Munitorum would be led by a civilian Magister, assisted by Draven as Grand Marshal. Beneath them sat the High Command: five marshals (now four, with the Arbiter's removal), each overseeing a distinct branch—
TheArmy: Ground forces, the primary defensive and offensive arm against surface threats.
TheNavy: The Imperial Navy, repurposed for voidship operations and interstellar expansion.
OrbitalDefense: The planet's first line of defense against spaceborne threats, a superior iteration of the Planetary Defense Force.
SpecialOperations: A black-ops division for high-risk missions.
EcclesiarchyChaplaincy: A concession to the clergy, embedding chaplains within military units... subordinate to their commanders, not the Ecclesiarchy.
LogisticsandSupport: A merged role incorporating the reformed Mechanicus for maintenance, supply chains, and reinforcements.
With this, the structure was complete—the culmination of days spent devising a system built to endure.