Chapter 212: Local Problems
751.M41
After nearly three long years of conferences, the High Lords of Terra, having wished upon every star and even outlived a Master of the Adeptus Arbites, finally saw the Dawnlight Fleet depart.
According to the reports transmitted by the Navigator Emissary, Kadak Mir, the leaders of the Dawnlight Fleet had formally completed the transfer of power to the various Chapters garrisoned in Ultramar. After taking on board a contingent of Imperial officials and the Custodian representatives, they had left immediately.
They retraced the latter part of their crusade route, heading for the Voronine Cluster in the heart of the Ultima Segmentum—now designated as the Dawnlight Sector.
The Adeptus Mechanicus was nervous. The sector's nobility was on edge, each fearing a loss of power. The High Lords, content to watch the show, were slowly pushing forward the reforms in the Maelstrom Sector with the assistance of Custodian Valerian, while keeping a close eye on the situation in the Imperial East.
But nine months later, when the Dawnlight Fleet, led by its Emperor-class battleship, entered the sector, what happened was a complete surprise to everyone.
There was no bloody purge as expected, no iron-fisted suppression or change of power. On the contrary, the Dawnlight Fleet remained in a crusade posture, dedicating its full energy to cleansing the sector of rampaging Ork raiders and pirate fleets. For a full six months, the fleet moved back and forth within the sector, responding to every distress call, like a wandering legion of guardians.
Romulus would occasionally accept an invitation from a planetary governor to make planetfall. He would listen to reports in grand palaces or simple commanderies, hear the political demands of the local nobility, and offer political advice. But he never issued a single mandatory order.
At the same time, Karna's figure frequently appeared in the sermon-halls of the underhives and the mission-chapels of remote worlds. Food and water were delivered into the hands of every human in his path. He preached the light of the Emperor to the weary masses and the bewildered faithful, and the tenets of the Church of the Dawn quietly spread.
Then, the fleet would simply leave, not even bothering to resupply, allowing the various departments to continue their work according to their old procedures.
This put the Mechanicus forces, led by the forge world of Incaladion, in an awkward position. Using their monopoly on the industrial system, they had been feeding the sector's nobles information that the Primarchs did not trust mortals, and had even provided them with some "goodies" in the hopes of obstructing the Primarchs' rule and facilitating their own future plans. But the Dawnlight Fleet's inaction had caused this plan to fizzle out.
The only rumour circulating was that the Primarchs were evaluating the various worlds to select a future sector capital. But six months passed, and the Dawnlight Fleet was still cruising the star-lanes, like a silent observer, not a ruler.
The High Lords and the high-ranking Magi of the Mechanicus were in a state of subtle confusion. What had happened on Macragge was still fresh in their minds. These Primarchs were not gentle shepherds, but dormant lions. These beings at the apex of power would not underestimate a Primarch. They wondered if Romulus was truly planning something big.
"An upper echelon held together by the bonds of bloodline, dominated by the aristocracy, is completely incapable of being entrusted with great responsibility."
In the skies above the cardinal world of Astorgius, Romulus flipped through the data-slate in his hand. It contained a report submitted by his agents after a detailed investigation into the political, military, and cultural systems of every planet in the Dawnlight Sector. These reports meticulously documented the political corruption, military laxity, and cultural decay of every world.
Nobles were addicted to endless banquets. Planetary Defence Forces had been privatized into family guards. Ecclesiarchy priests colluded with local powers to squeeze the last bit of wealth from the lower classes.
The Alpha Legion's intelligence system was of considerable value, especially in the development of mortal agents. The Dark Angels' mortal agents, meanwhile, had infiltrated the Ecclesiarchy's missionary groups. The Ecclesiarchy and the mortal agents, one overt and one covert, formed two intertwined intelligence systems, laying the true face of the sector bare before the Primarchs.
To be honest, as the regent of the sector, Romulus was extremely dissatisfied with the contents of these reports. The governor of an agri-world, in order to maintain his import of luxury goods, had deliberately suppressed the purchase price of grain, leaving billions of farmers struggling on the brink of starvation. A law-enforcer family in a hive city had monopolized judicial power for generations, turning the law into an auction for the highest bidder. When he was dissatisfied, he wanted to kill people.
His gaze shifted downwards, to a report on an important gathering of the nobility.
The sector's nobles were still immersed in their optimistic fantasies. In their eyes, this new Primarch was just a "more warlike, more affable sector governor." He had even generously exempted them from several years of taxes. The crystal goblets at their banquets clinked cheerfully as the nobles discussed this "easy-going" ruler, as if he were just another bureaucrat who could be bribed, delayed, and deceived.
The High Lords, on the other hand, had a better sense of things. They could do the math. The steel-hardened Astra Militarum regiments forged in the Dawn Crusade alone were worth more than the tithes of who-knows-how-many worlds. Rather than haggle over a little tax, it was better to go with the flow and do the Primarchs a favour.
Romulus had been right about one thing, and they admitted it: they really couldn't make use of most of the tithes they collected. But the Primarchs had neither used this as a reason to secede from the Imperium, nor had they used it to march on Terra to seize power and reform the Senatorum Imperialis. Instead, they were trying to solve local problems. This had put the High Lords at ease.
After sacrificing a Master of the Adeptus Arbites, the two sides had successfully reached a consensus. Their interests were completely different from those of the local nobility. If not for the current state of the Imperium, they would have purged these sector nobles long ago. The High Lords were the best of the best, one-in-a-billion talents. But as the saying goes, the meat-eaters are shortsighted. They had their own interests, and so sometimes they looked frighteningly stupid. Only when they could take an objective view could these geniuses fully utilize their knowledge and political skill.
At least in Romulus's view, dealing with the High Lords was much more pleasant than dealing with these sector nobles.
And this tax exemption was like a powerful stimulant, making their extravagance and indulgence even worse. In their gilded palaces, fine wine flowed like rivers, and delicacies were piled like mountains. The nobles, draped in magnificent silks, laughed and drank at their gem-encrusted tables, as if this eternal feast would never end.
The sector's economic data was indeed climbing at a strange rate. The pollution spewing from the hive factories was decreasing. The granaries of the agri-worlds were overflowing with untaxed grain. The trade routes within the sector were busier than ever. However, all this prosperity had nothing to do with the Imperial nobles. They disdained to participate in production, and they cared nothing for the fate of the lower classes. They greedily converted the extra profits from the tax exemption into more luxury goods, more extravagant mansions, and more debauched entertainment.
Only a few, with a keen sense of smell, noticed the precise direction implied in the seemingly gentle "political suggestions" left by Romulus. Which families monopolized a planet's power, which worlds were rife with corruption, which defense forces had long since become private armies. These clever few began to quietly sell off their non-core assets, discipline their families, and even actively donate to the Ecclesiarchy, trying to wrap themselves in a cloak of piety before the storm arrived.
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