Samuel Young had been carefully planning the creation of a "relatively rational" Imperial Church under the framework of the Codex Humanum. Drawing from the infamous lessons of the Warhammer 40k Emperor—where any attempt to suppress religion only fueled curiosity and rebellion—he believed that establishing a structured faith system was one of the best methods to combat the influence and corruption of the Warp.
Additionally, Samuel possessed abilities akin to "plundering" Warp entities and techniques resembling the blessings ("boons") bestowed by the Chaos Gods. His eventual goal was to purify the Warp itself, restoring it to its original form as the Sea of Souls.
With Lorgar's sudden arrival, the perfect candidate to oversee and passionately develop the Imperial Church had presented itself.
Lorgar, with his extreme insecurity and pathological need for validation, required only sufficient respect and praise to become a cornerstone figure.
Of course, Samuel would not brainwash Lorgar into becoming a crazed fanatic as depicted in Warhammer 40k. In reality, Lorgar's talents were strikingly similar to Guilliman's—both were brilliant administrators, builders, and strategists for raising armies and expanding empires.
A Brief History of Warhammer 40k Lorgar:
In the Warhammer 40k timeline, Lorgar was cast into the feudal desert planet of Colchis during his youth, where he was raised under the "mentorship" of Kor Phaeron, a man who can only be described as the epitome of "trash." Kor Phaeron frequently abused Lorgar physically and psychologically, instilling him with religious fanaticism through indoctrination and manipulation.
Later, when Lorgar conquered Colchis, the Emperor of Mankind and Magnus the Red descended upon the planet. Lorgar immediately pledged fealty to his "father," who he saw as a godlike figure.
During the Great Crusade, Lorgar and the Word Bearers Legion zealously eradicated heresy, built grand statues, cathedrals, and monuments to glorify the Emperor and the Imperium, and instilled religious devotion in the populations they conquered.
While their progress was slower compared to other legions, their efforts yielded long-lasting and stable dominion, as conquered populations regarded the Emperor, the primarchs, and the Astartes as gods, demigods, and angels, respectively.
However, these actions enraged the Emperor, whose primary goal was to liberate humanity from the ignorance of religion. Lorgar's insistence on spreading religious fervor was in direct opposition to the Emperor's vision.
Ultimately, after repeated warnings went unheeded, the Emperor dispatched Roboute Guilliman and the Ultramarines to destroy the "perfect city" of Monarchia, a crowning achievement of the Word Bearers. The Emperor himself unleashed a psychic blast that forced Lorgar and his legion to kneel in humiliation.
This planted the seeds of hatred in Lorgar's heart.
Under the influence of his foster father, the ever-scheming Kor Phaeron, and Erebus—perhaps the most notorious "trash mentor" in Warhammer 40k history—Lorgar was corrupted and became a servant of the Chaos Gods.
(Erebus was the key architect behind the corruption of Horus and the subsequent Horus Heresy. He is universally despised by both loyalists and traitors in Warhammer 40k.)
Ironically, after the Emperor was entombed on the Golden Throne and the loyalist primarchs vanished, Lorgar's Book of Lorgar, written during the Great Crusade, became the foundation of the Imperium's state religion.
This alone highlights the deep-rooted decay of the Warhammer 40k Imperium.
In contrast, Samuel Young's Empire in the Prime Universe had preemptively created a far more rational and organized Imperial Church, preventing the Warp's corruptive influence from taking root.
Present Moment:
Through the holographic screen in front of him, Samuel observed Lyon returning to the Thunderhawk gunship, carrying the infant Lorgar in his arms. He issued a simple order through the comms system:
"Lyon, personally escort your brother back to the Prime Universe."
"Yes, Father."
"Good."
Samuel ended the transmission and turned toward the door of his office.
Behind him, his ever-silent AI assistants, Ap and Melissa, followed closely.
Exiting the office, the trio walked along the palace's aerial corridors. Ignoring the breathtaking view of the Imperial Palace, Samuel and his companions took a maglev elevator down to the palace's lower levels. From there, they boarded a specialized train designed to accommodate both Samuel's immense physique and the dimensions of the gene-primarchs.
Their destination: the heart of the palace—what was once known as the Ruins Base.
After relentless expansion and upgrades by the Engineering Corps, the Ruins Base had grown to the size of a large city. At its center stood the blood-altar bearing a skull motif. Surrounding it were sixteen faintly glowing spatial gates, their silvery light connecting the Prime Universe to various alternate universes. Countless maglev tracks crossed through the spatial gates, transporting resources and personnel between realities.
The Sun Guard, the Emperor's personal elite force, worked alongside the Salamanders to defend the base.
The Sun Guard were selected from the most elite soldiers injected with Inquisitor Serum. They underwent additional custom enhancements at the Akrak Biological Headquarters. While they couldn't match the "absurd" capabilities of the Astartes, their physical attributes and combat skills were comparable to the knights of the Trench Crusader universe.
Although they couldn't singlehandedly defeat an Astartes in direct combat, in group engagements, the Sun Guard could hold their own against such opponents.
However, the Sun Guard was relatively small, with only about 10,000 members, given the stringent selection criteria. Furthermore, while the Ruins Base and Earth were critical locations, they didn't require a constant large-scale presence of elite troops.
With the Custodes Project nearing completion, Vulkan and the main Salamanders force would soon depart to conquer alternate universes.
Dressed in a black suit accented with gold threads, Samuel disembarked from the train alongside Ap and Melissa.
"Your Majesty."
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
As they passed, Sun Guard members and Imperial officials bowed to the towering figure of Samuel.
With his trademark smile, Samuel raised his left hand slightly, signaling them to forgo excessive formalities.
His approachable demeanor was typical unless he was leading troops into battle. To the citizens and soldiers of the Empire, the Emperor seemed far more amiable than the often temperamental gene-primarchs.
Taking a maglev lift up to a hover platform located about 100 meters above ground, Samuel's smile faded slightly. He instructed Ap:
"Notify the Elf Queen to meet us here."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Ap immediately relayed the order.
Soon, they arrived at a spacious hover platform situated near the spatial gate leading to the Trench Crusader universe. The platform was equipped with holographic railings and patrolled by maintenance T-800 units.
As the platform was fully automated, no humans were present to kneel before Samuel. The T-800s, lacking emotions, merely scanned Samuel, Ap, and Melissa with their glowing red eyes, verified their clearance, and returned to standby mode.
After a short wait, the Elf Queen, Tinas Loslian, arrived.
As always, Tinas exuded an aura of cold elegance and nobility. She wore a translucent outer robe over a fitted green-and-white dress, her silvery hair styled into an elaborate updo. Her appearance was nothing short of divine, resembling a goddess or fairy from myth and legend.
Among Samuel's subordinates, another silver-haired beauty stood out—Laeroia Sylvaine Vitellius, a hybrid with human, vampire, and werewolf ancestry. She led the Honor Legion, a unit composed of vampires and werewolves, though their numbers were relatively small at around 600. Only a handful of these hybrids could resist their primal urges to feed on human blood and flesh while maintaining their loyalty to humanity.
Initially, Samuel had considered deploying Laeroia and the Honor Legion to assist the 1st Company of the Dark Angels in consolidating the Trench Crusader universe. However, concerns over the weapons and creatures native to that universe potentially countering the Honor Legion's strengths led him to keep them stationed at the Imperial Palace.
Seeing Samuel standing at the platform's edge, hands clasped behind his back, Tinas adjusted her attire before approaching and bowing slightly:
"Tinas Loslian greets His Majesty the Emperor."
"…"
Samuel cast a brief glance at her before returning his gaze forward. He said,
"Dr. Ashford (Alexia) has just concluded the Custodes Project. Soon, she will need to oversee the Battle Knights and Battle Sisters project.
This is why I require your assistance. You will help me raise and guide a newly arrived gene-primarch."
?
Though momentarily puzzled, Tinas quickly realized what this meant—a new primarch had been "born."
She bowed slightly and replied,
"As you command, Your Majesty. I will assist to the best of my abilities."
Not long after, Lyon's Thunderhawk gunship emerged from the spatial gate and touched down on the platform.
When the ramp opened, the ten Holy Knights stepped out first, removed their helmets, and knelt silently before Samuel, their expressions tinged with excitement.
"Rise," Samuel said, maintaining a warm smile as he gest
ured for them to stand.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Holy Knights rose in unison, donned their helmets once more, and assumed statue-like positions around the gunship.
"Father."
Carrying Lorgar, Lyon approached Samuel, his expression as stoic and cold as ever.
"You've done well, child," Samuel said, smiling as he patted Lyon's shoulder plate.
"The Dark Angels have performed admirably. Serene has compiled all data on their achievements and casualties.
Specialists will contact your legion soon. For now, take some time to rest and consider what new equipment or weaponry your forces might require."
"This was simply our duty," Lyon replied, his tone devoid of emotion. Yet Samuel could sense a hint of pride beneath his reserved demeanor. Lyon clearly appreciated his father's public praise.
Samuel then reached out to take Lorgar, who was babbling and squirming in Lyon's arms, eager for attention.
Looking closely at his youngest son, Samuel felt his earlier resistance and dislike dissipate.
Lorgar was still a blank slate. With careful guidance, there was no reason for him to follow the "trash mentor" path of Warhammer 40k.
Samuel playfully poked Lorgar's nose with his index finger. Sensing the infant's growing hunger, Samuel crouched slightly and handed him to Tinas, saying:
"Queen Loslian, I'll leave the child in your care for now. Lyon and I have matters to discuss."
"Waaah!"
Before Tinas could respond, Lorgar began crying, seemingly wanting Samuel's attention again.
Samuel patiently extended his finger, gently tapping Lorgar's nose while using his psychic abilities to calm him:
"Your brother and I have important business to discuss. Behave yourself—you don't want to annoy people, do you?
Also, Queen Loslian will be your foster mother from now on. You must treat her with respect. Understand?"
…
This time, Lorgar truly understood and stopped crying. He even smiled and nestled into Tinas' arms.
Seeing this, Tinas smiled softly, stroking Lorgar's back, and assured Samuel:
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will take good care of the 'prince.'"
"Good."
Once Tinas departed with Lorgar, Samuel turned back to the Thunderhawk gunship and said,
"I hope you don't mind me borrowing your personal transport."
"Of course not."
Lyon accompanied Samuel aboard the spacious gunship. Once seated, Lyon asked,
"Father, where are we headed?"
"To the Akrak Facility. Dr. Ashford is preparing a new experiment. You'll also get to meet some of your 'brothers' who you haven't yet encountered."
Samuel, seated to the left, added:
"After the experiment, you'll have plenty of responsibilities in Universe-13. As its governor, much work awaits you."
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