Warhammer 40k : Starting as a Primarch

"Your Highness Dukel, what do you want?"

Sister Efilar entered the room and asked. She had been busy mobilizing the state religion's legions in recent days. When she was called here at this moment, Efilar thought another war was about to start. She seemed particularly motivated.

"Go around and comfort the injured civilians and soldiers," Dukel instructed.

In his eyes, this elder sister shared a firm belief in humanity, similar to Gris, and was only a small step away from joining the Heart Network.

Ophelia VII was the home of the Battle Sisters and the second holiest site of the Ecclesiarchy. Among its tens of billions of permanent residents, there were countless people with fanatical beliefs. If the top leaders of the state religion stepped forward to catalyze the process, the number of Heart Network members could grow rapidly.

"Ah? Me?"

At first, Efilar thought Dukel wanted her to gather all the injured people for a bloody massacre under the guise of mercy. But she soon realized he was truly asking her to comfort the wounded. As a Battle Sister, her daily routine revolved around prayer and combat. How could she possibly comfort others? Killing daemons seemed far easier than soothing broken spirits.

Seeing her hesitance, Dukel naturally understood her thoughts. But there was no one else he could rely on. After the Dukel War, he had been in seclusion, and the other high-ranking officials of the state religion were not well acquainted with him. Efilar was the only one he could use smoothly.

"Efilar, this matter is very important. If I didn't have to speak with other planetary governors next, I would do it myself," Dukel said. "Those people have suffered so much and need someone to guide them, to strengthen their faith."

The Primarch looked directly at the Sister before him. His tone was gentle, his eyes earnest. "You'll help me, won't you?"

Efilar looked into Dukel's bright eyes, and the determined warrior suddenly lowered her head shyly.

"Okay, I'll try my best," she said softly.

Dukel nodded. "The Emperor looks upon all people equally. As His children, we should not lose our love for the people."

"Understood," Efilar replied.

She walked out of the room with a slightly red face. For some reason, she felt her heartbeat quicken when she stood before the Primarch today. It was a feeling she had never experienced before.

After Efilar left, Dukel began calculating how much progress was still needed before launching the great expedition.

New warships were being built. His mind and will had been strengthened. The seeds of the Second Legion (the Heart Network) had been sown.

In the Warhammer world, launching a true great expedition had never been an easy task. Even with enhancements to the legion's strength, a stable rear base was necessary for ensuring success.

Ophelia VII, located in the remote Storm Star Region in the southern part of the galaxy, was far from Terra. Yet, as the second holiest site of the Ecclesiarchy, its wealth and resources were second only to Terra itself.

After the fall of Cartier Fortress, Ophelia VII became trapped in the newly formed Great Rift. The constant threat of Chaos loomed over the region. Driving away one Khorne Daemon only made way for another attack—perhaps by Tzeentch's Blue Flame Tyrants.

In the original timeline, when the planet was finally saved by the resurrected Guilliman, it had been under siege by Tzeentch's forces. The galaxy remained in chaos, with humans and Chaos, aliens and Chaos, and even Chaos against Chaos locked in endless warfare. Attacks from any side were hardly surprising.

During this rare period of peace, Dukel aimed to integrate all nearby life-sustaining planets, including Ophelia VII, into a stronghold that could provide him with a stable supply of troops. At Dukel's summons, more than half of the nearby planetary governors had arrived. Those who did not attend likely had no intention of coming.

This did not surprise Dukel. Ten thousand years had passed since the Primarchs and the Emperor walked the galaxy. Such a long history was enough to bury many truths. The once-glorious Space Marine Chapters had largely become auxiliary forces. The Empire's splendor was now but dust in the wind.

It was no wonder that some planetary governors hesitated. None wished to surrender their power to a figure who, to many, was more legend than reality.

Dukel had no time to deal with these absentees. For now, his priority was maintaining the allegiance of those worlds still willing to serve him.

To transform the nearby star systems centered on Ophelia VII into a self-sustaining resource base, Dukel planned to develop the Heart Network into an elite force while simultaneously winning over the people, streamlining administration, and efficiently providing military reinforcements for his upcoming expedition.

All of this required the cooperation of planetary governors. The Empire's decentralized governance granted each planet significant autonomy. These governors wielded absolute authority over their domains, making integration an incredibly complex task.

Even with the Heart Network and the Primarch's extraordinary abilities, Dukel could not hope to fully control every world in the short term.

Many governors, led by the Oracle Priest of Talan, pledged their loyalty to Dukel. But the Primarch merely stared at each of them in turn before slowly speaking:

"I need to form an independent parliament to ensure that my will can be spread smoothly throughout the Storm Star Region. Who among you is willing to support me?"

After making his declaration, Dukel observed the gathered governors in silence, awaiting their decisions.

As the second Primarch previously exiled from the Empire, Dukel lacked the deep-rooted reputation of Guilliman. Gaining the Terra Supreme Council's support was out of the question. Thus, before he could truly rise to power, Dukel needed an independent parliament to facilitate his vision and enforce his beliefs.

Unlike Guilliman, Dukel would not tolerate rebellion or compromise for the sake of unity. When he launched his expedition, every conquered world would be reshaped according to his will.

He understood this approach would earn him many enemies, possibly uniting much of the galaxy against him. Yet Dukel was confident in his ability to suppress resistance and eliminate dissenters. He believed that only through relentless trials could he purge impurities and foster absolute loyalty.

In this dark age, where the Four Gods' power expanded and the Emperor remained in stasis, Dukel saw no alternative. Only uncompromising purity could save the crumbling human Empire.

To Dukel, this was merely pragmatic. But to the Oracle Priest and others, it was audacious—perhaps even treasonous.

Was this Primarch on the verge of rebellion, like his fallen brothers?

For a moment, none could discern whether Dukel's proposal was sincere or a calculated test of their allegiance.