The boost in power was enormous.
It even allowed for a perfect five-fold activation of the Golden Transformation. Axis estimated that his sons could now challenge a Custodian in single combat.
"You are dismissed," Axis said with a nod.
He realized he would need to find another opportunity, a suitable, large planet, to plant the tree again.
With roughly one thousand Fruits of the Spirit Tree, he could empower his entire Legion.
He knew that as the Great Crusade continued, there would be no shortage of planets marked for Exterminatus, providing him with ample opportunities for future cultivation.
"Axis, aren't you going to send so of these fruits to my father?" Kasha asked.
As a devoted daughter, her first thought was naturally of her father, the Emperor.
"Of course," Axis replied, "I will send one each to the Emperor, Russ, Magnus, and Lion El'Jonson."
Axis had no intention of hiding the Fruit of the Spirit Tree, especially since his own gene-sons would be consuming it.
He would, however, remove the seeds before sending them.
He had to ensure the core technology remained in his hands. Besides, even if the others obtained the seeds, they could not be cultivated without the power of ki. His Saiban lacked sufficient energy to sustain the Spirit Tree's growth.
Furthermore, the fruit had diminishing returns.
If grown on the sa planet, the effect of the second fruit consud would be halved, and so on, making it wasteful to consu too many from a single harvest.
"You should add another one for each of them. Send two," Kasha suggested, "Magnus, Russ, and Lion all have your Saiban with them."
This special fruit was, in fact, even more effective on the Saiban under Axis's command.
"You're right," Axis agreed with a nod, "Two it is, then. I'll send three to my father-in-law."
One fruit for the Primarch to consu himself, and one for his Saibaman.
It was the perfect arrangent. As Russ had two Saiban, Axis would send him three fruits.
After consuming the fruit, the Saiban's power level would likely soar past 150,000, allowing them to completely eclipse their own gene-father in strength.
"You should send a few more to my father," Kasha said, "You are his son-in-law, and you must show proper respect." She suspected that once the Emperor learned of the fruit's properties, he would certainly want to give one to Horus. If Axis only sent one, it would seem rather stingy.
"Alright, alright, I understand. Three for the Emperor, just like for my father-in-law."
Having settled the matter, Axis sent a psychic ssage through the warp to the Emperor, Magnus, Lion El'Jonson, and his foster father, Russ.
He inford them that a gift was on its way and that they should prepare to receive it. At the sa ti, he ordered several of his sons to take command of cruisers and embark on the delivery mission, ensuring the Fruits of the Spirit Tree reached their destinations.
"Where did you get these fruits? Are there any more?" Kasha asked, "If your supply is limited, you should save them as special rewards to motivate the warriors of your Legion."
Even five hundred fruits were not nearly enough for two hundred thousand Astartes, and the Legion's numbers were always growing.
"Don't worry about that," Axis said. "I have a thod for cultivating them, though the process is quite demanding."
"That's good to hear. How are they grown? Perhaps we can cultivate so on Nuceria," Kasha suggested.
"Impossible. A planet can only be used for cultivation once, and doing so is the equivalent of enacting a super-Exterminatus," Axis explained, revealing the nature of the Spirit Tree to Kasha. "It uses the entire planet's nutrients as the material for its growth. Otherwise, where do you think it gets so much life energy?"
"There is… such a terrifying plant!" Kasha said, she was shook, "So these five hundred fruits are equivalent to the life of an entire world?"
She had imagined the fruit would be precious and its cultivation difficult, but she had never expected it to be this extre.
To use an entire planet as a cradle, sacrificing all its life for a single harvest.
"That is why they are so valuable," Axis said, "In the future, they will mostly be reserved for Primarchs. As for ordinary Astartes, only those from my own Legion will receive them. No one else."
The conditions for growing a Spirit Tree were incredibly strict.
The world had to be a World rich with life. A Hive World, Forge World, or Mining World simply did not contain enough life force to sustain its growth.
"It's like an Exterminatus," Kasha mused, after Axis' explanation,"And it needs your ki to stimulate it. Guess It will remain your sole property."
"Indeed. But besides the fruit, I have sothing else to show you. Look at this." Axis opened his briefcase and took out a massive sniper rifle, nearly two ters in length.
"A special kind of sniper rifle? Is it very valuable?" Kasha inquired.
"Of course it is," Axis said, "Its firepower is imnse. I doubt even a Primarch could withstand a single shot from it."
"There are many weapons in the Imperium that a Primarch cannot withstand," Kasha pointed out, "For example, so of the weapons used by the assassins. Or power weapons. If one can breach their power armor, the disruption field is theoretically capable of killing a Primarch."
Weapons capable of killing a Primarch were not exceedingly rare.
The true strength of the Primarchs lay in their all-around capabilities, afterall.
"This is completely different. The power of this weapon is on another level. I plan to give them to the top marksn in the Legion for eliminating special targets," Axis said.
"If you praise it so highly, then you should leave one for ," Kasha said, "I am quite skilled with firearms myself. Acting as a sniper would be no problem at all."
As the Imperial Princess, she was not only a master psyker but also an accomplished warrior proficient with many weapons.
If this sniper rifle was as good as Axis claid, she certainly wanted one.
"Well, have one then," Axis handed the rifle to Kasha, along with a box containing the ammunition.
"Now, besides developing our howorld, we need to get the Legion's warriors back out on the crusade."
"Speaking of planetary developnt, I have a suggestion," Kasha said, looking at Axis.
"We are severely lacking in administrative talent. I was thinking you could ask so of the other Primarchs for aid. Have them lend us so of their civil servants. What do you think?" Kasha proposed.
Although she could help manage things, she was not a professional administrator.
Furthermore, her future was at Axis's side on his campaigns, not tied to Nuceria. And since the Emperor had forbidden the Astartes from directly interfering in the governance of mortals, they desperately needed a cadre of talented officials to manage the planet. Training them from Nuceria's local population would take far too much ti.
Importing talent was the best option.
"That would be ideal," Axis said, "Should we ask Prospero, Caliban, or Fenris for people?"
Lion El'Jonson, Leman Russ, and Magnus were the three Primarchs he considered himself closest to.
He was confident they would send help if he asked.
Kasha rolled her eyes. "Please. Whether it's the Lion's Caliban, Russ's Fenris, or Magnus's Prospero, they don't have enough administrators for their own needs. Don't you know the situation with your own Space Wolves? Where would they find any talent for governance?"
The administrations on those three worlds were hardly better than Nuceria's.
The logistical demands of a two-hundred-thousand-strong Astartes Legion were already straining them to their limits.
"Then what do you an? Should I ask another Primarch for help? Horus, perhaps, or Rogal Dorn?" Axis asked.
"Neither of them," Kasha said with a smile, "Have you forgotten? Of all the Primarchs, who is the most skilled in civil administration? Whose domain is the wealthiest and most prosperous?"
The most skilled administrator, the ruler of the wealthiest domain. She could only be referring to Roboute Guilliman.
There was no question. The 500 Worlds of Ultramar were so prosperous they could have functioned as a second Imperium.
"Guilliman, huh?" Axis said.
"That's right. The 500 Worlds of Ultramar. They can provide you with the greatest assistance and the most skilled administrators. And though they call it five hundred worlds, their domain actually spans over a thousand planets, all of them rich and prosperous. If you ask Guilliman to send a dozen officials to help you, he won't refuse," Kasha explained.
In truth, other Primarchs already sought aid from Ultramar. Magnus provided the Imperium with Librarians, while Guilliman provided it with administrators. For Nuceria's current needs, the 500 Worlds were the greatest potential ally.
"Alright," Axis said, "Guess I will have to send Guilliman a Fruit of the Spirit Tree as well. I do not like to be in anyone's debt."
...
...
...
Regular updates from now on(I hope!)
Reviews
All reviews (0)