Rising up from a Nobleman to Intergalactic Warlord!!

"May I ask you something?", I inquired as we entered the Adepta Sororitas' training grounds. "I am curious to know why the Order of Divine Lamentations has been assigned to me directly. Is there something going on behind the scenes that I am unaware of?"

"There are several reasons for doing so, but it mostly comes down to ensuring you have enough manpower. As we were uncertain how much military power you could safely assign to the Imperium, the Emperor felt it was appropriate to lend you some of our reserve units.", Vahl stated, glancing over at a few Sisters training their sword skills, "This arrangement is by no means permanent; they will depart from your service once we can secure you a steady stream of Second Legion Astartes. Until that time, Ionica and her people are more than happy to do whatever they can to assist you."

"Ah, I understand. You should know that I am not lacking in manpower whatsoever right now.", I remarked with a smirk. "After being allotted a sizable chunk of Imperium territory, we began ramping up our recruitment and training quotas again. As my homeland is currently at peace, the lion's share of my forces can assist the Imperium while the new blood takes their place back home."

"I do recall Lord Guilliman bringing that up during one of our meetings. If I may, what do you intend to do with the lands and people under your prevue?", Vahl asked out of curiosity.

"Haha, I was waiting for someone to ask me that question!", I said enthusiastically, "Luxion, if you would be so kind."

Lowering his cloaking field, Luxion flew next to my head and projected my plans for the region ahead of us. Coming to an abrupt stop when the image materialized, she looked over at us for a moment before looking back at the image. Giving the Abbess a brief overview of all my plans, I focused mainly on the cityscapes I intended to construct, the relocation and terraforming of worlds, and the transportation of goods and people throughout the region. Showing her the blueprints and diagrams I had drawn up, her eyes began to glaze over a bit as I got into the nitty-gritty details.

"My apologies, Lord Stark, I am not as well versed in science and technology as the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Emperor, and the Primarchs.", Vahl stated with a disappointed look, "What does all this mean for the Imperium and our people?"

"Implementing these plans will drastically improve the quality of life for every citizen; the country will no longer be reliant on the Warp for long-distance travel, and thousands of uninhabitable worlds will be made habitable for humanity.", I explained with a smile. "Out of all the improvements I have planned, though, the introduction of Intragalactic Transport Gates will be the most crucial to the nation. If they are adopted by the Imperium of Man as a whole, an entire fleet of ships can go from Ran's Eglise to Repentance in seconds. It goes without saying, but this means the entirety of the Imperium's might could be brought down upon a threat in a matter of hours instead of months or years."

While I was against giving them advanced technology beyond their current means, the current method they used for travel was far too dangerous and time-consuming. Deciding to devise an alternative plan for rapid transportation, I came up with the Intragalactic Transport Gates as a happy middle ground for this situation. Taking inspiration from several sources, the structures themselves would look just like Astral Gates from Cowboy Bebop, function nearly identically to the Mass Relays from Mass Effect, and possess a similar dialing method to what Stargates have. As similar technology was already in use elsewhere in the universe, according to my intelligence network, I saw no reason not to implement it here.

Heeding my words, Abbess Vahl took another look at the blueprints, diagrams, and photos before us. Closing her eyes, she began to nod her head with a big grin.

"I see, this is how you won over the expedition team.", Vahl commented as we continued walking forward, "When they came back, Ionica, her subordinates, and the tech-priests pleaded with us to somehow bring you into the fold. Every one of them was thoroughly convinced that without your aid, the Imperium would continue to rapidly decline before ultimately imploding in on itself. I initially thought you had brainwashed them, but recent events have shown me I was very wrong. Just like the Emperor of Mankind, during the Great Crusade, you carry with you a bright beacon of hope for a better future for all."

"I appreciate the compliment.", I said as Luxion returned to standby mode. "I swear to you that I will do my utmost to bring about that brighter future."

Switching topics on me, the Abbess began giving me a rundown on the newly reformed Order of Divine Lamentations. Having been reorganized specifically to assist me, it contained members from almost every part of the Adepta Sororitas. Wanting me to be aware of some of her organization's quirks, the conversation abruptly ended when we approached the field Ionica and her people were training on.

"Canoness Superior Ionica, the Abbess has arrived with Lord Stark!", one of the sisters proclaimed, garnering everyone's attention.

"Everyone, fall in!", Ionica commanded as she rushed to the front of her subordinates.

Sheathing their weapons in a hurry, her subordinates quickly organized themselves accordingly and bowed their heads to us. While they kept their heads bowed, Ionica snapped to attention and saluted us with a stone-faced expression.

"Abbess Vahl, Lord Stark, how may the Order of the Divine Lamentation assist you?", Ionica asked.

"At ease, all of you.", Vahl commanded with a pleased smile. "Effective immediately, all of you are now under the command of Primarch Stark. I expect you all to support his goals to the utmost of your ability. Do not shame the names of the Adepta Sororitas and your Order!"

"Yes, Abbess Vahl!", the women shouted in unison.

"Prepare to head out at once. We are headed for Mars, then onto the Great Rift.", I ordered them. "Grab only your armor and personal items; everything else you need will be provided by me."

"If I may, what exactly will we be doing at the Great Rift?", Ionica inquired.

"Our primary goal is to locate surviving civilians in the Warp and search for Primarch's Corvus, Leman, and Vulcan.", I informed them. "In addition, we will annihilate any enemy forces we come across during the search."

"Understood!", Ionica replied with a smile, "You heard Lord Stark; get your sorry asses moving!"

Breaking formation, the women retired to their dormitory to prepare for departure. Once they were gone, Vahl resumed our conversation about the various branches of her organization. Getting only a few sentences out before being interrupted again, the Astartes and Custodies announced their arrival as their respective leaders stepped forward to greet me. Giving each of the men a firm handshake, the Space Wolf Captain wasted no time getting straight to the point.

"So what is this mission we are being sent on?", Space Wolf Captain Ymeir Warcrow inquired, "All we were told was that we were to report here, and you would give us further details."

"Of course, allow me to get you up to speed…", I replied.

---Five Minutes Later---

Giving them the same information I shared with Ionica and her people, I went into a bit more detail about how we would locate them. Excited to hear that we would be bringing their Gene-Fathers home, the Raven Guard and Salamanders swore to offer all the support they could to me. Turning to the Space Wolves, I inquired if something was wrong, as they were far less enthusiastic than I expected them to be.

"We are happy to help bring our Gene-Father home, but do we really need to look for civilians? If the Emperor orders us to, we will do it, but otherwise we will not participate in rescue operations.", Warcrow stated as he crossed his arms, "That sort of bullshit is what the Salamanders are for; they worry about the weaklings, and we do the real fighting. Besides which, any survivors we are likely to find out there will be tainted by the Warp. They are beyond saving; just scorch the planet and repopulate it once you close the rift. The masses breed like rabbits, so the population will go back to normal in a few decades."

"You should not be so quick to pass judgment on all survivors in the rift. There is a chance some have avoided the Warp's taint and can be saved.", Salamander Captain T'sar Agar commented, unwilling to write everyone off, "We owe it to the citizens of the Imperium to verify things before wiping out an inhabited world."

(AN: To clarify, I used a Space Marine name generator for the two Captains. As far as I know, they are not canon individuals.)

"Unless they have become feral or fallen to Chaos, there is no reason for us to kill any civilians we find in the Warp. I can purify any negative effects that have befallen—" I began to say before I was rudely cut off.

"Face it, you fucking morons, anyone that did not make it out after the first few weeks is lost to us. Our time is better spent razing every inhabited world in the rift while searching for our respective Primarchs.", Warcrow spat in an irritated tone, "This is why we hate working with you bleeding-heart idiots. Throwing your lives away for a bunch of scrawny piss ants is ridiculous. It is just the natural order of things: the weak die and the strong survive."

Glaring daggers at one another, the tension between the two groups began to escalate rapidly. As neither side was willing to relent to the other, they were about to start a brawl when I stepped in to intervene. Assuring the Salamanders that we would rescue as many civilians as we could, I turned to the Space Wolves and advised them to keep their mouths shut.

"For the duration of this expedition, you are under my care and leadership. Every one of you will carry out my orders without question and do so to the utmost of your ability. I do not tolerate insubordination of any kind under my watch.", I told the Space Wolves as I got right in Warcrow's face. "Do I make myself clear, Captain Warcrow?"

"Just because you received the title of Primarch does not make you one, boy.", Warcrow said, making his discontent with my leadership known to everyone.

Before he knew what was happening, my right fist pierced through his breastplate and buried itself in his abdomen. Blasting him through his rank and file, Warcrow flew across the training field and into a massive stone wall several hundred yards beyond it. Creating a massive crater on impact, the Astarte vomited up a mouthful of blood before slowly sliding down the wall onto the ground. Turning back to look at their leader, their anger momentarily subsided as they saw him lying in a puddle of his own blood and vomit.

"Pathetic. I expected better from Leman's Gene-Sons.", I said, cracking my neck. "It is no small wonder you have been failing to protect the Imperium and her people. If a light tap is enough to knock you out, you are too soft for this line of work."

"What was that!?", the second in command snapped as they turned to me in anger once again. "That was a damn cheap shot!"

"A true Astarte should always be ready for a fight, no matter where they may be. Our enemies do not fight with bravery, honor, or morals; most will do whatever it takes to wipe us out. If you have not learned that by now, I must wonder, are you all bark and no bite?", I chided them, "Now then, all of you get your asses onto the training field. I will demonstrate to you why I hold the title of Primarch and why your opinions on my tactics are irrelevant to me."

More than happy to fight me head-on, aside from Warcrow, all the Space Wolves stepped onto the field with their weapons in hand. Moving to join them, the Abbess asked me to wait a moment and think this through.

"I know the Space Wolves can be a bit hard to deal with, but there are other ways to handle this.", Vahl commented, "At the very least, take some support into this fight with you."

"While I appreciate your concern, this will be wrapped up in a few minutes.", I assured her with a blank expression.

Stepping onto the field, I stood opposite the Space Wolves with roughly a twenty-yard gap between us. Psyching themselves up for this fight, the second in command paused for a moment when he noticed that I was not arming myself.

"Where is your weapon, fool?", he laughed. "You cannot have a fair fight without a weapon."

"I only need what I currently have on me to fight you idiots. Any more than this and it would be an unfair fight... for you.", I remarked, purposefully pissing them off more. "You start us off."

"Have it your way!", he growled. "GO!"

Closing the gap between us before the words finished leaving his lips, my right hand wrapped around the back of his head and slammed it into my awaiting knee. Unleashing a flurry of blows they could not follow with their eyes, a dozen marines went flying as blood went everywhere. Refusing to let the initial attack shake them, the Astartes attacked me like a swarm of angry hornets. Seemingly swinging their weapons around randomly, I could easily see that they were purposefully acting that way to give their comrades a better shot at taking me down.

Mildly amused by their antics, I casually sidestepped their attacks while delivering deadly counterattacks of my own. As their numbers began to rapidly drop, their attacks became increasingly erratic as their movements grew sloppier with each passing moment. Catching a sword blade between my teeth, I shattered the blade and spat out the metal fragments into the wielder's face. Stopping for a moment to process what happened, he only returned to reality when I lifted him into the air and slammed his back into my knee.

"Does anyone else doubt the Emperor's assessment of his grandson?", one of the Custodies asked the Astartes.

Vehemently shaking their heads, none of the Astartes present had anything to say about the matter. Watching their colleagues get torn apart on the training field, Ionica and her subordinates returned as the fight was coming toward its end. Asking what was going on here, Vahl brought her up to speed on what had occurred.

"Ha, serves the meatheads right.", Ionica laughed before quickly stopping herself. "My apologies, Abbess Vahl."

"I will let it slide this time. All the High Lords have had issues with them in the past; it is refreshing to see them get humbled a bit.", Vahl said, stifling a chuckle, "Lord Stark, I think you have made your point. Any more than this and we will have a great deal of dead bodies to dispose of."

Holding the last Space Wolf by his throat, I hoisted him into the air and looked him dead in the eyes. Waiting for him to stop resisting, he quickly settled down and accepted his loss. Letting him go, he collapsed to the ground and gasped for air.

"Now then, children, I hope we will not have any further incidents in the future.", I remarked, using healing and time manipulation magic to mend their equipment and injuries. "All of you now understand that I could kill you with ease if I wanted to; remember that next time you challenge my authority and leadership. Now pick your asses up and fall in line with the others."

Doing as I commanded, Warcrow and the Space Wolves picked themselves up and shuffled over to the others. No longer the hot-headed bunch that arrived several minutes ago, they were all much more receptive to following my commands.

"Abbess Vahl, I would appreciate it if you considered this matter resolved. There is no need for them to be punished any further than this.", I stated.

"I understand.", Vahl acknowledged with a nod. "Good luck to all of you and happy hunting."

With that, Vahl headed back to the Golden Palace while the rest of us were teleported aboard the New Genesis. Arriving in front of the dormitory where they would be staying for the duration of this mission, I turned their attention to the larger building next to it.

"This is one of our dining halls; it is where all your meals will be served during this trip. Meals are buffet style, so please feel free to eat and drink until you are satisfied.", I told them. "Breakfast is served from 0500 to 0900, lunch is from 1200 to 1500, and dinner is from 1800 to 2100. Outside of those hours, refreshments and snacks are available to tide you over until the next mealtime."

"Just to confirm, you do know that we need to eat quite a lot of food to sustain ourselves, right?", Warcrow commented.

"I can assure you that you will not go hungry here, and the taps will not run dry.", I chuckled. "By all means, test that promise to the utmost of your abilities. Just make sure you can function once you are done."

Liking the sound of that, the group was eager to see what sorts of foods we had available here. Having them follow me into the barracks, I gave them a rundown of the amenities available to them here. As this facility was meant for the Helldivers, everything was sized appropriately so the men would be comfortable, and the women would have plenty of room for their belongings.

"Every room has a bathroom, temperature controls, hot/cold running water, and electricity?!", Ionica gasped, poking her head into one of the rooms. "This is even better than most noble residences!"

"This barracks can house up to ten thousand soldiers, so there is more than enough room for all of you to have your own space. If you experience any problems, my staff is available around the clock to fix any problems you might have.", I told everyone, "Now then, please make yourselves comfortable. We will speak further after my business on Mars has concluded."

Leaving the troops to sort things out from there, I teleported onto the bridge and began preparations to relocate to Mars.