Warhammer: Saiyan Adopted by the Wolf King

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Axis lowered his head in thought.

Truthfully, the homeworld he truly desired was Catachan, not the planet Nuceria which stood before him.

However, Catachan had not yet been discovered by the Imperium.

Even if it were found, it would take a great deal of time to establish a stable and reliable source of Catachan warriors. The Jungle Fighters of Catachan were not forged overnight, and it was possible that the planet was not even inhabited by humans at this point in time.

But now that he had assumed the title of Primarch, he had to choose a homeworld to replenish his Legion's numbers. The world before him was indeed highly suitable. Besides, who was to say a Primarch could only have one homeworld? Roboute Guilliman, for example, could be said to rule over the entire 500 Worlds of Ultramar as his domain, and its people considered it an honor to join the ranks of the Ultramarines.

"Since Lord Father has spoken, then let this world serve as the homeworld for our Golden Knights Legion!" Axis declared.

"Hahaha! Trust me, this planet is an excellent choice. It is yours now. As a Legion homeworld, I will grant it a special tax exemption," the Emperor said, patting Axis on the shoulder.

As for how to deal with the planet's slave masters, that was no longer a matter for the Emperor to consider.

It was Axis's problem, and he was free to handle it as he saw fit.

The Imperial Army and the Nucerian leadership quickly finalized the surrender. Within a day, all the slave masters were to assemble aboard the Emperor's flagship and sign the treaty of unconditional surrender.

They would be made to accept that their planet was becoming the homeworld of a Primarch, even if they did not yet understand what a Primarch was.

The slave masters looked upon the towering, powerfully built warriors of the Imperium. They seemed even more formidable than their own finest gladiators, clad in exquisite power armour and armed with bolters and power weapons.

The ruling class of Nuceria exchanged nervous glances. If they had to choose a single gladiator who could overwhelm one of these giants, there was only one name that came to mind: Angron.

"Great Master of Mankind, when we agreed to surrender, you promised we would be granted planetary autonomy. Why have you changed the terms now?" one of the slave masters dared to ask.

"Since you have surrendered to the Imperium, you must remember that the Emperor's command is absolute. This planet will serve as the homeworld for my Legion," Axis replied coolly.

The Emperor had said that one's word was important, but he had also stressed that all worlds must serve the ultimate goal of the Great Crusade.

"For a planet to be chosen as a Primarch's homeworld was an unparalleled honor. Not only would it be exempt from the Imperial Tithe, but its youth would have a greater chance of becoming mighty Astartes."

"But this is our planet. We have already agreed to pay the tithe," another slave master insisted. No one was willing to be stripped of their power without a fight.

"Are you trying to set conditions with me? Did you not agree to join the Imperium unconditionally? Or was your surrender merely a jest?" Axis asked with narrowed eyes.

"It was unconditional, and we are not setting new conditions, but you did say we would be allowed to govern ourselves," a third slave master muttered, unable to contain his frustration.

The only answer he received was a golden wave of energy.

A gleaming beam shot from Axis's finger, blasting the slave-master to pieces.

The Emperor had indeed spoken of the importance of one's word, but if these fools chose to challenge the terms of their own surrender, then it could not be said that the Imperium had broken its promise.

They had agreed to an unconditional surrender, which meant the Emperor's word was law.

Axis's sudden and violent act terrified the remaining slave masters. None of them had expected him to kill with such ease.

Was that some kind of weapon he had just used? Or was it a psychic power?

Fear gripped them all. In that moment, the warriors of Axis's Legion moved in, surrounding the group of slave masters and their bodyguards.

"It appears you are refusing to surrender after all," Axis stated, his voice flat.

"My lord, we surrender to the Imperium! What… what are your plans for us?" a slave master asked, his voice trembling.

"I will grant you territories even larger than what you possessed before. The planets neighboring Nuceria will be converted into agri-worlds and mining worlds. You will be sent to the mining worlds to oversee the process for me," Axis explained.

Since Nuceria was to become his homeworld, Axis would not compromise.

Every aspect of the planet had to be under his direct control. By sending them to mine on other worlds, he was technically giving them larger domains. It was also perfectly normal for minor accidents to occur on such hazardous planets.

The Emperor watched Axis's handling of the situation without interfering.

The lesson he had taught was about maintaining credibility on a grand scale. When it came to a Primarch's own homeworld, however, the Primarch had every right to appoint a new planetary governor and fill all official positions as he saw fit.

As for the former ruling class, there were many ways to dispose of them. For instance, if they failed to pay the Imperial Tithe on time, the Imperium was legally entitled to execute them. That would not be a breach of any agreement.

A ruler needed to be flexible. They had surrendered to the Imperium, so they had to accept its arrangements and follow its rules. To defy those rules immediately after surrendering set a very poor precedent.

"Now! Kill him!" one slave master roared, ordering a general under his command to attack.

To be sent to mine in some distant system, to abandon lands their families had ruled for centuries and forfeit their entire legacy, was utterly unacceptable.

They had come prepared with two plans.

The first was a peaceful surrender, after which they could engage in tax evasion and continue to exploit the local populace, only now a portion of that exploitation would be funneled to the Imperium.

The second plan was for war. All the slave masters had brought their most elite guards. If negotiations failed, they would launch a decapitation strike and try to kill the enemy commanders.

The guards immediately drew their chainswords, their bolt pistols aimed at Axis and the Emperor.

But others were faster.

The gene-sons of Axis were already firing their bolters. The roar of boltgun fire echoed through the chamber as the slave masters and their bodyguards were torn to shreds. A few who managed to charge forward were cut down by the chainswords of the Golden Legion.

Nuceria's human augmentation technology was a relic from the Dark Age of Technology. While potent, it was still a far cry from what was required to create a Space Marine.

These elite guards may have been effective against planetary serfs, but they stood no chance against the might of the Astartes, especially the gene-sons of Axis.

"It seems they had no intention of surrendering in good faith," Axis was beaming at the moment. Truly, greed blinded the wretched.

He had been wondering what pretext to use to eliminate them, and they had just handed it to him.

This was a feigned surrender of the worst kind.

"My sons! This planet will be our Legion's homeworld. It is time to purge the vermin from our new home. Initiate a ground assault! Eradicate the personal forces of these treacherous slave masters. But remember, do not cause any significant damage to the planet and the civilians," Axis commanded.

"For the father! For the glory of the Golden Legion!" his Astartes roared in unison. Led by their captains, they boarded their landing craft and descended to the planet's surface.

The Space Marines would now carry out a series of precision strikes to eliminate the private armies of the slave masters.

"Well done, Axis. I will inform the Mechanicum to establish a full suite of recruit-training and munitions facilities for you here," the Emperor said.

Now that Nuceria was a Primarch's homeworld, it warranted significant investment and improvement. It would receive all the infrastructure present on the homeworlds of the other Primarchs.

The slave masters' forces on Nuceria were hit with a sudden, devastating blow. Many of the local defense forces were attacked by the Golden Knights before they even knew what was happening. Countless Astartes, clad in golden armour and shimmering with a golden aura, stormed the estates of the ruling class, annihilating their private armies and executing anyone with blood ties to the slave masters.

They then seized the remaining slave armies and other treasures from the Dark Age of Technology.

Across the planet, the slaves and common citizens had no idea what was happening, but it seemed their world had changed hands overnight.

Towering warriors in immaculate power armour took control of the planetary military and began administering the world. The entire Golden Legion was deployed, and in just over a dozen hours, they had secured complete control over the planet.

The Emperor watched these events unfold with a nod of satisfaction.

Axis was even more decisive than he had imagined. His personality made him averse to scheming and politics; he preferred to achieve his goals through direct and overwhelming force.

However, this also revealed a weakness.

Axis was a superb frontline general, an excellent warrior for shattering enemy lines, but he was by no means a suitable grand strategist.

The position of Warmaster could not be given to him. Horus remained the perfect candidate. In the Emperor's mind, Horus could never be a traitor; he was the epitome of loyalty.

With the slave masters dealt with, the matter of the ongoing gladiator rebellions naturally fell to Axis's Legion. The local populace held little love for these rebel armies. The gladiators did not fight for freedom, but for themselves.

After sacking a city, they brought only devastation, plundering and destroying everything in their path. Though they called it an uprising, they were little more than roving bands of marauders.

The armies of elite gladiators were quickly located by the Golden Knights. The gladiators soon discovered that their enemy was no longer the private guard of the slave masters, but a host of colossal warriors in advanced power armour who possessed terrifying combat prowess.

Once the sons of Axis entered the war, the gladiator rebellions were crushed with breathtaking speed.

A force that had numbered in the thousands was reduced to less than a hundred in just a few hours. Soon, this final remnant was surrounded by Axis's warriors.

These gladiators were not ordinary humans.

They had been trained since childhood and augmented using techniques from the Dark Age of Technology.

This process made their bodies far superior to those of ordinary soldiers. Though they were not on par with Space Marines, they could easily overwhelm common mortal troops.

"This world is quite similar to Fenris, the planet you landed on before. Fenris is a Norse-themed world, and this is a Roman-themed one," the Emperor said to Axis.

A very long time ago, he had even brought Erda to visit these planets.

"There is a Norse theme and a Roman theme. Does that mean there was a Greek-themed one too?" Axis asked.

"Of course. They were all populated with mythical beasts created through genetic engineering, creatures like Medusas, Hydras, and Krakens. Genetic technology was even used to create races like elves and mermaids. There were also worlds with Egyptian and even Eastern themes," the Emperor explained.

Unfortunately, most of these worlds had been destroyed during the Cybernetic Revolt. The only theme-worlds that remained were Fenris and Nuceria.

"Lord Father, this planet has a great many artifacts from the Dark Age of Technology, especially the techniques used to augment the gladiators," Axis noted.

"This was a Roman theme park, after all. The culture was centered around gladiatorial combat. Naturally, the world's creators used some genetic modification techniques, but they were mostly civilian-grade versions," the Emperor replied.

"I was thinking, could the gladiator augmentation technology on this world be used on the ordinary troops of the Imperial Auxilia to strengthen these mortal forces?" Axis inquired.

Even if it was civilian technology from the Dark Age, it could potentially be repurposed for military use today. The gladiator modification techniques on this world were somewhat analogous to the Canis Helix of Fenris, which was the source of the Fenrisian warriors' incredible strength.

"It is possible, provided it can be mass-produced and we can eiminate the side effects. We can look into it later," the Emperor said.

In truth, he was not very hopeful about such civilian-grade augmentation. The success rate was likely abysmal, the production output too low, and the side effects too severe.

"I understand. I will have all artifacts from the Dark Age of Technology gathered and evaluated," Axis said with a nod.

"Good. But first, let us deal with Angron," the Emperor said, turning his gaze toward the distance, "He has been surrounded by your sons. It is time we went to him."

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powerstones!