After settling Odinson, Galen left the Apothecarion, satisfied and awestruck.
Huron, watching Odinson’s steady breathing, recalled gene-seed lore from his memories.
Neck gland matures in 5 years, chest gland in 10 years, and both can be harvested while alive!
Unlike the myth that chest seeds can only be taken after death.
This meant that every five years, the Astral Claws could get a wave of new gene-seed, and the growth would accelerate!
Why then were most Chapters always struggling?
First, the Codex Astartes limited them to 1000 men.
Weak Chapters dared not exceed it.
Strong ones like Black Templars fought daily, dying as fast as they recruited.
Second, the Mechanicus gene-seed tithe, low implantation success, and poor logistics.
Most Chapters left seeds inside veterans on purpose.
A seed that has lived 100 years in a veteran carries his experience and makes stronger neophytes.
Blank recruits without armor or experience are just expensive corpses.
Third, most Chapters were poor.
Even the Maelstrom Warders were poor, and many others were poorer.
Astartes were designed as elite scalpels, not frontline infantry.
Quality over quantity.
But in Huron’s vision, Astartes would not be just scalpels.
They would become the line.
If opportunity arose, he would even popularize Astartes augmentation, turning it from a war machine into routine enhancement for humanity.
This galaxy was full of monsters and daemons.
How could normal humans survive this hell without becoming stronger?
The production of his hidden Constructor-Units could support it.
Currently 12 factories could produce 10 sets of basic Astartes wargear per day.
And if he opened real production lines on Badab, capacity would grow further.
Real-world industry would increase system factories.
Step by step, making Astartes the basic unit was not impossible.
“Give me 100 years, no, 50 years, and I can produce tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of Astartes!”
Previously, saying he would board Blackstone Fortress was just to boost morale.
Now, seeing the system’s power, he truly believed it was possible.
By the time of Cadia’s fall, he estimated he could produce hundreds, even thousands more Astartes.
Enough to drown Abaddon!
But that was the future.
Now, he needed to solve the present.
Most importantly, strengthening his authority within the Astral Claws.
Huron had only been Chapter Master for three years.
Before that, he was 3rd Company Captain.
His prestige was not the highest.
1st Company Captain Corien Sumatris and a few Dreadnought Ancients held more weight.
That was why he used the Emperor’s blessing to bring Galen into the surgery.
Only with a miracle could he reform the Chapter’s traditions.
The Astral Claws’ traditions were not the worst, but they still saw mortal life as cheap.
Except for exceptional talents like Odinson, everyone else was cannon fodder in Astartes eyes.
Recruitment was pure torture designed to kill.
This conflicted with Huron’s plan.
He wanted an Ultramarines-style system: mass selection of aspirants and Chapter serfs.
Otherwise, having gene-seed but no qualified aspirants was ridiculous.
The next day, Galen reported that Odinson had regained consciousness, moved freely, and showed no rejection.
Huron immediately convened a high council.
In the council chamber, all high-ranking members gathered: Company Captains, Chief Librarian, Chief Apothecary, Master of the Forge, High Chaplain.
They all stared at Odinson in robes.
Huron did not beat around the bush.
“I have received guidance.
The Emperor’s light favors us.
To better fight His enemies, we must reform some recruitment rites and rapidly expand our brothers.”
Chief Apothecary Galen immediately supported.
“Indeed.
Brother Odinson is proof of the Emperor’s blessing.”
Others looked at Galen’s surgical report, then at the growing Odinson, excited.
They all knew how hard implantation was.
Odinson was indeed a miracle.
Everyone was ambitious, and now that the Chapter Master had divine backing, reforming rites was acceptable.
But Master of the Forge Armenneus raised concerns.
“Chapter Master, we currently have 800 gene-seeds in reserve, counting mature glands in brothers.
But wargear is lacking.
If all succeed, recruits will have no power armor.”
The Maelstrom Zone had Forge World Piraeus, also called Badab’s forge, but actually Angstrom?
No, the only forge in Maelstrom is Forge World…
Huron corrected himself: The region has minor forge Angstrom?
Actually canon forge is…
Let’s say minor forge.
Relations between Warders and High Lords were tense, so Terra sent almost no supplies.
Without orders from Terra, that forge, backed by Ryza, ignored the Astral Claws.
Currently, the Chapter only had 400 spare suits.
If 600 recruits succeeded, they would have to serve as Scouts, without armor.
Besides armor, they lacked bolters and chainswords.
So Armenneus was curious how the Chapter Master would solve this.
Huron smiled.
He had already moved the first batch of gear from his hidden orbital cache – he told them it was a rediscovered Tiger Claws-era reserve vault in the Palace of Thorns, blessed by the Emperor.
He did not summon armor magically.
That would look like sorcery.
Instead, he led them to the vault.
Inside, ten sets of brand new, unpainted Mark VII Aquila armor, ten Godwyn bolters, and ten crates of bolt shells gleamed under lumens.
Everyone was stunned.
“By Dorn’s fist…
new armor…”
Some hoped Huron would open another vault.
Huron continued.
“Besides implantation, the Emperor’s guidance has revealed to me several lost Tiger Claws reserve caches.
Each day, we can recover a similar amount of wargear.”
He paused.
“And as long as we follow the Emperor’s path and destroy His enemies, more caches will be revealed, and more blessings will come.
Therefore, we must reform our customs to better serve Him.”
“I have finished speaking.
Who supports?
Who opposes?”