Imperial Reckoning: Humanity Return

Chapter 6: The New Sons of the Emperor

The grand corridors of the Imperial Palace stretched endlessly as Shepherd and the Emperor of Man walked side by side, their footsteps echoing off the stone floors and regal halls. The conversation about the Quarian situation had slowly faded into the background as they ventured deeper into the palace. The weight of their shared history, and the future, loomed over them.

"Do you remember, my son," the Emperor began, his voice a low rumble of ancient authority, "when the Imperium took control over the United Nations?"

Shepherd, ever dutiful, nodded. "I remember it well, Father. It was nearly fifty years ago, and I was there when the world was still divided under the United Nations."

The Earth had once been ruled by a fragile coalition of nations, bound by paper-thin alliances and competing agendas. Though many countries participated, the world was fractured, its unity a brittle veneer. It was only through the Emperor’s iron leadership that true unity was achieved. Shepherd, as the first Primarch, had been created to lead the Imperial Guard, to bring an end to the squabbling and bickering of Earth’s former rulers. Those who resisted weren’t just defeated—they were erased from history, their legacies wiped from the face of the Earth as if they had never existed.

The Emperor paused for a moment, his piercing gaze meeting Shepherd's. "But there is more to why I created you, Shepherd."

A sense of unease prickled the back of Shepherd’s mind. His father was not one to speak in vague terms, and when he did, the weight of what followed was often immense. "What do you mean, Father?"

"Before we consolidated power, while the United Nations still ruled, they sent an exploratory mission to Mars. Do you recall what they found?"

Shepherd remembered the Martian mission all too well—the Prothean ruins uncovered on the Red Planet had shaken the scientific and political world to its core. "The ruins. The Protheans left a warning there."

The Emperor nodded solemnly. "Yes. A warning for those who would come after them. 'Prepare for the Reapers.'"

Shepherd stiffened. He had heard of the Reapers before, but never with this level of directness or urgency. His father had always kept such knowledge close, doling it out only when necessary. "You’ve mentioned the Reapers before, but why are you telling me this now?"

The Emperor’s eyes darkened, his expression stern. "Because, my son, the time is drawing near. The Reapers are no myth. They are an ancient race of sentient machines, harbingers of the galaxy’s doom. Every cycle of civilization that reaches a certain point of technological advancement is purged by them. And they are coming."

Shepherd’s pulse quickened. He had fought many enemies in the Emperor’s name, but this—this was something beyond anything the Imperium had ever prepared for. "What must we do?"

The Emperor led him further down the labyrinthine halls, descending into the deepest, most protected recesses of the palace. "We must prepare, and to do that, the Imperium needs more than just you."

Shepherd followed his father down a spiral staircase, the temperature growing cooler as they delved into the palace's hidden depths. "More than me?"

"Yes," the Emperor said, his voice echoing through the narrow passageways. "I created you, my son, to lead the Imperium’s armies. But the threat we face is not one you can defeat alone. The Reapers are more than just another enemy—they are the ultimate adversary, and their arrival is inevitable. The Imperium needs more Primarchs—more sons to lead humanity into the war that is to come."

As they descended further into the heart of the palace, the air grew heavy with the weight of history. Shepherd had only been in this part of the palace once before, during his own creation.