Two solar weeks came and went. Primarch and Armatus alike arrived on Ullanor, some earlier than others, but the deadline was reached nonetheless. Of course, not every child of the Emperor could make it to the Council, for many were engaged in expansion efforts at the far reaches of the galaxy, whilst others were held by battles to contain threats closer to home. This mattered not to the Emperor of Mankind; for his purposes, the numbers were sufficient.

The Primarchs themselves were directed by a number of servitors, through the fields of Ullanor which were already under the hand of the Adeptus Mechanicus, terraforming efforts moving onward in full force, and then again upward through the tower once held by Urlakk Urg, now much-transformed to be far better suited for the Imperium's purposes, up to and including provisions for all those who arrived. Oddly enough, the Zodiac Guards were apparently engaged with administrative matters to help prepare for the coming Council, and so were only glimpsed somewhat infrequently by their cousins.

Soon enough, however, the Council itself came about, and all members who could presented themselves as swiftly as time allowed. Though thirty two seats were set around an oval table, not all were filled; indeed, even amongst the Imperio Armatus, the Guard called Capricorn was missing, some might have suggested for the better. Nonetheless, the human psyker known as Malcador the Sigillite called the meeting to order when the time came, then took a place somewhat away from the table as the room filled with glorious golden light, and the Emperor of Mankind made himself known to his children.

The Emperor was anything to any number of people. Indeed, it was rarely the case that he did not present himself as anything less than exactly what the viewer wanted to see, the very best aspects of humanity personified in his form, and so it was for his words as well as his physical form. Though each person in the room heard him speak different words, all were told the same basic message. Thus did the Emperor decree:

[color=D4AF37]"In coming years, it will transpire that I will not be able to continue to lead the forces of Humanity to reclaim the galaxy, as once the Triumph of Ullanor is concluded, I shall be returning to Holy Terra to commence and oversee the creation of a secret project, the nature of which is such that I cannot inform you of its purpose until it achieves its ultimate state. Therefore, this Council has been called to decide which of my children will lead the Imperium's armies as Warmaster in my stead. Members of the Imperio Armatus, you have been brought in to help oversee this Council; however, though you are all capable of fulfilling the role in question, the nature of the position of Warmaster is beyond your scope. You are my shield, not my sword, and your skills will be infinitely more useful in vocations beyond that of simple leadership.

"As for my Primarchs, you have been gathered here to decide amongst yourselves, out of those who have presented themselves today in this room, which of your number will be most worthy of the role. Simply choosing a Warmaster myself, whilst a more rapid choice, would likely breed disenamourment and consequent dissent amongst those who were looked over; thus, I am of the mind that to minimise this issue, you all shall choose your own leadership below me, and so be contented that they are the best-suited candidate by the ruling of their peers. If any person in this room sees fit to raise fault with these conditions, speak now, or else hold your peace forevermore."[/color]

For a brief moment, silence reigned; then, with well-hidden trepidation, one of the Imperio Armatus spoke, clad in violet armour complete with adamantine mantle, a stutter in his voice that was the product of a somewhat unfortunate childhood rather than present fear, and an artificially-cloaked contra-psychic aura proving itself impotent to those related to the man himself, yet more than sufficient to invoke mild upset in the humans in the room, particularly the lone human psyker set away from the living demigods. [color=6A006A]"As you say, Father, your goal in holding this council is to minimise issues w-with dissent amongst your children. And yet-"[/color]

[color=77003C]"Aquarius, don't,"[/color] Pisces warned.

[color=6A006A]"...and yet, you exclude a full third of your lineage from the running. Some might ev-ven argue that, being born of your loins rather than your scientific actions, those of the Armatus are somew-what more qualified to hold the position of W-Warmaster than the Primarchs."[/color]

The Emperor gazed toward his child, eyes obsidian in colour and demeanour alike, and spoke directly into the Guard's mind heedless of his relative lack of soul.

[color=D4AF37]+And if I were to allow the Armatus to vie for the position of Warmaster, do you believe you would succeed in acquiring the role, knowing full well that even amongst the Zodiac Guard alone there are candidates better suited than yourself?+[/color]

[color=6A006A]"Uh... w-well... I mean... that is to say..."[/color]

Though the Emperor used no psychic power on his son to achieve the effect, the dark-haired man sputtered to a halt as though his thoughts moved through a syrup of energy. The Emperor continued his speech in the physical plane:

[color=D4AF37]"One might also argue that, being born solely of my own genes, rather than a combination of my genetics and those of a human woman, the Primarchs are far more qualified to hold the position of Warmaster. As it happens, blood is irrelevant compared to skillset: I am sure most of your compatriots would agree that the Imperio Armatus are better suited to guarding their father, or absconding with a target, or assassinating a target, than any Primarch could be."[/color]

Many of the Imperio Armatus agreed with this sentiment almost immediately. The only one who did not, or at least the only one who did not hold their tongue on the point, was Scorpio; though her first contribution to her argument against was [color=005682]"Weeeeeeeell..."[/color], a hint of the same stare that had been directed toward Aquarius led her to change her mind in short order: [color=005682]"Yes, of course, absolutely."[/color] Promptly, the Emperor turned back to Aquarius, now hanging his head somewhat after his humbling.

[color=D4AF37]"The point rests. Do not question me on it again, Aquarius."[/color]

[color=6A006A]"...as you say, Father."[/color]

Satisfied, the Emperor turned his attention back to the Primarchs.

[color=D4AF37]"Then, if there are no other complaints, you Primarchs may begin your deliberations as soon as you are ready to speak. This Council of Ullanor has officially begun."[/color]