In the laboratory, the three big guys stared at the rows upon rows of empty cultivation tanks before them, at a loss for words. Finally, Guilliman spoke first:
"Is this technology really that expensive? I'm not as good as Jonson at leading armies, and I'm not even as strong as Lorgar in a fight, but I don't believe you when you say it's expensive.
"Do you know who I am, Guilliman? The 500 Worlds of Ultramar are proof enough. The Imperium would've starved to death years ago without me. With my management skills, even if this technology costs a fortune, I can bring the price down."
"Are you sure?"
Guilliman fell silent. Then he saw Hogg take a spreadsheet from the lab bench and toss it to him. The dense list of materials made his eyes swim, and the total at the bottom especially made him suspect that Hogg, that bastard, had moved the decimal point three places to the left.
"Why is it so expensive?"
"Because you get what you pay for! And those are just the basic materials. They don't include the weapons and equipment you'll need afterward. That's why I only made 3,000 warriors. Any more, and Blackwatch couldn't afford it."
Hearing this, Guilliman decided that Hogg wasn't to blame. The cost per warrior was a bit high, but he could grit his teeth and cover it. At worst, he could ask his brothers to share the cost. But just as Guilliman was about to agree, Roland suddenly spotted a problem:
"Hogg, why does this spreadsheet look wrong to me?
"We only need ordinary Space Marines, mass-produced and in good supply. A lot of these items are completely unnecessary. And this bit about physical strength reaching twelve tons—are you making Adeptus Custodes?
"No, you are making Custodes!