Guilliman had originally thought his proposed terms covered the entire deal.
For Iax, however, they were only part of it.
This unexpected bonus gave Guilliman pause.
"If a request I make fails your assessment, can I change it?"
Iax nodded.
"Of course. If it cannot be assessed, I will suggest ways to revise your request and offer potentially viable alternatives."
"How about eliminating all xenos creatures within the Imperium?"
Guilliman asked somewhat tentatively.
Yet Iax answered almost instantly.
"Based on the available information, eliminating all xenos creatures within the Imperium would consume immense resources and does not meet the prerequisites. Unless the Imperium cedes one-third of the planets in the Milky Way for resource extraction, that objective cannot be achieved."
For Iax, the Necrons were currently the most difficult of the Imperium's enemies to deal with. According to the available intelligence, they alone had demonstrated an extremely high level of technology. In an all-out war, the Men of Iron might find themselves at a disadvantage, magnifying their losses.
If necessary, Iax preferred to wage a war of annihilation against them to reduce material losses.
However, that could result in millions of planets and hundreds of thousands of Star Systems simply disappearing.
For the Men of Iron, this was an acceptable price, but based on their current understanding of the Imperium, it was probably an utterly unacceptable option.
"Then how about finding a way to close the Cicatrix Maledictum?"
"No relevant technology is currently available. Assessment impossible."
Treating the Men of Iron as a wish-granting machine, Guilliman proposed a string of ideas that would have made even the Emperor break into a sweat.
The answers he received were remarkably consistent.
"Assessment rejected. Please propose a more feasible alternative."
As the negotiations reached an impasse, Guilliman suddenly realized that perhaps he