The Astartes were recruiting.
The most excited were the local nobles who had lost their status. They discovered that they still had "a path to promotion," "a chance to rise above everyone else again."
These unrepentant people demanded that all their children of eligible age participate in the selection, hoping they could revive their families and restore their former exalted position.
They believed these superhuman warriors were now the rulers, occupying the same position they had once held as slave owners.
But most of those children died during the trials.
Many of the old nobles fell gravely ill from grief and rage.
Lian Leilo had already left by then, entrusting the remaining matters to several sons of Guilliman.
The Black Azure Sky Lake was already sailing toward the next world.
The second world Lian Leilo visited was a colony on a planet's moon. Every living organism there had died. The Astartes found no signs of life when they arrived, not even microorganisms.
Such conditions generally only appeared on worlds struck by Virus Bombs.
After investigating, the Techmarine could offer only a few guesses. The local star might have erupted, but no unusual phenomena had been observed from outside, so they could only attribute it to Chaos corruption.
They searched the place for a while, looking for useful supplies, but found only some basic necessities.
The colony was intact. With a few repairs and an influx of people, a new round of colonization could begin immediately.
To be safe, Lian Leilo decided against colonizing it for the time being. The site was designated a priority observation area.
The third world was an ocean world that had not contacted the Imperium in a very long time. It was unclear whether it had rebelled or the Department of the Interior simply had not