[Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor] Chapter 163 (Patreon)

Eden rode a sightseeing vehicle en route to the Gene-Warrior Academy, passing by the training base of the Naval Academy along the way.

The massive hangar of the Naval Academy was packed with ships of all sizes, from sleek fighters to formidable warships.

To aid the students' understanding of warships, Vice Principal Baruch had even petitioned Eden for a cruiser and a frigate for training purposes.

Now, these multi-kilometer-long vessels sat in the Academy's hangar, serving as teaching tools—a truly extravagant arrangement.

The Naval Academy curriculum was vast and intricate.

Beyond core subjects like loyalty education, combat shooting, and language studies, students delved deep into warship-related courses:

Navigating star maps

Fleet and crew management

Aerial combat and gunnery tactics

And much more.

When theoretical learning was complete, practical lessons began. Students would join fleets on exploratory missions as part of their hands-on training.

Only after passing both practical and theoretical exams could they graduate.

Graduates were qualified to become naval officers.

Even those who didn't make it as officers often became skilled civilian freighter captains or joined the Govendi Merchant Fleet.

These measures were all part of Eden's grand preparation for the future.

Due to time constraints, Eden skipped visiting other academies.

Vice Principal Baruch provided a detailed report on the academy's developments during the ride, particularly focusing on the progress of research-oriented departments.

Eden's goal was to establish a modern scientific research system—one based on the division of labor.

Large-scale projects were broken down into smaller, more manageable subprojects, which were further subdivided into simpler experiments.

These tasks could often be completed by individuals with basic education.

Once aggregated, these individual experiments would form a monumental outcome.

This system was vastly superior to the Imperium's current approach, enabling the efficient completion of complex research tasks.

The Emperor, a brilliant scientist in his own right, had employed such systems during the unification of Terra.

His most successful projects included the creation of the Primarchs and the Space Marines.

However, after the Emperor's departure, this advanced system fell apart.

In its place rose the Adeptus Mechanicus, a sect shrouded in mysticism, superstition, and monopolistic practices.

Their research relied heavily on STCs and divine "inspiration," often disrupted by religious infighting.

Eden, under the protection of the Sacred Sun, could shield his scientific endeavors from Warp interference, ensuring smooth progress.

His modernized research framework was already being implemented on Urth, fostering unprecedented collaboration among the Mechanicus factions.

The Loyalist Academy adopted this system as well, training specialists to fuel the research institutions with fresh talent.

This approach, a part of Eden's larger strategy, would propel Urth's technological projects to new heights.

Once Baruch finished his report, the sightseeing vehicle arrived at the Gene-Warrior Academy.

The Gene-Warrior Academy was comparable in size to the Naval Academy, encompassing vast simulated battlefields with diverse terrains and extreme environments.

The academy had selected 200,000 physically robust and pure-souled children from Urth.

This feat was made easier thanks to Golden Age artificial womb technology, which raised many of these children with enhanced physical and mental traits.

Additionally, educational implants expedited their basic learning processes.

At the academy, these recruits underwent rigorous training to harden their bodies and fortify their loyalty.

Eden had assigned several Thunder Guard, dozens of regular guards, and elite combat instructors to oversee their development.

The academy was equipped with top-tier medical teams, nutritionists, and bioengineering experts to ensure safe and effective training.

Daily activities included:

Combat and marksmanship drills

Familiarization with various weapons and tactics

Simulated combat in extreme environments

Students faced intense competition, constantly challenging one another to earn credits and climb the rankings.

These rankings determined whether they could pass the trials and qualify as Space Marines.

Eden had high hopes for these students—they were the lifeblood of Urth's future Chapters.

His plan envisioned two primary Space Marine Chapters:

The Void Angels, comprising Voidborn survivors, would serve as elite forces akin to Primaris Marines.

The Angels of War, composed of baseline humans, would form a larger mid-tier force similar to standard Astartes.

Meanwhile, the Thunder Guard, Eden's personal security force, represented his most formidable warriors, akin to the Emperor's Custodes.

At the training grounds, students were sparring with mutant hounds while wearing protective gear.

This was part of their daily regimen.

In addition to battling each other, they fought against an array of creatures—every monster Urth could offer, along with a surplus of heavily armored combat servitors.

During a sparring session, one student made a critical error, exposing a fatal weakness.

A mutant hound lunged at his neck, its jaws poised to strike.

In the nick of time, the neural control device on the hound activated, releasing a surge of electricity that immobilized it completely.

The academy's training was brutal but carefully managed, maintaining a mortality rate under 5%—Eden's explicit directive.

Unlike the Imperium's grim methods, Eden's approach emphasized safety and stability.

Biological augmentations prioritized consistency over extreme results.

This balanced method avoided the staggering mortality rates seen in traditional Astartes initiation, where countless aspirants perished during brutal trials and gene-seed implantation.

Eden believed such methods were unnecessarily wasteful.

Couldn't humanity achieve greatness without such excessive sacrifice?

(End of Chapter)

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