Editing Pallas Eugenesis (section)

==Servant of the Emperor==
{{Topquote|Although the Legion pines for our lost father, we are blessed by the hand of our mother Pallas. Without her work, we would have been a mere footnote in the Great Crusade. Whatever we can do as repayment is too little.|Excerpt from Orend Ymoro's address to the newly-formed 4th [[Expedition Fleets (Hektor Heresy)|Expedition Fleet]]}}

Following her meeting with the Emperor, Pallas returned to her domain and set to work organising Luna's genetic laboratories for the production of Space Marine gene-seed and bringing the world into compliance with the Imperial Truth. Many of her followers found it difficult to refer to the Eclipse Queen as merely a scientifically superior being, endowed with great abilities but not a focus of veneration. Pallas showed great patience with these apostates, shielding them from Imperial Iterators until they had time to come to terms with the new reality. She was also vigorous in supervising civil reconstruction efforts as Luna recovered from its long civil war and the damage incurred during Pacification. Perhaps her greatest scientific achievement in this period was repairing the radiation damaged gene-seed of the [[War Scribes|Second Legion]]. The Second had been [[Dalvan Atrocity|attacked with nuclear weapons]] during the war against the Pan-Pacific Empire, and although the Emperor had the forces to see through the Unification Wars He was anxious that all of his Legions stand ready to embark on the Great Crusade. Pallas proved her prodigy by repairing the damage, and although she warned that the long-term stability of the Second Legion's gene-seed was suspect she earned considerable prestige among the War Council and the loyalty of the Second's Legion Master, [[Orend Ymoro]].

Like her master, the Emperor, the Eclipse Queen's dreams went well beyond her home system, but she did not have certainty to her position. She saw clearly that her security and influence in the new Imperium of Mankind required the fulfillment of her marriage pact with Hektor Cincinnatus. Carrying out their respective duties had kept the pair apart since their unorthodox engagement, but regular correspondence bridged the physical divide. Although their upbringings were quite different, Pallas and Hektor found certain peripheral common interests. For example, both were highly sensitive to the importance of fashion and appearance, and the primarch was as much an aid to developing his betrothed's wardrobe as she was in establishing the uniforms of his soldiers. But mostly their conversations dwelt upon the banalities of the day and their hopes for a brighter future. Even successes, be they Hektor's military victories or Pallas's scientific breakthroughs, were framed as mere steps on a road to an indefinite but glorious goal. The Emperor's final victory in the Unification Wars brought that goal one great step closer. All of Terra and Luna celebrated their union in late 798.M30, with the wedding of Hektor Cincinnatus and Pallas Eugenesis the symbolic highlight of the pageantry. With the Emperor presiding, the couple spoke their vows. Hektor was bombastic and hailed the marriage as an historic event in itself. Pallas felt the gaze of her new father-in-law and solemnly pledged her dedication to husband, master, and realm - earning a small smile from the Emperor.

Although the marriage was a political alliance rather than a physical liaison, it still provided Hektor with new sons. The First Legion were granted exclusive tithe-rights to Luna's teeming Hives and under Pallas's supervision the process for creating new Adeptus Astartes was streamlined. Of particular note was her discovery of a method for strengthening and improving the gene-seed with fresh samples of Primarch genetic material, a process first carried out using Hektor's tissues to benefit the First Legion. This discovery, and her broader role in the expansion of the Legions extended the Eclipse Queen's prestige, especially among the veterans of the [[Sacred Band]]. As Hektor himself was drawn to the fighting at the edges of the expanding Imperium, Pallas's court at Luna became a locus for influence-brokering among the Legions of the Great Crusade. Those in favour with Pallas Eugenesis could expect to see their Legion's increasing needs for genetic work met swiftly, while those that she disliked often found that "unexpected delays" occurred. [[Antoine Antonelle]] and the rump [[Void Angels|Fifth Legion]] suffered the worst neglect, though it appears that Pallas held no personal enmity to them. This system of patronage certainly distorted the growth of the [[Legiones Astartes (Hektor Heresy)|Space Marine Legions]], but the War Council generally looked at the overall picture of success and smiled upon Pallas's work.

===Early Great Crusade===
{{Topquote|I was able to deduce your involvement by observation and logic, the basic tools of a detective. There's just one piece of the puzzle that doesn't fit. Why didn't you push to have Larrey executed?|Uriel Salazar, excerpt from vid-recordings covertly made by the Primarch of the Justicars}}

The rediscovery of [[Arelex Orannis]] in 806.M30, and his dispatch to Mars shortly thereafter, was initially kept secret. However, Pallas's now considerable expertise with the peculiar genetics of the Adeptus Astartes made her privy to this knowledge. As soon as was practical, she traveled to the Red Planet to meet with the new-found Primarch, intending to assess the man and gain samples of his genetics.  Despite a certain degree of frostiness between Luna and Mars, [[Kalkas Tygian]] was a gracious host. Yet that pleasant surprise did little to alleviate Pallas's disappointment with Arelex Orannis. She had hoped for a man similar in type to her husband, a figure whose genetic superiority was obvious at a glance. She had expected at least a worthy sire to her recently-fallen favourite Orend Ymoro, a warrior of noble bearing in his own right. Arelex's stout, battered frame suggested a certain resilience, but he was far from graceful, let alone handsome. Pallas immediately concluded that her long weeks of work striving to repair the Second Legion's genetics had been in vain. The source, not the corruption of rad-weapons, was the reason for their defects. The Eclipse Queen concealed her anger and dealt with Arelex Orannis civilly enough, but she cut short her visit to Mars and made no haste to investigate the genetic samples the Primarch had provided. Pallas was so disgusted by her meeting with Arelex that she even proposed, in private correspondence with Hektor, that the Second Legion should be starved of resources and disbanded. Her husband's conciliatory reply recommended that she transfer responsibility for Arelex Orannis and his gene-sons to the genetors of Mars. Hektor argued that either Lyster Larrey would make something of the Second Legion's genetics to the benefit of the Imperium, or disgrace himself to the benefit of Luna.

Pleased by Hektor's suggestion, Pallas framed a highly diplomatic proposal for the transfer of responsibility. Lyster Larrey was surprised by his old rival's about-face but his delight at getting his hands into the Space Marine Project drove off any suspicion. The success of the Magos in stabilising the Second Legion's gene-seed using Arelex Orannis's genetics did little to impress Pallas, although she concealed her sneering about "at best, a second-rate genetor, doing second-rate work, on a second-rate Legion" to all save her most trusted confidants. Pallas took advantage of her reduced work-load to inspect some of the more civilised worlds newly-conquered by the First Legion, combining a biological survey with political appearances. Many of the planets that she visited renamed cities or landmarks in her honour. But on return from [[Olmer]] in 809.M30, Pallas discovered that her inattention to Solar politics had been costly. Lyster Larrey had been granted a place in the Space Marine Project and would now be supervising the implantation of Adeptus Astartes, including those of her beloved First Legion. The insult stung, but Pallas held her tongue. By now she knew the Emperor's character well enough to understand the consequences of complaining to him directly.

Instead of protesting, Pallas once again called on the services of Delphana. The Selenar assassin had significant experience with Larrey's security and encryption routines, and her powers of transformation could baffle even the close watch put on the Space Marine Project. Delphana quietly infiltrated Larrey's team and began hunting for incriminating evidence. After several years under deep cover, she discovered not mere misdemeanors but an outright crime. Larrey had conducted secret experiments on Space Marine gene-seed, seeking to "improve" on the Emperor's creation. Rather than expose Larrey directly, Pallas ordered Delphana to arrange the discovery of the damning files by a Terran genetor. The plot was a complete success. Larrey was perhaps fortunate only to be dismissed from the Project and returned to Mars in disgrace. With Larrey removed, new-found Primarch [[Uriel Salazar]] was transferred to Pallas's facilities on Luna for the process of enhancing his [[The Justicars|Thirteenth Legion]]'s gene-seed.  Uriel terrified Pallas by confronting her over the plot against her rival, but the Primarch went on to explain that he believed the cause of justice and the Emperor to have been served - even if the Eclipse-Queen had acted for more personal reasons.

As the Great Crusade continued, Pallas played host to the newly-discovered Primarchs in succession. [[Shakya Vardhana]]'s cryptic sayings were a bore, while [[Roman Albrecht]] was a model patient and [[The Voidwatcher]] proved every bit as unsettling as Uriel, though more for his demeanor than his discoveries. Pallas was, however, thoroughly taken by arrival of [[Johannes Vrach]] on Luna. Although the Primarch of the [[Life Bringers|Twelfth Legion]] was quiet and reserved, he was a brilliant biologist in his own right and his tenure was more that of a co-thinker than a subject. Vrach also took on the role of peacemaker, as he had been accompanied to Luna by his caustic brother [[Gaspard Lumey]].

===The Great Work===
By the beginning of the second century of the Great Crusade, Hektor Cincinnatus was concerned that the cutting edge of his Legion had grown dull.  While the Primarch set about military and political reforms, he commanded his wife to purify the Wolves' gene-seed.  Machaon Empiricus, Hektor's chief apothecary, was seconded to Luna to co-ordinate this great work.