Editing Nikephoros Galen (section)

===In the Legion===
Or, at least, so it seemed. One day, a magnificent colossus of green and red, akin to a flying mountain, pierced the clouds over Monsanto, signifying the dawn of a new era. This was nothing else than Valetudinarium, the fabled flagship of the Life Bringers - the glorious Twelfth Legion of the Imperial Space Marines. They have come to educate and enlighten the peasants of Monsanto, to reunite them with their long lost family and share the glory of Mankind with them. Impressed and not a little intimidated by their unexpected guests' displays of power, the barons equivocally decided to join the Imperium they represented in spite of their lack of enthusiasm towards suddenly having to pay a 'tithe'. But the Life Bringers made sure that the advantages of joining the Mankind's growing domain far outweighed its shortcomings. Members of the Legion well-versed in geneurgy, known as the Genetors, took it upon themselves to ensure that the world's plantations were more than capable of meeting the quota set by the tithe and still leaving their owners with an impressive surplus. Working closely with the leading local geneticists whose ranks included Galen, they radically transformed the local crops, increasing their annual output, making them more nutritious and pleasant to the taste, and, most importantly, rendering them completely harmless.

To say that Galen was impressed by the art of the Genetors was to grossly understate it. Their leader, a genetic engineering savant by the name of [[Wilmut Sachs]], became his idol overnight. It instantly became his deepest dream to be able to travel the galaxy alongside these superhuman scientists, bringing relief to the inhabitants of hundreds of primitive worlds not unlike his own. When the Life Bringers announced their intention of recruiting new members from Monsanto, Nikephoros knew that it was his chance. His friends and relatives laughed at his intention of joining the Legion: the Space Marines were, after all, the Galaxy's ultimate warriors, and physically underwhelming Galen couldn't even punch anybody without dislocating his wrist. Yet this apparent setback didn't stop the young man from pursuing his dream, and with his characteristic determination he set about perfecting his physique. Yet in spite of all his intensive training, by the time the Life Bringers opened up enlistment camps, he was still merely a relatively fit doctor.

In any other Legion, he would have stood no chance; but to his luck, this was the one that arguably valued research abilities above everything else. Having looked through his track record, the Life Bringers recruiters deemed Galen an invaluable asset to their Legion's ongoing genetic research. After a short period of training, Nikephoros received the geneseed of [[Johannes Vrach]] and was officially welcomed in the ranks of the Emperor's finest. Although he received the combat training necessary for every Space Marine, his main area of competence was creation and modification of plant life for the Legion's needs. With cutting edge technology and databases containing knowledge gathered across the Galaxy at his disposal, he quickly proved to be one of the most prolific Genetors in the Legion and soon fulfilled his dream of working directly under Wilmut Sachs. They soon established a close and friendly relationship, which was highly uncharacteristic of the morose High Genetor.

Although he created or perfected countless specimen of plant life during his tenure with the Life Bringers, it is arguably the Sea of Corruption that he is best remembered for. Technically not a sea, but a jungle of chemotrophic vegetation, the Sea of Corruption purifies toxic or polluted worlds by consuming the toxins contained in the soil, air and water and releasing clear water and fresh air suitable for humans. The Imperial worlds that are now inhabitable thanks to the Seas of Corruption count in the hundreds.