>>5407061I'm of the belief that if a quick coup or even replacing him with a puppet were possible, Talos would have considered it an option but it appears more like the risks of civil war/Martian revolt are far too great even for him to consider, let alone how the Imperium and Emperor would react nor that he could even brook his name being attached to that. Talos has already acknowledged the risk of revolt.
Believe you me if it were something we could do, I'd have backed it, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards.
In any case, Talos is a risk taker. He's taken risks before, put his faith in the Machine God, and been rewarded such. He's just very good at hedging his bets and having absolute conviction in what he believes in.
I don't consider this humiliating. This implies that we see some humiliation with Lucius giving heed to Mars. It isn't, because Talos isn't the Sanctus Dominus of Lucius alone. He's the Sanctus Dominius of the entire Mechanicum. He see's the bigger picture here. We have a chance here today to ensure unity across the entire Mechanicum, not just limited to the Federation, and Mars worth following not something that would be a thorn to our side. A Mars that lives up to its holy reputation, under a man we can mold as ally and friend and compatriot in our grander ambitions and schemes.
Talos, like Alpharius, "takes the long view". We see the bigger picture.
The redemption of Kelbor Hal is entwined with the redemption of Mars itself, to stand as a shining holy example of how Mars should be not what Mars currently is. And if we play our cards right, we will have a bastion of holiness, zeal and faith in the Machine God ready to stand against whatever chaos the ruinous powers intend to unleash.
A true fanatic and believer in the Machine God would try to see the cradle of the faith redeemed, not written off.
