Infinite Metaverse

Nestram Galaxy, Mandeville Point.

"Let me tell you, your defeat at Adamantua is nothing to blame, Captain Kurland."

Sage Laurentians used a mechanical claw to grab a regicide chess piece, passed it across the chessboard, and placed it on a new position. The chess piece made a heavy clicking sound when it touched the chessboard:

"No one could have accurately predicted the Orks' next step in technology and strategy; that's just what they are."

Kurland lowered his head and remained silent.

Silently studying the situation on the chessboard.

Two weeks ago, Kurland and his teammates stood on the surface and watched helplessly as the warships of the Imperial Fist fleet fell from orbit into the atmosphere one after another. Then their ground force was forgotten, The enemies in space seemed to pay them no mind. It was not until a week later that they were discovered by another Mechanicus research ship that happened to pass by. The star warrior who had run out of ammunition and food and the exhausted tech-priest were rescued from the siege of massive chromium beasts.

As for Kurland's other teammates, the tactical team he led and the Imperial Guard soldiers have all lost contact or died on the spot in the vast sea of ​​chrome beasts. He is the last surviving Space Marine on the surface.

It took the research ship fourteen days to reach Nystram, where they are now waiting for another Imperial Navy ship to join them. That frigate should arrive soon and transport Kurand to Terra.

During this voyage, Laurentian Sage came to this room forty-eight times and played regicide with Kurland. Kurland lost every game of the confrontation. Laurentiis also offered to deactivate his secondary processors and auxiliary operators for the next chess game, but Kurland did not want to accept such a favor: winning against an opponent who did not exert all his efforts to win. , not considered a victory at all.

The company commander snorted and made another move.

"This battle can come to a conclusion."

Sage Laurentiis spoke.

His paws circled the chessboard as he considered his next move, the mechanical fingers opening and closing and clicking.

"Based on our own experience, we can infer this, but combined with the observation data of the Mechanicus ships present, this will be conclusive evidence that the orcs' technological accumulation and social expansion have reached a new stage."

Sage Laurentius spoke his mind.

"The Orks have always been able to use unstable but destructive technology, such as energy beams and force field projections. What's different about the Battle Moon? Maybe one of their scavenger boys accidentally picked up a gravity-breaking device."

Kurland picked up the chess piece and questioned.

"If we encountered one or two of these orks, I would agree with this sentiment. But the widespread use of this technology and the premeditated deployment of the Battle Moon requires a higher level of interaction, if not complete efficiency and coordination."

Sage Laurentiis said calmly.

"Smart orc?"

Kurland asked, tilting his head.

"Orcs have always been smart, Captain."

Sage Laurentiis immediately retorted.

His tone was extremely serious and serious:

"Not only were they intelligent, they were numerous and determined. In retrospect, none of the leaders of our respective organizations had considered this fact in recent centuries."

"The orcs were routed by the Emperor at Ullanor."

Kurland held the chess piece and said hesitantly:

"There have been only sporadic encounters over the past millennia."

"So this goes back to my original statement - no one could have predicted that the orc threat would come back with such force and in such a way. From the records I have reviewed, the historical data on the development of the orcs is very scattered. But I An underlying trend was discovered, not a rule, but a phenomenon: Orcs' activities were explosive. They exploded, expanded rapidly, showed unprecedented technological progress, and then quickly faded after being defeated at the peak of their power. Our innovation capabilities, culture and wisdom have also reached their peak.”

Sage Laurentiis said seriously.

"They move according to the situation."

Kurland gently pushed the chessboard away.

He knew he had lost again.

"According to you, every conquest and every expansion will promote...their bestiality?"

Kurland raised his head and asked.

"Exactly like this, aggression is to feed back and prepare for the next invasion. Their development is measured by the peak they leap to, and then they may enter a period of decline due to failure, waiting for the next leap to come."

Sage Laurentians replied.

"Battle Moon is such a leap?"

Kurland then asked.

"The battle moon is just a technological leap. Colleagues from the Star Court told us that there was also a spiritual leap at the same time. They also heard the roar and roar of beasts in the subspace. That guy is the latest expansion in this round At its core, it is the embodiment of the orcs' psychic potential as never before seen."

Sage Laurentiis added.

“Those two things have to be connected.”

Kurland stood up and said:

"The best way to deal with orcs is always to decapitate them. If the beasts can be destroyed, the peak of their development will also be disintegrated."

Kurland stepped towards the door.

Laurentiis stood before the Space Marine.

"My sensing elements have detected that your heartbeat is accelerating, your skin temperature has increased, and the activity of your sweat glands and blood vessels has also increased. Generally, analysis believes that this is caused by the surge of adrenaline before you perform some kind of action, Company Commander. "

"I just thought of something I had to do."

Kurland waved his hand and walked to the right.

But Laurentiis moved sideways to intercept him again.

"Get out of the way or I'll force you out of the way."

Kurland frowned and stared at the biological sage and said solemnly.

"Allow me to say a word or two more, Captain."

Sage Laurentiis looked calm.

"you say."

"The only reasonable explanation for your sudden action is that you were determined to act based on the conclusions we recently discussed. Reconsidering what you said, I can also logically believe that this theoretical course of action is related to your conclusion, which is: Destroying the beast may stop the orc attack."

"What's the problem?"

"The data we have on the psychic fluctuation phenomena and technological development of the Orcs are not comprehensive, Company Commander. Biological and sociological developments are also very possible."

"What do you mean? Say what you have to say, sage."

"I mean, the beast, whatever it is, is most likely a different kind of orc than any we've ever encountered. The increased psychic activity means it could be doing things to it that we've never seen before. parameters change.”

Sage Laurentiis's words contained a kind of euphemism unique to the Mechanicus, which ordinary people could not hear.

But Kurland had worked with him for so long that he understood what the tech-priest was trying to say.

"You think wild beasts are unkillable?"

Kurland sounded a little dissatisfied.

"I believe it can be eliminated, however, I'm not sure the operations you are about to undertake will accomplish this feat."

Sage Laurentians stared at him calmly.

Kurland stepped back, staggering as if he had been shot. Sage Laurentiis's tactful and cold words hit him harder than a bolt bomb, and he suddenly realized that the Imperial Fists no longer existed. Kurland held onto the bulkhead with one hand, barely steadying his body. An unprecedented sense of emptiness enveloped him tightly.

He is the last Imperial Fist in the universe.

"Sorry, Captain, no offense intended."

"no offense……"

Kurland lowered his head and murmured.

After a moment, he slowly straightened up:

"Your deduction is correct, sage. I alone cannot kill the beast, and I don't have any more Imperial Fist brothers to direct such an operation."

"Do you have a backup plan?"

"I have!"

Kurland jerked his head up and stepped forward.

Forcing the Tech-Priest to retreat quickly and get out of the way.

"I need to speak with an astropath."

Kurland said as he walked.

"With your permission, I can help you facilitate this meeting, Captain Kurland."

Sage Laurentians said behind him.

"Why do you want to help me?"

Kurland asked, looking back at the sage.

"The Beast must be stopped for the benefit of all non-Orcs. I know you have always viewed me and my colleagues as lacking in humanity, Captain, but we occasionally have the common good of humanity in mind. The Mechanicus, like the Imperium of Man, cannot survive If you have a plan to counter the orc threat, I'd be happy to help."

"Very well, lead the way!"

Kurland waved toward the door.

The two of them walked all the way to the stern of the ship, and when they reached the top deck of the spacecraft, they only encountered one servitor - the Mechanicum's ship was like this, with a small crew and a very high degree of automation. Stationed in the archway leading to the Astropath Choir are two armed servitors, hulking, twisted creatures even taller than Kurand, with arms armed with saw blades and gun barrels.

Sage Laurentiis gave an order, and the two armed servitors stepped aside. Kurland was slightly relieved when he saw this. The Captain of the Imperial Fist is convinced that he can defeat these servitors, but it is best to avoid any conflict with the Mechanicus. After all, this is someone else's ship. They had the ability to put him into a coma or incapacitate him, and he didn't want to be locked up for that.

Following Laurentiis, Kurland entered the antechamber of the Astrology Room. A bell rang to alert the guests to their arrival. In the center of the hall is a black stone sculpture. The Emperor is carved into the image of a messenger, with one hand spread out, holding a star in the palm, and wings on his back. The two stood still and waited. After a while, the side door opened and a young man in a robe came out.

The Astropath's empty, dry eyes stared at the two visitors in front of him, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Captain Kurland, I didn't expect to have this honor."

"I have a message to deliver."

Kurland cut to the chase and interrupted his politeness.

"Well, I'm not sure..."

The Astropath turned to Laurentiis with a confused expression.

"In other words, whether the authorization..."

"Authorization passed."

Before he finished speaking, Laurentiis spoke directly:

"Please obey all instructions from Captain Kurland."

"As you said, sage."

The Astropath looked back at Kurland:

"What's the news, Captain?"

"Total broadcast."

Kurland said without hesitation.

"It's a bit tricky. All the Orks in the warp are roaring, and the screams of the dead souls are also..."

The Astropath fell silent as he spoke.

Because Kurland frowned.

"Of course, of course, I will do my best. We have relay stations that can amplify the signal. I just think you should know that because our current location is close to the orcs' psychic gathering center, astrological communication has become more unstable."

Astropath quickly added.

"Is the beast nearby?"

Kurland asked in a deep voice with cold eyes.

"Not the beast itself."

The Astropath looked a little embarrassed.

Fingers rubbed the tassels on her robe.

"Various strange signals echoed in the subspace. After the beast arrived, its roar was the strongest, but it was not the only one. Or it could be said that it was an echo coming from other places. Or it could be said that the beast's roar was interacting with All the other roars echo each other. It's complicated, and we don't quite understand how it works... All in all, the roar is pretty bad."

"Can you send a signal, yes or no?"

Kurland asked somewhat unhappily.

"Yes, I can."

The Astropath nodded firmly.

"But if the message to be conveyed is very complex, any slight error may cause the message to be lost. The psychic echoes of the Orks bursting through the warp mean that we must focus on a simple pulse of strong psychic signal."

At the same time, he did not forget to remind him.

"The message is very brief, just three words. I want you to send it as far and as hard as you can. Every relay station, every planet that hears it has to relay it. I need this signal to cut through the Ork noise, from the sun Can you teleport from one end of the universe to the other?"

Kurland stared closely at the Astropath.

The Astropath said while thinking:

"I can add bounce tones to the transmission to make it even more widespread. Just three words? No sound? No image? No codeword?"

"Just three words, the louder the better."

Kurland shook his head and reiterated.

"As you wish."

The Astropath shrugged and said easily:

"If that's the case, the signal should have no problem cutting through the greenskin noise. What are you trying to say?"

Kurland took a deep breath.

He mentally considered the consequences of his actions.

Three simple words can put into effect the secret plan formulated by the great Rogal Dorn thousands of years ago. Strictly speaking, what Kurand was about to do was tantamount to treason - as it was a serious violation of the oath Robert Guilliman swore to reform after the Heresy. But Kurland didn't care. At this moment, his survival was at stake. The Imperial Fists had been destroyed, and his honor was gone.

In this fallen age.

Depraved action must be taken.

Kurland stared at the Astropath.

The three words slowly came out of his mouth:

"The Last Wall."

…

Kurland didn't know that at this moment, he still believed that he was the first Space Marine in the Human Empire to issue a legion assembly call - such a rebellious move that no one would follow. Little did they know that there was another legion that had started to assemble a few months ago, and after completing the reorganization of the legion, it was heading towards the Sun Sector and towards Holy Terra.

Kurland didn't know that at this moment, he still thought that he was the first person in the Human Empire to be attacked by the Battle Moon. He thought that he was the first person in the Human Empire to come into contact with and realize the threat of the beast. He had the intention to warn the empire's senior officials and The sacred mission and great responsibility of defending Terra, his sense of mission and urgency forced him to have no time to think more.

However, he never thought about one question - why, after the Imperial Fist fleet was destroyed in Adamantua's orbit, a Mechanicum scientific research ship happened to pass by and put him together with the Laurentian Sage. Pick up?

…………