Warhammer 40k: Shattered Steel Soul

"The damage to the city of Macragge is not serious, but some areas can happen to take advantage of this opportunity to be rebuilt. For example, here we will re-plan this sector for politically influential figures." Kiri said Mann, somewhat absentmindedly.

He was still thinking about the funeral he had just completed in the Memorial Gardens. Under the solemn presiding of the funeral guard, nearly a thousand names were engraved on the stone bricks on the ground and the dark marble walls, and their remains that could still be collected were buried in the built tombs. Macragge respected the deceased, The fallen will sleep eternally beneath secluded pools and flower beds.

He thought negatively about how more heroic souls would be buried if one day there was no room left in this tomb. He didn't think about it any further.

"I support your decision," Perturabo said. "You will be an excellent leader, Robert."

"Am I?" Guilliman asked.

Perturabo looked at his brother, calmly opened the data pad, picked out a neural cable from his head and connected it.

Immediately, a powerfully clear audio came from the data tablet: "... Macragge is not dead. Even if she seems to be doomed and on the verge of destruction, new life will come..."

Guilliman coughed. "I know the content of my public speeches, Perturabo."

"After this disaster, everything is covered in dust, but one thing shines brighter. I think that is hope..."

"No more!" Guilliman shouted, over the chatter of the dataslate.

"Why would you send audio to every radio in Macragge if you're too embarrassed to listen to your own propaganda?" Perturabo said, turning off the dataslate.

"After a rebellion is over, people will need promises from those in power." Guilliman's voice was dull.

"So I think you're a great leader. You always want to make sure your people get what they want."

"Connor told me not to bask in compliments."

"Okay." Perturabo raised the corner of his mouth briefly, "Change the subject. Do you remember Rogal Dorn?"

"I'm not that forgetful, man."

"He returned to his Phalanx an hour ago to find that his battlestar had also been invaded by the worm."

"What?" Guilliman frowned, "Something happened to the Phalanx? Why didn't the Imperial Fists notify us!"

"On the one hand, they solved the matter themselves, at the cost of the Templar Sigismund having to reunite with his genetic father in his hospital bed; on the other hand, strange biological crises often broke out on the Phalanx, so The Imperial Fists did not realize that this species invasion was related to the war on Macragge - in fact, before Dorn found them, the Imperial Fists had been investigating where the biological mutations had appeared throughout the ship."

Perturabo paused: "It's interesting. The last two times Sigismund and Rogge reunited, one of them was lying in the emergency room."

"Macragge is also tracking down these Wormmen. The Ultramarines are doing the job. The beam weapons they carry when they remain intact are more dangerous than the aliens disguised as humans, but fortunately there don't seem to be many of them. What are they? What?"

"I think this guy should know." Angron grabbed a tall bald soldier and strode over. Since chains and shackles had almost no effect on him, the Lord of Red Sand chose to grab his arm with his bare hands. . "He calls himself our brother, Alpharius. Does anyone know him?"

"No," Perturabo said, "but there was a Space Marine named Alpharius who had the courage to attack the Primarch alone. Is that one of yours?"

Before the soldier could speak, Morse followed Angron through the door.

"Makado advises you not to lie, although lies are your cradle." He warned coldly, "In this incident, you have let down our Imperial Chancellor who is trusted by the Emperor, Omegon."

Omegon's overly sharp gaze was restrained, and he raised his head expressionlessly: "That soldier is my subordinate. As for those worms, they are called Schloss people. Their bodies are composed of worms, and they are highly anti-psionic. It is known that His hobby is to eat human brains, and his habit is to rely on conspiracy to instigate civil strife in human society.”

"Sounds very similar to you, Omegon." Guilliman stood up, his face firm, and his blue eyes filled with anger.

"Don't compare me to the xenos, Macraggean."

"But that's exactly what you did on Macragge. Instigate civil strife and stir up the political situation. Investigations have shown that you and your subordinates had already put your hands on Macragge before the aliens invaded the Senate. Within the political system!”

"That is……"

"What is it?" Morse interrupted. "Did Malcador approve it?"

Omegon froze in place like a statue, then he shrugged. "This is the way shadows work, the future exists in the union of light and shadow and should be won by any means."

"Victory won through conspiracy and lies is useless!" Guilliman glared at Omegon, his hand resting on the end of the hilt of his short sword. "How many casualties did you originally want to cause in Macragge? What kind of war would you ignite? How many people would you kill? What's the point of all this?"

"I am selecting available people for you, Robert Guilliman." Omegon hissed Guilliman's name like a snake, "Is it acceptable to let those who are incapable of serving you die later? ”

"Nonsense, Omega! What you're doing is ridiculous-"

"——You accuse me, Robert Guilliman." Omegon interrupted, "But who created us? Who set our nature and planned our future? Do you really think that he Don't you know anything about my behavior, Robert?"

"Have you told him your plan?"

"As an independent person, I have the right to act independently."

"Then how could the Emperor understand your actions!" Robert unsheathed his sword and pressed it against Omegon's chest. Angron captured Omegon and forced him to accept Robert's wrath, even though Omegon had no intention of escaping.

"Our father is so omniscient." Omegon said softly, his chest rising and falling against the edge of the dagger, "What is there that he doesn't know?"

Guilliman lifted the sword upwards. When he saw the image reflected on the smooth blade, he suddenly froze, and the dagger almost fell from his fingers. His anger was instantly extinguished by the ice water, so that he could no longer put into words the large arguments he had planned.

He put away his sword silently, glanced at Omegon, raised his hand and punched him hard in the face, extinguishing the remaining anger in his chest.

"How can he know everything?" said Guilliman. "The Emperor is not a god."

He turned and looked at Angron: "Is Ms. Euton awake, my brother?"

"It wasn't there when I came," Angron said, "but her physical condition is healthy and stable. You can stay with her, and she may wake up."

"Okay, I'm grateful," Guilliman replied, "I'll go see her."

After Robert Guilliman left, Omegon raised his head, the scars on his face gradually healing. "Can I leave?" he asked.

Perturabo stood up. "I always thought Robert was going to beat you up, Omegon. But he didn't. His kindness made him forgive you."

"Yes." Omegon responded warily.

"So I decided to punch you into this wall for him. Angron, what do you think?"

"I'll close the door," Angron said.

——

"I will drive him away and drive away all his agents and spies. The Ultramarines will hunt them down, and I will not let anyone go." Robert Guilliman sat beside Jotun's bed and said slowly. Conor Guilliman was at his side. Robert arranged all the government affairs after the war, so the consul was free to quietly take care of his chamberlain.

"Okay, Sir Robert." Yuden was half lying and half leaning on the bed, his voice was weak but clear. "You are now the actual leader of Macragge, and we all have to listen to you."

"Stop teasing me, ma'am."

Euton laughed: "I find you are very unhappy, Robert. Still wondering why Gloriosa betrayed you?"

"No." Robert spat out one syllable.

He paused for a moment and looked down at his hands.

"I did not follow your teachings."

"Tell me."

"Violence," Robert said, clenching his fists and speaking in a hard voice. The clean palms that should have been as flawless as marble carvings reflected the color of blood in his blue eyes.

"During the counter-insurgency campaign in Illyrium, I relied on peaceful negotiations to regain the land that had experienced repeated rebellions, and established a solid friendship with the chiefs through cultural exchanges. I convinced them to respect me as a role model and to be willing to work for Makkula. efficiency.”

"I was very proud of you then, Robert," Euton said. "I finally dared to report to Connor how well you did your job."

Robert shook his head, and countless pictures flashed before his eyes.

"After that, I have always been unconsciously walking on the road of conquest by force." Robert said, picking up the dagger on the table and putting it on his knees, pulling out half of the blade, and seeing half of his face on the cold steel surface. of reflection.

"Relying on the battle of Osiris, I used my force and strategy to conquer my army. I killed three aliens with my bare hands in the Senate Chamber, and ordered the entire parliament to kneel to me. Just now I wanted to say something to my other My brother took action and used violence to make him repent. I simply...didn't break away from my nature and the path my Creator had set for me. I surrendered to my anger, to defeat, to destroy, to make me. All enemies in sight were burned to ashes."

tyrant. He heard Jialan's harsh voice echoing in his ears. The chaotic blood in the Senate Chamber seemed to be reflected on the dagger, and the broken light and shadow and the panicked crowd reappeared in every reflection of steel. His pale face loomed over the image, unlike mortal blue eyes that encompassed everything. He saw himself. A monster that towered over Macragge.

"In addition to using violence, I use my skills and play with power. I use a few words of praise to encourage the legions who have sacrificed everything for me." Valentus's trembling Adam's apple and clenched teeth flashed in front of his eyes, "Use "A garden after death to pervert those noble souls, and establish a high-level administrative area for noble activities on the edge of the garden," the city planning drawings flashed by, "using hints and force to win the support of the wavering centrists," said the congressman Rikar plopped down to his knees, "pouring empty solace into the Macragge's ears," and a carefully composed line of sorrow and promise came over the radio...

"When I pointed this dagger at Omegon's chest, trying to make him remember the cost of offending me, I suddenly remembered the hourglass in the council chamber."

"A month ago I turned over the hourglass, used it to calculate time, and rehearsed my speech. I can't wait to bring Macragge's culture and philosophy to my warriors, and convey my ideals into their hearts word for word. I want to share my reflections with them on what discipline, order, peace and hope are.”

"But when I returned to the chamber, I found it had fallen to the floor, the glass shattered and grit leaking out. I..."

He took a deep breath and put the sword back into the scabbard. His fingers tightly grasped the surface of the scabbard, unable to say a single word.

"Give me the sword," said Euton.

Robert raised his head in confusion, hesitated for a moment, and handed the sword to Yuden.

The Primarch's dagger was too huge for a mortal woman. The moment Jotun took the sword, he let the huge iron bar be held by his hand and pressed to his leg. She didn't pay attention, shook her head, and pushed the sword diagonally with difficulty to the other side of the bed.

The blade clattered to the ground and disappeared from Guilliman's sight.

"If you don't want to hold the sword, throw it away," said Eudon. "Don't let a good sword tremble in your hand. You talk about yourself like a stupid kid who made a big mistake, but I saw a A noble leader and a true warrior.”

"An empty-handed warrior?"

"Macragge has never stipulated that real warriors can only hold swords." Yodon said, counting on his fingers, "In more than a month, you defeated Illyrium and your brother. Manage an army of deadly giants, wipe out a bunch of aliens that Macragge sounds like he can't beat, and then come back so fast, save me, Connor, and the entire council, and put an end to the rebellion here, oh my god. Just after I heard this, my bones, which are not young, started to protest loudly..."

"Ms. Euton!"

"Don't interrupt me, let me finish, Robert. The army is not all fools, the congressmen are not all cowards, and the people are not crazy. They understand how much good you have done and how much sincerity you have in your words."

"Rest when you are tired, do what you want to do, correct when you make a mistake, and laugh when you are happy. Robert Guilliman is you, not me. During the time when you stare at this sword and lament that you are not perfect enough, O We don’t know how many new buildings have been completed in our control area in Telama!”

"Macragge never asked for a flawless stone statue to rule, nor do we expect ourselves to raise a meditator who will never be entangled." Euton said with a serious attitude that Robert had rarely seen, "We only hope that you will Be content with the path you have chosen, Robert.”

"But……"

"Have you not seen how many stupid things Conor has done over the years and how much scolding he has received? But you two still gave Macragge a new future. This is not determined by one failure or success. It is decades of work. Macragge will always be here, Robert. Your home will always be here."

"By the way, Lord Archon, are you just in a daze?"

"Huh?" Konor replied in confusion, then walked around the bed to Guilliman as if he suddenly understood, took the golden leaf laurel wreath from his head, and put it into Guilliman's free hand.

"Don't call me Archon, Lady Jotun." Konor patted Robert's arm hard. "I am currently without an official position. Remember to deal with today's official documents, Archon Robert Guilliman. As you said, After this disaster, everything was covered in dust, and only one thing shone brighter..."

"Father! Did you also listen to that broadcast?"

"Of course," said Connor. "That was my son's first public speech as Archon of Macragge."

——

"Oh, that's actually the case," said Mors, sitting with Perturabo on the edge of Macragge's walls. The moonlight was hazy, and the fields stretched under the indigo night.

"Remember in the cave in Nuceria, we mentioned that neither Dorn nor Angron had to rush back to Terra? At that time, Malcador told me that there was a webway opening within the detection range of the empire's existing technology. I was suddenly touched. Malcador said at the time that it was a brief signal anomaly. For safety reasons, I think it is not appropriate to involve more Primarchs in the Webway affairs before solving the mystery."

"He didn't tell me," said Perturabo in disbelief.

"He didn't tell me," Morse said. "But when I met that guy at the market, I knew there had to be some connection. I chased Macado for a while and asked him a lot, which caused him a lot of questions. With official duties backlogged, Malcador finally confessed that a new Primarch had accidentally fallen into a remote, abandoned entrance to the Webway. Although the Primarch quickly left the Webway, the Prime Minister still managed to communicate with him. He got in touch."

"Omegon."

"Yes, Omegon. After hearing about the existence of the Empire and Alpharius's great achievements in promoting the implementation of the Blood Game, he couldn't wait to rely on his short-distance navigation ability and the navigator's third eye to stumble across the galaxy. On the other side, there were also a few wormmen who had chased him away on the ship. They were bound to do more amazing things in Macragge than Alpharius. I highly doubt that he was on this journey. It is unknown if other network channels were used unintentionally.”

Perturabo shook off the two hands that had just beaten Omegon: "Is he really my brother?"

"Unfortunately, he is," Morse said. "Just accept that you have a brother like this, Perturabo."

"You actually didn't want to get involved in the first place. So you're going to follow us to fight on Osiris."

"Yes. The disputes between Omegon and other original bodies are not within the scope of my management. I am just a craftsman." Morse said.

"Then why did you..."

"Do you like those things?" Morse asked, changing his position. "The ruler who was saved, the moving chess pieces, the aliens who were defeated miserably, the rebellion that caused chaos before it had time, the thanks from brothers?"

Perturabo didn't speak. After a few seconds, he suddenly reached out and hugged Morse.

Morse almost fell off the city wall.

"Do you like this?" asked Perturabo.

Mors cursed a string of ancient Terran curses that Perturabo didn't understand. Then he switched back to Olympian.

"I don't know," he said annoyed.

"Okay." Perturabo said, "Actually, I have been curious about something for a long time. In Macragge, you often mentioned civilization and culture. When Guilliman destroyed the Osiris aliens, you asked him again. This Reminds me of the thing you emphasize most.”

"Why do you always say that you are not human?"

"You're asking me about my racial identity," Morse said, in a rare moment of reflection.

He looked down at Macragge City under the moon and suddenly smiled: "Okay, anyway, even if you reason everything out, I won't be the one who is embarrassed."

"I like to emphasize this because I didn't know I was human from the beginning." He held on to the bricks of the city wall and sat up straighter. "I grew up among wolves and spent my childhood with a stereotyped self-perception. And as a teenager. When I later learned that I had to learn to be human, I was so unhappy."

"I spent almost the rest of my life learning about human behavior, changing my moral values, and blending in with the crowd. I didn't find it interesting or enjoyable, and I didn't understand why I had to wear a mask with a human face on it. Mask. To this day, I have my doubts about this misalignment in parenting.”

"You observe the evolution of race and culture from a perspective independent of species." Perturabo said, hiding his shock.

"Maybe." Morse said expressionlessly. "However, in the process of observing alien civilization, I found that human civilization is generally more pleasing to the eye. Maybe this is because I was once physically a human being."

Perturabo stared at Morse for a while, and before he thought long enough to disturb Morse, he spoke seriously: "Sounds a bit like Leman Russ. I mean in Growing up among wolves..."

"I don't want to say any more uncivilized words today, Perturabo." Morse laughed. "After all, I am much more civilized than Russ."

"You're right." A small smile lit up Perturabo's face.

"Okay, okay, stop staring at me. Let's joke around with someone else," Morse said. "You haven't asked about Omega's relationship with Alpharius."

"Aren't they my two brothers?"

"They were twins," Morse said. "Perhaps the influence of the Warp divided them, turning Alpharius Omegon into two Primarchs, returning to the Imperium at different times."

"So Omegon returned a year ago. Where is Alpharius?" Perturabo suddenly discovered a blind spot, "I have never heard of him, but he obviously didn't return to Terra not long ago."

"In fact, he was the first Primarch to return to Terra," Morse said. "To be more precise, he never left Terra."

"Oh...what about Horus Luperkar?"

"Unfortunately, the First Son was the second Primarch to be brought home by the Emperor."

"But he is always proud of his status as the first one to return..." Perturabo said, "And the Emperor didn't even tell him that there was Alpharius before him?"

"It's really sad," Morse said. "Next time you meet him, remember to comfort him, kind-hearted Perturabo."

Perturabo's smile widened. "Yeah, that's really sad."

Have a day off tomorrow.