Warhammer 40k: Shattered Steel Soul

"Can be filmed" - these were the first words out of Robert Guilliman's mouth after he made a gesture of permission to the camera servant.

In the picture, on the oak coffee table between two fabric sofas, there is a plate of oil and vinegar sauce and a basket of multigrain bread slices, fried to a crispy golden color. The two Primarchs were wearing loose robes of similar shapes, each with one leg crossed, sitting opposite each other on two sofas facing the camera diagonally. By removing all comparison objects of mortal size, the boundaries between primarch and mortal were quickly dissolved.

"Friendly people of Ultramar, please allow me to introduce myself to you."

The black-haired Primarch said that his smile was not obvious, but the relaxation of his posture was enough to supplement his language and help him express his attitude clearly.

"I am Perturabo, a brother of your leader Robert Guilliman. Today we are recording a non-serious episode designed to make Ultramar hear that my brother Robert Guilliman's true voice. What do you think?"

"Thank you for the invitation! I'm happy to share my thoughts with you all here."

Perturabo shook his head: "Robert Guilliman has an overly serious quality. For a consul who cares about the people, this is worth cherishing, but for us brothers who are connected by blood, Guilliman Mann is too boring sometimes.”

"I would like to confirm, Perturabo, is this interview really intended to improve my personal image and not to discredit it?"

Guilliman reached up and smoothed down the blond hair that rose beneath his leafy crown.

"Without a doubt, brother," said Perturabo, "Introduce yourself to the audience you will have, Archon."

"Well, citizens. I assume that many of you know me since the Lighting of the Pharos Beacon in Sousa. I will simply introduce myself as Robert Guilliman, Unifier, Consul Officer, Lord of Macragge, the Thirteenth Primarch of the Emperor, Lord of the Ultramarines Legion, son of Conor Guilliman, the man who will rule the five hundred worlds of Ultramar..."

"My brother, where are all these people you are talking about?"

"Perturabo, you know I'm just introducing myself!"

"The thing is, I think this is Rogal Dorn's fault. When I first met him, I only gave him three names, and he thought I was three people." Perturabo He leaned back on his sofa and stretched out a hand. "Anyway, Robert, which of these titles do you think is particularly worthy of mention?"

"The first priority is the Lord of Ultramar. Robert said, "Just like strengthening the security and stability of the Ultramar region is our top priority. We want to ensure that only those who truly value Ultramar can enter and remain in our home. "

"Is this so important?" Perturabo said, "No, of course I understand the importance of security and stability. The first thing I did after taking over my army was to drive away those who would interfere with regional security through fighting. "But I'd love to hear your opinion, Robert."

"Okay, Perturabo. The storm of the old night that hangs over the entire Ultramar and separates humans in small isolated islands will ruthlessly open the deep scars in our civilization. It may take hundreds or even thousands of years. It will take time to eliminate it. No one remembers the glorious era before the storm, but everyone has an unforgettable memory of the dark and terrifying years. Safety is a necessity that our entire race has lacked for thousands of years.”

"There are also people who don't feel they are insecure."

"But those rulers who imposed excessive taxes and indulged in absurd indulgences have been fed to the red sand land by Angron!"

The two Primarchs laughed and shook their heads together.

"We should arrange a break-in so that Angron can rush in at the right time and explain that although his soldiers are called World Eaters, they are not cannibals." Perturabo pointed out of the camera.

"Our warriors are Astartes, not ghouls." Robert Guilliman replied confidently.

He looked at the camera and then brought the topic back: "In short, I will use the Ultramarines, the Mortal Legion and our original defense force to protect the safety and peace of Ultramar. In addition to human , we must also have weapons: void shields, frigates, guns, and more guns."

"Beyond Ultramar, we don't know how many unspeakable human or alien nations there are outside, so we need to have shields and spears and set them up on our borders. The sages of the Mechanicus have arrived Ultramar, defenses will be set up quickly. We have many forge worlds! In the smoke of these forge worlds, we will have beautiful armaments to protect our own safety."

"What we have now is not much, or in other words, it is too little compared to the potential threats we will face. There are only more than 20,000 Ultramarines, which is very inappropriate! We should not be in such a predicament. I hope This number could reach 100,000 or more within the next ten years.”

Perturabo shook his head slowly, picked up the water glass and took a sip: "Quite ambitious, my brother."

"All for Ultramar," Guilliman immediately emphasized, "All for the Empire."

"The Emperor will support you, Robert. The Imperium of Man will support you. Look at the light of Pharos," Perturabo put down his water glass, picked up a piece of cardboard from the blind spot on the left side of his seat, and showed it to the camera, " This is the detection waveform coming from Pharos. The hidden dangers there have been eliminated, and the Emperor of the Human Empire is fully willing to let it serve as an eternal lighthouse here, shining on the entire Ultra for the next thousand years. Ma.”

Guilliman looked at the whole process of taking out the cardboard and putting it back in surprise: "When did you prepare the props?"

"It's a secret." Perturabo clapped his hands. "Excuse me, in addition to using defense systems to protect your people, what other important declarations do you have on taking office as the Lord of Ultramar?"

"Economy, I want to reorganize the economy here." Guilliman emphasized the accented word in the sentence, "The dark age is coming to an end, the history of the world is moving forward, the economy must develop with the unification of Ultramar, and the people's Social welfare must be improved accordingly, and medical insurance and social life protection must be further improved. Otherwise, why should we unite?”

"Well said, Robert." Angron's voice entered the servitor's reception range faster than his own. Then, the Lord of Red Sand seemed to realize that the video was being recorded here: "I'm here to get the improved compound fighting weapon for trial. Did I disturb you?"

"Come sit down for a moment, Angron. We are recording an interview with Robert Guilliman speaking publicly to Ultramar."

The camera shakes.

"No thanks, guys. I'm not good at preaching," Angron said.

"It's okay, let's have a casual chat." Perturabo temporarily left the camera and sat down with Angron three seconds later.

The tall and strong figure of the Lord of Red Sand fills the remaining half of the sofa, making the composition of the shot fuller.

The next second, Angron raised a hand. He decided that pretending to show up unexpectedly wasn't for him.

"I'm actually a guest invited by Perturabo." He said a word that was very unfamiliar to him, "But I'm also here to get a trial weapon."

"Yes," said Perturabo, "after all, the door to my workshop is not closed. Angron, what do you want to ask?"

Angron shook his head calmly, his muscles often making every movement he made appear heavy and powerful.

"I don't have a lot of questions," Angron said, looking into the camera.

He does not have the habit of practicing speeches in front of the camera, so he treats the camera servant as a living person with a will, which often has a touching sincerity in the eyes of the audience.

"I don't want to hurt a person with my words, nor do I want to do any showmanship. It does us no good. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my brother, Roboute Guilliman. For his role in advancing the horse While Kurag is busy with reform, he can still find time to discuss Nuceria’s development future with me. His mind is worth cherishing and learning from.”

"It's within my capabilities, brother," Robert said.

"Don't simply write off your own merits, Robert." Perturabo said, taking out a second piece of cardboard from under the sofa and handing it to Angron.

Guilliman stared at the sofa where Perturabo was producing cardboard out of thin air for three seconds, still unable to discover where the cardboard came from. He thought it might be related to a certain neural cable on Perturabo's head that was connected to the ground interface.

Angron read the neat and clear handwriting on the cardboard, his recitation low and broad.

"This is a teleprompter: We all know that Roboute Guilliman is a man of profound compassion and wide-ranging vision. He is concerned not only with the prosperity of Macragge, but with all of Ultramar and beyond. The welfare of humanity. Roboute Guilliman inherited some of the Emperor's most cherished traits, his wisdom, justice and compassion being a prime example of the love of his people and a symbol of humanity's unity and common purpose."

"From now on, and into the future when the light of the Great Crusade shines across the galaxy, I believe that Robert will work tirelessly to promote peace, justice, and the advancement of the entire human race. The rule of the Imperium of Man will transcend the narrow boundaries of politics and culture, and serve us Create a more harmonious and prosperous world for the entire race.”

After reading it, he handed the prompter back to Perturabo: "I acknowledge every one of these words, my brother."

"I cannot express my joy, Angron," said Robert Guilliman.

"Keep your promise and cherish Ultramar's trust in you." Angron replied. "That's what you're doing too."

Guilliman nodded solemnly and accepted Angron's praise and blessings without hesitation. He has the confidence to continue all the work that symbolizes the better side of mankind. Under this premise, any refusal is cowardice.

"I will sign a series of executive orders." Guilliman said, "Regarding land occupation, racial conflicts within the human race, the approval of financial allocations, the reorganization of the boundaries of diplomatic immunity, the proportion of financial and military expenditures, free compulsory education Textbook review, Ultramar regional coordination and security governance, and other issues that hinder the progress of the race, and all of this will be considered directly from the interstellar level.”

"This is something that people in the past would not dare to imagine. If you heard someone say these words ten years ago, you would probably think that person was crazy - why would anyone consider whether a cruiser disguised as a merchant ship violates Ultramar? What is the need for peace in interstellar law? No, we need to take these things into consideration now, this is not even visionary, this is what reality requires.”

"My brothers and I have traveled to many planets and interacted with people who actually live in farms, factories, and markets. As we gathered people's needs, I also realized that many people did not realize that I was there. What is the whole empire doing?"

"Half a month ago, we entered Undermount and inspected the local situation. When Macragge announced his support for the establishment of fixed routes for interstellar orbital transportation and trade between three adjacent planets, they unanimously rejected it."

"This is not because they don't need it, but because they dare not imagine the possibility of collaboration between the three worlds, and the results they achieve will bring value for money. The old night blocks humanity's Imagination, and the lack of a higher-level unified government also makes political commitment here unsafe. They are afraid that the benefits they pay will be shamelessly occupied by other planets, and they are afraid that every gold coin of taxpayers will flow into worthless things. Void.”

"And their concerns are legitimate. Unfettered zones will lead to inequality and injustice, which will lead to economic, political and cultural collapse."

"It's not arrogance, it's not ignorance, it's not repeating past mistakes, it's not all these words that simplify complex social situations. We cannot say that human beings fell into the long night because of nature, accident or fate. These summaries are so crude and one-sided, emotional and shirk responsibility. No, the collapse of the wrong social structure itself is the path to the destruction of the human race.”

"This is the role Macragge will play, a local government affiliated with the Human Empire and located above Ultramar. A local government that maintains the overall order, responds to the needs and challenges of citizens, and builds in Ultramar. Macro managers who play a more active regulatory and guarantee role in response to the cyclical fluctuations of civilization.”

He paused for a moment.

"A beacon, guiding the course, illuminating the way forward, standing firm." Robert Guilliman said, "This is Macragge."

——"Photography of the Stars: One Hundred Most Important Imperial Moments"

"Looks like Robert got serious after all," Morse said, turning off the brooder who was playing the video. "He was always in the mood to speak."

"At least the atmosphere in the first half is lively enough, Morse. I think the people of Ultramar will like him." Perturabo leaned back in his chair and said softly. Now riding the small frigate was the body of him that still had the fragment of the C'tan in his chest, and he often felt tired because of it.

"So Roger Dorn became your on-set printer?"

"Scribe," Perturabo corrected, "The printers in the workshop are too noisy. I need Dorn to help me write on the cardboard... They will be here soon."

"We are about to arrive at Perditus in the Gothic Sector." Alpharius took off his helmet and stood at the door. "Be prepared, not even Omegon can tell what he encountered at that time."