Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

[Luthor still hasn’t come to see you? 】

"……No."

[You didn’t go to find him either? 】

"..."

"Why should I go to him?"

[Because: Have you ever thought that he is just waiting for you to start the topic first? After all, the two of you have been separated for so long, and it is inevitable that there will be a strange space. At this time, one of you needs to take a step closer. 】

[Luthor may think that he is not suitable to be the person who approaches first. 】

"Morgan, my blood relative: If Luther is going to delay the process for such a meaningless reason, then he should be court-martialed."

【……】

【really. 】

【You...everything you said is right. 】

——————

For a certain permanent leader of the Second Legion and occasional leader of the First Legion, the road leading to the [Unyielding Truth] is really more familiar than leading to her own bedroom: she can walk it with her eyes closed. Complete process.

Of course, even though they are so familiar with each other, every visit of the Lord of Avalon to the Dark Angel Legion is still full of seriousness, and this time, there is no exception: how can the Spider Queen be completely When the invisible private Stormbird gunboat [Oberon] slowly emerged from the detection range of the Glory Queen-class battleship, the twenty inner ring veterans headed by the Lion Controller had already prepared the Prepared to welcome.

Whether it is Coswayne or the Terran veterans behind him, they are all legendary beings in the First Legion. The situation that allows them to gather in such a large scale, except for those crucial cruelties War is only a superficial effort to show high respect when welcoming the Primarch who has an irreconcilable relationship with the Dark Angels Legion.

This kind of meaningless etiquette is almost the thing that Lord Caliban hates the most, but Morgan can enjoy it peacefully time and time again on the former's battleship: Compared with this scene, it is straight through the "Unyielding Truth" In the core area, walking past the countless secrets of the First Legion does not seem to be an earth-shattering thing.

Morgan can even bring a personal guard with him.

And this personal guard is undoubtedly the most trusted heir of the Spider Queen at present: Lana, who is the head of the Guard Department of the Dawnbreaker Legion. Although this veteran of Terra has already shouldered countless temporary and important missions, But he never forgot his only promise.

If the Lord of the Second Legion can only have one guard by his side, then that guard can only be him and no one else: in this position, Lana fairly questions the abilities and qualities of every battle brother .

The chief of the Old Guard was following the Mother of Genes breathlessly, only one body away. The whites of his eyes were dim due to the coldness of the surrounding space, but he could still feel those cold and piercing gazes: those The overt or covert vigilant gazes come from every dark angel who passes by them. They will not be splashed on the Lord of Avalon, but will be doubly focused on him, especially on his Those pupils are left and right.

As long as he glances at the surrounding environment, he will be immediately sieved: for a moment, Lana even felt that this idea was not so ridiculous, because these Dark Angels really thought so.

These veterans of Terra, who do not even take the Primarch completely seriously, will indeed show respect to Morgan, but this does not prevent them from teaching a Daybreaker who "broke the rules": even in front of Morgan's face.

Such was the arrogance of the First Legion: especially its Terran veterans, a fact that Lana was well aware of a century ago.

But even so...

When the Spider Queen and her head guard were about to reach their destination, Morgan paused for a moment, pointed at an ordinary door and smiled: Look, Lana, I have lived here for more than ten years. Year.

The head guard's face, which was as stiff as a mask, also took the opportunity to relax for a moment: because Morgan's words temporarily attracted external attention, even the most astute Dark Angel failed to notice that the chief elder A momentary anomaly in the Guards.

In his heart, Lana raised the corners of his lips.

Great, he knows where it is.

Next, it’s time to leave it to those [professionals] who are so awesome.

As for how those guys were able to get to a place with such an outrageous safety factor...

He doesn't care.

He just wants results.

The Legion Council only needs results.

——————

【……】

[I have to admit, Jonson. 】

[You gave me a little... surprise beyond my expectation. 】

"..."

"You're welcome."

Morgan never thought that her first step after coming to visit Jonson would be to sit across from him and help him approve documents.

【……】

Well, in a sense, this seems to be a very normal result.

[If the time in my head, the clock time, and the maid's time are not wrong, then five or six Terran standard days have passed since we crushed the damn Randan home planet, and even that The observation fortress built on Randan's home planet has been partially completed: Why have you still not been able to finish processing these pre-war documents? 】

"These are not pre-war documents, Morgan. This batch is new."

【new? 】

The Spider Queen raised her eyebrows. She picked a document at random, picked it up and looked at the date and signature: Zhuang Sen was right, these were indeed a new batch of documents, and it looked like they were just delivered yesterday.

[Have you finished approving all the previous batches? 】

[You have great work ability, Zhuang Sen. 】

Morgan raised the corners of her lips. This feeling of witnessing the little changes in the people she knew around her gave the Spider Queen an explorer-like happiness similar to exploring unknown areas and clearing the dark parts of the map.

"..."

The Lord of Caliban hesitated for a moment, and he pursed his lips in a rare move, looking even a little guilty.

"No."

"I didn't finish processing them: but as the war came to an end, those documents became less important, so I destroyed them all. Some of the documents that were really not allowed to be destroyed are now in Coswein's place. "

[…Is this why the dark circles under Kaos’s eyes became thicker after the war? 】

"He's not that fragile."

[Ah, I can see it, but...]

[For you, it’s okay to throw away those documents, but behind us there are countless logistics departments, Mechanicus representatives and transport fleets, waiting for a piece of paper signed with your name and seal to continue their work there. What about the process and benefit chain? 】

[What are you going to do about this part? 】

"..."

"I asked people to send the head of High Priest Randan and the core secrets of the Alien Empire to the Senate of Terra. Let Machado solve these irrelevant problems. I have completed my work. Part of the responsibility, the rest, belongs to him.”

【……】

【pretty. 】

【But have you ever thought about it...】

Morgan raised the document and flicked it with his fingers, making a crisp sound: This kind of sound only exists on those waste papers that have just been released and have not yet completed their historical mission. When they lose this crispness, it will be almost the same. It's time to return to the shredder.

[Those logistics departments, Mechanicus representatives, and transport fleets I just mentioned are not disposable items that you can just throw in the trash: look at this new batch of documents, they are all for you to fight the next war. The supplies required, and in terms of quantity, were even more staggering than those required for the siege of Randan. 】

"It's necessary, Morgan."

Zhuang Sen nodded seriously.

"After all, Heydrich is an opponent who needs to be cautious: he will pierce his sword through your smallest omissions and will not give you any chance to make amends. I have studied his countless battles and battles. Victory, but I still am not completely sure that I can defeat him, so I can only try my best to expand every advantage I have."

[Including massive supplies? 】

"If you can defeat him with sheer size and consumption, that would be great."

【……】

Morgan sighed.

[Zhuang Sen, from a military perspective, I do not deny your view, but have you ever thought about a question? 】

The Spider Queen pointed at the piles of documents next to her that she had just finished reviewing. Those results that Morgan had achieved in less than ten minutes easily overwhelmed Caliban's non-stop work for at least an hour: Obviously, in In terms of handling these official documents and hypocritical language, there was at least twenty Leman Russ differences between Morgan and Jonson.

[Those documents that you threw away with great dignity before the war, and now these documents with new greedy requirements written by you, will eventually flow into the hands of a group of people: whether it is Ran Dan’s siege or the subsequent attack on As for Heydrich's Strangulation, the same people providing you with logistics during this period were all the same logistics departments, forge worlds, and fleets. 】

[Don’t take chances. Unless Macado is crazy, he won’t be able to spend double the time and travel time to find a new batch of logistics suppliers for you: so they must be the same batch of people! 】

[In this case, their last batch has not yet been fully operated, and the next batch with larger requirements has already arrived: Have you ever thought about the consequences of doing this? 】

"..."

"as a result of?"

The lion of Caliban raised his head, raised his thick golden eyebrows, and chewed on this word rather unfamiliarly, as if this ordinary word had never appeared in his mind in the past few decades. generally.

【It's just like……】

Morgan felt that her voice sounded a bit gritty, but she still tried her best to calm her nerves and tried to piece together a metaphor that this half-hearted knight could understand.

[You promised a bag of wheat and asked the farmer in the field to put down his farm work and work as a servant on the battlefield with you. But when the war ended, he was killed by you before he received his wheat or had time to take care of the abandoned fields. The battle is drawn again: and this time it will take longer. 】

[Tell me, what will happen next? 】

"..."

Zhuang Sen frowned

"What you said is wrong, there is a logical problem, Morgan: In Caliban, we will never recruit farmers for war, because in the face of those terrifying behemoths, people like farmers who have not experienced military training , is worthless."

【……】

Morgan felt like he wanted to say something dirty.

But she got it under control.

[A knight like you really deserves to be killed by Huss...]

"What?"

[No, it’s nothing. 】

[Let’s be clear. 】

Morgan felt himself sighing.

[For example: a fleet that transports supplies for you. For example, it has twenty ships. Even if it is full of supplies, it may not be enough to consume one of your offensives. However, even so, as long as one of the ships Unexplained losses are enough to make the commander of this fleet bankrupt, and even his entire family will be implicated. 】

[And now, your document, which was supposed to be the only evidence that he completed this transportation mission, will never come again. Compared with a large amount of supplies, in the official documents of the empire, it flowed into a completely unknown person. Where the name goes: Do you know what kind of trouble this will bring to that commander? 】

"..."

"It's not a big deal, Morgan, just make it clear."

[If there is only one fleet, this is certainly not a big deal, but do you know how many fleets are currently carrying out transportation work for your war cause? 】

【do you know? 】

"..."

Zhuang Sen's face was still as solemn and cold as ever, but his silence was enough to be the best answer: in front of the spider queen's blue pupils, the Calibans obviously could not hide every secret.

Morgan rubbed her temples and closed her eyes.

[Five hundred: at least, and this number is increasing every moment. 】

[Five hundred transport fleets, they come from different star sectors, have different power systems, and even belong to different superiors and command lines: this is only the simplest part of it, because we have not mentioned the Mechanicus yet. , the Terran War Council, and the planetary governors responsible for providing supplies, as well as the attendant issues of diplomacy, social culture, transportation routes, and power distribution. 】

[These things are like the power network at the beginning of a hive city. They are so complicated that no one can completely understand them, but they are so important that they can only be relied on. But now, you just clapped your hands and put this old-fashioned The core components of the machine were thrown away. 】

[Yes, Macado can indeed replace these documents with one sentence, but please be clear, Zhuangson: Those mortals are not parts of the machine, let alone your soldiers. Each of them symbolizes A fully mature environment and personal network are accompanied by political struggles that cannot be terminated. 】

[And a large amount of unaccounted for war materials, even if there is no problem in your eyes, is enough to become a life bargaining chip in the mortal world: You know, in the power struggle of those human officials, there are three feet of waves without wind, let alone you This move is completely like a storm. 】

[And when the ends of these power networks are confused by you, their chaos will naturally feed back: Wait, Zhuangson, even if we have approved all the documents, this batch of supplies will not be enough. Maybe it was on time like before, even if Makado was exhausted, he couldn't do it. 】

The Spider Queen knocked on the table between her and Zhuang Sen mercilessly. This long speech did not even interfere with her marking speed, as if she was a kindergarten teacher casually admonishing the ignorant children around her.

"..."

Zhuang Sen was silent for a long time, and even a trace of disbelief flashed across his face, and finally he stopped in astonishment and thinking. His brows were furrowed tightly, as if he was facing an invisible and terrifying giant beast.

"You mean, the next batch of supplies will be affected?"

[This is an obvious thing: as the terminal of the power network, you have given up your function without authorization, so don't expect that the messy power network can still operate in the same orderly manner as before. 】

"……But……"

"I've never been in a situation like this before, Morgan."

[Have you ever been responsible for all logistics processes by yourself before? 】

"..."

# Jonsonian silence #

"what should we do?"

[At present, it seems that the only thing you can do is make mistakes, or slow down your crusade against Heydrich and stabilize the logistics network that is not completely chaotic: communicate with Macha more, and he will help you. 】

Morgan waved her hand casually. In fact, she didn't care about this problem as much as she appeared on the surface: this kind of logistical chaos may be a disaster for Zhuangson, but for Morgan, who has a multi-threaded natural document spiritual root, it is just a need. Just a day's work.

"……No."

"I can't tell him."

Zhuang Sen smiled and shook his head seriously.

【Why? 】

"No reason."

【……】

"And the war cannot be delayed: just as we agreed, in two days, the Dark Angels Legion and the Space Wolves Legion will leave here and march towards the northern part of the galaxy. They will first eliminate the remnants of Randan's aliens, and then they will Find this guy Heydrich."

"You remember this, right, Morgan?"

【certainly. 】

[While you are heading north, I will take the Dawnbreaker Legion south to your home planet Caliban: Our Gene Father should have talked to you about this issue, and I will probably stay there for a while. Time, the subsequent itinerary depends on the battle situation between you and Leman Russ. 】

"Yes, this arrangement cannot be disturbed, so Morgan..."

"My most trusted blood relative..."

【……】

The Spider Queen raised her head.

From Zhuang Sen's sincere words, she felt an omen that made her uneasy.

【What to do? 】

"There are logistical issues..."

"I would like you to go to Caliban and sort it out. Caliban happens to be the logistics supply center for the entire expedition. Representatives from all the logistics departments are gathered there. Once they are solved, the entire logistics network is solved. "

【……】

[You want to throw me in front of a bunch of angry Terran accountants and metal octopuses? 】

"..."

Zhuang Sen was silent for a moment.

Then, he suddenly stood up from his seat, across the entire table, and sternly patted his silver-haired blood relative on the shoulder.

"I believe in your abilities, Morgan."

【I do not believe! 】

——————

After spending fifteen minutes of stumbling comfort and persuasion, and promising [full command of the entire Caliban system except for the Legion Monastery], the Primarch of the First Legion finally got the best out of this logistical storm. Crisis management public relations.

From this moment on, any questions about logistics were happily cleared from Caliban's mind: at least he didn't have to think about it again until that bastard Heydrich got the punishment he deserved. These two words.

But then, a question appeared in Zhuang Sen's mind: it was a question about curiosity.

"Why do you know these things, such as power networks, or the situation of special assistants in mortals? Morgan, how did you capture these... details?"

Jonson's two hands were clasping each other on the table, and his pupils were focused on Morgan, who had temporarily finished processing the documents in front of him: The Spider Queen looked a little surprised by this question, and she smiled carefully, revealing a natural expression. smile.

[There is no secret, Zhuang Sen. The reason is actually very simple. It comes from a reality that is often ignored by you. 】

"tell me."

【Alright alright. 】

Morgan stroked the ends of his hair.

[So: Great and holy King of Knights of Caliban, tell me, in the past few decades of your life, have you ever put yourself in the shoes of anyone around you for even a single moment? 】

"..."

"Put yourself in someone else's shoes?"

"what is that?"

【……】

This question was so confident that it made people want to laugh, and even made the Lord of Avalon temporarily stuck. She looked at Caliban's pupils seriously: she only saw the emerald color that was so clear that there was no trace of haze. pupil.

…

very good.

[Putting yourself in someone else's shoes literally means: putting yourself in the shoes of others, that is, thinking about what others think. It is a way of thinking about dealing with interpersonal relationships that puts understanding first. 】

[To put it in layman's terms, it means that at that moment, when you give an order to your soldiers, do you look at the order from their standpoint? 】

"...What's their position?"

[Yes, if you don’t have the power, status and wisdom of being a Primarch, then can you complete this task, how will you complete this task, and will you pay the price for it, even your life. 】

[What will this world be like when you are no longer a Primarch? What will this world be like when you are no longer even an Astartes, but an ordinary mortal? of? 】

【What can you do? 】

[This is empathy: for Primarchs like us, the significance of this behavior is to understand the weakness of mortals and understand those things that are difficult or impossible to see clearly from our perspective. It may be despicable. It is dark, sordid and disgusting, but it is also the rule of the game in that underlying world. It is an inseparable part. It is the so-called gray area that these official documents will never appear but can never be separated from. 】

[Those endless supplies that come to you when you wave your hand are not only based on the bureaucracy and transportation system, but also based on corruption and human sophistication. Even Makado himself, if he dares to ignore this If anything, it would be difficult to move forward. 】

[This is the reason why I object to you discarding those official documents, because it will create an irreparable power hole: Maybe to a high-level person like you, this hole doesn't matter, but to ordinary people, this kind of hole in the power class is enough to set off It is impossible for the chaotic grassroots to complete your orders. 】

[If you don’t believe it, just wait for the next batch of supplies. 】

[And this is what we need to think about. Zhuangson, the grand plan in our hearts ultimately requires Astartes and even mortals to support the skeleton. If we don’t understand them at all, it’s like being a A knight who doesn't understand his sword at all is seeking his own death. 】

"..."

Zhuang Sen was silent for a long time, and his emerald pupils reflected a color that he had never seen before: violent conservatism and inherent ideas were forming an unstoppable hurricane, impacting the path that was destroyed by the words of the Spider Queen. The opened dawn rift maintains the original existence of the [Lord of Caliban].

They were powerful, relying on the habits and worldview the Primarch had developed over the past few decades, and they were intricate enough to make Jonson spit out instinctive retorts.

"But, Morgan."

"In the past few years, the lack of empathy you mentioned has not caused me any trouble: I can still complete every task assigned to me by the Emperor, and this is the entire meaning of the existence of Jonson and the Dark Angels. , As for other things, I don’t care.”

"Your empathy may work wonders for other things, but I don't need it."

"Furthermore, I can tell you the answer very clearly: If my abilities are limited to that of an Astartes or even a mortal, then I will only have one attitude towards the Emperor's orders, and that is to do whatever it takes. of completion.”

"Cost and life are ridiculous words and I don't think about them."

Jonson's tone was resolute, even if Ferus' metal hands or Perturabo's iron heart were placed in front of such words, they seemed so weak.

Morgan just smiled.

[I have never doubted your determination in this regard, my brother. Because of this, you are Jonson, the most trusted sword of our genetic father, and the key to this vital war. Executor. 】

[You don’t need to emphasize this fact. 】

"Um."

Zhuang Sen nodded, his face softened.

"Then your empathy..."

[Don’t be so anxious, brother. 】

The Lord of Avalon slowly revealed her face, and she showed that cunning, extremely convincing smile that no one could refute.

[How can you be sure that one day in the future, the emperor's order will not require you to think in his shoes? 】

"I am very sure……"

[You should give it a try, Jonson. 】

Morgan blinked.

[Don’t be so serious, you can choose an environment that you feel is safe enough, and an object that is trustworthy enough: that object cannot be me, because I am also the original body. You should choose an Astartes or a mortal, and try to use him Look at a problem from a different perspective, preferably a problem you are discussing. 】

[Is this bad for you? 】

"...I don't see the benefits that would support me in doing this, Morgan."

[The advantage is...]

# Morganian chuckle #

【Jonson. 】

[Let me beg you, okay? 】

——————

"..."

"..."

"I'll try, Morgan, but..."

"I have one more question."

[Say it. 】

"Where did you learn this kind of... empathy?"

"When we first met, you were definitely not such a sentimental person."

【……】

[Thank you for helping me recall that cold past, Zhuang Sen. 】

"You're welcome."

【……】

[Well, at the beginning, it was indeed like you that it was difficult for me to understand the simple, sincere but practical underlying logic of empathy: until I took charge of my own legion, the corresponding needs and The appearance of a blood relative changed this. 】

"who?"

"Horus? Or Sanguinius?"

[I haven’t seen Sanguinius yet, Jonson, as for Horus...]

【Why do you think so? 】

"..."

The Primarch of the Dark Angels was silent for a moment. He looked as if he was swallowing some extremely annoying but forced to admit bitter pill of realism.

"Because among our brothers, there are few who can change other people's thoughts or opinions, but Horus is not among them: he does have that power, that innate gift of language, which can infect other people. people."

"If one of our brothers can change due to the persuasion of others, then the person who persuaded is most likely Horus, and this change must be beneficial to him: at least it will be beneficial to his image."

【……】

[You don’t like Horus? 】

"I don't hate him: he is a good commander and warlord, but he is not qualified for the most important positions because he lacks a heart that can take on big responsibilities. He is just a beautiful wooden sculpture, priceless, but only If he can be placed in a shining position, don’t expect him to be a real backbone.”

[A very novel view, Jonson. I have rarely heard such a clear opinion from you about other brothers: Is Horus the worst option for you here? 】

"Pretty much: there can't be many worse than him."

[Okay, let me tell you. 】

[This kind of respect for mortals and the need to think from others' perspective was something I learned from Guilliman when I visited Ultramar: Very useful, isn't it? 】

"..."

"Guilliman!"

Zhuang Sen started shouting, and the loud noise even caused a commotion outside the door.

【Yes……】

"Why him!"

【What's up with him……】

"Even Russ! Why that guy Guilliman!"

"What else did he teach you or tell you! Morgan! Tell me everything!"

"That guy must have bad intentions!"