Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

What happened to Caliban in the distant past?

Why can it be so mysterious? So isolated? Being so close to the vicious storm in the subspace, but never showing obvious signs of corruption: Is this a peculiarity of the world itself, or is it a clever cover-up that benefits from those ancient wisdoms?

Morgan didn't know.

Even though she has read countless forbidden books, there are still a lot of questions lingering in the Spider Queen's mind, leaving the Primarch in a contradictory state.

On the one hand, she is not willing to be entangled in the muddy waters of Caliban for too long: neither the world of Caliban itself nor the three artifacts of subspace can touch her main interests. Interests cannot bring her more core value.

The only reason why Morgan is standing here is because of the Emperor's order. Of course, she will not sacrifice everything for the emotionless genetic father: completing the task in an orderly manner is her best attitude.

But on the other hand, the Primarch is also very clear: the subspace artifact called Ouroboros really involves too many forces, and can even be said to be the core of Caliban's complicated situation. As long as she wants to take away this artifact , will inevitably be involved in Caliban's whirlpool.

What's more, based on the analysis of the psychic energy waves on Caliban and the words of the Dark Watchers, this subspace artifact named Ouroboros may have already shaken the seal and is pouring out its malice unscrupulously.

After seeing the efficacy of the [Tuchucha Engine], which is also one of the three artifacts, even Morgan is not sure whether she can fight against these ancient relics single-handedly: Who knows what kind of power ouroboros has?

It would be great fun if Ouroboros also had the power of Tuchucha's engine and flung her into the chaos of the warp.

It is true that Morgan likes fun, but she only likes fun that happens to others, and any fun that may affect her is no longer fun, but a [threat].

As for how to deal with threats...

【……】

The Spider Queen was thinking, and her fingers were entangled with each other, indicating her inner situation, stirring up a dance of dust in the dark library, and at her feet, the little man in robe squatted on the ground, its There was a blank book spread out in front of him, and he was currently writing something by the light of the lantern.

Morgan was waiting for it.

After realizing that the little guy would not be able to correct his oral habit in a short time, the Primarch, who did not want to listen to riddles anymore, finally reached a compromise with it: the information written on paper was acceptable to both parties.

The little man in the robe quickly filled up the page. His handwriting was good, better than most of the Dawnbreakers' handwriting.

【Um……】

Morgan rubbed his chin.

[So: A long time ago, there was a delicate balance between you guardians and the Ouroboros, and those Caliban beasts were the products and tools of this balance. They were both products of the influence of Chaos and could In turn, they share the pollution caused by chaos to the outside world. 】

[And this is the reason why the Sirian Knights, who are cooperating with you, will oppose Zhuang Sen's mission to eliminate those Caliban beasts? 】

The little man in the robe nodded.

[So, after the Sirian Knights and Caliban's behemoth tribe were successively destroyed by Jonson's army, no one can help you now to fight against the pollution emitted by the Ouroboros. This has broken the original balance. And causing you to have to look for other foreign aid? 】

[And that foreign aid is me? 】

Nod again.

【……】

Morgan was silent for a moment: although she had understood the logic of these Black Watchers' actions and tentatively chose to believe them, there were still some doubts interfering with her thinking, preventing her from deducing a plan that was more beneficial to her.

[Then, you need to answer me: Don’t you have the power to fight against Ouroboros? 】

"It's not enough."

This answer was written on the paper.

【If that's the case...】

Morgan raised his eyelids and looked at the little man in robes in front of him: after the initial cowardice, this little guy had actually regained his courage and could even "look at each other" calmly with the original gene.

And for some reason, when she faced this little guy head-on, there was always a small storm called fear, raging uncontrollably in her mind. That looming feeling, like a natural enemy, was in these small little things. It is clearly visible on the creatures.

Even the top demons who had glanced at her pupils in the frantic scene deep in the subspace had not exerted such great pressure on the Spider Queen, but these Black Watchers could: This is also Morgan One of the reasons why some rat traps are used.

[I still have the most important question for you to answer: Why do you want to stop me from taking away the Ouroboros? Are you afraid that I will use it for evil? Or is it simply because your mission does not allow you to do this? 】

The Spider Queen carefully observed the little man in robes in front of her: This was the only conflict between her and these black watchers. If they could give her a satisfactory answer, then Morgan wouldn't mind pinching her nose and talking to these people in her eyes. The [Trazin class] will cooperate a little bit.

This question made the little man in robes silent for a long time. It even faced the air aside and made whispering movements, as if asking some invisible superiors of Morgan: the Primarch even suspected that these little people who gave her great pressure This guy may be a creature whose body exists in another dimension.

After several minutes, the little guy whose exit was a mystery slowly wrote down words on the blank page. Through his superhuman vision, the Primarch could see clearly in an environment of mixed light and dark. the words above.

That's not an answer, that's a question.

"The other two artifacts are in your hands now, right?"

【...That's right. 】

The Primarch nodded lightly, but this simple action made the little man in robes become anxious for a moment: Although Morgan still couldn't see its appearance, through the pace of rushing around in place, and The way he kept making urgent reports to the [Air] on the side showed this point.

Even the writing on the page has become a lot more scrawled.

"You can't bring them together!"

There were several heavy exclamation marks after the words, as if to deliberately emphasize the seriousness of this sentence.

【……】

Morgan raised her brows. Her thoughts were spinning rapidly in a place where the little man in the robe could not see. She quickly thought of a favorable way to say something, and her brows were raised at a pretentious angle because of this. .

【Why? 】

She asked with a [confused] look on her face.

[The order I received is to collect the three subspace artifacts and merge them into one. If you don't give me a reasonable explanation, it is impossible for me to violate this order. After all, it comes from the emperor, my lord. , is also my genetic father. 】

[And I am his most filial daughter. 】

A slight smile appeared on the Spider Queen's lips. She watched with satisfaction as the little man in the robe fell into new troubles and reports, and slowly wiped away a cold sweat from her heart.

Yes, how could she have ignored such an obvious problem before: although the combination of the three subspace artifacts could give birth to the webway shield machine that her genetic father dreamed about, from another perspective, The prefix of these artifacts is [subspace].

There can never be purely positive benefits in the subspace: even if some subspace creations may not be malicious subjectively, their existence itself is enough to cause an irreparable blow to the real universe.

In addition to the benefits of the shield machine, wouldn't this so-called integration bring any disadvantages?

The answer is: absolutely.

Morgan didn't doubt the answer.

You know, the last guy who believed that the power of subspace was harmless was called Magnus: In Morgan's heart, this word is no different from Ogenlin in essence, and its status is even higher than that of Trazin and Pei. Turabo is a little lower, just higher than those sadistic bastards from Comoros.

But then again...

The Spider Queen frowned.

Even if she ignores these problems because she doesn't care, her genetic father, the master of humanity who can play with the energy of subspace, must have been aware of this a long time ago, so why did he agree to this deal? , to make such a... Magnus-like move?

Does he think that he is the lucky one who can extract benefits from the subspace without suffering the corresponding backlash: like some Prospero fool?

Or is it actually Magnus who is the Primarch most similar to the Emperor?

【……】

Morgan laughed at his guess.

This conclusion is somewhat absurd: she would rather believe that Fulgrim would chop off Ferus' head, or that Jonson would refuse the title of Warmaster, than believe this.

While the Spider Queen was immersed in amusing herself, her ears caught the sound of the quill rubbing against the pages: she lowered her head and saw that the little man in the robe had made up his mind and was writing furiously again. stand up.

It just wrote a few sentences: You don't need to think about it to know that it will be the negative effect that the three subspace artifacts will have on the real universe after completing the integration.

Morgan picked up the book and looked at it carefully.

【……】

Take another look.

【……】

【……】

Take another look!

"Snapped!"

The Primarch closed the book: the playful smile that had just remained on her face had completely disappeared at this time, replaced by cold seriousness and dead silence, and the turbulent waves that could not be concealed in her pupils.

Morgan licked her lips. It was clear that a few seconds ago, her lips were full of pleasant moisture, but now, they were only dry and stiff due to extreme tension.

She looked at the Black Watcher, and there was no trace of amusement in her pupils.

[You have to promise me, Alien, these are not words you use to deceive me. 】

The Primarch's questioning was as sharp as a sword, and the one who answered her was the Black Watcher's serious posture and affirmative nod.

【……very good. 】

[If you are smart enough and have not deceived me, then I can indeed cooperate with you to fight against Ouroboros, and will not let it merge with the two artifacts in my hand: but I want to tell you, I am in this matter The emperor does not have the final decision-making power, everything must still obey the emperor's will. 】

[And if you dare to deceive me, then I will also tell you: There are more than 10,000 Astartes warriors on the surface and low-Earth orbit of Caliban, and I can order every one of them at any time. 】

The Black Watcher was noncommittal, as if Morgan's answer did not exceed its expectations. The little man in robe just picked up another blank book and wrote and drew.

"Do you need to prepare?"

Morgan blinked.

【Are you ready? 】

The little man in the robe touched his face and finally wrote down a specific date: Morgan made a rough calculation and found that the date was a week later.

Is this time period...

The Spider Queen's pupils flashed with thought, and she put on a smile.

[Very good, then let us each go back to prepare for a week, and then think about the problem about Ouroboros together: If you need my help and advice on anything, I think you know where to find me? 】

The little man in the robe nodded. He bowed to the Primarch solemnly, put the scattered books back to their original places one by one, then clapped his hands and disappeared in an instant.

It even left the lantern behind.

But Morgan did not leave immediately. She stood there, reading the words on the page over and over again, with a serious expression on her face, as if they were of great weight. The candlelight in the lantern kept flickering, turning the original gene on. The shadow struck the cold wall, and the Spider Queen's pupils were hidden in her frown.

A few minutes later, with a helpless sigh, Morgan raised his hand, slowly erased the writing, put the book back to its original position, picked up the lantern, and left here leisurely.

Whether it was the biting coldness of the room or some other reason, the Primarch shuddered as she finally glanced over the unacknowledged books.

Maybe, she needs to talk to someone.

——————

"I think I need someone to talk to: even just for that little bit of guilt."

Luther stood on the top viewing platform of the Legion Monastery, feeling lost.

This former main castle of the Grand Knights has now ushered in more glorious years: the new blood of the Dark Angel Legion from all over Caliban are gathering here, excitedly waiting for their first battle. The war, and the silent phalanx standing around them are the inner ring veterans who have rushed back from all over the galaxy. They are quiet and lonely, watching everything around them with indifferent eyes, whether it is recruits, Luther, or It's Caliban.

Sitting high on the top platform, the old knight looked at the army, feeling proud of these Caliban warriors and secretly troubled by his mission.

As early as forty years ago, when Jonson had just returned to the empire, Caliban had already begun to use its young talents to replenish the First Legion, which was in urgent need of soldiers. Those Calibans who were the first to participate in the selection , are now veterans of hundreds of battles who have experienced the Ran Dan War.

Selection like this, which is carried out every few years, has indeed screened out Caliban's talents with the greatest efficiency. For example, these recruits in front of Luther are Jonson's soldiers at the end of the Second Randan War. Later, during a short rest on their home planet, they were selected. After nearly ten years of training, they are about to enter the most brutal battlefield in the galaxy.

Although these young people will not be put into front-line combat, Luther is still not optimistic about their survival rate: under the high platform, there may be more than 9,000 soldiers trying their best to hide their inner excitement, but among them Most of them will probably die in the next decade.

But these are not the most troublesome things for Luther: the biggest problem before him is to enable these more than a thousand Inner Circle veterans and more than nine thousand Caliban recruits to complete even the most basic tasks before setting off. Breaking in, this is his main task, and it is also the most difficult task.

In addition, the old knight also had to solve a new problem that he had never expected before, a problem that would bring him endless guilt.

"Why……"

Sighing, Luther walked off the observation platform, holding tightly the report written in standard High Gothic in his hand: On Caliban, this is almost the symbol of those Terran dispatched officials. .

This report, signed with the names of dozens of Terran officials, had exaggerated prefixes and wording that was so complicated that Luther felt physically uncomfortable. He had to work hard to find useful information in it, and continued to answer several questions. After a few euphemistic words, I came to a conclusion.

The new round of Astartes recruitment work is not going well, because in many places on Caliban,...resistance has broken out?

This word made Luther feel unfamiliar. He had never thought that "resistance" would be associated with his beautiful hometown. After contacting the Dark Angel officer who was originally stationed here, the old knight finally decided to go see this so-called "resistance" with his own eyes. What exactly is resistance?

Although according to his position, it is the task of those Terran officials to appease and tame the civilians of Caliban, and Luther has no obligation to manage these things, but since he knows, he feels that he should go and take a look. At the very least, He wanted to know what happened to Caliban to cause rebellion to break out just forty years later.

And the Dark Angel who brought him this report would naturally go with him.

Luther stared at the unfamiliar face, trying hard to find his name.

oh.

He recognized it.

That's Lord Cypher.

——————

As a seasoned knight who has experienced hundreds of battles, Luther did not lead too many people, nor did he go straight to the places where conflicts were most intense. He just selected a few warriors to sit with him on the aircraft, and before everyone Without even noticing, the shadow of the Legion Monastery was drawn out quietly.

His official affairs were properly handled and managed, and he did not notify any Terran officials. Few people would even realize his temporary departure. Several Dark Angel warriors just quietly slipped into a place. Areas where resistance was breaking out], they did not go to places where sporadic gunfire echoed, but stopped at the edge.

Luther and his two teammates quickly climbed a high mountain. Lord Cypher stood on his left side, facing the biting cold wind. Just at the first glance looking out, the old knight understood What is the reason for the so-called [resistance]?

The area Luther chose was an area he was very familiar with. As early as when he was a beast-hunting knight on Caliban, he often patrolled this area, driving away wild beasts and protecting the smoke-filled villages. I have climbed the mountain below countless times because the beauty here is unrivaled.

Although forty years have passed, Luther still remembers it very clearly: when he stopped here and looked out, the first thing that caught his eye was the vast forest stretching for thousands of miles, with green giant trees like those in mythology. Like an army of giants, they raised their branches and crowns high, shouting wantonly in the savage wind, writing the romanticism of the world of death.

And in these barbaric green seas, we can see the tenacity of civilization: villages large and small are like rays of golden light scattered in the green ocean, with neat and sturdy houses and soft smoke, making every knight The tired souls of these villages were soothed. These villages and villagers were both dependents and providers of the knights. Their farmland and property required the heroic fighting of the knights to defend, and they handed over food and carols to come. Maintain this simple and perfect feudal cycle.

For at least five thousand years, Caliban spent this way: the brutal hunting of giant beasts left no trace of corruption in the aristocracy, and the relationship between the knights and villages became stronger. When a defender like Luther passes through a village, he can not only smell the savagery of the forest, the blood of giant beasts, and the stench of decaying branches and leaves, but he can also smell the warmth in the piles of drying wheat, which is given to them. The aroma of beer and bread, and the children lingering around them, learning their majestic appearance with great interest. When they grow old, these children will inherit their positions and continue to be the staunch anchors of the village and honor. Defenders.

Luther was so convinced that he also enjoyed that kind of life, just like every noble Caliban knight: Although the officials of the empire mercilessly criticized their world as a "death world", Caliban people never think so. They are proud of the magnificent scenery and simple relationships of their hometown, and they are proud of their homeland.

But now...

Their home has disappeared.

"..."

Luther blinked, he couldn't believe the scene in front of him.

What happened to Caliban?

He asked himself in his heart, and forced his eyelids to open, gaping at everything in his field of vision, at the former forest sea, villages and beautiful homes.

He saw it.

He saw that those giant-like trees had fallen down one after another, and where they once stood, only ugly pits were left, just like countless twisted scars left on the skin of the earth goddess. Various track marks make it never return to what it once was.

He saw thousands of giant metal beasts raging in a wasteland. There were so many of them that his eyes couldn't fit in them. The names he could or could not name were: The ceremony is based on the drawings in the hands of those Terran officials, and they are digging into the old forests and river valleys. They have killed entire forests and blocked entire rivers, just to clear out a piece of flat land. Laying the foundation for the new factory.

He saw those villages, those villages that were once peaceful and prosperous under their protection, were now rolling into the abyss amidst the roar of fire and machines. The exquisite houses and railings had resisted the bite of giant beasts, but they were falling into the abyss. The Terran officials were so fragile in front of their orders, and the villagers were standing aside. They watched numbly as their homes were burned to the ground. They used their remaining will to respond to the officials' counting, and were then uniformly taken away.

Luther knew where they were headed: just on the horizon, at the end of his field of vision, he saw huge beasts crouching in the billowing smoke, each of them larger than the old knight had imagined. The most terrifying beast I have ever seen is even bigger. It is the arsenal that the empire has just established. They bulldozed a forest and a hundred villages to build the first campus, and they will bulldoze more forests and villages to expand. .

And at the core of these arsenals, there is guarding a towering giant beast, even bigger than the Legion's monastery. It is a brand-new nest city, which is eagerly devouring carloads of villagers, and Countless corpses left in the forest eventually turned into billowing pillars of thick smoke, dyeing the tile-blue sky above them into the gray of the empire.

"..."

"What exactly is going on?"

Luther heard an exclamation, perhaps from one of the Caliban-born Dark Angels behind him, who was obviously as shocked as he was.

"It's ridiculous..."

"We fought bloody battles and killed countless behemoths in the forest. Is it just to allow these metal behemoths to occupy our home and drive away our compatriots?"

"Those Terrans..."

"Be careful!"

"Why, did I say something wrong?"

"Shut up, you..."

Anger, restraint, and quarrels sounded behind Luther. Several Caliban warriors refuted each other in low voices, but they uniformly showed their hatred and dissatisfaction with the scene in front of them: Luther was the same.

But he didn't say anything. He just stood there quietly, watching blankly as the villagers were sent away in silence. The villages he had sworn to protect burned in the flames of another group of humans: they even Unwilling to wait for the ashes to disperse, he ordered the machines to roll all traces into the soil.

The strong wind blew against his ears again, but this time it was no longer the slow friction of the forest, nor the laughter in the village, but the ruthless instructions in Gothic and the roars of the giant beasts.

The giant beasts still roamed Caliban, but instead of flesh and blood, they became metal.

Luther took a deep breath and spit it out tremblingly. He could feel the eyes on him, coming from Lord Cypher beside him. He suspected that the other party had ulterior motives for these actions. , but he no longer has the energy to think about these things.

He stayed there for an unknown amount of time before turning around in despair, ignoring any of his subordinates, and just got into the aircraft on his own, waiting for his subordinates to return him to the legion. On the viewing platform of the monastery: he missed it.

And just as the old aircraft staggered off the ground and swung its wings, Luther took one last look at the mountain through the window: he had sworn that he would never come back again.

In Caliban's field of vision, he saw the setting sun struggling in the billowing smoke, trying hard to shine the last few rays of light on this changed land. Those rays of light passed over the still roaring metal The giant beast passed by the unhappy Terra officials, accompanied by flying sand and rocks along the way, and finally stopped at the small car full of villagers.

Under the illumination of the light, Luther could see the numb faces. Whether they were adults or children, they had neither anger nor fear, but just exuded an indelible confusion. In this confusion, , they gradually disappeared under the huge shadow of the hive city along with the vibration of the car.

The giant beast standing on the horizon swallowed them up and swallowed up the last light. It was as dead as night, with only sporadic gunshots coming from further away. Maybe that was what Terra called "resistance".

Luther withdrew his gaze.

From beginning to end, he said nothing.

——————

What happened to Caliban?

——————

Nothing happened to Caliban.

——————

Morgan returned to the Dawn Goddess.

The slight headache caused by the short subspace jump was far less terrible than the truth revealed by the Black Watchers: just imagining what kind of vortex she would be involved in made Morgan's scalp numb. .

This also made her determined not to continue to wade in this muddy water: the effectiveness of the Tuchucha engine was indeed intoxicating, but compared with the catastrophic consequences it could cause, it was not so charming.

The Spider Queen understood this path from the beginning, so she never relied too much on the power of the Tuchucha Engine. As for the Plague Heart, whose name even revealed a strange aura, she put it aside and never paid attention to it.

Morgan has decided: since her genetic father is heading towards Caliban and wants to personally accept these three artifacts, then she will never do anything unnecessary. After helping these Black Watchers suppress Ouroboros , she was too lazy to take it away. This thing wouldn't run away anyway, so let the Emperor come to Caliban himself to solve this problem.

The rest has nothing to do with her.

【……】

Maybe not relevant.

Before she felt the familiar stench, the Spider Queen did think so, but when she really opened her eyes, diffused her perception, and woke up from the brief paralysis of moving in subspace, everything in front of her It shattered her fantasy.

As usual, the Lord of Avalon appeared in her throne room, but this once solemn and quiet hall has now become a tense battlefield: the two star maids she left behind, Virgo and Ophiuchus, are both there Here, they were firing on all cylinders, pointing in one direction as if facing a formidable enemy.

And in that direction, stood a strange guy. Morgan recognized him at first glance as a certain Reza's military priest, but when she recognized the subspace aura on this strange priest, her face became solemn. got up.

【……】

[I think my ship does not welcome uninvited guests like you. 】

The Primarch slowly sat on her throne, and the storm of psychic energy gathered in her pupils and fingertips, ready to tear any young person into pieces at any time.

"I know."

The sound of gears and furnaces came out of the [Priest's] mouth.

"But please forgive me, I have a reason to come, and I am unable to show up on Caliban for some reasons, which makes me have to choose to disturb your ship: I must admit, this is not a It’s an easy thing, your warriors have enough strength to guard against the waves in the vast ocean.”

"If you come back one second later, a war will break out here."

[And you will die in this war. 】

Morgan raised the corners of her mouth, and she did not conceal the fierce light in her pupils.

[Mr. Vashtoll. 】

"Not really."

The Archdemon of Machines and Forges responded to the provocative words of the Primarch with his usual rational gear.

"Because we still need to talk."

You don’t need to think about what the villain in the robe wrote, just automatically bring in some consequences that Morgan cannot agree with.

After all, GW hasn’t finished filling in the settings of the three subspace artifacts yet, but it can’t only have the function of a shield machine, and it may carry some ruthless work. I don’t intend to let this thing pop up in Morgan’s main line. Hey, let the Emperor take it away as soon as possible