Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

Caliban was under the setting sun, and it started to rain lightly before he knew it.

Gray dark clouds appeared from the edge of the burgundy mountains, hanging down a huge transparent bead curtain. The interlaced raindrops moistened the dilapidated land. Both civilization and barbarism were addicted to tranquility at this moment.

And the Lord of Humanity strolled out in the rising rain and mist. Thousands of silver threads rippled in his slightly dimmed golden light, but they failed to stain the perfect face like a marble sculpture. of water stains.

The ruler of the empire was alone. He did not lead his servants and imperial troops, nor did he alert the bureaucrats on this ancient land. Even the huge Emperor's Dream was left at the edge of the galaxy. Walking leisurely in the drizzle, like an idle old man driven by interest.

[Hail to the Lord of Mankind. 】

Less than a hundred and fifty meters in front of the Emperor, his blood descendant, his only daughter, Lord of the Far Eastern Frontier and the Second Legion of the Astartes, stood in the misty drizzle, looking toward He saluted respectfully.

At this time, the Primarch has put on her most serious outfit: the Primarch's battle armor hand-crafted for her by the palace craftsmen on Holy Terra. Every part of this battle armor has withstood the test of time. The strictest blessing, its production time can even be comparable to that of a powerful Glory Queen-class battleship.

Compared with her brothers, Morgan's power armor is lighter and has far more agility than similar works, but even so, she still doesn't like it: because the Lord of Avalon is not used to wearing heavy armor. It felt like it would make her feel bulky and unreal.

But this time, facing the Emperor, the Primarch instinctively chose to be fully armed. She also tied a cloak outside the armor and covered her forehead and hair with a hood, leaving only her eyes in shadow. , staring intently at his genetic father.

Everything Morgan did was seen by the Emperor. The Lord of Mankind did not show any expression or attitude. He just pursed his lips slightly, mixing bronze and burnt tan skin with pitch black. The measured pupils made him look a lot more serious.

+You need not be so reserved, my son. +

He spoke.

+ This is not an occasion that requires us to be serious. There is no meeting or war waiting for us. +

Morgan could see that her genetic father seemed to be trying hard to force out a sincere smile, but this seemed to be more difficult for the Lord of Humanity than burning an entire orc empire.

As a result, the original gene lowered her head again, and two strands of silver hair were caught by gravity. She poked out her hood and rubbed the Spider Queen's earlobes.

[I think we still need to keep a serious attitude: after all, there are still some collaborators here who are meeting for the first time, and they need to know your status and identity. 】

Morgan added a clear accent to [First Collaboration].

As soon as she finished speaking, she took a step to the side. Immediately afterwards, the Black Watchers who had been standing behind her, sheltering from the rain in the shadow of the Primarch, were clearly placed in the sight of the Lord of Humanity. central.

The rulers of the empire looked at these short alien creatures. For a moment, the air became quiet, and even the gradually expanding sound of falling rain was isolated in the distance by the authority of the Lord of Humanity.

Morgan straightened up and looked at her genetic father, focusing on every change of expression on his face and the slight changes in the psychic aura around him: a different kind of expectation and cruelty in her heart It ignites unconsciously, like a wildfire in the dry season.

She had some expectations: her father, the initiator of the Great Crusade, the massacrer of all alien nations, the person who sowed hatred against the alien race in her heart, and how he himself felt about these obviously non-human [collaborators]. What kind of attitude will it be?

If the Emperor raised his hand to kill the Black Watchers in the next second, and scolded Morgan for his neglect: then she thought, she would accept the scolding willingly.

…

But in the end, the Emperor's actions disappointed the Spider Queen.

Although the silent stares between the Lord of Mankind and the Black Watchers continued in the mist, Morgan could clearly see: In the realm of the soul, her genetic father seemed to be having a pleasant conversation with these aliens, and Almost from the first moment they looked at each other, the Emperor took the initiative to start the meeting.

【……】

Although this result did not exceed Morgan's expectations. After all, whether it was rational or practical considerations, the Lord of Avalon knew the importance of the emperor's actions, but there was still some insignificance in those blue pupils. The flame is gradually extinguished.

The Primarch lowered her head. She lost interest in the exchange in front of her and just waited quietly for it to end, like a servant standing beside the lord, keeping a humble and indifferent face.

In her silence, the friendly negotiation between the Lord of Mankind and the aliens lasted for about ten minutes, and judging from the slight frown on the Emperor's brow, the result was not smooth.

The Black Watchers did not leave, they turned around and walked towards the endless dense forest behind them: Morgan knew that in the deepest part of the dense forest, there was a military fortress that had been corroded by time, where was the former Knights of Sirius The headquarters is also one of the many hubs that suppress Ouroboros.

Beyond that point is where the subspace artifact is kept.

The Lord of Mankind followed first, with Morgan following closely behind.

The deep forest in the rain is not a wonderful place to stroll. Everywhere is hit by the rain, and there is a pungent rotting stench. From time to time, there will be large pieces of rain and dew wrapped in broken leaves and smashed down. Although it will be hit by psychic The shield blocked it, but the messy sound was disturbing.

Morgan and her genetic father walked forward in silence for a while. Their iron boots stepped on the wet earth, but were not stained by any soil. The figures of the Black Watchers hung at the end of their field of vision, leaving only A series of vague footprints guides the final destination.

+Have you been here? +

After advancing half the distance, the Lord of Humanity who was walking in front spoke first.

【not at all. 】

Morgan shook his head and added his own reasoning

[After knowing that Ouroboros has begun to emit the influence of chaos, considering that I do not know its capabilities and cannot obtain more information from the other two subspace artifacts, I naturally do not have the ability to perfectly solve this subspace artifact. ability, so, to be on the safe side, I decided to wait for your arrival. 】

+This is the right thing to do. +

The Lord of Mankind nodded.

+ In any case, it is a creation of the subspace, and its history is much older than we imagined. Before witnessing its ability with my own eyes, even I am not willing to use psychic powers within its range of influence. , I would rather hike to its hiding place. +

The Emperor's approval made the Primarch blink, and the previous doubts gathered in her heart again: Morgan hesitated, and finally chose to ask.

[Since the power of these subspace creations is so threatening, why do you still pay so much attention to them? 】

+Because of the Internet Channel. +

The Lord of Mankind is concise and to the point.

【What is that? 】

Morgan frowned. She could never find any detailed answer to the word that the Emperor was obsessed with: although she asked her loyal Trazin advisor and tortured her Comorian lark, None of them can give a satisfactory answer.

The Emperor did not answer the Primarch's question directly, he asked a rhetorical question.

+I remember that you have been using the Tuchucha engine? +

+ That combat operation against the Gothic Star Territory, being able to travel from the border of the Far Eastern Star Territory, across a small half of the Milky Way, to the Obscure Star Territory was based on Q's skillful use of the Tuchucha engine, right? +

【……】

The Spider Queen was silent for a moment.

[That was just a massive mistake when I was experimenting with the Tuchucha engine. I originally wanted to go to the triple star sector: I thought you would acquiesce to my temporary use of it. 】

The pace of the Lord of Mankind slowed down a bit, which almost made Morgan's two hearts squeeze together nervously: for a moment, she even saw the future of the Black Fortress where she was forced to hand over all.

+ How do you feel about using Tuqiucha engine? +

Fortunately, the Emperor didn't seem to notice: or didn't care?

Morgan's chest heaved.

[Very magical: Its existence has almost completely rewritten the rules of naval battles. It can turn defeat into victory, and turn defeat into annihilation. Whoever masters it will have absolute control over the boundless void. 】

[But even so, I still dare not use it too much, because its capabilities are completely beyond my control, and I cannot hand over the fate of the fleet to such an alien creation. 】

The Emperor nodded, as if he didn't hear what Morgan meant.

+ The importance and significance of the Webway to the Empire is like the Tuchucha Engine to the Void War, or even better. Mastering this treasure means mastering more possibilities for the future and destiny. +

Morgan raised a brow, and she almost subconsciously retorted.

[I don’t think the future and destiny can be changed by a treasure. If it is a breakthrough technology or a great spirit, it is more likely. 】

+...+

The Emperor stopped.

He turned his head and looked at Morgan deeply with his dark eyes: those eyes were filled with countless emotions that the Spider Queen could not understand. Although she had always been a master at playing with emotions and people's hearts, She wasn't good enough for her genetic father.

+You look very much like Macado. +

In a daze, Morgan seemed to hear a fleeting laugh: it seemed to be recognition and relief, helplessness and bitterness.

+Sure idea, Morgan. +

+But no one is omnipotent. +

+Me too. +

The Lords of Mankind moved on, and the subject was never mentioned again.

——————

+Makado gave me the psychic code you wrote. He spoke highly of your work. +

When they were about to walk out of the deep forest and could even see the ruins of the ancient Sirian Knights fortress, the Lord of Mankind, who had remained silent for a long time, spoke again: another topic that made Morgan's eyelids jump.

The Primarch had to adjust his somewhat stiff muscles and forced out a smile that could make a calming sound.

[The psionic code you mentioned was, at the beginning, just a reference document that I prepared for my think tank and psykers. I had no intention of letting it spread on a large scale within the empire. 】

[But how did Lord Machado know about that book? 】

+ was given to him by Leman Russ. The Wolf King was full of praise for your books, and the relationship between Malcador and Leman Russ has always been good. They also maintain a high degree of agreement on this point. +

【……】

Thank you, Ruth.

Morgan sighed inwardly.

Although she does have the idea of ​​using the Psychic Code to lay the foundation of public opinion, this matter itself is just an icing on the cake, far from the core of her actions.

After all, the Spider Queen knows very well how much suffering the proliferation of psykers has brought to mankind in the past. She also knows that the current empire still maintains hostility towards psykers in general. Therefore, when it comes to subspace, She has always been low-key on the issue.

Even if she spread the psychic code she wrote, she would only recommend and give it to her other brothers through the blood advantage of the Primarch, and then use their own influence to spread it to wider places.

As for discussing psionic powers and psykers face to face with the Emperor, it was never in Morgan's future plans, because the words of other people, even other Primarchs, were at most "suggestions" and "complaints" ], and what came out of the emperor's mouth was an [order] that no one could object to.

[Then...have you read that book? 】

+Of course, it's not complicated after all, is it? Great for bedtime reading. +

The Emperor's soft smile might have been a kind gesture, but to Morgan's ears, it was enough to make her soul feel like it was falling into an ice cave.

+ Overall, your Codex of Psionics is pretty good. Although there are misunderstandings and omissions in many places, which allow those with evil intentions to take advantage of it, it is still a work worthy of recognition and praise. +

+ It is not suitable for everyone to know its existence, nor is it suitable for mortals to read, but if you are a newly awakened psyker, or a think tank of the Legion, then having a portable book like this is not a bad thing. . +

【……】

Morgan narrowed her eyes. Before she could breathe a sigh of relief in her heart, she noticed some key points in the words of the Lord of Humanity.

[Do you think the think tank system is worthy of recognition? 】

+ Any institutionalization, standardization, and any attempt to put a chaotic reality back together or on track are worthy of my affirmation and encouragement: the system itself is never a bad thing, corruption, degeneration, and rigidity are. +

The Emperor laughed, and he stretched out his hand to move away the overgrown branches: although these things could not hinder him at all.

+ The Great Expedition used blood and fire to conquer the homeland of mankind, but if we cannot create a tower of civilization on this homeland, then this expedition will lose at least half of its meaning and value. +

Morgan lowered her eyes. She did not answer the Emperor's words. She even couldn't understand why the Emperor wanted to talk to her about these things: If you want to talk freely about the meaning of life and the Empire, then Horus and Guilliman are the obvious ones. A more suitable person to talk to, right?

+Looks like we're almost there. +

The Lord of Mankind ignored the silence of his heirs behind him. His steps were slow and firm. As soon as he walked out of the deep forest, he stepped into the desolation of the ancient castle: before he knew it, the sudden drizzle had stopped and climbed up The stars that reached the ridge cast their light on the Emperor's golden armor, making him look so divine and dazzling even in the darkness.

As they got closer and closer to Ouroboros's hiding place, both the Lord of Humanity and the Primarch had a slightly serious and cold face, and the mountain range bulged like a crouching giant beast. It almost broke into sight, and there was a shrill cry coming from the cave on the ridge.

That is their destination, which is now in sight: and the Black Watchers gathered at the foot of the mountain, their short bodies crowded together, and from time to time they would step on the robes of their colleagues, looking like Like a group of penguins gathering to keep warm.

There are more little men in robes gathered here than Morgan first saw, and the number has exceeded twenty. As they gather, the surrounding subspace energy is also declining at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even the prisoner Roaring sounds full of anger and unwillingness also came from the cave where the Ouroboros was.

+ Do you want to come with me? +

The Emperor flexed his wrist as if he was ready, then turned his head and suddenly extended an invitation to his daughter.

Morgan opened her mouth, but before she could say any reply, her genetic father seemed to have thought of something, so he shook his head and made a decision for her.

+ Forget it, you can stay here. Being unknown to these things is a good thing for you. +

[Then I will wait for your triumph. 】

The Primarch bowed and saluted.

+This is not a war. +

The emperor seemed to be smiling. He whispered something quickly and strode away. Most of the Black Watchers followed his footsteps and left. This team full of discord soon disappeared. into the mountains.

Only Morgan and the remaining Black Watcher remained in front of the long-destroyed Knight Fortress. The Primarch stood in the dark night, her blue pupils shining like stars, and she first accumulated He stopped thinking about the huge wave, and then moved his bored eyes to the little guy beside him.

She recognized it: Although these alien creations looked almost identical, through the only differences in psychic abilities and intuition, Morgan felt that this was the little man in robes who was responsible for guiding her before.

So, she waved her hand, and an unknown gust of wind blew past, blowing the silent figure in robes with its head down to the ground. When it raised its legs on the ground and waved its arms, expressing silent dissatisfaction to her, The Spider Queen showed a cheerful smile.

Yes, this is it.

Morgan exhaled a long cool breath under the starry sky.

【Are you also left behind? 】

The little man in the robe nodded.

[Because of insufficient qualifications? 】

Nod again.

【That's really unfortunate. 】

The original gene let out a rather ironic laugh. She no longer paid attention to the aliens who were snarling at her, but raised her head and looked at the vast stars hanging in the sky of Caliban. The empire's dome project has not yet progressed. At this point, the light of the stars will not be blocked by steel and alloys.

【……】

Morgan licked her lips and spoke to herself in a voice that could be dissipated in the wind.

[It seems that every time I meet the emperor, his attitude towards me has different changes and weirdness: If so far, I have met my genetic father three times, each time It all makes me a little uncomfortable. 】

[The first time, I was still very afraid of him, but he treated me more like a test, or a show of force: it depends on his starting point for preparing those gifts, but no matter what, it is us The weirdest conversation they've ever had. 】

[From what my other brothers said, their first meeting with the emperor was far from that complicated. They either knelt down and called daddy, or they got some gifts, experienced certain things, or even made certain promises. Finally, he knelt down and called daddy. 】

[But when it comes to me, the situation becomes so strange: No, if the claims of those subspace creations are true, then the emperor's attitude is not surprising. I am indeed a supernumerary product that needs him to test. 】

[But if I am completely different from the other Primarchs, then how did he create me? 】

【……】

Morgan rubbed her chin. She couldn't think of an answer to this question, and she wasn't sure whether the Emperor would answer her doubts: if she told her genetic father about this question and Vashtor's visit, maybe Can anything be gained?

[As for the second meeting, I looked away. After all, I didn’t have any big secrets at that time. In the end, the Maid of the Stars was just something left for him to play with. On the contrary, she was my genetic father. , because he wanted to leave Conrad to me for education, and there seemed to be some signs of compromise in his words. 】

[But this does not mean that his attitude towards me has changed. 】

【……correct. 】

[If he asked me about Conrad's education, how should I answer him: What did I educate Conrad into? A two-faced person who likes to talk about people and ghosts? An academic psychopath who uses all his knowledge to put pressure on others and make others angry? 】

[A paranoid... mortal? 】

【……】

[Damn, even I can’t describe Conrad now. 】

[Is this considered a failure in education? 】

【...That's all. 】

[At least I taught Conrad to eat well, bathe regularly, sleep as regularly as possible, and stuffed countless law and sociology books into his mind so that his first choice when dealing with mortals is not to treat them All made into fur coats. 】

[Although I'm not sure how long his innate bloodlust can persist before leaving me, but it should be enough: big deal, find a chance to try it, and let the legal department give it to him before he returns to Nostramo. He chose a suitable experimental site and left this small matter to Orion. 】

[I'm too lazy to think more about this guy's problem. 】

One of Morgan's arms was stretched across her chest, while the other was covering her lips. Broken sounds were squeezed out of her throat, and the dim light allowed her to recognize the passage of time.

From the cave in the distance, the wind seemed to bring some kind of ancient roar, as well as the filthy sound of endless flames burning, which told of a fierce battle, a battle that Morgan was not willing to get involved in.

[As for this conversation...]

【...Tsk. 】

[Although I really don’t want to admit it, I do have some secrets that can become weaknesses. Whether it is the Blackstone Fortress or the Psychic Codex, while they have become my private property, they have also become a new way for others to attack me. This is inevitable. 】

[For example, as long as Magnus and Mortarion still exist, then I will never be able to sit back and relax on the issue of the psychic code. And even without them, when I implement those rune systems that are closely related to mortals At that time, would the Emperor still have the same indifferent attitude now? 】

【……No. 】

[If the Psychic Code can still bring him benefits, he will most likely ignore its flaws: after all, for practical benefits, he is now fighting side by side with a group of real aliens. If this scene is spread, it will not Knowing how much turmoil it would cause. 】

The Primarch snorted, her brows furrowing tightly, expressing the dissatisfaction lingering in her heart.

This dissatisfaction did not affect the cold logic of the Primarch. She continued to recall the conversation with the Emperor. After all, every word spoken by the Lord of Mankind and every tiny expression shown were enough to make She thought about it secretly for a while.

Morgan never thought that her relationship with the Emperor could be regarded as [father and daughter]. In fact, they were more like a king and a minister, and there was a lack of emotional integration between them. There was only a strong alliance brought about by common interests and common enemies: this way The alliance is both firm and cold.

The Primarch believed that if she ignored this fact and, like Horus, blindly longed for recognition and affection from her father, she would be doomed to disgrace herself. After all, the Emperor's love was limited, and Horus Russ, Dorn, Vulkan and others have taken away too much.

Moreover, she did not need the nourishment of this kind of family affection: from the moment she gained self-awareness, she struggled in the whirlpool of coldness and lies for many years until the Dawnbreakers appeared in front of her. During this period, She's living a pretty good life, isn't she?

On the contrary, after getting rid of the false cover of family affection, she gained another kind of trust from the Lord of Humanity: after no longer having to stick to the so-called father-daughter relationship, the Emperor and Morgan, who had already seen through each other's essence, instead They can communicate and exchange interests with each other in a simpler and more effective way.

In this exchange, Morgan obtained the autonomy of the Far Eastern Frontier, and also received acquiescence and neglect of many small issues: whether it was the promotion of the Psychic Code, the Sun Titan Legion that was actually loyal to her, or even the reception of The subsequent redistribution of some of Heydrich's inheritance was based on this acquiescence and neglect.

Of course, the last point still needs to be fought with the emperor.

After a long period of thinking, Morgan made up her mind about this idea, and she took some time to conceive of the reason why the Emperor was so [friendly] to her this time: it could be that a bigger mission was waiting for her, or it could be that For her reward for collecting the three artifacts of the Warp.

If it was really a reward, she hoped it would be something more practical, such as a solution to the genetic problem of the Dawnbreakers, or a promise that she would not be drafted for fifty years: to be honest, any one of them would do, anyway. After this expedition, she will not respond to any actions of Holy Terra for a short time.

Feeling the bleeding in her heart, the Primarch couldn't help but pursed her lips. She forced herself to forget the topic and began to think about other things, such as the next overall plan for the Far Eastern Frontier, such as the system construction of the Dawnbreaker Legion, For example, the battle situation between Jonson and Luther in the Galaxy North, and more heavy topics...

Unknowingly, the Spider Queen has become a person who can't take any time off.

In her thinking, the stars moved with the passage of time. When the brightest star slowly climbed out of the ridge and climbed all the way to the top of the sky, the time had already reached the second half of the night, the summer day. The sun even showed its first premature rays.

When this ray of light stung Morgan's eyeballs, the Emperor's figure also appeared at the end of her field of vision: He looked a little bit unnoticeably tired, but his armor and face remained as bright as new, black and white. The Watchers followed him, and their numbers did not change at all.

It seemed like everything was going well.

【Did you succeed? 】

Morgan took a step forward.

+ That’s right. +

On the right hand side of the Lord of Humanity, there are still some traces of flames.

+ Return to your battleship and transport the remaining two artifacts to my flagship. Ouroboros will stay here temporarily. Its situation is more troublesome than I thought. If you want to deal with it, maybe it will be A big project. +

+Fortunately, we still have time. +

Morgan nodded.

[Are you planning to do anything related to the Internet Channel now? 】

+ It won’t be now. +

The Lord of Mankind glanced at his capable daughter, studying her pupils.

+What's wrong? +

[I was just thinking that there has always been a rumor among the fleets of the Great Crusade: they said that you will return to Holy Terra for some reason, and when that time comes, you will choose one...]

+ Warmaster? +

【Yes. 】

Morgan saw that on the corner of her genetic father's mouth, there was a smile called nostalgia that appeared almost out of instinct: it seemed that the Lord of Mankind had indeed never forgotten the word Warmaster. No wonder he would make such a powerful decision. Politically dangerous positions.

+What? Are you interested in Warmaster? +

[No, absolutely not. 】

Morgan shook his head.

[I'm just curious: Will the General Controller of the Great Crusade, like the Warmaster, be personally certified by you, or will it be elected by all our Primarchs? 】

The Emperor laughed.

+Morgan, my heir. +

+Since the position of Warmaster is to help me coordinate the military power of the entire galaxy, his first priority is to make all legions respect his authority. +

+ Therefore, of course he will be an elected position: no matter what twists and turns occur and what results are obtained, I will not directly intervene. I will respect your will and choice and appoint the person who has won the great victory. A scion respected by most Primarchs. +

【……】

[Does this sound like a promise? 】

+Not what it sounds like, this is a promise, my child. +

+ Remember it, but don’t forget it. +