Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

"Terra is the center of everything. It is the starting point and end point of the empire, and it is also the only throne world of the entire human civilization. Some things are destined to only start on this land, and some things are destined to only end on this land. "

"That's what they all say."

"There are very few people who wouldn't say that."

"They also said that just like a blade that has not been sharpened cannot be used to kill people, the Primarch who has not returned to Holy Terra and witnessed the human home planet cannot be considered to have truly returned to the empire: At least that's what they said when I returned, we are like aging Viking warriors, and Holy Terra is our Valhalla."

"Let me tell you... ha, these guys must have never been to Fenris. They are things that can kill people without being tempered. They are everywhere on my home planet: some weapons are forged artificially. There are also weapons that are designed to kill people."

"We are the latter, and we can only be the latter."

——————

In its forty-six Terran standard years of service, the Najirfar had never been more glorious than at this moment: three Primarchs chose to sail on it for the final journey to Holy Terra. A journey.

At this moment, almost three months have passed since the Human Empire completely wiped out the [Lost Primarch]. The clouds of war in the shadows have completely disappeared. Hundreds of colonial fleets and Rogue Traders who have been impatient for a long time are like Like the tide of the flood season, they were advancing towards the northern border of the Milky Way, and amidst their carnival, a huge fleet quietly completed its own disintegration, turned into several torrents, and headed to various parts of the human empire. hinterland.

The group named Alpha completely disappeared in the haze, as if no one knew how they appeared, and no one knew how they left.

The branch called the Space Wolves roared towards its home planet: Fenris was not particularly far from the capital of the Randan Empire and the killing fields of the lost primarch, so Leman Russ did not Choosing to go with his descendants, he asked his most trusted Thirteenth Company Captain to drive the Queen of Glory back to the home planet, while he himself went to the capital of the Human Empire with his brothers and sisters.

On the other side, Morgan's choice was almost the same as that of Leman Russ. Her "Dawn Goddess" carried the greatly damaged Avalon Auxiliary Army and a considerable part of the Dawnbreaker Expeditionary Force and returned to the Far Eastern Frontier. Only The Spider Queen herself embarked on a journey to the human home planet with her descendants who were enough to complete the task of recruiting soldiers on Holy Terra: the reason why the Queen of Glory did not bring a legion was purely because of the more than ten years between Morgan and the forging world Reza. During the long cooperation, the Dawn Goddess has been imbued with too many secrets belonging to Reza, and it is not a wise move to let it appear under the sight of Mars.

In the end, the only Queen of Glory who could go to Holy Terra was the Dark Angel Legion's [Indomitable Truth], and this battleship was too seriously damaged in the previous war, so besides the stubborn Jonson Except for this, several other Primarchs did not choose it as their ship for this trip.

Therefore, [Najfal], the doomsday ship that was made from the nails of the dead in the ancient Norse mythology of Terra and brought the disaster of Ragnarok, carried the digital Primarch. , embarked on a journey to the human home planet.

Now, this journey is almost at its end. As long as the current warp voyage is over, the capital of the Empire will appear in the pupils of the Primarchs.

——————

[So, how about Valhalla, Holy Terra? 】

"..."

"Do you want to hear nice words or dirty words?"

[Listen to the truth. 】

"Then...it's really difficult."

Leman Russ smiled.

"But then again, why do you want to listen to a barbarian's evaluation: It has been decades since I returned to the empire, and there have never been many people who want to use my evaluation as the basis for their judgment of things. "

[Because I am familiar with history, my Fenris brothers, I know very well that those who know the best about the internal situation of the great empire and are most confident about its strength will not be the emperor of the empire, nor will they be The ruling bureaucrats are not generals, soldiers, merchants or farmers, but barbarians wandering inside and outside the empire. Their beast-like eyes are more deadly than so-called civilized people. 】

[Just like it was not any Roman emperor who really discovered that Rome was dying, but the Goths and Vandals: in the end, it was they who killed the Western Roman Empire. 】

"Your words seem to mean something, my dear blood relative. After all, barbarian does not seem to be a good term for any empire."

[No, I think it’s just the opposite: there will never really be so-called barbarians in this world. Only when a group of people rise up first and call themselves empires and civilized people will they call others contemptuously. For barbarians: Barbarians are never a noun, they are an adjective derived by analogy. 】

[So, if the empire did not need certain groups to remain ferocious and barbaric, and if the superior bureaucrats did not take it for granted and despise the wisdom of some wilderness, how could there be barbarians? No one wants to take the initiative. To become barbarians, those who called themselves barbarians were either forced by force. Either he was bound by some greater duty and had to sacrifice himself for the Empire. 】

[After all, there are many types of sacrifices: it does not necessarily just require bloodshed. For the greater good, what flows may also be the individual's nature, wisdom, style, wishes, and true heart. 】

[From this point of view, the barbarians are also great, aren't they? 】

"..."

"..."

"I have to say, Morgan, you really don't look like your father's daughter."

[How to see it? 】

"After all, although Quanfu may occasionally be patient with others, on all truly important matters, he would rather express his thoughts in a more...simple and clear way."

"Compared with Quanfu, you are more similar to Lord Malcador."

"Yes……"

"You look very much like Lord Malcador."

[Can I interpret this sentence as a compliment? 】

"Absolutely: in fact, that's the highest compliment I can give someone."

"I can't think of a better word."

【……】

[You're not much like our father in this regard either, Ruth. 】

"A feather can't compare to an eagle: but maybe you can, Morgan."

[That’s really flattering: Why don’t you answer my question, brother? 】

"Let me think about it first..."

The Wolf King narrowed his eyes. The waves in the subspace made him feel a little nervous, but soon, the Fenrisian gave a definite answer.

"You know, Morgan: My home planet Fenris is a world completely controlled by ice and fire. Half of the year, it is like a prison of ice, and half of the time it is burning with fire. All the landmasses in that world existed in the form of archipelagos, and with the drastic geographical environment and climate changes, they either sank or floated, and there is no conclusion."

"However, there is a single exception in the Arctic of Fenris: it is a continent called Asaheim, isolated by cliffs thousands of feet high. It is the only continent in the entire Fenris world that can maintain The stable land is the origin of countless lives, and it is a sacred place in the hearts of Fenris people."

“So, from my point of view, Holy Terra is to this galaxy what Asaheim is to Fenris: it may not be our only choice, and maybe we don’t necessarily have to build our achievements around it. But it is a stable cornerstone and a destined destination. No matter what kind of hegemony mankind has established in the galaxy or what kind of victory it has harvested, it is still a kingdom on the floating ice, an island that may sink at any time. Reef, only Holy Terra is the strongest core of our race. Even if we are completely defeated in the galaxy, as long as there is this great world, we will rise again."

"Now, our All-Father is proving this point: starting from a mere corner of Holy Terra, the Empire of Man can sweep across the entire chaotic galaxy."

"Correspondingly, even if we win more victories in the outside world, the final dispute will definitely stay in this world: no matter where we are, we will come back in the end and use this place as the battlefield to decide everything."

【everything? 】

"……yes……"

Leman Russ touched his head.

"To be honest, Morgan, I can't find any evidence for this idea of ​​mine, but in the dark, this is what I think: this seems to be a ridiculous fantasy, but it may also be a kind of fate."

"Terra will be the end of everything. Only it is worthy of this great and tragic identity. One day, we will come back and experience the biggest war here."

【……】

[Hope this is just a joke, Ruth. 】

"Of course, Morgan, I hope this is just my crazy talk even more than you do."

【Who knows...】

The Lord of Avalon answered his brother almost in a whisper. For a moment, the two Primarchs fell into a kind of silence. They were immersed in their own thoughts or worries, and just like that, the corner of the bridge was The night fell silently.

But this silence did not last long.

"Where is the little follower beside you?"

[...You mean Conrad? 】

"Yes, he didn't follow you: I haven't seen him for a while."

[Conrad has grown up and has his own life now: If I guessed correctly, he should be immersed in studying now. After all, after this trip to Terra, he will be with himself The Legions of Astartes have joined together, and now, this boy is filling his knowledge base in every possible way. 】

"Study hard..."

"read?"

"I have a library on my ship? How did I not know? This is a huge failure."

[He brought his own books: Conrad was even trying to write his own books. 】

"What did he want to write?"

[I don’t know, he is quite private about this. He is secretive in front of me. I beat him up, but he refused to tell me. 】

"Well, that's it..."

"..."

Leman Russ blinked.

Did he just hear something wrong?

"What about Zhuang Sen? I haven't seen that guy much recently."

[He locked himself in the secret room of the Unyielding Truth. No one can go in, not even me. I haven’t seen him for many days, but he has been handling the official affairs of the Legion, Coswayne. I was responsible for delivering it to the door and picking it up the next day. I checked it and the completion situation was even better than before. 】

"Maybe Jonson is just taking time to calm down. After all, when we are going through the war, we have no other choice but to recklessly invest everything at hand. But after the victory, after counting how much we have paid, even the last The hearts of the hard-hearted will bleed because of these tragic losses.”

[No need to worry about him. Jonson was never a fragile man. 】

"Of course I'm not worried about him. I know his [hardness] better than you, Morgan. After all, my face has received many punches from him. That guy's temper and heart are as hard as Fen's." Like the glaciers of Lys.”

"I just hope that he can adjust his mentality before we arrive at Holy Terra, or at least return to his previous state: after all, unlike the rest of us, Zhuang Sen is going to show his face on Holy Terra."

"You should also have heard that the Emperor has issued an order to dismantle the statue of our fallen brothers in the Square of Heroes, and the hundreds of tons of white marble that made up the statue were brought to the long staircase in front of the palace. , to build a new relief: this relief will be used to boast of the achievements of the First Legion."

"Although we can never say clearly what the merit is, it is indeed a great honor for any legion. Perhaps it is far from proportional to the actual sacrifice of the First Legion, but it can also be regarded as Limited replenishment, in which case Jonson and his senior officers must be present."

[Yes, you are right, Leman Russ, Jonson must attend this occasion, and must be dressed up to attend, and he will definitely attend it: if he has not emerged from his room after we arrived in the solar system Come out and I'll drag him out. 】

"..."

"Well, I think, at least on this issue, no one from the Dark Angels will stop you: after all, I heard that you obtained this relief from the Emperor?"

[Just mentioned casually. 】

"Even if it is mentioned casually, it is a huge favor. After all, the leader of the First Legion would not do such a thing: Speaking of which, I am quite curious, why don't you fight for my legion or the Dawnbreakers? A relief?"

【Do you want relief? 】

"Of course I don't want to: carve my and my cubs' heads on the wall and let the group of mortals who come and go judge us until tens of thousands of years later? Then spare me, just thinking about it, there will be countless Mortals gathered around my statue, boasting of great achievements that I couldn’t even remember, and it made my scalp numb.”

[Me too: If I want a statue, why not build a statue of me in Avalon or the entire Far Eastern Frontier, but in Holy Terra? 】

The two Primarchs looked at each other, and then burst into unspoken laughter.

"From this point of view, those Calibans are really easy to satisfy."

[It would be better to say that we are too different. 】

"several?"

[Not to mention the Alpha brothers who disappeared without a trace after the war, just our Conrad: I once asked him if he wanted to put his statue on the steps in front of the palace, and he He asked me with a serious face, had he made me angry recently, causing me to retaliate against him like this? 】

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Leman Russ grinned happily.

"I like that kid: at least I don't dislike him very much."

[Conrad? Tell me what you like about him, Leman Russ? 】

"He sees all the problems thoroughly, and he also sees himself very thoroughly. The latter is especially valuable: although he can't figure out the answers to many questions, he knows not to force himself. For this reason alone, he is better than us. Many brothers are even stronger."

[This may be just another kind of self-destruction, my brother. 】

"Decadence is not a kind of happiness. Sometimes, too much pursuit of things that you are destined to not get will only add trouble to yourself, and it will also cause trouble to others around you: don't you think so? "

【……】

Morgan narrowed her eyes. She did not turn her head, but glanced at Leman Russ: Sure enough, she saw the smiling face of the Fenrisian, with a wolf-like vision hidden in the golden hair. among.

[What do you want to say, my brother? 】

"It's nothing, it's just that the topic we just discussed reminded me of something: Since the First Legion is about to get its own glory on Holy Terra, and can even make an exception to conduct a large-scale recruitment, then Will special treatment like this rekindle the flame of Warmaster in the hearts of one of our brothers?"

【again? 】

[Has it ever gone out? 】

"Without you, the casualties of these two wars are enough to extinguish anyone's desire to go further, Morgan: Jonson is just paranoid sometimes, but he is not a guy without self-awareness."

【……】

[Until now, he sincerely believes that his popularity is very good. 】

"..."

"I mean: most of the time, he's pretty self-aware."

Leman Russ raised his brows, regretting that he said too much.

"But to tell you the truth, Morgan, don't take it easy with Jonson: I really feel that our Caliban brothers are actually not very suitable for the position of Warmaster, and I don't think Ferrus is suitable for the position of Warmaster either. .”

【Why? 】

"Although both Ferus and Jonson are impeccable in terms of military command, you and I should be very clear that the position of Warmaster is more important than the so-called command, but actually lies in communication and coordination."

"There has never been a shortage of talented military strategists among the Primarchs, and our blood relatives have performed all kinds of military miracles in the galaxy: what we really lack is the ability to unite us all and mediate between brothers. Contradiction, a middleman who coordinates cooperation between legions, this is the responsibility that the position of Warmaster should hold."

"In this aspect, if you tie Jonson and Ferrus together, and then multiply it by ten, they are not as good as a finger of Horus. We don't need to say more about the Calibans. You may not know much about them. Ferus, he is a figure who doesn’t even want to coordinate with his own home planet. Let him manage these political things. It’s better to just kill him with a knife.”

"No matter how concerned Ferus is about the position of Warmaster now, once he realizes what this position is about, he will definitely give up the competition for Warmaster."

"Jonson may realize this and choose to compete for the Warmaster, but he will never be able to compete with Horus. After all, if I rely on my conscience to choose a Warmaster suitable for the empire, If so, Horus is indeed much more suitable than Jonson."

[...Jiang Sen is not bad either. 】

"No, that's not what I mean: you haven't been with Horus for too long, Morgan, and you don't understand him. He is so perfect, so impeccable, even if the Emperor can only appoint Horus as the war commander." I don't think many Primarchs would be more dissatisfied."

"I even suspect that the Emperor just wants to appoint Horus as the Warmaster."

"Or, if you ask Zhuangson, he may even feel that he is not as good as Horus."

[Even if it were true, I don’t think Jonson would admit it: at least not verbally. 】

"That's because you don't know him well enough."

[I don’t know Jonson well enough? 】

[Then who else can understand Jonson? 】

When she asked a question, the Spider Queen's accent even had a very obvious upward tone, as if a senior scholar was questioned about a simple truth in his field, Morgan's voice showed a certain Instinctive sarcasm and confidence.

In the face of this inflated confidence, Leman Russ, who originally just counterattacked casually, could only nod reluctantly after remaining silent for a period of time.

"I can't think of this answer. Maybe you do know Zhuang Sen best: but then again, since you know him best, you should know that his character is not suitable for being a war commander. Position."

【……】

Morgan tilted her head, her hair on one side caressing her cheek, covering her blue pupils, like catkins covering a cold pool blown by the breeze in spring.

[I understand what you mean, my brother Ruth: You regret it? You don't want to vote for Jonson anymore? 】

"..."

"Does this make you angry?"

Russ asked tentatively.

Morgan shook his head.

[No, of course not, this is absolutely normal. 】

[Frankly speaking, if you insist on supporting Johnson and vote for him, I will feel that there is something wrong with your brain. 】

"Maybe."

The Wolf King scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly.

[Compared with this, I'm actually more curious about another question: If you don't vote for Jonson, considering that you and Ferus don't seem to have any friendship, do you plan to vote for Horus? Or remain neutral? 】

"I don't know, Morgan."

"I respect Horus, and I also regard him as my good brother, but for some reason you don't know, the two of us are destined not to get too close: Originally, I wanted to do something about this. Stay neutral, or support Horus as a favor."

"But now, I have some new thoughts: it would be too cold to directly reject Zhuang Sen's feelings, and continuing to support him would not be in line with some wild philosophy in my heart."

[I have always thought that philosophy occupies a very small proportion in your heart. 】

"It's really rare, so it's more worth cherishing, isn't it?"

The Wolf King smiled openly.

[Okay, my brother, please tell me, what kind of solution did you come up with? 】

"To put it simply, there are two ways."

"That's the first one."

Leman Russ blinked, and the blazing flame belonging to Fenris burned in his pupils. This flame was directly projected on Morgan, which made the Lord of Avalon feel a little uneasy: This feeling is It was as if a socially anxious audience member was watching a play and suddenly found that he was invited to the stage to participate in the performance.

"Morgan."

【……Um? 】

"Are you interested in running for Warmaster?"

【……】

【Um? ! 】

Morgan's eyes widened.

【What did you say? 】

The Wolf King seemed very calm, even very patient.

"I said: Are you interested in participating in the election of War Commander? I am happy to vote for you with my vote, and I am also sure that you will have at least two to three votes: this is already A very impressive number.”

【……】

[Two to three votes? 】

"You don't think Conrad voted for him just to support Jonson, do you?"

"If you want to become Warmaster, I think Konrad would not mind being your hardcore supporter. On the other hand, I heard that Guilliman, Magnus, and Perturabo have very close relationships with you. It’s not bad, these primarchs don’t have any close relationship with Horus, maybe you can win them over.”

【……】

[How do you know this? 】

Morgan's voice became serious, and Leman Russ grinned with a wild smile.

"The instinct of a military policeman, or the nose of a dog of the Emperor's hounds: whatever you want to understand, Morgan, I don't have any malicious intention in this proposal. Just think of it as another piece of crazy talk from me."

"Tell me, Morgan."

"Do you want to be a Warmaster?"

【……】

【What if I say no. 】

"Then you need to answer my other question, which is the second proposal."

【...Say it. 】

"Okay, Morgan..."

"tell me."

"Do you want to rule the Warmaster?"

【……What's the meaning? 】

"Literally: Just like a hound needs a collar, just like a horse needs a rein, a dangerous position like a warmaster naturally needs his supervisors and military police."

"You are interested, or you have the courage and responsibility."

"Become [Warmaster's Collar]?"