Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

Five months.

Five months, twelve days, twenty-two hours, thirty minutes, and seventeen seconds, this is the total time spent by the war dogs staying in this void, anxious and waiting: one minute will last. It's not bad, and I don't dare to miss it for a second.

Everyone in the legion is counting down and waiting for that moment to arrive.

At the very least, when he stood in the triumphal hall of the Fortitude Resolve decorated with victory and glory, Kahn, as the new commander of the 8th Assault Company of the War Dog Legion, did this: for five whole months Since then, Kahn has never stopped counting down in his heart, nor has he stopped waiting.

This kind of waiting is an extremely slow self-torture for him, or for any war dog: hundreds of military missions were forced to terminate, and all legion members received orders to return immediately. They crossed the endless stars, entered the cage in the void, and endured these five long months together with the other battle brothers.

During these five months, they were unable to receive honors on the battlefield, nor could they rest or replenish personnel to any extent in the void. The only thing of value that the entire legion could do was to wait.

Waiting willingly, waiting for the arrival of the final moment: with anticipation, uneasiness, anxiety, fear, the excitement of the heir finally meeting his father, and the shrinking of a soldier amid rumors.

The entire War Dog Legion has been waiting like this for a full five months. They have not received instructions from the Emperor, nor have they received any news related to their genetic father: except for the headless battle five months ago. Outside of the endless Nucerian War, the original body of the Twelfth Legion was like the space outside the porthole of a battleship. Under its huge outline, there was only nothingness.

Five months have passed, but the war dogs still know nothing about their genetic father who has returned. They don't know where the original father is now or what happened to him. They don't even know what he looks like. His past, or his voice: they only knew that he was called Angron, or [Mountain Son of Nuceria], and knew that he was the most special one among the Primarchs: because the War Dog Legion The Primarch was the first to steadfastly refuse the Emperor's conscription, something that none of his blood brothers had ever done.

Angron insisted on dying alongside his battle-brothers, and fought to the bitter end, until the Emperor had to forcibly remove him in order to reclaim the Son of the Mountain.

This matter was mentioned again and again in the battleships of the war dogs. Every war dog who rushed back to the fleet had to listen to this story. Their battle brothers or officers told it in the most proud tone. it.

That’s right: pride.

This refusal, this willingness to refuse the Emperor's conscription for the sake of his battle brothers, made the Warhounds feel proud of their genetic father: because it was completely consistent with the twelfth legion's although a little deformed, but fervent enough. The brotherhood also gives the War Dogs every reason to believe that their genetic father is a great leader and commander.

But this pride cannot solve the current dilemma of the Legion: apart from his name and this great deed, they still know nothing about their genetic father, not even that Angron once rejected the Emperor. It was also conveyed by the Dawnbreakers who frequently visited the [Resolute Determination] during these five months.

And more often than not, boring waiting is the theme of the Legion: those expressionless Imperial Guards arrogantly rejected the requests of the War Dog Legion's senior leaders to meet the Emperor again and again, while the Dawnbreakers and the Night Lords The fleet also left in batches, and in the end only a few dozen warships were left.

Although both Morgan's Praetorian Guard Lana and the Primarch Conrad of the Night Lords Legion valued and welcomed the War Dogs' visit during this period, they were unable to answer the War Dogs' confusion.

What's more, the war dogs discovered that the fleet of Dawnbreaker was actually in a certain degree of turmoil, because their original body had not shown up for a long time: but this uneasiness did not affect Eterra. The Second Legion, which is dominated by veterans, has had an excessive impact, and whether it is the midnight ghosts who visit regularly or those called [Star Maids], they have the prestige and methods to calm the restlessness within the Second Legion.

But when it was the turn of the Twelfth Legion, there was no such treatment.

At the beginning, the entire legion was still optimistic about finally meeting their genetic father. However, after a few months, but with the approaching fleets of the Forbidden Army, Dawnbreaker and Night Lord, in addition to Apart from daily mobilization and supplies, when no additional news came through, even the most optimistic group of war dogs had to feel uneasy in their hearts.

Of course, doubts began to spread among the battleships, from rumors that the Primarch had actually died in the Battle of Nuceria, to naive remarks that he was receiving special training from the Emperor and expected to become the second Horus: The Twelfth Legion has been jealous of those battle brothers who can get along with the original body for too long. This short wait in the last period is like torture to them, which can knock down all the members of the Legion. Human torture.

…

However, Kahn was not knocked down.

He was not decadent or disappointed, nor did he need to fight in the arena all day long to relieve the depression and uneasiness in his heart like his battle brothers: he stood silently and stubbornly as the atmosphere gradually turned gloomy. On board the ship, it was as if he had stepped out of Holy Terra and participated in the Great Crusade every day.

As the commander of the Eighth Company, Kahn can see the entire legion. He can not only meet with the legion's top brass in the small room behind the triumphal hall, but also hear the remarks of ordinary soldiers on the middle deck: However, he never expresses his opinions. He just stays silent and counts down silently in his heart.

Among the war dogs, few people would notice this unknown senior officer: Kahn's promotion was more like an exception, the effect of a series of butterflies. Originally he was only the middle-level commander of the 8th company, but after a few years A few months ago, because the Dawnbreaker Legion had to deal with the sudden invasion of the heretic forging world Ulan Huda, they were originally responsible for the rebellion that occurred on the edge of the Maelstrom area and were handed over to the War Dog Legion passing by. Take charge.

For that rebel world, this was undoubtedly a tragedy: the local rulers were not incompetent people who were so arrogant that they wanted to fight against the human empire. On the contrary, they knew the situation in the galaxy very well and were determined to fight for their planet. Seek a future.

Their plan is to attract the nearby Dawnbreaker Legion through acts of rebellion, and after surrender, become part of the Far Eastern Frontier, thereby getting rid of the increasingly heavy tax list from Holy Terra: Even if the Lord of Avalon has a heavy burden on the world The original rulers were not very kind, but the leaders of the rebellion had already realized their plans and had a way out.

But what they didn't expect was that the actions of the Dawnbreakers were delayed by the Predator Forge, and were replaced by the War Dog Legion: the blood and massacre lasted for nine full days, and the residents who survived the complete resistance and ruthless suppression could only survive. Being able to accept the hard labor of ten generations: the black humor in this crazy galaxy befell them like this.

It was during this small-scale but high-intensity repression that the Eighth Company lost their commander, and Kahn took over. He did not have much enthusiasm for the internal management of the company, and he did not care about the legion. The high-level meetings were also very cold, and there were no extensive connections even within the legion: Kahn was somewhat out of place for the Twelfth Legion, which was known for its brotherhood.

But despite this, he still has friends, or should I say: acquaintances?

It doesn’t matter what you call it. Anyway, when Kahn stood alone in the corner of the Triumph Hall, he did not enjoy the loneliness for too long in the silence of being alone: ​​soon, another company commander accompanied the rest of the hall. The soldiers gave a low salute as they advanced all the way to Kahn's battle flag.

"Reminiscing about your victory on Solanus again, Karn?"

"...Dregel."

Kahn was silent for a moment, and then called out the name of the person who came: Dreger, the captain of the ninth company of the Legion. He is one of the few brothers who is willing to show kindness and patience to Kahn. Around his waist is his usual meteor hammer.

"Are you still wondering how long we've been waiting here, brother?"

Dreger raised his head and glanced at the tattered military flag on Kahn's head: There are thousands of such flags in the triumphal hall, and they are all tattered, because they are all in victory by the War Dog Legion, Trophies taken from the enemy, the oldest of which can even be traced back to the war for the unification of Terra.

The entire Triumph Hall is a sanctuary that records the glorious history of the Legion, which will make every war dog feel proud. They have one of the bloodiest and oldest victories of the human empire. The only one who can convince the war dogs in terms of legion history is Dark Angels and Dawnbreakers: These two highest-numbered legions can set up a triumphal hall alone for the glory they won in the Terra Unification War.

But this does not prevent the War Dogs from choosing the Triumph Hall early as the final place to welcome their genetic Primarch. In the plan of the Twelfth Legion, the top members of the Legion will first meet their genetic father, Lead him into the triumphal hall and deliver an impassioned speech to the entire legion: this will undoubtedly be the day when the Twelfth Legion rises from the ashes.

For this moment, the entire triumphal hall has become overcrowded, and all the corners are crowded with trophies of all kinds, from every company: all the company commanders and their warriors are eager for what they have won. Glory could be the first sight of the Primarch to prove that their company was a great weapon worthy of the Genefather's leadership.

Such a fanatical atmosphere is rampant within the entire Twelfth Legion, but Dregel knows in his heart that if we want to talk about the enthusiasm for the father of genes: then this captain of the Eighth Company who is always silent in the corner of the hall, That's the one who stands out.

Since the end of the war on Nuceria, Kahn has been recording the time when the legion was stagnant. For this reason, he even gave up normal sleep and only maintained a minimum of meditation to accurately maintain the progress. This kind of meditation lasted for five full months: Dreger even thought he was a little crazy.

However, this madness was not enough to kill the friendship between the two. In the corner of the hall, they started chatting, just like the hundreds of other battle brothers in this hall. The topic of the conversation was naturally their original body, and There are Primarchs of other Legions.

"How does it feel to lead a company?"

Dregel adjusted the battleship-shaped badge hanging on his chest, which symbolized his ship [The Defiant].

"Well enough."

Kahn was concise and to the point.

"I don't need to take care of everything. There are dedicated people in charge. Occasionally, I need to deal with a few thorns that are not very obedient: for example, the pharmacist Gargos in the company. He always soaks in the arena and forgets. I have lost my job as a pharmacist."

"That's good."

Dreger blinked.

"Didn't you see that when we merged with the Blood Angels Legion, he and his arena partner in the Ninth Legion, who seemed to be called Amit, were just hanging out in the gladiatorial pit in black and white. I can’t even pull it out.”

"But, then again, after Sanguinius returned, very few people from the Ninth Legion would visit the gladiatorial pit: they boasted that they had become artistic and elegant, as if they could suppress the blood in their bones. It tastes the same."

Dreger grinned, showing ridicule at the angels in his mouth.

"It's different now that we have the primarch: who remembers those ghouls from before?"

"Don't worry, brother: our genetic father will be no worse than theirs."

Kahn closed his eyes. His words were not so much a comfort as an affirmation that could not be questioned.

"I think so."

Dreger nodded, his pupils flashing.

"Then tell me, which of his brothers will our primarch be more like: the perfect Horus, the wolf god, the somewhat fancy Fulgrim, or the melancholic and fragile-looking Sanguinius, or a warrior like Ferrus and Jonson?"

"No one looks like him."

Kahn snorted.

"He's certainly unique."

The voice of the captain of the 8th Company was very firm, but after the firmness, there was a strange silence. After a while, Kahn's hesitant voice sounded in Dregel's ears.

"Anyway..."

"Anyway, just don't be like that Morgan."

"Morgan? The Lord of Avalon?"

"yes."

Kahn snorted.

"The Primarch of the Second Legion was indeed quite capable as a builder and goddess of mercy, as well as a psyker and a writer: but she was certainly not fit to lead a battlefield-only legion like ours. "

Dreger raised his eyebrows.

"Don't say that, Kahn: I think that Morgan is actually not bad. Look at her performance on Nuceria. She is still very qualified in war command. She is not as peaceful as the rumors say. Activists."

"What do you think of her heirs?"

Kahn glanced at his brother.

"Dregel, it's not like you haven't been to the Dawnbreaker's flagship in the past few months: do you see what it looks like up there? I simply can't tell whether it's a battleship or a relaxed and pleasant ship. In the space garden, I can even see several kindergartens and schools on the lower deck specially built for the descendants of those enslaved by mortals. Those little cubs can even climb onto the shoulder armor of the Dawnbreakers to play, like this How is it possible to cultivate warriors in this environment? You can’t even cultivate qualified mortal servants!”

"Don't say that, brother: at least the atmosphere on that battleship is good."

"not to mention……"

Dreger smiled.

"You are also a Terran. You should remember how many old monsters were killed from Holy Terra in the Second Legion: what they put on the facade now is just a group of inexperienced brats. The Dawnbreaker Legion The really scary side is hidden by them under the horizon of the Far East border."

"..."

Kahn closed his eyes again. After all, he did not refute Dregel's words. Instead, the ninth company commander seemed to suddenly remember something after a brief silence.

"By the way, I would have forgotten if you didn't tell me: I came to you just to tell you that according to the news from the Dawnbreaker Legion, their genetic mother Morgan had returned to [Goddess of Dawn] less than an hour ago. Number] is on."

"You know what this means, right?"

"!"

Kahn opened his eyes suddenly.

"Is there any news from Kiel?"

"You mean legion commander?"

Dreger grinned.

"I guess it's almost time: you're finally stopping your clock, brother."

"ah……"

"It's what I asked for."

Kahn clenched his right fist tightly. The communicator that could directly convey the words of Acting Legion Commander Kiel had always been tightly held by the Eighth Company Commander in order to obtain their genes at the first moment. Information that the Primarch has arrived on board the Resolute Resolve.

"When do you think it's going to go off?"

Dregel glanced over, and what answered him was Kahn's silence: The silent company commander lowered his head, and after about a minute of dead silence, he raised it, with a rough expression on his face. It was already a satisfied smile.

"……Now."

"It's now."

"..."

"He is back!"