Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

subspace, some unknown dimension

"Everyone."

"We may be in trouble."

While sailing through the warp, the Tuchucha engine suddenly opened.

The cold sound composed of unknown metal elements and ancient wisdom ripples echoed in the empty conference room of Luther's [Sword of Caliban], shocking two Primarchs and one Great mortal.

"What's the trouble? Can you be more clear, Tuchucha Engine?"

After looking at each other, it was Luther who finally spoke first. He was the one closest to this ancient creation among everyone, and in his pupils that had been re-awakened by the Spider Queen's transformation surgery, there was something unbelievable. Avoiding a flash of worry.

This makes perfect sense: no one likes the word trouble, especially now that all of them, and indeed the entire fleet, are deep in the Warp, on a dangerous voyage that they cannot actually control.

At this time, the only ancient creation that could maintain this voyage and ensure the safe landing of hundreds of warships suddenly uttered the word "trouble": If you think about it for a moment, such a terrible future can make you soaked in cold sweat. Everyone's back.

Thinking of this, Luther even distracted part of his vision and looked at Virgo, who was always standing next to Tuchucha's engine, but he only got a helpless expression.

Fortunately, at the same second that the uneasy aura just emerged, the disgusting, but unknowingly convincing, metallic tone of the Tuchucha engine sounded again.

"It's a calculation, Mr. Luther."

"Through comprehensive statistics on routes, current conditions, subspace flows, and future possibilities, and assisted by a certain amount of reasoning and experience, I finally came to this conclusion: after about half a Terran standard hour, we will run into trouble. "

"Tell me more about it."

Leman Russ, who was sitting on the main seat, lowered his voice, and his opening surprised the others: both the Nostramos sitting on his left and the Caliban on the right.

"To put it in detail: after about half the standard hour of Terra as you call it, our fleet will encounter an unavoidable interference while sailing in subspace. This interference will be like a black hole, sucking away all the energy in the fleet. Parts of ships and life forms.”

Leman Russ and Luther frowned at the same time: In just a few days of getting along, they had already seen the capabilities of the Tuchucha Engine, so they would not doubt the truth of what this ancient creation said. Fake.

"Is it inevitable?"

The Fenrisian's voice was a little hoarse, just like the Tuchucha engine was always cold.

"If we adjust the subspace route now, there is a chance that this trouble will be avoided, but it will also delay the trip by about five days, and it is very likely to cause greater losses in the future: I need to remind you, everyone, this is not The [subspace storm] that exists in your cognition is part of an extremely huge sacrificial ceremony."

"The center of this sacrificial ceremony is at the destination of our trip: Randan Galaxy, and we are about to enter the edge of this ceremony after half a Terran standard hour and be affected. This impact is that some fleets and lives will be affected. The experience is drained away by the ritual, like a starting machine draining part of the fuel from a storage tank.”

The Tuchucha Engine quickly finished its words with a melodious metallic sound. If anyone listened carefully, they would find that this mysterious subspace artifact was actually using its mechanical sound to Imitate the speech style of a certain Lord of Avalon.

But no one cares about this anymore: neither Leman Russ, the de facto mastermind of the entire fleet, nor Luther, who is respected by everyone in the fleet, are discussing with each other in a serious and low voice. On the side, Conrad, who seemed to be doing nothing, turned to look at the Tuchucha engine, and then asked questions.

"You said part, how much is it specifically?"

The Tuchucha engine immediately spit out a rough percentage, making Leman Russ and Luther look even more ugly: Such a loss was unacceptable to them, and it was even greater than their losses in previous battles.

Conrad, on the other hand, did not panic, or even show the slightest surprise. He seemed to have expected all this: maybe it was because of his prophetic ability, or maybe it was because of his experience following the Spider Queen, which made him understand the Tuchucha Engine. The words always have a twist.

This can be regarded as some kind of special hobby possessed by this mysterious machine that is no different from ordinary intelligent creatures: maybe it was learned from a certain Lord of Avalon, maybe.

so……

"Don't be so alarmed, you two."

Conrad adjusted his chair and leaned on it, leaving only half of Luther's body silhouette across the table. His steel boots rested on the precious iron wood, and his long black hair was like the one above. It spreads out like fine silk, and the metal claws capture the dead skin at the corners of the mouth.

In this state, he looked at his brother and reminded him with a smile.

"Didn't you hear, Leman Russ: It said that this is not a subspace storm, but some kind of huge ritual. The center of the ritual is even in the Randan galaxy, our destination."

Although the reminder from the Midnight Ghost is like his bad nature, with the unique elusiveness of Nostramon, Leman Russ is not a beast like his appearance after all. After thinking for a second, the Fenrisian slammed the table and looked at the Tuchucha engine in front of him again.

"You didn't tell us everything, Tuchucha Engine!"

"You did not ask those questions, Mr. Leman Russ."

The words used by the subspace artifact to answer the Primarch were clean and crisp, as if they had been prepared for a long time.

"..."

The Fenrisian's brows jumped with some violence, but he quickly controlled it.

"You specifically stated that this is an alien ritual, not a subspace storm: is there any difference between the two? Answer me clearly, you only have one chance!"

This obvious barbarian threat made Virgo, who was responsible for guarding Tuchucha's engine, raise her head, but when she took a look at Leman Russ's so-called [anger], she lowered her head again.

"The difference between them is simple, Lion of Leman Russ: If it were an ordinary subspace storm, then these warships involved would only be completely lost. Even I don't know what their fate will be. .”

"But if this is a ceremony started by aliens: then these battleships will definitely be transported to the center of the ceremony, and the members on them will also be scattered in the Randan galaxy you are talking about, possibly scattered On ships belonging to the same humans, but they may also be scattered among the array of... Randan people."

"It all depends on the energy contained in that ritual."

"..."

Luther and Leman Russ frowned again: the possibility pointed out by the Tuchucha engine was like a glass of poisonous wine in the desert, leaving the reality between good and bad. Vague.

"Is there really no other way?"

Luther looked at the Tuchucha engine.

"Change the route, or temporarily jump to the real universe and stay for a while to avoid the [trouble] for half an hour? Can't you do this?"

"I can indeed do it, Mr. Luther: But I want to remind you that as long as you continue to move towards the Randan galaxy, you will definitely be affected by this alien ritual. From a probability perspective, the option with the least loss is Let this ritual absorb some of the battleships and members."

"Since your final destination is the Ran Dan galaxy, and these warships that have been swept away will also arrive there, then this option is actually not a problem in essence: it is true that some of them will be swept directly to Ran Dan land, but overall these losses are inconsequential."

"..."

Leman Russ and Luther looked at each other in silence. They both saw a trace of wavering in each other's pupils, but some inexplicable uneasiness and thinking blocked their way to admit this reality.

And soon, a voice from Nostramo interrupted their uneasiness.

"Just listen to it, Ruth."

Midnight Ghost turned around at some point, his crazy eyes swept across his blood brother, and started his persuasion with a smile.

He looked at the Tuchucha engine first.

"Machine, can you figure out which battleships will be affected?"

"Can."

Tuqiucha spit out several names one after another that were destined to be affected. Fortunately, there were no irreplaceable national treasures among them.

"very good"

Midnight Ghost nodded. When he turned his head and looked at Leman Russ and Luther, he turned his thin lips and said something crazy that made the two listeners turn pale.

"You have also heard the names of those battleships. I will be sent to one of the battleships later. Move quickly. I don't want to miss the last train."

"..."

"Why are you crazy! Conrad!"

Leman Russ's roar was more penetrating than the most terrifying snowstorm in Fenris, but when the Wolf King's pupils hit the frighteningly calm vision of Midnight Ghost, his anger was like a war horse halting in front of a spear formation. Generally, he fell into a brief panic.

"Relax, Ruth."

"And you, Luther."

There was no madness, nor was there that kind of hysterical, Nostramo-like laughter. When the Midnight Ghost said these words, his face was so calm that it was disturbing, and his voice actually carried a certain kind of deathly silence. of persuasion.

"First of all, I want to tell you that I am neither crazy nor insane: although my next words will make these two conclusions meaningless, I hope you can trust me, because you are both Really smart people, you can see that my current state is not crazy."

"So, I want to tell you: I need to be sent to those battleships, I need to follow those selected warriors, be swept away together, and arrive at that battlefield in an alternative way. I even know where I will land and where I will What opponents and resistance are encountered.”

"Don't worry, you two, I won't die."

"At least I won't die here."

Midnight Ghost smiled. It was a conservative smile. It did not reveal even a single terrifying sharp tooth, but simply raised the corners of his lips.

"As for the reason, I can tell you here: both of you should be aware that I have some kind of talent related to the future. It often tortures me, but occasionally it also provides some effective help. This is the case now."

"Among the accurate prophecies I found, I saw my trajectory during this war: I would not arrive on the battlefield in a normal way, I would have my own missions, tasks, challenges and opponents. "

"I also know: When I face this, I'm going to be alone."

"I saw them, everyone."

"And I, and the Midnight Ghost."

"I'm not going to run away from this either."

——————

“If this is what fate wants me to do….”

——————

【Then let it come...】

【……】

[This changes nothing. 】

"..."

"What are you talking about, Morgan?"

When Lord Caliban finally returned to the command room of his flagship, he found his most trusted blood relative standing in front of another, more elaborate auspicious device, muttering to himself.

[Nothing, Jonson, but I think you should come over and take a look at this. 】

Jonson's appearance did not surprise Morgan: although the Dark Angels guarding the door remained as quiet as ever, several Old Guards also guarding the door had already loudly paid tribute to the Lord of Caliban. .

"what is that?"

Jonson came closer, and his armor was still filled with a stench that could not be washed away. It was a mixture of fallen corpses, burned cities, and desperate shouts. It would only be born in the center of the bleakest battlefield. : When Morgan smelled this smell, even with her eyes closed, she could naturally associate the smelly smoke with Johnson.

In the Spider Queen's memory, this is what the Lion of Caliban should look like.

[As you can see, Zhuang Sen, this is the ground model of Ran Dan’s home planet: more than 10,000 unmanned reconnaissance aircraft were wiped out, coupled with this most advanced auspicious device and my own personal detection , to create this most accurate war sandbox for use. 】

Zhuang Sen nodded with satisfaction.

"Then what did you see?"

【not at all. 】

The Lord of Avalon shook his head.

[Obviously, my brother: I am far inferior to you in finding fighter planes to better send these aliens to hell, and what we need now is advice from a true war artist. 】

"..."

There was a subtle arc in the corner of Caliban's mouth, and he quickly threw himself into his work, changing from fighting with swords to fighting on the sand table, constantly looking for hunting opportunities in the steel jungle.

Beside him, the Spider Queen was doing the same thing, but unlike Jonson who was focusing on the core area of ​​the earth's surface, her eyes were on the entire planet, observing the remote areas that Jonson didn't care about. .

Every move of the two primarchs seems to embody completely opposite connotations, but when they work together like this, what they show is a kind of just right complementation, which perfectly bridges the shortcomings of the other: Jonson has always lacked He has a multi-threaded brain that handles all situations inside and outside his career, and Morgan has never been good at seizing fleeting opportunities on the battlefield. But when they join forces, this is no longer the problem that once troubled them.

I don't know whether this is the tacit understanding cultivated during the long battles side by side, or some invisible genes that are engraved in the bloodline from birth.

But it doesn't matter: the Spider Queen has no time to think about such small things when her pupils are occupied by the augury.

[What do you think, Jonson? 】

"..."

The Lord of Caliban was still thinking, his vision constantly wandering among the formidable and seemingly unshakable fortresses.

"..."

"It's quite difficult."

"In my expectation, even at some point in the future, Holy Terra will need to be armed to fight a full-scale war: then our defense preparations will only go so far."

he said, then pointed to those places with the highest strategic value.

"You have also seen, Morgan, this is a highly urbanized and industrialized world. We can clearly see the military production areas and storage areas, as well as these huge engines, which are continuously supplying the planet. Abundant energy, I can even conclude that most of it is used to maintain their defensive barriers."

"Not to mention those military camp areas: Although we have eliminated a large number of Randan elites in the void and orbital defense networks, I have no doubt that they still have a large army on the surface, although the number may not be as large as before. , but it was enough to overwhelm us.”

"..."

"This world is already fully armed. Their void shields and anti-aircraft firepower are enough to compete with our fleet. Perhaps casting an extermination order is the best choice."

With that said, Zhuang Sen looked at Morgan, but the latter just shook his head solemnly.

[Look here, Johnson. 】

Morgan stretched out his hand and pointed to the final point where the countless intricate spider webs on the ground were intertwined and intertwined. That was the absolute core area of ​​the Ran Dan Empire.

[This is their palace, Zhuang Sen. 】

The Spider Queen pointed her finger at a twisted imitation of a Terran palace, which was composed of cascading outer wall structures, steep slopes that rose higher and higher, towering defense towers and giant forts, and the structures that connected them. , a dense network of trenches jointly created an immortal city: and right in the center of this strong city, a majestic alien-shaped fortress stands proudly. It is magnificent, surrounded by high crenellated walls, and is composed of countless spiers. Protected by air defense barriers, there is a layer of strange looming ripples on the outermost periphery, which makes people feel fearful.

Even Zhuang Sen can see that this layer of ripples is definitely not something from the real universe.

[You also saw it, Zhuang Sen: Before we find a way to destroy the weird and powerful subspace defense field in this Randan Palace, even the Extermination Order cannot destroy this palace, and the palace is immortal. , we cannot claim victory in the war. 】

"Is there no other way?"

Zhuang Sen hesitated and frowned.

Morgan laughed.

[You may feel a little angry because of my words, Zhuang Sen: But the fate of a huge empire like Ran Dan that once spanned the sea of ​​stars will never allow their final demise to be due to a devastating storm. 】

[Whether we think about it or not, no matter how much we desire to destroy Ran Dan, we must complete the most determined ritual: through a bloody war, break through their walls, enter their palaces, and completely raze their capitals to the ground. Flat Earth, because from a metaphysical point of view, only by completing all this can it be said that a great empire has been truly exterminated. 】

[There must be a siege. It can be short, boring, or even not bloody and crazy enough, but it must exist as the knife mark used to carve the end, the day of the empire's demise that deserves to be remembered. 】

[Only in this way, people will truly lament that at a certain moment, an empire has truly perished, instead of wondering in their hearts whether there is some unknown continuation of this empire. 】

"..."

Zhuang Sen was silent for a while, then snorted contemptuously.

"Where is this rule?"

[In subspace, everything there is a little different from what you imagine. 】

The Spider Queen just spread her hands calmly.

[Of course, it’s okay if you don’t believe what I say. I will try to break through the subspace defense arranged by the Randan Palace in the realm of spiritual energy. But I have to tell you, because of the Randan mother planet under our feet. Because of my existence, I cannot exert excessive power here, so this psychic ritual may be very long. 】

"how long?"

[I'm not sure, I'm not even sure if I can break them, but it will take at least a few days: and this is why I called Leman Russ and the others. 】

"..."

Zhuang Sen looked at the auspicious device again.

"It's not your fault, Morgan. They have enough time to equip themselves for battle and draw enough strength from their blasphemous history: look at those disorganized monster soldiers. They are definitely not something that can be evolved in the real universe. His appearance must have used evil spells from the depths of subspace."

【It’s just the end of the road. 】

The Spider Queen sighed in a low voice, and beside her, the Lord of Caliban quickly made up his mind: Jonson has never been a too hesitant figure.

"Then let's start a war."

he said.

"As usual, I am responsible for commanding this siege on the ground. See if you can find some way in the psychic field, and command the fleet in orbit to provide necessary cover and support for my legion."

"In addition, inform Leman Russ and them to speed up: within five days, I hope to see their troops, even if only part of them arrives, the sooner the better."

[My legions and auxiliary troops are also under your command. Zhuang Sen: Save them. I don’t know when I will need them again in the next few days. 】

"I will: I promise you."

Zhuang Sen nodded, very solemnly, more like an oath.

"But first, we have to think about..."

"How can we tear open a hole in the void shield network that these aliens have operated for countless generations to allow us to implement a large-scale airborne plan? This is the necessary first step."

【……】

"..."

【……】

"..."

[I have an idea, Jonson. 】

"explain."

【……】

[Have I shown you the gifts my father gave me? 】