Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

Chapter 354 Cassia-Othello

"Hail to you, my lord, you still appear to be in good health: that is a real pleasure."

[Thank you for your kindness, Cassia: What can I do for you? 】

"Yes, my lord: I mean, as I guided my way among the stars, I did come across some things that troubled me, and they might deserve your attention."

Just as Conrad said, after he left the Primarch's throne room humming a tuneless tune, the next guest arrived quickly: the time was precise enough for Virgo to be able to arrange a new one. The tea table is decorated with a platter of exquisite snacks.

The Primarch needed these things, not to eat, but to entertain: the Spider Queen did not stay on her throne as usual, but sat next to the table behind the throne to welcome a Greet the guest with the etiquette of a friend.

After all, she was indeed a friend of the Primarch.

[Of course I will take it seriously. After all, some things that confuse you: the fact that such words can be said by you means that the situation must be very serious, Miss Cassia. 】

The Primarch picked up the tea cup and admired the beauty in front of her. Next to her, Virgo poured another cup of hot tea and delivered it to the guest with her own hands.

"Ah...thank you..."

Cassia took the tea and nodded a little unfamiliarly. She seemed quite uncomfortable greeting outsiders: but then, those scarlet pupils began to involuntarily stare at Virgo who had retreated to the side. The gaze was so dazzling that it almost immediately attracted the Primarch's attention.

【What's wrong? 】

"Ah, nothing...just..."

Cassia blinked.

"I'm a little curious. Your maid seems to have been serving you for a while: I saw her a few Terran standards ago, but compared to that time, her appearance doesn't seem to have any... Variety?"

【……】

"Is she really...a maid?"

【……】

"..."

"...I'm sorry, I think...I seem to have said the wrong thing again."

"I apologize, my lord."

[No, it’s okay. 】

The Spider Queen waved her hand casually, and even the Virgos on the side looked calm and relaxed: obviously, they had long been accustomed to the situation in front of them.

[My maid is in a rather special situation, but she is absolutely safe and reliable, and there is no need to worry: The reason why I have not disclosed her situation is that I am worried that her abnormality may cause unnecessary panic. 】

【I think you can understand me. 】

"Ah, of course I understand."

"Those lowly servants are also afraid of my presence: when I pass by them, they will lower their heads and dare not look at me, because they are afraid of my eyes."

"And I dare not look at them: because I fear their dirty souls. Those servants exist differently from you and your heirs. Their colors are dark mottled colors, meaningless destroyers on the canvas."

[Is this why you don’t like to leave the navigator area? 】

"It's one of them, and according to the family's admonition, we should not have left the pilot area for too long. It is a kind of dereliction of duty and also puts our precious genes in a dangerous area: if the regent knows that I He would have scolded me for such a mistake, and his soul would have exploded with dark brown rage.”

Cassia laughed: The chief navigator of the Dawn Goddess, a rising star of the Othello family, and a rare close friend of the Primarch on the battleship, always likes to twinkle his eyes, just like Like a child who is still exploring the outside world.

Considering her actual situation, this metaphor may not be so exaggerated: before coming to the Dawn Goddess, Cassia had never left the palace where she was born. She was like most of the heirs of navigators. Likewise, as expensive and cheap consumables, they are carefully stored.

Morgan thought so, and she threw those cookies that were better than nothing into her mouth, looking at Cassia's long snow-white hair, scarlet pupils, the navigator's eyes covered by sky blue gems, and those eyebrows. The shocking blood vessels below, and the sharp fingers that are no different from eagle claws: when these scenes are shrouded in a dim purple robe, the terrifying image of the navigators in the mortal world no longer seems to be illusory. of prejudice.

Compared with those rough Eugenlin or Lytlin apes, Cassia is certainly a beautiful individual, but compared with a real mortal, she is more like a [monster]: not to mention the Navigator gene and long-term contact with subspace. Under the dual influence of the two, her future appearance may become even more terrifying.

You must know that a considerable part of the navigator family bloodline is a group of monsters that are so deformed and bloated that they can only be imprisoned in prisons. Those who can stand on battleships and banquet halls are a few lucky ones: However, even these lucky ones Children, at the end of their lives, are very likely to turn into hideous monsters.

Compared with most of her kind, Miss Cassia is already extremely beautiful: this is also the main reason why the Primarch chose her as the flagship navigator. After all, the Dawnbreaker Legion does not actually have much in this regard. As a strict requirement, in the Dawnbreaker dormitory of the Dawn Goddess alone, there are at least 500 preparation plans that can temporarily replace the navigator.

Of course, Cassia is not a simple vase: she was able to stand out among the fifty candidates provided by the regent of the Othello family. Another reason why she was favored by the Primarch was because of her extraordinary talent. , and the infinite future, and this pure character that is relatively easy to grasp.

Using this simple little guy to influence or even control the entire Othello family is also a move for the Spider Queen: this ancient navigator family began to serve the emperor as early as the early days of the Terra Unification War. They and the Dawnbreaker Legion The cooperation can even be traced back to the early years of the Great Crusade.

Unlike other navigator families, the Othello family has always been famous for its "prosperity". They always have no shortage of qualified navigators and successors. Not only do they not have to worry about the family inheritance like their kin, but they can continue to do so. The ground is blooming, expanding the size of their family at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Among those members of the same family who are full of envy and jealousy towards them, the Othello family even has a very historical and cultural nickname: Habsburg.

Although in the following decades, the Othello family gradually declined with the depressed attitude of the Dawnbreaker Legion, and even fell to a historical low, the regents and elders of the family still gritted their teeth and resolutely fulfilled their obligations to the Legion. Contract: This great loyalty was almost immediately rewarded with the most generous gifts after the return of the Primarch. The Othello family was even given a small planet in the Avalon system to build their family palace. And more interest networks spread to most of the Far Eastern frontier in the blink of an eye.

Compared with her blood relatives, the Spider Queen is very good at and willing to use these [mundane powers]. The Othello family's rebound is just the simplest example, and more examples come from those who are high up in the world. The Rogue Traders, merchant fleets and even private colonial fleets of the Wallonian banner: Compared with the short-handed Dawnbreaker Legion, these mortals are the new force that allows the Far Eastern Frontier to continue to expand. Their greed and fearlessness are what the Primarch loves. quality.

In the twenty Terran standard years since she returned to the Empire, Morgan has personally issued countless Rogue Trader licenses and similar commitment documents, even more than Horus and Guilliman: it is precisely through With these people, the Avalon Federation took the Salamas sector into its hands without any major war, and brought the wider area outside the Milky Way into its own sphere of influence.

This country within a country ruled by Morgan now stretches from the Olympia Sector in the west to the Ghoul Stars in the north. Its southern end is hidden in the mysterious Gulf of Damocles, and its eastern border crosses Salamas in one fell swoop. It is constantly advancing towards the extraterritorial darkness at the edge of the galaxy: thanks to those crazy Rogue Traders and colonial teams, if you look at the [land area] alone, Avalon is even more magnificent than Ultramar.

Of course, the interior of Avalon is still far from being comparable to the rich Five Hundred Worlds: but since the land has been completely enclosed, further construction is only a matter of time. The potential of the Far Eastern Frontier may not be as high as But five hundred worlds.

Morgan even imagined: If the fully developed Far Eastern Frontier and the union of the Five Hundred Worlds are regarded as the [Eastern Pole], and the core part of the solar star field headed by Holy Terra and Mars is regarded as the [Western Pole], then As long as heavy troops are sent to suppress the maelstrom area in the middle of the [two poles] and form a double-headed eagle that echoes from afar, then the human empire will obtain a relatively stable [core area] and can focus on the desolation of the south and north. : Judging from this, it is not impossible to rule the entire galaxy stably.

only……

The Primarch glanced at Cassia, who was enjoying hot tea and cookies in front of her.

Ideas like the one just now will inevitably need the omnipotent [Webway] mentioned by her genetic father as a connection. Once a new transportation method like the Webway is officially put into use, then an inscrutable person like Cassia will Wouldn't the mutant group accepted by mortals usher in a bloody purge?

After all, if the Navigator family had not provided the necessary means to navigate the warp, thereby monopolizing the only way of safe navigation in these crazy years, then they would have been systematically eliminated long ago: and so on, the Primarchs Now she understands why her father carried out his web tunnel project secretly.

It is also known that once the existence and function of the Webway are leaked in advance, all the Navigators will not be able to stand on the side of the Emperor, and their rebellion will cause the entire Human Empire to disintegrate in an instant: this is even worse than all the Azars. The rebellion of the Start legions together would be even more deadly. After all, although the Emperor could kill all the Astartes, he could not personally guide every ship.

Thinking of this, the Spider Queen couldn't help but narrow her eyes: Although she had already decided to adopt a "turn a blind eye, hear but not hear" attitude towards all matters related to the Webway, deep down in her heart, she was still a little bit naive.

If the webway project was indeed a miracle by her genetic father: although the probability is so small that it is almost imperceptible, but if it does happen, then there will be no need for warp navigation, and psykers will It is very likely that like the Navigator family, they will become a purely negative asset to the human empire. Even with the end of the Great Crusade, the role of psykers in combat will be greatly reduced.

And when that time comes, where should she, the [Psionic Primarch], go?

When that time comes, will the Emperor be so kind as to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to her?

【……】

Morgan didn't know.

But she was certain that the Emperor's plan for her went far beyond the Great Crusade, and this plan must contain some kind of utilization: just like when she was chatting and laughing happily with Cassia, she also had the same intention of passing Cassia. Ya Lai indirectly controls the entire Othello Navigator family, and uses this as an opportunity to gradually erode the minds of all the Navigator families in the entire Far Eastern Frontier.

At this point, they are worthy of being biological father and daughter, and they are one and the same.

The Lord of Avalon showed a self-deprecating smile, which even frightened Cassia across the table: For this navigator whose senses are close to those of a mortal, she certainly could not imagine that while she was sipping tea, In the few seconds it took to say a polite word, the Primarch was able to think so complexly and leapfrog.

The navigator lady was unaware of these thoughts. After a brief greeting, she took out the micro projector beside her and began to describe the purpose of her visit.

"Look, my lord."

The lights flickered, and the projector radiated a corner of the northern frontier of the Milky Way.

"This is the area where our fleet is now. In the official document published by Holy Terra, this is called the Hazy Star Territory, but in fact, our location has long been beyond the scope of the Hazy Star Territory: According to their words, we are now actually in the extraterrestrial darkness at the edge of the galaxy."

"Even the light of the star torch on Terra is extremely dim here. The subspace here shows deep red and blue colors. They are the concrete embodiment of the malice of war and death."

"But even so, there is still a color that is more terrifying than them: I found this color in the northwest direction of the fleet. It is a pure and frightening pitch black. It does not have any fluctuations or agitation, only complete The dead silence and the extremely special coldness.”

【……】

[Pitch black? 】

Morgan frowned: she knew that Cassia liked to use colors to symbolize various obscurities in the subspace. This seemed to be some kind of private hobby of hers as a navigator, but in the previous years of working together, Morgan had never Cassia heard the description "dark" in her mouth.

【What does it represent? 】

"..."

The navigator paused.

"It means nothing, my lord: it is pure nothingness, the coldness of death, and the impossible silence: unless all intelligent life in that real universe has lost itself and has become nothing. The puppet of autonomous consciousness denies that this color cannot appear in the vast ocean."

"Even in the highest heaven, it is a great blasphemy."

Cassia was trembling, and every blood vessel in her body was exuding uneasiness along with the trembling in her soul. It was not until the Primarch stretched out his palm to soothe her soul that the navigator calmed down. down.

[Maybe this is just an observational error, Cassia? 】

"No, my lord."

The navigator shook his head.

“At the beginning, I thought this was a mistake caused by my inexperience, so I asked every navigator I could find now, but everyone’s conclusion was surprisingly consistent: it was a piece of black Madara, a shadow in subspace, seems to be able to swallow up all soul fluctuations, or completely cover them up."

"We have unanimously come to the conclusion: Either the most complete extinction of life has occurred in that star field, or there is some blasphemous existence that obliterates the projection of the Supreme Sky there. In either case, it is almost impossible."

"There is no such efficient massacre, and there is no such powerful subspace spell."

【……】

Morgan nodded. She squinted her eyes and stared at the star map projected by the projector. Cassia also carefully marked the location of the shadow: it was northwest of the Dawnbreaker fleet, and Dark The combined fleet of the two legions, the Angels and the Space Wolves, is in the northeast of the Dawnbreaker fleet, and both fleets are about the same distance from the shadows.

In other words, if they set off at the same time, they will probably meet at the edge of the shadow zone: Having said that, is the shadow marked by Cassia a bit too big?

The Primarch frowned, and she roughly estimated the size of the [Dead Star Area] marked by Cassia: The area of ​​​​this shadow is roughly equivalent to one-sixth of the Sun Star Area, and it is undoubtedly a Existences across star sectors may include dozens or even more galaxies with signs of civilizational activities.

You know, although this is already the edge of the Milky Way, it does not mean that this is a civilized and barbaric area: in the dark technological era of the past, the race called humans had enough time to sweep the entire Milky Way and conquer the entire Milky Way. Their own civilization is established in every corner as far as the eye can see, and the edge areas of the galaxy are no exception.

What's more, because this place is too remote, it is very likely that it has not been affected by the huge catastrophes in the center of the galaxy. In addition to the regression of the level of civilization, the country living here may even be more "comfortable" and "comfortable". Prosperity], holding the empire's unimaginably horrific legacy.

In a word, this place cannot be a dead wasteland: the original Ran Dan Empire did not get involved in this area, and the civilization here has sufficient possibility to continue.

But now, they have "disappeared": such a vast area has all "disappeared".

【……】

The Primarch took a deep breath.

[Is it possible that this is just a unique local phenomenon: Since the Milky Way is so vast, there must be countless unsolved mysteries. 】

Morgan put forward a hypothesis, and this hypothesis is not groundless: the depth of the Milky Way is far beyond what the human empire can dig out in a short time, and the countless ancient relics and unique phenomena even surpass the most profound ones in the minds of the archaeological madmen on Mars. Extreme imagination.

The Lord of Avalon himself had heard of such an example: In the early days of the Great Crusade, the Emperor's Children Legion discovered hundreds of subspace portals made of unknown materials in a place called the Datli system. These magnificent devices are arranged in rings stretching thousands of meters in the galaxy, hidden in nebulae and poisonous gas, and surrounding the central planet.

These subspace portals are more accurate than any navigator in the empire. They can allow the fleet to cross half of the galaxy in a short time, and have extraordinary strategic significance and research value.

The armies of the Human Empire quickly occupied the system, and the Emperor's Children also defeated an alien army pouring out of the warp portal in the ensuing battle. A year later, an expeditionary force of Ultramarines was even more successful. Following the guidance of the portal, the alien's home planet and race were completely wiped out: then, these infinitely valuable portals stopped operating one after another, for reasons that are still unknown.

But it is very likely that the human empire killed all the maintenance personnel and even construction personnel of these subspace portals without knowing it, and did not even have time to extract enough knowledge and value from them: if it is true If this is the case, then this kind of tragedy is really heartbreaking.

"No, my lord."

Cassia shook her head again, her voice becoming more serious than ever, and Morgan could tell that her navigator was struggling to stop the fear in her heart.

"This is precisely what scares us the most: although these areas are not within our key observation range, during the previous star map drawing process, someone in the Othello family still recorded the situation there."

"Less than ten years ago, that area could still show a variety of colors in the subspace, which means that there is definitely a mature civilization in the area, and they are even enough to emit the scarlet color of war, and Now, there is just complete silence, complete darkness.”

"There is something that has completely changed that star field: it is still there."

"This is everything we observed in the subspace. We can't be sure whether it is a subspace entity that is so huge that it is impossible to perceive it with the soul, or a dead city created in the real universe: regardless of the truth in the end No matter what, you and your allies must be fully prepared for war."

"Darkness is more terrifying than scarlet: I will avoid the scarlet gaze, but facing those pitch-black areas, I don't even dare to let my soul get too close. Lords Leslas and Sirmer did not listen. For my advice, they paid the heaviest price, their eyes, souls and lives were tainted."

【……】

[I understand, Cassia. 】

The Lord of Avalon was silent for a moment: no one knew what she was thinking.

[Thank you for your reminder, and please be careful in your future work: if there are any unknown situations, please notify me as soon as possible, and I will personally handle all matters in the next period of time. 】

"I'm glad that you take my reminder so seriously."

Miss Navigator laughed.

"I wish you all the best, lord primarch."

——————

"..."

"everything goes well?"

"Roughly the same."

Lana lowered his head and responded casually to the inquiries of the other Old Guards around him.

The Praetorian Guard of the Dawnbreaker Legion has three tasks on hand: one is the most urgent task issued by the Gene Mother, the other is the most sacred task that cannot be known by their primarch, and the other is It is a task that requires the personal signature of the Primarch, but this task is not urgent.

"let me see……"

Lana whispered to himself.

"According to your order, summon these people on the list; then, I have to attend the last meeting before the operation; in addition, after the expedition is over, I have to think of a way to practice these increasingly complex Loose bastards.”

"..."

"I hope that Cortes and Traracin can be more reliable: I hope that their great reputation in archaeology is really based on their true talents."

The head guard gritted his teeth and his wrinkles tightened. In Rana's heart, he actually lacked real trust in his colleagues who were keen on archeology, especially the always mysterious Lieutenant Trazin. Sergeant, he really has too many suspicious points: if Sergeant Trazin didn't have a perfect service resume, Rana would even doubt whether he was a real Dawnbreaker.

But now, we can only count on these guys who are not doing their jobs properly.

Rana knew very well that due to the emergency of the military situation and the lack of time, the opportunity to "request" the sacred instrument of the Mother of Genes from the flagship of the Dark Angel Legion was actually very short: only a few legion fleets could Only in the short period of time after the rendezvous and before the war officially started, was it possible to carry out covert activities.

In order to safeguard this operation, both the companies that are good at archaeological operations, the highly respected legion governors, and even the most secretive Ministry of Internal Affairs were all involved one after another: the troops participating in the operation can be said to be carefully selected. Carefully selected, although there are not many in number, they are elite enough to fight a small-scale all-out firefight.

The Chief Guards can only do this: the next thing he can do is pray.

Oh, and there are other tasks to perform.

Thinking of this, Lana picked up the list drawn up by Morgan himself and read it carefully: On the paper made of the best trees in Avalon, the names of people were neatly arranged in black and white, including Dawnbreaker. , there are also mortals who hold high positions in the legion system.

The Chief Guard once asked about the meaning of this list, and his genetic mother answered him truthfully: This is the list of members that Morgan has arranged for his advisory team. There may be deletions and modifications in the future, but generally It's these people.

Rana did not have the slightest resistance to this matter, and he was even secretly happy: in his opinion, the original body should have established a formal high-level organization of the legion long ago. Although various temporary combinations are very convenient, they are not The long-lasting method.

As for whether the current monstrous power of the Chief of Guards will be affected: Anyway, he is still the defender of the Mother of Genes and the last line of defense against Morgan. As long as this responsibility is not shaken, Rana can't do anything else. Said he didn't care.

In the face of mother's safety and trust: What is power?

The Praetorian Guard believed in this philosophy.

But even so, Rana still had some confusion stemming from the depths of his heart. This confusion came from the list of people in front of him. After the notifications were sent out one by one, he held the list and read it over and over again. .

Among the names on the list: Marshall, Bayar, Cortés, Zosimus, and Lana, the most venerable of the Dawnbreakers is certainly there, and certainly without a doubt: Cort Si and Zosimus also have the word "interval" after their names, so it seems that they will not be permanent seats.

Although it is a bit reluctant for a name like Hector to appear on the list, it is not impossible: the combat effectiveness and meritorious service of the commander of the 23rd Company are well known to the world, and he has even gained the respect of most Terra veterans. And with absolute merit, he brought his company from an ordinary main company to the top company in the entire army.

He was the hope of the Legion: almost everyone thought so.

But beyond that, there were names that Rana could not understand: General Erwin, the representative of the Mortal Auxiliary, General Vincent, the representative of the Naval Fleet, and representatives of the Council of Avalon and the Forge World Consortium [all Intermittent], even including Cassia, the navigator of the Dawn Goddess: of course she represents the entire navigator family group.

In addition to these, there are many [mortal] names on the list. Although except for the representatives of the mortal auxiliary army and the naval fleet, the other representatives are [intermittent] and do not have permanent seats, but this arrangement still allows La Na felt genuinely confused.

He does not despise the power of mortals, on the contrary, he respects these mortals who rely on their own efforts to fight side by side with the Dawnbreakers and even help each other, but this does not mean that he believes that these mortals can reach the highest level of power in the legion. Halls of War: Even the mortal auxiliaries and naval fleets play a central part in the tactics of the Second Legion.

"..."

"What on earth is mother thinking?"

The Chief Guard held the list and whispered to himself: He carried out the order from the Mother of Genes without any trouble, and his confusion did not suppress his ability to act.

He was puzzled by his primarch's behavior, but only puzzled.

After all, Rana is confident that through these twenty years of silent observation and the calmest onlookers, the Chief Guards can be sure that his genetic mother is definitely not an innocent person, and she will never have any intentions towards the Dawnbreaker. of malice.

In this case...

So let's just follow what she said: Mother must have her own ideas.

This kind of thought is not something that Terana can arbitrarily pry into, nor does he want to pry into it: after all, in essence, he has no other desire except the safety of the mother of genes.

I went to Station B a few days ago and discovered a game called Rogue Trader.

Wow, this navigator girl really pokes my xp!

Exciting hunting game.

Open the computer excitedly.

I was excited to discover that there was absolutely no way my junk office notebook could drive...

…

Ying Ying Ying.

I can only write the young lady in the book.