Chapter 216 The Battle of Macragge (End)
“The damage to the city of Macragge was not serious, but some areas can happen to take advantage of this opportunity to rebuild. For example, here we will focus on politics A person with great influence, reorganize this sector," Guilliman said, somewhat absentmindedly.
He was still thinking about the funeral he had just completed in the Memorial Garden. Under the solemn presiding of the funeral guard, nearly a thousand names were engraved on the stone bricks on the ground and the dark marble walls, and their remains that could still be collected were buried in the built tombs. Macragge respected the deceased, The fallen will sleep eternally beneath secluded pools and flower beds.
He thought negatively about how the souls of more heroes would be buried if one day there was no room left in this tomb. He didn't think about it any further.
“I support your decision,” said Perturabo. “You will be an excellent leader, Robert.”
"Am I?" Guilliman asked.
Perturabo looked at his brother, calmly opened the data pad, picked out a neural cable from his head and connected it.
A clear and contagious audio message immediately came from the datapad: "... Macragge is not dead yet. Even if she seems to be doomed and on the verge of destruction, new life will come..."< br>
Guilliman coughed: "I know the content of my public speech, Perturabo."
"After this disaster, everything is covered in dust, except for one thing Shining brighter and brighter I think that is hope..."
"No more!" Guilliman shouted, over the chatter of the dataslate.
"Why would you send audio to every radio in Macragge if you're too embarrassed to listen to your own propaganda?" Perturabo said, turning off the dataslate.
"After a rebellion is over, people will need promises from those in power." Guilliman's voice was dull.
“So I think you’re a great leader. You always want to make sure your people get what they want.”
“Connor told me not to get wrapped up in other people’s "
"Okay." Perturabo raised the corner of his mouth briefly, "Change the subject. Remember Rogal Dorn?"
"I'm not that forgetful, brother."
"He returned to his Phalanx an hour ago and found that his battlestar was also invaded by worms."
"What?" Guilliman frowned, "Something happened to the Phalanx? Why did the Empire The Fist did not inform us!"
"On the one hand, they solved the matter themselves, at the cost of the Templar Sigismund having to reunite with his genetic father in his hospital bed; , strange biological crises often break out on the Phalanx, so the Imperial Fists did not realize that this species invasion was related to the war in Macragge - in fact, before Dorn found them, the Imperial Fists had been investigating Where did the biological mutation appear on the entire ship?”
Perturabo paused: "It's interesting. The last two times Sigismund and Rogge reunited, one of them was lying in the emergency room."
"Macragge is also investigating these. The Wormmen. The Ultramarines are getting the job done, and the beam weapons they carry are more dangerous than the aliens disguised as humans, but there don't seem to be many of them."
"I think this guy should know." Angron grabbed a tall bald soldier and strode over. Since chains and shackles had almost no effect on him, the Lord of Red Sand chose to grab his arm with his bare hands. . "He calls himself our brother, Alpharius. Does anyone know him?"
"No." Perturabo said, "But there was a Space Marine who called himself Alpharius before and had the courage to be alone. Attack the Primarch. Is that one of yours?"
Morse followed Angron through the door before the soldier could speak.
"Makado advises you not to lie, although lies are your cradle." He warned coldly, "In this incident, you have let down our Imperial Chancellor, who is trusted by the Emperor, Omegon."
Omegan's overly sharp gaze was restrained, and he raised his head expressionlessly: "That soldier is my subordinate. As for those worms, they are called Schloss people. Their bodies are composed of worms and are highly reflexive. Yes, his known preference is to eat human brains, and his habit is to rely on conspiracy to instigate civil strife in human society."
"Sounds very similar to you, Omegon." Guilliman stood up, his expression on his face. Determined, anger welled up in his blue eyes.
"Don't compare me to the xenos, Macraggean."
"But that's exactly what you did on Macragge. Instigate civil unrest and stir up political chaos. The investigation has been completed It shows that you and your subordinates had already extended your hands into Macragge's political system before the aliens invaded the Senate!"
"That's..."
"What is it?" Morse interrupted. "Did Malcador approve it?"
Omegan froze in place like a statue, and then he shrugged. "This is the way of the shadows. The future exists in the union of light and shadow, and should be won by any means."
"Victory won through conspiracy and lies is useless!" Guilliman glared at Omegon. , hand resting on the end of the hilt of the short sword, "How many casualties did you originally want to cause in Macragge? What kind of war will you ignite? How many soldiers will be killed? What is the meaning of all this!"
"I I am selecting available people for you, Robert Guilliman." Omegon hissed Guilliman's name like a snake, "Is it acceptable to let those who are unable to serve you die later? ?”
"Nonsense, Omegon! What you are doing is ridiculous-"
"-You accuse me, Robert Guilliman." Omegon interrupted, "But who created us? ? Who sets our character and plans our future? Do you really think he knows nothing about my actions, Robert?"
"Have you told him your plans? "
"As an independent person, I have the right to act independently."
"How could the emperor understand your actions?" Robert unsheathed his sword and pressed it against Omi. Oka chest. Angron captured Omegon and forced him to accept Robert's wrath, even though Omegon had no intention of escaping.
"Our father knows everything like that." Omegon said softly, his chest rising and falling against the sharp edge of the dagger. "What is there that he doesn't know?"
Guilliman raised his sword and when When he saw the image reflected on the smooth blade, he suddenly froze, and the dagger almost fell from his fingers. His anger was instantly extinguished by the ice water, so that he could no longer put into words the large arguments he had planned.
He put away his sword silently, glanced at Omegon, raised his hand and punched him hard in the face, thereby extinguishing the remaining ashes of anger in his chest.
"How can he know everything?" Guilliman said, "The Emperor is not a god."
He turned to look at Angron: "May I ask Ms. Jotun to wake up? Are you done, my brother?”
"It wasn't there when I came," Angron said, "but her physical condition is healthy and stable. You can stay with her, and she may wake up."
"Okay, I'm very grateful. ." Guilliman replied, "I'll go see her."
After Robert Guilliman left, Omegon raised his head, and the scars on his face had gradually recovered. "Can I leave?" he asked.
Perturabo stood up. "I always thought Robert would beat you up, Omega. But he didn't. His kindness made him tolerate you."
"Yes." Omega responded vigilantly.
"So I decided to punch you into this wall for him. Angron, what do you think?"
"I'll close the door." Angron said.
——
"I will drive him out and drive away all his agents and spies. The Ultramarines will hunt them down and I will not let any of them go." Robert Geary Man sat beside Yudun's bed and spoke slowly. Conor Guilliman was at his side. Robert arranged all the government affairs after the war, so the consul was free to quietly take care of his chamberlain.
"Okay, Sir Robert." Yudun was half lying and half leaning on the bed, his voice was weak but clear. "You are already the actual leader of Macragge, and we all have to listen to you."
"Stop teasing me, madam."
Youton laughed: "I find you are very unhappy, Robert. Still wondering why Gloriosa betrayed you?"
"No. " Robert spat out a syllable.
He paused for a moment and looked down at his hands.
“I did not follow your teachings.”
"Tell me about it."
"Violence." Robert said, clenching his fists and speaking in a hard voice. The clean palms that should have been as flawless as marble carvings reflected the color of blood in his blue eyes.
“During the counter-insurgency campaign in Illyrium, I relied on peaceful negotiations to regain the land that had experienced repeated rebellions, and established a solid friendship with the chiefs through cultural exchanges. I made them sincerely respect me as a role model. , willing to serve Macragge."
"I was very proud of you, Robert," Yodon said, "I finally dared to report to Conor how well you did."
Robert shook his head, and countless pictures flashed before his eyes.
"After that, I have always been unconsciously walking on the road of conquest by force." Robert said, picking up the dagger on the table and putting it on his knees, pulling out half of the blade, and seeing half of his face on the cold steel surface. of reflection.
“Relying on the Battle of Osiris, I used my force and strategy to conquer my army. I killed three aliens with my bare hands in the Senate Chamber, and ordered the entire Parliament to kneel to me. Just now I had I wanted to use violence against my other brother to make him repent. I simply...didn't break away from my nature and the path my Creator had set for me. I gave in to my rage and defeated it. , to destroy, to burn all the enemies in front of me to ashes."
Tyrant. He heard Jialan's harsh voice echoing in his ears. The chaotic blood in the Senate Chamber seemed to be reflected on the dagger, and the broken light and shadow and the panicked crowd reappeared in every steel reflection. His pale face loomed over the image, unlike mortal blue eyes that encompassed everything. He saw himself. A monster that towered over Macragge. "In addition to using violence, I use my skills and play tricks of power. I use a few words of praise to encourage the legions who have sacrificed everything for me." Valentus's trembling Adam's apple and clenched teeth flashed in front of his eyes, "Use "A garden after death to pervert those noble souls, and establish a high-level administrative area for noble activities on the edge of the garden," the city planning drawings flashed by, "using hints and force to win the support of the wavering centrists," said the congressman Rikar fell to his knees with a plop, "pourring empty solace into the ears of the Macraggeans," and a carefully orchestrated line of sorrow and promise came over the radio...
"When I When I pointed this dagger at Omegon's chest, trying to impress upon him the cost of offending me, I suddenly remembered the hourglass in the council chamber."
"A month ago I turned over the hourglass, used it to calculate time, and rehearsed my speech. I can't wait to bring Macragge's culture and philosophy to my warriors, and convey my ideals into their hearts word for word. I wanted to share my thoughts with them about what discipline, order, peace and hope are.”
“But when I returned to the chamber, I found it had fallen to the ground, the glass was broken, and the grit was leaking out. . I..."
He took a deep breath and put the sword back into the scabbard. His fingers gripped the surface of the scabbard tightly, unable to say a single word.
“Give me the sword.” Yodon said.
Robert raised his head in confusion, hesitated, and handed the sword to Yuden.
The dagger of the Primarch was too huge for a mortal woman. The moment Jotun took the sword, he let the huge iron bar be held by his hand and pressed to his leg. She didn't pay attention, shook her head, and pushed the sword diagonally with difficulty to the other side of the bed.
The blade clattered to the ground and disappeared from Guilliman's sight.
“If you don’t want to hold the sword, throw it away.” said Eudon. “Don’t let a good sword tremble in your hand. You talk about yourself like a stupid kid who made a big mistake. , but I saw a noble leader, a true warrior."
"An empty-handed warrior?"
"Macragge never stipulated that a true warrior can only. Holding the sword." Yodon said, counting on his fingers, "In more than a month, you pacified Illyrium, defeated your brother, managed an army of deadly giants, and wiped out a group of horses. Kurag sounded like an alien that couldn't be beaten, and then he came back quickly, saved me, Connor, and the entire council, and solved the rebellion here. Oh my god, just listening to this, this young man's bones are... Started to protest loudly and loudly..."
"Ms. Euton!"
"Don't interrupt me, let me finish, Robert. The army is not all fools, the MPs are not all cowards, and the people are not crazy. They understand how many good things you have done. , how much sincerity there is in your words.”
“Rest when you are tired, do what you want to do, correct when you make a mistake, and laugh when you are happy. Robert Guilliman is you, not me. While staring at this sword and lamenting that you are not perfect, countless new buildings have been built in our control area in Ultramar!"
"Macragge never asked for a flawless one! We don’t expect to raise a contemplative person who will never be troubled by a stone statue.” Yudun said with a serious attitude that Robert had rarely seen. “We only hope that you will be satisfied with the path you have chosen, Robert.”
“But...”
"Have you not seen how many stupid things Conor has done over the years and how much scolding he has received? But you two still gave Macragge a new future. This is not determined by one failure or success. It is decades of work. The result. Macragge will always be here, Robert. Your home will always be here."
"By the way, Lord Archon, are you in a daze? ?”
“Huh?” Konor replied in confusion, then walked around the bed to Guilliman, took off the golden leaf laurel wreath from his head, and placed it in the sky. in hand.
"Stop calling me Archon, Lady Jotun." Conor patted Robert's arm hard, "I am currently without an official position. Remember to deal with today's official documents, Archon Robert Guilliman." As you said, after this disaster, everything is covered with dust, only one thing shines brighter..."
"Father! Did you also listen to that broadcast?"
< br>
"Of course," said Connor. "That was my boy's first public speech as Archon of Macragge."
——
"Oh, that's actually it." Morse said, and Pettu Rabbo sat together on the edge of Macragge's walls. The moonlight was hazy, and the fields stretched under the indigo night.
“Remember in the cave in Nuceria, we mentioned that neither Dorne nor Angron had to rush back to Terra? At that time, Malcador told me that there was an empire testing existing technology The opening of the webway within the range was suddenly touched. Malcador said at the time that it was a brief signal anomaly. For safety reasons, I think it is not appropriate to involve more Primarchs in the webway affairs before solving the mystery. Go."
"He didn't tell me," said Perturabo in disbelief.
"He didn't tell me," Morse said. "But when I met that guy at the market, I knew there had to be some connection. I chased Macado for a while and asked him a lot, which caused him a lot of questions. With official duties backlogged, Malcador finally confessed that a new Primarch had accidentally fallen into a remote, abandoned entrance to the Webway. Although the Primarch quickly left the Webway, the Prime Minister still managed to negotiate with him. Get in touch."
"Omegon."
"Yes, Omegon couldn't wait to hear about the existence of the Empire and Alpharius's great achievements in promoting the implementation of the Blood Game. Relying on his short-distance navigation ability and the navigator's third eye, he stumbled from one side of the galaxy to the other. The ship was also mixed with several worm-men who had chased him away. He was bound to make some mistakes in Macragge. The miraculous Primarch whose achievements are even greater than those of Alpharius. I highly doubt that he has unintentionally used other webways during this journey, which is unknown."
Perturabo. He shook the two hands that had just beaten Omegon: "Is he really my brother?"
"Unfortunately, he is." Morse said. "Just accept that you have a brother like this, Perturabo."
"You actually didn't want to get involved at first. So you have to follow us to fight in Osiris."
"Yes. The disputes between Omegon and other primarchs are not within the scope of my management. I am just a craftsman." Morse said.
"Then why did you..."
"Do you like those things?" Morse asked, changing his sitting position. "A ruler who was saved, a moving chess piece, an alien who was defeated miserably, a rebellion that caused chaos before it had time, thanks from a brother?"
Perturabo did not speak. After a few seconds, he suddenly stretched out his hand Hugged Morse.
Morse almost fell off the city wall.
"Do you like this?" asked Perturabo.
Morse cursed a string of ancient Terran curses that Perturabo could not understand. Then he switched back to Olympian.
"I don't know." he said angrily.
"Okay." Perturabo said, "Actually, I have been curious about something for a long time. In Macragge, you often mentioned civilization and culture. When Guilliman destroyed the Osiris aliens, you Asked him again. This brings me to the thing you emphasize most."
"Why do you always say that you are not human?"
"You are asking about my racial identity." Morse said, rarely thinking.
He looked down at Macragge City under the moon and suddenly smiled: "Okay, anyway, even if you reason it all out, I won't be the one who is embarrassed."
"I like to emphasize This is because I didn't know I was human from the beginning." He held on to the bricks of the city wall and sat up straighter. "I grew up among wolves and spent my childhood and adolescence with a stereotyped self-perception. When I later learned that I had to learn to be human, I was so unhappy."
"I spent almost the rest of my life learning human habits, changing moral concepts, and integrating. A huge crowd. I didn’t find it funny or happy and I didn’t understand why I had to wear a mask with a human face on it, and I still have my doubts about this misalignment in my upbringing.”
"You observe the evolution of race and culture from a perspective independent of species." Perturabo said, hiding his shock.
"Maybe." Morse had no expression. "However, in the process of observing alien civilization, I found that human civilization is generally more pleasing to the eye. Maybe this is because I was once physically a human being."
Perturabo stared at Morse. After a moment, before he could think long enough to disturb Morse, he spoke seriously: "Sounds a bit like Leman Russ. I mean growing up among wolves..."
"I don't want to say any more uncivilized words today, Perturabo." Morse laughed. "After all, I am more civilized than Russ."
"You are right. ” A small smile lit up Perturabo’s face.
"Okay, okay, stop staring at me. Let's joke around with someone else," Morse said. "You haven't asked about the relationship between Omegon and Alpharius."
"Aren't they my two brothers?"
"They are twins." Morse said , "Perhaps the influence of the Warp divided them, turning Alpharius Omegon into two Primarchs, and returned to the Empire at different times."
"Then Omegon is one Returned years ago. Where is Alpharius?" Perturabo suddenly discovered a blind spot, "I have never heard of him, but he obviously did not return to Terra not long ago."
"In fact. , he was the first Primarch to return to Terra," Morse said. "To be more precise, he never left Terra."
"Oh... what about Horus Luperkar?"
"Unfortunately, the First Son was the second Primarch to be brought home by the Emperor."
"But he is always proud of his status as the first to return..." Perturabo said, "And the Emperor didn't tell him that there was Alpharius before him?"
"Really? It's sad," Morse said. "Next time you meet him, remember to comfort him, kind-hearted Perturabo."
Perturabo's smile widened. "Yeah, it's really sad."
Have a day off tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)