Chapter 27: Omega is a Little Too Well-Rounded
A Greenskin's life is simple: eat, fight, WAAAGH!, scavenge junk—repeat. All four of these things bring Greenskins immense joy.
How does one acquire such simple and happy creatures? It's also quite simple. Find a somewhat damp place, sprinkle some dead Greenskin scraps, and next year, you'll have a mob of Boyz who will happily twist your head off for fun, while other Greenskin-oid creatures tear at and play with what's left of you.
And don't for a moment doubt that the Boyz can beat you. As long as you don't kill them all at once and then dig up and burn the mushroom-infested ground, the Boyz will grow back. They'll start thinking up all sorts of particularly "WAAAGH!"-worthy weapons, from small rocks to planet-smashers, guaranteed to give you a "WAAAGH!" until you're satisfied, until you're dead—in short, "satisfied to death!"
The plan, now dubbed "Subterranean Exploration," was ultimately approved by a vote of all the priests. They just wanted a hunting ground for food and a temporary shelter, not a long-term residence. Even if there were Greenskins, dealing with them was someone else's problem.
An exploration team was formed, consisting of elite priests and workers. Their mission was to scout the subterranean conditions and find a suitable location for a settlement. The team roster was as follows:
Priests:
Omega – Team Leader
Louis – Biologist
Rhea – Apothecary/Genetor
Andrei – Xenologist (the one who'd tossed in the Squig)
Armed Workers:
5 squads, 10 men per squad, totaling 50 men. Composed of strong, healthy workers proficient with firearms.
In front of the discharge well building, Omega stood before the square formation of armed workers. He operated his exosuit to raise a simple sheet-metal megaphone to his mouth. (Omega insisted that using a metal megaphone for a speech just felt right.)
"Today, we are going down into the fissure below this well. You all know the reason why, but I will tell you again: there is not enough food for everyone!"
The scene was silent. All fifty men stared at the "little priest" before them.
"I don't care what you call me in your hearts, but I will say this: before we discovered this well, I had already suggested to the other priests that we only protect the underage. Most of the people in this district, including all of you, had already been abandoned by me!"
Still, no one spoke, no one questioned. They just stared silently at Omega.
Omega's thought: What is this reaction? Aren't you going to cause a commotion, shout some profanities? How am I supposed to do the whole "knock them down to build them up" thing if you don't cooperate?
"I said, you and your families have been abandoned by me! Do you hear me?!"
Still no one spoke. Omega was getting confused. He randomly pointed at one of the workers. "Don't you have anything to say?"
"No, honored Priest Omega!"
Hmm? Is this how they train people on a Forge World?
"Don't you feel angry? Don't you feel furious?" Omega asked, genuinely puzzled.
The worker was taken aback by the question. He scratched his head. "Err... no."
"Why?"
"Priest Omega, I ate the canned meat and sweetener you gave my little sister. My sister says you're the priest who cares about us the most, that you're a good person with a kind heart. Everyone in the district says you're a good priest. If even you think we're beyond saving, then we're truly beyond saving. I can die, as long as my sister can live. She's smarter than me; she can become a cog for the Omnissiah in the future."
"Do you all think this way?"
"Yes, yes. There's a war going on outside. We hear priests are dying in droves. What hope is there for us laborers?"
"It's worth it to be comfortable for this short time before we die."
"That's right. I've even put on some weight."
"My boy has brought home canned meat several times, all from Priest Omega. I had one can... that taste! It's worth dying for! We have to thank you for that, Priest Omega."
Omega's thought: Your lack of cooperation is making this very difficult for me. The radioactive dust is a bit thick today; it's getting in my eyes.
"What's your sister's name?"
"My sister's name is Anne."
Anne, huh? From now on, I won't hold it against her that she's grown a dozen centimeters taller than me in the past two years.
"Alright, quiet down," Omega said, silencing the chattering workers. "Although I, and even you yourselves, had given up on you, the Omnissiah has not abandoned you!" Omega signaled to Louis and Andrei, who rolled out a prepared food cart. "Remember the monsters we killed the other day?"
"Yes!" the workers roared in unison.
"Those creatures are called Fire Scorpions. They are a very, very valuable food source. That's right, they are edible!"
Food! A chance to live!
"I know they are terrifying, they are dangerous. But you are no longer afraid of death, so why would you be afraid of them? Are you afraid?!"
"Kill them!"
"If we kill them, our mothers and fathers can live!"
"Ada, we don't have to die!"
The thought of food ignited the workers' will to survive. They were like embers, slowly dying out for lack of air. Omega's words were the blast of oxygen into the furnace, causing the flames of their lives to roar back to life.
Beyond the material realm, in the Warp, this reignited will to survive attracted a group of mischievous, happy, and playful Nurgle daemons—Nurglings. They were the most numerous of the Plaguefather's beloved children. Even their appearance was designed to please the Lord of Plagues, for each was a miniature replica of Nurgle himself. Like their father, they were drawn to the emotion of "life" and the souls associated with it. They wanted to share the plagues within them with these people who wanted to live, to have them join their great family and play in the Plaguefather's garden. But their power was too small, and the veil between the material and the Warp prevented them from doing so. They could only spin in circles in frustration.
They spun and spun around the souls of the workers. One unlucky Nurgling tripped and fell onto the "Egg of Omega," which none of them had noticed, and vanished without a trace. Even with one of them missing, the other Nurglings didn't notice. They just kept spinning and spinning, until a third of them were gone. Only then did they realize something was "eating" their companions. They fled back to the "garden" in terror to tattle to the Great Unclean Ones. But the Great Unclean Ones weren't concerned. This sort of thing had happened many times before. They knew these "cute and mischievous" Nurglings all too well. They must have wandered out of the Plaguefather's domain to play again. They had been warned many times that it was dangerous outside, that their father had enemies. But they were just too mischievous. If you couldn't control them, you just had to let them be. Who could blame them for being so cute? They would just feed the frightened little ones with the pus from their own pustules to comfort them.
Back in the material universe, Omega pointed to the food cart. "This is the meat of the Fire Scorpion. Today, each of you can try a piece. I'll tell you, I once ate a piece of Ant-Grox meat, which is just as valuable as Fire Scorpion, and it cost me two months' worth of Gears!"
"Hiss, that expensive!"
"My word, how many Gears does a priest make in two months!"
"I-I-I can't eat this. This meat is worth more than my life."
"I never thought old Tom would ever eat something I wouldn't even dare to dream of."
"Where is that thing called a Fire Scorpion? I'll kill it! I'll kill it!"
"Mama, I've made it..."
Omega was exaggerating a little. The expensive part of that meal had been the "service" and the "performance." But Fire Scorpion meat was indeed not cheap. A minor noble might not get the chance to eat it more than a few times in their entire life. He had specially requested this batch of steaks from Magos Laust and had asked the chef-priest to prepare them. The purpose was to show the armed workers that even the most terrifying creature, if edible, was just an ingredient.
"Alright, line up, one by one. If we hunt successfully today, I promise you can each bring a portion home to your families. How about that?"
"RAAAGH! I'll kill them!"
"KILL THEM!"
"KILL THEM!"
After eating the meat, a third of the armed workers were crying, a third were fanatically energized, and a third had a "live or die, just fight" attitude. Never mind the elite Astra Militarum-grade weapons and armor they now carried; if Omega had given them each a wooden stick, they would have charged the Fire Scorpions without hesitation.
Behind Omega, Rhea, Louis, and Andrei watched the scene unfold. They discussed it in hushed tones.
"It's a shame Omega didn't join the Schola Progenium."
"The Imperium lost an excellent Commissar."
"I agree. I didn't understand why we had to prepare the steaks at first. I even argued that it was a pointless waste. Now I understand."
"They are no longer workers. They are soldiers. They would die for Omega with just a single word."
"Omega is a little too well-rounded."
"A little too well-rounded."
The pre-battle rally was a resounding success. With a wave of his small hand, Omega sent four servo-skulls to scout ahead. The "army" followed, with Omega and the other priests protected in the center.
It was no wonder leaders loved to give speeches. Omega, giving his first one, felt great. Not only was he full of energy, but his body was also warm, a comfortable feeling seeping out from his very bones. He felt like he was on drugs. He was, in fact, on a "few little green pills," though he didn't know it himself. The effects of these "little green pills" would become apparent later.
Each of them was now equipped with a servo-skull. One was Rhea's (repaired by Omega), and two were sponsored by Magos Laust. Using them for reconnaissance was much more reliable than sending the inexperienced exploration team in blind.
Soon, they reached the place where Omega had previously discovered the mushrooms.