Chapter 28: All Fear Can Be Overcome with Firepower
"Magos Andrei, come take a look! Is this from your Squig?"
Omega, piloting his exosuit, crouched in front of a giant mushroom that was a head taller than his normal height and gestured for Andrei to come forward. Perhaps it was the thrill of a first expedition, or perhaps it was the playful nature of the child within Omega's body, but he was currently excited and happy, without a hint of nervousness.
Andrei shuffled forward, as if afraid to face reality. It was only after he got closer and observed it carefully that he let out a sigh of relief. "No, no. I told you it wasn't."
"Oh."
Omega's tone seemed to carry a hint of disappointment. Andrei thought he might be imagining it; the events of the past few days had left his nerves frayed.
Just then, Louis's voice came over the comms. "Omega, we've found traces of the Fire Scorpions over here."
"Alright, we're on our way."
Descending into the well, they found that the "fissure" was less a crack and more a cavern that sloped downwards. The narrowest part of the passage they were currently exploring was still several hundred meters wide and nearly a hundred meters high, with wider sections being several times that.
As they made their way towards Louis and Rhea, they could see scattered patches of bioluminescent moss and mushrooms. Occasionally, they would spot a plant that was clearly up to no good. Why? What kind of respectable plant "moves" and has "teeth"?
The first rule of their expedition was established: stay far away from all plants. One unlucky soul, out of curiosity, had touched a "vine" clinging to a rock wall and was immediately constricted. If it weren't for the monomolecular combat knife of his companion, he would have lost more than just a few ribs.
"Louis, what's the situation?"
"From the tracks, the Fire Scorpions came from this direction."
"Isn't this a channel carved out by the wastewater flow?"
"Yes. They originally lived downstream of this wastewater river. Our current position could be considered the upstream, or the source."
Omega thought for a moment and began to assign tasks. Rhea, Andrei, and half the workers would stay here and use flamers to clear all life, creating a safe zone. He, Louis, and the other half of the workers would continue to explore downstream. Before they split up, Omega gave his rosarius and refractor belt to Louis and Andrei. Rhea didn't need them; her father had already armed her to the teeth.
Omega pulling out two precious defensive items made Andrei's teeth ache. He'd heard Omega was rich, but he hadn't realized he was this rich. Louis and Rhea, who already knew, had no reaction. However, looking at Rhea's servo-skull, Louis thought that perhaps he should also look for some "scrap" for Omega to help him with. Knowing Omega, he certainly wouldn't refuse.
The downstream exploration team was not idle. Although they didn't encounter any giant creatures like the Fire Scorpions, they saw plenty of bizarre flora and fauna. For example, a plant that looked like a vine growing on the sides of a rock pillar. The moment someone passed by, the entire vine dissolved into a cloud of airborne spores. Luckily, they were all wearing fully sealed environmental suits and air purifiers; otherwise, who knew what would have happened if those spores had touched them?
After that encounter, Omega issued a new order: any plant that appeared within their line of sight was to be crippled with a hot-shot volley gun from a distance, then incinerated with a flamer up close. He would level these "monsters" with firepower.
Another example: Omega, feeling playful, took a shot at a small puddle of wastewater. A translucent, gelatinous mass immediately oozed out, shrieking, and lunged at him. A terrified Omega gave it a plasma blast. To die by a weapon meant for vehicles, that unknown blob could be considered to have died a worthy death.
After this encounter, Omega issued an order to cripple any creature that appeared within their line of sight with a hot-shot volley gun from a distance, then incinerate it with a flamer up close. He would level these "monsters" with firepower. (Why does that sound so familiar?)
Omega, the Destroyer of Cavern Ecosystems, the Human Extinction Order, now profoundly understood the meaning of the phrase "all fear comes from a lack of firepower." He also came to a new realization: "All fear can be overcome with firepower. If you can't overcome it, it just means you don't have enough."
And right now, he was very afraid. He needed to go back and get more firepower. He would drag every cannon out of the warehouse. He would drag every idle worker down here. They were just sitting around anyway. Were all those environmental suits, all those guns, all those cannons in the warehouse just going to sit there and gather rust? He had to find a hunting ground, and fast. Who had time to play games with these "little monsters"?
"Everyone, halt! We're heading back!" Omega commanded.
"Omega, why? Everyone still has plenty of energy," Louis asked, confused.
"The efficiency is too low," Omega said urgently. "We don't have time to play games with the creatures here."
Louis knew that the "Sword of Damocles" of the food crisis would fall soon, but he was also worried that Omega would make a mistake under pressure and put himself in danger. He knew Omega was brilliant, but he also knew he had a childish side. "Omega," he counseled, "you don't have to put all this pressure on yourself. It's our collective responsibility. It's precisely because this ecosystem is so dangerous that we need to be calm and careful, to find a way to survive here safely."
Omega's thought: What are you talking about? What pressure? I just want to go back and get more cannons and more people...
But he could see Louis's good intentions. He smiled. "Don't worry, I just want to go back and make some more preparations."
"Good. I was just worried you were under too much pressure."
"No, I'm fine. And I've already found a safe and fast method."
"Really? What is it?"
"Why should we try to understand this ecosystem and its creatures? What we need to do is completely destroy it!"
"Huh?"
Returning to the discharge well without incident, the first thing Omega did was report his plan to Magos Laust. He had to; he couldn't open the warehouse doors without the Magos's approval. Fortunately, after some calculations, Laust deemed the plan feasible. Although there would inevitably be casualties, the price was acceptable.
With Laust's approval, Omega used the district's broadcast system to gather all the idle workers.
"I've called you all here today to tell you one thing you already know, and one thing you don't."
"The thing you all know is that in a short time, we will all starve to death!"
The crowd immediately began to stir. Some, who had been deluding themselves with a sliver of hope, were on the verge of collapse. This time, Omega didn't dare to do the "knock them down to build them up" routine; he was afraid it would backfire.
"But I have found a way for you to live! A dangerous way to live!"
"Now I ask you, do you want to live?! Answer me! Do you want to live?!"
"YES!"
"I can't die! Thor is still young! He can't be without his mother!"
"I want to live! I want to live!"
"Good! Quiet down! From now on, you will all follow my orders. I don't want to hear 'why.' You just have to follow my commands, and I will lead you to survival! Understood?! Answer me!"
"Understood! We'll all listen to Priest Omega!"
"Now, all foremen, take a headcount of your people and report to me."
After years of working on the Forge World, the "most humble cogs of the Omnissiah," after days of idleness, began to turn in unison once more under Omega's command.
Personnel were reassigned, supplies were distributed, and the entire district was mobilized under Omega's direction. Some priests were called in to disassemble and reassemble machinery. Every person was a cog, and any lack of fit between the cogs was smoothed out by Omega. Weapons were distributed from the warehouses, vehicles were dismantled, lascannons were dragged out, and power packs were transported. The well opening was demolished, the passage was widened, and the ground was leveled.
Praise the Omnissiah for giving Omega a brain capable of multi-threaded thought, an intellect beyond the norm, and a body of adamantium. Otherwise, he would never have been able to handle so many tasks. But all this did not pressure him; instead, it energized him. It was as if the ignited flames of survival were being drawn from the workers by his commands and channeled into him, setting him ablaze as well.
(He'd had a few too many "little green pills." He was hyped.)
"Fire!" With a wave of Omega's arm, a hundred cannons roared behind him.
"Lasgun volley!"
"Machine gun sweep! Clear a safe corridor!"
"Flamer teams, advance!"
Leading his worker "legion" underground, Omega carved a path of destruction, a god of war against the subterranean horrors. His orders to the "legion" were simple:
Fire at anything that isn't human. Even if it's just a rock or a puddle of water. If you feel even the slightest bit uneasy, open fire!
The priests who had come to watch and help were stunned. They looked at the war-crazed Omega on the front lines and felt that perhaps the other side of the planet was a more suitable place for him.
"I can't believe it!"
"Who could have seen this coming? Magos Louis, you know Omega best. Did you see this coming?"
Louis threw up his hands. "Don't ask me. The moment Omega told me, 'We're not adapting to the ecosystem, we're destroying it,' I knew I didn't understand him at all."
"I think the Genetor Order would really appreciate Omega. Listen to his pre-battle speech to the workers: 'All fear comes from a lack of firepower, and all fear can be overcome with firepower!'"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. This is really something. I've seen a lasgun volley, but this is the first time I've seen a lascannon volley. How many Fire Scorpions was that just now?"
"The twelfth. And about twenty-something Grox-beasts. Not only will we not starve, but we'll also be eating meat."