Chapter 48: The "True Son"
"Sir, are you here to protect us?"
"Of course, child. Now, if you'll just..."
"Sir, I'm scared of those stinky things."
"Of course, you're still young. Now, if you'll just..."
"Sir, I'm very brave, you know."
"Of course, child. Now, if you'll just..."
"Sir, if you need me, I can fight those stinky things with you."
"No, no, that won't be necessary. Your courage is admirable. Now, if you'll just..."
"Sir, are you sure you don't need us?"
"No, I'm sure. Now, if you'll just..."
"Sir, are you really..."
"Really. I give you my word of honor. Now, you..."
Having achieved his goal, Omega decisively let go of the leg and looked up with an innocent expression at the Primaris Space Marine who was nearly two meters taller than him.
Although it was the first time Captain Ventris had had his leg hugged, he was beginning to realize that there was something not quite right about this child. He seemed to have misspoken earlier, but no matter. He wasn't one to be flustered by such a despicable little trick. He had plenty of ways to turn a disadvantage into an advantage. At the same time, his contempt for the Magos leading this settlement grew.
Ventris lifted Omega and placed him on his shoulder, not minding in the least that the soles of Omega's boots were touching his power armor, which he valued as much as his own life.
His action elicited a tsunami of cheers from the surrounding crowd, an effect that surprised even Ventris himself. He had not expected his first step in winning over the populace to be met with such an enthusiastic response.
He carried Omega towards the Tech-Priests. However, he was puzzled to see that the priests all seemed to be trying very hard to suppress something. But no matter. He was a Captain of the 4th Company of the Ultramarines. The wisdom of his gene-father flowed in his veins. He was confident he could handle any unknown situation.
"I am Captain Uriel Ventris of the Ultramarines 4th Company."
"Sir, my name is Omega," Omega whispered in Ventris's ear.
The Captain thought: Adults are speaking. Children should be quiet.
"Alright, Omega. Sit still and don't move. It's dangerous if you fall."
"Oh."
Ventris continued to address the priests. "I have been tasked to come to Teyedan to cleanse the plague zombie hordes. I now require your assistance."
The Tech-Priests just stared at him... at Omega on his shoulder. They said nothing.
Ventris thought: The local priests are exceedingly rude!
"I need to see your leader."
"Sir, you've already met him," Omega whispered again.
Ventris ignored Omega and put him down. He was getting annoyed with this little brat. Seeing the priests still unresponsive, he said in a stern tone, "I said, I need to see your leader!"
"But you've already met him!" Omega replied.
The Captain was getting angry. He hadn't wanted to take a hard line, but the evasive Magos, the indifferent priests, and the chattering little brat... he didn't feel a shred of goodwill. It seemed his initial optimism had been misplaced. "Then where is he? Answer me, Omega!"
"It's me!"
"Hah, your youth is not an..." Ventris's words were cut short. He saw Omega raise a hand and make a silencing gesture to the crowd. The cheering immediately stopped.
Ventris thought: Something is not right...
Omega took out a comms unit, and his voice boomed through the plaza's audio array. "Everyone, disperse. I have matters to discuss with the Captain!"
The crowd replied in unison, "As you command, Priest Omega."
Clang!
Ventris heard something drop. He turned to see that it was the chainsword of his young battle-brother, which had fallen to the ground. He understood this un-Space-Marine-like behavior. He wished he had also had a "lapse" and dropped this little brat on his head.
Inside the Mechanicus temple, the two sides stared at each other in silence. On one side was Omega and the priests behind him. On the other was Ventris and the Space Marines behind him. The silence had lasted for some time. To be precise, Ventris had not spoken a word since Omega's identity had been confirmed.
"Captain Ventris, what is your purpose in coming here?" Omega broke the silence with a disingenuous question.
Ventris thought: To drop you on your head, you little brat.
"The situation on Teyedan is critical. We have come to seek aid."
Ventris, who had just given his word of honor that he would not let Omega fight the plague zombies, was now on the back foot. He had to adjust his attitude and lower his posture to ask for help.
Omega had no intention of staying out of it. From the day he had seen the plague zombies, he had known that a battle with Chaos was unavoidable. The Archmagos could run, but they couldn't. Since it was unavoidable, how they participated in this battle was of the utmost importance. He was certainly not willing to hand over command of the forces he had worked so hard to build. And not just him; the "Worker-Soldiers" wouldn't be willing either. When your own life is on the line, who would trust a stranger? Hence the performance in the plaza. Omega's "Worker-Soldiers" were all old actors.
Hearing the Space Marine's polite request, Omega said cheerfully, "Of course, no problem. It is our duty."
Ventris thought: This easy?
"However..."
Ventris thought: I knew this cunning little brat wouldn't agree so easily.
"Our strength here is limited. The assistance we can provide may not meet your expectations."
"I understand."
Omega knew he couldn't be the first to bring up the matter of command. Whoever spoke first would be on the defensive, and how could you bargain from a defensive position? So he said, "So, Captain Ventris, what do you need us to do?"
"Mainly, we hope you can provide some supplies."
"Err..." Omega hadn't expected the Space Marine Captain to have come all this way just to ask for supplies. Suddenly, the Captain seemed a little less impressive.
Ventris, who had been fighting in the galaxy for centuries, could see from Omega's reaction that he had asked for too little. Far too little. But his skin, both biological and psychological, was thick enough. "In fact, the fighting on the front lines is very difficult. The radiation and the plague have caused very high casualties. The soldiers' morale is low, and our progress is far behind the original battle plan."
Omega's thought: Are all Ultramarines this flexible? Having a Primarch who's good at politics really makes a difference.
Regent Guilliman: Isn't face just something you drop on the ground and then pick back up?
"Captain Ventris, we will do our best to help. But there is one problem that we need you to solve for us."
"Please, speak."
"We are the priests and workers of a Forge World."
Ventris understood Omega's subtext: Don't give me this empty talk. If you want us to really put in the effort, you need to go to the Fabricator-General and put in a good word for us.
Since he wouldn't be the one handing out the rewards, Ventris answered with a resounding, "No problem."
No one had expected that less than a day after Ventris returned, a message would come back. Veyl, that old fox, was planning to come in person. The Magi hadn't expected it, and neither had Omega. Upon receiving the news, Omega rushed to the Magi to discuss their strategy.
"Magos Laust, what is the Archmagos thinking?"
"Who knows. You can't think of Veyl as a typical Tech-Priest."
"Oh? Then how should I think of him?"
"He's more like a noble, a merchant, a politician."
"..."
"Loyal, vain, profit-driven, and opportunistic."
"The Archmagos is a complex man."
"So this time, we must let Veyl know our strength. We must let him know that he needs us now."
"Understood, Magos. We will prepare a grand welcoming ceremony for the Archmagos. We will make the settlement resound with his name. We will have the legion hold a military parade. We will show the Archmagos that we are loyal, united, and strong!"
"That's right. The stronger we appear, the more reluctant the Archmagos will be to expend us in the war with Chaos. Because any loss to us now is a loss to his own strength in the long run."
"Don't worry, Magos. I'll be sure to give the Archmagos a surprise this time."
The Archmagos's thoughts were not as complex as the Magi imagined. He had just heard from Ventris that the little settlement he had paid little attention to had actually preserved a decent amount of strength. He certainly didn't appreciate such a scheming faction, but in Teyedan's current state, having them was better than not having them. In a way, they had preserved a sliver of Teyedan's vitality. It was just a trip. He wasn't like the others, who liked to spend all their time in a lab.
There was another reason: his "illegitimate son." A few foolish Magi had actually taken that rumor seriously and had even propped up that "illegitimate son" as their figurehead leader. It was laughable. This time, he would expose the lie and give those fools a good rap on the knuckles. As for the "illegitimate son," he would let him be. He was an innocent child, after all. The Archmagos had originally planned to punish him, but after looking at the boy's birth records, he found that he was, in fact, of his own bloodline. This made Veyl feel as if the Omnissiah had played a great joke on him.
He'd heard that the boy was a particularly good businessman for his age, having already made a small fortune off the apprentices before the war. The Archmagos, while feeling a headache coming on, couldn't help but sigh at his own "strong bloodline." So he had decided not to deal with the child. He would clear his own name and give the child the freedom not to be used as a pawn. He believed that with the "strong" talent he had inherited, the child would surely be able to carve out a great career for himself.
(If that's not fatherly love, what is?)
The day of the Archmagos's arrival came quickly. Accompanying him were the Magi of the Grand Manufactorum, the Captain of the Ultramarines 4th Company, the Inquisitor, and the Admiral of the Navy. These were all people the Archmagos had invited to witness the event. Since he was going to clear his name, he needed witnesses of sufficient weight.