Chapter 49: Omega: Traitors!
As an Inquisitor of the Imperium, Griffin had dealt with many Space Marines. Their demeanors varied—cold, reckless, fanatical, mysterious—but from all of them, he could sense a transcendent divinity, a calm composure that would not falter in the face of anything. They might feel anger, joy, or sorrow, but they would never be at a loss. They would always face whatever came their way.
Until a few days ago, when he saw Captain Ventris and his squad return from the settlement. They gave him the distinct impression that they had a massive headache...
He had initially thought the people of the settlement had been uncooperative, but Captain Ventris had handed him a supply list. Everything they needed was on it, and things they hadn't even asked for were on it too, including various gourmet ingredients: Fire Scorpion, Ant-Grox, and even fresh vegetables, though the names of the vegetables sounded highly unfriendly. At the end of the list were even some common medicines and an antidote for the "Plague of Unbelief." Griffin still remembered their conversation:
"Captain Ventris, this...?"
"Err... yes."
"Gourmet ingredients?"
"Yes."
"Vegetables?"
"...They taste quite good..."
"The antidote?"
"It should be genuine."
"The number of environmental suits?"
"Definitely enough. I went to their warehouse and saw for myself."
"Praise the Emperor!"
"..."
Griffin's thought: Aren't you going to say it too? Are you turning traitor?
This time, Inquisitor Griffin intended to see for himself what was in this settlement that could turn Space Marines into... that.
And then, from the view port of the Archmagos's airship, he saw a sea of armored vehicles, countless formations of fully armed infantry, and hundreds, perhaps thousands, of aerial vehicles circling in the sky. These armed forces had spelled out in High Gothic with banners or by their very formation: "A Warm Welcome to Archmagos Veyl. The Loyal Settlement is Forever Loyal to the Archmagos."
"(งᵒ̌皿ᵒ̌)ง⁼³₌₃ಠ︵ಠ凸(｀皿´)" Veyl let out a stream of unintelligible binary code.
The Manufactorum Magi: "..."
Ventris: "..."
The Space Marines: "..."
The Inquisitor: "..."
The Admiral: "..."
"Why haven't the Archmagos and the others come down yet?" Omega asked the Magi beside him, oblivious.
The Magi thought: They're scared of you...
Although the Magi had always known that Omega was managing the settlement well, they had no real concept of how well. Their minds were on the ruins. Their main impression of the settlement's strength came from the troops who were fighting Orks and hunting underground.
(Omega: Are you kidding me? That's just training, a rotation. The others, of course, have to work in the factories. Otherwise, they'd get bored and cause trouble. Don't the worn-out parts need to be replaced? The unused weapons and vehicles are, of course, locked in the warehouses. Do you know how much effort it took me to clear out a few hundred kilometers of territory?)
According to the Magi's original plan, they would show their loyalty, display their assets, the Archmagos would be suitably impressed, and they would bow in submission. Who knew that this little brat was more of a hoarder than a hamster? It turned out that what they had seen was just the tip of the iceberg. The big stuff had been locked away in the warehouses by this kid.
(Omega: That's going too far! Didn't we agree on 'every citizen a soldier'? Don't you know how many people are in this settlement? Just do the math and you'll know how many armed vehicles they need! Err... maybe you don't know. I don't think I ever reported it to you. But, facts aside, aren't you at fault at all?)
Now, Omega had, at the Magi's request, put on a welcome of the highest honor for the Archmagos. But to anyone of high status, other than himself, it looked like an armed demonstration.
"Archmagos Veyl, we should go down..." Ventris said, feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt. He didn't know why he was using a placating tone; the settlement had been very cooperative with them.
"Go down?" Veyl's tone was like that of a noble lady being forced into a common brothel.
"Let's go down, Archmagos," Inquisitor Griffin also urged.
Admiral Alaric, as an Imperial noble and a man of the world, said the most appropriate thing: "We've already come all this way. Can we really go back?"
"Fine..." Veyl, the thousand-year-old man-child, finally relented and chose to face reality.
As the Archmagos's airship landed in the designated area and he stepped out of the cabin, he saw a small figure whose features were eighty percent similar to his own before his modifications, greeting him with the same warm smile he had often used to fool people in his youth.
Compared to Veyl's mechanical body, Omega's size could indeed be described as "tiny." Seeing the Archmagos disembark, he quickly ran forward and performed the highest-grade Sign of the Cog. "We welcome your arrival, representative of the Omnissiah, builder of Teyedan, leader of all the people here, the great Fabricator-General Veyl."
Veyl's thought: So this is the child. He does look a lot like me.
"Let us cheer for the arrival of Archmagos Veyl!" Omega's voice spread through the comms network to the hundreds of thousands of people present. A volcanic eruption of cheers shook the sky, far grander than the one for Ventris. For some reason, the Captain of the 4th Company was glad that this cheer was not for him. Perhaps it was because the last time had left such a bad taste in his mouth.
The people accompanying Veyl were no ordinary individuals. They were all experienced military commanders, including the Manufactorum Magi, who had had their fair share of battles with xenos and heretics. They could all see that these hundreds of thousands of people were not just well-equipped; their organization was also exceptional. And in an army, organization often equates to combat effectiveness.
"Alright, that's enough." Veyl spoke, his voice also transmitted through the comms network. The technology was as simple as blinking for an Archmagos like him. But the cheering continued, as if no one had heard him.
Veyl: (╬◣д◢)
The entourage: ...
Omega's thought: Hey, hey! You're putting me on the spot! Don't you have any sense?
"Silence!" Omega commanded.
The scene fell silent.
Veyl: ⊙∀⊙! Is this kid trying to show me up? How dare he?
Omega: ⊙ω⊙ I'm just a child, I don't know anything. Magi, save me!
Omega and Veyl, the big and the small, the machine and the man, one scrutinizing, the other awkward. Just as Omega was at a loss, the Magi behind him finally made a move.
"Archmagos," one of them said, "listen to our explanation! Everyone here listens to Omega! It has nothing to do with us!"
"They're all his men! We can't command them!" another added.
The other Magi also began to "sell out" Omega.
"The weapons and equipment were also invented and modified by Omega!"
"The workers were also organized and trained by him."
"They are devoted to Omega."
"They are loyal to Omega."
"They obey Omega's every command."
"They would go through fire and water for Omega."
Omega's thought: Hey, you damn cog-heads! You sold me out so easily!
Omega looked helplessly at Magos Laust. But Laust just looked at him and said, "I can testify to all of this!"
o(▼皿▼メ;)o Omega.
Veyl's party looked at the absurd scene before them, speechless. But they had no time for that now, because the soldiers, sensing that something was wrong, had begun to aim their weapons at them.
"That's going too far, Magi! How can you push everything onto a child like me?" Omega roared at the "traitor" Magi. He felt as if his trust had been fed to the dogs.
"Which of the things we said was not done by you?"
"..." Omega.
"Was anything we said false?"
Omega changed the subject. "Didn't we have a plan?"
"It's all because you're too good at making trouble!"
"Nonsense! I'm the most honest one here! And Magos Laust, you are a great disappointment!"
Laust gave Omega a sharp glare and said gruffly, "Go and confess to the Archmagos. And tell them to lower their weapons!!"
"What weapons? Magos, don't you... what are you all trying to do?! Lower your weapons! Do you want to kill me too?"
Reminded by Laust, Omega finally noticed the tense standoff. He had been so angry at the Magi's betrayal that he hadn't noticed, too busy arguing with them. This was the first time since his reincarnation that he had lost his composure so completely. How could they all betray him at once? The feeling of betrayal was terrible.
Let's rewind to an hour ago. Reluctantly putting down their "archeologist's shovels," the Magi were fuming. Of all the times, he had to come right when they were about to "open the door." They had gotten used to leaving everything other than archeology to Omega, and he had always done a good job.
But this time, when they returned to the surface and saw the "grand formation" Omega had prepared, they knew they were doomed. This wasn't a show of loyalty; people would believe it if you told them he was forcing the Archmagos to abdicate. Of course, no one would believe he would succeed, but it was the attitude that was deadly.
The original plan: Archmagos, we are loyal and useful.
The reality: Veyl, you old dog, do you see how sharp my sword is?
As for why they hadn't communicated with Omega, it was because by the time they came up, the Archmagos's airship was already hovering on the horizon. From its flight path and speed, it was clear that the airship was hesitant...
The Magi were afraid that any move on their part would scare the airship away. As long as the Archmagos landed, even if they had to kneel a little more thoroughly, things wouldn't be too bad, even if it didn't go as planned. But who could have predicted what would happen next...
After Omega's "Can't you hear? The Archmagos told you to stop" incident, the Magi had a quick huddle. They calculated that the probability of the Archmagos ordering an orbital bombardment on them upon his return was 50%. The other 50% was that he would let them die at the hands of Chaos. In short: they had to die. Otherwise, Archmagos Veyl wouldn't be able to sleep at night.