Chapter 115: Omega's Arms Supermarket - Greenskin Branch
A little over a year had passed. Under Omega's micromanagement, the Greenskins had had a very satisfying WAAAGH!, but a strong earthquake had changed things.
The earthquake had once again brought the high command of Korsa together. The T'au had also been invited to the meeting. This time, they had only one topic of discussion: Hive Fleet Gorgon.
"Everyone," Inquisitor Fenni, the convener and moderator of the meeting, said to the humans and T'au present, "Hive Fleet Gorgon has locked onto this location. We don't have much time left."
Hearing this, the tense atmosphere between the humans and the T'au suddenly eased. They knew that a more terrible enemy was coming. But some still had questions.
"Inquisitor Fenni, how do you know that Gorgon has locked onto this location?" a Fire Caste T'au asked.
"Over a year ago, I used my psychic powers to predict Gorgon's arrival time," the Inquisitor explained. "But considering the accuracy of psychic predictions, I did not make it public. The reason I am telling you now is because of this earthquake. It has confirmed my prediction."
"Psychic powers? A prediction?"
"I know you have doubts about psychic predictions. Now, I would like to invite Magos Omega to give you a more scientific explanation."
The Inquisitor made a gesture of invitation. Omega nodded, stood up, and walked to the podium. He bowed to the audience, and both the humans and the T'au returned the bow. "Everyone, it is well known that the Tyranids rely on gravity for their FTL travel. There is a special unit in the hive fleet, the Narvhal, which can sense a wide spectrum of gravitational signals and then use the gravity of a star system to create a compressed space corridor. It is like spitting a silk thread towards the target star system, and then all the Tyranid bio-ships slide quickly along this thread. But the action of a force is mutual, and so is gravity. So this method of manipulating a star system's gravity will cause frequent earthquakes, solar flares, tides, or other natural disasters in the target star system. These are all manifestations of gravity being interfered with by an external force. If it were just an earthquake on Korsa, it would not be enough to be evidence of Gorgon's impending arrival. But I have also detected violent crustal movements on the other two planets. And according to my observation of the Korsa star, its activity is also abnormal. All of this corroborates the Inquisitor's prediction."
As Omega explained, the holographic projection behind him was also playing the relevant detection records. In fact, the moment the Inquisitor had invited Omega to speak, the people on the scene no longer had any doubts. They were all well aware of this Tech-Magos's talent and all that he had done.
"Inquisitor Fenni, how much time is left until your predicted time?"
"Ten months!"
Hearing that they still had ten months to prepare, the commanders' tense hearts relaxed a little. This was enough time for them to complete the construction and refinement of the defensive fortresses. But just then, Omega spoke again, and gave them a blow. "Everyone, don't think we still have time. Don't forget that before we face Hive Fleet Gorgon, we will have to fight a war without smoke against the natural disasters it will cause. Frequent earthquakes will slow down our construction speed, and may even directly cause the destruction of our fortifications!"
Omega's words made the atmosphere tense again. The audience began to discuss among themselves. Some frowned. In the face of the power of nature, no one dared to be careless. After the noise had continued for some time, Omega knocked on the wooden gavel on the podium, signaling that he had something to say. After it was quiet, he said, "Considering that we don't have much time left, I have a proposal. I'd like to hear your thoughts."
"Magos Omega, please speak."
"I also want to increase the stimulation of the Greenskins, to provide them with more advanced weapons, to further unleash their war potential."
Although there were some twists and turns, Omega's proposal was eventually passed. The humans and the T'au also reached a consensus. In the next ten months, they would first set aside their wariness of each other and turn their attention to the Greenskins, to prevent them from getting out of control.
The day after the meeting, Omega's Battle Automata appeared in the most intense area of the battle between the Snakebites and the Blood Axes. After killing the Greenskin Boyz who had dared to WAAAGH! up to them, the "Omega's Arms Supermarket - Greenskin Branch" officially opened for business.
"Boss, what're you thinkin'?" Tough Beast asked Omega's holographic image.
Omega, who was in the middle of assembling a Greenskin-style power choppa, said without looking up, "You're not WAAAGH!-ing hard enough. When the bugs come, you'll just be bug food. I'm here to teach you how to be more WAAAGH!"
"Wot?"
"Tough Beast, don't worry. I won't interfere with your decisions. You can still do whatever you want. But I won't help you anymore."
Tough Beast, not giving up, continued, "But boss, I'm workin' for you. How can you sell weapons to those Snakebite bumpkins?"
"You're working for yourself. You want a WAAAGH!, I'll give you a WAAAGH! Didn't I sell weapons to you too? From now on, I only recognize teef. Whoever has teef in their pocket can buy more WAAAGH! stuff from me."
With that, Omega's holographic projection was turned off. The Blood Axe leader let out a roar of frustration. The Greenskins beside him were startled. The Snakebite Boyz, who were watching from a distance, snickered. Although they were afraid of this tall warboss, they knew that no Greenskin here dared to break the rules of the master of this place. The Greenskin heads hanging outside were the fate of those who broke the rules.
To open a branch in Greenskin territory was an idea that only Omega would have. But only in this way could he strengthen both the Snakebites and the Blood Axes at the same time, to achieve his goal. Of course, to open a shop in a war zone was difficult. To open a shop in a Greenskin war zone was even more difficult. Fortunately, Omega's Battle Automata were stronger. They had killed wave after wave of Greenskins who had WAAAGH!-ed up to them and had told the survivors that as long as they had teef, they could buy all sorts of super-WAAAGH! stuff here.
After a dumb, bold Greenskin had pulled the teeth from his dead comrade's mouth and had exchanged them for a big choppa that glowed with blue light and was super-WAAAGH!, Omega's shop had become famous among the Greenskins in this area. The Greenskin Boyz with teef in their pockets all started to run to Omega's shop. But before entering, they were also warned to follow the rules:
Those who fight will die.
Those who steal will die.
Those who rob will die.
Many Greenskins had used their heads to prove that the super-thoughtful little shrimp meant what he said. Besides looking not very WAAAGH!, his actions were as solid as a nail, super-WAAAGH!
Tough Beast soon sniffed out Omega. And so, the scene from before had occurred. The Greenskin, having vented his frustration, scanned the Greenskin Boyz who did not dare to meet his gaze, and walked straight to a counter. Beside the counter stood two Battle Automata and a holographic projection of a human. Seeing Tough Beast approach, the human took the initiative to greet him. "Well, if it isn't the Warden. I haven't seen you for a while."
The Greenskin's face showed none of his earlier anger. Instead, he asked with a fawning smile, "Hahaha, I'm a big shot now. What's that big can behind you? It looks really WAAAGH!"
"You have good taste. This suit of power armor was specially prepared by Magos Omega for a big-sized Warboss like you. It has reserved space, so you can still wear it even when you get bigger in the future," the former Greenskin trainer, now Greenskin salesman, explained.
"I knew Boss Cogboy was the most thoughtful. It looks like it was made for me."
"Of course. I've seen a lot of Greenskin Boyz in this time. Their physiques can't even fit in it. But Tough Beast, I'm also working for the boss. I still need what's due. You understand."
"I get it. How many teef?"
"Five hundred thousand."
"How many?!"
"Five hundred thousand. The boss set the price. I can't do anything about it. But if you don't have enough teef, you can go over there and exchange your strange stuff for teef and then buy it." The human projection pointed in a direction for Tough Beast.
The Greenskin followed the direction and, not far away, saw a group of Greenskin Boyz holding various Squigs and weapons made of junk, lining up obediently. Tough Beast was a little curious, so he walked over. The Greenskins in the line, seeing him, whether they were Blood Axes or Snakebites, all stepped aside to make way. And so, amidst the awe of the Greenskins, Tough Beast walked to the front. And then he saw another familiar shrimp's projection. This shrimp was listening to the Snakebite Boy in front of him explain the use of the Squig he was holding.
"Boss Louis?"
"Oh, it's Tough Beast. I haven't seen you for a while. You've gotten really big," Louis said, looking up at the tall Greenskin warboss.
"Hahaha, I can get even more WAAAGH! Boss Louis, what are you doin' here?"
"After you took all the Greenskins from the valley, I didn't have much to do. So I came to help. I have to say, you are truly incredible creatures." After speaking, Louis said to the Snakebite Boy who had stepped aside, "Alright, I'll take this Squig of yours. I'll count it as a thousand teef."
This price was something the Greenskin Boy had not expected. He had just picked up an oiler Squig that someone else had thrown away in a junk pit and had just wanted to try his luck with the shrimp. Who would have thought the shrimp would be so stupid? A thousand teef... how many Boyz would he have to beat up to earn that much? He no longer cared about "shrimp" or not. He opened his mouth and said, "Thanks, boss! Thanks, boss!"
Louis had a Battle Automata from the warehouse behind him take out a full, large bag and give it to the Greenskin. He then looked at Tough Beast, wanting to get more information out of him. But Tough Beast, including the other Greenskins, were all staring at the open warehouse door, which was filled with bags like the one just given out.
Louis, who was far away, immediately pressed a button on the table in front of him, and a squad of Battle Automata appeared next to the "treasury" of the Greenskin branch, to help the Greenskins with their bloodthirsty, greedy faces calm down.
"A-hem! You brats, wipe your drool! You're a disgrace!" the forcibly calmed Tough Beast cursed at the Greenskin Boyz behind him, and then said to Louis with a fawning, ugly, ferocious face, "Boss Louis, don't misunderstand. I was just takin' a look at what was goin' on here."
"As long as you know."
After a few more "hahas" with Louis, the Greenskin made an excuse and left. He had to get back to his old nest and find a way to get enough teef to buy the power armor. If that thing fell into Savage-fang's hands, he would have no way to live. After his conversation with Omega, Tough Beast knew that the little shrimp only cared about whether the Orks were strong. As for whether he was the warboss, or Savage-fang was, the other party didn't care.
Just as Tough Beast was leaving in a cloud of smoke in the shabby war buggy his Mekboyz had built for him, a Greenskin riding a giant Squig and carrying a power axe appeared in front of Omega's Arms Supermarket camp, and charged straight in.