Chapter 31: The Gift
Corvus smiled. "Thank you. Though I'm hardly grand and imposing... What makes you think I'd be well-suited for interstellar warfare?"
"The most important quality for a fleet commander is a clear and calm mind," Omega said, his expression relaxed. "You already possess that, Lord Corax. The rest, military strategy and tactics, can be learned systematically. The vastness of the starry sky is like an open grassland. Embrace it with an open heart, and you'll find that grandeur and magnanimity come naturally."
Corvus looked at Omega with surprise, a flicker of pleasure crossing his pale features. Since the Imperium had found him, he'd rarely ventured to Terra, where everything remained unfamiliar.
Yet here he was, enjoying one of the most pleasant conversations he'd had in recent memory.
'No wonder Jaghatai Khan took to this man so quickly.'
Corvus laughed. "Ha! I've heard from my subordinates that your Alpha Legion is secretive, but I never expected to meet someone as interesting as you. My Raven Guard could use an advisor, you know. Since your Primarch hasn't returned either, 'Alpharius,' perhaps you'd consider joining us? I believe we'd get along very well."
"Absolutely not!" Alpharius was rendered speechless by such shameless poaching from a Primarch, and he grabbed Omega's arm, dragging him away bodily.
As the two made their hasty exit, Corvus smiled with genuine pleasure. He was beginning to understand the same enjoyment that Typhus and Jaghatai Khan had displayed.
'Perhaps I mayhap really do have a sense of humor, just as 'Alpharius' said.'
...
After running for quite a while, Alpharius finally released Omega, looking at his brother with an odd expression.
"Are you actually worried I'll get kidnapped?" Omega asked.
"...A little," Alpharius said after a pause. Omega rolled his eyes and strolled down the winding corridor of the high-rise building.
Alpharius, walking behind him, suddenly asked, "What do you think of me, brother? Give me your honest opinion."
"Calm, rational, mysterious. That's about it." Omega turned around and saw expectation written across Alpharius's face. He'd answered casually and didn't elaborate further.
Alpharius, that supremely rational observer, inevitably harbored a sentimental side beneath it all. He nodded with satisfaction. As expected, he wasn't suited to the bold, magnanimous personality of someone like Jaghatai Khan. He was better fitted to the subtle ways of the Hydra.
A fortress in the distance bustled with activity, flying the banner of the Sixteenth Legion, the Sons of Horus. Inside, celebrations rang out, with many voices shouting "Lord Horus!" Even in the luxury buildings outside the fortress, groups of Astartes officers held victory celebrations, beautiful songs, and the aroma of fine wine drifting through the air.
Omega sniffed the scent of alcohol and said, "The Sons of Horus certainly know how to throw a victory celebration."
"The Astartes should be like the Blood Angels, constantly restraining themselves and preparing for war, not gathering with ordinary mortals in drunkenness." Alpharius frowned at the sight of Space Marines laughing and chatting with baseline humans.
Seeing his brother's displeasure, Omega immediately suggested they return to their own fortress. Each Legion had its unique military culture, and he had no intention of interfering.
When they returned, they found the main hall filled with an impressive quantity of mare's milk wine and grassland delicacies. The other Alpha warriors and Mechanicus sages regarded the pile with curiosity and surprise.
A gift from the White Scars. Jaghatai Khan had clearly acted with his characteristic decisiveness. After all, Omega had praised the eagles of the plains as heroic, domineering, and extraordinary, and the White Scars Space Marines had been very pleased to hear such compliments about their culture.
Alpharius suspected Jaghatai Khan had sent all this to bribe his brother; there wouldn't be so many gifts otherwise.
Regardless of motive, Omega invited his brothers and the other Space Marines to enjoy the exotic cuisine, while the Mechanicus sages could only observe with curiosity, their bodies too heavily augmented to partake.
As everyone gathered around the table, Omega watched Alpharius and the Alpha warriors enjoying their meal. His thoughts drifted to that woman. He had this odd feeling that she would be waiting for him in the chess room again.
...
After the meal, Omega changed into light armor and piloted his aircraft back to the street near the chess room.
When he entered, he found the mature woman in robes sitting quietly in the same spot as before.
The Go board was empty. The woman sat in perfect stillness, letting time pass around her. When she saw Omega, her face lit up with joy.
As soon as Omega sat down, he looked at her and asked, "You're actually here? Don't you have anything else to do?"
"I have plenty of time," the woman said, a hint of melancholy flickering in her eyes before she smiled, focusing her attention on Omega. "Why should it surprise you that I'm waiting here? Did you think I had some special ability to know you'd return?"
"The thought crossed my mind."
"I don't even know your name, and I have no way to contact you. I can't exactly send messages through the air." The woman explained with some amusement, then seemed to realize they both wanted to continue playing.
She picked up a black stone and placed it gently on the board, a smile playing on her lips as she looked at him. "Yesterday you said I failed because I was too kind, but your return today proves you're also kind, you've just learned to hide it beneath endless slaughter."
"So what?" Omega asked, casually placing a white stone.
"I thought about it all night and suddenly realized that love is also a great power. The ancients said that great love knows no bounds. A general who only knows killing can never win the whole world. Do you consider your kindness a form of great love?"
"I do."
"Then let me see just how strong your so-called great love really is."
Omega kept his expression neutral. This woman had realized that love itself was a power, the kind of insight that bordered on the saintly. He had no time to ponder the implications, focusing instead on the game. But the woman opposite him was genuinely attempting to use love to combat his philosophy of necessary killing.
In the end, Omega lost. The woman looked at the board and laughed with delight, as if to say that love could indeed conquer killing.
"This only proves your Go skills are better than mine. I've been learning for two days. Winning against a weaker opponent doesn't demonstrate how strong your so-called great love is." Omega's rebuttal was merciless; he didn't want this woman nurturing too many illusions.
The woman rested her slender chin on her hand, her smile gradually fading.
"Hmpf," She gave a soft snort and looked at the board again. 'This man loves ruining my good mood so quickly.'
Then she looked up at him. "Really? In that case, I can bring you up to my level, no, we'll both reach the level of a Go master, and then we'll play."
"Then we'll see whether boundless love or your endless slaughter is stronger."
Omega wasn't deterred. "Why not? But I have to say, can you even reach the level of a chess master? So many years have passed, and you're no true master of the board. Here I am, barely two days into studying." Omega spoke calmly, then looked up at the woman and smiled politely, as if he'd just made a 'friendly' joke.
The woman's eyebrow twitched in mild annoyance at Omega's 'polite' jab. "Weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to survival; arrogance is."
She spoke forcefully, clearly telling him not to underestimate her; she simply hadn't thought to study board games seriously before.
Omega cleared the board, picked up a black stone, and smiled. "Perhaps you should say, 'Beyond every mountain lies another; beyond every person, someone greater. The green hills endure, and the rivers flow unchanged.'"
"Heh, now you're just spouting poetic nonsense."
Though the woman laughed, her face showed she understood the poem's meaning. She resumed playing with Omega.
Unsurprisingly, Omega lost again. Helpless, he asked the chess room owner to bring over an extensive collection of game records so he could study while playing.
The woman found his behavior amusing and was surprised by his rapid improvement. The two engaged in an intense battle across the board.
When Omega returned to the fortress at dusk, his mind was still filled with board positions and strategies. He was only jolted back to reality when he saw a large crate in the hall marked with a white skull.
"Which idiot allowed this huge box of restricted hazardous materials to be placed here in the open?" Omega asked Russell, who was looking at him with clear amusement.
Sage Russell replied calmly, "Poison gas munitions sent by Death Guard Typhus. Lord Alpharius said you're responsible for handling them yourself. This is the deployment instruction manual. The courier said to be careful not to poison yourself."
He handed over a small yellow-green booklet. Omega felt distinctly uneasy looking at the instructions and the crate of lethal ordnance beside him.
"What do you think I should do with this?"
"It's a gift for you, so naturally you should handle it, my lord. I shouldn't interfere." Russell watched with amusement, clearly too entertained to help with the poison gas problem.
Omega was speechless. What had Typhus been thinking, sending military-grade chemical weapons as a casual gift and causing this much trouble?
[End of Chapter]