The outer gods have voted and henceforth it shall be called The Morning Wood
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The Morning Wood?
Hearing Adam's words, a hint of confusion flashed across everyone's faces.
This name... why did it sound a bit heretical?
In the religiously fervent Imperium of Man, under this atmosphere of national fanaticism, even the Imperial Navy—which wields the power to traverse the stars—is significantly influenced in how it names its vessels. Most ship names are tied to religious zeal and military glory; common elements rarely stray from words like Emperor, Judgment, Victory, Glory, Myth, and so on.
In contrast, the name "Morning Wood" seemed a bit too out there.
Moreover, when one considered that this warship would fuse two types of xenos technology—both considered existential threats to the Imperium—and combine them with the Mechanicus technology of a renegade Archmagos...
The name "Morning Wood" almost seemed to imply something deeper.
(TL/N : It's deep alright, at least ten inches)
Those with more calculating minds, such as Sibylla and Leonardo, had already let their thoughts drift far afield. While they remained calm on the surface, their hearts were clouded with suspicion.
However, none of this concerned Adam.
He simply wanted to appease the outer gods. To some extent, choosing this name was a hope that his vessel's performance would improve.
If a man has no dreams, what's the difference between him and a featherless chicken?
"While we are refitting the warship, there is one more thing to do."
Adam looked around, mentally planning the upcoming candidates before speaking slowly.
"Right now, in the orbit of this planet, there is still a light cruiser brought by Archmagos Cawl capable of warp travel. We need to draw some manpower to travel to a specific location via this starship."
"What is the task?" Everyone was stunned.
"To travel to the political heart of the Imperium, the Solar System: Terra," Adam said straightforwardly without concealment. "Even with our current strength, as an elite squad, we can play a significant role on the battlefield. But we can never have enough hands. If the Chaos Gods sitting in the Warp discover my existence, they will not hesitate to expend power to stifle me."
"As the center of the Imperium, Terra possesses a vast number of elite forces, including but not limited to the Custodes, Grey Knights, Sisters of Silence, and the Adeptus Mechanicus. In short, the more elite reinforcements that can join my team, the better."
Among the crowd, the individuals Adam mentioned looked at each other, their faces showing difficulty.
"With all due respect, that will be very difficult," Leonardo was the first to speak.
As a member of the Adeptus Custodes, he understood his colleagues well—those who were deeply obsessed and saw guarding the Golden Throne as their sole duty. To ask other Custodes to collectively follow an unknown, so-called 'Contractor of the Emperor'... just thinking about it gave Leonardo, with his superhuman intelligence, a headache.
Never mind others; he himself had almost treated Lord Adam as a heretic playing with sorcery. It was only because the Emperor personally manifested that a disastrous misunderstanding was avoided.
Others chimed in with their views.
Sibylla: "The Grey Knights Chapter is also virtually impossible. Although I am an Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus and have links with them, I cannot convince them to follow your command. The Sisters of Silence are worth a try, but the numbers might not meet your requirements; I am confident I could summon twelve at most."
Archmagos Cawl: "As you know, the internal divisions within the Mechanicus are severe. Forget different Forge Worlds—even on Mars, the academic conflicts between factions are intense. It will be hard to raise the kind of force you want for the crusade."
Lucia: "I am confident I can get other Battle Sisters to join your ranks, though Lord Adam might not necessarily need us."
Having summarized the information, everyone looked at each other. In this dark galaxy where Chaos and corruption run rampant, those who have become completely reactionary believe that in this Imperium, only they are trustworthy—everyone else is just a heretic who hasn't betrayed them yet.
It sounded absurd, and it was indeed absurd, but this was the reality happening every day in the Imperium of Man.
Finally, as an outsider to the topic, Sutton couldn't help but break the silence.
"So, how did you humans end up like this—"
With the last of his rationality, Sutton forced himself to swallow the second half of that sentence. He originally thought that after the Silent King deleted the command protocols, the Necron Dynasties were scattered enough. He didn't expect to find even greater "experts" here. The matchmaking system of the galaxy is truly excellent.
"Don't panic. I have long understood the rigidity of the Imperial administrative system and the discord between departments."
Adam waved his hand confidently, a spirited light flashing in his eyes. This made everyone's eyelids twitch, their hearts screaming that something was wrong. The last time they saw this expression, he had pulled off the massive feat of turning Necrons into humans. What "big work" was he going to pull this time? This kind of "Earth-Shattering Wisdom" was a bit too much for human nerves.
"I know the solution to this problem now; it's actually quite simple. But for now, it's a secret." Adam smiled mysteriously.
"However, I must remind you: before embarking on the journey to Terra, the most important thing is to bring that tomb obelisk containing the Eternity Gate device onto the light cruiser. This way, even if you go to Terra and are completely separated from us, you can still travel back and forth through the wormhole. Effectively, we aren't splitting our forces; we can regroup at any time."
"Okay—"
Before the word of agreement was finished, Leonardo, a Custodian who had read the history of the War in the Webway, reacted instantly. His pupils shrank.
This technology?! Could it be!
"You've realized? Quite sharp."
Adam stood up and slowly extended both hands, palms facing each other. Two eerie green holes emerged—the wormholes formed by the main body of the Eternity Gate.
"This is part of my future plan, and it's why I went to such lengths to have Sutton join us. Think about it: if we place an Eternity Gate on every planetary colony in the Imperium, creating a complete high-speed transit network connecting every Imperial world, what impact would that have on humanity?"
Huh?
"I'd go as far as to say as to it having a "Mass Effect" on human travel speeds" Adam laughed at his own joke.
Looking at the stunned gazes of the crowd, who were paralyzed by extreme excitement and shock, Adam smiled casually. "Of course, this must be planned carefully."
In this rigid and dark galaxy, promoting a brand-new technology requires overcoming more than just existing interest groups. Those Chaos Gods hiding behind the veil—be it Vashtorr representing malicious craft or Tzeentch who controls change—are very likely to interfere.
Adam wasn't afraid of the former at all, but the latter was very troublesome. Furthermore, given the sheer scale and stagnant governance of the Imperium, just dealing with the resulting administrative issues was enough to make one's head explode.
In any case, Adam was absolutely not going to sit in an office doing that foundational work. He would definitely find a scapegoat to do it for him.
As for who that scapegoat was—who else could it be?
Of course, it was our Son of Vengeance, Master of the XIII Legion, Primarch of the Ultramarines, Regent of the Imperium, author of the Codex Astartes, the "I've been on the road for nine hours, don't rush me" master of logistics: Robert Gorillaman!
One day later. On the cruiser. In the bridge.
Canoptek Scarabs the size of fists crawled across the floor, quickly building various temporary models. Servo-skulls hovered in the air, flying back and forth, occasionally projecting complex holographic scenes.
In the images, Necron arcane glyphs, binary prayers of the Mechanicus, and even Ork graffiti intertwined, coexisting with an amazing harmony. In this space, three humans representing different technological systems were engaged in intense exchange; countless inspirations seemed to materialize, clashing continuously in the air.
Archmagos Cawl looked up, observing the dense design drawings and schemes projected in the air, his brow furrowing slightly. Standing beside him, Sutton —now clad in the green robes—turned to look at him.
"Now that I think about it, I find that human technology does have some merit. Though some parts look very primitive, the destructive power contained within has a certain 'numerical beauty'."
"There's no need to be so polite," Belisarius Cawl sighed.
He had to admit, even as arrogant and self-important as he was, facing these highly complex xenos technologies was the first time he felt something akin to frustration. However, even if these technologies were profound, they were not incomprehensible. Cawl still had sufficient confidence to use his genius mind to fully digest and transform them into power for humanity.
"It's just that, sometimes, you guys are just too simple and crude."
Turning to look at the thoughtful Yarrick, Sutton couldn't help but continue complaining: "The only difference between you and the Orks seems to be whether or not you have a Waaagh! energy field. Oh, wait—you have one now too. That's just ridiculous."
What exactly were the differences between the technologies of these three civilizations? Sutton couldn't help but summarize.
If there's a button in front of a Necron, you know something terrifying will happen if you press it. If there's a button in front of an Ork, you know something "Waaagh!" will happen.
As for the Mechanicus, they were the most terrifying. You don't know what will happen if you press the button. Including the owner of the button—the Mechanicus Tech-Priest doesn't know either.
It was truly an eye-opener for Sutton, a "skeleton" who had just woken up.
Clang. The heavy sound of the doors opening rang out.
Everyone turned toward the sound to see Adam walking in briskly.
"Lord." The other three immediately nodded in greeting.
"No need for formalities." Adam waved his hand casually, letting them return to their normal state, and then asked, "How is the situation? Can I see the specific design progress? Remember, we can be bold. No need to be bound by constraints like energy or manufacturing limits."
"It is ready, Lord Adam," Cawl reported first. "We are here to explain the specific designs for the ship named 'Morning Wood' regarding defensive survival, offensive firepower, movement speed, sensory specialization, and special facilities."
As expected of a collaboration between a Mechanicus Archmagos, a Cryptek, and a Big Mek. They had actually managed to produce a concrete plan so quickly.
Adam nodded with satisfaction and praised, "Thank you for your hard work."
"It's not our credit; it's mainly because your reality-warping ability is too convenient. We don't need to consider original common sense," Sutton added humbly, then pointed to the constantly changing holographic projection in the center of the room.
The servo-skull received the command, the projection light began to twist and change, and a structural phantom of a ship appeared before Adam.
Is this the blueprint?
Under the Cryptek's operation, the internal structure of the ship was revealed, and a checklist appeared beside it, gradually scrolling down. In the language of the Imperium, it marked out the upgrade and modification plans:
Defensive Survival: Armor plates fully covered in Necrodermis/Living Metal.
Defensive Survival: Multi-layered nested shielding.
Offensive Firepower: Necron Particle Whip launchers.
Offensive Firepower: Main battery design, fusion tech Antimatter Nova Cannon.
Energy Array: Dying Star Singularity Engine.
Movement Speed: Inertia-less Drive.
Special Facilities: Built-in Eternity Gate.
Sensory Specialization: Ship Machine Spirit core module upgrade.
Offensive Firepower: Ork Traktor Kannon/Gravity Claw.
Special Facilities: C'tan Phase Blade Impact Ram.
Special Facilities: Living Saint's Blessed Ecclesiarchy Cathedral.
Adam read from top to bottom and fell silent. He looked again at the three people before him, whose faces were filled with fanatical zeal. Unknowingly, Adam's own eyes began to glow with excitement.
Truth be told... this was way too Waaagh!
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Don't blame me. Blame democracy and Toshisero