Even though Atreus grants a certain level of trust to his brothers,
he prefers to treat the situation very seriously.
He could not simply rely on the words of his subordinates when the Warp is the subject.
Is he a bit paranoid? Indeed.
But who can blame him? Eternal damnation is a reality in this dystopian universe.
"The Warp is a subject I must deal with quickly," he thinks as he heads toward the Iron Warriors' meeting room.
Atreus does not want to take any risks.
"S-sir Atreus, what is a Warp activity?" Olivia asked, walking briskly.
The chronicler had trouble keeping up with the walking speed of the Astartes, but she certainly could not miss a large-scale operation.
She had to record it in order to narrate the deeds of their savior from the stars.
"That is an impertinent question," Atreus declared after hearing the girl's words.
Hearing her master's words, Olivia wanted to apologize for her impertinence.
However, her sovereign's lips were faster.
"But be that as it may, that knowledge is a necessary poison in our case," he said, letting out a resigned sigh.
Atreus never believed he could prevent the inhabitants of the Limnos system from gaining knowledge related to the Immaterium.
However, he intended to frame it as much as possible.
He does not want to promote a mindset similar to the sons of Magnus, but to warn the natives.
The Warp is an "evil".
However, it is necessary.
"Before explaining the term 'Warp activity', you must first understand a bit what the 'Warp' is," he said, slightly furrowing his brows.
A rare expression on the face of one who usually remained indifferent toward mortals.
It showed just how much Atreus detested bringing up this subject.
"The Warp is an energetic 'world' that a person can sometimes access thanks to a birth 'gift'. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you more. You are mentally too weak to know more," he said as he entered the room.
Olivia noted Atreus' words with a smooth and graceful motion.
Yet she felt slightly embarrassed by her master's last remark.
A reaction that did not escape the transhuman's senses.
"Believe me, I am protecting you by speaking vaguely of that place. Beyond that, you can also note in your writings that the use of this 'space' without the assistance of the Iron Warriors is prohibited!" he added, thereby introducing the future laws psykers would have to follow.
During the Age of Technology and the mythical eras in which the Emperor hid among human populations, the term "psyker" did not truly exist.
Humans gave them various names: shamans, magicians, espers, even prophets.
All these names were born from superstition, beliefs, and also ignorance.
Strangely, it was this ignorance that protected them until the birth of Slaanesh.
"The more an individual knows about the Immaterium, the more they are exposed to madness," he thought as he sat in his seat.
Why was Atreus not yet prey to the whispers of Chaos, even though he knew the "names" of several major daemons as well as those of the gods themselves?
He did not know…
The only things that could explain his unique situation were "Trust" and the nature of his soul, which came from a world outside the influence of the Immaterium.
"Thank you, my lord. I was foolish not to understand your intentions," she said, referring to the protection Atreus offered her through ignorance.
The Astartes raised his hand toward her.
The dark-skinned young woman flinched for a brief moment in fear, but the punishment never struck her frail body.
Atreus gently placed his enormous hand on her head in a tender gesture.
"From the moment you became my chronicler, you became a member of my warband," he said in an unexpectedly gentle tone toward the mortal.
Olivia and the ship's personnel were surprised by the Space Marine's words, but Atreus paid no attention to it.
Olivia was the bridge between his group and the native mortals; she therefore held a very particular identity.
He had not lied.
"Thus, your safety is important," he concluded, looking at each of the members present.
The Astartes' words were also a proclamation.
Tears rolled down Olivia's cheeks.
"T-thank you… sniff… my sovereign… You gave me hearing and now… you welcome me among your own…" Olivia stammered as she prostrated herself.
Atreus did not respond.
This silence was not contempt for his subordinate's loyalty, but the result of his methodical analysis of the effects of Trust.
Once again, he had become stronger thanks to the increase in his "Trust".
"I barely have a hundred 'Trust' since my rule over Limnos, but my strength has already reached a level surpassing even the concept of 'Astartes'," he thought, recalling several legendary names.
Atreus was curious.
Could he now face the legends of the Space Marines? Did he stand a chance against Abaddon the Despoiler and Sigismund?
He could not know.
He needed a war to perform that test.
And fortunately, the report on Warp activity provided him with a fine opportunity to test his strength.
…
"Is it true? You have detected Chaos cultists?" Atreus asked as he reread the report's information.
The Astartes was somewhat skeptical about this news, as the southern continent showed no sign of corruption upon their arrival.
He had even tasked Zack with dealing with the barbarian tribes present there, since they needed human resources.
The Techmarine shook his head wearily and replied:
"My lord, how long have we been dealing with Warp phenomena? How could I not recognize Chaos cultists?"
While the Techmarine spoke, he took out several samples from his belongings.
"These sectarian scum chew on this when they are spotted by Zack's men. I asked the Apothecary to study them, and they all have abnormal stimulant effects," he said, referring to the unnatural nature of the product.
Atreus had indeed feared that his subordinate had misidentified the enemy's nature, but the evidence was right before his eyes.
Atreus was ready to believe in the presence of the Warp in his world:
"Very well, gather all our brothers. We are going to see it on the ground. Oh, and bring the Techpriest that Magos Morlock entrusted to us, as well as that idiot Zack," he said, clenching his fist slightly at Zack's mention.
The scum was supposed to have pacified the entire continent of the planet, yet he managed to miss cultists right under his nose.
Atreus intended to give him a small lesson.
"I heard he is building himself a harem? What an insult, living out human romance while his sovereign has none. I will castrate him if he does not have a good explanation," he thought as he planned the deployment.
…
Somewhere in a luxurious room on Limnos III, Zack felt a shiver run down his spine.
He pulled himself away from the voluptuous bodies of his women and looked toward the moon, frowning.
"Am I in danger? But how?" he muttered, recalling that "feeling" that had saved his life countless times.
"Something wrong, darling?" asked a woman, who had just woken up after noticing her husband's absence.
Zack turned to face her.
Observing the enchanting silhouette of the former barbarian, the former soldier of the Imperial Army decided to put his problems aside for later.
For now, he had to follow his sovereign's orders.
"The master wants more qualified people, it is time to populate his backward worlds with noble descendants," he thought with a chuckle.
He had no idea of the misfortune that would soon befall him.