Warhammer 40: Shattered Steel Soul
Chapter 428 Negotiation
Chapter 428 Negotiation
"Horus Lupercal, the initial negotiations between the Iron Warriors and Interlex just concluded an hour ago. Although I am very happy to receive your contact, I am afraid that I can only talk to you in my hazy sleep that has been awakened from the edge of a light sleep."
This sentence was read aloud by the voice model created by Perturabo, while the Lord of Iron himself barely raised his head from the table by dangling a data cable.
He raised his eyebrows and rubbed his face with both hands, then slowly opened his eyes, turned on the holographic image hanging on the table, and showed Horus a standard calm expression.
Horus Lupercal was radiant and energetic, and even his head was shining. He was slightly surprised by Perturabo's reaction, and then apologized: "I didn't know the time was so coincidental. You take a rest first, and I will come back in ten hours."
"No," Perturabo said, fully awake, and he sent a line to the servitor to get him a glass of water. "In ten hours the second round of negotiations will begin. We will enter the social and legal level, and the Iron Warriors will try to convince Interrex to recognize the title of Emperor. Is there anything you would like to share with me?"
"It's nothing, actually." Horus remained reserved for a few seconds, then turned his head away in a disguising manner, as if he suddenly realized that his abrupt request for contact was not only unnecessary, but also undignified.
Perturabo decided not to tell him that this huge-scale astropathic holographic communication between them no longer relied on the astropath praying silently under the dome, but on Morse himself.
"You know I am on the edge of the Ullanor sector, Perturabo," Horus said. "We have just completed the coordination of several armies. Robouti Guilliman and Angron have agreed to move to reclaim the outer planets of the system, and I will move as quickly as possible to the core of Ullanor, with the goal of decapitation, to eliminate the leader of the Orks."
"Angron is here?" Perturabo noticed one of the names.
"Indeed, Jaghatai was originally going to come, but he went with Sanguinius to clean up the remnants of the Nephilim, so Angron came to Ullanor with Robert.
"Unexpectedly, Angron made many targeted and excellent suggestions. His knowledge of the green orcs is simply eye-opening to me." Horus shrugged his shoulders inside the armor, his eyes flashing slightly under the dual lighting of the Vengeful Spirit and the holographic projection.
"It was he who perfected nearly half of our attack plan," he said. "It seems that my previous estimate of our brother was still a lot lower."
"Each Primarch has a different experience. If you need further advice on how to finish off the war against the Orks, you may contact Rogal Dorn."
Perturabo suggested kindly, earning a knowing laugh from Horus. "He and the Orks are truly destined to meet!"
"Destiny!" A strange singing voice came into the channel. Horus was stunned for a moment.
Perturabo shook his head. "As a token of friendship, Interrex gave me a few 'parrots'. They are said to be a special breed that they rebred based on the birds of the old Earth recorded in the scriptures. Now it can only speak a few simple words, such as..."
He operated the newly installed automatic feeding device and dropped a few grains of food to the birds.
"Lord of Iron!" sang the bird, pecking at its food.
Perturabo simultaneously sent Horus an image of a red-feathered golden-crowned parrot hanging in a steel cage in the air, which aroused the wolf god's curiosity. He stared at the small animal's long crimson tail feathers and its bright red wings that looked like they were burning with golden flames, unable to move his eyes away for a long time.
"I'd like to change places with you," he said regretfully, "even for these little gifts."
"Their envoy said that it could eventually grow to several meters long. Does the Spirit of Vengeance have room for it?"
"Don't underestimate our flagship, even though it is an order of magnitude smaller than your Iron Wyrm!" Horus shook his head, "So, how about Interrex?"
"They are unexpectedly friendly, and Mors is here. The Emperor's artisans may cause some minor annoyances, but he will ensure that the general direction of the negotiations remains on track," Perturabo said.
"He is indeed trustworthy," Horus said. He had come to think highly of Morse since then.
"Where's Ullanor?" Perturabo asked politely, while distracting himself with the file directory sent by the Interlex people, which mainly included aspects such as scientific and technological cooperation and sharing. He was no longer accustomed to letting his thoughts run in a single line for a long time, which only made him feel lost.
"Once the supplies are in place, we will prepare for battle. In addition to Robert and Angron himself, Lorgar..."
Horus' expression changed slightly, a hint of seriousness flashing across his face.
"The Orcs will receive a visit from Halhabait, who says they have dealt with too many easy battles and must sharpen themselves to face the Emperor's enemies.
"So Lorgar sent half his legion to Ullanor along with its commander."
"Is the commander still Erebus?"
"Yes, he hasn't changed the head of the cult for more than a hundred years. Lorgar took Muristan to the Holy Grail Expansion Area by himself. The name Conrad gave is very attractive to our Truth Bearers."
"His trust in you is extraordinary," Perturabo was surprised by Aurelion's decision. Even Rogal Dorn would not give him half of the Imperial Fists to lead; Magnus was particularly cautious about personnel transfers.
"We are finally talking about why I came to talk to you," Horus's spirit was illuminated by the light again, "Lorgar did not just hand over the legion to me. Father also came to Ullanor. Lorgar offered half of his army to the Emperor to assist in the battle."
He waved his hand and said, "Father decided to lead the army to launch a feint attack, leaving me to complete the final blow."
"Calm down and drink some water," Perturabo said leisurely, taking his cup from the servitor's tray and taking a sip. "I knew that our father must have been involved in something that could make you so excited."
"Hey!"
"Have I said anything wrong, my brother?"
"You see through me, but I don't see through you." Horus raised his eyebrows, and his smile became helpless.
Horus had become more receptive to the subject since Lion El'Jonson had revealed his secrets to him long ago.
"Have you seen through me since the day we first met two hundred years ago?" The Wolf God laughed.
"As you do," Perturabo replied calmly, with a hint of meaning in his words. "What else is troubling you, my brother?"
Horus was flattered by Perturabo's sudden address, and was also surprised at how Perturabo could see through his deep thoughts.
He rubbed his hands together and looked down. "I wonder what this means, Perturabo. And I think I can only talk to you."
"We are all aware of the recent rumors regarding father's successor. Many feel that the outcome will be decided between you, me, and Robert Guilliman, but Robert's chances are not high." "Well." Perturabo listened quietly.
"I'm not sure... whether my father's willingness to feint for me rather than let me assist him means some kind of predetermined... choice." Horus said.
"This is recognition of your achievements and status, Horus."
"But this is not a good thing." Horus raised his head again. It was rare for the Council of Four Kings to see the Wolf God thinking seriously in private. "No one wants to be above other brothers. I can't imagine the resentment and protest that will follow."
"Many believe you are destined for this position, Horus."
The Wolf Lord shook his head slightly. "I do not think any Primarch needs an additional leader, Perturabo."
"But the Empire needs it," Perturabo said flatly and objectively.
The Iron Lord was unclear as to why the Emperor had so determined to withdraw from the Great Crusade, but Mors assured him that it was necessary - he had rarely seen an Artisan look so unhappy, and Mors's emphasis was fresh in his memory.
"The Emperor needs an absolutely trustworthy successor. He needs a pair of reliable hands to carry his will and a respectable person to complete his cause. You are the best choice, Horus. Only you can convince everyone."
"Oh..." Horus sighed, "Well, how can I prove that I'm not here to listen to your praises?"
"Then you will find a way to live up to my praise," Perturabo said, smiling. "You promised."
Horus laughed, his voice clear and loud, echoing in the limited space. "Thank you, Perturabo! No matter who will become the heir in the end, I will remember your encouragement - and, of course, I have to find a way to be worthy of your praise."
-
"We are united, Naud," said Kyle Varen, the warsmith of the 77th Battalion. "The Emperor, like Interrex, was born to protect humanity. If you still need help in dealing with the Dark Ages, it will be the simplest and most in line with your interests to join the Emperor's protection. The era of either enemies or friends is over. In the years to come, peace will be the main theme of the human empire."
"Melody," said Lord Commander Yevta Naud, smiling slightly, the runes on his handsome face floating, "We would like this word. But what does it mean, friend of the Empire?
"We can hear the hint in your words, Iron Warrior. For the past two weeks, we have been focusing on a key core dialogue. Even though you don't want to offend our Federation, you have been slow to address the core of the problem: the Human Empire is asking us to surrender our sovereignty. Interrex is willing to fully cooperate with the Human Empire, but this is still too high a request."
"No, Naud, what we need to confirm is a more stable alliance." Kyle Varen emphasized the tone to ensure that his words were clearly conveyed, "and recognizing the identity of the Emperor is the symbolic form and key of this alliance. After all negotiations are completed, the Great Expedition Fleet will leave Interrex, your original government officials and social structure will not be interfered with, and Interrex will retain its brilliant culture and its economic independence..."
"Will the Imperial Army station troops here?" Naud gently interrupted the Warsmith, "Do we need to pay taxes to your Empire?"
The warsmith took a breath and slowly exhaled, "Yes, but the purpose of stationing troops is to protect rather than occupy, and taxation is an indispensable part of imperial governance. Considering the specific situation, we can sign the lowest tax level."
Naud shook his head: "A permanent peace alliance agreement is what we are all willing to sign, dear friend, but we can't easily give up everything we have built over thousands of years.
"Our people have transferred their precious public power to us, and we cherish this trust and use taxes for our public affairs to ensure that the people can obtain greater practical benefits after the transfer than before the transfer. But can the Empire guarantee that it will value our Federation as much as we value our own Federation?"
"The planet where the war blacksmith in front of you was born was also extremely hesitant when making his choice." The Lord of Iron, who was sitting opposite the commander-in-chief, opened his eyes and spoke in a deep voice.
"Meru, a planet once occupied by aliens hostile to humanity, was liberated by us during the Great Crusade. They were in desperate need of shelter, so they had to join the human empire, and they were later proven to have made the right choice. Based on Meru's original social structure, its economic level and stability improved rapidly, and it has since been away from the invasion of external forces and has achieved a long and precious peace."
"And the children of Meru have the same right to promotion as anyone else, whether it's going to the Imperial Ministry or joining the Space Marines and becoming important leaders in the expeditionary force. Our country is called the Empire, but to some extent, it is an enormous federation. If you value yourself, the Empire will not make this less important. At least, the Iron Warriors are willing to ensure that your rights are protected."
Perturabo put emphasis on the last sentence. Both sides knew that the Lord of Iron was glorifying the human empire. The only thing that could really reassure Interrex was Perturabo's personal credibility and the power in his hands.
"What about the Emperor?" Naud asked in confusion. "Isn't that another name for a centralized authority?"
"The Emperor is our leader, an indispensable ruler in times of war and strife. His courage brought about this expedition, and his ability allowed humanity to reconnect. But..."
Perturabo lowered his voice. "The Emperor is already considering withdrawing from the center of power, and the power structure of the entire human empire will also undergo a major change. I cannot make any guarantees in advance, but I can share this prospect with you."
Naud was shocked by the information given by the Iron Lord, and the music played by the surrounding translators also rose and fell, openly showing the commander-in-chief's inner turmoil.
Perturabo was sure that for a moment, the other party thought of the greater potential benefits that Interrex might gain from the turmoil of power with its extremely high basic qualities.
He generously gave this ambiguous message, which also touched the other party. This once again proved that Interlex did tend to be kind in general.
"We will consider this again, Lord of Iron." Naud said politely, winking, and decided to move on to the next topic that had not yet been shaken. "However, there is still a very important factor that Interrex attaches great importance to, and we are not sure whether the human empire agrees with us."
"Please say."
"Chaos." Naud said the word openly with a slightly strange accent. "Does the Empire consider Chaos to be the enemy of mankind?"
"No doubt," Perturabo said, nodding reassuringly at the warsmith, who looked puzzled at the unfamiliar term. "We can discuss this subject in private, given the Imperial decree."
"Then why are there wizards in your team?" Naud turned his head and looked at the black-robed man sitting at the head of the Memoirist, "I don't want to make malicious assumptions, but Interex must eliminate the risk of corruption.
"You know, when we first met, Interlex was so happy to be able to return to human society, but the Age of Strife and Darkness changed everything, and made us realize that we must be vigilant against all things.
"Iron Lords, we must ask, do you really practice sorcery? What does your Emperor think of this?"
Before Perturabo could respond, Morse pointed to himself, suppressing his smile. "I heard someone was looking for me, even though I'm just a memoirist... Well, I wonder what happened to the last person who questioned my identity in front of Perturabo, Interrex?"
"What?" Naud asked, with a firm sense of caution. He read a clear threat from the wizard, and it sent a chill down his spine.
"He became one of the Iron Lord's best friends." Morse laughed.
(End of this chapter)
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