Emperor's Bane

Chapter 716: Are You Still There? Ruth!
"Before I begin my presentation, I would like to remind everyone present, including every Primarch and mortal representative, as well as our supreme Lord of Humanity, of a fact that is recognized by the entire galaxy."

When the fifteen Legion Librarians gathered before the Emperor's platform, knelt on one knee, bowed their heads, and stood up again after a simple but solemn salute: Ahriman was the only one among them who could speak.

It was not only because he held a very influential position within the Imperial think tank system and was the guide and mentor of the other 14 think tank directors present. There was also a practical reason: Under the Emperor's silent gaze without any emotion, only Ahriman could speak steadily and without changing his expression.

Of course, Yesugei and Sevatar could probably do the same, but they respected the current status of Magnus's offspring: as for the director of the Dawnbreaker Legion's think tank under Morgan, he had already been lost in the crowd a long time ago, and there was even a hint of immaturity on his face.

This is quite counterintuitive. As a well-known master of psychic powers in the Empire, the legion that the Spider Queen herself inherited was not known for producing powerful psychics: after the original Terra veterans gradually retired, the new generation of Dawnbreaker think tanks did not even have a name that other legions could remember.

But it is also very interesting that anyone who has worked with the Second Legion will always be impressed by the powerful psychic power of the Dawnbreakers and their mortal auxiliaries: the lack of powerful individuals does not affect the Second Legion's psychic forces as a powerful whole, unleashing despairing destruction on the battlefield.

Ahriman knew this very well: under the invisible hand of the Spider Queen, this kind of featureless strength was exactly the new order that Ahriman had created in the new generation of Dawnbreaker think tanks. It was also the future of the psychics of the Empire that he could now identify with from the bottom of his heart.

And now: he had to fight against the other Primarchs for the future in his heart.

Well... even the Primarch...

Ahriman calmed himself and walked quickly to the center of the theater.

His voice was loud and clear: years of experience in the arena and close combat meant that the Thousand Son did not need the assistance of psychic powers at this time, and he could make the tens of thousands of listeners in the hall hear his thoughts clearly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as the de facto administrators of the human empire, elites who shoulder countless responsibilities and missions, I think everyone present here is actually very clear about one thing: the matter of psykers."

As he spoke, Ahriman did not forget to raise a finger: he realized from the corner of his eye that the wolf-god was paying close attention to his speech at this moment. The warmaster seemed to have just finished a conversation with Chagatai Khan. Judging from his slightly depressed expression, the result of the conversation might not satisfy Horus.

"We all know that, given the current state of affairs and expertise in the Empire, we do not have the ability to create any kind of psyker. Whether it is the Astartes think tanks or mortal psykers, they all need their own innate abilities."

After saying this, he immediately smiled at those disapproving glances.

"Of course, I know some people will want to refute this: Ladies and Gentlemen, we do have some special means, such as allowing people without any talent to awaken their psychic powers. But please forgive me for being frank here, these so-called technologies and means are all very expensive, cumbersome, and require complex preparations and harsh implementation conditions, not to mention that the results they produce are still extremely unstable."

"From the Empire's perspective, these measures are better than nothing. They lack what we need most right now: a realistic level of popularity and cost of action. Thousands of successful cases are simply a drop in the bucket in the face of the Empire's massive gaps. They have no practical value."

“Yes, a gap: an actual need.”

"That's what I'm saying, guys."

Ahriman smiled, he slowly turned his body and pointed his outstretched fingers at the representatives of the Navigator family and the spokesperson of the Astronomican behind him: some of the Primarchs had already understood what he wanted to express, including the livid Mortarion, and Leman Russ who did not seem anxious at all, his eyes rolling around, and he didn't know what he was planning.

"That's right!"

"Real! Need!"

Ahriman clenched his fists and pounded on the words for emphasis.

But then, a relaxed smile appeared on Qianzi's face again.

"My Lords, I would like to tell you an anecdote from ancient Terra: It is said that about tens of thousands of years ago, it was once popular on Terra to have skilled warriors wearing heavy armor, holding long spears, riding tall horses, and charging at the enemy formation. This type of soldier, called knights or cavalry, was the mainstream of various wars on Holy Terra for at least a thousand years."

“Until they are slowly eliminated.”

With his arms outstretched, the slightly exaggerated movement ensured that everyone's eyes were focused on Ahriman in a timely manner.

"Once upon a time, many people believed that the emergence of matchlock guns, breech-loading artillery and even machine guns destroyed the status of cavalry and made them completely disappear from the stage of history. However, this view is actually wrong: muskets and artillery only made cavalry no longer the dominant force in war, but they could not replace cavalry because they could not meet the needs of mobile warfare."

"What really caused the cavalry to disappear was the large-scale use of military vehicles, armored vehicles and even tanks. These weapons could better meet the needs of mobile warfare and various tasks than cavalry. Therefore, the cavalry, who lost their jobs, eventually withdrew from the stage of war."

"After that, with the rapid development of science and technology, new weapons such as helicopters, drones and missiles once threatened the position of tanks and armored vehicles. However, because these inventions could never completely replace all the functions on the ground battlefield, even to this day, armored weapons that were born dozens of thousands of years ago can still be installed on a large scale in the equipment list of the imperial army."

Ahriman's words earned at least some nods from the army generals.

"And this is what I want to tell you, my Lords."

"In our human civilization, or more precisely, in any field related to war, what can really make an old thing disappear is not because it is so bad, so dangerous, so weak or unimportant: but there is a brand new invention or thing that can replace every function of it in all aspects and better."

"If there is no such thing, no matter how much we complain about the old things, no matter how much we can't stand it, we can't really eliminate the old things: just like if we really cancel the configuration of all armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery, how can we provide a simple and fast support firepower for the infantry fighting on the front line?"

"So, as long as it is still useful, it should not be erased."

"I believe everyone here can agree with me on this point, right?"

Ahriman spread out his hands again, and now he was met with only two attitudes: either a nod or a low response, or numb silence. There might be more than 100,000 listeners gathered in the hall, but not even one person could refute Ahriman.

"Very good, we have reached a consensus."

Now Ahriman is as kind and friendly as a kindergarten teacher.

"But if that's the case..."

He suddenly changed the subject.

"Have you ever thought about this, when all of you are sitting here, seriously considering whether to expel all psychic forces from the territory of the human empire: If you really succeed, do we really have the ability and means to fill the gaps created by this expulsion?"

"You know, psychic power has always been with the development of the empire and mankind."

"You may not have noticed: but please let me remind you, my Lords."

Ahriman stretched out his finger and counted the audience one by one.

"Marshals of the Army, if you don't have enough psychic warriors, where can you find such convenient supporting firepower, and if you encounter the enemy's psychics, how can you counterattack in a timely and effective manner?"

"Admirals of the Navy, without the leadership of the Navigator Family, how would your fleet find its way in the warp? Without the efforts of the Astronomican Court, how would you receive timely communications from Terra?"

"Governors of the Empire and Primarchs of the various Legions, please think from the bottom of your hearts: Is it safer for you to have a stable and trustworthy Imperial Think Tank after rigorous Think Tank training, or is it more beneficial for your world and Legion to have an out-of-control Psychic who has no resistance to his own power and is rampant like a bomb?"

"We all know that all psykers are born with innate power. We cannot control the probability of their birth. In this case, instead of raising the butcher knife to eliminate the unwilling people and descendants one by one, why not choose to accept the guidance of the think tank system and let them serve you in another way?"

"To put it more seriously: if some out-of-control psychics really cannot control their powers no matter what, then a think tank that knows both the psychic forces and can ensure their stability and loyalty would be the most effective weapon in your hands to suppress these unstable factors, wouldn't it?"

"And without this sword, how many loyal warriors will you lose?"

"We all know the dangers of psykers. We are holding a meeting for this purpose. So I think I don't need to explain the answer any more, right? I believe you all know that whether it is to maintain daily operations or to defend against potential threats, the psyker power of the think tank or the empire today is something we cannot do without."

"What's more: I think everyone is aware of the security of the think tank, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ahriman shook his finger at everyone.

"One hundred years, my lords. Ever since Lord Morgan and the other primarchs announced their think tank plans to the entire empire, this ancient tradition has continued for a hundred years. During this entire century, we have been improving the think tank system every moment, checking for deficiencies and filling in the gaps as much as possible to ensure that everything is perfect."

"And I believe that our efforts and rewards are all seen by you all: the past hundred years have proven that a well-functioning think tank system can indeed offset the instability of psychics to the greatest extent. In any world that implements the think tank system, the probability of them being affected by psychic unrest again has dropped to a negligible level."

"I can prove it."

Guilliman stepped forward just in time and slapped the wall of his own data, the dull sound echoing off the ceiling.

"My fellow governors... and my brothers, if you have any doubts about what Lord Ahriman said, please tell me your names loudly. I will find the data of your corresponding worlds and legions for the past hundred years and tell you whether the frequency of psychic disturbances in these worlds has been greatly reduced after the introduction of the think tank system."

"..." The echoes of the Macragge people resounded over and over again in the dome. Until the moment they completely dissipated, no one really questioned Guilliman: everyone present was not a fool, at least their eyes were sharp, and they knew that Ahriman's confidence at this time was based on reality.

That’s right: reality.

From the moment he came on the scene, every word Ahriman uttered was highly centered around this theme: he did not expound any empty words or fantasies, and he carefully ensured that every word he said was an unshakable reality. Therefore, even though the Thousand Sons had been talking up to this point, the two Primarchs on the opposite side could not even interrupt him.

"So, it's just like I said."

Ahriman's voice became more joyful as he nodded to Guilliman.

"My Lords, you can certainly discuss and think about whether to completely expel psychic power from the empire, as long as you can come up with a brand new power: it can replace the work of the navigators and the Astronomical Court, it can do better than the current think tank and make your world safer."

"As long as you can really find such a powerful substitute, then psychic power will naturally be eliminated by history. You don't even need to do it on your own, and you don't need to choose sides in the original duel."

"But if we can't find it, it means that at least the psychic power at this time is still irreplaceable to the empire. If that's the case, why do we have to cut off our own arms here?"

"That is my conclusion, my Lords."

Ahriman slowly lowered his head, his eyes looking meaningfully at Mortarion's uncertain face.

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"I can hereby declare that any remarks that disregard the current reality of the Empire, that all psychic powers are regarded as evil, and that blindly demand the expulsion of psychics and think tanks from the Empire are all utopian and out of touch with reality."

"Some people rebuke our vanity."

"But in reality, he is the most vain one among all the people present."

"That's all I have to say: Thank you all for listening quietly."

"Then, may I ask what you think of my remarks... Lord Mortarion?"

"..."

silence.

To many people, the scene at this moment seemed so familiar: not long ago, after receiving Mortarion's instructions, Typhon walked proudly onto the marble table. Wasn't it precisely with such rebelliousness and rebellion that Magnus, who was standing opposite him, was embarrassed?
The gears of fate hit the Death Guard's forehead at such a fast speed.

And he couldn't even utter a word.

The Lord of Death was breathing heavily, and judging from the poisonous fog that was growing thicker and almost materializing around him, he was not in a very good mood at the moment: even Typhon behind him retreated silently, avoiding Mortarion's sight.

But they all knew that the Lord of Death could not remain silent. He had to say something about it. Even if there was no other way, he had to step forward to the stage with force. Just as Mortarion gritted his teeth and was ready to use a strong order to force him to move forward, a rough arm crossed his chest.

It was Leman Russ, and his smile.

"Let me do it, brother."

"……Um……"

For the first time, Mortarion thought the smiles of the Fenrisians were so bright.

"Ruth, you..."

"I know what I'm going to say."

The Wolf King nodded, and without giving Mortarion a chance to answer, he strode onto the marble table, as if he was afraid that the Lord of Death would go back on his word. Such a majestic demeanor not only moved Mortarion, but even made Guilliman and Ahriman, who were not fully aware of this, instinctively nervous.

Once again, all eyes turned to the Wolf King's back, and all ears listened to his words: they knew that what the Fenrisians would say next would be the official argument of the anti-psionicists.

"Ahriman of Prospero."

"Hail, my Lord."

Ahriman bent slightly, and before he could fully straighten up, he clearly heard the Wolf King's declaration that resounded throughout the universe.

"you need to know."

"We never felt that there was anything wrong with the actions of your think tank."

“We don’t want to blame you either: we know the think tanks are right.”

"We are blaming fools like Magnus and the Thousand Sons for abusing their psychic powers."

"..."

"..."

Mortarion's eyes widened, his hoarse throat stammering, but he couldn't utter a single word: However, Ahriman was in no mood to laugh at him at this moment, because the expression on his face was not much better than that of the Lord of Death, and even Guilliman was the same.

The Macragge's mouth was big enough to fit Konrad's head.

His throat was rolling, and Qianzi had to rack his brains to think about his answer.

"I……"

"answer me!"

The wolf king interrupted him, and his loud voice reached everyone's eardrums.

"Answer me, Ahriman, are you going to continue speaking for Magnus and the others?"

"Are you, the representatives of the think tank, prepared to defend what you call the abuse of psychic energy?"

"To protect what you vowed to destroy just a few minutes ago: As you just said, the Thousand Sons' little fellow, being able to destroy these unstable beings, isn't it your own irreplaceability?"

"Right?"

"..."

At this moment, Ahriman only felt that there were at least 100,000 pairs of eyes staring at his chest and back, the most eye-catching of which was his genetic father: it was an expectation that could not be expressed in thousands of languages, it was the bond between father and son, it was the sincerity that Ahriman could not avoid no matter what.

he……

He closed his eyes.

------

Sorry, Dad.

------

"I think we have nothing to say on this matter, Lord Leman Russ."

(End of this chapter)