Warhammer: Start with a dog.

Chapter 589 Digris's Lunch
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"There is no such thing as a free lunch."

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Well, considering that if the creature wearing the guise of "Robert Guilliman" and calling himself Julius was going to turn the table, there was actually nothing Diglis could do to stop him from teaming up with a certain Eighth Primarch on Macragge to kill people and happily rip out everyone's hearts and lungs.

Based on this understanding and the other party was still telling him so seriously what to do, he'd better follow the other party's instructions and see what was waiting for him at the destination of the ship.

To be honest, he discovered with a little sadness and guilt that after experiencing such a long period of mental torture from a certain Primarch and seeing explosive secrets, his hope that there would really be a living Gene-Father waiting for him at the destination of this journey was not as great as he had imagined.

The Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines took a deep breath.

The Enterprise made a soft sound above his head.

Perhaps to others and the Cadian and otherworldly crews who served the ship, these would have been the normal sounds of the workings of this beautiful and advanced marvel of engineering.

But Diglis knew it wasn't.

This is it sniggering.

The Chief Think Tank could almost imagine an inexplicably handsome but scarred pale face curling its thin lips sarcastically at everyone.

Perhaps using the pronoun "it" to refer to the Enterprise is equally inappropriate and inaccurate, and "he" should be used instead.

Thirteen minutes after stepping on the ship, Digris knew that he could not leave quietly alone, because he had already felt the spiritual power spreading in this strange ship that claimed to be an interstellar merchant ship but was so spacious and comfortable that it looked like an enlarged version of an expensive yacht of the nobles. They were watching him.

There is an extremely powerful and tenacious psychic lurking here, like the roots of an ancient tree, covering every part of this ship. Yes, but with Digris's strength and experience, he can fully feel this naked and undisguised scrutiny coming from the hull.

But at that time, the Chief Think Tank naively believed that this was because the ship was lucky enough to have a navigator of excellent pedigree and outstanding ability.

As the legitimate psychic mutants of the Empire and the close relatives who keep their bloodline thick, the navigators are often somewhat different from ordinary people in appearance and spirit, and they have a further close soul bond with the ships they navigate. This situation is not uncommon or secret at the level of Digris.

Therefore, as a relatively cultured Astartes passenger and as a gesture of courtesy or non-interference, the Chief Librarian first restrained the offensive part of his psychic light, but smoothly integrated the defensive part into his equipment.

It seemed as if someone in the darkness snorted or sneered.

Then the chief think tank felt a certain pressure relieved, and "he" left temporarily.

Digris turned his gaze to the one who seemed to be the leader among the receptionists. The other party did not seem to feel any changes. He just waited patiently for his gaze to turn over, and then saluted him promptly.

Thankfully, it was some variation of the Rite of the Eagle, but it was legal nonetheless.

"Lord Digris."

The Chief Think Tank stared at the person who said his name. The other person was a little nervous, but he continued, "Please follow me. Your guest room is ready."

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A moment later, the reception team was already standing on the automatic road inside the suspended high-speed cabin. Digris looked at the automatic walkway under his feet with interest. This kind of setting is simply impossible to exist in most spacecraft because it would be considered a waste of precious energy on the crew, but it is undeniable that it is really convenient and easy to indicate directions.

They stopped several times, changing color and speed, and were now zipping past groups of people walking around at a normal walking pace, or patrolling in formation.

Those people in twos and threes seemed to have their own work destinations. They were holding data tablets, documents or tool boxes, and wearing some simple uniforms that looked very similar to the Imperial Navy uniforms. Digris noticed that some people's pupils were not purple, and their skin color and subtle racial features were also different, indicating that the members serving on this ship came from many different Imperial worlds.

And among the people waiting for him in the transporter room, it was obvious that some were called in just in case according to some regulations. At least it seemed that the members of the medical team and the emergency response team left shortly after they came out. Now, the only person around Digris was the receptionist who spoke to him at the beginning.

"What should I call you, Madam?" As if he didn't expect Digris to speak first, the Cadian was a little surprised, but he quickly took over his words.

"You are very kind, sir. I am Hannah Ketzlar, you may call me Hannah."

The receptionist's nervousness soon began to dissipate as she spoke to the Chief Librarian, whose slightly thin and haggard face was gentle and courteous. Digris noticed that this was definitely not the first time she stood next to an Astartes, because she did not subconsciously stay away or make instinctive defensive body language like most mortals who saw such beings for the first few times. She was very relaxed and used to it.

"Okay, Miss Hannah. Are you from Cadia? Have you ever served? Cadia... The Great Rift has opened. I heard some news. I'm sorry."

"Yes." A trace of sadness passed across her face, but it disappeared quickly. "Don't worry, my lord. Even so, Cadia is still standing. Before the great retreat, I was an air force pilot captain of the Cadian Internal Guard, but now I serve the Enterprise, which should be considered... according to the words of the superiors, 'retirement and transfer to civilian jobs'? But I am quite satisfied with it." "This evaluation is unusual." The chief think tank smiled gently. The bookish temperament brought by the countless days and nights of meditation and reading in the Ptolemy Library has slightly reduced his aggressiveness as a warrior. "I heard that the Cadians still regard joining the army as a virtue and the most noble job."

"That's true, but now the higher-ups say that if you're really tired of fighting, you can choose to find a job nearby, so I immediately applied for the job here, and then they told me that I was hired - this is really good," she seemed to be talking nonstop, "We don't have to move too far, and Rafus and I - oh, he's my fiancé, sir, he used to be my machine gunner - we can get a bigger living cabin and jobs that don't have to be separated, so we can continue to see each other as often as before."

"Besides." Her purple eyes sparkled, and Digris was surprised to find that Hannah, also a resident of Cadia, a young woman with purple eyes, was different from the mysterious priestess. The Chief Think Tank did not feel wary or hateful towards her.

She was a rare, healthy, complete, and powerful being. In the eyes of psykers, her soul was as vibrant, hopeful, and shining as a round pearl - completely different from the refugees and warriors that Digris had seen who had unfortunately lost their home worlds. Hatred and anger had their place in her heart, but they were not all of her.

"You know, the planes I flew before could go high and fast, and they were great, but they were always endo-atmospheric fighters. I never left Cadia before this job because of my training and military service."

She smiled. She was not a beauty, but Diglis thought her smile was beautiful and infectious.

"I spent my childhood in the slums outside Cadia, and I have never left that continent since I became a pilot. I used to love flying kites because I wanted to see what was above the clouds. Now, I can be with my new family, and at the same time, I can work while sailing on such a big ship in the starry sea, and contribute to the construction of my new hometown. I feel proud and satisfied."

For some reason, a slightly sour but equally full ripple passed through the Chief Librarian's heart. He nodded and said, "New homeland - have you found an imperial world willing to accept you? This is not easy. The Mechanicus may accept the population, but -"

"Forget about it, my Lords of the Mechanicus." She frowned slightly and muttered, while motioning to Digris. The moving walkway under her feet flashed blue three times and then stopped at a fork in the road. "We will arrive just by walking in from here, my Lord."

"Why? The Cadian Astra Militarum and the followers of Om Messiah should have a pretty good relationship."

His ceramic steel boots did not make the usual distinctive footsteps when they stepped on the ground. There was actually carpet in the center of the place. It was obviously a special accommodation area, which was designed to prevent the noise from walking from disturbing the residents.

As they continued to move forward, the lights in the niches on both sides lit up automatically. Digris observed the area and was surprised to find that it was different from any imperial ship he had been on or any heretic ship he had boarded. There were almost no exposed cables and pipes of unknown use on both sides, and there was no faint smell of promethium and engine oil everywhere. The interior of the ship was so smooth and seamless, as if it had grown into a ship from some naturally grown material rather than being carved, riveted, and welded by craftsmen.

"Before we get completely settled," she guided Digris toward a silver hatch. The door didn't seem to have any handles to open or enter, but she pulled out a card from a small box at her waist, swiped it at a certain position on the door, entered her own password on the keyboard that appeared, and then motioned for Digris to come forward and say a random password.

"Please remember this password. You can enter the room with the card and password before you get off the ship. - Ah, at that time, a small number of people looked down on our new home and wanted to seek refuge with the priests of Agrippina - I heard that Agrippina Forge World has always had a cooperative relationship with us, and only a small number of these people escaped back in the end."

"What happened? I don't think Agrippina's venerable clergy would betray the empire. Their loyalty is clear to all."

"Haha..." That pleasant smile disappeared from the corner of her mouth, and turned into a smile that sounded more like helplessness or mockery. "The people who escaped said that many of them were left behind and turned into the Crusaders that Agrippina urgently needed to be replenished, but more of the old, weak, women, children, and the too-young White Shields failed to escape. Guess what they became?"

A bitter and inevitable guess rose from the root of Digris's tongue. Damn it, he knew that those Ohm Messiah believers sometimes did lose too much human thinking and thought that this would make them more convinced of the Ohm Messiah who was flesh and blood and weak and closer to them... But in this case it was too... Don't they understand that the Empire and they have a relationship of shared prosperity and loss, where they share the same fate?
"I think you should have guessed it. They turned those who failed to escape into various mechanical servants. Then when the superiors sent our ship to negotiate with others, they were quite surprised at first. Someone would actually negotiate with them for the refugees. I still remember that bishop who looked completely inhuman said, 'That's because these Cadian refugees are eager for revenge, so we asked them to contribute their greatest loyalty to the empire!' Well, they are indeed very loyal, which is also one aspect of loyalty."

She shrugged and placed the card in Diglis's palm, which seemed unusually large compared to hers.

"Please take this, sir. This is your ID on the Enterprise, your pass, one of your room keys, the equipment in your room, your access to the ship's fitness and entertainment facilities, and your dining permit for the restaurant."

"So many?" The Chief Think Tank was almost stunned by her attitude. Is this really an Imperial merchant ship? Would an Imperial merchant ship provide so many services to Astartes passengers?
"Are the facilities on your ship large enough for use by Space Marines? Can the restaurant also provide food specifically for Space Marines?"

"Of course, sir, why not?" Hannah asked back, seeming a little surprised, "All our facilities are accessible to mortals and adults like you."

The Ultramarines' think tank chief pursed his lips. "In other words, there are other Astartes stationed here for a long time? Otherwise, I can't imagine why there are additional facilities and items here."

"Ah, about that question, sir." She glanced into the room, and Diglis followed her gaze and saw a striking clock with a peculiar design and a "Warrior" brand logo, which was showing the number 11:30.

"It's lunch time now and the restaurant is open, why don't you go and see the restaurant for yourself?"

Sincerely speaking.

At eleven forty, Diglis walked into the Enterprise's dining room, staff clenched tightly.

At 11:42, the restaurant raised the barrier and activated the crowd evacuation plan.

At 11:45, the damage control team, mortal medical team and other departments arrived at the scene and began to record the testimony of every participant in the battle. Among them, the security escort from the Emperor's Children was particularly emotional.

"He came in without saying anything and burned my long hair that I had just dyed! This is a serious injury! Did you know?! A serious injury! It only takes two weeks for my hair to grow after it is split! But my hair that was burned by him will take half a year to grow back to this luster and length!! I demand compensation for mental damages!! Mental damages!!!"

(End of this chapter)