Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 117 Herafinkel

"Oh?" Doom raised an eyebrow, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes. "Is she ready?"

The Glory Queen-class warships are the Empire's most powerful mass-produced warships at present, yet each one is different.

The Emperor ordered them to be built on Mars or other casting worlds, incorporating a great deal of handcrafting techniques. Each ship is a masterpiece, reflecting the dedication of master foundries.

When Ruth returned, the Emperor bestowed upon him a Glory Queen-class battleship as his Primarchship ship.

The Emperor also bestowed upon Doom a ship, which is now traveling with the Void Lone Ranger to Nur for some modifications and upgrades.

"Thanks to the efforts of the Legion and those red-robed men, the preparations were completed not long ago." Ruth spoke of his offspring, puffing out his chest with great pride, looking down on the mystical members of the Cult of Mechanics.

"She's waiting for us there."

Ruth pointed to space, and Doom looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a giant ship docked in Lionsgate Spaceport.

The Primarch's eyesight was naturally sharp enough to see that a wolf's head silhouette was painted on the armor plate behind her side.

"Herafinkel." Ruth put her hands on her hips, looked up at the Glory Queen-class battleship, and proudly introduced the origin of her name: "From the myth of Fenris, the name of a great king."

“She deserves such a glorious and symbolic name,” Doom nodded in agreement.

The Glory Queen-class warships, although mass-produced, are all unique, each one being distinct from the last.

They were born noble, partnered with the Empire’s most powerful Primarchs, and worthy of being named after heroes and kings.

"Board the ship, my brother, she will definitely surprise you."

With a mysterious smile on his rugged face, Ruth invited Doom to board his flagship, wanting to give his brother a little surprise.

"Let's go, I want to see the surprise you've prepared."

“I can’t wait.” Doom naturally wouldn’t refuse his brother’s good intentions, so he took Ruth’s arm and, with a bit of “coercion,” pulled him toward the spaceport.

Ruth was surprised by Doom's enthusiasm. Overjoyed, he turned and shouted to the legion behind him, "Board the ship and assemble!"

The space wolves exchanged glances, watching helplessly as their genetic father was "dragged" away by his brother.

The Herafinkel. She was ready for battle due to the order to commence operations.

During the final, tense testing, Doom and Ruth, the two sons of the Emperor, boarded the warship.

Walking down the corridor prepared for the Primarchs, slaves, mortals, and Space Marines all knelt down to welcome the two great Primarchs.

Compared to other warships, the Queen of Glory's corridors and cabins are much more spacious, and the living conditions are also much better.

In his spare time, Doom inspected the warships that had returned from the front. The living conditions for ordinary people inside the warships were extremely poor, with families living in cramped cabins.

There is competition between families, and they may even fight fiercely over a switch or a valve.

“The environment here is not as good as your country.” Ruth was perceptive; he naturally noticed the pity that flashed in his brother’s eyes when he looked at the kneeling crew member. “The machines are indeed very convenient, but the Empire cannot afford a second betrayal.”

As a Primarch, Ruth was also exceptionally intelligent.

He had inquired with the Emperor about Doom's background and knew that the country Doom ruled was an enlightened and progressive ideal state.

Humans and machines coexist harmoniously, and under his rule, people are freed from hunger; material needs are no longer the primary concern.

The people there are strong because of their martial spirit, they value honor and understand right and wrong, making it a cradle for powerful warriors.

Ruth admired his brother's magnanimity from the bottom of his heart; his open mind could accommodate machines and also contain the empire.

He believed that Doom was a man who possessed both strength and wisdom—powerful in martial arts and of a higher spiritual level.

He personally built a hopeful and brilliant kingdom like the Nur Stars, yet he could also tolerate the darkness and filth of the empire.

He never showed his pity for ordinary people on the surface.

He clearly understood that the way to release compassion was not to pity a particular person or a particular world, but to pull humanity out of the quagmire of war.

For this reason, Rus's opinion of Doom was always higher than that of Horus.

Both Primarchs possess leadership qualities, but Doom is far superior to that bald guy with a bit of an "Oedipus complex."

At least that's what Ruth thinks.

“I know.” Doom smiled easily and walked alongside Ruth toward the palace of surprise he had mentioned.

His gaze shifted from the slaves and mortals; he understood perfectly well what Russ meant. The Emperor could have forcefully demanded that Doom's kingdom be incorporated into the Empire, granting it a high degree of autonomy, but instead, he granted the Nur Stars equal status with the Empire.

The goal was simple: to completely separate Nur from the Empire and allow the two empires to develop in parallel.

Nur is small enough to accommodate intelligent machines; the Empire is too large, but it lacks the space for artificial intelligence to exist.

Independent Nur was a compromise with Dum, and also a protection of the remaining machines.

To ensure that intelligent machines have a clear place to exist, avoid interference from the machine cult, and prevent a second machine rebellion.

Even if Nur were to expand its territory tenfold, the Empire could still destroy them if the machines rebelled.

As for the agreement between the Mechanicus and the Empire that strictly prohibits artificial intelligence?
The researchers of intelligent machines are from the Nur Star system. What does that have to do with my empire?
The Mechanicus shouldn't try to reason with the Empire; go to the Nur Stars. Our relationship is one of equality.

The two Primarchs walked along, occasionally telling jokes to ease the serious atmosphere.

“This is it.” Ruth placed his hands on the adamantite door and pushed it open with his immense strength.

Doom is also eagerly awaiting to see what his brother's so-called surprise will look like.

The gate opened gradually, revealing a truly extraordinary scene. Doom's eyes lit up, as if he had arrived in Fenris.

The layout of the hall was no different from the banquet hall on Fenris, only enlarged to the same scale.

The floors were decorated with various fur carpets, the dome was inlaid with the spine and ribs of a giant beast, and the palace walls were carved with symbols of the Fenris culture.

Several braziers burned oil made from animal fat, and the hall was dimly lit yet warm, with a strong Fenris style.

He couldn't help but exclaim sincerely, "It's really quite good, much more presentable than cold, lifeless steel."

"My lord, it's you!"

The Fenris people greeted him warmly, kneeling before Doom to show him the utmost respect.

“No need for formalities.” Doom sat on the fur rug, where he felt at ease.

Looking at the Fenris people with their thick, braided hair, he kindly asked them, "Are you getting used to Terra's climate?"

“It’s so hot! I’m thinking of shaving my head…” The person being asked sat down next to him, looking annoyed: “And those people, telling us to follow all sorts of rules, it’s so annoying.”

Ruth also sat down cross-legged and asked the Fenris to prepare mead, as he wanted to drink and chat at the same time.

"What do you think of this battle?" Ruth dropped his disguise, his eyes sharp and his large hand lightly tapping the table.

Doom also became serious; he understood the danger of this battle.

"Psionic power." He took out the projection device again, placed it on the table, and continuously played information about the sand lizard.

"The alien race has strong bodies; they have thick scales that can withstand the attack of explosives, but that's not the point."

“Psionic power is the key!” Doom touched the projection, revealing the most crucial element. His face was serious, and his narrowed eyes showed disgust: “Strange supernatural power.”

“The power of wizards,” Ruth agreed wholeheartedly, his face showing the same disgust: “Wizards are a bunch of charlatans…”

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, remembering his father who was gleaming with gold, and changed his words: "...a mysterious and unpredictable being."

Ruth let out a long sigh of relief, almost cursing herself as well.

Although he doesn't use psionic energy, he has a strong talent for it and even knows some simple spells.

Doom nodded in deep agreement; no one knew the dangers of psionic energy better than him.

Masters who manipulate psychic powers will eventually find that chaos awaits, ready to devour their souls.

Doom has only ever seen one person who uses psionic energy without being corrupted by chaos—the Emperor.

The two remained silent, watching the projected recordings continuously play, containing intelligence about the sand lizard.

The more the two Primarchs looked at each other, the deeper their brows furrowed. The alien, named "Psionic Sand Lizard" by the Imperial Vanguard, was indeed a bit troublesome.

They have a clear division of labor and a high degree of sociality.

The race warriors are three meters tall, with extremely high scale armor defense, and the weapons they use can easily cut through the Space Marine's terracotta armor. Their individual strength far exceeds that of the Space Marines.

The resonant force field formed by the scales allows the sand lizard to swim like a fish in the soil, and it can even easily penetrate human defenses.

(End of this chapter)