Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 258 Piecing Together the Truth
The Emperor took Soras away, like dragging away a walking corpse.

The psionic threads disappeared, and the truth became clear.

An encounter filled with race, murderous intent, and sorrow; the Emperor kills the alien he sees and brings back his lost son—Moribus Solas.

Doom nodded slightly, understanding the cause and effect, and knowing the source of the gloom surrounding Solas.

He did not choose to blame the Emperor, speak a few words of justice for Solas, or condemn the ruthlessness of the Lord of Mankind, nor did he feel sorry for his brother's fate.

The incident is neither about right nor wrong; everyone's actions are based on their own perspective.

The Emperor harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Xenomorphs; he forgave or understood his son's inability to associate with such filthy creatures.

The Lord of Mankind personally experienced how the aliens, when humanity was lost, unveiled their hypocritical facade and took advantage of the human world's misery.

During those dark and bloody years, countless human beings and their precious lives were trampled into mud by aliens.

Perhaps the Emperor knew many aliens, and during that dark period, he betrayed their friendship and joined in the ravages of humanity.

Regardless of the circumstances, everything the Emperor did was for the sake of humanity; he had no tolerance for betrayal!

Yes, betrayal.

In the eyes of the Lord of Mankind, the act of his genetic offspring, who inherit his bloodline, mingling with aliens is an extremely shameful and unclean betrayal.

The son betrayed his father, betrayed humanity, and betrayed his own identity.

In the emperor's eyes, he was an enraged father who had simply eliminated those around his son and nipped a wrong path in the bud.

Solas didn't know why the stranger who was both familiar and unfamiliar in front of him was angry. Out of his protective instincts, he knelt down and begged for mercy from the stranger.

He was unaware that the person in front of him was his father, and he deeply hated the aliens.

His plea for mercy on behalf of the Xenomorph yielded no forgiveness or mercy, but it was his son's pity and deep respect for the Xenomorph that stung the Emperor.

The emperor swiftly crushed the alien into dust, responding to his son's bewildered plea.

Nodding in acknowledgment of the past, Doom slowly shook his head again, his face expressionless, only shaking it heavily.

Seeing him nod and shake his head, the emperor raised his long, thin eyebrows and asked with a hint of doubt, "Do you think I did something wrong?"

Guilliman, sitting upright to the side, and Vulcan, deep in thought, both turned their gazes toward Doom.

They may have thought about it in their hearts, or even reached a conclusion, but they dared not express it in front of the emperor or comment on their father's actions.

“There is no right or wrong,” Doom replied casually, picking up the wine glass in front of him as if he hadn’t seen the Emperor’s expression. “You did what you thought was right, and Solas did what he thought was right.”

"Why do you ask me if I'm right or wrong?" He glanced at the emperor: "I am neither a party involved, nor a court, nor a judge."

"The answer has already been in your mind since the moment you killed Soras's alien companions in front of him."

“Perhaps…” Doom hesitated for a moment, a thoughtful look flashing in his deep eyes: “Soras also has the answer, and is fighting for that answer, doing some things to make up for regrets.”

Upon hearing what Doom said, the Emperor fell silent.

The Lord of Mankind fell into thought. He never regretted his actions; regret was not his thing.

While the treatment of Mauribas Solas's alien companions may have been emotionally inappropriate, it was absolutely correct in fact!
The emperor silently drank his wine, his eyes fixed on what lay before him, his gaze no longer filled with entanglement or contemplation.

He put aside his thoughts about Solas and made no comment.

As Doom said, neither of the two people involved was wrong; they were doing the right thing from their own perspectives.

The Lord of Mankind's thoughts are fleeting; he doesn't dwell too much on the present.

The Emperor is not only the Primarch, but also the ruler of trillions of humanity.

His mind was filled with thoughts of the future of humanity, leaving very little personal affection for his sons.

This tiny fraction of emotion represents one of the few concrete manifestations of the emperor's humanity.

But he could no longer give more, to understand his son's delicate feelings like an ordinary father.

As the emperor fell silent, so did the garden.

The Imperial Guards remained silent, standing guard with their halberds, protecting the Lord of Humanity.

The soldiers of the Thirteenth Army Corps were far apart and dared not speak loudly, whispering among themselves.

Guilliman and Vulcan walked away, and seeing the Emperor's displeased expression, the brothers went off to talk.

They returned from the void, and had more to talk about, discussing their uncertain future.

Doom finished the last of his drink and lay back on the grass, his bronze skin contrasting against the green grass. He rested his head on a strong arm, turned his head to look at the center of the garden, his dark eyes fixed on it, his gaze seemingly able to see the shadow of yesterday through the present.

Solas's tall, slightly thin figure was before me again, his silver-grey eyes concealing a vast ocean.

On the surface, it appears calm and peaceful, but in reality, it hides turbulent waves.

The emperor's domineering actions were like a merciless blade, piercing the heart of that silent brother and causing him psychological trauma.
Doom could never guess.

All that can be thought of now is that his brother will never let this go, and Solas must be holding a grudge, perhaps even having a plan to take revenge on the Emperor.

With my eyes closed, my brain raced, my thoughts jumping like lightning.

“Moribas Solas,” Doom murmured, “how exactly do you intend to exact your revenge?”

Having understood the ins and outs of the incident, the fog in my mind cleared up, and with Solas's mysterious behavior, the truth gradually came to light.

Solas is not a fool; it's impossible for him to directly retaliate against the Emperor—that's simply unrealistic.

The more one understands the Emperor's power, the more powerless even the Primarch cannot help but feel.

Since they cannot confront the emperor directly and become his enemy, the only way to take revenge on him is...

Doom jolted awake, straightening his back and sitting up on the lawn, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

Looking at the emperor who seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, he narrowed his eyes. The Lord of Humanity had caused humanity a great deal of trouble.

He glimpsed the darkness within Soras's heart!
Since no plan or force can shake the ruler of mankind, then we will take a different approach and destroy what the emperor cherishes.

What do emperors cherish and care about?
—The human empire, or rather, humanity itself!
The emperor felt the sharp gaze, opened his eyes, and looked puzzled: "What are you thinking about?"

"You'd better inform..." Doom was about to say the name when he suddenly stopped, craned his neck to look around, and after confirming that no one was around, whispered to the Emperor:

"Quickly use your methods to inform Alpharis and have him investigate Solas thoroughly."

"Are you afraid he'll do something to me?" The Emperor smiled, appreciating the concern from Doom.

Solas did indeed make some underhanded moves.

He acquiesced to those things, letting his son do what he thought was useful to vent his inner pain.

Upon hearing this, Doom's dark eyebrows furrowed, and he looked at the Emperor with the eyes of someone who pities a fool, saying in a low voice, "He can't shake you, but he can cause trouble for your empire."

"I now strongly suspect that the Imperial intelligence Ran Dan obtained is related to the Second Legion..."

He pondered his words, hesitated for a moment, and carefully considered his choice of words: "It is related to Solas."

The Second Legion may be completely unaware of what the Father of Gene has done; the Legion warriors simply feel that the Primarch dislikes them.

Now, Doom knows.

Solas did not dislike the Legion; on the contrary, he deeply loved his offspring.

He simply didn't want the emperor's guilt to fall on the entire army when the truth came out.

Doom meticulously pieced together the general outline of the truth using the available information, but the specific details remain unknown.

How much exactly did Moribas Solas do? How did he do it? Did he collude with the Xenomorphs?

This requires a more detailed investigation; a conviction cannot be made based solely on speculation and reasoning without concrete evidence.

"Is a secret investigation enough?" The Emperor immediately understood Doom's meaning. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and immediately took countermeasures:

"When catching mice, being quiet is indeed effective, but sometimes you need to do something to make them feel fear and live in constant anxiety, making it difficult for them to cause any more damage."

"I will have the Ministry of the Interior send investigators to investigate Solas in a two-pronged approach, both overt and covert."

Doom nodded, agreeing with the Emperor.

This approach is indeed feasible, as it has both legal legitimacy and makes Solas more cautious.

The Primarch has a special identity; he is a descendant of the Emperor and a symbol of the Empire's conquest of the galaxy.

Without evidence, unilateral accusations can undermine unity and even spark conflict between legions.

Space Marines have a special affection for the Primarch, and without sufficient evidence, they will stand up for him.

"Let's send inspectors to all legions," Doom suggested after much deliberation.

(End of this chapter)