“It is still difficult to believe that travel to other worlds is possible at all. Of course, myths preserved legends of ancient humans in steel ships carving through the starry sky and traveling across an infinite ocean of souls, but it is one thing to hear of them and quite another to look with your own eyes upon a steel beast capable of such a feat,” Uthor said, his voice hushed but unable to hide his awe as another starship left the planet’s orbit.
He was currently in my private office, yet even here, in this small gray room where only my desk stood out, there was a screen displaying this momentous event.
I sat at my desk, dozens of cables and wires connected to my armor for faster data transmission.
The giant sat on a massive chair opposite me; though there was nothing superfluous or distracting on the desk or walls—making the room seem almost empty—I found a certain comfort in this minimalism.
For now, we had only ten working models of spacecraft, but each departure was treated as a separate event, broadcast to every Tower and celebrated like a great festival.
Every state is built on a mixture of fear and pride; a tilt or lack of either element could lead to catastrophic consequences.
Therefore, it was necessary to demonstrate such achievements to fuse shattered groups of people into a unified nation.
“Most of them are actually made from the remnants of space junk and ancient wrecked ships found in semi-ruined docks. So, in fact, they are the very same ships upon which the people of the former era wandered. And for the record—they are made of alloys of titanium, gold, aluminum, and adamant, not steel,” I replied calmly, cross-referencing reports accumulated during my time in the laboratory.
Even after twenty years, I had not managed to build a properly functioning administrative apparatus; only now were the first timid steps being taken in that direction.
The rising younger generation showed excellent results, but a lack of experience prevented them from reaching their full potential.
And among the “elders,” only a very narrow circle of individuals was suited for such work—people who rarely survive a post-apocalypse.
“Still, it truly is incredible—to see how the labor of ordinary people could forge something so mighty out of dead metal,” the giant whispered.
“In moments like these, one truly begins to ponder our place in the universe and what we will leave behind…”
“What is your question? We have never spoken without a reason, and I see no cause for that to change now,” I replied, interrupting him.
I never liked distractions during work, especially without a compelling motive.
While perhaps impolite, it would be far worse if, while checking the quality of a new batch of antibiotics, a tiny error was missed that resulted in human deaths.
No polite words could fix such a tragedy.
“I came to better understand the leader of our planet. So many years have passed, during which a tiny boy grew into a mighty giant and a stern Emperor, but I wish to know who exactly he is inside. You have unified a world and plan further cosmic expansion, but what comes next?”
Uthor stroked his white beard while looking at me; the wisdom of age was as evident in his eyes as ever, but something was wrong.
Intuition screamed that this situation was bizarre, and I had no reason to doubt it.
“Do not call me that,” I replied gloomily, halting the stream of documents flowing into my helm.
“Titles are for the crowd, to strengthen their loyalty and faith in me as something superhuman. Besides, isn’t it obvious what comes next? Our world is home to a small number of people; until we ensure the survival and safety of the entire species, we have no right to sit idly by. I intend to expand until no threats remain in the galaxy. What happens after that is a question for a very distant and currently unimportant future.”
One of the main advantages of my armor was the lack of need to use limbs to control it.
Brain activity scanners allowed me to simply will a command, and the corresponding programs engaged themselves.
Thus, the first set of metaphysical defense protocols went into effect without the slightest outward hint.
A little paranoia is never wasted.
“I see…” ‘Uthor’ replied with a nod.
“Yet questions still plague my mind; will you answer one more? What will become of those very peoples if they do not wish to join you? If they say that life alongside aliens and sentient machines suits them perfectly?”
Inside my armor, messages had already been dispatched to engage all defense protocols up to the ninth level—critical danger.
“Right now, there is too little information to draw a concrete conclusion, but humanity once before trusted the words of aliens and delegated all affairs to sentient machines. And how did that end? Dependency on artificial intelligence brought humanity to the brink of extinction, and ‘humanistic’ relations with xenos led to the fact that even thousands of years later, people retain a fear of ‘strangers from afar.’ If even a tenth of the stories about ‘void-snatchers’ or ‘innumerable conquerors’ are true, then we must all prepare now for a new conflict where there will be no room for pity or compassion. And that is to say nothing of the otherworldly beasts that pose a threat of a completely different level.”
The figure posing as Uthor froze, looking directly into my eyes.
I did not remove my helmet even in my own office precisely for cases like this—if someone managed to get this close to me, living metal was to be my final line of defense.
“I like the answer, though the final part raises some questions. What xenos?”
“Should they not be best known to you?”
The ensuing silence stretched significantly.
We continued to lock eyes, but for me, this was far more beneficial.
Not only should the entire guard already be rushing to this location, preparing for a lethal confrontation, but other defense systems had also been brought online.
The room was sealed, set to open only at my command, and plasma turrets concealed in the walls were ready to strike the intruder at any second.
However, until it became clear whether this was the real Uthor or not, it was better not to start a slaughter.
If someone had merely copied his appearance, that was one thing.
But if an unknown entity had managed to seize the giant’s body, things became much darker.
I very much did not want him to die, especially not in such a manner…
“Hmm,” the stranger chuckled slightly, visibly relaxing as he leaned back in the chair.
“My apologies; I believe we did not start our conversation in the best way. My visions exceedingly rarely fail me, and such stark differences from what was supposed to happen are even more disorienting. Therefore, I needed to personally familiarize myself with everything. But now the time has come to drop all masks and introduce ourselves as you deserve.”
‘Uthor’ snapped his fingers, and his appearance changed instantly.
It did not blur or peel away—the man opposite me simply willed it, and it became different.
Momentarily.
None of my sensors, currently studying the figure in exhaustive detail, could catch the moment he transformed, even in slow motion.
“And I ask you immediately not to use any weapons against me. I understand why you might harbor doubts regarding my identity, but it will lead nowhere. It will be far more productive to simply speak as befits a father and son. I have much to explain to you, so it would be best if all your people ceased their active sprint toward us. An unnecessary audience will only interfere,” said the man in a deep, authoritative voice.
His gaze, full of molten gold, practically seared me.
Clearly, his new appearance was also artificial, for no mortal could look like this.
Tanned skin, long black hair held by a circlet of golden leaves, and perfect facial features that seemed carved by a genius sculptor.
But what weighed heaviest was his aura.
Every person I spoke to mentioned that simply being near me made them feel uplifted, but only now did I realize what they meant.
It felt as if every cell of my body was suddenly filled with energy that desired only one thing—to serve the King of Kings sitting opposite me.
By his mere presence, the man opposite me compelled one to kneel and become his eternal servant…
Therefore, I was forced, using every shred of my willpower, to engage my armor’s emergency mode.
Designed for the worst-case scenario: if someone should manage to dominate my mind. Get faster updates on g.com.
Realizing how catastrophic the consequences of such an event could be, I had outfitted my suit with a cocktail of chemicals that severely impacted neural activity.
The peak of my modest knowledge of biology and chemistry, sufficient to suppress any emotions or sensations.
Injected into my system via nanites, they required only a few seconds to take effect and plunge me into an unnatural calm.
All troubles and anxieties left me, along with all joy and fear.
Only cold reason remained, and nothing else.
“How interesting. None of your brothers have done that upon meeting me, though the Second was close. But if that is your wish, then so be it. Allow me to begin—you shall ask your questions when I have finished.”
I nodded mechanically, continuing to monitor every movement of the man sitting opposite me.
My men should have arrived ten seconds ago, yet there was not even a message from them.
Nor from any of the communication or defense systems I had built.
The unknown “sorcerer” had bypassed and deactivated them all with ease, which was deeply unsettling.
However, information was required now, and I intended to get it.
“I see you have already met the beasts of the flipside, but allow me to tell you more about them and the threat they pose. There exists another universe, a reality that lies alongside ours, part of it, yet at the same time—separate. It has many names: the Warp, the Immaterium, the Ocean of Souls, the Veil, the Empyrean, and thousands upon thousands of others. Every sentient species has named it differently, but every one knew of it. It is the manifestation of human souls and all emotions that ever were, are, and will be,” he said in a calm voice, as if delivering a lecture.
Something seemed to prick my mind from within.
Memories of a distantly remote past surfaced and vanished just as quickly.
Images of a laboratory came to me—of me working on some defense system meant to give humanity a new chance.
But any attempt to grasp them led only to one thing: brief but terrifying visions of unseen creatures watching me from the void.
“The Warp is a reality of pure potential and limitless power into which, paradoxically, one can enter. Mostly via void-ships protected by special fields, or through the minds of humans called Psykers or Sorcerers. The Immaterium is full of sentient beings, yet those who dwell there are not of flesh and blood, but of pure thought. These beings have no desires other than to devour the souls of material beings and use them as their playthings. It was they who took you and your eighteen brothers from me almost immediately after your birth, for they understood what a threat you posed to them.”
“Very interesting and entirely unverified information,” I replied, just as calmly.
“Furthermore, it is of the sort that I have no way of checking or confirming…”
“I know you have already met the slaves of these beings, and even heard one of them,” my presumed “father” interrupted sharply.
“A single look at you was enough for me to understand your life and the risks you have encountered on your path. None of my sons know of this threat yet, and ideally, they shall not until the right moment. Therefore, I strongly hope you will keep this knowledge secret and appreciate my trust. For our relationship will be far more important than something between ordinary mortals. For I, the Emperor of all Mankind and Master of Terra and Mars, call upon you to become part of the Great Crusade, which shall unite humanity and the entire galaxy into one Imperium. Without xenos, abominable intelligence, or the slaves of the Warp.”
As he uttered the final sentence, the man’s eyes flared with golden light, and his hair rose slightly from a wind appearing out of nowhere.
His entire figure exuded incredible power, clearly sufficient to tear everything here apart; there was no possibility of contesting some of his words.
However, even facing the threat of death, I did not intend to simply surrender.
And for the very beginning, I had to ask the most important thing…
“And what happens if I refuse?”
The man smiled softly and looked at me as if the answer to that question were obvious.