Deep within the heavily fortified laboratory of the base, Osiris presented the assembled Warp Drive core to Sigismund.
It rested quietly on the test platform, precisely constructed with sleek lines, yet its size truly seemed insignificant compared to the Empire's magnificent plasma reactors or Warp Drives.
Sigismund examined the device. His battle-hardened face showed little emotion, but the scrutiny in his eyes and a hint of barely concealed doubt were clear.
Was this the thing that claimed to achieve travel at a thousand times the speed of light, freeing them from reliance on the Warp and astropaths?
It still sounded a bit… too good to be true.
"I know it's hard to believe, Lord Sigismund," Osiris' synthetic voice broke the silence, his crimson optical sensors glowing steadily. "But please consider everything we've gone through for this meeting."
He raised his mechanical arm and pointed outside the laboratory, as if he could see through the walls to the battlefield that had just quieted down.
"Orks, they were precisely dropped at my doorstep and evolved abnormally in a very short time, as if an invisible hand was catalyzing them from behind, solely to nip me and my research in the bud."
"The Death Guard traitor fleet precisely ambushed you on your inevitable route, attempting to prevent your arrival here."
"And then there was that perfectly timed Warp storm that continuously blockaded the system…"
His voice was steady, yet carried an undeniable logical force.
"And what just ended was the fleet from Mars itself, our Adeptus Mechanicus 'orthodox' faction. They didn't hesitate to declare us heretics, yet they still forcibly tried to seize this technology. Why?"
Osiris' optical sensors locked onto Sigismund: "If this were merely an insignificant or illusory technology, would it warrant so many factions, from Chaos to Xenos, and even within our own ranks, mobilizing so extensively and at such cost to stop it?
Are they afraid of me, Osiris, personally, or this barren Death World beneath my feet?"
He paused briefly, allowing Sigismund to process his words.
"No, they fear the 'possibility' it represents. They fear that Imperial forces will no longer be constrained by the treacherous storms of the Warp and the scarcity of astropaths.
They fear that the will of the Empire can be projected to any corner of the galaxy with unprecedented speed and certainty; they fear humanity gaining a more stable and autonomous path for interstellar travel.
What they fear is the power the Empire might gain from this, the power to break the current stalemate."
"All these obstacles, Lord Sigismund, do not prove the unreliability of this technology. On the contrary, they prove, in the cruelest and most direct way, the genuine and undeniable potential and value of this technology to shake the existing order.
They are afraid of Lord Rogal Dorn seeing it, afraid of the Empire possessing it."
Osiris concluded, his tone firm: "Sometimes, what your enemies desperately try to prevent you from getting is often exactly what you need most."
Sigismund was silent for a moment. Osiris' logic was impeccable.
The more frantically the enemies obstructed them, the more it validated the technology's value and threat.
He looked at the inconspicuous Warp Drive core, the last trace of doubt in his eyes now gone, replaced by an iron-hard resolve.
"Your words are like a battle horn, dispelling the fog," Sigismund's voice was deep and firm. "So, Magos, how do we safely deliver this… creation capable of reshaping the Empire's future, to Holy Terra?"
He surveyed the laboratory, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls to the wreckage of the warships in orbit.
"On the way here, we endured Warp storms, the blades of traitors, and…" He paused, not directly mentioning Mars, but the meaning was clear, "internal obstacles. The journey back will only be more perilous.
The enemy already knows our objective; they will never idly watch us reach Terra."
He looked at Osiris, posing the most practical question: "Does this item need to be escorted by our fleet, or is there a more covert, safer method?
Do we need to split up to confuse potential interceptors? Or…"
His gaze sharpened, "Do you still have any 'treasures' like before, capable of directly… 'clearing' the path?"
Sigismund was prepared to pay a huge price, whether it be fierce combat or valuable resources.
Ensuring the safe presentation of the Warp Drive technology to Primarch Dorn was the paramount and overriding mission.
Sigismund's questions went straight to the core, but Osiris' response surprised him.
"Don't keep thinking about my treasures, Lord Sigismund," Osiris' synthetic voice held a hint of almost human-like resignation. "They are indeed keys that can open up possibilities in desperate situations, but each one is unique; once one is used, there's one less.
They are the ultimate achievements of human wisdom from before the Dark Age, their value far exceeding your life and mine. Even if they are to be used, they should be reserved for moments that truly decide the survival of civilization, not expended on the journey back."
He changed the subject, his crimson optical sensors flickering slightly: "We have more realistic options. Firstly, I can use this core as a basis to urgently construct a light vessel capable of carrying it. We can board this ship, activate the Warp Drive, and head directly for Holy Terra at a thousand times the speed of light."
However, Osiris immediately pointed out two nearly insurmountable fatal flaws in this plan:
"Firstly, while speed is high, distance is an objective reality. This Death World is over eight thousand light-years from Holy Terra. Even maintaining a thousand times the speed of light, we would need a full eight days to arrive. Eight days, too many variables; we cannot afford to wait, nor can the Primarch."
"Secondly, and more critically—star charts." Osiris' mechanical finger traced through the air, bringing up complex star chart data streams.
"For ten millennia, the Empire has relied on the astronomican and Warp travel. All star charts are essentially mappings of Warp routes, their coordinates and paths heavily reliant on astropaths psychic perception for interpretation.
For pure physical universe superluminal travel, most of these charts only mark the relative positions of nearby star systems and are full of subjective distortions.
We can't even determine Holy Terra's precise location in the physical universe, let alone plan a safe route spanning eight thousand light-years. Blindly making superluminal jumps would be suicide."
He paused, allowing Sigismund to fully grasp these two insurmountable obstacles.
"Therefore, the first option, for now, is not practical."