Chapter 20: The Emperor and Wayne
Wayne regarded the Emperor, and the Emperor regarded Wayne. The two simply stared at each other without speaking.
Wayne finally broke the silence. "I have work this afternoon. I'm leaving."
Wayne faced overtime in the evening, and in the afternoon, he needed to analyze data and finalize operational plans. Konrad's education couldn't be delayed either. All manner of responsibilities required his attention as president of Wayne Group.
He possessed no time to converse with the glittering figure. If he wished to talk idly, he could wait until he arrived on Nostramo in person.
Or wait until Wayne had time to discuss matters, instead of intruding during his rest period after work.
The golden figure began His introduction. "I am the Emperor, the Master of Mankind."
Wayne studied the Emperor and spoke, realizing the Emperor would not permit him to depart so easily. He possessed no psychic power, so he could not leave and could only observe this being.
"Do you even believe that yourself?" Wayne smiled without humor. "You yourself despise this manner of introduction, and then you greet people like that?"
The Emperor displayed no change in expression. He was merely somewhat surprised that few individuals' first reaction upon perceiving Him was to demand He leave.
Then, in his second statement, the mortal implied He was being hypocritical—this was the first time the Emperor had encountered such an individual.
"I came here to help you."
I don't think so.
Wayne disliked the Master of Mankind, but the Lord of the Imperium proved powerless to alter this. The Emperor had been planning to launch the Great Crusade as swiftly as possible to locate the scattered Primarchs.
But Amar Astarte, the gene-scientist, had conspired with Grand Provost Marshal Uwoma Kandawire and Thunder Warrior forces to stage the Palace Coup in an attempt to hold Constantin Valdor accountable for the massacre of the Thunder Warriors at Mount Ararat.
The Emperor was compelled to wage civil war against the Thunder Warriors and purge the corrupted forces at the conclusion of the Unification Wars, which delayed the Emperor's launch of the Great Crusade.
Moreover, the Emperor's plans were frequently perceived as insane by mortals, perpetuals, and even warlords from the Dark Age of Technology.
He could have wielded non-Warp powers, but was betrayed by the perpetuals. He could have nurtured the Primarchs properly, but was wounded by His former partner. He could have united the Thunder Warriors, but was betrayed by the scientist He trusted.
Throughout His journey, humanity offered Him no assistance whatsoever. He transformed into a divine messenger to hunt Warp-daemons and into a dragon-slayer to defeat C'tan shards.
He was endlessly wounded, yet He also deeply loved the human species.
Wayne also despised those warlords and scientists from the Dark Ages. The nobles of Nostramo didn't treat the lower classes as human beings—the techno-tyrants from the Dark Ages only considered themselves human.
After they corrupted human concepts and genetics, they still felt they bore no culpability. If nobles deserved to hang from lampposts, then these warlords deserved to be cast into hell by Wayne and tormented for ten thousand years.
Wayne also comprehended that He had no choice. People regarded Him as a god, but in truth, the Emperor was simply a child who lost his father and killed his uncle. When he was still a child, He had survived through thievery.
He was a flesh-and-blood human being from the very beginning, but humanity didn't require Him to be flesh-and-blood. They only needed Him to be powerful enough to salvage the entire civilization.
"I don't like you," Wayne stated plainly. "What's your current situation?"
The Master of Mankind answered the question truthfully, for the man before Him resembled a Dark Age scientist, only more compassionate and principled.
"The Unification Wars have concluded, and the Great Crusade is underway. There are only three by my side."
The Emperor's three recovered Primarchs were Horus, Ferrus Manus, and Leman Russ. The other Primarchs had not yet returned, and He fought alongside the Primarchs who had just rejoined the Imperium.
Wayne then recognized something amiss. "If that's accurate, then you should still be campaigning in the Sol System. Nostramo is a human colony on the edge of the Ghoul Stars. How could they have obtained your information so rapidly?"
"That is precisely why I am here, Wayne."
The Emperor realized that even He Himself did not know the true designation of the man before Him. His soul connected to the Warp, because the Warp was the repository where all souls resided—but his soul did not belong entirely to the Immaterium.
This proved exceptionally rare, much like one of the Emperor's own gifts: He could not fall to Chaos unless He willed it, thus possessing extraordinary resistance to corruption.
"You're quite intriguing," the Emperor remarked regarding Wayne's soul. "Isn't that so?"
"Just say what you came to say. I'm tired of hearing pleasantries."
"The existence of the Warp permits the people here to learn of the Imperium in advance, and they hope that you will grow concerned because of my arrival, thus triggering conflict between us."
Wayne disliked the Emperor and hadn't offered Him a friendly expression yet, but he wouldn't initiate a pointless war.
"I will not commence hostilities with you, because I comprehend the galaxy is filled with malice toward us."
Because Wayne understood that the xenos in the galaxy required extermination, that non-human civilizations did not deserve existence in this galaxy.
Moreover, those civilizations that acted benevolently toward humans—such as the Interex who nearly joined the Imperium—had unknowingly preserved dangerous Chaos-tainted xenos artifacts. Their Kinebrach allies had once forged daemon weapons, which the Interex kept locked away in museums, not realizing the true depth of the threat such relics posed to humanity.
If these xenos beings who unknowingly harbored such corrupting artifacts joined the Imperium, it would only plunge the realm into a dark future.
Furthermore, various high-powered xenos empires that fed upon humans or enjoyed brainwashing them also required eradication—such as the psychic beings faced by the Ultramarines, the terrifying xenos exterminated by the Dark Angels, and the enslaving xenos destroyed by the Emperor's Children...
Which of them didn't constitute threats to humanity? They were humanity's natural enemies.
Instead of expending effort attempting to prove certain xenos were benevolent, it proved preferable to destroy them all at once and claim their worlds for humanity.
Furthermore, civil war with the Imperium would only provide xenos empires opportunity to exploit the situation. It proved superior to address the xenos threat first, then resolve humanity's internal problems.
If the former was lost, it signified humanity's extinction. The latter remained merely debate about humanity's future path.
The Emperor studied Wayne. Although He could not discern the man's true name, He could perceive his attitude toward xenos.
It seems great minds think alike. Both are humanists who show no mercy to aliens.
The Master of Mankind possessed a gift: He could speak to mortals in mortal terms and to daemons in daemonic language. He proved exceptionally skilled at avoiding conflict and articulating what others wished to hear, thus winning them over.
For example, Guilliman, Dorn, Perturabo, and Corax were all diplomatically persuaded and recruited into the Imperium by the Emperor.
The Emperor naturally did not desire any conflict with Wayne. After all, He did not wish to wage another Iron War.
"Wayne, I fully support your work. Nostramo has been redesigned and strengthened considerably under your leadership, and your efforts in improving people's quality of life prove exceptional."
"If you're spouting pleasantries, what about artificial intelligence? If you're disturbing my lunch break, just explain yourself clearly instead of engaging in diplomatic circumlocution."
"I hope you will cease creating new artificial intelligence."
Wayne crossed his arms. "The lower classes of Nostramo possess neither education nor technical skills. They have nothing but manual labor. It requires several years, or even more than a decade, to train a pilot—much less a fleet crew member."
Moreover, without artificial intelligence assistance, a warship would require hundreds of crew, or even tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of personnel.
Without AI assistance, it would require Wayne hundreds of years to train a cadre of qualified crew from nothing to operate the fleet.
Wayne continued, "Without employing artificial intelligence to create new AI to control the fleet, how can the fleet possibly operate in a short timeframe? Without fleet power, how can Wayne Group suppress the nobility on Nostramo?"
The man disliked the Emperor's self-proclaimed title of Master of Mankind. He disliked artificial intelligence because He lived through the Dark Age of Technology, while Wayne possessed no alternative, since the transformation of Nostramo required efficiency and unified planning.
The Emperor understood that Wayne didn't favor Him, but He did not wish to lose a genius with whom He could cooperate.
The two fell silent for a moment.Wayne regarded the Emperor, and the Emperor regarded Wayne. The two simply stared at each other without speaking.
Wayne finally broke the silence. "I have work this afternoon. I'm leaving."
Wayne faced overtime in the evening, and in the afternoon he needed to analyze data and finalize operational plans. Konrad's education couldn't be delayed either. All manner of responsibilities required his attention as president of Wayne Group.
He possessed no time to converse with the glittering figure. If He wished to talk idly, He could wait until arriving on Nostramo in person.
Or wait until Wayne had time to discuss matters, instead of intruding during his rest period after work.
The golden figure began His introduction. "I am the Emperor, the Master of Mankind."
Wayne studied the Emperor and spoke, realizing the Emperor would not permit him to depart so easily. He possessed no psychic power, so he could not leave and could only observe this being.
"Do you even believe that yourself?" Wayne smiled without humor. "You yourself despise this manner of introduction, and then you greet people like that?"
The Emperor displayed no change in expression. He was merely somewhat surprised that few individuals' first reaction upon perceiving Him was to demand He leave.
Then, in his second statement, the mortal implied He was being hypocritical—this was the first time the Emperor had encountered such an individual.
"I came here to help you."
I don't think so.
Wayne disliked the Master of Mankind, but the Lord of the Imperium proved powerless to alter this. The Emperor had been planning to launch the Great Crusade as swiftly as possible to locate the scattered Primarchs.
But Amar Astarte, the gene-scientist, had conspired with Grand Provost Marshal Uwoma Kandawire and Thunder Warrior forces to stage the Palace Coup in an attempt to hold Constantin Valdor accountable for the massacre of the Thunder Warriors at Mount Ararat.
The Emperor was compelled to wage civil war against the Thunder Warriors and purge the corrupted forces at the conclusion of the Unification Wars, which delayed the Emperor's launch of the Great Crusade.
Moreover, the Emperor's plans were frequently perceived as insane by mortals, perpetuals, and even warlords from the Dark Age of Technology.
He could have wielded non-Warp powers, but was betrayed by the perpetuals. He could have nurtured the Primarchs properly, but was wounded by His former partner. He could have united the Thunder Warriors, but was betrayed by the scientist He trusted.
Throughout His journey, humanity offered Him no assistance whatsoever. He transformed into a divine messenger to hunt Warp-daemons and into a dragon-slayer to defeat C'tan shards.
He was endlessly wounded, yet He also deeply loved the human species.
Wayne also despised those warlords and scientists from the Dark Ages. The nobles of Nostramo didn't treat the lower classes as human beings—the techno-tyrants from the Dark Ages only considered themselves human.
After they corrupted human concepts and genetics, they still felt they bore no culpability. If nobles deserved to hang from lampposts, then these warlords deserved to be cast into hell by Wayne and tormented for ten thousand years.
Wayne also comprehended that He had no choice. People regarded Him as a god, but in truth, the Emperor was simply a child who lost his father and killed his uncle. When He was still a child, He had survived through thievery.
He was a flesh-and-blood human being from the very beginning, but humanity didn't require Him to be flesh-and-blood. They only needed Him to be powerful enough to salvage entire civilization.
"I don't like you," Wayne stated plainly. "What's your current situation?"
The Master of Mankind answered the question truthfully, for the man before Him resembled a Dark Age scientist, only more compassionate and principled.
"The Unification Wars have concluded, and the Great Crusade is underway. There are only three by my side."
The Emperor's three recovered Primarchs were Horus, Ferrus Manus, and Leman Russ. The other Primarchs had not yet returned, and He fought alongside the Primarchs who had just rejoined the Imperium.
Wayne then recognized something amiss. "If that's accurate, then you should still be campaigning in the Sol System. Nostramo is a human colony on the edge of the Ghoul Stars. How could they have obtained your information so rapidly?"
"That is precisely why I am here, Wayne."
The Emperor realized that even He Himself did not know the true designation of the man before Him. His soul connected to the Warp, because the Warp was the repository where all souls resided—but his soul did not belong entirely to the Immaterium.
This proved exceptionally rare, much like one of the Emperor's own gifts: He could not fall to Chaos unless He willed it, thus possessing extraordinary resistance to corruption.
"You're quite intriguing," the Emperor remarked regarding Wayne's soul. "Isn't that so?"
"Just say what you came to say. I'm tired of hearing pleasantries."
"The existence of the Warp permits the people here to learn of the Imperium in advance, and they hope that you will grow concerned because of my arrival, thus triggering conflict between us."
Wayne disliked the Emperor and hadn't offered Him a friendly expression yet, but he wouldn't initiate a pointless war.
"I will not commence hostilities with you, because I comprehend the galaxy is filled with malice toward us."
Because Wayne understood that the xenos in the galaxy required extermination, that non-human civilizations did not deserve existence in this galaxy.
Moreover, those civilizations that acted benevolently toward humans—such as the Interex who nearly joined the Imperium—had unknowingly preserved dangerous Chaos-tainted xenos artifacts. Their Kinebrach allies had once forged daemon weapons, which the Interex kept locked away in museums, not realizing the true depth of the threat such relics posed to humanity.
If these xenos beings who unknowingly harbored such corrupting artifacts joined the Imperium, it would only plunge the realm into a dark future.
Furthermore, various high-powered xenos empires that fed upon humans or enjoyed brainwashing them also required eradication—such as the psychic beings faced by the Ultramarines, the terrifying xenos exterminated by the Dark Angels, and the enslaving xenos destroyed by the Emperor's Children...
Which of them didn't constitute threats to humanity? They were humanity's natural enemies.
Instead of expending effort attempting to prove certain xenos were benevolent, it proved preferable to destroy them all at once and claim their worlds for humanity.
Furthermore, civil war with the Imperium would only provide xenos empires opportunity to exploit the situation. It proved superior to address the xenos threat first, then resolve humanity's internal problems.
If the former was lost, it signified humanity's extinction. The latter remained merely debate about humanity's future path.
The Emperor studied Wayne. Although He could not discern the man's true name, He could perceive his attitude toward xenos.
It seems great minds think alike. Both are humanists who show no mercy to aliens.
The Master of Mankind possessed a gift: He could speak to mortals in mortal terms and to daemons in daemonic language. He proved exceptionally skilled at avoiding conflict and articulating what others wished to hear, thus winning them over.
For example, Guilliman, Dorn, Perturabo, and Corax were all diplomatically persuaded and recruited into the Imperium by the Emperor.
The Emperor naturally did not desire any conflict with Wayne. After all, He did not wish to wage another Iron War.
"Wayne, I fully support your work. Nostramo has been redesigned and strengthened considerably under your leadership, and your efforts in improving people's quality of life prove exceptional."
"If you're spouting pleasantries, what about artificial intelligence? If you're disturbing my lunch break, just explain yourself clearly instead of engaging in diplomatic circumlocution."
"I hope you will cease creating new artificial intelligence."
Wayne crossed his arms. "The lower classes of Nostramo possess neither education nor technical skills. They have nothing but manual labor. It requires several years, or even more than a decade, to train a pilot—much less a fleet crew member."
Moreover, without artificial intelligence assistance, a warship would require hundreds of crew, or even tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of personnel.
Without AI assistance, it would require Wayne hundreds of years to train a cadre of qualified crew from nothing to operate the fleet.
Wayne continued, "Without employing artificial intelligence to create new AI to control the fleet, how can the fleet possibly operate in a short timeframe? Without fleet power, how can Wayne Group suppress the nobility on Nostramo?"
The man disliked the Emperor's self-proclaimed title of Master of Mankind. He disliked artificial intelligence because He lived through the Dark Age of Technology, while Wayne possessed no alternative, since the transformation of Nostramo required efficiency and unified planning.
The Emperor understood that Wayne didn't favor Him, but He did not wish to lose a genius with whom He could cooperate.
The two fell silent for a moment.
[End of Chapter]