Chapter 225: You've Come So Far, Earth Must Be Even Better, Right?
Whoosh—
A squadron of Stormbirds tore through the clouds, their angular armour creating a blue ripple as they passed through the energy shield, and landed steadily on the platform.
"I have trouble imagining how these aircraft maintain atmospheric maneuverability," Bill said, pushing his glasses up his nose. The sharp wing-edges of the Stormbird were reflected in his lenses. He looked at the disastrous aerodynamic profile and murmured to his colleague.
"Perhaps they don't need to maneuver," Russell replied, his eyes on the thin film of distorted light that clung to the aircraft's outer hull.
Click-hiss—
With the sound of a hydraulic ramp unlocking, a squad of Terminators in gold and red livery stepped out. They fanned out in a tactical formation, the energy lines flowing through the seams of their armour glowing with latent power. The tall figure they guarded strode forward, the sunlight casting deep shadows on his handsome, statuesque face.
'So tall!' Russell thought, looking up at the beautiful figure in the center. He swallowed and stepped forward to greet them.
"Welcome, fellow humans—"
CLANG!
The sound of metal on metal suddenly interrupted his greeting. All the Terminator guards raised their weapons as one. The dark muzzles were not aimed at the humans, but at a group of upright, cat-like creatures who were carrying maintenance tools in a corner.
"Meeeow!!!" The industrious little creatures, startled by the sudden hostility, huddled together in a terrified ball.
Behind Russell, the guards also immediately deployed their phase-weapons, wary of the newcomers' next move.
"..."
'What is this now?!' Russell's lip twitched almost imperceptibly, his knuckles turning white with tension. This visceral disgust could not be faked.
"..."
Inquisitor Aglaia stood beside Karna, her gaze fixed on the cat-like xenos, who were only half her height. The creatures, not even reaching her waist, were trembling with fear, their soft fur puffed out like dandelions. To be honest, they were quite cute, much more pleasing to the eye than Felinids.
The reason she had accompanied the delegation was simple. The duty of the Ordo Originatus was to preserve the true history of humanity, a history that was often steeped in forbidden knowledge that ordinary people could not bear. Therefore, she had to be here in person, to use the keen senses honed by the Inquisition to make a preliminary assessment of the dangerous knowledge this planet possessed, and to offer her professional advice to the Primarch. Of course, whether the Primarch listened to her was outside the scope of her duties. The point was, she had made the recommendation, right? She was just there to record.
Karna, meanwhile, looked at these strangely familiar little cats, then up at the Storm Troopers and Spartan-IIs behind Russell. Monster Hunter, Star Wars, Halo...
"Living metal technology. Necron tech," Ramesses's voice came over the comms channel. "Those little cats are very much like a product of the Old Ones' genetic programming—encoding specific knowledge into a creature's genes so that they are born suited for a specific job." He had a whole host of knowledgeable Aeldari advisors under his command. Identifying these xenos technologies was a piece of cake.
These pioneers were really quite interesting. Ramesses had tried to replicate the fantasy creations that existed only in games and text using current Imperial technology, but aside from his three companions, no one else understood the cultural references. In the end, he had found it boring and had given up.
"Do not be rash," Karna said, raising a hand to signal his warriors to stand down. He listened to his companion's words and looked at the written information around them. A nostalgic look came over his face, and his tone softened unconsciously.
"Felynes?"
The word was like a sunbeam piercing the tense atmosphere. The representatives of the Human Federation exchanged surprised glances. They had not expected the other party to recognize these gene-constructs, which were based on the ancient culture of Earth. And Karna's relaxed posture made the tense guards around them unconsciously loosen their fingers on their triggers. If the Primarch thought it was fine, then it was fine.
"Yes. They are gene-constructs we created based on those ancient works," Russell said, his shoulders slumping slightly, the tension finally leaving his back. He looked at the other's face, which was partially obscured by the sunlight. Since this visitor from another star could accurately say the name "Felyne," and even use fluent Mandarin, it at least proved that they had some deep connection to Earth's civilization.
He raised his left hand in a downward gesture. The Storm Troopers behind him immediately lowered their weapons, though their fingers still hovered over the trigger guards. Russell strode forward, his hand open in the sunlight. "Welcome. I am Executor Russell of Jincheng, the representative for this meeting on behalf of the Human Federation."
"Greetings. I am Karna, one of the leaders of the Dawnbreakers, here to meet with you on behalf of the Imperium of Man," Karna said, removing his gauntlet and shaking the other's hand lightly. "Thank you for the welcome."
Imperium? The feudal-sounding title surprised Russell. How could a star-faring civilization have regressed to a feudal monarchy? He turned, slightly puzzled, to lead Karna to a shuttle that would take them to the reception hall. "Please, follow me. We have prepared a welcome banquet for the delegation."
The streamlined interior of the shuttle glowed with a milky white light. Thanks to the ample space left in its design, even the extravagantly large Terminator guards could sit comfortably. Russell was adjusting the angle of his seat when he suddenly felt a shadow fall over him. He turned his head in confusion and found that Karna had, at some point, taken the seat next to him.
"What, am I not welcome?" the Angel asked with a perfect smile. The familiarity of his mother tongue made Russell instinctively relax. This leader did not seem distant at all.
"Welcome, of course you're welcome," Russell said, letting out a long breath in his mind. Finally, a civilized person. He reached out and took the magnetic seatbelt that a Felyne was holding out to him in its paws. The little creature's paw pads left faint claw marks on the metal buckle. He couldn't help but rub its fuzzy, pointed ears a few more times. With a soft click, the seatbelt automatically calibrated and tightened. He turned his head to look at the receding landing pad outside the viewport and asked, as if casually, "Are those IPs still being updated?"
There was no political probing, only pure curiosity, like a traveler asking about changes in his hometown. The Human Federation still preserved many literary works from Earth. The passage of time had not made them forget, but had instead made them cherish these things they had brought from their home world even more. They had been away from Earth for too long. They instinctively missed everything about it. Otherwise, they would not have terraformed a strange star system into the likeness of Sol. The Human Federation treasured the countless cultural gems from Earth. The words and images that carried humanity's dreams had not been forgotten in their long journey across the stars, but had instead been given new life with the help of advanced technology.
'I'd rather be asking you,' Karna thought with a silent sigh. He had pre-ordered a bunch of games he had never had a chance to play when he had transmigrated, and a whole host of creative works he had never had a chance to appreciate. He followed Russell onto the transparent shuttle, looking down at the city below, and then said, "They haven't been updated in a long time. Perhaps not even as much as your own re-creations of these things."
Terra's been trashed. The last remnants of ancient civilization are probably in Malcador the Sigillite's and the Emperor's collections. Oh, Trazyn the Infinite, that galactic thief, probably has a lot too.
"...So that means they've become niche, right?" Russell said with a sigh, noticing that the accompanying warriors were looking at the city with an air of 'indifference'. "That's to be expected. In the interstellar age, your footprints have crossed the galaxy to reach this place. You probably no longer need mere text and video games for stimulation. The spiritual and cultural life of your people must be much richer."
"..." He stared at the sea of clouds flowing past the viewport, his throat bobbing slightly. He finally just nodded. "You could say that."
Richer, I don't know. More stimulating, definitely.
Russell didn't notice the other's awkwardness, his face still filled with expectation. "Haha, but we're a little different. Even after so many iterations, the most popular things are still the ones we brought from Earth. After all, we've been away from home for too long, and we've lost contact."
Outside the viewport, the clusters of cities became more and more prominent. One could easily see the domed buildings named "New Chang'an" and "New Paris."
"If we don't hold on to these things, we'll forget where we came from," Russell said, shaking his head. The Federation's longing for Earth was everywhere. Their cities were all named after important historical cities. It was this nostalgia that had driven them to unite, to develop in this harsh star system, struggling to reach for the stars, to return to their distant homeland.
"But even in this harsh environment, we have done our best to develop our civilization and preserve our culture. With the help of artificial intelligence—"
CLANG!
The sharp sound of metal on metal interrupted the conversation again. The Black Templars, who had been staring intently at the Felynes, had once again, unconsciously, raised their weapons.
Karna turned his head, his eyes locking on the black-armoured warriors. He said nothing. Only after watching them completely lower their weapons did he turn his head back and force a warm smile for Russell. "It's nothing. Please, continue."
Russell was slightly confused, but he didn't say anything more. "With the help of artificial intelligence and gene-editing technology, our productivity has been greatly liberated. We can better apply our limited resources to ensuring the safety of our people, improving their material lives, and enriching their spiritual and cultural needs."
"Today, aside from the effects of the war, our average lifespan has reached 130 years, approaching the maximum limit of human senescence. Of course, we can also extend human lifespan through genetic modification, but few people do so. Because of our nostalgia for Earth, many people are opposed to modifying their own genes."
"At the same time, our technology has also made great strides over time. Unfortunately, the star system's environment is too harsh, and we have been unable to return to the stars..." His tone was like that of a child who had left home to start a business and had only just reconnected with his family, telling them about his situation, showing them his achievements.
"Until 146 years ago, our long-term project had a breakthrough. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by the pirates who attacked us."
Aglaia, who had been taking notes, paused and smiled to herself. If the Adeptus Mechanicus, who prided themselves on being the discoverers of human knowledge, knew they were being called pirates, they would probably be eager to silence these humans.
So envious.
And listening to Russell's brief summary, Karna suddenly felt a little overwhelmed. How was it that a human civilization, separated from the Imperium, living on an independent planet, could manage to live so well on their own?
"By the way, Lord Karna," Russell said, having finished his summary. His curious gaze fell on the iron-clad warriors and the tall Karna. The preliminary scan results from the A.I. system had come back. Although their equipment was a little outdated, possibly due to cost, the physical data of these warriors was even more powerful than that of the Orks' heavy units. "Has humanity evolved to this extent today, or have you undergone some kind of adaptive modification? Of course, you don't have to answer if it's a state secret."
"It is common for humans today to undergo some biological modification," Karna replied patiently. "But our modifications are more unique, and are usually for the purpose of war."
"I see." So the war never ended. Russell sighed internally, then asked again, "Then what is the environment of the Imperium of Man like today? How many threats have we overcome? How many friends have we made? With such powerful strength and technology, humanity must live in a more stable and prosperous society, right?"
He was imagining it based on the model of the Human Federation. Since the Federation could, even in such a harsh environment, just barely provide for the physical and spiritual needs of its people, then the Imperium of Man, which could cross the galaxy and use precious materials like gold for decoration, must be how much more prosperous?
It couldn't be worse than them, could it?
"And what about Earth? It must be more beautiful than when we left, right?"
"..."
Karna was at a complete loss for words.
Stop it. Please, stop it.
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