What exactly was the Emperor's full plan? And what was the true nature of the Primarchs' warp essence?
Caelan didn't know the answer, but he chose to believe in the Emperor.
Even if the Emperor's plan failed in the canon timeline, Caelan had no better alternative.
Unless someone could present a more complete, realistic, and effective plan, the Emperor's design remained humanity's only hope.
Caelan knew his limits. He wasn't capable of anything greater, so belief was all he could offer.
Even if the Emperor's plan was flawed, it still had a chance of success, better than doing nothing at all.
And besides, wasn't Caelan already trying to patch up the Emperor's mistakes?
Lorgar said, "Human pioneers established a colony on Colchis during M20. But since humanity hadn't yet developed the Navigator gene, that means the first settlers of Colchis must have already mastered warp travel."
Before M18, humans hadn't yet learned warp navigation. Their travel range was directly tied to time, never exceeding three thousand light-years.
Though humans had ventured beyond the Solar System before M15, their propulsion technology was crude. Colonies were confined to regions within a few hundred light-years.
Colchis was far too distant from Terra; without warp travel, humanity could not possibly have reached it by M20.
Caelan asked, "So what did you find in the book?"
Lorgar whispered, "The Golden Fleece."
Erebus blinked. "That legend?"
"It's more than a legend," said Lorgar. "Colchis was named after an ancient kingdom on Old Terra. Many colonies were named after Terran nations, a tradition born from the settlers' longing for their homeworld."
"But this book also mentions the Golden Fleece. I suspect the settlers of Colchis borrowed the name from Terran myth, using it to describe something they discovered, or invented."
"What was it?"
"I don't know yet. The book is incomplete." Lorgar shook his head. "It's a transcription. The words forming 'Golden Fleece' are scattered across different pages, so the text reads incoherently. Even if the scribe understood the language, it would be nearly impossible to piece the clues together."
Erebus frowned. "Couldn't it just be a coincidence?"
Lorgar pointed at the cover. "The book is titled The Travels of Jason. And yet, Jason himself is never mentioned once. The entire text has nothing to do with him, yet the clues to the Golden Fleece are hidden throughout. I don't believe that's a coincidence."
"According to The Book of the Prophets' Salvation, four thousand years ago, four prophets appeared. Over three centuries, they wiped out every heresy in this world, making the Covenant the only remaining faith. But their rule never extended beyond the coasts; the outcasts still struggled to survive in the deserts. That's when this book was written."
Erebus knew Lorgar was exceptional, but he couldn't help feeling a twinge of frustration.
"Can you find more clues?" Caelan asked.
Lorgar replied, "If the settlers left hints about the Golden Fleece in one book, they surely left others elsewhere. Give me time, and I'll find them all."
Caelan smiled. "Then we'll leave it to you."
Lorgar's fingers trembled slightly as they brushed the yellowed page. Morning light streamed through the window, gilding his eyelashes. He lifted his chin, violet eyes shimmering with youthful pride and confidence, the kind he only ever showed before Caelan.
Erebus asked, "So what exactly is the Golden Fleece?"
Caelan replied, "In legend, it symbolizes wealth, adventure, unyielding will, and the pursuit of happiness and ideals."
"But wool comes from sheep. There was first a golden sheep before there was a golden fleece."
"Phrixus, the son of Athamas, king of Boeotia, suffered abuse in his own home. His mother, the cloud goddess Nephele, rescued him and his sister, placing them on the back of a ram with golden wool and wings, a gift from Hermes, the messenger of the gods."
"The siblings soared across land and sea. But during the flight, his sister Helle grew dizzy and fell into the waters below, drowning. That sea has since been called the Hellespont."
"Phrixus, however, reached Colchis safely, where King Aeetes welcomed him warmly and gave him his daughter Chalciope in marriage. Phrixus sacrificed the golden ram to Zeus in gratitude and offered its fleece to Aeetes as a gift."
"A golden ram?" Lorgar's eyes widened. "If that's true, this book might also mention the ram itself."
Erebus asked, "So is it the golden ram or the golden fleece?"
"In ancient Colchis script, the term for 'golden fleece' literally means 'the wool of gold,' while 'golden ram' means 'a ram of gold.' They're very different words. I'm certain this book only mentions the golden ram, but perhaps other texts will mention the fleece."
Erebus frowned. "Then… are you saying our world actually has a golden ram, and a golden fleece?"
Lorgar nodded. "It seems so."
Caelan said, "If we match these clues to the legend, the 'golden ram' could be the starship that brought humanity's ancestors to Colchis. And the 'golden fleece' might be the STC, the Standard Template Construct. Whatever it is, we'll know when we find it."
In Imperial records, there was no mention of the Golden Fleece. Perhaps Lorgar never uncovered its meaning, or perhaps he did, but destroyed the evidence under Kor Phaeron's orders.
After all, Kor Phaeron was still a priest of the Covenant. He would never allow information that might blaspheme against their faith to survive.
But Caelan wasn't Kor Phaeron. If the Golden Ram and the Golden Fleece really existed, he'd never let such treasures slip away.
Though humanity's Golden Age had ended and its civilization nearly collapsed, many lost technologies from that time still survived, hidden among scattered human worlds. Some were preserved by the Mechanicum of Mars, others by local populations, and some lay buried beneath forgotten ruins.
Colchis was colonized in M20; the Men of Iron Rebellion began in late M23.
That left a span of three thousand years, ample time for Colchis to have traded with Terra and acquired advanced technology.
If they could uncover a cache of STCs on Colchis, it would be a monumental contribution to the newborn Imperium, one that could greatly accelerate humanity's revival.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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