Osiris knew that for a warrior like Sigismund, who had experienced countless battles and deeply understood the uncertainty and danger of Warp travel, this point held a fatal attraction.
"This means that the deployment of Imperial forces will become more predictable, faster, and no longer completely dependent on the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and the Navigator families.
For Legions... or rather, Chapters, that need to respond to widespread threats, especially when operating in unstable Warp regions, its strategic value is self-evident."
He did not mention the potential for cross-sector travel that higher Warp Drive tiers might bring, as that would be too shocking for someone encountering the concept for the first time, and more likely to cause unnecessary alarm.
He chose a more specific application scenario that would directly address the future expeditionary needs of the Black Templars.
Sigismund fell into a long silence.
His gaze slowly shifted from the counter-intuitive scene of life in the canyon, refocusing on Osiris' impassive mechanical face.
Even through the hard helmet, Osiris could clearly perceive the shock contained within that gaze, and the almost instinctive caution that followed.
The impact of this news far surpassed that of creating an oasis.
It directly pointed to the very foundation upon which the Imperium survived—the vast system built on Warp travel, Adeptus Astra Telepathica communication, and Navigator bloodlines.
The four words "Warp Drive" casually uttered by Osiris represented a power capable of overturning ten millennia of human tradition.
Time flowed in silence, with only the wind of the Death World howling above the canyon.
After a long while, Sigismund's deep voice slowly emerged from his helmet's vox-caster, each syllable seeming to carry immense weight: "You are well aware of what this means."
This statement was not merely directed at the technology itself, but also questioned the colossal waves it would inevitably unleash.
The decline of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, the hostility of the Navigator families, the interference from Mars, and even a complete reshuffling of the Imperial power structure.
He was confirming whether Osiris truly understood the double-edged sword he held, and the incalculable consequences of revealing it.
He was referring not only to the technology itself but also to the political earthquake and backlash from various factions it could trigger.
"Precisely because of this," Osiris responded candidly, "I must meet with Lord Dorn. The existence of this technology is itself a huge risk. Without Primarch-level authority and foresight, it might bring not blessings, but chaos and civil war that would engulf the entire Imperium.
I need his judgment, and I also need his... protection."
Sigismund fell silent again, gazing at the barren horizon of the Death World in the distance, as if weighing the gravity of this information and the potential consequences of bringing it to the Primarch.
Finally, he turned around, his black power armor emitting a heavy grinding sound.
"I will report to my father personally," his voice regained its usual firmness. "Prepare your presentation materials, Magos Osiris. The issues you have raised indeed need to be decided by him."
—
This brief trip to the canyon, its significance far exceeded a mere visit to an experimental result.
For Sigismund, what Osiris revealed was perhaps not just two technologies capable of changing the Imperium's landscape, but also an opportunity to pull his gene-father, Rogal Dorn, who was deeply mired in pain and confusion, out of endless self-reproach and darkness.
Ever since Dorn personally brought back Sanguinius' cold corpse and the Emperor's shattered body from the *Vengeful Spirit* in the final moments of the Great Heresy, Sigismund had clearly felt that his father, once the Imperium's most resilient bulwark, had developed cracks within his soul, and could even be described as broken.
The Emperor's fall plunged this Primarch, whose life creed was to fulfill his vows, into an unprecedented dark period.
He believed he had failed in his ultimate duty to protect the Emperor and was suffering immense pain because of it.
Sigismund watched Dorn shed his golden power armor, a symbol of glory, and don black war plate, representing penance and mourning, leading the Legion on a series of almost self-punishing "Penitent Crusades," seeking revenge against traitors in an extremely brutal manner.
But Sigismund knew this was not Dorn's true nature; it was merely a way of projecting unbearable inner pain outwards.
Dorn was using physical conquest and witnessing the destruction of traitors to try and numb himself, and in his suffering, seek an answer—an answer to how to move forward, how to maintain this crumbling human civilization, after the Emperor's silence, his brothers' betrayal, and the Imperium's devastation.
Dorn did not fully agree with Guilliman's "Second Founding" plan; the splitting of Legions, in his view, was a weakening of their cohesion and tradition.
However, his rational side clearly knew that, given the current situation, it was a necessary measure to avoid excessive concentration of power and prevent future large-scale betrayals, a bitter pill that had to be swallowed for the stability of the Imperium.
This violent conflict between reason and emotion further exacerbated his pain.
A more practical problem was that not all sons of the Imperial Fists were willing to accept the split.
A considerable number of warriors still had their loyalty and sense of honor closely tied to the Imperial Fists as a whole, unable to easily let go.
How to accommodate these loyal but "anachronistic" warriors became another dilemma facing Dorn.
Sigismund knew that, given Dorn's current self-sacrificing mindset, he would likely ultimately choose the most brutal path.
He would commit these warriors unwilling to split into the most dangerous, almost certainly fatal battles, allowing them to sacrifice themselves in the most glorious and thorough manner for the Legion and for the Imperium's "new order," thereby eliminating internal dissent and potential hidden dangers.
As First Captain and Dorn's most trusted subordinate, Sigismund saw all of this and felt the pain in his heart.
He did not want to see his gene-father continue to torment himself in pain, nor did he want to see those loyal warriors meet a destructive end due to differing ideals.
But he struggled to find any way to break this suffocating deadlock.
And now, what Osiris had presented—the incredible genesis particle, and the even more disruptive Warp Drive technology—was like a beam of light tearing through thick dark clouds.
Sigismund keenly realized that this might be the turning point.
A grand creation capable of reshaping Death Worlds and expanding human territory, a strategic technology capable of changing the way Imperial power is projected, and possibly even influencing the future of warfare—this was enough to forcibly pull a leader trapped in past trauma back onto the path of facing future challenges.
This could give Dorn a new, overarching goal beyond his current predicament, something worth fighting for, a grand blueprint that could reignite his sense of mission and responsibility.
This was no longer just for the future of the Imperium, but also for his father's soul.
Sigismund clenched his fist; he had to convince Dorn to give Osiris a chance to present.
This might be the only hope for Rogal Dorn to truly "return."