Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 108 Imperial Truth
After both sides expressed their opinions, the magnificent side hall fell silent as the leaders of the two countries reflected on the gains from the dialogue.

"So does this mean the negotiations have broken down?"

The emperor suddenly asked, "We all have our own principles and will not give up what we believe to be right."

“No, not exactly.” After a moment of thought, Doom gave a fair answer. “We just exchanged views.”

"After all, different people have different views on the same thing, and it is more beneficial than harmful to talk about it."

The emperor nodded in deep agreement; he hadn't had such an equal exchange in a long time.

In the human empire, everything must proceed according to his planned path to avoid mistakes and missing the opportunity for human revival.

Even Horus, his most beloved son.

On matters of principle that are not open to discussion, one must obey the emperor's arrangements without any room for maneuver.

Doom was different. To the Emperor, he was not a son, but a unique gift.

He is the most trustworthy person, and the two are aligned on the major strategic directions.

"How's your Star Empire?"

The Emperor did not dwell too much on the issue of Omnics, but instead asked Doom what kind of entity his Star Empire was.

"May my assistant answer for me?" Doom touched his arm armor and calmly asked the Emperor. "Professional matters should be left to professionals."

"Fine." The emperor shook his head helplessly, making a silent concession.

"Central Law Sofia greets you."

Doom activated his arm armor, and Sophia reappeared, lifting her skirt to greet the two extraordinary beings.

"Tell the Lord of the Human Empire about our homeland."

"As you wish." Sofia bowed gracefully, her manner rational, concise, and dignified.

She simply raised her hands in a gesture, projecting images throughout the side hall to show the emperor the Nur stars.

The Emperor looked at Sophia, a ruthless digital life form, whose narration was full of passion, as if introducing the most precious treasure.

He also saw that under Doom's rule, machines were given personality and were able to make choices that gave them their own souls.

The humans of the Nur Star are all living in abundance. Material things are no longer a concern for them, and they focus more on spiritual development.

The relationship between machines and humans is even more harmonious and enlightened than in that progressive era.

A small but potentially powerful empire of stars.

"You may leave now." After observing for a long time, the Emperor had a general understanding of Nur's current situation, and he dismissed Sophia.

Doom shut down the terminal and saw the solemn look on the Emperor's face.

"Doom." The Emperor straightened up in his chair, his face extremely grave. "Do you know about 'Imperial Truth'?"

Doom knew the "Imperial Truth" from Gerhan, a lie that had been packaged up.

At first, I scoffed at it, thinking it was just a lie fabricated by the imperial rulers to strengthen their rule.

After learning about the empire, I found myself reflecting more deeply on its existence and becoming more tolerant of it.

The so-called imperial truth is the insistence that the entire universe is rational and knowable, and that humanity should use knowledge to overcome fear and escape the chaotic state of panic that has permeated the age of strife.

It advocates that humanity must abandon any irrational or superstitious ideas and give up the worship of all unknown forces and concepts, believing that superstitious thoughts and false beliefs are the reason why humanity has experienced a painful history in times of conflict.

This includes rejecting religion, faith, and superstition, emphasizing humanity's destiny to rule the stars, humanity's uniqueness, and the dangers posed by all alien species.

They claim that humans are the perfect form of natural evolution, with a natural right to rule the stars, and that aliens are despicable beings that have taken over human homes.

“I know,” Doom nodded.

"How do you view it?"

“A white lie is necessary for the current empire.”

Doom made a simple summary of the imperial truths he had come across, combined with the current state of the empire.

"Its ultimate goal..." Doom glanced at the Emperor and stated the essence of the Empire's truth: "To unite humanity, eliminate blind faith, and weaken the influence of Chaos on reality."

“Yes.” The Emperor acknowledged that the Imperial Truth was a white lie, and then said to Doom, “You must keep the matter of Chaos strictly confidential.”

“I know that.” Doom agreed wholeheartedly; he too knew the ugly face of chaos.

"Aren't you afraid that one day, the truth of the Empire will be exposed, and the soldiers who fought for it will know that it was just a lie, and their inner pillars will completely collapse?" Doom reminded the Emperor, he vividly remembered the proud and unwavering expressions on the faces of the Fifth Legion soldiers when they mentioned the truth of the Empire.

"So we can't let them know."

The emperor's expression was serious; he too knew the fragility of the empire's truth and the danger of lies being exposed.

"The pollution of chaos is pervasive, and for any intelligent being aware of its existence, thought is the source of its power."

"Religion and worship are natural breeding grounds for chaos and must be eradicated."

Doom nodded solemnly, expressing his deep agreement, because he himself did the same in the Nur Stars.

He eradicated all forms of faith, even subtly eliminating the people's worship of him.

Doom raised a crucial question: "What about Horus? Did you tell him?"

“No.” The Emperor shook his head: “Besides you, Macado, and Waldo, I haven’t told anyone.”

“You should tell him,” Doom said, turning to the Emperor and offering a very pertinent suggestion: “He has the right to know about the existence of Chaos and to prepare to fight against it.”

He also learned the fundamental difference between the Nur Stars and the Empire.

Among the high-ranking members of the Nur Star Group, quite a few are aware of the existence of chaos and view it with a dialectical mindset.

Always be prepared to confront chaos and research ways to eliminate it.

In the most secure psionic laboratory, and even with Doom's permission, demons were summoned for research.

Doom despises psionic power, but acknowledges its practicality—especially its effectiveness against demons.

In Nur's army, some psionicists were gradually added, just in case.

"No..." The emperor shook his head, his tone as firm as iron, leaving no room for negotiation.

"I have my reasons for doing this." Seeing Doom's puzzled look, the Emperor said helplessly, "This concerns the survival of the human empire."

The Emperor can tell Doom everything, except this.

Tell Doom that you and your twenty brothers are the result of a deal made by the gods, and that your birth came from the warp.
Doom might accept it; he has a mature mind and unique insights into how things develop.

Horus and his sons who have not yet returned?

The Emperor felt it was too early to let them know that the Great Crusade would never succeed and that humanity would miss its chance for revival.

And the most important thing...

The terms of the deal with the Chaos Gods were clearly stated: half of the Primarchy would belong to Chaos.

As for which Primarchs the gods would choose, even the Emperor himself did not know.

Even Horus could betray them, so the emperor kept him by his side to teach and mold him into a great man, thus eliminating the possibility of betrayal.

The Primarch who will never betray us, now only one person is openly revealing his hand—Doom.

He considers the gods of chaos his enemies and has sworn to kill them; he will never break his oath.

Who is your ultimate enemy?

Two different voices speaking in unison—it's a unique kind of tacit understanding.

All indications suggest that the enemy they are targeting is the Chaos Gods, the most vile beings, and they still hope to get the most accurate answers from each other.

Doom and the Emperor exchanged a smile; what they truly cared about was the final, crucial answer.

"I am the enemy of Chaos!"

Everything the Emperor did was to fight against Chaos. He foresaw the end of humanity and wanted to save the human race.

Doom's goals may not be so grand; his ultimate target is also Chaos, and he yearns for revenge against the gods.

Although their starting points were different, their ultimate goal was the same, and fate brought them together.

Since we share the same fundamental goal and are on the same side, everything is negotiable and we can tolerate each other.

The Emperor was even less willing to lose Doom, his fundamental ally who defied the gods; he was too precious, a powerful trump card.

"Let's go, they've been waiting outside for a long time."

(End of this chapter)