Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 139 We Are No Different
"Doom, my brother."

Horus's voice was weak as he softly called out to his blood brother.

“I will allocate warships to join the 19th Legion’s combat order and leave with you.”

"Is this considered compensation?" Doom stopped walking without turning around.

"It's not compensation," Horus said firmly, denying the claim of "compensation."

Compensation is restitution, usually determined by a trial, and is the compensation given by the perpetrator to the victim.

Horus struggled internally but firmly believed that his actions were necessary and refused to admit his mistake.

Since there was no fault and no trial, the idea of ​​compensation is naturally out of the question.

"It is a reward for them, a thank you to the Nineteenth Army Corps for their contributions. This is a reward I have never given before."

"Heh~" Doom shook his head and sneered: "They don't need your reward. I'll take them away and naturally take responsibility for them."

"Horus, don't be so attached to your so-called 'dignity.' A mistake is a mistake, and the right thing to do is to make amends."

Horus did not answer, and the room fell into a cold silence.

"I wish you a successful expedition."

Doom sent his blessings, pushed open the door, and went out.

The Shadow Moon Wolves outside the door knelt down in unison; whatever happened inside the room, they had to show their respect.

"Hmph," Russ snorted coldly, letting out a loud snort, and glanced coldly at Shadowmoon Wolf:

"From now on, honors will be earned with greater weight, stained with the blood of brothers."

Shadowmoon Wolf lowered his head, pondering the deeper meaning of Lehman Russ's words, somewhat at a loss.

As the two Primarchs walked away, they slowly rose, their eyes meeting in bewilderment.

Doom and Ruth walked quickly, their boots clattering on the steel deck of their vengeful quest, the clanging sound echoing down the corridor.

The Doomsday Warrior and Space Wolf behind them had to run quickly and in small steps to barely keep up with the two fathers of genes.

"He will suffer greatly because he is too stubborn and self-righteous."

Doom was furious. He thought Horus would understand and treat all his troops equally.

I can't even imagine how much Shadowmoon Wolf concealed in the war report summary submitted to the War Council.

Ruth's teeth were grinding, his eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing was heavy and labored.

"I really don't know what my father was thinking, making me learn from Horus?"

Horus's decision to join Horus was not a spur-of-the-moment thing; the Emperor had mentioned that he should learn from Horus's combat experience.

If Horus treated his brothers and sons this way, what about his mortals and servants?

Their situation was predictable; they only needed supplies, not essential ones.

His roar echoed down the corridor, venting his pent-up anger: "Learn from him to betray your allies and win?"

"Study? Study my ass!"

Wherever the two went, Space Marines knelt down and mortals trembled in fear.

They couldn't understand why the son of two emperors, a demigod-like being, was angry.

"Little brat? Have we arrived yet?"

Russ roared angrily, startling the Shadowmoon Wolf who was leading the way; he had been living in fear the whole way.

He dared not speak, fearing that the Primarch's wrath would spread and kill him in a fit of rage.

"Great Primarch, there is an elevator 500 meters ahead. Take it for 200 seconds to reach the Nineteenth Legion assembly deck level."

He answered quickly and in a light tone, ensuring that he conveyed the information effectively and would not be asked a second time.

"What are you afraid of?" Russ pressed on, his beastly eyes narrowing with increasing interest: "Afraid I'll kill you?"

"That is my honor, Primarch."

"Hmph! So you should thank me?"

"There's no need to make things difficult for him. He's an insignificant character. The Legion can't sway Horus's will."

Doom placed a large hand on Russ's shoulder, suddenly remembering what his mother had told him—that royalty needs to save face.

He solemnly said to Ruth, "Brother, Primarchs need to maintain their dignity; it is not a kind thing to make things difficult for juniors."

Ruth paused for a moment, not surprised by his brother's words, but because he saw the memories and pain that flashed in his eyes.

He let out a long breath and removed Doom's arm from his shoulder: "Understood, Primarch needs to maintain his dignity."

Ruth was not a true savage; he had a savage appearance but was essentially a civilized man.

The Shadowmoon Wolf Warrior nodded inwardly; the king's words were indeed different.

Primarchs need to maintain their dignity!
Thinking about it this way, some of the things the father of genetics did were indeed not very respectable.

The assembly order was issued simultaneously. After Doom and Ruth left, Horus began preparations for the Nineteenth Legion's departure. As the group stepped out of the elevator, the two Primarchs walked at the forefront, their tall figures immediately visible.

"Great Primarch! The entire 19th Legion is present."

The 19th Army Corps, with nearly 30,000 soldiers, shouted in unison. They formed three 10,000-person formations and stood neatly on the landing deck.

Doom nodded to himself. The Nineteenth Legion had not yet been completely corrupted by the Shadowmoon Wolves; they could still be rebuilt.

He glanced around and saw the soldiers of the 19th Army standing in neat rows, their shadows blending together, as black as ink.

The soldiers of the Nineteenth Legion are more agile than the Shadowmoon Wolves or Space Wolves, and their bronze power armor is also slightly lighter.

"Board the ship, we'll discuss everything once it's on the Wolf King's flagship."

"clear."

Two Glory Queen-class warships, the HRAFFINKER and the Avenger, are aligned in the void with their broadsides to facilitate personnel transport.

“I’ve actually been thinking a lot just now.” Looking down from the porthole of the Hrafinkel at the transit ships coming and going, Doom crossed his arms and frowned.

After his anger subsided and he thought about it carefully, he felt somewhat relieved about Horus's actions.

"Tell me your thoughts."

Ruth stood beside him, happy to be the one his brother shared things with.

"We blame Horus from a moral high ground because our legions have not yet participated in major battles or experienced large-scale casualties."

"You understand what I mean, right?"

Doom’s deep voice introduced a new thought: “We are like undyed white silk, while Horus is a battle flag soaked in blood.”

"He went to great lengths to preserve his offspring's lives, even willing to bear the infamy. Did he really not consider the consequences?"

"We are the Primarch, he is the Primarch, and our thinking is fast and extraordinary."

Ruth fell silent. He was deep in thought about the hypothesis proposed by Doom.

Did Horus not know the consequences? He certainly did, but he was willing to bear them, even if it meant being scorned by his brothers.

"He was a good father." Horus's beast eyes reflected the Soul of Vengeance, the bulkhead reflecting a cold light, and he saw Horus.

"Human nature is contradictory. This applies to emperors, to you and me, and to our brothers."

Doom looked back at Horus, whose brother stood tall and straight, his expression calm and upright.

"Ruth. One day, you must sacrifice the lives of mortals to save your offspring. What will you choose?"

"Preserve our offspring!" Ruth blurted out almost without hesitation, but then he froze.

He suddenly realized that the choice he was making was no different from Horus's.

Mortals and Space Marines are worlds apart in status, yet they are essentially the same—the lives of fellow human beings.

The difference between the two is that the bloodline of mortals is unfamiliar and can be squandered, while Space Marines are genetic offspring and must be carefully protected.

"We are no different."

Ruth's shoulders slumped, and after thinking it over, he felt somewhat discouraged: "He experienced a lot and did it early, and sooner or later we will follow in his footsteps."

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

“Let them die a worthy death.” Doom sighed deeply, his heart torn by inner conflict.

"Making good use of every life and ensuring that they die a worthy death is the only thing we can do."

He spoke slowly, raising his arm and beckoning to Horus, who was looking at him.

"Deep within our human nature, selfishness and hypocrisy still exist; they are inherent flaws that humanity cannot shake off, no matter what form it evolves into."

"Horus is selfish but not hypocritical; we are hypocritical and selfish."

Horus noticed Doom and nodded deeply, knowing that his brother understood him.

"Were we wrong?" Ruth retorted. "Is it reasonable for him to betray the Nineteenth Army?"

“We did nothing wrong.” Doom shook his head and smiled, his radiant smile bright and cheerful: “He didn’t hold anything back and taught us a lot through his actions.”

Ruth nodded. Horus's behavior might be problematic; he certainly didn't have anything to hide.

Even with his brothers present, his tactics and strategies, and even the use of "costs," were all aboveboard.

"learn a lesson."

Doom exhaled a breath of stale air: "His actions are despicable, but we should try to understand his motives."

"He is a role model who sets a standard for us to follow. We should at least do better than him, right?"

“Yes! Let’s learn from this.” Russ’s beast eyes suddenly lit up: “Do better than him, and fight back with the iron fist of facts.”

“Personnel transfer complete, we’re returning to Terra.” Doom turned and left, saying to Russ, “I’m going to check on the Nineteenth Legion.”

(End of this chapter)