Chapter 415: The Universal Megacorp Has Found the Perfect Timeline!
"You might as well speak more plainly."
Malkador pressed urgently. The power of foresight was considered a monarch-tier supernatural ability within the Imperium.
Only immensely powerful psykers like the Emperor himself could read possible futures through psychic means.
But in the face of Malkador's questioning, Paul abruptly stopped talking. He refused to elaborate further—pulling the classic "Heaven's secrets mustn't be revealed" routine, which left Malkador grinding his teeth in frustration.
Yet he couldn't force the man to speak.
Malkador's mind raced, and suddenly, something clicked: "Lord Paul, if what you say is true, then this intelligence must be of monumental importance."
If Paul used the phrase "a grim future," then Magnus must be poised to bring catastrophic trouble to the Imperium. Was it a full-scale heresy? Or had he opened the gates to a predator within?
Although the gene-primarchs under the Imperium all currently swore unwavering loyalty to the Emperor, the Emperor knew full well that the four Chaos Gods of the Warp would stop at nothing to sabotage his Webway Project.
The gene-primarchs themselves would, in the not-too-distant future, stage a rebellion. The Emperor had long begun preparing for it. But while open assaults were easier to counter, covert betrayals were a different beast entirely. He didn't know exactly which of his sons would eventually turn.
In fact, according to Warhammer 40K's canon storyline, the actual event that shattered the Imperium wasn't Horus the Dutiful Son setting out to slay his so-called false god of a father.
Back then, the loyalist legions still had enough strength to suppress the traitors—Horus could even have been captured alive.
What the Emperor hadn't foreseen was Magnus the Red—his well-intentioned but disastrous son—leading the Warp's Chaos God directly in through the back door for a surprise attack.
Compared to killing Horus, the Emperor had, at that moment, been far more inclined to strike down this treacherous son of his.
A grim future… Magnus… betrayal… the Warp…
Malkador's mind raced. It was only natural for him to link Paul's cryptic remarks to the four Chaos Gods of the Warp.
He couldn't yet discern the exact process, nor did he dare to speculate too boldly.
At least for now, Magnus had not betrayed the Emperor. If they could uncover more information, there might still be a way to thwart the Chaos Gods' schemes and save this primarch before he strayed too far.
What a headache…
Malkador sighed inwardly.
These gene-primarchs—each one was more unruly than the last.
Magnus, for instance—on the surface, he appeared more obedient than Horus and his other elder brothers, but he was infamous for his two-faced nature.
The Emperor had warned Magnus repeatedly not to indulge in his secret "online surfing" in the Warp.
But Magnus wouldn't listen. He frequently snuck into the Warp behind the Emperor's back to surf freely. Running into Tzeentch—this interdimensional scam artist—was only a matter of time.
While Paul and Malkador were conversing, Li Ang—stationed at the Multiverse Base Headquarters—was watching everything unfold via faster-than-light transmission in first-person view. He seemed to remember something important.
According to the canon timeline of Warhammer, Magnus was never supposed to go missing… Thoughts flashed rapidly through Li Ang's mind.
As the most powerful psyker among the Emperor's sons, Magnus had always been held in high regard. If he'd ever gone missing, it would have surely been mentioned in the history or lore of the Warhammer universe.
But there was no such record.
That could only mean this was a sudden, unanticipated incident.
And the only plausible culprit was the Chaos Gods of the Warp.
"Boss, do you think our arrival has already drawn the attention of the Warp entities? Have they started making moves?"
V voiced the same suspicion as Li Ang.
Clearly, the surge of emotional unrest among the Imperium's populace had caught the full attention of the Chaos Gods.
The Universal Megacorp had brought star-faring technology to the Imperium, effectively booting the Chaos Gods and their daemonic minions out of their biggest racket.
If humanity stopped using the Warp to travel entirely, who would the Chaos Gods charge for passage then?
The retaliation had already begun.
Magnus going missing was just the beginning—not the end.
"Magnus disappearing at this critical moment—regardless of whether his fate is good or bad—will inevitably trigger suspicion from the Emperor and his primarch brothers."
Morgan Blackhand spoke sharply and to the point.
All factions of the Imperium were closely watching this technology exchange, and the Emperor himself had been observing the fluctuations in the Warp without rest.
If Magnus had indeed been captured by the Chaos Gods and then released, there was no doubt he would be subjected to judgment—by both the Emperor and his brothers.
But that, too, might be part of the Chaos Gods' plan:
To sow division and weaken the unity among the primarchs—making them easier to take down one by one.
Back on the ground, after receiving updated intel from HQ, Paul finally spoke to Malkador: "The details… Let's continue this conversation aboard our warship."
"There are too many eyes and ears here. It's not safe."
The Megacorp warship was equipped with a dimensional cloaking device that ensured complete privacy for any conversation—at least one that even the Chaos Gods of the Warp couldn't eavesdrop on.
"Of course. That's exactly what I was hoping for."
Malkador nodded. At such a critical juncture, caution was more than justified.
"I'll first report the results of today's treaty to the Emperor. I'll meet you shortly afterward."
Malkador was already familiar with the might of the Megacorp's dimensional cloaking devices. Within the field of an active cloaker, all psychic powers ceased to function.
While he couldn't quite grasp how such technology worked, he was certain of one thing: only the Megacorp could guide the Imperium to its apex.
Not long after—
Malkador made his way back to the opulent Imperial Palace of Terra. The surrounding Custodes stood like statues, as if they hadn't even noticed the hurried arrival.
But that was only natural.
As the Chancellor of the Imperium, Malkador's reputation on Terra was nearly unassailable. Even the Emperor's own elite bodyguards had no reason to be wary of him.
With the Emperor's express authorization, Malkador now held privileges on par with royalty: he could enter court without being announced, receive no formal salutes, and even wear a sword in the Emperor's presence.
Soon, Malkador stepped into the palace chamber, lifted his gaze toward the Emperor seated upon the throne, and reported everything truthfully.
The Megacorp's envoy team had departed with the sacred relics and STC modules of the Golden Age, leaving behind Paul Atreides as a hostage.
The star-faring technology had been successfully delivered.
The disappearance of Magnus was clearly linked to a conspiracy orchestrated by the Chaos Gods of the Warp. A grim future might soon descend!
Yet upon hearing Malkador's lengthy report, the Emperor seemed interested only in the part concerning the new navigation technology. He absorbed the data storage device from Malkador's hand into his palm.
Then immediately began to analyze its contents, as if Magnus's fate was of no consequence to him whatsoever.
The next moment, Malkador could feel the Emperor's emotions surging across the Warp.
Let the psychic echoes fall where they may.
"Hahahaha—!"
Suddenly, the Emperor's deep, resounding laughter echoed through the grand hall. It was worth it—every bit of it had been worth it.
Even if it meant sacrificing one of the gene-primarchs, as long as the reward was safe and stable interstellar navigation technology, it didn't matter in the slightest.
Malkador remained silent, but he was genuinely moved by the Emperor's excitement. The dawn of humanity's revival had finally arrived.
In this moment, the Emperor no longer needed to suppress the emotional ripples surging from him into the Warp. He knew—he had already won. The Chaos Gods had reacted too slowly. They couldn't stop the Imperium's resurgence now.
"Has this technology been tested?" the Emperor asked.
"Not yet. The actual navigation engine still needs to be constructed. But our engineers have reviewed their video demonstrations and confirmed there's no issue."
Malkador replied truthfully.
The Emperor nodded. In truth, he had already glimpsed a radiant future for humanity through his hazy foresight.
Though that prophecy still contained variables, and the potential for humanity to plunge into eternal darkness remained, compared to the past—where nearly every timeline was shrouded in despair—the present situation was like seeing light break through the clouds.
The Universal Megacorp had found the perfect timeline. The probability of the Imperium's successful revival had reached 50%!
"The daemons and gods of the Warp are stirring. When should we make our move?" Malkador asked.
"Now!" the Emperor answered with conviction.
The Webway technology passed down from the Old Ones was far too complex to be completed by the Emperor alone.
But the Megacorp's star-faring technology was fully developed—and with the Mechanicus on Mars lending a hand, the Imperium was closer than ever to adopting this brand-new FTL travel system.
"What about the missing Magnus? What do we do with him?"
At times, Malkador couldn't help but doubt if these gene-primarchs were truly the Emperor's own sons. He often seemed to care about them more than their own father did.
And yet these primarchs were unwaveringly loyal to the Emperor—eager to lay down their lives for him—while harboring resentment toward Malkador, who actually looked out for them.
"Send someone to search for him. If he can't be found, then so be it. The Imperium's future no longer depends on his help."
The Emperor's cold response caught Malkador off guard—but thinking of the Emperor's usual attitude toward his sons, it didn't seem surprising.
Back when the primarchs had been scattered by the Warp storms, it had been he, Malkador, who had pleaded with the Emperor to go find them.
Otherwise, the Emperor might not have even lifted a finger to look.
"As for the prophecy about the future, the Megacorp's envoy, Paul, seems to know something. He's already invited me aboard their ship for a private discussion," Malkador said, mentioning his prior agreement with Paul.
"And… it's related to Magnus!"
The Emperor's expression first showed a flash of suspicion, then quickly returned to calm. "If they want to talk, then go hear them out."
"If they make other demands, you have full authority to handle them—as long as it doesn't interfere with my greater plans."
The Emperor didn't care whether the Universal Megacorp wanted more bargaining chips. He just wanted to see his vision realized and begin Great Crusade 2.0.
Malkador nodded and left the throne room swiftly to carry out his orders.
…
Despite all the back-and-forth rushing, Malkador's old bones didn't feel tired at all—in fact, he felt even more energized.
When he met Paul again aboard the Megacorp's dreadnought, the weary lines on his face were softened by a warm and radiant smile.
"Lord Paul, the Emperor takes the matter of Magnus very seriously. If you possess any intel about him, I ask that you share it with us."
"In exchange, you may name any condition."
Seeing how forthright Malkador was, Paul didn't play coy. He immediately laid his cards on the table with a merciless grin: "We want two more STC modules."
Hearing that, Malkador's smile instantly froze.
He had only been offering courtesy, and Paul actually went ahead and made such an outrageous demand?
Typical. Capitalists really were shameless to the core!
"Lord Paul, don't you think that condition is… just a little too excessive?"
The Imperium had already paid ten STC modules to obtain the Megacorp's interstellar navigation technology—and the Megacorp scientists had been allowed to cherry-pick them.
That deal alone had already stirred considerable resentment among the upper ranks of the Mechanicus.
After all, these ancient relics had been painstakingly recovered from the dirt by the machine-priests—some of them were one-of-a-kind.
If they kept giving them away like this, the Imperium might end up without a single STC module left!
Seeing Malkador's hesitation, Paul simply smiled in silence.
They were capitalist and feudalist—one wasn't any better than the other. What were they here for if not profit? It was already a miracle that they weren't just looting for free.
"But—!"
Malkador suddenly recalled the Emperor's words, and his tone shifted. "If the information you hold is valuable enough, this deal might still be acceptable."
Paul nodded slightly and said:
"You'll die at Magnus's hand."
As the words fell, Malkador was stunned.
It was as if thunder had exploded beside his ears.
The Grand Chancellor of the Imperium—killed by a gene-primarch? Even if the primarchs weren't particularly fond of him, it shouldn't come to full-blown violence.
Magnus was a psyker primarch. As a fellow psyker, Malkador assumed they'd at least have some common ground.
In fact, he'd met Magnus before. Though the man was as proud and overbearing as Horus, no real conflict had ever arisen between them.
If anything, Malkador would've bet on dying by Horus's hand long before considering Magnus.
But now, Paul's short sentence carried heavy implications. Malkador's mind began racing, playing out countless possible future scenarios.
If Magnus remained a loyal primarch, the chance of him murdering Malkador was slim to none.
But if he had already fallen—become a pawn of the Chaos Gods…
Then all bets were off.
"This prophecy of yours—did it come from before or after the Imperium obtained the navigation technology?" Malkador asked.
Prophecies glimpsed from different points in time often yielded different outcomes.
And the recent acquisition of new FTL tech was precisely the kind of major event that could alter the course of history.
The bleak future once foreseen by the Emperor had already dropped from a 99.99% likelihood… to 50%.
If Magnus killing him was based on an earlier prediction, then now… it might never come to pass.
Malkador let out a long sigh of relief.
(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: [email protected]/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)