Infinite Metaverse

Chapter 32: The Sosalan

After considerable effort, Fu Qinghai managed to bring the obese merchant back to the 'Shortsword'. Even an Astartes couldn't remain exposed to the void of space for too long, let alone a normal human. Fu Qinghai's helmet had been damaged by an explosive tag, rendering the visor display useless. The area around the teleport homer was breached, lacking both air and gravity.

The most tedious and time-consuming part of Fu Qinghai's mission to sweep the pirate ship turned out to be retrofitting a spacesuit helmet from the merchant vessel to fit his size so he could retrieve the teleport homer.

A bright beam of light flashed, and Fu Qinghai, holding a helmet under one arm and dragging the lavishly dressed fat man, materialized on the deck of the 'Shortsword'.

Taral, accompanied by several crew members, approached. He glanced at Fu Qinghai's battle-worn armour, scorched and bloodied, and the damaged helmet, then asked, "How did it go?"

"Done." Despite his disheveled appearance, Fu Qinghai's expression was calm, as if he had merely completed a trivial task.

"What's the situation on that ship?"

Fu Qinghai handed the fat merchant over to the crew and said, "Ask him."

Returning to his personal quarters—a standard Astartes-sized cabin with an adjacent armoury, much like Ogotai's—Fu Qinghai rarely used the armoury. He preferred to maintain and modify his weapons in Master Kurnos' laboratory, where better equipment was available.

Fu Qinghai entered the armoury, closed the door, and began taking stock of his spoils. First, he opened his attribute panel in his mind.

{Name: Fu Qinghai (True Name)}

{Reincarnation ID: 60731920}

{Race: Astartes (Bio-engineered Human)}

{Height: 249 cm}

{Weight: 301 kg}

{Abilities: Tony Stark's Electonic Backup (Completion: 17%)}

{Reincarnation Equipment: None}

{Assimilation Points: 1944}

{World Anchors: X1}

{Reincarnation Lives: X2}

His Assimilation Points had increased significantly, primarily from eliminating opposing Reincarnators.

Fu Qinghai looked down at himself. He was clad in Mark IV power armour, equipped with a power sword and a bolter. In his hand, he held two Power pills (Project Power).

Yet, his attribute panel still displayed "None" under Reincarnation Equipment. It seemed he would need to spend Assimilation Points to truly claim these items as his own.

'Reincarnation World, I wish to assimilate this Power pill…' Fu Qinghai thought silently.

No response.

'Great Master, I wish to assimilate this Power pill…' Fu Qinghai tried again.

Still no response.

'System, system… ah, forget it.' Fu Qinghai gave up. The Reincarnation World never responded to summons; it only appeared when it deemed necessary.

Fu Qinghai guessed that only items still under his control by the end of a storyline could be assimilated.

Two Power pills.

An Explosive Tag.

A scroll covered in strange, tadpole-like symbols he couldn't decipher.

These were the fruits of his looting.

"Pathetic…" Fu Qinghai muttered.

The Power pills were too risky to consume, the explosive tag was unusable without the proper knowledge and the scroll was incomprehensible.

As for the shurikens, kunai, and other bladed weapons, Fu Qinghai hadn't even bothered to take them. The material strength and precision of ordinary weapons from the Naruto world couldn't compare to those of the Warhammer 40K universe.

***

Meanwhile, on the bridge.

The fat merchant was tearfully recounting his ordeal to the White Scars.

"What? Qinghai single-handedly killed five psykers?" Ogotai's booming voice echoed across the bridge.

The fat man nodded. "I was hiding in the wall compartment, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. I heard the fighting outside, and then the Astartes interrogating the pirates. When I came out, all I saw were corpses."

Taral couldn't help but marvel. 'He really did it all by himself…'

When Fu Qinghai arrived on the bridge, he heard Ogotai's exclamation. He understood why Ogotai and Taral were so surprised.

In the Warhammer 40K universe, humans who could spit fireballs or summon lightning were classified as psykers. However, these individuals weren't true psykers—they were ninjas using chakra. While their fire jutsu might be more potent than ordinary flames, true psyker flames, conjured from the Warp, could bypass physical armour entirely, burning the soul directly.

Psykers varied in strength, of course. Navigators and Astropaths had little combat capability, and weaker psykers might not even compare to Naruto ninjas. But psykers were rare—one in a hundred million—and groups of them were usually formidable. If Fu Qinghai hadn't returned, Ogotai would have sent Terminators for a boarding action. In Ogotai's mind, Fu Qinghai's mission had been reconnaissance, not extermination.

After all, Fu Qinghai was still a rookie, with less than two years of service. Normally, he wouldn't even have completed all his augmentation surgeries.

Seeing Fu Qinghai approach, Ogotai called out, "Qinghai, come here."

Fu Qinghai strode over.

He felt no pride or arrogance. The ninjas, at best, consisted of a few genin and a single chunin.

Ogotai clapped him on the shoulder. "Well done, Qinghai. You've far exceeded my expectations."

Then Ogotai added, "I have a task for you."

"Good news. That Lunar-class cruiser, the 'Sosalan', belongs to the 13th Legion, the Ultramarines. They are loyal."

Fu Qinghai nodded. The Ultramarines had remained steadfastly loyal to their Primarch and the Emperor throughout the Horus Heresy. The Battle of Calth had only fueled their thirst for revenge. There was no need to worry about duplicity within their ranks.

"Since entering this sector, I've realized the 'Shortsword''s firepower is insufficient. This ship is designed as a support vessel for a fleet, not for independent operations. I doubt we can accomplish the task the Khan has given us with just this frigate. So, I requested to accompany the 'Sosalan'. Their commander agreed."

Fu Qinghai noticed Ogotai's calm demeanor, but he knew the negotiations had been tense.

***

Sosalan's Commander: "Why have you separated from your Primarch's fleet?"

Ogotai: "We have other tasks assigned by the Khan."

Sosalan's Commander: "What tasks?"

Ogotai: "That's classified."

Sosalan's Commander: "I've heard some White Scars rebelled against their Primarch."

Ogotai: "Hmph. And I've heard of a Second Emp—"

At the mention of that sensitive term, the Sosalan's commander immediately cut him off. "Careful, Captain Ogotai!"

Thus ended their verbal sparring.

With the Astronomican obscured by warp storms, no one in the galaxy knew if Terra had fallen. In the Segmentum Ultima, Roboute Guilliman, alongside Sanguinius of the Blood Angels and Lion El'Jonson of the Dark Angels, had established the Imperium Secundus (Second Empire) to preserve humanity's hope. 

Sanguinius, the most Emperor-like of them all, was named "Imperator Regis" (Regent), a position akin to the Emperor's. Lion El'Jonson became "Lord Protector," similar to Horus' "Warmaster," while Guilliman took the title of "Lord Warden".

After reestablishing contact with Terra, the Second Empire was swiftly dissolved. The three Legions, especially the Ultramarines, avoided any mention of this "Unremembered Empire."

In the end, the Sosalan's commander agreed to Ogotai's request.

***

"But they remain wary of us. I can feel it. The Sosalan's commander proposed that their mission is to cut off the traitors' supply lines and purge this sector of all forces allied with the rebels. They're willing to let us accompany them, but they're short-handed and requested a few of our warriors to assist them."

Ogotai explained, "This is both a request and a test. Traitors can't hide their true nature in battle. The Ultramarines' commander is a cautious and shrewd one."

"Given my current condition, I don't wish to represent the Fifth Legion before those proud Ultramarines as a broken man."

"Qinghai, you've demonstrated exceptional combat prowess in clearing the pirate ship. You've defeated everyone in the training cages. I believe you won't disgrace the White Scars, whether on the battlefield or in the arena."

"Therefore, I've decided to send you as our representative to the 'Sosalan'. You'll remain there and follow the Ultramarines' orders during our joint mission."

Ogotai's eyes bore into Fu Qinghai. "Can you complete this task?"

"Of course!" Fu Qinghai stood tall, answering without hesitation.

"Good. You'll depart for the 'Sosalan' via Stormbird immediately. Since you're unfamiliar with such formal occasions, I'll have Taral assist you."

This was an honorable mission. Fu Qinghai now represented the entire White Scars Legion. All the Astartes and mortal officers present saluted Fu Qinghai with respect and applause.

Yet, Fu Qinghai's thoughts drifted to a recent private conversation with Ogotai in his quarters.

***

Fu Qinghai: "Khan, our goal is to escort Master Kurnos to Mars, right? To help him seize power?"

Ogotai: "I don't know. Master Kurnos holds a high position on Mars. I assume so."

Fu Qinghai: "We can't go to Mars. It's a suicide mission!"

Fu Qinghai was certain of this for two reasons.

From official lore, he knew Mars had fallen quickly after the rebellion. Warmaster Horus had bribed Fabricator General Kelbor-Hal with forbidden Dark Age technology, leading to the Mechanicum's defection. With the Fabricator General's betrayal, the loyalist Mechanicum on Mars stood no chance and soon retreated to Terra.

Moreover, Fu Qinghai could infer from the outcome. The official novels made no mention of this escort fleet, suggesting they hadn't made an impact on Mars—if they even reached it at all.

Ogotai: "Why do you say that?"

Fu Qinghai: "Think about it, boss. What can seven of us do against the legions of Skitarii and Titans on Mars?"

Ogotai: "We can rely on Master Kurnos…"

Fu Qinghai interrupted, "Fabricator General Kelbor-Hal has betrayed us."

Ogotai was stunned. "How do you know?"

Fu Qinghai: "I saw it in a dream. Fragments of the past."

'I'm not hiding it anymore. I'm a psyker, a prophet.'

Ogotai hesitated. Fu Qinghai's occasional prophetic insights had proven reliable so far. He had to consider this.

The Fabricator General's betrayal was no small matter. The Mechanicum's legions of fearless, heavily armed robots and towering Imperator-class Titans were a force to be reckoned with. This betrayal was a dagger plunged into the heart of the Imperium.

No matter how influential Master Kurnos was, he couldn't compare to the Fabricator General.

Not even close.

Some might ask: 'Aren't you a Reincarnator? Can't you change the course of events?'

No. After so many battles, Fu Qinghai knew his limits. Compared to the Primarchs and their Legions, he was insignificant. At this stage, he couldn't influence the grand narrative of the Horus Heresy. Even participating in the Siege of Terra would only make him cannon fodder, let alone going to Mars.

Ogotai stroked his chin, deep in thought. Slowly, he looked up at Fu Qinghai and said, "Qinghai, we are Astartes loyal to the Khan and the Imperium. We are the sons of Jaghatai Khan. Obeying our Primarch's orders is our duty."

Fu Qinghai understood. Even if it meant certain death, Ogotai would go to Mars.

Now, recalling that conversation and Ogotai's decision to send him to the Ultramarines, Fu Qinghai felt a mix of emotions. He couldn't fathom what Ogotai was truly thinking.

*****

Hey there guys,

If you're enjoying this wild ride, toss a power stone my way, drop a comment, or leave a review (bonus points if it's nice, but I'll take the roast too).

Also you're missing out on a lot of advanced chapters (More than 20). Head to my Patreon page to catch up on what's going on.

Patreon.com/Wild_Bunch