Black Technology from the 2K Era - PUA (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"Magnus, stop! That was just a future I dreamed of! It hasn't happened yet!"

Francis shouted, pushing against the storm.

"Prophecies cannot be changed! I am destined to be a sinner, and I have failed the Emperor!" Magnus was already on the verge of collapse.

The more Magnus delved into the secrets of the Psykers, the more he believed in the truth and immutability of prophecy.

Francis: "..."

Francis and Leman Russ tried to persuade him, but Magnus was stubborn and refused to listen!

A powerful psychic storm blew both of them into the wall.

"Sixth Brother, sit tight. I'm going to buy you some oranges," Francis roared, tensing every muscle in his body. "Waaagh!"

Leman Russ: "???"

A green energy field appeared around Francis, and the powerful psychic storm instantly turned into a gentle breeze upon contact.

Then Francis lunged at Magnus, tackling him to the ground with a bear hug.

"You still say you're not an Ork! What is this? Leman Russ, you've betrayed the Imperium!" When the psychic powers failed, Magnus roared in terror.

"Ork, huh!"

"Psykers, huh!"

"Betrayal, huh!"

Francis straddled Magnus, punching him repeatedly in the face, even tearing off the pharaoh's headdress on his head.

"Don't... don't... don't hit me anymore, I believe you. I believe you, alright!" Magnus covered his swollen face with his hands, his speech slurred.

At that moment, Francis leaned down and whispered in Magnus's ear, "You don't want Father to know you made a deal with Chaos, do you?"

Instantly.

Magnus stopped resisting, looking at Francis in disbelief.

He had sacrificed an eye to make a deal with Chaos to alleviate the flesh-mutation problems of the Thousand Sons Legion, a fact he hadn't told anyone.

Especially the Emperor, because he knew his brother had been purged due to severe flesh mutations.

"Ahem, Sixth Brother. Little Brother and I need to discuss something. Perhaps you should...?"

Hearing that he was being asked to leave, Leman Russ was displeased. "What is it that I can't hear? We are brothers!"

"You said it yourself, so don't blame me if something happens later," Francis said, spreading his hands with a roguish expression.

Seeing that Leman Russ was unmoved, Francis had no choice but to speak.

"Little Brother, listen to me. You can't handle this knowledge of the Warp."

Magnus: "..."

"In the prophecy, after you received the prophecy of Horus's betrayal, you directly contacted Father with your Psykers."

"A mysterious force amplified your psychic power, blowing up the Webway that Father was researching."

Boom!

The moment the word "Webway" appeared, Magnus felt a chill run down his spine.

Magnus, who had mastered extraordinary Warp technology, instantly understood the Emperor's goal.

Compared to the destruction of the Webway, Horus's rebellion seemed less dangerous.

"Francis, why didn't you tell Father all this information?" Leman Russ seemed confused.

"...How could I say it?" Francis scratched his head. "I was already sealed by Father due to some unpleasant issues."

"And now I suddenly pop out of my coffin and tell the revered Emperor that his most beloved son, Horus, is going to rebel against him?"

"Believe it or not, if I said that, you wouldn't see me again."

Leman Russ: "..."

Magnus: "..."

Seeing them both stunned, Francis cleared his throat and continued, "So! I can only tell you that I don't even trust most of our other brothers."

"I only trust you, brothers!"

Hearing Francis say this, a warmth rose in their hearts. These were true brothers.

"Besides, Little Brother, as the saying goes, you can't walk by the river without getting your shoes wet."

"You, kid, have already been targeted by things in the Warp. Luckily, I spotted their little black chicken feet this time."

Magnus could understand the first part, but he didn't understand the "little black chicken feet" part.

As for Leman Russ, he got sleepy whenever Warp-related things were mentioned and didn't understand at all.

"Don't think they're that powerful. If they were truly powerful, why couldn't they even cure flesh mutations?"

Magnus suddenly felt that it made sense, but thinking of his children suffering from flesh mutations, he felt bitter. "It's no use. Even the best apothecaries can't cure flesh mutations. I really can't do anything about it."

"Anyway, just don't trust them. As for the flesh mutations, leave them to me," Francis said, patting his green chest.

Magnus remained silent, instead looking toward Leman Russ.

"Of course! Francis's Legion has already been greatly improved under his care, it's truly miraculous," Leman Russ said, pausing for a moment before quickly explaining.

"How is that possible!" Magnus's face showed shock.

This was something even the Emperor couldn't solve.

"It's completely normal. Sixth Brother eats more than Father, so it's normal for my gene-craft to be better than Father's."

Francis understood his doubt, but Leman Russ didn't understand why he was brought up.

Magnus: "Makes sense!"

"So, we're asking you to return to Terra. You can just tell Father yourself what's going on."

"We'll also send others to garrison this place. Once the Webway construction is complete, the mission will be accomplished."

After so much buildup, Francis finally revealed the purpose of their visit.

"No problem! I'll have the Thousand Sons Legion return with me right away, let's go!"

Magnus was very excited. Regardless, the Emperor needed him.

"Uh, we can't leave right now," Francis rubbed his nose.

Magnus: "Why?"

"Ahem, because we came in such a hurry, our warship sustained some damage and needs repairs for a while."

"There's really no other way. We just missed you too much."

Hearing Francis say he missed him, Magnus's eyes turned slightly red.

His brother wasn't dead, and he had even become stronger. Magnus had already been worried about the Astartes' situation after the Great Crusade.

He worried they might be purged like the Second and Eleventh Legions. Now, he felt much more at ease.

The three embraced and walked outside.

"Francis, can you save my sons? They are suffering greatly right now."

"No problem, little Magnus. But let me tell you, if you succumb to Chaos, your understanding of Psykers will forever be inferior to those things. Your future will be ruined! Do you understand?"

"I understand, Francis. How long will you maintain that Ork form?"

"Uh... I don't know. How about you two let me have some of your blood? Maybe I'll recover after a couple of drinks."

"..."

"Haha, I'm just joking with you."

"Should we transmit the news of Horus's rebellion back to Terra?"

"No rush, we'll talk about it when we get back. Didn't you forget what I just said? If you make a call now, your old man's exterminatus order will likely be issued."

"Reckless!"

"...When do we eat?"

The voices of the three grew fainter as they walked out of the pyramid and headed towards the monastery.

BANG!

Leman Russ kicked open the door, only to see half the Astartes inside naked, being groped by the other half.

Amidst the astonished expressions of everyone present, the three numbly retreated and closed the door.

The Astartes warriors inside finally realized how heretical their actions were, their faces instantly flushed red as they hurriedly shouted.

"Primarch, listen to us, we really aren't what you think!"

"Primarch, you have to believe me! I absolutely have no such intentions! Our hearts are only focused on the exploration of Warp knowledge!"

"Primarch! Primarch! Please believe we are innocent!"

After a while.

The three walked back in. The warriors inside were all fully dressed.

A representative from the Soul Drinkers and the Thousand Sons Legion each explained what had just happened.

"So, you were just curious about the flesh-change mutation of the Soul Drinkers being completely healed?" Magnus asked with a stern face.

The Thousand Sons Legion representative: "Yes."

"So, you stripped naked so your brothers could see clearly?" Francis asked with an equally stern face.

"Yes," Salpador awkwardly scratched his bald head.

Hearing this, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If this got out, they would lose face completely!

They both looked at Leman Russ simultaneously. Leman Russ felt a bit uncomfortable under their gaze.

"What are you looking at me for? This Wolf King is really busy. I'm going to check on the battleship's repair progress," Leman Russ said and then bolted.

Seeing Leman Russ run off, the other two began to get down to business.

"From now on, I will be treating the flesh-change mutations of the Thousand Sons Legion."

"Those who need treatment, line up, we'll start now! Salpador, you get ready too, you'll perform some of the simpler surgeries."

"The first one..."