The Romance of Faster-than-Light Travel

If there was anything more painful than being unable to realize a dream, it was having the chance to realize it only to miss it due to a twist of fate.

And even more painful than that was having one's personality copy seize the opportunity to fulfill that dream.

The founder of the Space Bridge was destined to be remembered throughout human history and revered by countless beneficiaries.

"So, Lord Lox, was it Cawl One who helped you decipher the Cybertronian aliens' faster-than-light technology?"

"This alien civilization's unique technology naturally required a degree of deciphering and modification to make it more suitable for human civilization."

Cawl's tone was filled with regret and bitterness. He felt as though even the biological organs within him that digested food and absorbed nutrients were cramping painfully.

He had done his utmost to maintain an indifferent, composed demeanor before Sage Lox.

Yet when he felt the dampness of sweat beading down his back, he knew clearly that his resolve had begun to waver.

Belisarius Cawl, a rising star within both the Adeptus Mechanicus and the High Technology Community, had no choice but to admit that his defenses had been breached.

If time could be turned back, Cawl would never have made the choice he regretted so deeply.

Compared with the unknowns of the endless universe, even the Imperium's finest research materials and a Sage's position within the High Technology Community seemed so hollow and dull.

"Yes, Cawl. When I acquired Space Bridge technology from that alien civilization called Cybertron, your personality copy, Cawl One, helped me greatly."

"Even among my many teams of scientists, Cawl One is a capable general who can shoulder heavy responsibilities."

"Without him, my work would have encountered far more trouble."

Yet the more Lox praised Cawl One, the greater the