Chapter 219: 11th Primarch: "I Am They, and They Am I"
Under Raven's supervision, the blade was confiscated and sealed by the Daemon-hunting unit accompanying the expedition.
After the Battle of Laeran concluded, Raven spent time alone with Fulgrim. He cautioned the Primarch against pursuing perfection to excess and insisted that Fulgrim consult with him or inform him of everything going forward. When the campaign ended, Raven confirmed multiple times that Fulgrim would not fall to corruption before departing. He had intended to visit the remaining Primarchs.
Then, unexpectedly, a message came from the Emperor, summoning him back to Terra.
Raven did not hesitate. With his abilities, returning to Terra was a matter of a single thought.
Upon arriving at the Palace, he learned the reason for his recall: the Eleventh Primarch had returned.
After the Chaos Gods stole the Eleventh Primarch from the gestation laboratory, he ended up on Tanambam, a machine world.
The humans there had abandoned their physical bodies, uploading their consciousness to a network and merging into a single gestalt entity—Tanambam itself.
By the time the Custodian Guard arrived, the Eleventh Primarch's consciousness had already merged with the collective. His physical body lay sealed safely in stasis.
When the Custodian Guard made their intentions known, Tanambam manipulated the Eleventh Primarch's body and returned to Terra with them.
So the Eleventh Primarch who came to the Imperium was not truly a Primarch at all, but a body controlled by the consciousness of an entire world of which 11th was also a part of.
The Emperor had just completed his testing of the Golden Throne when the Custodian Guard informed him of the situation. After examining the Eleventh himself, he found himself uncertain how to proceed and summoned Raven for counsel.
Raven learned the full story and frowned deeply.
The Eleventh's situation was far more severe than the Second's. The Second Primarch's consciousness had been twisted and damaged by years of brainwashing machinery. At least his consciousness remained fundamentally his own, it could be repaired with the proper method.
This was why Raven and the Emperor had traveled to the Shrouding the Heaven universe, seeking to restore the Second's consciousness through mystical means.
But the Eleventh's situation was something else entirely.
His consciousness had merged with the collective consciousness of an entire planet, becoming part of a gestalt entity. It was worth distinguishing: gestalt consciousness and hive consciousness were fundamentally different.
With hive consciousness, one dominant will controlled all others in a hierarchy. Here, no such structure existed. With gestalt consciousness however, there was no true hierarchy—each individual consciousness was part of the whole, and all were equal.
"This matter is truly troublesome," Raven said. "The being before us is not the Eleventh at all, but a consciousness fusion, 'Tanambam'. I've never encountered a situation like this before."
"We must find a way to separate the Eleventh's consciousness," the Emperor said. "Other matters can wait."
"Impossible!!. We are not doing that, just think if someone told you that part of your consciousness belonged to another, would you willingly cut it out?" Raven shook his head. "Let me speak with the Eleventh first, then we'll see what we should do."
Emperor nodded in agreement "As you wish."
...
Learning of the Eleventh Primarch's return, Perturabo temporarily set aside his endless projects. The Lord of Iron rarely left his workshops, but the arrival of a brother demanded his presence.
The meeting took place in one of the Imperial Palace's grand reception halls. Gothic architecture rose to a towering dome studded with crystal chandeliers. A crimson carpet spread across the floor, plush underfoot. The polished hardwood table gleamed, reflecting the lights above.
Perturabo picked a piece of fruit from a crystal dish and placed it in his mouth. The skin burst and the juice flooded his tongue.
His elevated mind automatically compiled data, acidity levels, chemical composition, nutritional value. He dismissed this analysis.
After living under Raven's wings for so long, he had learned to allow himself moments of simple enjoyment.
"The fruit's taste is deliciously excellent."
It came from an agricultural world nine hundred light-years away. Expert merchants had selected it from the finest specimens, then transported it across the void. The Palace's screening process had added further steps. In total, the cost of a single fruit could purchase the spires of an entire hive city in some distant sector.
Perturabo did not find this wasteful.
This was Terra. The Palace and Home of Emperor's. The heart of a great Imperium.
If even here you could not maintain such standards, the Imperium had fallen. And yet it had not.
The Imperium was always developing at accelerating speed. Wealth was created exponentially and endlessly. High-ranking officials worked to control wealth disparity and improve conditions for the lower classes. But development had its own logic.
The wealth accumulated on Terra staggered the mind of even the Primarchs let alone any other. All talent and resources in the Imperium flowed here like a tide until restrictions had to be imposed. Everything delivered to the Palace was the finest available. Cost was never considered.
"It tastes very good, doesn't it?"
A calm voice spoke.
Perturabo looked toward the source.
A man stood by the window, regarding Terra's cityscape. His bearing and physique matched Perturabo's own. As the sun set, twilight light cast gold across the sprawl below. Beautiful.
Perturabo studied him. Short black hair. Handsome features. When their eyes met, his gaze was calm and profound, creating an inexplicable pressure in Perturabo's mind.
It was as though he gazed not at a single person, but at a world itself. The will of an entire world made into flesh.
"Tanambam," Perturabo said, speaking the name.
"I know you, Perturabo. Lord of Iron. Savior of Olympia. Creator of countless great works."
The Eleventh Primarch meticulously listed his accomplishments. Perturabo's lips curved slightly upward.
The newly returned Primarch was sensible indeed. Unlike a certain stubborn rock.
"You've done your homework."
"Collecting data is my nature. Information is everything, matter and energy are simply other forms of information. With sufficient computing power and enough data, everything in the universe can be calculated."
Perturabo's expression registered surprise, for first time in life he felt the sensation of deja vu that others used to speak of.
Once, he too had revered data, believing that mastery of information could make him invincible. The Eleventh Primarch and he were aligned on this.
"Then what do you think of sentient machines?" Perturabo clapped his hands.
Two Iron Circle robots entered the hall, constructs of his own design.
They towered at six meters, armored in heavy plating with shield generators active. Advanced Alpha-class cogitators guided their movements. They were armed with the most sophisticated weaponry available, their combat capability far exceeding a typical Space Marine. They possessed strong autonomous judgment and could handle most combat scenarios independently.
Normally, under his gene-enhanced control, the Iron Circle served as extensions of his will. Through multitasking, Perturabo could pilot them as avatars of himself. If he continued down this path, he might one day evolve toward a mechanical hive consciousness.
"An excellent design," Tanambam remarked, examining the robots. "They are extensions of your will."
"Data is cold. Only absolute rationality can fully control it," Perturabo said. "I've heard certain things about you, that you are the collective consciousness of an entire world."
"This is the essential path to transcendence," Tanambam said.
"I possess the wisdom of hundreds of billions of lives. I carry all their knowledge and memories. I am They and They is I"
"Intersting...I'm curious what caused the people of Tanambam to create you," Perturabo asked.
Tanambam did not refuse to answer annd calmly began his story.
"Five thousand six hundred seventy-four years ago, Warp storms erupted and the Age of Strife descended. That cruel age destroyed broke all Living and Unliving.
Very few Survived that age, however it was some twisted irony the Survivors of destrcution became destruction themselves, it was as if they lost all rationality and basic undestanding waging war across the entire world nearly destroyed everything."
"When the wars ended, they looked upon the ruins and asked themselves: what caused this? What hatred made us treat our own kind so cruelly? Do you know the answer they reached?"
Perturabo picked up another fruit. "What?"
"There was no real hatred between them. Suspicion bred animosity. Animosity bred hatred. Hatred bred war. When those few rational mind in authority realized this, our ancestors proposed that if humanity could truly understand each other's inner thoughts, perhaps war could be prevented. So they proposed that everyone merge into a gestalt consciousness."
"All people connected to each other, forming Tanambam. For generations, we have been linked. We trust each other completely."
Tanambam stepped closer to Perturabo.
"Perhaps you too could join us. From that moment forward, there would be no more suspicion. Humanity would be truly united."
Just then a voice that was and not interrupted thier talks "Placing all your eggs in one basket is a recipe for disaster."
"Placing all hope for evolution on a single option is not the correct choice," Raven's voice interjected before Perturabo could respond.
Both Primarchs looked towrds the source of voice, the Custodian Guard marched through the doorway. Their lead Custodian carefullly carried a miniature Golden Throne on which Raven stood. The Custode made sure that not even Vibration would reach the Ravens throne.
Both Primarchs saluted him respectfully.
"Tanambam, it is a pleasure to meet you," Raven said, regarding the Eleventh.
Like the other Primarchs, Tanambam was a towering giant, his features sculpted like marble.
"Master Raven, I am equally pleased to meet a sage such as yourself," Tanambam said. He conjured a serving of fries through psychic manipulation. "I learned of your preferences from the Custodian Guard. These are a specialty of my homeworld. I hope you enjoy them."
Raven's eyes showed appreciation. "It seems that with the collective wisdom of hundreds of billions of humans, you can indeed be called nearly perfect—possessing strength and intellect equal to a Primarch, yet also adapting to mortal customs."
"This is the most correct path. The Imperium should vigorously promote it and invite all of humanity to join," Tanambam said. "Once unified, humanity will have no more suspicion or internal conflict. We will achieve truly perfect cooperation and become the most powerful civilization."
"Perfect is hardly the word I would use," Raven said. "Human desire causes war and suffering, but desire itself drives civilization's progress. The people of Tanambam experienced fewer wars after becoming a gestalt. Yet you haven't achieved any major technological breakthroughs—you've simply maintained technology inherited from the Golden Age. That alone proves everything."
"You speak Truth Master, however we have also explored multiple myriad of fields both scientific and unscientific," Tanambam acknowledged. "But progress has been slow."
[End of Chapter]