Infinite Metaverse

Chapter 13: Ogotai's Armoury

In Fei's parents' house, tears streamed down Fei's face as she helped Fu Qinghai pack his belongings. Her sobs were punctuated by the occasional sniffle, and her hands trembled as she stuffed clothes into a suitcase.

"Why can't I come with you? Why?" Fei's voice was thick with emotion, her lips trembling as tears dripped onto the floor.

Fu Qinghai sighed, feeling helpless in the face of her distress. "I told you, I'm going to war, not on a vacation. People die in wars."

Seeing such a beautiful girl cry left Fu Qinghai at a loss. He didn't know how to comfort her.

"Why would they take you to war? You can't even fight. You couldn't even handle Hiddrick and his gang without my help," Fei said between sobs, her voice tinged with frustration.

'Ouch, that stings...' Fu Qinghai thought. But he had changed since then. He had earned the respect of a Space Marine.

As Fei frantically stuffed more clothes into the suitcase, as if trying to fill the void of their impending separation, Fu Qinghai quickly intervened. "That's enough, you don't need to pack so much. I'm not moving away."

Fei put down the suitcase and walked into her parents' growroom, returning with a pot of a strange, alien plant with jagged, blood-red leaves.

"Take this with you. I remember you love its fruit."

'What the...? I just ate whatever you gave me. I never showed any particular preference for this thing,' Fu Qinghai thought, exasperated. He quickly took the plant from her and set it aside.

He cupped Fei's face in his hands, his fingers brushing through the strands of hair at her temples. He looked into her eyes, which were red and swollen from crying, her long lashes damp with tears.

"Take care of yourself while I'm gone," Fu Qinghai said softly.

"Mm..." Fei hummed in response, her warm breath brushing against Fu Qinghai's face.

Fu Qinghai leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers, a fleeting, tender kiss.

Fei's eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed crimson. Despite their closeness, this was the first time they had kissed, and it left her flustered.

Fu Qinghai, however, remained calm. He smoothed a stray curl from Fei's forehead and said, "Wait for me."

With that, he picked up the suitcase and walked away.

"A-Luo!" Fei called after him. "I put my mother's necklace in the suitcase."

Fu Qinghai didn't turn back, but he raised a hand to show he had heard.

***

Unlike his previous life, this reincarnation had given Fu Qinghai richer and more profound memories—especially of Fei. This made it impossible for him to maintain the detached, bystander mentality he had in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

While he could think outside the box when dealing with powerful beings like Space Marines, drawing on his knowledge of Warhammer 40K lore to solve problems, he couldn't treat Fei as just an NPC in a game or novel.

She was a real person, with flesh and blood, and that flesh and blood had grown into Fu Qinghai's heart.

Fu Qinghai had chosen not to bring Fei with him. For one, Ogotai hadn't mentioned allowing others to join. Secondly, the White Scars weren't aimlessly wandering space—they were likely heading into battles against other traitor Legions, possibly even the climactic showdown on Terra. Fu Qinghai couldn't risk dragging Fei into such deadly conflicts.

He had promised to return, but in this chaotic era of severed communications and broken travel routes, no one could guarantee anything. Besides, Fu Qinghai was, strictly speaking, an outsider in this universe.

Cheslatan was one of the few safe havens left in the burning galaxy. That refuge, Fu Qinghai decided, would be Fei's.

***

Fu Qinghai arrived at the Stormbird, suitcase in hand, to find two figures waiting for him—one tall, one short.

The tall figure was a fully armoured Space Marine, while the shorter one was Ogotai, seated in his wheelchair.

Despite the Stormbird's capacity to carry fifty fully armed Space Marines, only one had come to retrieve Ogotai. This small detail spoke volumes about the White Scars' current predicament—they were severely understaffed.

At their peak, the White Scars had barely 50,000 warriors. A few high-intensity battles could easily deplete their numbers. In contrast, the Ultramarines, with their 300,000-strong Legion and the resource-rich Ultramar system, could sustain heavy losses and even grow stronger over time.

Horus' fear of the Ultramarines and their Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, was evident. While he had tried to keep the White Scars and their Primarch, Jaghatai Khan, occupied in remote systems dealing with Ork remnants, he had set trap after trap for the Ultramarines, aiming not only to cripple their fighting strength but also to destroy Ultramar's ability to replenish their forces.

Ogotai watched Fu Qinghai approach with a faint smile. He didn't say much, simply stating, "Let's go," before turning his wheelchair and boarding the Stormbird.

The Stormbird's ascent was turbulent, the cabin filled with deafening noise. Fu Qinghai clung to his seat, his knuckles white as he gripped the safety straps. This was his first real journey into space, and he was nervous enough to curl his toes.

Ogotai and the other Space Marine, however, sat calmly, unfazed by the turbulence. The seats, designed for fully armoured Astartes, were enormous, making Fu Qinghai feel like a quail's egg in an eagle's nest.

As the Stormbird accelerated, the G-forces made Fu Qinghai dizzy and short of breath.

"Oh!" Ogotai suddenly exclaimed, as if remembering something. He reached behind Fu Qinghai and pulled out a tube with a breathing valve, attaching it to Fu Qinghai's face. "Forgot you're just a mortal. My bad," he said with a grin.

Fu Qinghai couldn't speak with the breathing valve in place, but his glare said it all.

'You're definitely doing this to get back at me for electrocuting you!'

Thankfully, Fu Qinghai was a space human in this life. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived the journey.

The Stormbird soon reached the ship in orbit. As the ramp lowered, Fu Qinghai was greeted by the bustling activity of the hangar bay. Bright lights illuminated the space, and crew members in red-and-white uniforms moved about, though no other Space Marines were in sight.

The roar of tow vehicles and the creak of crane arms filled the air. Fu Qinghai took one last look at the view outside the ramp—a massive, yellowish planet, Cheslatan, framed by the shimmering void shields.

The ramp closed, and Fu Qinghai followed Ogotai and Taral into the ship's interior. Crew members stopped to salute the two Space Marines as they passed, a testament to the Astartes' status.

Ogotai led Fu Qinghai to his private quarters before heading to the bridge with Taral.

Every Space Marine had their own private quarters and armoury on the ship, regardless of rank. Fu Qinghai found Ogotai's room sparse and devoid of personal items or entertainment. A small chest sat in the corner, but Fu Qinghai didn't dare rummage through it.

After sitting in boredom for a while, Fu Qinghai decided to explore Ogotai's armoury. 'We're close enough, right?' he thought.

As he opened the door, the first thing he saw was a massive green head. It was the size of three human heads, with rough, grayish-green skin and two pairs of upward-curving tusks. The head had been preserved with some chemical treatment, its red eyes still filled with a lingering bloodlust.

This was an Ork, one of the four great scourges of the Warhammer 40K universe. Before the rise of the Eye of Terror and the Tyranid invasions, Orks had been the galaxy's primary menace.

Orks were a unique species—fungal in nature, they reproduced via spores and had no gender. Their society was simple but brutal, and their rapid reproduction made them a constant threat. The Imperium's first major victory, the Ullanor Crusade, had been against a massive Ork empire led by the warlord Urlakk Urg.

The Ullanor Crusade had been a turning point, solidifying the Imperium's dominance and leading to Horus' appointment as Warmaster. After the Orks were defeated, the Emperor had returned to Terra to focus on his secret projects, leaving Horus to finish the Great Crusade.

The fact that Ogotai had kept this Ork head as a trophy spoke volumes about his combat prowess. The size of the head suggested it had belonged to a Warboss, a leader among Orks. Ogotai must have killed it in single combat, as he wouldn't have displayed it otherwise.

'Ogotai's strength before losing his legs must have been incredible,' Fu Qinghai thought. The White Scars, though few in number, were known for their individual combat skills, and their Primarch, Jaghatai Khan, was a master swordsman.

'Still, Ogotai, you could have just taken a tusk or an ear. These heads take up so much space,' Fu Qinghai mused.

The armoury wasn't large, but it was filled with trophies from various xenos species. Ogotai's habit of preserving enemy body parts likely stemmed from Chogoris's cultural traditions. It also spoke to his experience as a veteran.

Fu Qinghai's attention, however, was drawn to the other contents of the armoury. There were maintenance supplies like polishing powder, oil, and fiber cloth, as well as an assortment of bolters and power hammers on the weapon racks.

And then there was the complete set of Mark IV Maximus power armour.

"Impressive..." Fu Qinghai murmured as he ran his hand over the finely crafted armour.

The Mark IV Maximus was the pinnacle of power armour design at the time. Its broad shoulder plates, a hallmark of Astartes armour, were both iconic and functional. Compared to the sleek designs of other sci-fi franchises, the Warhammer 40K's power armour was bulky and heavily armoured.

But despite their imposing appearance, Space Marines in power armour were anything but slow. The armour enhanced their already superhuman speed and agility, allowing them to charge through enemy fire with ease.

The Mark IV was a significant upgrade from earlier models. The MK I Thunder Armour had been designed for terrestrial combat, while the MK II Crusade Armour was the first fully enclosed suit, tailored for the Great Crusade but still flawed. The MK III Iron Armour sacrificed mobility for increased protection, and the MK IV Maximus was the result of the Mechanicum's efforts to refine and perfect the design.

However, the Mark IV's release coincided with the Horus Heresy. Horus, as Warmaster, had ensured that the new armour was prioritized for Legions with potential loyalty issues, particularly his own Sons of Horus. As a result, loyalist Legions rarely had access to complete sets of Mark IV armour, often resorting to makeshift MK V Heresy Armour.

'Wait a minute...' Fu Qinghai narrowed his eyes. 'Why does Ogotai have a full set of Mark IV armour?'

It was possible that the armour had been captured from traitors, but it was unusually pristine. Most captured armour was a patchwork of different marks, held together with bolts and chains. This set, however, looked factory-fresh.

'Is Ogotai a traitor?' Fu Qinghai's paranoia flared. But when he had saved Ogotai, the system had awarded him assimilation points. If Ogotai were a traitor, the system shouldn't have rewarded him... unless the rules were more complex.

Alternatively, the entire White Scars ship could be part of the traitor forces. If that were the case, Fu Qinghai was walking into a trap.

'If Ogotai were a traitor, he wouldn't have let me into his quarters. He's too open about it,' Fu Qinghai reasoned. 'Unless he thinks I'm just a harmless mortal who wouldn't figure it out.'

But why would Ogotai fight the Sons of Horus if he were a traitor? Enemies of your enemies are your friends.

'Unless the traitor factions aren't unified. The Alpha Legion, for example, had their own reasons for turning.'

The possibilities were endless, and Fu Qinghai had too little information.

As he pondered, he found himself drawn to the small chest by Ogotai's bed. It wasn't locked. He opened it and found a silver coin inside, stamped with the Imperial Aquila.

'Hmm...' Fu Qinghai's eyes narrowed as he examined the coin.

***

P.S: The Orcs in Blizzard's 'Warcraft' series were inspired by Games Workshop's Orks. Pop culture is a web of influences and inspirations. For example, Warhammer 40K's Necrons were originally called "Chaos Androids" and were heavily influenced by the 'Terminator' films after their global success. Similarly, the Tyranids bear a resemblance to the 'Alien' franchise.

***

Loved this chapter? Want to know what happens next right now? Skip the wait and dive into the next chapter. Join me on Patreon to read chapters ahead of others. Your support means the world—thanks for riding with me!

https://www.patreon.com/Wild_Bunch

If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to add it to your library and drop some power stones! They help this tale reach more readers and keep the adventure alive.

For every 150 Power Stones, you'll get 1 extra chapter