The intense energy beam scorching the ground quickly revealed the portal-generating matrix in full view of everyone on the bridge. In just a little while, the excavation would be complete.
Initially, Samuel had planned to wait until the Prophet and Brute-led Covenant Empire was critically weakened before dispatching the necessary resources and fleet to East Africa on Halo's Earth. However, the sudden "visit" from Tzeentch, Slaanesh, Nurgle, and Khorne changed his mind, prompting immediate action.
Samuel knew that to secure an absolute advantage in any universe and withstand warp incursions, capturing the Ark as soon as possible was essential. Without it, the four warp entities and other cosmic threats might continue to provoke more attacks. Currently, three Leviathan-class dreadnoughts and three company fleets, alongside a force of over fifteen thousand elite Covenant ships, were engaged in a war for control over the galaxy with the Prophet and Brute factions.
Once everything was set, Samuel led a Leviathan-class dreadnought and an Atlas fleet straight to Halo's Earth, with an additional Leviathan-class dreadnought arriving from Shield World 0459's core base under Apu's command. Consequently, Atlas's ground, air, and "sea" forces on Halo's Earth now completely overwhelmed the UNSC defense fleet.
With significant losses in its command structure, the UNSC was forced to accept Atlas's mandatory "reforms." Within just ten days, and beyond Earth, high-value colonies within the Solar System—like Mars, focused on heavy industry, and the UEG outposts on Europa and Titan—also adhered to Atlas's "reforms," though largely out of military deterrence.
For now, Atlas avoided implementing a complete overhaul to prevent an immediate collapse of the existing system. Officially, the Solar System remained under UEG and UNSC control, though now they operated under Atlas's watchful eye.
Colonies closer to Earth reacted differently. The Epsilon Eridani system, home to Reach, remained cautious. Self-sustaining and rich in titanium resources, Reach could build UNSC warships independently and posed a viable resistance should they decide to oppose Atlas. The company's Intelligence Division thus continued infiltration efforts there.
On the other hand, moderate rebel factions were willing to cooperate with Atlas due to improved living conditions facilitated by deals brokered by Aida. While cooperative, however, they were not submissive. The more extreme rebel factions, deeply antagonized by Atlas's decimation of the Free Liberation front, now viewed Atlas as an enemy. But Samuel wasn't overly concerned. With absolute power, any resistance would be futile.
Since the warp had begun showing "interest" in Atlas, Samuel was less concerned with keeping casualties low. Falling behind on unification progress would only allow the warp to seize further opportunities. Chaos and conflict were, after all, the warp's greatest allies.
——
"Father," Mortarion stepped forward, standing just behind Samuel's left shoulder and lowering his voice. "Do you think Fulgrim and the others can handle the Covenant?"
"If they can't, they don't deserve the title of primarch," Samuel replied, casting a sidelong glance at Mortarion, as if seeing through his intentions. Shifting his gaze back to the excavation site outside the observation window, he continued, "Don't worry about your brothers. More universes await humanity's conquest, and there will soon be opportunities to open several universes at once."
"Opening multiple universes at once?" Mortarion paused, quickly realizing that Samuel had already seen through his wish to oversee Halo's unification efforts, perhaps even as its governor. When Mortarion and Corax had arrived on Reach, Fulgrim, Angron, and Leman had been on Abundance. The five brothers had minimal interaction, with Mortarion and Corax being younger while the others were already "teens" involved in various tactical and infiltration missions.
This dynamic wasn't unique to the primarchs—older children often preferred the company of peers their age and found younger "troublemakers" tiresome, even if their parents encouraged them to spend time with their younger siblings. Leman was the only exception, as Samuel had specifically instructed him to engage more with Mortarion and Corax.
Moreover, the two youngest primarchs shared a close bond with Queen Tinas, making it impractical to group all five brothers for training under Alexia's guidance. Since joining the Halo universe, Alexia had little free time to oversee the primarchs' education directly, so Tinas—over a thousand years old and experienced with children—took on the role of watching over Mortarion and Corax.
Of course, Peturabo, who felt "neglected," was also cared for by Tinas. Despite his busy schedule, Samuel always took time to visit the ship's residential area and see Peturabo, who had learned to run and jump. In another two months, Samuel planned to keep Peturabo close to ensure he received proper guidance and "correction," preventing him from becoming like the notorious Peturabo of Warhammer 40k.
Mortarion's desire to oversee the Halo universe was straightforward:
1. It had a large population.
2. With about a thousand colonies, it possessed abundant resources, reducing dependence on other universes.
3. Establishing an empire would earn him greater accomplishments, bolstering his influence and that of his legion.
For instance, Guilliman's achievements in the Edge of Tomorrow universe provided the company with a wealth of resources, and he was currently assisting with inter-universe logistics and deployments. Lion's Doom universe became a stable recruitment ground for Astartes, earning him the respect of the initial Astartes batch. Magnus, in charge of the Pacific Rim universe, focused on heavy industry, undertaking the "Titan" project by incorporating plans for sixth-generation hunter mechs. They had already built four massive Titans, ready for potential threats, and were exploring smaller, 18-30 meter Titans to enhance firepower for infantry and armor units alike.
Samuel allowed Magnus to pursue the mini-Titan project without interference, though Atlas didn't allocate resources to it. Samuel deemed such projects, whether successful or not, impractical for deployment. The few places where large Titans could function made smaller Titans even less viable.
Viewed through this lens, Halo's universe offered ample potential for Mortarion, who saw the galaxy's resources as a chance to earn influence for himself and Corax. Samuel's comment about "opening more universes at once" was a subtle revelation: since absorbing Tzeentch's daemon Esard Mekre, Samuel's psychic power had grown, and he'd gained an intuitive "awakening."
He sensed that, if he wished, he could open additional space gates without waiting for the usual 414-day cycle. Though his inner voice hadn't confirmed it, he felt capable of expanding the number of gates he could maintain simultaneously. However, the psychic cost was immense, and opening new gates would demand substantial energy.
When his psychic power had reached the planetary level, he had managed to expand the gate's size through personal effort. Now, if he unleashed his full psychic strength, he might not be able to destroy stars, but planets would be no challenge. Many Atlas employees already regarded him as a "god," and with over forty million staff across nine universes, he drew stable psychic energy from their faith, a far more reliable source than plundering alone.
Over time, as his power grew, Samuel realized his influence would continue to nurture the development of a "religion." Though he disliked the concept of religious worship, if this "faith" could be aligned with humanity's benefit, he would consider maximizing its potential. As long as humanity flourished, he cared little for the means required to achieve it.
Turning to Mortarion, Samuel said, "Remember, I treat you, Corax, and all your brothers equally. Competition is allowed; I encourage it. But as for anything beyond that… I trust I don't need to elaborate. Understood?"
"Yes, Father," Mortarion nodded humbly, realizing he might have been overly eager.
Corax, who was nearby, nodded silently, avoiding further comment to avoid any rebuke from their father.
Moments later, as the excavation neared completion, Samuel instructed, "Mortarion, Corax, accompany Ashford and Dr. Halsey to the portal matrix and attempt to activate the gateway beyond the galaxy."
"Yes, Father," both primarchs replied in unison.
Together, they turned and left the bridge, their heavy steps reverberating through the ship. Apu and Melissa glanced at the slowly closing door, then returned their attention to their tasks in silence.
From an AI perspective, Apu and Melissa surmised that Fulgrim or Angron would be the most suitable choices for the governor's role, followed by Corax and finally Mortarion and Leman. Fulgrim and Angron had shown the lowest casualty rates in battles, with near-perfect outcomes in post-war management. Leman, on the other hand, had high casualty rates but led the fastest operations and handled occupied colonies with rigorous oversight, thoroughly eliminating any lingering threats.
Corax and Mortarion had limited data, leaving Apu and Melissa to analyze based on personality. In the end, Fulgrim and Angron were likely the strongest candidates for the role, but as AI, neither Apu nor Melissa would intervene in the governor selection.
Soon after, a customized Luna-class shuttle, escorted by four Phantom III fighters, left the New Epoch carrier's hangar and descended toward the eastern side of the portal matrix. Once it reached the designated area, the fighters maintained altitude while the shuttle descended, landing smoothly in the
wilderness below.
The rear hatch opened as Mortarion, Corax, and ten Thunder Warriors disembarked, followed by Alexia, Dr. Halsey, and twenty other researchers equipped with engineering exoskeletons and fully enclosed protective suits.
As the shuttle lifted off and rejoined the Phantom escort returning to the carrier, the group approached the matrix's entrance. Alexia, staring at the massive metallic door and the expansive portal structure behind it, couldn't help but marvel.
"The Forerunners were truly a race at the peak of physical science," she mused aloud. "Without the boss's guidance or the space gates, it would likely take us at least ten thousand years to reach their level with the technology we currently have."
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