A few hours later, the orc queen Mira was escorted by Squad 014 to the War Machine front-line base.
Once handed over to the bio-division, Mira, already subjected to the human experiments and torture of the War Machine world, now faced the relentless trials of Atlas's bio-research.
There was no way around it.
Mira had led the orcs responsible for the deaths of billions of humans.
Although the intelligence division, through Samuel Young, had learned that humans in the War Machine universe had brought this upon themselves by creating a brutal war machine of bio-experiments that ultimately gave rise to Mira and her orc armies, this backstory was withheld from the bio-division personnel.
And the scientists had no intentions of showing mercy based on Mira's tragic origins.
After all, Mira herself denied any connection to her human heritage.
With the orcs lacking unified leadership, they inherited humanity's tendency for internal strife. Their generals, officers, and shamans turned to vying for their own power, resulting in devastating civil wars underground and on the surface alike.
Ironically, this factionalism aided Perturabo's extermination campaign.
Meanwhile, the bio-division began using Mira to conduct more "extreme" biological experiments, combining zombie viruses from the World War Z universe with Atlas's T-virus and Veronica virus.
Orcs, as a pure warrior species, were ideal for Atlas to study as a way of further "upgrading" their clone soldiers.
And after confirming Mira's psychic link with the entire orc population, the War Machine bio-division manager filed a request for assistance with the upper administration.
They requested a Greek deity from the Supernatural Phenomenon Control Division, someone skilled in psychic power, who could override Mira's influence and command the orcs.
Naturally, this request was approved.
—
June 11.
Over a month had passed since Tavis, Logan, Maun, and the others had captured Mira.
While the War Machine front-line base hadn't expanded much, all necessary facilities and factories were fully operational.
Inside and outside the space gate's shield, tens of thousands of T-800s and HK drones had taken over security and patrol duties from the clone soldiers.
Celine had deployed two million HK drones and Terminators across multiple universes: one million to the Halo universe under AI administrators like Apu and Melisa, stabilizing recently conquered territories, and another million distributed to front-line bases in other universes to handle patrol and guard duty, freeing more personnel for complex operations.
Now, at the base's core, where a towering structure surrounded the space gate, a maglev train carrying staff and supplies passed through the silvery expanse of the expanded 140x140 meter gate.
The train came to a halt at the station platform.
As the platform announcements played, doors slid open, and employees from various divisions—AECS soldiers, ODST troops, and other security personnel—stepped off with their luggage, following guidance from mobile devices and AR glasses to locate assigned barracks, unpack, and report for duty.
Hex-tech transport robots, hundreds of T-800s, and ground crew in exosuits began unloading cargo in an orderly fashion.
With Samuel Young's expansion of the gate's capacity, Atlas's interdimensional transport efficiency had greatly improved, making it more and more like an empire spanning multiple realities.
Moreover, with Young's reduced reliance on the [Reset] ability, the space gate no longer required strict protocols, allowing easier travel between universes.
Personnel movement between worlds became more frequent in recent years, evidenced by company employees, family members, and vetted friends moving to and even settling in different universes.
Among these worlds, Terra, governed by Dorn and unified for years, was the most popular destination.
As a magical-tech world rich with wondrous creatures, Terra drew travelers hoping to experience its unique allure.
Fifty percent of those visiting Terra came with high hopes; some sought the rare bond with an elf, which, if successful, was considered a great fortune.
Atlas even issued clear guidelines on their website about elven culture, warning those romantically interested in elves of the high risks involved—especially given elves' unwavering fidelity and tendency toward vengeance if betrayed.
Despite the warnings, many adventurous souls remained willing to take the risk.
At that moment.
In the crowd leaving the platform was a striking "woman," about two meters tall, walking toward the nearest hub area.
This "woman" wore a pure white dress and had a flawless physique and face.
Despite an appearance around twenty, her neatly pinned black hair and dignified, maternal presence set her apart.
She was Hera, a Greek Chief God from the Supernatural Phenomenon Control Division, dispatched in response to the War Machine bio-division's request.
While Hera wasn't a formal Atlas employee, she was a registered auxiliary, meaning she received minimal compensation and benefits.
She was ancient compared to Young and had personal wealth amassed from millennia of living under assumed names within human society.
Her choice not to follow Athena's path of becoming an official Atlas employee stemmed from her desire to continue exploring humanity in all its diversity.
After losing her beloved son Ares and witnessing Zeus's fall into chaos and eventual demise at the hands of Horus and Sanguinius, Hera had grown weary of strife.
Yet, when humans or Atlas needed her, she provided her aid.
This time, she had accepted the Control Division's request, cutting short her holiday to board the maglev train connecting the central universe and arriving at the War Machine base.
Now, Hera reached the hub area, following the holographic signs to another train that took her away from the space gate vicinity.
As the train left the towering gate structure, she observed the bustling front-line base from her window, noting automated bots maneuvering between factories, troops training on open fields, and transport ships flying in and out.
Soon, the train carrying biological, chemical experts, and other technical personnel stopped at the bio-experiment building's station.
With no luggage, Hera exited alongside the crowd and proceeded directly to the bio-lab lobby.
Before she could ask the front desk for directions, several heavily armed security personnel in exosuits approached her.
The security captain in charge spoke respectfully: "Ms. Hera, we're your security team. Our director has been awaiting your arrival. Please follow us."
Security team?
Hera raised an eyebrow.
Only primarchs, Athena, and Samuel Young could match or surpass her strength within the company, making her security detail unnecessary for her own safety.
However, understanding they would act as her assistants in the War Machine universe, Hera gave a slight nod. "Very well. Lead the way."
"Yes, ma'am."
Following a brief exchange, Hera accompanied the security team into an elevator heading for the lab's second sublevel.
She passed through a corridor with floor-to-ceiling observation windows and glimpsed technicians in white hazmat suits analyzing and experimenting on live orc specimens.
Along with live orcs, a golden luminescent substance, Imiteum, was among the materials under study.
Finally, Hera arrived at the lab's core.
Passing through a sterilization chamber, she entered a sealed containment cell where Mira, now stripped of armor and dressed in an orange jumpsuit, was secured to a metal chair.
Titanium restraints bound her arms and legs, preventing the slightest movement.
Two technicians in masks and gloves extracted her blood using robotic arms, while surveillance cameras and hidden turrets monitored every corner, ready to respond to any emergencies.
Four armed guards stood nearby, ensuring the safety of the technicians.
A man with a receding hairline, wearing a lab coat, was reviewing data on a floating holographic screen in front of Mira. Noticing Hera's entrance, he dismissed the screen and extended his hand with a welcoming smile.
"Li Haiming, head of the bio-division for Universe 111 (War Machine). We're honored to have your assistance, Ms. Hera."
"Thank you, Director Li," Hera replied, shaking his hand.
As they released their handshake, Hera added, "The honor is mine if I can be of help to you and the company."
She then approached the blankly staring Mira, looking down at the orc queen. "Director Li, what exactly would you like me to do?"
Li Haiming summoned another holographic screen and explained, "Ms. Hera, we have verified that the orc queen Mira possesses a psychic link with her species. As we detailed in our report, if we can infiltrate this link, we might reverse control of the orcs, or even annihilate them."
Hera listened attentively, examining the data displayed on the holographic screen.
Having received the intel before arriving in War Machine, she knew they hoped to use her "divine power" (psyker abilities) to disrupt the chaotic orcs.
After a thoughtful pause, Hera replied, "Understood. I'll give it a try, although I can't guarantee—"
"Why help humans when you're not one yourself?" Mira suddenly interjected, her dull gaze sharpening with suspicion.
"Oh?" Hera raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Mira's sudden outburst.
Instead of answering, she reached into Mira's mind with her psyker powers to probe her thoughts.
Mira seemed bewildered at first, then terrified as Hera's psyker abilities unearthed her memories and emotions, dredging up fragments Mira had buried deeply.
Stripped of her queenly facade, Mira became vulnerable, fearfully trying to plead.
"It's too late, you wretch. You're in no position to negotiate," Hera said coldly.
Influenced by Atlas's principles and Young's psyker power, Hera had long internalized a deep-seated human supremacism.
Sensing Mira's attempt to bargain, Hera felt
only disdain.
She then used her psyker powers to invade Mira's mind, establishing a telepathic link with the entire orc population, mapping their every location.
At that moment, Hera's eyes glowed a faint gold as she cast her "puppet control" spell on all orcs.
"No! Please… don't harm my children!" Mira, still semi-conscious, realized Hera was overtaking her role as queen and struggled to resist.
It was futile.
The moment Hera seized the telepathic network, she became the true orc queen.
_________________________________________
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