Samuel Young placed absolute trust and high expectations on each of his Primarchs. Even without pure psychic energy to shield them from chaotic corruption, he believed his sons would not fall prey to the temptations of dark gods. Still, he recognized that some of his sons might develop unchecked assumptions if left completely unguarded.
Thus, the rapidly developing Grey Knights and the Imperial Guard project, overseen directly by himself and Alexia, were among several "insurance policies" he had put in place. Prudence was paramount. Moreover, the Space Wolves and Dark Angels, led by Leman and Lion, were experts in dealing with traitors.
Once Alpharius and Omegon matured, and the Alpha Legion was grown from their genetic material, the twins would assume a covert supervisory role. Known for their adeptness in espionage, they would be invaluable in gathering intelligence on alien and heretical threats across the legion.
After some quiet contemplation, Samuel turned his head slightly toward Apo, who stood just above desk height, and instructed:
"Relay to Perturabo that he should temporarily look after his two younger brothers on my and Dr. Ashford's behalf. I'll go to Universe One soon to bring them back to the primary universe."
"Understood, Boss," Apo nodded and promptly passed Samuel's instructions to Perturabo.
The decision to have Perturabo care for Alpharius and Omegon was due to Samuel's preoccupation with the tasks surrounding the establishment of the empire, and Alexia's focus on refining the genetic material and related surgical procedures for the Imperial Guard project.
Since securing the homeworld of the Forerunners, Sanctum, Samuel had returned to the primary universe with Vulkan, Apo, Melissa, and others. With Guilliman and Sanguinius having returned to their respective domains in the Edge of Tomorrow and Underworld universes, matters previously managed by them were once again back in his hands.
Currently, the positions of governors are as follows:
- 01 - Guilliman in Edge of Tomorrow
- 02 - Horus in Avatar (temporary)
- 03 - Lion in Doom
- 04 - Sanguinius in Underworld
- 05 - Horus in World War Z (primary)
- 06 - Magnus in Pacific Rim
- 07 - Dorn in Terraria, a world of magic and science
- 09 - Dorn in Cyberpunk: 2077
The "08" position, governing the Halo universe, was managed by five Primarchs, including Fulgrim, each overseeing one of five star sectors. Apo and Melissa's data copies, along with three newly-produced intelligent AI, assisted the Primarchs with administration. Twenty million Terminators and Hunters were also controlled by these AI units.
Perturabo was about to assume the governorship of "Universe Eleven" (Gears of War), while "Ten" (Terminator) and "Twelve" (Godzilla) had yet to have governors appointed.
Samuel had considered appointing Vulkan to replace Horus or Dorn as governor of either Avatar or Cyberpunk: 2077. However, since Horus and Dorn had personally conquered these worlds, the decision was complex. While Dorn would harbor no resentment toward Vulkan taking Cyberpunk: 2077, the same could not be guaranteed with Horus.
For now, Samuel opted to keep Vulkan close, as he and his Salamanders could assist the Grey Knights and Imperial Guard in defending the primary universe. This arrangement was equivalent to entrusting Vulkan and his Salamanders with a role akin to that of Dorn and the Imperial Fists.
Seeing how competently Dorn had managed Terraria and Cyberpunk: 2077, Samuel decided not to bring back this son with his unclear relationship with an elven woman.
The remaining question was the distribution of the Terminator and Godzilla universes. Samuel considered these two realms and decided he would retain them under his direct control.
The Terminator universe's Earth boasted Skynet's established factories and a human population of roughly 3.4 billion. With proper reconstruction, this world could become a crucial stronghold. In contrast, Godzilla's Earth needed continual refinement with Dittany, and its human survivors numbered fewer than 500,000, including the demihuman Vossians. However, Godzilla had its advantages, such as the nano-metal technology developed by the Bilusaludo and vast mineral resources.
Moreover, unlike the other universes assigned to his sons, the Terminator and Godzilla unifications were executed without Primarch involvement.
Upon returning to the primary universe and settling into the Imperial Palace, Samuel noticed that there were no longer time restrictions on opening spatial gates. Previously, each portal required a wait of 414 Earth days, but this constraint had now lifted.
Additionally, he sensed that with future portals, he could detect the level of threat in each realm before opening. For instance, Halo registered as "high threat," while Terminator was "low threat." Higher threat gates consumed more psychic energy. Opening Terminator, Gears of War, and Godzilla simultaneously consumed over 90% of his energy capacity, with Terminator and Godzilla taking one-third of the energy, while Gears of War consumed the remaining two-thirds.
By gauging energy consumption, he could anticipate the threat level of each universe before committing resources. However, the immense drain on his psychic energy meant that restoring his strength after simultaneously opening three gates took three months of rest. During this period, Samuel had to continually expend small amounts of energy to stabilize the open gates.
Although his psychic power had dramatically increased, he planned to limit himself to opening four gates next year, choosing prudence above all.
Finishing his thoughts, Samuel turned to the attentive Apo and Melissa and said, "Prepare yourselves. The research department in Accra has developed a new skeleton frame for intelligent AI, based on Skynet's T-1000 and T-X models. Once testing is complete, you two will be the first to upgrade."
"Yes, Boss," both AI responded in unison.
Samuel gave a slight nod before focusing back on his work.
In the primary universe's solar system, Mars—once an object of curiosity and aspiration for humanity in the latter half of the 20th century—had transformed dramatically. Back then, humanity's space exploration was heavily influenced by the Cold War, with Mars becoming one of the most intriguing targets for colonization, second only to Venus. Observations from telescopes had revealed Mars's barren, reddish surface, often interpreted as a hellish, lifeless landscape unfit for human colonization, whereas Venus was seen as potentially lush with life, akin to the jungles of Africa or South America.
However, probes from the USSR later revealed Venus to be a true hellish world, with crushing atmospheric pressure, searing temperatures averaging 450°C, and acid rain, dashing hopes of colonization. Consequently, humanity, and later Atlas, shifted focus entirely to Mars as the primary colony target.
Now, Mars was far from the thin-atmosphere, desolate landscape it had been in the 20th century. Verdant vegetation covered the land, while dried riverbeds and basins had become blue lakes and seas. Near the equator, vast steel cities and orbital elevators connected to space were visible even from orbit.
Mars's near-Earth orbit was dotted with blue glow from ships in transition to or from warp space, marking Atlas's successful transformation of the planet into a thriving human colony. This achievement was due in large part to the engineering department's construction efforts and the unpaid labor of ten billion Reaper worker ants. The Reaper mothership, now orbiting Mars as a third satellite, had become the colony's primary migration vessel and defensive asset.
At that moment, a civilian ship approximately two kilometers long exited warp space, bearing a resemblance to the Phoenix-class support ship (Fire Spirit). The ship's sides displayed the Human Empire's insignia and the name "Atlas Interstellar Liners · Crunia."
After the blue warp vortex closed, Crunia adjusted its course toward the sunlit orbital station. Upon slowing its approach, the ship passed through the port's plasma gates and docked with the help of mechanical arms.
Once securely docked, the extending gangway connected to the ship, allowing passengers to disembark, collect their luggage, and proceed through customs and security checks. Afterward, they could take an orbital elevator to finally set foot on Mars.
Meanwhile, on Mars's surface, a yellow hover taxi wove between towering structures. Inside the cab:
"Mon vieux (young man)~! Why are you so eager to return to Earth at such a young age?" The taxi driver, speaking Chinese with a French accent, teased the passenger in the front seat, continuing animatedly, "Mars is perfect! Housing prices and the cost of living are lower than Earth's, fewer people, higher wages—why squeeze yourself back to Earth for misery?"
"The Empire announced next month that with the founding celebrations, residents across the universe will enjoy a year of tax exemption. Why not stay on Mars and save some money?"
"Uh," said the young, blonde-haired passenger with a sigh, "I told you, I'm here on vacation, not planning to emigrate to Mars."
"Vacation?! Then all the more reason to stay—Saloperie! (Idiot!) Watch where you're driving!" The driver's monologue was abruptly cut off as a private hover vehicle swerved into their lane, nearly causing a collision. Skilled at the wheel, the driver managed to dodge the car with ease.
Two black-painted patrol drones quickly pursued the hover vehicle, one of which announced over a mechanized loudspeaker:
"Driver of
hover vehicle with license plate B41143, proceed immediately to the nearest parking area. You have 15 seconds to comply. Failure to do so will result in forced intervention."
As the drone counted down, it aimed its machine guns at the offending vehicle. Terrified, the driver of the private vehicle immediately followed the patrol drone's instructions, diverting to a nearby parking area.
"Hah! Feels good to see idiots like that taken down by Empire traffic law!" the taxi driver laughed, waving as they passed the vehicle. Opening the passenger window, he yelled, "Drive safe, will you!"
The blonde-haired passenger just sighed, murmuring, "I come back to the primary universe, hoping to relax, maybe enjoy some encounters on Mars's golden beaches, but it's proving to be tougher than I thought… Ah!"
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