-M29.671. Falmart. Ruin-
The dispatch team, consisting of a dozen Solar Guardians and a Beta-level psyker, was sent to the suspected location. From within their gunship, the psyker searched deep into the Warp, probing for anything beyond the veil of reality. As he focused on their destination, a disturbance rippled through the Warp.
"I found it. Deep underground," he informed his teammates.
"Understood," the leader replied, connecting his Noosphere back to the Prometheus Arcology. "Reporting: we've located the target deep beneath the ruins."
"Confirmed. Proceed to eliminate the corruption," the command's voice echoed in their helmets. Determined, they steeled their resolve.
The ship landed with a thud, and the Guardians disembarked, advancing into the ancient ruins, which predated even the Saderan Empire. Scanning the crumbling structures with data from UR-982, they cautiously descended, their anti-gravity devices mitigating their weight on the fragile floors.
Their scanners mapped the surroundings in precise detail, while their quasi-AI systems generated countermeasures for any threats. Suddenly, hundreds of humanoid readings appeared, drifting randomly through the ruins.
"Raise weapons," ordered the leader.
The squad drew their weapons, the Omniphages within their armor morphing into ranged and melee forms. Soon, a woman emerged from the darkness, her dead eyes vacant. She raised her head, then broke into a frantic run toward the Guardians.
Instantly, their system flooded with data. The woman was long dead, her body merely a puppet controlled by some malignant force from the Immaterium.
One Guardian fired his Volkite rifle, disintegrating the woman into ash. Yet more readings appeared: thousands of lifeless bodies, all puppeted by the same unknown force.
"May the Emperor have mercy," the leader murmured as chaos erupted.
The Guardians' crackling blades and searing plasma weaponry sprang to life. Despite the relentless tide of undead, the transhuman warriors held their ground, slicing and incinerating their way toward their objective.
"It's peculiar—though they've aged over a century, their flesh, blood, and bones remain as if suspended in time," the psyker noted, observing the anomaly.
"Your analysis?" the leader asked, vaporizing a dozen walkers with his plasma cannon.
"I believe it's caused by the source itself. It halts decomposition to draw in fresh victims—an abomination," the psyker spat, unleashing thunderous energy that reduced scores of undead to ashes.
"We need to press on. Guardians, advance!" commanded the leader. Moving with renewed urgency, they tore through the undead horde, progressing deeper into the underground. The waves of corrupted dead increased, but to the hardened Guardians, these horrors were trivial compared to the galaxy's darkest perils.
After a half-hour of relentless combat, they had purged the ruins of every lifeless vessel.
"A true mess," one of the team members muttered.
"We keep moving. Psyker, what's our heading?" the leader prompted.
"We're close," the psyker said, guiding the team with his Warp sense. They arrived before a massive stone gate, and the leader signaled to the Devastator.
The Devastator focused on his plasma cannon, uttering the language of the Machine. The weapon responded, glowing a radiant blue before unleashing a searing plasma beam. The gate melted, reduced to molten slag as steam filled the air.
They advanced further, the ruin unfolding into a labyrinthine structure—a seal meant to imprison something deep within.
In the heart of the structure, they found it: a massive, twisted tree at the center of the room.
"The stench... P9," the psyker murmured grimly.
At the mention of P9, the Guardians raised their weapons, activating every anti-Warp safeguard they'd prepared for this mission.
The Solar Guardians' Vagras organs hummed, detecting invasive Warp energy. They braced, for they had faced countless never-born horrors before.
"Hostile detected. Massive entity, ETA two minutes. It's approaching fast," one Guardian reported, weapon raised.
"Men, ready your arms!" commanded the leader.
A monstrous form erupted from the darkness, its twisted visage resembling an ancient bull-man, corrupted and mutated with grotesque, rotting flesh. Bubbling sores and a parasitic blight covered its body, festering with unholy energy.
"Open fire!" Instantly, a torrent of energy weapons pummeled the beast, reducing it to ash.
As the creature disintegrated, the Guardians lowered their weapons.
"Not as resilient as the usual Pox Walker," one muttered with grim humor.
"Fortunate, then," the leader replied. "Let's proceed."
After minutes of searching, they found it—a rotting corpse beneath the tree, emanating a potent concentration of P9 energy, writhing as it sought to absorb any nearby life force. A pitiful sight.
"Burn it. Leave nothing," came the command, as the Devastators unleashed flames upon the corpse and the tree alike. It took only moments for the entire blight to be purged.
At the room's edge, the psyker delved into the Warp to glimpse the ruin's history. In fractured visions, he saw an experiment where women were used as test subjects, each attempt leading to failure. Then catastrophe struck—a rift in the Immaterium opened, consuming the head researcher. The psyker identified the energy as a mechanism of the Primordial Annihilators, as the scrolls had warned.
"You find anything?" The leader asked, approaching the psyker.
"Primordial Annihilator as the Ordo suspected." He replied, eyes still on the paper.
"We need to keep moving. Let's search this forsaken tomb for another clue. " The leader headed back to the rest of the team while the psyker pondered the entire scheme because back during the Helltide, Ruinous powers sacked his homeworld by seemingly seeding a small incursion similar to this.
But he trusted his guts for this one. He knew the Operation Reckoning had just begun.
________________________________________________________________
-M2. Earth. Japan-
Nicholas observed the Imperial students from afar, his eyes gleaming with admiration and curiosity. It was a form of amusement to him. His rational mind could not find the logic of this particular student exchange. A god-like civilization, such as the Imperium, would not bother to send their student to make a cultural exchange. The most logical choice was that they could conquer Earth using a simple sleeper agent. The fact that they infiltrated the level of vice president, who said they couldn't replace all leaders around the world with their agents?
But they didn't, and Nicholas was stressed to find the answer to his curiosity. But his situation changed when the so-called vice president gave him the answer. When this answer was revealed to him, Nicholas never saw all the students in the same light again. They possessed intelligence that tripled that of the most intelligent humans ever recorded in Earth's history, and with enhanced sense, they could see what the normal human could not. Moreover, the white-haired one.
Then, the said young man stared back at him, seemingly aware of Nicholas' interest in him. The professor diverted his gaze slightly, trying to avoid direct eye contact. Glancing at his watch, Nicholas held his breath for a split moment as his next class would be with the entire exchange students.
The older professor stands from his seat before making his way to the office. Thanks to the Japanese government, he could access the special class with those exchange students. When he arrived, he grabbed his books and printed research papers.
This special class was designed more like a presentation, where the exchange students would present their works and culture to the attending doctors, professors, and other researchers. An extraordinary class if anyone asked his opinion.
After several minutes, he arrived at the designated class. Nicholas took a deep breath before opening the door. He recognized some of the faces in the room; they were his colleagues in various research fields. He chooses to take a seat at the front. It took several minutes for the exchange students to arrive.
"Greetings, my name is Alexis Zaldvian Astaros. You can call me Alexis or Zald. These are my collagues." The white-haired man gestured to his friend.
"My name is Lunacia Hollestein. You can call me Luna." The blonde woman said with a smile.
"We are here to build a fond relationship between Old Earth and the Imperium. I hope we can work together to foster this noble intention." Alexis said diplomatically, smiling with genuine emotion.
The young man's gestures and expressions are perfection in the art of diplomacy; even his voice seems to be encoded to be perfect in his genes.
The strange, charismatic aura is downright spiritual. Nicholas chooses to observe further, and if his memory serves him correctly, this session would be physics class.
He would learn everything from them and ensure the visions given by Klaxia were true. Nicholas focused his senses and dived into the subject matter.
Several hours later, Nicholas surrendered. What they thought the entire professor was entirely new formulas and laws. It could drive him mad if they did not provide them with a certain way to easily understand it. One of the researchers asked how they could learn it in college. They described some kind of teaching that even the brightest mind in the room could not comprehend.
They called it the Enumeration. When Nicholas asked them how it works, they described it as a form of combined philosophical, systematic, and curriculum teaching. This provides them with the power to peer deeper into how the brain functions and expand it better. It allows them to manipulate their own intellect, and with their Coordinator, the mortal citizens of the Imperium could use the full capacity of the human mind.
Nicholas checked his research papers for God knows how many times to validate his theory.
He even asked Zald several times, and his answers only brought more confusion as well as enlightenment. Nicholas found it hilarious that these young people are in the fifth semester of their equivalent of a Bachelor's degree. Yet, their understanding is beyond anything he could muster, as if decades of research gathered by anyone in the room is an insignificant discovery.
"May I ask you something, Professor Nicholas." Zald's voice snapped him from his train of thought.
"Ah... Zald. What can I help you with?"
"Do you have time? We want to talk," Zald said slowly, in a tone that no one could hear.
"Very well... Lead the way." Thus, they exited the room, leaving groups of professors still perplexed by the new laws of the universe.
They choose the old building's balcony. It is a good choice, and thanks to various construction signs, no one would suspect them here. Nicholas watched the pair scan their entire surroundings, smiling with a faint nostalgic emotion.
"We know your job as a cultural ambassador here, in Old Earth." Zald stated bluntly, gone the innocent-looking student.
"You are one of them?" Nicholas said firmly, referring to the Assassinorum Ordo.
"No. But it was easy to deduce. Our teachers and my connections with various student organizations in my Schola provides me more than enough information." He said nonchalantly.
"Zald." Lunacia glared at her friend, giving him an elbow.
"What?"
"Don't be so rude like that." She gave him sharp eyes.
"Fine... Fine." Zald surrendered, sighing. We want your help to learn more about every student and professor currently in this university."
"So... You want to use me?" Nicholas stated coldly.
"No. It was an offer. We will provide you with my papers, " he said slowly.
"Papers... What papers?" Despite the joyous emotions in his heart, Nicholas still holds suspicion
"Application of Quantum Entanglement on Dimensional Membrane," Zald stated.
When the older professor heard it, he could feel his head blank. The title itself is beyond any physics concept he knows or even existed at this time.
"Tempting... I wished you to show me part of your research." He counter offered.
"A solid bargain... I will give you part of my research as my first part. " Zald said slowly, calculating his own merit.
"I found it strange when a student make a demands to a professor and then makes a bargain deal."
Nicholas remarked dryly, giving the pair of students wry eyes.
"Don't take it hard, Professor. I hope my research and our presence here could live out your Old Earth's expectations of our civilization." Zald turned his back, facing into the field filled with students chatting and eating together with their friends. We, people of the Imperium, moreover people like me and Luna here, standing here is beyond any of our dreams."
"May I know why?" The statement piqued Nicholas's interest.
"In Imperium, we had Citizen Score. The higher the score, we have much more access to advanced facilities, technologies, and better service," Zald explained.
"Wait... So the Imperium limited your way of life using score?" Nicholas asked, disbelieved by his own ears.
"No. You heard it correctly. However, it's not how you think it. The lowest score ranks in history; he could buy anything he wanted: houses, gold, riches, rejuvenation treatment, and other cutting-edge utilitarian devices. They also have no limitations on their liberty, live anywhere they want, and much more. But that's not the point." Zald explained before sighing deeply, gesturing to his friend to continue. Luna groaned, messaging his tempel.
"If you want to explain something, finish it yourself. This is the last time." Luna glared at the white-haired man.
"Dully noted." Zald shrugged, smiling sheepishly.
"The scores did not limit our options or control our personal lives. We can work in any section, be it service or joining the government. I have my application papers to join one of the parties in my home world. However, I must climb to the top with my performance. With my increased performance in society, I can raise my score. A better score means more accessible access to anything beyond civilian use and more personal autonomy from the state. Well, it depends on how you fill out your application to the Administratum." Luna said clearly, leaving no trace of doubt.
"How did you raise your score?" Nicholas asked, falling deeper into the conversation.
"It depends on many factors. Well... Mainly, it is how you contribute to the state using scientific achievement, social harmony, and enlightenment rate. Before you ask, it is how we expand our wisdom and intelligence." The woman said in between her sighs.
"Wait. How did the Imperium measure such a thing. Moreoever in real time?" This time, Nicholas found himself in a dead end. A country like China even implemented credit scores, though it was not entirely true. Yet, it was mainly from the recorded data from surveillance or surveys.
"It is in our genes. The Coordinator gene made it possible." This time, Zald answered it, his gaze hardened to his own hand. "As you have known, psychic power is real; the soul is real. Coordinators enhance our physical attributes and anchor our souls deeper, protecting them from the prying eyes of the neverborn. This soul bond enables measurement for our Ferrous Mind designated to social duty."
"You have no freedom then."
"Not freedom. Professor. Liberty. Freedom is the right to any life. But it was limitless and chaotic in nature. How do you gain your freedom without sacrificing others' freedom? In Imperium, we taught the value of liberty and common prosperity."
"In my American view, it would be mix of our value and those of the socialist." Nicholas joked, which earned a chuckle from the white-haired man but not the woman.
"I found that to be a good joke, Professor." Zald said, smirking.
"Anyway. My original question. Why did you consider this... Era is a treasure. Well, the experience could be regarded as one, but the facility.
I saw you eat a simple rice and meat with delight... I have tested foods from Imperium thanks to my connection with the embassy. It tastes beyond anything my tongue has experienced."
"We valued the spiritual meaning behind it, Professor. In Imperium, we have been educated about the value of the Imperial Truth and its philosophical branches. One of which is the value of human natural traditions. Those foods you ate were made by organic fabricators. The taste, texture, and everything is indeed perfect. However, the value of eating cooked food made by hand is more valuabel, be it distateful or not." Zald stated, smiling thinly.
"And from where we came, food like that is considered a luxury. For example, food with the same shape and flavour may have a different price depending on how they were made. The fabricated meat would be significantly cheaper than the farm product." This time, it was Luna who explained, her eyes darted below at a pair of female students eating their lunch.
Nicholas listened carefully, assessing the situation. He concluded that the Imperium is vastly different from current modern society. He could imagine how many Western citizens would be outraged by the pair's way of life.
"I have heard enough. It was pleasant to share this knowledge," Nicholas smiled. Then, who do you want me to seek information from?"
"Anyone. Konno Yuuki especially."
That was a twist indeed.
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-M29.671. Sol System. Aquilon-
The Imperium has put a lot of resources into breaching the veil of interwind reality. It was a widespread fact among scientists that there are infinite varieties of realities beyond the veil of reality connected by the Immaterium. Furthermore, the existence of Falmart makes the path of an alternate reality becomes much clearer.
Now, at this discovery, various researchers, be they transhuman or mortal, gathered from various factions at Aquilon. It was a gigastructure inside the Webway with material coordination at the Sol system. With the size of billions of kilometers wide and millions of kilometers high, the city shines in gold in the archaic dimension. It was created shortly after the Emperor rose to power with the intention to rival the greatest of Aeldari's constructs. Despite Imperium's herculean effort, the vast swath of the structure is still left empty despite countless trillions living in it.
Thus, the Imperium implemented extensive immigration and breeding programs to propel the full potential of Aquilon.
A certain section of the structure contains a planet-sized facility filled with brimming machinery dedicated entirely to building ships. This place was one of the greatest shipyards in the Imperium's possession—one among dozens in the Aquilion, rivaling those in real space, like Mars and other major shipyards.
At the heart of this industry is a great project underway. A great ring is constructed from various exotic materials that exist in the material and immaterial universes. Countless billions of drones and a dedicated Ferrous Mind were assigned to its construction.
It was a gate to cross the veil of reality.