In under ten minutes:
"A bunch of completely unthreatening trash."
"Well, at least it scratched the itch."
The cavern echoed with the metallic voices of banter as the five reinforcement squads swiftly swept through all remaining luminescent creatures and orcs. However, the Space Wolves among them, still unsatisfied from the lack of challenge, voiced their complaints.
Meanwhile, Taviz, Logan, Moen, and their squad gathered by the edge of a peculiar "underground river." This "river" emitted a bright glow and seemed more like a thick, viscous substance than flowing water.
"Who would've thought we'd stumble upon Immaterial Energy here? Guess sometimes, luck isn't such a bad thing," Moen remarked over the squad's comms as he stood on the cliff edge, looking down at the glowing surface about ten meters below.
"Haha, either way, we've raked in quite a haul this trip!" Logan replied, clearly pleased. Their "Squad 14" had not only wiped out close to two thousand xenos, captured a high-value target, but also uncovered this rare energy source unique to this universe. Such achievements elevated their standing above their fellow Astartes, and their "lucky find" was as much a testament to their skill as to their good fortune.
Just then, Taviz's helmet chimed with a notification. A new direct order from Perturabo appeared on his HUD:
"Squad 14, collect samples of Immaterial Energy and transport the captured orc officer back to the frontline base. Ensure you comply with the Biological Division's full disinfection and inspection protocols before returning."
Reading the message, Taviz instructed his squad, "Alright, everyone, you've seen the orders. Let's get moving."
He gestured for one of the Sons of Man to gather a sample of the Immaterial Energy. The soldier acknowledged with a nod and bounded down to the glowing "river" to fill a sealed container with the viscous substance.
Logan shrugged, "Guess we got our fill of action. Time to head back."
Moen silently agreed and slung the unconscious orc officer over his shoulder, leading the way toward the tunnel entrance. The other Raven Guards followed suit.
With the sample collected and their objective completed, Squad 14 would return to the surface, while the other five reinforcement squads proceeded deeper into the underground world. With over sixty hours remaining before the engineering division completed assembly of specialized vehicles, Taviz and his squad had successfully completed their mission ahead of schedule and would prepare to rest.
As for extracting information about the orc queen from the captured officer, that wasn't their concern. Technically, fully-fledged Astartes had another means of gathering information—the method known as "brain-eating."
This was literal brain consumption, allowing the Astartes to absorb enemy memories directly. Among their surgical augmentations was a neural detection implant, which enabled them to access critical information without interrogation. However, most Astartes had few opportunities to use this technique, and many found it distasteful. After all, Astartes were still "human" in a sense, with emotions and preferences of their own.
Samuel Young, the founder of the gene-seed program and source of all gene-seeds, intended for his "descendants" to avoid the fate of Warhammer 40K's Astartes, whose personalities were often "gutted." Under Alexia's guidance, the gene-seeds and later adult enhancement procedures had granted the Astartes strong self-control, enabling them to avoid emotional extremes and resist chaotic corruption, allowing them to retain their humanity rather than becoming mere war machines.
Therefore, once Taviz and his squad delivered the energy samples and orc officer to the base, the Biological Division would handle further tasks.
Meanwhile, in Universe 08 (the Halo universe):
In a dedicated office aboard a New Epoch-class carrier, Ap relayed a report to Samuel Young: "Sir, Perturabo reports smooth progress in Universe 11, estimating that complete unification will take no more than two months. The young Astartes have also successfully secured high-value targets and samples of Immaterial Energy."
Standing to Ap's left, Melissa, who had been quiet, now reported, "Sir, two thousand newly developed clone soldiers have been loaded at Akra Foundry and are expected to arrive at Universe 10's forward base in thirty minutes."
Her eyes briefly glowed a faint yellow as she transferred files with titles like "Terminator Series T-600 Schematics" and "Hunter Series Schematic" onto a hard-light screen in front of Young. She continued, "Selene and her team, along with assigned Research Division techs, have completed the initial reverse-engineering of Terminators and Hunters. While their core processors are outdated, Selene suggests using our in-house technology instead."
Young reviewed the reports, nodding. "Selene is right; Skynet's central processors can't compare to ours. Share these documents with Akra Foundry and have them quickly manufacture prototypes for D-class personnel testing. Also, notify Selene and Major MacTavish (Soap) to locate Skynet's HQ under Intelligence Division guidance. We'll acquire all of Skynet's assets to expand our product line.
"As for the human Resistance, if they choose to join us, provide them with basic supplies at the forward base. If they prefer independence, leave them be unless they interfere with our operations. The Resistance has earned our respect—without them, humanity in Universe 10 would've fallen to rebellious AI."
Pausing, Young added, "If the upgraded T-600 passes the tests, it could become a cross-universe export, another revenue stream. Of course, we'll need to confirm if it's more cost-effective than the clones."
"Understood, sir," Melissa replied, beginning communications with the Akra Foundry.
As for the Gears of War and other newly explored universes, Samuel Young's approach was hands-off. Universe 10 was in good hands with Selene and MacTavish, while Universe 11 was secured with five thousand young Astartes and the experienced Perturabo, who could handle even the green-skinned, "Waaaaagh"-screaming fungal orcs. And as for the Godzilla universe…
Looking over a summary from Universe 12, Young asked Ap, "What's the latest from Universe 12?"
"Universe 12 is updated," Ap's eyes flashed red as he continued. "The joint team from Division 06 (Pacific Rim) and the Engineering Division has completed assembly of four Titans, with final testing underway. Additionally, frontline base reports have identified multiple large anomalous lifeforms. Upon completion of the Titan tests, two will be deployed to gather combat data."
Young reviewed files on Universe 12's anomalous creatures. The report included images from surveillance drones, showing massive beasts identified as "Titans," yet there was still no sighting of Godzilla.
Noticing Young's focus, Ap added, "Orbiting drones have detected large shielded areas and signs of human activity in Asia. As soon as the Titans engage the anomalous creatures, the frontline base plans to dispatch additional joint recon teams to search the Asian region."
Young waved his hand dismissively. "Proceed as planned."
"Understood," Ap replied and fell silent once again.
The mention of "shielded areas" and "human activity" reminded Young of the Mechanical City and the Vosian people. Mechanical City was a product of nano-metal created by the Bilusaludo, an alien race resembling humans but with extreme rationality and materialistic tendencies. In the Godzilla: Monster Planet trilogy, alien races like the Bilusaludo and Exif sought refuge on Earth after their own planets were destroyed by giant creatures, which had emerged as nature's response to unchecked technological advancement.
The Bilusaludo, the creators of nano-metal, had initially built it as a means of survival, but its "self-replicating" and "bio-absorbing" nature led to unintended consequences. In the second film, the autonomous replication of nano-metal created a sprawling mechanical city, ostensibly as humanity's last hope against Godzilla but ultimately designed to consume everything.
Reflecting on this, Young frowned as he continued to review the latest war data. Using nano-metal effectively and safely was a complex challenge. While Atlas's nanotechnology was advanced, it couldn't match the top-tier civilizations like the Forerunners, although it surpassed that of second-tier species like the Covenant or Reapers. Yet, the Bilusaludo's nano-metal seemed superior, albeit plagued by instability and a tendency to consume biological matter—factors Young found troubling.
Still, he had plans for retrieval operations, as the trilogy's central theme echoed through his mind:
"Humanity should coexist with nature, not arrogantly attempt to control it. Such arrogance will ultimately lead to nature's retaliation."
However, Young cared little about arrogance or modesty—he only wanted to ensure humanity's survival and dominance across the multiverse. The Bilusaludo and Exif, with their schemes and deceptive ways, were better suited as D-class test subjects than trusted allies. Killing them outright would harm the company's image, while using them in experiments could actually benefit humanity.
Then there were the "subhumans" of Godzilla: Monster Planet, the Vosians. Adapted to their harsh environment, the Vosians regarded Godzilla as an ordinary natural disaster. With slight psychic abilities and some resistance to nano-metal corrosion, they had evolved traits advantageous for survival. Most importantly, the Vosians weren't reproductively isolated from humans, which led Young to classify them as "subhumans."
After brief consideration, Young shared intelligence on the Bilusaludo, Exif, and Vosians with the Intelligence Division, instructing them on how to handle alien species and subhumans in Universe 12. With those matters settled, Young
stood up from his desk.
Heading toward the exit, he instructed the two AI assistants following him, "It looks like the battle below is intense. Tell the armory to prepare my personal power armor. I'll lead the Thunder Warriors to the surface to assist our forces and Sangheili allies in wrapping up the conflict."
"Yes, sir," they replied in unison.
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