Spirit of Fire:
Samuel Young felt a unique attachment to this ancient "grandpa" ship. Back when he was still a student, he had sacrificed snack money and part of his dinner fund to buy a cracked Xbox 360 after learning that Halo Wars—a real-time strategy game set in the Halo universe—was an exclusive for that console. The draw of commanding those joke-cracking marines and the unstoppable Spartan IIs gave many young players an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
After finally getting his hands on Halo Wars and spending two nights completing its storyline, Samuel felt a strong connection with Spirit of Fire and its entire crew. As time passed, even with the release of Halo 5, Halo Wars 2 had a stronger impact, proving to be a true successor in spirit. Spirit of Fire remained resilient, even while other ships fell, marking Halo Wars 2 as a truly worthy sequel.
Returning his thoughts to the present, Samuel recalled that Spirit of Fire—a converted colonial support vessel—had been in active service for almost forty years. According to the list compiled by Apu, the ship's current captain was Alexander Ford, with James Carter as the executive officer. Recognizing Carter's name, Samuel immediately considered recruiting him personally. Carter's impressive command skills in Halo Wars allowed him to stand against the Covenant, the Flood, and even the Banished with just this "grandpa" ship—a feat few captains could match.
Samuel knew that, according to lore, Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood once served under Carter's command on Spirit of Fire. Had it not been for the ship's forced use of its warp engine as a strategic weapon to eliminate the Flood and stop the Covenant from activating Shield World 0459—leading to its thirty-year disappearance—Hood might not have become Fleet Admiral.
Samuel valued James Carter as a reliable commander should they encounter another Halo-like universe in the future.
Then there was the matter of the warp corruption affecting Mombasa. With his Foresight ability, Samuel had anticipated the warp's spread among the UNSC and UEG's corrupted officials. Ginsler's corruption by the "Changer of Ways" had indeed caught Samuel off guard. Ginsler, obsessed with power and indulging his basest desires, would have been a natural target for Slaanesh, the chaos god of excess and pleasure. But aligning with Slaanesh involved more than mere lust; it required a devotion that Ginsler lacked, leaving him ripe for Tzeentch's schemes.
This change also included a demon named Esard Mekre, who was set on wreaking havoc on Halo's Earth. When Mortarion and Corax took him down, Samuel heard a cold voice in his mind:
"[Tzeentch's Greater Daemon Esard Mekre's essence and psychic source have been fully absorbed and plundered.]"
This notice confirmed Samuel's psychic energy had grown stronger. The message further clarified that the weapons he had forged for his primarch sons could truly kill warp entities, not merely banish them. This power was likely why Esard Mekre, after being struck by Mortarion's scythe, fled toward the warp portal in terror. Previously, warp demons entering the material universe felt no fear, knowing they could simply reincarnate in the warp. But now, with their true deaths on the line, their confidence dissolved, replaced by desperation to survive.
Unfortunately for Esard Mekre, he couldn't escape the primarchs' combined assault, and his essence was fully absorbed by Samuel. With more humans offering their faith and prayers, combined with the plunder of his enemies' souls and powers, Samuel now possessed an overwhelming psychic presence. Even if he faced that so-called "Dark Lord" Maedo again, Samuel could end him in an instant.
This surge in power reminded Samuel of Eywa, the planetary consciousness from the Avatar universe. Next year, once he returned to his main universe and opened a new portal, he intended to visit Pandora. If Eywa could be of use, he'd cooperate; if not, he'd eliminate it. After all, Pandora's wildlife and the Na'vi tribes posed no real threat against Atlas's heavily armed forces.
Returning to his present duties, Samuel skimmed through Apu's compiled list before dismissing the screen and asking, "How many clone soldiers have been deployed to the front-line base on Planet Abundance?"
"Just over forty thousand," Apu replied. "To be precise, 42,017, and the Akra facility is set to send four more clone contingents to Planet Abundance within two Earth months."
"Good." Samuel nodded, clasping his hands behind his back. "Notify the Abundance front-line base to use the Ark teleportation system to redeploy all clone soldiers to our branch base outside Mombasa. Ensure the engineering teams follow as well. With the Earth Defense Fleet halting fire, it's time to solidify our presence on Earth Zero-Eight. Also, inform the core base on Shield World 0459 to accelerate the preparation of additional Leviathan-class dreadnoughts. The UNSC has only temporarily paused hostilities, so we need overwhelming naval power to ensure the truce holds indefinitely and secure our gradual takeover of their political and military control."
"Understood, boss," Apu responded, relaying the orders.
Feeling an unexpected ease, Samuel reflected that Atlas's progress in the Halo universe was firmly on track. With patience and steady expansion, the Milky Way would soon serve as humanity's "stronghold" and "backyard." The only remaining threats were the lingering Flood and the maddened Forerunner Warden, the Preacher. But as long as the Flood lacked sufficient resources, they posed little threat. As for the Preacher, who was trapped on the shield world Sanctuary with a deep hatred for humanity, there was no chance for negotiation. Once Atlas located Sanctuary, Samuel planned to send one or two of his primarch sons to eliminate the Warden.
Lastly, there was the portal situated in Mombasa. Once the Covenant Empire led by the Prophet and the Brutes was fully neutralized, Samuel would lead a portion of his fleet to Earth. Activating the portal to the Ark—a structure over 100,000 kilometers in diameter—would ensure Atlas, and humanity, an unmatched position in any future threat. The Ark would allow mass production of Halo rings, capable of unleashing cross-phased FTL energy pulses to destroy all sentient life. Moreover, it would enable Atlas to restore and purify entire star systems corrupted by the warp.
Suddenly, Samuel noticed something strange on the bridge. Glancing around, he saw that Apu, Melissa, and all the crew members were frozen in place. The bridge plunged into darkness, leaving him alone in a void.
"Father…"
Behind him, a voice—Horus's—spoke.
Samuel turned slightly and was startled to see Horus, not as he remembered him, but bald and clad in murky black armor with wires embedded in the back of his head. Samuel immediately thought of the corrupted Horus from Warhammer 40k.
"Father…" the Horus before him spoke in a hollow tone. "If you establish an empire… my brothers and I…"
Schwing!
A sword's sharp hum interrupted Horus's words, and the sound of flesh and metal being cut filled the void.
Samuel, dressed in his powered armor, had unsheathed the Emperor's Sword and slashed "Horus" in two. He knew, of course, that this was an imitation, a trick. As "Horus" crumbled to ashes, Samuel summoned a radiant golden light and struck forward.
Boom!
The golden flames ignited the void, dispelling it as Samuel spoke coldly, "Stop hiding. Show yourself."
"Hoho…"
An eerie, echoing laugh reverberated through the void as it returned to darkness, but this time, countless eyes of varying sizes filled the space. Before Samuel stood four looming figures: the four Chaos Gods.
First was Tzeentch, his form indescribable and ever-shifting. Slaanesh had pale pink skin, androgynous yet sensuous in form. Nurgle, obese and reeking of decay, wore a grotesque smile. Finally, Khorne sat on a brass throne, his spiked form radiating an eagerness for battle.
Each god exuded its own aura of scheming, greed, survival, and slaughter, blending with elements of wisdom, artistry, vitality, and honor. Despite taking on solid forms, their appearances remained unpredictable. Samuel sensed the gods' mutual suspicion yet noticed they had temporarily united to confront him. Tzeentch, with his mocking laughter, spoke first:
"My companion, why choose to serve humanity? Sacrifice them, ascend, and join us in our games. Isn't that more appealing than hiding as a human…"
"Ridiculous."
Samuel, not allowing Tzeentch to finish, unleashed the golden flames from his sword, instantly dispelling the gods' illusions. The void shattered, replaced by a familiar glow as Samuel's surroundings returned to normal.
"…Boss, any further orders?" Apu's voice brought him back.
The bridge returned to its usual activity, the control panels glowing, crew members focused on guiding the New Epoch carrier and managing the fleet. Samuel understood that Tzeentch had seized the brief moment after he had absorbed the power of Esard Mekre, exploiting it to attempt a dialogue. Recognizing Samuel's unique abilities, Tzeentch had been quick to act.
Had they been seeking his alignment through some misguided promise of divinity? Samuel smirked.
He'd never had any intention of becoming a god. After all, he much preferred being human, and he certainly wouldn't stoop to join forces with those Chaos entities.
"Boss, anything else?" Apu prompted again.
"Yes." Samuel, regaining his focus, began walking out of the bridge, giving his final order: "Prepare for immediate departure. We're heading to Earth Zero-Eight."
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