The screen displayed analysis results suggesting a high probability that the space portal leading to Universe One was located in a human colony.
The company's analysts, however, did not dismiss the possibility that this could be humanity's original homeworld. After all, in Universe Seven, humanity's homeworld was Terra, a planet with a diameter far smaller than Earth's.
So until a thorough investigation was completed or human survivors were found, Atlas tentatively categorized the location of the Universe One portal as a human colony.
After showing related images and videos, Price addressed everyone in the room:
"Within the space portal's shielding range, neither the Hellhounds nor the Synths found any living creatures, although there were many signs of combat. This indicates that the humans on the other side might be engaged in civil war or could be clashing with other races. Additionally, the Synths have collected various plant samples to help us better understand the situation on that side."
After a brief pause, Price continued without anyone raising questions. He presented information about Universe Two on a third holographic screen.
As Price operated the controls, everyone observed images from Universe Two—a landscape filled with mist and a "jungle of steel." True to the name, Hellhounds and Synths crossing through the portal first encountered strange metallic "plants." The atmosphere there was toxic to humans.
The Hellhounds and Synths searched within the shielded area but found no living beings. However, by analyzing gravity and other factors, the Synths were almost certain that the portal led to a parallel Earth. It seemed the environment there had undergone some catastrophic transformation.
By now, everyone in the room had a basic understanding of the three universes. However, the full extent of the suffering endured by humans in these realms remained a mystery that Atlas would need to uncover.
"Selene," Price called out to a woman sitting in the front row.
"Based on the company's current intelligence, assign levels to these three universes and assist our reconnaissance teams in deploying personnel to each universe for investigation."
"Understood, Colonel," Selene replied, her eyes flashing with a purple glow as she processed the data and began assigning personnel to the respective universes.
Price surveyed the room and raised his voice, "Once the personnel lists and mission details are released and our forward base is operational, each of you will be deployed to one of the three universes to lay the groundwork for future operations. I've been appointed by the company as the commander of this joint reconnaissance mission. Are there any questions?"
The room remained silent; a few people shook their heads to indicate they had none. Even Perturabo, who seemed perpetually displeased with everything, had no objections to Price assuming command, recognizing his seniority within the company and among both employees and soldiers.
Had his father chosen him as commander, Perturabo would likely have thought his father was making a mistake; after all, an organization ruled purely by nepotism was doomed to fail. Yet, he felt a pang of jealousy, wondering why his father hadn't given him a chance to lead the reconnaissance unit. Price's experience and reputation were undeniable, but Perturabo believed he had studied under his father long enough to achieve every objective.
Perturabo quickly quelled these conflicting emotions. His father had a way of "correcting" his behavior whenever these thoughts arose.
Seeing no further questions, Price said, "Dismissed. Please prepare and rest; the joint reconnaissance mission begins in twenty-four hours."
He deactivated the holographic screens and left the stage, followed by Perturabo and then the rest of the attendees, who each headed off to wrap up their remaining tasks in the next twenty-four hours.
Among the crowd, Rebecca, dressed in a black training suit, whispered, "Whoa! It's my first time seeing a Primarch up close. They're so much more imposing than normal humans." The Primarch overseeing their native universe was Dorn, whose motivational speeches she had seen online but had never witnessed in person due to her lower rank.
"Oh, falling for him already?" David teased.
"Shut up, brat!" Rebecca swung her metal prosthetic fist at David.
"Cut it out." With a cool expression, Lucy grabbed David by the collar of his uniform and dragged him towards the exit.
"Wait! Lucy, I can walk on my own!" David protested, but Lucy tightened her grip, forcing him to keep up with her.
"Jealous, huh?" Rebecca muttered, following close behind with a feigned look of resentment.
After more than a year of shared training, Rebecca had grown fond of David, a smart, sincere, and good-looking "kid." She had also noticed that her teammate Lucy seemed to share the same interest. It couldn't be helped; David's charm was undeniable. Most of the female recruits hoped to develop a "close" relationship with him, especially since Major John "Soap" MacTavish, who founded and oversaw their experimental unit, had shown particular interest in him.
When Rebecca realized David saw her more as a friend, she stopped her "advances." As she, David, and Lucy exited the room, Jens led the AECS special forces out as well.
Comparing the two units, the difference in combat proficiency was stark. But as their name implied, the experimental unit's purpose was distinct and couldn't match frontline elite forces. Their inclusion in the mission also reflected Atlas's goal of gathering more live combat data to advance prosthetic technology.
As Price concluded the meeting, Samuel Young and his team, including Ap, Melissa, and ten Thunder Warriors, had already returned to the Halo universe's Harvest Planet. They boarded their designated Luna transport vessel en route back to the New Epoch, an aircraft carrier orbiting close to Earth.
Inside the cabin, Samuel browsed images and videos captured by the Hellhounds and Synths in each of the three universes. He reviewed reports from Selene and the intelligence department, piecing together possible events that had led to the conditions in each universe.
Images from Universe One evoked memories of Gears of War and Godzilla, each corresponding to Universes One and Two, respectively. The cities and twin moons in the night sky of Universe One bore a striking resemblance to Sera, the human homeworld in Gears of War. Unlike Earth, Sera was devoid of oil, relying primarily on natural gas, hydroelectricity, geothermal, and solar power until the discovery of the "Imulsion," an underground energy source.
Imulsion, essentially a parasitic organism, led to the development of the Locust race through human experimentation. During a century-long human civil war, the Locust evolved underground. However, prolonged exposure to Imulsion turned some into zombie-like creatures known as the Lambent. With their numbers dwindling and the Lambent growing, the Locust eventually invaded the surface on a day known as "Emergence Day," when humanity lost a quarter of its population. Faced with total annihilation, humans and Locusts alike were locked in a struggle for survival.
After identifying the threat, Samuel immediately ordered five cadet units—Children of Humanity, Warhounds, Space Wolves, Dawn Raiders, and the Raven Guard—to mobilize at the forward base in the Gears of War universe. Initially, he had chosen a hundred fully modified Astartes to support the reconnaissance, but the portal to Gears of War prompted him to deploy an additional five thousand young Astartes.
For Universe Two, the metallic vegetation and toxic atmosphere reminded Samuel of Godzilla: Monster Planet, a parallel that made sense. Samuel decided to email Magnus to greenlight "Project Titan."
Finally, for Universe Zero, an abandoned Los Angeles setting left him uncertain; it could be Fallout, Metro, or something else. He would wait for the reconnaissance results to determine the specifics. Meanwhile, he uploaded his knowledge of Gears of War, Godzilla, and other relevant materials to the intelligence department's core server to aid in the mission.
One day later, at the eastern end of the forward base near the portal, engineering teams had set up barracks for the stationed troops, including armed security, AECS, and advance units. Though the advance team had started with only fourteen members, it had now grown to about three hundred, tasked with being the first armed responders through any newly opened portal.
Temporary deployment units, such as the experimental unit and AECS special forces, were often stationed here. The five thousand young Astartes had arrived this morning and promptly deployed to the Gears of War universe's forward base.
Inside a large armory, nearly ten thousand support staff were finalizing preparations for both units. The AECS members wore Mk-3 power armor, more easily mass-produced than Titan armor. Outfitted with an array of hard-light weapons, they could purchase Gauss or plasma firearms as backup. Each AECS combat squad included two heavy-armored soldiers with shoulder-mounted missile pods and compact energy packs for hard-light machine guns.
In contrast, the experimental unit's equipment looked almost "basic" by comparison, with David, Lucy, and Rebecca wearing standard bulletproof vests and gear belts and carrying assorted, non-standardized weapons. Yet, their bodies, modified with cybernetics, provided excellent defense and combat ability.
Before long, both units were ready. As the highest-ranking officer, Jens Thompson announced over the comms, "The roster assignments for each universe are now in your individual systems. Please proceed to the designated train station for departure to your assigned universe!"
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