Infinite Metaverse

Adamantua Forge World.

Four Imperial Fists Space Marines dragged a red-robed technical priest, trudging through the mud and bombed ruins after the rain, and also had to fight against the chrome beasts that appeared from time to time.

"I don't know how these chrome beasts killed one of our ships. Maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe it was an accident. But a fleet... obviously there is no accident. One fact we have to face is."

Laurentis said as he walked breathlessly.

"There are others."

Kurland looked around and said in a deep voice.

Help the sage finish what he had not finished.

"Yes, there are others in this galaxy."

Sage Laurentis stopped and said:

"Actually, I have a theory about this."

"Tell us."

Kurland said bluntly.

Laurentius nodded and said:

"I think these sounds may be a form of communication. I guess these chrome beasts want to communicate with us. I used to think they were non-intelligent animals, and the phrase 'I am killing' might just happen to sound similar to the orc language, but I could be wrong. Is there a possibility that they want to convey some information to us... some kind of warning."

"Some kind of warning?"

Kurland stopped when he heard this.

"You mean, these aliens came here across a long distance and invaded the Adamantua star zone just to warn us? Are they so good?"

Kurland stared at the sage and asked back.

"Of course it's not just to warn us. What I mean is that the act of invading the star zone itself may be a forced migration behavior, just like... Have you seen animals, Captain? The territory of an animal is invaded by another more powerful animal, so they are forced to migrate."

Laurentius tried his best to explain his theory.

"Very good, perfect theory, sage."

An Imperial Fist warrior curled his lips and said:

"But how does this help us in the situation we are facing now? Our fleet has fallen, we are trapped on the surface, short of ammunition, without support, and there are endless aliens around us who "want to warn" us. Great, I can't imagine a better picture than this."

"This may explain where they came from and why they came, and then reveal who our real enemy is! These studies are very meaningful. Even if we can't leave here in the end, even if we all die in the end, we should know who died in our hands! Truth is meaning!"

The technical priest waved his arms and said loudly.

"Sage Laurentis is right."

Kurland raised his hand to stop his men.

"We need to know the truth."

Kurland looked up at the sky:

"And we can't die here. We not only need to know the truth, but we must also pass this truth on to let more people know that the threat is coming. They can destroy an Imperial Fist fleet without triggering any warning. This level of military force is extremely deadly to any Imperial world!"

Rather than encouraging his men.

Kurland is more like encouraging himself.

...

Adamantua Sector.

Adamantua Galaxy.

A naval fleet tore through the barrier between reality and nothingness and appeared near Mandeville Point in the Adamantua Galaxy. This is a medium-sized fleet, but its cabin is full of fifty regiments of Imperial Guards and a full one hundred Imperial Fists Space Marines from Terra and Mountain Phalanx.

Scattered information is piled up on various screens on the battleship bridge. This information comes from the early days of the war and was intercepted before the reinforcements left Terra. And during the weeks of sailing in the subspace, they did not receive any news.

Now, the space jump has been completed, they have returned to the real universe, and communication can be restored.

But all the captains were surprised to find that there was no communication signal from the Adamantua sector.

Without any instructions, the crew members responsible for the detection array spontaneously became busy and began to measure activities.

However, as the data was summarized one by one, the technical crew members in front of the detection array began to look at each other in bewilderment.

There was still no information.

Any information about humans.

The entire Imperial Fists Fleet, and even the entire Imperial Fists, seemed to have disappeared out of thin air. There was no trace of their existence in the galaxy. There was no response to the communication, and no discovery was made during the scan. The situation was a bit weird.

"What is going on?"

Finally someone asked this question.

Hess, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard, accompanied by a lord admiral and the captain of the Imperial Fists Wall Guard, stepped onto the stairs all the way to the bridge. He was surrounded by a team of guards and clerical staff.

Compared to High Lord Admiral Lanson, who reluctantly sent his precious toys back from the borderlands of the Empire, Hess was a more selfless man who fully understood the potential dangers of this war and chose to personally join the reinforcements. This was the largest military deployment in the Core Sector in recent years, and he was not going to leave it to his men. Hess wanted to show that, unlike other High Lords such as Lanson, he was willing to do the dirty work. The Imperial Fists asked his Imperial Guard for help, and then he joined the battle himself.

When Hess announced that he would personally join the reinforcements, it indeed caused a commotion in Terran politics. Regarding this matter, Lanson did not make any remarks that seemed stingy, but his reputation was indeed stolen a little.

"Is there something on the surface of the planet?"

Hess asked sharply, staring at the augur.

"It's become a mess down there."

The admiral of the naval fleet replied:

"But there's no human signal."

"Where are the Imperial Fists?"

This question hangs over everyone's head.

"According to the preliminary detection of the auspicious instrument, the atmospheric conditions on the surface of the planet are undergoing catastrophic changes, and the planet seems to have fallen into some kind of stellar crisis. We initially thought that it might be hit by something, such as a large meteor, But there are no iconic signs of disaster.”

said a technical crew member.

"The forge world of Adamantua has become unstable in the six weeks since last reported, with an unstable atmosphere and high total surface radiation... Additionally, from a geographical and orbital perspective , there are clear signs of severe gravitational instability."

Another technician said:

"The last few intercepted messages from the advance fleet we received before departure seemed to mention the scenario of gravity anomalies, but these data have never been confirmed. Now we are contacting Terra via astrological communication to see what happens to us They may have heard something from the advance fleet during the jump, which may help explain the current situation."

"The answer seems trivial."

said the Lord Admiral.

He looked directly at the Imperial Fist Wall Guard Captain:

"As early as six weeks ago, just two days after we entered the jump, effective communication with your Chapter Master and the advance fleet was terminated, and they disappeared."

"So they're doomed?"

The Imperial Fist Wall Guard Captain looked down coldly and asked:

"Are they all dead?"

"There's no indication that the fleet has any surface deployments, but that doesn't mean they're not there. So, maybe we should go to the surface and take a look?"

A navy captain quickly smoothed things over.

"In the auspicious view, the planet and its orbit showed a jumble of interference images. It's possible that the fleet was there, and so were the ground forces, but our scanning equipment couldn't detect them, and the interference It’s so serious that we can’t communicate with them.”

The technical crew suggested another possibility.

"So what signal are we picking up?"

The Imperial Fist Wall Guard Captain asked coldly

"A massive burst of infrasonic noise."

The technical crew member replied:

"Similar to the sonic booms reported before ground forces lost contact, but much greater in intensity, frequency and duration. It was as if the planet was howling in pain."

The Lord Admiral gave the technical crew a hard look, and the officer subconsciously took a step back and lowered his head, ashamed of his overly vivid description.

"What is that noise?"

The Imperial Fist Wall Guard Captain continued to ask.

"Some kind of stellar effect, I guess."

The Lord Admiral shrugged and said:

"Maybe it's a solar storm, maybe it's a gravitational disorder... In short, some kind of cosmic disaster suddenly breaks out. Although this probability is very small, it is not impossible."

"What actions are we going to take?"

Hess asked, interrupting several people.

"I want to take people down to the surface."

The Imperial Fist Wall Guard Company Commander said without any doubt:

"I want to see with my own eyes what's going on."

"Arrange a landing spacecraft for him immediately."

Hess waved his hand and ordered:

"I'll send a regiment down with you."

Ten Thunderhawk gunboats rushed out of the belly of the battleship and rushed towards the planet shrouded in the changing extreme weather. They quickly disappeared into the rolling and changing clouds of lightning and thunder. Hess watched the last group of Imperial Fists leave the fleet and rush towards the unknown land. He suddenly remembered something that his friend Wangorich said to him before he set off for this place:

"This is unreasonable. We cannot invest an entire Chapter at once. This is the most basic principle. Even I know it. Because if this Chapter encounters some kind of major failure, then its gene seeds will be completely cut off. "

The Grand Master of the Assassin Court said at that time:

"We did force Lanson to agree to this reinforcement through a vote on the council, but he tricked us and tried to reduce the manpower input of his direct naval fleet by promoting the deployment of the entire Imperial Fists Chapter. This guy, he has already put himself political interests override those of all human beings.”

Hess knew in his heart that whenever Wangorich said this, it meant that he had murderous intentions. But at the moment, he didn't care whether the Grand Master of the Assassin Court really dared to take action against the Supreme Lord, the Admiral, or another high leader.

What he thought of was the previous sentence:

"If this Chapter suffers some major defeat, its gene-seed will be completely cut off."

All members of the Imperial Fists Chapter have arrived. Just now, the last Imperial Fists Space Marine has been sent to the surface by him. If... no no, there is no if.

Hess shook the thought away.

The Imperial Fists cannot be destroyed by the group.

They are one of the nine founding groups.

…

The Imperial Fists Wall Guard Company headed to the planet's surface, and Hess gave them five hours to determine the surface conditions. At the same time, the fleet in space was not idle either. They were approaching the area judged to be disturbed - the area that neither auspicious instruments nor sensors could detect.

The reinforcement fleet began to redeploy around the planet. This naval fleet did not have a super-large radar ship such as the Emperor-class battleship. It could only expand the exploration range of the entire fleet by slowly expanding the walking range of each battleship.

All naval officers stared closely at the strategic panel. The flashing indicator lights swept across the terrain grid. In every corner of the huge data array on the screen, columns of data spread, and then were broken up and reassembled, calculating the flow of energy and the characteristics of the planet. Hess had never seen a planet produce such vast and contradictory data so quickly.

"etc!"

The admiral suddenly spoke.

He stepped over the observation panel, pushed the two technicians aside, and began manipulating the control panel himself.

"Over there."

The Admiral said, pointing to the screen.

"An afterimage?"

The auspicious director asked tentatively.

"The image echo produced by a fragment of ground building ruins blown away by the drastic changes on the planet's surface?"

another technician asked.

Both of them are very experienced naval officers, but their experience is not as rich as that of an admiral. The knowledge of the universe brought by many years of combat allows him to make quick judgments.

"What the hell is that?"

Hess couldn't help but ask.

"This is a ship, my dear General."

The admiral finally gave the answer:

"One of our ships."

…

Although this admiral is from Lansong, it is undeniable that he has rich experience. Not only was it determined that it was a spaceship through an afterimage in the detection array, but it was also accurately identified through the outline shape of the afterimage that it was a ship from the Human Empire and not other aerospace equipment.

The ship, or "Fragment of the Ship," emerged from the stormy environment surrounding the planet. Emerging from a sea of ​​radioactive soup and energetic charged particles, like a wreck rising from the seabed. Bounced back by the currents of energy and magnetic field, it shimmers with phosphorescence, and then flows back to the planet surrounded by crazy gravity.

The remaining half of the engine nozzle glowed white, pushing the wreckage to slowly rise. The crew in the flagship cheered, and at the same time they also received a distress signal, indicating that some compatriots survived in the wreckage.

They could see that many of the decks on the ship were rolled up and exposed to the outside of the hull, and the hull was twisted and broken into two parts, as if there was a fierce battle in each cabin.

The admiral immediately sent two Lord-class battlecruisers to approach the struggling soul, and then pulled it out of the atmosphere through several giant metal cables, helping it escape from this cosmic-level horrific disaster.

"Report its identity."

Hess spoke.

"This is an Opal Dragon-class battleship, my lord."

The Admiral observed carefully and said:

"This means that it is most likely the Antorax, the battle barge of the Imperial Fists Chapter, and the largest battleship under the command of Chapter Master Mohan."

"The keel number and automatic broadcast code have identified it as the Antorax, sir."

a technician reported.

"Contact the surviving crew members on the ship immediately!"

Hess perked up and immediately gave the order.

Thanks to the unremitting efforts of the technical crew.

A communication link was established.

Strange screams and roars suddenly exploded from the loudspeaker. The surrounding sound was distorted by radiation and gravity. The pulse signal was analyzed from the scream, and the energy was in the cable of the projector inside the workbench. and the rack ring crackled around, then, a distorted image began to flash and was gradually adjusted to a proper position.

"I am Hess, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard. I am talking to you on the bridge of the Azmus. Antorax, can you hear me? Please answer when you receive it."

Hess said in a deep voice with stern eyes.

The sound of static sounded like a ghostly groan.

"Antorax, Antorax, this is the Azmuth, can you hear me?"

The Admiral began to ask questions repeatedly.

"I'm glad to hear your voice, Marshal."

A staccato voice sounded.

"This is the flagship of the Imperial Fists fleet, the Antorax, and I am the acting captain Aquilina."

"On the throne, there are survivors."

the Admiral said with relief.

"captain."

Hess stepped forward and said urgently:

"I am High Lord Hess. Can you, Captain, explain the current situation as you understand it? We need valuable information now, can you still report it?"

"Thank you for coming, my lord. I never imagined that a High Lord would come to rescue us personally."

The voice said weakly:

"Since these events occurred, I have been keeping my mission records. I will link the data directly to your battleship's cogitator system. You can download and view all the information details. In short, we were already close to victory. The lair is Collapsed under attack. Ground troops had also been dispatched, and other troops were also preparing to be dropped. Then the sonic boom came, first the sonic boom, and then the gravity anomaly. This galaxy should not have these dangers, but they are like a handle. Like a sharp ax, it tears open the space near the planet."

"Please explain in detail, Captain."

Hess said with a frown.

"When the Gravity Storm broke out, we were the only ships to survive. It destroyed the entire fleet, my lord. I saw ships falling apart around me, all crews on fire... I saw the Chapter Master fall."

The mortal captain's voice was filled with sadness.

"The God Emperor is on high!"

Hess lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"Even in this dire situation, we still survived. We were dragged into its interior by the gravity storm. All directional input was lost, my lord. I didn't move for fear of hitting the surface directly, and I didn't Drive the battleship until you finally show up."

The mortal female captain choked and said.

The heavily damaged battle barge gradually broke away from the severe space distortion, and fragments fell backwards from it, being sucked back into the gravity well like silver dust. The resolution of communications images is increasing and voice communications are becoming clearer.

She can now be seen in the hologram. Behind her, the bridge was reduced to a charred ruin, and the image distortion was reduced. This mortal captain, as well as her commanding staff and technical crew, were all wrapped in aerospace uniforms from head to toe, but each uniform had patches of stains on it, like pink liquid seeping from its interior.

"Plasma reactor leak, radiation burns."

The admiral muttered with an ugly look on his face:

"They were burned too badly..."

"captain."

Hess immediately announced:

"We are sending rescue ships..."

"No, sir."

The captain slowly shook his head and said.

Her voice was calm and firm:

"The radiation we've been exposed to is downright lethal, my lord. We're not alive for long, I know that. My entire ship is contaminated, and no one can get on board. It's death." "

"But……"

Hess wanted to say something else.

"Thank you for coming to save us, but we don't have much longer, keep your distance. All I can do for you now is show me my will and transmit all my information. You must do this, my lord, a huge The disaster struck the Imperial Fists in the Adamantua sector."

"We see it clearly."

The Admiral interjected:

"A cosmic gravitational disaster..."

"No!"

The captain interrupted firmly and said:

"This doesn't happen naturally, General."

"I beg your pardon?"

Hess asked with a serious face.

"This is not a natural disaster phenomenon, it is not due to the will of the universe to hit us hard... This impact is man-made, and there was a direct attack here."

The captain's voice grew weaker and weaker.

"attack?"

The Admiral repeated her exact words.

"Who did it? The Chromes? Those aliens?"

Hess gripped the edge of the countertop with both hands.

"I don't think so, my lord."

The mortal captain’s voice became smaller and smaller:

"There is a special sound in the sonic boom. Listen to it carefully, and then look at the rising moon."

"as far as I know……"

The admiral frowned and said:

"The Adamantua system has no moon."

"Now there is."

The captain's voice completely weakened and disappeared.

…………