In the air corridor connecting the command building and the biological research center;
Samuel Young walked slowly through it.
From time to time, he would glance through the floor-to-ceiling observation windows on either side, looking out at the core base.
The base's overall structure had long been fixed, with no further expansions by the engineering team. The layout remained as it was. However, over at the VTOL landing pads, a large number of clone soldiers, equipped with specialized infantry gear and wielding Gauss and plasma weapons, were gathering.
Having severed their link with the AECS (Emergency Countermeasures) team thanks to autonomous chips, the clone soldiers were now boarding large transport ships in an orderly fashion, heading toward the company fleet stationed "above."
In addition, four ten-kilometer-long Journey-class dreadnoughts had left the mobile fortress and were heading to the outer perimeter of the fleet.
After more than a year of construction, production, and personnel deployment, Atlas's main force had finally gathered, ready to participate in their first true interstellar campaign.
In addition to the nearly 200,000 new clone soldiers, the company fleet boasted 1.6 million employees and veterans, all of whom had signed official contracts and had more than three years of service.
Of the 7,000 young Astartes trainees, over 3,000 had already been deployed to High Charity. The remaining Imperial Fists, Shadow Moon Wolves, Human Fists, and Salamanders had been assigned to the fleet and were receiving "training" from Vulkan, Mortarion, and Corax.
Once Dorn delivered Perturabo to the core base, the company fleet would be divided into four task forces, each led by a Journey-class dreadnought, and they would head straight for the region surrounding High Charity.
Samuel's mind wandered momentarily but soon returned to the present.
Lowering his head slightly, he passed through the corridor's connecting point and entered the biological research center, heading directly toward the large laboratory on the same floor.
Whoosh—
The automatic door slid open, and Samuel's gaze first landed on the researchers clad in white medical coats, busy with their work.
As for Alexia and Halsey, dressed similarly, they were working together with Ap and Melissa, adjusting another smart AI with deep blue skin that had broken free of its seven-year lifespan limitation.
Lying on the metal operating table, the smart AI looked almost identical to Catherine Halsey, aside from a few features.
Her true identity was the latest model artificial intelligence, created by cloning Halsey's brain, conducting live scans, and using Alexia's assistance and the company's biotechnology. Her designation was A-AI·β-002—
Cortana.
As a former *Halo* player, Samuel was naturally very familiar with this AI, who had accompanied Master Chief through hell and back.
Without the shackles of UNSC and ONI, Halsey had been able to create Cortana ahead of schedule, ready to assist the elite investigators stationed on Reach.
The new AI with the designation A-AI·β-001, on the other hand, was Alexia's own clone and would assist Price, Soap, and Dorn—this AI was Serene.
However, there were some slight differences between the physical bodies of Serene and Cortana.
At this moment.
Before Samuel could approach, he overheard the two geniuses engaging in their usual verbal sparring.
Halsey, having finished reviewing the data on her monitor, remarked with a sigh:
"Cortana is undoubtedly the company's most advanced product, bar none."
"Indeed, indeed," Alexia responded, seemingly agreeing, but then shifted the conversation:
"In terms of processing power, Cortana does surpass Serene. But when it comes to surviving in harsh environments, especially in assisting frontline troops, Serene is clearly superior.
So, if you consider overall abilities, Serene remains the top contender."
"That's only because Serene's physical body has been enhanced with your so-called Veronica Virus," Halsey countered dismissively.
"If I wanted, I could upgrade Cortana's body again."
"Heh." Alexia chuckled and replied:
"At least my Serene has already been deployed in Universe 09, whereas your Cortana still needs to prove herself in the field. But as a colleague, I'm actually quite happy to have you as a competitor—there are some areas where I truly can't compare."
"Likewise. Your virus research has exceeded my expectations," Halsey graciously complimented.
Their bickering was more of a friendly debate, and they both acknowledged each other's achievements, considering each other intellectual equals to some extent.
This was also the first time Alexia had successfully applied the more stable Veronica Virus to an AI's physical body.
Serene's skeleton was made from mithril alloy processed by dwarves, while her synthetic organs and skin were cultivated using the Veronica Virus.
In other words, despite Serene's appearance resembling a normal human, her combat data during testing was on par with a Tyrant.
Her physical strength was somewhat weaker, but her reflexes and speed were far superior to the Tyrant.
That's why, when Soap and Ghost led their team to raid the Tiger Claw Gang's stronghold, Serene was able to effortlessly lift the gang leader with one arm.
Of course, Serene didn't reject Soap's protection, as her programming required her to appear as the more "vulnerable" party.
At this point, Ap and Melissa noticed Samuel entering the lab, so they turned and greeted him in unison:
"Boss."
"Hmm." Samuel nodded in response and approached the metal operating table, asking the two doctors:
"How are the adjustments to Cortana and the two bioweapons coming along?"
Halsey, responsible for Cortana, immediately replied:
"The process is almost complete. We just need to transfer the core data to the physical brain, which should take about two hours."
After Halsey finished, Alexia took over:
"The two bioweapons are stable. Their skin, muscles, and bones have all been fine-tuned by myself and Dr. Vogbaum to the limit of what they can handle.
Additionally, the armor and protective gear prepared for them by the research department have already been transported to the core base via the Ark.
Right now, they're on the first floor of the central complex, undergoing final fitting tests with the tech team. That should also take about one to two hours.
In any case, everything will be ready to hand over to the investigators on Reach on time."
"Good." Samuel then turned to Ap and said:
"Notify Aya Brea, the head of the Supernatural Phenomenon Control Department, to lead the Grey Arbiters from the Prime Universe to the forward base on Reach. Use the Ark to transport and deploy them there."
"Yes, boss."
Receiving the clear instructions, Ap's eyes briefly glowed red.
Hearing the mention of the Supernatural Phenomenon Control Department, both Alexia and Halsey, who were aware of the war on Mars in the Prime Universe, showed a hint of concern in their eyes.
Though neither of them knew much about the Warp, they understood that any department belonging to the Special Operations Unit tasked with controlling such phenomena posed a significant threat to the company.
Samuel's decision to deploy the Grey Arbiters, a force made up of uncorrupted Greek gods along with elite forces from Rapid Response, Emergency Countermeasures, and Orbital Strike units, was due to his *foresight* regarding the repulsive forces of Chaos.
However, Samuel was unable to pinpoint an exact location.
Currently, his psychic power was so vast that it could influence everyone and everything on an entire planet.
Within a hundred-kilometer radius centered on him, all intelligent life would subconsciously develop "faith" in him.
Atlas employees and soldiers fought for the company's ideals not only because Samuel provided generous salaries and benefits but also because of the promise of "immortality" and "strength."
As seen in the battle against the Hive Tyrants, many company veterans had witnessed firsthand how Samuel used his psychic powers to wipe out a massive number of cultists and orks.
"Immortality" ensured that the compensation and welfare system wouldn't change due to leadership transitions, avoiding the "new boss, new rules" scenario common in regular companies, which often led to disastrous reforms.
Secondly, Samuel's constant psychic influence further strengthened the loyalty of the veterans and employees.
The moment Samuel entered the lab, flashes of blurred *visions* began appearing in his mind.
These fragmented images showed the upper echelons of the UNSC and UEG colonies—beneath their polished exteriors lay deep corruption.
This indicated that the forces of Chaos were primarily concentrated within human colonies.
In the original timeline of the *Halo* universe, there was no connection to the *Warhammer 40k* Warp.
But with the gateway linking the Prime Universe and the *Halo* universe, the Warp could very well extend its influence.
The *visions* confirmed Samuel's worst fears.
Thus, he decided to send the Grey Arbiters, who specialized in combating Warp corruption, to Reach for combat and technical support.
Aya Brea had been an elite in the ARS (Advanced Response Section) and had participated in the Mars campaign, and the Grey Arbiters included a Greek chief god and numerous demi-god warriors.
They should be capable of handling moderate to low levels of corruption.
Samuel was even considering having Alexia use his gene seed to create Astartes specifically designed to counter the Warp.
However, the current focus of the biological research team was on the Flood in the *Halo* universe, leaving no manpower or resources to spare for modifying the gene seed.
This would have to wait until the situation stabilized.
Not long after, Ap reported back:
"Aya Brea has been
notified, and she says the Grey Arbiters can be deployed within three hours."
"Very good." Samuel nodded again, then turned to Alexia and Halsey, reminding them:
"Get ready. Soon, you'll be transferred to the company fleet. Make sure to pack up all necessary data and equipment."
"Understood."
"Yes, boss."
The two doctors responded in unison.
Meanwhile;
In the *Cyberpunk 2077* universe, at the frontline base deep in the Night City desert;
The Luna transport carrying Dorn and the infant Perturabo had landed on the somewhat desolate landing pad.
The hatch opened.
"Waa! Waa~!!!"
The cries of the infant Primarch reverberated through the entire landing pad, radiating from the cabin.
Dorn, stepping out of the cabin, frowned deeply, feeling his patience steadily worn down by the incessant wailing.
"For God's sake, why is this kid so annoying?!"
Dorn couldn't help but mutter a complaint.
He had been planning to suggest to his father that he should be in charge of raising and educating his young brother.
But ever since Perturabo had boarded the Luna transport, despite sleeping soundly at first, he had suddenly started crying non-stop.
"Dorn, what..."
Removing her helmet, letting her golden hair fall behind her, Aoi glanced at the infant Perturabo in Dorn's arms and asked in confusion:
"Where did you bring this child from?"
"Found him," Dorn replied honestly, then glanced at Aoi's chest, muttering to himself:
"Could he be hungry?"
"..."
Noticing the meaning behind Dorn's words, Aoi's expression changed instantly as she retorted in a stern voice:
"How could I possibly have any? Stop daydreaming."
"Yeah, true." Dorn chuckled.
He then held Perturabo, who was still wailing, in the palm of his right hand, bending down to hand him to Aoi, saying:
"This is my little brother and also a Primarch, but I really have no idea how to hold him.
Maybe my size is making him feel threatened? Or maybe he just doesn't like me?"
"Even if you hand him to me, I have no idea how to comfort him either..."
Aoi sighed helplessly as she reached out to take Perturabo.
Even the usually calm and collected elf warrior showed a hint of "fear" in her voice.
Elves, after all, had extremely long lifespans and very low birth rates, meaning that newborns were a rare occurrence.
Let alone the fact that Aoi had been single for over five hundred years and had no idea how to soothe a young child.
But as Dorn's most trusted subordinate, Aoi reluctantly accepted the "responsibility" and tried to gently pat Perturabo on the back with her left hand, saying:
"There, there, don't be scared, it's okay."
"Waa~! Waa... Hoo... Hah~"
Surprisingly, Aoi's clumsy attempt at comforting, along with her awkward pats, actually calmed Perturabo down, and he fell asleep.
"What the... no way," Dorn was in disbelief.
"Keep your voice down! You'll wake him again," Aoi snapped in annoyance as she continued to gently pat the child.
"Oh, right."
Dorn nodded, then walked toward the space gate, lowering his voice as much as possible:
"I'm going to need you to come with me to Reach in Universe 08. I really don't want to hear him crying anymore—it's too annoying."
Without giving Aoi a chance to refuse, Dorn quickly opened a communication channel and ordered:
"Serene, the Royal Knights will complete their deployment soon. You and Colonel Price will be in charge of the subsequent operational arrangements.
I need to personally head to the core base in Universe 08."
"Yes, sir."
Hearing Serene's response, Dorn promptly ended the communication.
Aoi, with no other choice, followed Dorn toward the space gate.
She was very curious about why a young Primarch would appear in the desert outside Night City, but her professional ethics prevented her from asking.
Besides, she found herself wondering whether an adult Primarch could also reproduce with human women...
________________________
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