After the official establishment of the Human Empire, Atlas naturally became the "Empire's Mega-Corporation," fully integrating with the Empire's political, military, economic, and civilian sectors.
Even before the Empire was officially founded, Atlas had already come to represent the authorities in the eyes of the citizens. After all, it was Atlas that had spearheaded the creation of the United Government in the main universe. United Government officials, as well as regular law enforcement and military units, all carried the Atlas logo—the iconic red and white "Λ" symbol.
By April 14, when the Empire was founded, the vast majority of the population had already adapted to Atlas's influence. Furthermore, Atlas made no effort to hide Samuel Young's "immortality." Online, there were videos of him wielding psychic flames to annihilate an entire Alliance fleet in seconds, along with stories and historical footage covering his various deeds. These ranged from news articles in 1950s Seattle and footage of product launches from the 1970s to black-and-white photos from the late 19th century, all featuring Samuel's presence.
Atlas's publicity department shaped Samuel Young into a figure akin to a "god," yet notably without aligning him with any religious system. When these videos and reports first circulated online, the Pope of the Catholic Church hastily declared that Samuel must be the "Son of Jehovah," sent by God to bring order to the chaotic, corrupt humanity. However, this "Son of Jehovah" narrative never gained traction, as Atlas's online division quickly scrubbed it from all corners of the web.
Soon after, the Catholic Pope and most high-ranking religious leaders were covertly captured by the then-Active Response Unit (ARS). Samuel could overlook employees privately worshiping him, but he would not tolerate any external religion using his image to assert control over the populace.
Religion, to put it bluntly, stemmed from humanity's awe and fantasies about the unknown and incomprehensible. Early rulers then used religion as a tool to control largely illiterate populations, and this dependency on religious authority led to the rise of countless parasites within its ranks. Even as late as the 20th century, billions of people across the main universe held faith in various religions, with tens of millions of fervent believers.
However, according to Catholic doctrine, pre-marital sex was strictly prohibited for followers, yet the Pope himself had indulged in debauchery since his youth, thanks to his family's wealth and power. Once ARS captured the Pope and exposed his dark secrets, along with those of other high-ranking religious figures, Atlas did not hesitate to make a public spectacle of the entire religious establishment.
Atlas never intended to use mere public opinion to dismantle the religious stronghold; instead, it employed brute force in arrests and executions. As a certain historical figure once observed, "How many divisions does the Pope have?" Faced with Atlas's overwhelming military power—especially the combined assault of Guilliman and Sanguinius—the various religious institutions crumbled completely within three months. Those who dared resist or cause trouble were swiftly apprehended or eliminated until no one dared to disrupt public order.
With Samuel himself not in the main universe but in the Halo universe, leading a fleet alongside the Elites to eradicate the Covenant, outsiders were led to believe that the widespread purge was Guilliman and Sanguinius's own initiative. At first, religious followers resisted, but once Atlas's publicity department portrayed Samuel as a "god" and positioned the Primarchs and Astartes as "demigods" and "angels," the faithful quickly found a new cause to rally behind.
After all, compared to the distant and intangible God or Jesus, Samuel was a real, visible presence in their lives. With the establishment of the Human Empire and the swift enactment of the "Human Codex," these former religious devotees became some of the Empire's most ardent supporters.
As for the Empire's political and economic systems, they underwent minimal change following the establishment of the Empire. Any adjustments were resolved prior to its founding. Standard governance and law enforcement structures remained mostly intact, with the intelligence, investigation, and regulatory departments integrated into these systems.
Particularly noteworthy was the Regulatory Department, which now reported directly to Samuel and the Primarch Governors, overseeing all departments and swiftly eliminating corruption. Former ARS members became the armed units of the Regulatory and Investigation Departments.
A new "Department of Heretical Inquisition" was formed by merging the Paranormal Phenomena Control Department with elite soldiers experienced in combating Chaos, such as the Grey Knights. This department's primary mission remained the same: combating Warp corruption. Additionally, some of its functions overlapped with those of the Regulatory Department, monitoring the Empire's officials and commanders—not for typical corruption, but to ensure they hadn't fallen under the influence of the Warp. If any signs of such influence were detected, the Department of Heretical Inquisition could bypass bureaucratic procedures to arrest or eliminate the target immediately. This department answered directly to Samuel, with no other department authorized to interfere, much like the secretive Jinyiwei in ancient China.
In effect, as Emperor, Samuel recreated the Hereticus Inquisition from Warhammer 40k, although with modifications. Unlike its counterpart, this inquisition answered only to him.
The Empire's armed forces underwent extensive restructuring as well. The former security forces and newly recruited soldiers formed the Imperial Guard and Planetary Defense Forces, numbering over a billion, tasked with defending Earth and the colonies across various universes. The Imperial Guard, with slightly superior equipment, would accompany the Empire's naval fleets in combat.
Meanwhile, Earth in the Terminator universe, designated "10," took on the responsibility of producing Terminators and Hunters of various models for the Imperial Guard and Planetary Defense Forces. Additionally, 90% of the production lines were relocated to Mars's Akra sector in the main universe to sustain the two primary forces with cloned soldiers.
Beyond the Imperial Guard and Planetary Defense Forces, the Empire's most formidable forces were the thirteen legions commanded by the Primarchs, with over seven hundred thousand Astartes, both adult and young. Including the auxiliary forces, the total size of the thirteen legions reached tens of millions. These legions handled the Empire's major campaigns, from unifying Earth and the Milky Way in multiple universes to defending against extraterrestrial threats.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Guard often served as auxiliary support. With this restructuring, Atlas had fully transitioned into the Human Empire.
On September 1, 2004, in the core ruins of the Imperial Palace:
"First through fourth battalions of the Joint Reconnaissance Forces, please proceed to designated waiting areas."
"Final checks are underway. Four spatial gates will open simultaneously; please ensure all preparations are complete."
The broadcast echoed throughout the ruin core, a space that now resembled an underground city with a height of six hundred meters. Massive 300x300-meter spatial gates stood around the perimeter, while a network of magnetic levitation tracks and traditional transportation lines connected the area to frontline bases in different universes.
In the waiting areas, the gates remained "closed," indicating that they had not yet opened.
Standing on the central altar was Samuel, habitually dressed in black. He raised his left hand, and his right index finger became enveloped in a faint golden aura of psychic energy. With a swift motion, Samuel sliced his left palm, allowing golden blood to trickle onto the altar. The skeletal insignia on the altar, now bathed in his blood, began to glow brightly, illuminating the entire core with radiant golden light.
As the light faded, four spatial gates, each 300x300 meters, appeared before the waiting areas of the four reconnaissance battalions. Recognizing that Samuel had opened the gates for them, a procession of Hellhounds, T-800s, and various unmanned machines moved forward, passing through the shimmering "mercury-like" surfaces to scout the worlds beyond.
After confirming conditions on the other side, formal members of the reconnaissance forces would proceed through. Following them, elite guard units under John Price's command and the engineering department would secure the site and begin constructing a forward base.
At the next stage, legion companies would formally oversee integration of the new universe, with the engineering and reconnaissance teams fully assisting them to complete it as quickly as possible.
"Whew." At that moment, Samuel exhaled lightly, showing signs of fatigue. Opening four spatial gates simultaneously had drained over eighty percent of his psychic energy, leaving him in a weakened state. However, the ruin area was entirely shielded against the Warp, so he had no concerns about attracting the attention of Warp entities.
As he loosened his joints, Alphaerius and Omegon, now adults and just shy of three meters tall, immediately approached to support their seemingly exhausted father. Alphaerius, the older brother, asked, "Father, are you all right?"
"No problem, just a minor issue." Samuel waved them off, indicating that he did not need support. Together with Alphaerius and Omegon, he made his way to the command center, a towering structure resembling a skyscraper.
Compared to their older brothers, Alphaerius and Omegon had a more fortunate childhood, as Samuel often spent time with them after returning to the main universe. He would take them to play games, watch movies, and even disguise himself as a regular citizen to visit Akra City with them. They visited theme parks, admired mythical creatures like griffins and dragons, and even enjoyed simple joys like eating company-issued snacks.
In the command center's main hall, the trio took a floating elevator to the control room. Inside, over a hundred staff members sat at control stations, using hard-light screens and communication channels to monitor the real-time progress of the four reconnaissance teams. On the second floor, Samuel, Alphaerius, and Omegon looked at a massive screen displaying the view of Universe 13, transmitted by
Hellhounds and T-800s.
The scene on the screen before them could only be described as "purgatory."
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