Assault on Tempest Galleries 3 months later - Shirou POV

The battle against the Ethnarchy was brutal, they had super soldiers very similar to the Thunder Warriors, some investigation at my request, not with the soldiers, but with families of recruits on areas conquered by the Emperor already.

We discovered a few things, a tenth of the soldiers, the ones that somehow were skilled but crippled or sick or past prime, would have a "second chance" at service, with tempting promises of glory and wealth, this men would be enhanced somehow by the Ethnarch, they would become giants of great power and fury.

But they developed anger management issues, homicidal impulses, and severe cases of deterioration and organ failure. After some time, the recruitments had eventually to become compulsory, since the families started to refuse send their fathers and husbands to become

victims of the cruel procedure.

The more we compared reports and checked results of the autopsy, the more obvious it was, the procedure was not the same, but very similar. The emperor then revealed that his procedure on the Thunder Warriors, was the best that he got from the age of the technology, including cybernetics, was a rushed use of the best enhancements of the era. He uses most of the same ones on the custodes, but custom tailored, and with his biomancy dealing with any rejection or lack of adjustment.

It's like throwing a mass produced very small uniform on countless men of varied sizes, most of them would rip and tear, or be too tight. It would be rare to see a soldier that fit perfectly on it.

The Thunder Warriors used all procedures that the emperor could fit on the bodies, some of them known to be unstable, but powerful. The only difference is that he shielded the warriors minds against psykers, using his own energy. There was a variation on the ur-khasis tech, probably some prototype variant or from some organization. But the basics were there.

I'm currently with the Emperor on the advanced camp, he asked me to help just on the intelligence and strategic talk. He didn't want me on the field, he wanted his Astartes to get some experience, and "move their weight" a little.

"There´s no sign of sorcery on the bodies right? How do you think they are kept under control? I mean, your Thunder Warriors idolize you, but most people always revere you like a g…" I try to say

"I'm no god." The Emperor cut me. "But yes, that's a good question

"Maybe one of the implants we don't identify? Some sort of killswitch?" I ask.

"That's… A good guess… I will ask Malcador and his team to check that…" He seems lost in tought.

The Emperor seems to think about it a lot, and looks at me for a moment, seeming to weigh options on his mind. I hate that look from people, usually i end up in a bothersome situation after moments like this.

He showed me how the enemy was bunkered inside powerful shields, powered by generators called tempest galleries, and how he planned to use the Salamanders to infiltrate using Termite burrowing vehicles, and destroy the shield generators.

"Would it not be better to just… Make a distraction, pretend to attempt to infiltrate, but at the first big obstacle, instead of having your elite soldiers die in a closed dead zone, fake a retreat, while leaving a good special ops team using cameleoline cloaking to disable the thing without destroying it? I mean, the tech is valuable and powerful, imagine have the shield generators on the palace;;; If i work with Dumont, i believe we can shut down the thing time enough for a second advance, it would reduce the losses…Without the shields, we could even put gas on the bunkers and seal the air exits, and force them to surrender or at least deal only with whatever don´t need to breath or had enough gas masks inside… or something…." I suggest.

"That would be a blow to the Astartes morale, i meant… They are anxious for glory and to prove their prowess… They won´t like it." Says the Emperor. "Still… It might be effective…Diocletian, show us the map of the structure with the satellite pictures and x-ray of the underground." Says the emperor, Diocletian obeys and they see the overall map of the massive tunnel gallery, and notice the air ducts and possibilities of suffocate the enemy, some of them were outside the shield range, but too small for a Astartes, let alone a soldier to crawl. Years ago Shirou would fit there, not anymore. Yet, the Emperor looks at me and asks. " Do you want to disable the thing? By yourself?"

"I'm not the most stealth type anymore, but i have some limited uses of my projection back… I might project the Hades' cap of invisibility, they don't seem to be too good on sorcery compared with the other Warlords, not many psykers on their side right? They don't have many ways to detect me…" I comment, the Emperor seems surprised.

"I tought you had only swords?" He comments.

"I can have other noble phantasms, like my conceptual shield, but it's more difficult and expensive, the further it goes from the sword concept, the worse it gets. It goes in difficulty from Swords, to bladed weapons, to melee weapons, to protective equipment, to tools, to clothing… If it has many movable parts, it becomes hellish. I´d take weeks to make anything with basic circuitry."

"This means, you got your eyes on the Adrathic weapons…" The Emperor's eyes squinted.

"Erm…" I noticed i spoke too much, yes, his super restricted weapons, i analyzed them enough to know how the tech works, volkite, plasma, and adrathic… I know their principles by now after so many years, and now i spilled the beans. "...I just took a peek? In my defense at time i didn't know it was restricted, i just glanced at a spear, and the weapon was attached…"

"You are a living security risk you know?" He says seriously.

"...I´m sorry." I can only say that.

"If you had not proved your worth, this would be more serious of an issue, and that structural analysis is common with magus right? I might reconsider reproducing and spreading that magecraft on the Imperium, maybe keep it only restricted to your bloodline." He says worried.

"If it makes you feel better, any magus from my world that crossed, which currently is restricted to only 3, that i know, saving exceptions like me, it's ignorant about science and technology. Rin for exemple can´t operate an ancient DVD player, let alone learn how to produce a lasgun." I say with a grin as i remember Rin ineptitude."Mages despise technology, as a cultural thing in my era, me and my father were exceptions. In this and in many things."

"Yet, this exceptions exist, if a Techpriest develop that ability and goes rogue for exemple…" He ponders

"Yes, that would be troublesome. Most magus will die ignorant about technology, but exceptions happen, and one with the right spell and know how, would be able to be a perfect industrial spy." I concede.

"I see, i had a project of spread magecraft on the imperium, or at least on certain sectors, but i might tighten more the control over this mutation." He says.

"I appreciate, i mean, the less people can use my magecraft and understand it, the better, mystery lose power the more it spreads. It's alright with the existence being know, but the more people understand it, the worse it gets." I comment, he nods pondering about it.

"So you plan to use my XVIII Legion as distraction, so you can infiltrate and disable the shields. Then what?" He asks curious about my version of this plan.

"They attack, call the enemy attention, retreat to the Termites, i infiltrate, disable the shields, disable as many defenses as i can and as many enemies as i can, while i do it, they advance again, so the enemy will be hit from both sides, as the main force attack from above, without issues. Battle on 3 fronts, the ones inside go with gas masks, and even before put gas on the new air entrances, you already start on the ones outside the shield cover, to speed the process. Anything inside i don't neutralize with the salamanders, the gas will, or the main force will when they take over the outside." I say. "Trace…On…" I clench my teeth, my circuits can barely be used, they burn like hot iron, like when i used my nerves as makeshift circuits, but if i don't overdo it, i can project about 3 times per day.

And with that, here i am, 5 hours later, inside the Termite, surrounded by black giants in green armor with shining red eyes. My red and black armor, inspired on my "Archer" colors being alien on the tight sealed vehicle.

"So your plan is have us only make a distraction?" The commander asks.

"At start, yes. The plan is not only to defeat the enemy, is minimize our losses and keep as many archeotech as possible intact for our use. Remember to release the comm cable on the tunnel as we advance, i need the Termite to become our relay with the outside, so Dumont can hack the system here. " I say, the commander nods, then i tap on the comm system. "Dumont, are you with me? Ready to be a hero for the Omnissiah? Your action will protect and preserve Archeotech, human lives, Astartes, Thunder Warriors and machine spirits." I say to motivate him.

"Y-Yes! For the Omnissiah!" He says, i can feel he is excited, it´s something he can brag about to other priests, and a nice thing on his curriculum if it works.

The plan goes smooth on the first half, we enter the tempest gallery, i put hades cap of invisibility over my helmet, it's corny and hilarious, yet, i will be invisible so it doesn't matter in the end, the stealth cloak is just an unnecessary redundancy.

I stay behind, they professionally, like a swat team, after the hole is made on the tunnels, clear every room and corner on the path, with surgical precision. I follow behind, invisible, once we reach a wide area, several giant humanoid machines appear, suddenly i whisper on the comm to the commander.

"Distract that… Things… For 2 minutes, then retreat to the tunnels, they can't follow on that narrow space, do not try to defeat the things, it's not worth it." I say, i can see the captain frown, but he nods. Then i start to circle the confrontation area, i can see shots fire on both directions and the giant metal robots advance towards the Astartes. Every second i manage to delay some of them might die.

I arrive at the massive generator, with a glance i use structural analysis and find the best way to improvise an access port, i cut a hole in the massive metal box behind the glass that cover the room with the giant geothermal reactor.I cut one of the cables and manually connect one of my access wires on it, exposing the wires and tying them together, once the contact is made i contact Dumont.

"Are you in?" I ask.

"Y-Yes, give me a moment, i need to see what the hell i´m doing. Don´t want to make that generator explode or worse… Let me see…" Dumont tells me. "The machine spirit is angry, i can connect with the machine spirit of the automatons too, it will take me a few minutes, but i think i can disable them, or maybe, even make them help us."

"Can you find a digital map of the facility?" I ask. "Yes, it´s possible." he answer. "Then do this for me, try to seal the automated doors to the generator and to their storage depot and armoury. Then open all air entrances and make them pump all gas inside. Then shut down all the lights and make the automatons scare and push as many of the enemies out of the 3 isolated locations, let them badly armed, without gas masks and choking on the dark. Tell the Soldiers outside and the Salamanders to get in with night vision and consider use non lethal methods." I say, grinning.

It´s "anticlimactic", the gas knock some enemies out, some try to get the masks and piss themselves as the giant automatons attack them, they stumble, fall, and panic in the dark, without access to the armory and the masks, the job is done swiftly, we have some losses, several wounded soldiers, but we talk about enemies about to be knocked out by gas, shooting in the dark without proper equipment, most shots don´t hit lethal places, i´m surprised that the Salamanders consider use the non lethal method, i heard they are nice guys, didn´t know for real until now.

"I guess the Empire own the facility now? I´m good to go?" I say, i spent almost 2 hours sitting inside the generator room, not all battles are épic and super intense, this one i did sitting on the ground, invisible, waiting the techpriest do his "magic".

"Yeah, you are good to go, the Emperor want to talk with you." Says Dumont

"Not more scolding…" I sigh

"What are you talking about? I think he will congratulate you or something?" He says confused.

"Long story…" I say with a nervous grin.

I learned that Saber took down the nordafrik enclaves and Valdor dealt with Ush, returning with the armor of pearl as trophy. The abnormally powerful warlord Kibuka was on the run, and Saber was leading a elite task force to capture him and his personal squad. It seems that Terra was for better or worse, united under one empire.

Saber POV

He is fast, a man covered in lighting sparks, with tribal primitive clothes, full of gold jewels and bone talismans, like a tribal leader, with only a power sword and a metal gauntlet with some display on the wrist, that seems to indicate technology. A barefoot tribal leader with gold and some high tech artifacts. The man has a bone piercing on his nose and is full of black tatoos and red paint on his dark brown skin.

There's a reason they call him "lord of lightning", we jump above the buildings, his soldiers, normal humans enhanced somehow by his abilities, engage most of our task force, made of Astartes from various legions, and Custodes. His movements can almost rival mine, and he seems to have some sort of precognitive ability, Kibuka managed to evade all mine and Valdor strikes, moving before we start the movement, there's only us left on his track, if we slow a second, he will escape..

I strike with my sword and… The world goes white, i´m ten meters away, trembling, i was struck by lightning, from the sky, it´s almost like the heavens are on his side, it hurts, it has mystery, and my countermagic it's useless, it was raw psyker might.

My body is full of third degree burns, i start to heal, faster than usual, Avalon still with me, i roll to the side in time to evade a power sword that would impale me and pin me to the ground, he strike again, being blocked by Valdor spear.

Valdor is burned too, but less than me, much less, some sort of golden aura protects him, i heard about that. It's the emperor bless.I have 40% of my skin burned badly, healing slowly, and lost my left cheek, slowly returning, he has some superficial burns, it hardly will let a scar. Even at this distance, his protection persists.

The tip of his spear release a golden blast that it´s avoided by Kibuka, it hits a ruin behind the warlord and instead of burn or explode, make half the ruin vanish, it's one of the so called "Adrathic weapons", Kibuka laugh and point his gauntlet at Valdor, that barely evades, a crater appear on the ground, its the same weapon, as was said, this powerful weapons were coveted by the warlords, he had his.

They try to hit each other with their shots for a while, but after the third "round", they close in and go for melee again, they are fast. I recover and engage again, Kibuka feel the pressure, but still, avoids everything, like it was a practiced dance, despite his difficulty with my invisible blade.

I jump back, slashing, he ducks and bend to the side to avoid a thrust from Valdor, at this point i release the invisible air from Excalibur, the invisible strike is predicted, but he misses the timing, since even on his "prediction" it seems difficult to measure invisible strikes, distance it´s complicated.

He barely avoids the air slash, but Valdor strikes true, the spear cut the warlord on the thigh, he stumbles and receive a shoulder slam, being dropped on the ground, Valdor steps on his blade hand and point the spear to his throat. Kibuka laughs loud, and declare.

"I surrender, you won." I look at the scene incredulous, not often that the Warlords accept defeat, but the lord of lightning seemed to see all as a game, despiste everything, Terra is truly in the hands of the Empire now. And if the Emperor keep his word. Britain is finally mine again, this time i will not fail.