The Prelude of War

by Indigard

A very different Mass Effect galaxy encounters a strange and relentless invader that is on constant hunger for Biomass but they never know it's just a glimpse of what coming for them. Featuring: alternative history for every species, a bigger and more populated galaxy, cunning Asari, militarized and germanized human empire.

2. Before the Storm

BEFORE THE STORM

3:00 AM September 28, 2839

The moon Ventura, Theta Sector, 420.000.000 km from the Planet of Eden.

The rally point of the Schutzengel fleet.

Battleship Frederick II's Observation Tower

"Can you imagine how I felt at that time? I spent a month wandering around Silberlachsbach (Silver Salmon's creek) to find a house i thought she might like before spending another month renovating it, building a swimming pool, buying wooden furniture all the way from Tabenwald, and expanding its garden so Nora could have a playground. 2,726,000 thousand Reichsmark! Good God, those wooden wardrobes were horribly expensive, and no matter what I said that stingy Jew wouldn't give me a discount. It's not that I like to complain or something. It's just that when Erina arrived at her new home, she looked at my efforts like looking at a dirty stable and asked 'So this is where we're going to live?'"

Hackett covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to laugh in his thick and heavy navy coat. The captain of the cruiser Zyklon didn't like the cold, so when the Battleship entered the night cycle and the heating system was at half capacity, he had to wear three layers of clothing in order not to shiver like an old man in front of the crew. This was another new decision of the Admiral of the Schutzengel fleet. Fearing that the Hive Fleet would find out they were hiding near Ventura's moon, all main engines were shut down and the heat signal was kept to a minimum, resulting in temperatures from compartments 1 to 8 dropping to just 6 degrees and in some areas, sailors could enjoy ice cream made from their milk rations, strawberries, and a stick.

"I think that should be expected when you marry a noble lady," Hackett said then took a sip of herbal tea in a paper cup. A bit of tea still remained on his newly raised mustache. "Your little castle on the hill is like a hunting shack to her."

"Really? I thought I did a very good job. A private log in the woods, maybe?"

"Trust me, Admiral. You never know what those ladies and gentlemen are thinking, even if that person is your wife. I once knew a rich old widow who built an entire mansion for her pet dog and left all her property and title to him after she died. At Ceti, it's a story that we keep telling each other from time to time. Her children and relatives were infuriated to see a dog sitting at the head of the dinner table, being invited to important royal events and sleeping on what was supposed to be their money for thirty years could not do anything to fix that. The woman did not violate any principles of the inheritance code because according to lawyers and judges, the law does not require the heir to be human or so in theory, the dog has all the rights to be the next Baron. Who could have thought that the 1000-year-old law had such a huge hole in it?"

Because the people who wrote the inheritance code didn't expect someone crazy enough to choose a dog as a successor. Priests said this was the consequence of humanity straying away from god, Philosophers considered changes in values and attitudes to be the general trend of history, while socialists saw it as evidence of the moral corruption of the Monarchy-Capitalist regime which meant people were in need of a revolution.

However, in Michael's humble opinion, it was just that sometimes humans got a little more crazy than usual and did certain things to annoy people with no other higher purpose behind so he wouldn't be surprised if that woman was fed up with her children and relatives looking forward to the day she took her last breath before coming up with the idea to teach them a lesson from six feet below the ground.

"I guess the early days of your marriage were quite challenging, wasn't it" Hackett changed the topic "Listen, I don't have a wife but I do know life after marriage is completely different from the time when two people are still lovers. I was a bit worried about you back then, really I do. Erina I knows is not the type of woman who waits for her husband to come home from work with a smoking dinner on the table, most of the women in the Kriegsmarine are not that type either. If they want to cook for their men, they wouldn't be here, not to mention your wife is a lady who has had her own chef since she was a little girl."

The admiral gave a wide smile. "Then you will be surprised. Erina cooks very well and excels at housework."

"Really?" Hackett's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am. You are not wrong to say that those lords and ladies are difficult to understand and perhaps Erina is the best example of that prejudice. Yes, she was born in a palace and yes, she had a golden cradle but she also was taught how to cook, do laundry, and many things that were supposed to be maid's duties. Interesting right? You will be even more surprised when you find out the purpose behind this strange upbringing. I never asked the Einzbergs directly and they rarely spoke their mind, but you can tell that the German aristocracy was obsessed with being superior to serfs like us in every way."

"I don't understand."

"Basically, they want to prove that if there is something people of lower classes can do they can do it too, even do it better and if they can't do something it just means they don't have the time to practice. Erina's sisters were all taught to do housework while her brothers spent some time away from home and fed themselves on their own. As far as I know, things like these are quite common among noble families, not just the Einzbergs."

Erina once told him that the family's third son, Stefan, lived at Omega for three years before returning and managing a small continent owned by the Einzbergs on the planet Rorson. Michael found that hard to believe. The admiral had met him at the wedding and his impression of his brother-in-law was a slim, shy and somewhat nerdy college student. That kind of person couldn't survive a day in the greatest pirate's den in the Milky Way, even breathing its filthy air would be enough to kill them.

If I survive this war, I'll go to Rorson to find out the true story behind. He certainly has a lot to say.

Or had he been evacuated to Earth as well? Rorson was not far from Eden and according to a new announcement by the Reichswehr, 15 systems around Sector Theta would be considered a front line.

"Do you think they will be here soon, Admiral?"

Hackett rubbed his hands around the steaming cup of tea, eyes fixed on the stars outside the large tempered glass door. Rarely had the scene been this beautiful. The observatory was almost asleep in the dark. The only light they had was from the electronic screens of the ship's radar system and the most beautiful creations that the universe could offer. This was probably the best part of space travel. No matter how long they were out here, the universe would not cease to amaze them with its beauty.

"According to the reports we have received, Tyranid numbers in Zelia have decreased significantly and their fleet also started withdrawing from the system two days ago." Michael got up from his chair and felt his head spin like hell. This was only the third night he stayed up with the officers on the 12-hour shift at the observation tower but the feeling was like he hadn't closed his eyes for ages. "They are gathering the troop then come for us, I'm sure of it."

There were high hopes that the Tyranids would retreat to the Terminus Zone after encountering fierce resistance from the Republic planets. Sailors were talking about in the cafeteria, in the dressing room, and behind the great plasma cannons. This positive thinking also found its way into Frederick II's K-2 Desk, forcing Michael to take disciplinary action against those who spread rumors. The admiral did not see his men as cowardly or lacking in the will to fight, just that the pressure the Tyranid exerted was so great that even the bravest of men flinched at the prospect of having to face them again.

Asari, Salarian, Turian, Batarian, Vorcha, Centauri, Vandomar, Otun. All the enemies that the Germans had ever faced were as dangerous, intelligent, and sometimes even more brutal than the Tyranids, but these devil bugs brought a very special fear, a fear that seemed to be just an ancient memory to humans. It was the terror of saber-toothed tigers on the snow-covered mountains, the terror of the long dark night, the vastness of mysterious oceans, autumn storms, and lightning that seemed to rip the sky into half. Tyranids made them feel what their ancestors had felt since the dawn of mankind, and that sent fear to their bones. The Batarians could be as cruel and barbaric as they like but the Germans would never fear them because deep down, those four-eyed freaks were still bags of meat controlled by greed, generosity, cowardice, courage, love and jealousy.

Tyranid was completely free from these trivial emotions. Millions of years of evolution and adaptation had made them prime predators, a tsunami of teeth and claws, a meteor shower, and…. a god. Yes, Tyranid was powerful, merciless, cruel, perfect and magnificent on the level of a god and this war of theirs was like a war against the forces of nature itself.

And that was what his men were afraid of. What could mortals like them do to a God anyway? They had probably asked similar questions before falling asleep and beyond the void, a voice echoed back:

Nothing

"They should have been here by now." Hackett looked rather worried. "From what we know, they only need three days to reach Theta system, yet now it is two days late. I wonder what the hell they're doing out there?"

The enemy was assessing the situation in Eden and waiting for the right moment to strike. That was what Michael or an experienced commander would do, but he didn't think he was the right man to tell what was going on inside the collective consciousness of hundreds of millions of minds.

"Whatever the reason is, it does give the ground forces in Eden more time to prepare." The admiral sighed, "Yesterday, I heard that Steinbauer had recruited 3 million cannon fodder for the Volkssturm and distributed them to infantry divisions. The old man seemed quite optimistic about his victory by the look of it. The 12th Army now put Kaiserstadton the list of objectives that need to be defended instead of withdrawing from there as originally planned by the late Erich Von Kant."

"You don't make it sound positive."

"How can it be positive? Steinbauer is sending a ragtag army to the front and hoping that they would hold off Tyranid attacks. Do you see anything reasonable in that? Damn, even with an Asari laser weapon, all we have is just a bunch of civilians with some basic combat concepts like pointing the barrel of a gun at the enemy and pulling the trigger. The Volkssturm in the Great War had three months of basic training but still, their casualties were so staggering to the point I didn't believe it. Only God knows what will happen to those who have only trained for a week."

It would be a bloodbath but all Michael could do was stand and watch. Martin Steinbauer was the supreme commander of Eden's defense force and theoretically, he could do whatever he wanted. Including stopping me from sending my fleet to Ventura or forcing me to give all my interceptors to the Luftwaffe. Michael didn't the gut to stand up to the field marshal to the end, fearing that his strategy would not receive a nod from his superior officer, and in a sense, he was also responsible for the deaths of three million Volksturm.

"And I don't trust their magical weapon either." The admiral added, "Benezia sent our marines a few hundred of it for testing, but from what Colonel Finck said, our men are not satisfied with the performance of the gun."

Despite its durability, low cost, and ease of use, Steinbauer's new weapon also had fatal weaknesses compared to the mass accelerator rifles favored by German soldiers. Upon witnessing Tela Vasir's performance at Sanssouci, Michael was also vaguely aware of its imperfections and the 24th Marine Brigade's report on Lasgun's rate of fire had confirmed his suspicions. 30 shots per minute in semi-automatic and 200 in automatic was too slow considering that the rifle that had the lowest rate of fire in Reichswehr, the Stg-54 Vollstrecker, easily surpassed 700.

The range was also not as good as expected. Lasgun only showed penetration power against soft targets, personal armor, and Kinetic barrier at a distance of 150m and gradually lose its effectiveness at normal combat range.

"That doesn't surprise me either, considering that Lasgun is an energy-based weapon."

Hackett put aside his cup of herbal tea and activated the Omni-tool. A hologram of Lasgun was formulated, casting a pale blue light on the sunken face of the captain of the cruiser Zyklon.

"The crystal and capacitor inside the weapon need a specific amount of time to create a laser beam that is powerful enough to deal damage to the target. The slow rate of fire results in more efficient energy allocation and increases the weapon's lifespan because neither the crystal nor the barrel is as durable as the gun itself." Explained Hackett "This feature would, of course, be a hindrance to traditional German infantry tactics that emphasized mobility, precise coordination, and overwhelming firepower of small units, especially during an attack. If we were to equip each soldier with a Lasgun, the Reichswehr would need ten times or fifteen times its current number to make up for the low frequency of fire."

And that also means their casualties would be very high, much higher than before. The Reich would never have enough manpower or resources for such a tactic. Damn, not even the Krogans, the Vorchas, or the Batarian slave legions, who didn't care about their own troop would think this combat doctrine reasonable enough to give it a go.

"Not our way." Michael concluded, "Throwing men into the problem is never the right way. The Asari Republic once dragged the Reich into a war of attrition and we almost lost that war."

After the Reichswehr failed to capture Thessia and forced the Asari Republic to the negotiating table during the Dämmerung Operation, the Fourth Galactic War turned into a tug-of-war in favor of the Citadel Alliance. With ten times the territory, three times more allies, and military force outnumbering Reichswehr by a ratio of 4:1, they were able to prolong the war until Germans surrendered due to the exhaustion of manpower, resources, and the will to fight. That would certainly have happened if it weren't for the 2827 Grand Offensive that nearly destroyed ASDF's Lumerian Army Group B and caused the Citadel's leadership to rethink its original goal. The Reichswehr was still very strong after more than a century of fighting and the people of the Reich were still very loyal to their great cause, to the army, and to the Kaiser.

However, extraordinary courage and a beneficial armistice could not mask the inherent weakness of the German army. Their wars must be short and decisive, and if those conditions were not met, with its limited resources, the Reich would always be on the losing side.

"Lasgun is clearly not the weapon that our regular soldiers should use to fight the Turians or the Batarians." Hackett points out "However, it is a perfect kind of weapon for a hastily assembled militia force to deal with an enemy like the Tyranid. If you look at the big picture, weighing all of its advantages and disadvantages, Lasgun seems to be made for this moment."

The captain of Zyklon wasn't wrong on that. They could recruit, train, and equip millions of Volkssturm in a very short amount of time, given that their job was to defend their cities and strong points on Eden, not attack the enemy. With adequate artillery and air support, a militia unit can hold off the enemy long enough so that regular forces could finish them off with a flanking maneuver.

It wasn't like Michael didn't recognize the logic of Steinbauer's strategy, it was just he didn't feel comfortable sacrificing millions of lives just to gain a slight advantage over the enemy. Every war had unintended casualties, the Admiral knew but what they were doing here was cold-blooded and cruel and certainly would be judged harshly by later generations.

What would Nora think if she knew i could have pushed Otto, Erika, or someone she knew to their death? Would she still see me as a triumphant hero or would she think of her father the way her father thought of Martin Steinbauer now?

"You have done everything a human being can do, Admiral." Hackett seemed to notice read the storm in him. "You aren't the one who started this whole thing, and neither is Steinbauer. I want to blame Tyranid too, but what's the point of blaming a pack of hungry wolves?"

The admiral gave out a sad smile at his subordinate's comforting words. He walked over to the tempered glass and bathed in the cold light of million stars. Eden was now just a tiny blue dot between the constellations of Buckeldrache and Frea. A little further to the right was Talon-5, Bastians -Tor, Grüner Apfelberg, Orion's last stop before returning to earth. Two days ago, Nora had sent him a message, telling him she was fine and happy despite having to share her room with a family of five from Bastian-Tor.

"The mother cries a lot because her husband had to go to Eden. He is a pilot of the 235th Bastian Luftwaffe . Her second child, Katatrina told me so." Nora wrote in her message: "The youngest son is extremely disruptive but his mother and grandmother can't do anything about it. The two of them spend most of their time in the chapel with the other women. They wanted to light candles when praying but the captain of the ship wouldn't allow it because fire consumes too much oxygen. The family's eldest son, Max, is always angry about having to evacuate while he wants to stay in Bastian-Tor and join the Volkssturm but his mother had knelt down and threatened to kill herself so he had no choice but to get on board. I think he's brave and handsome too. Please allow me to get to know him and talk to him, please, father, please."

Time went by so fast! It was like it was only yesterday when she was still a small pink creature that could fit rightly in his arms, but now she was already anxious to have a boyfriend. What a strange feeling to have, and Michael wondered if his parents felt the same way when they saw their son grow up.

"Hackett, can I ask you a favor?"

"Do you want me to do you a favor, Admiral?" Hackett looked up at his commander and frowned. "With all due respect, I don't like what you're about to say."

"You have no other choice, anyway. I just want you to take care of Nora if something happens to me."

"Nothing will happen to you." The captain of the Zyklon tried his best to make it sound like the truth. "You have survived many battles and you will survive this one too. I am very sorry but I cannot promise such a thing, Admiral."

"Alright then, I won't force you. I'm just a little worried, you know. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, this war won't be finished anytime soon. It will be a long time before I see Nora again, so if you get the chance to return to Earth, would you mind sending her my regards?"

Hackett took a few seconds to consider the offer, then gave a silent nod: "That I can do but can we please stop talking about this subject? It makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Agree."

The admiral smiled and returned to his starry sky. An unnamed large comet was moving near Frea and leaving a faint trail of light behind as if someone had just swept a brushstroke on a black canvas. Strange, everything was suddenly so beautiful that it was impossible to take his eyes off as if this was the first and last time Michael was allowed to see the stars.

"We should take some rest, Hackett" Said the admiral."Looks like the Tyranids will give us another night of peace,"

That night, Michael had a rather strange dream. He stood in the middle of what looked like a plain to the west of Eden, but the ground under his feet was barren, cracked, gray, and showing signs of being heavily polluted. The dream was so real that he could bend down to pick up a handful of soil and smell the strong chemical smell in it. The sky above was as gray as the earth, and from the other side of the great ridge of the bleak plain, dark clouds were drawing in. The Admiral's eyes locked on the cloud with wariness and then was confused by its strange movements. The cloud was also quite normal at first, but very quickly it expanded both its wings and formed a crescent-like well-coordinated squadron of fighters. No cloud could do such a thing, just as no cloud could carry such a terrible stench in the wind.

Tyranids. Michael realized in horror. From the other side of the slope, hundreds of thousands of Termagants, Spinegaunts, Hormagaunts, led by larger monsters like Tyranid Warriors and Raveners, descended on him like a flash flood. The earth trembled at their relentless advance and the air seemed to be torn by the screams of millions of hungry mouths. Michael stiffened at the sight. He tried to run away but it was too late, they were so close, those sharp claws and teeth of theirs were about to dig into his flesh and tear him into a hundred pieces. The admiral closed his eyes and accepted his fate, but instead of feeling the most terrible pain that a human could endure, he felt nothing.

He opened his eyes and witnessed an even more extraordinary phenomenon. Tyranids swarm completely ignored Michael's presence and simultaneously avoided him like avoiding a large stone in their path

What the hell is happening? The admiral wondered Where are they going?

The bugs all moved in the direction where he came from. Michael turned around and was taken aback by a scene that words could not describe. If witnessing a swarm of killer bugs rushing toward made people shit in their pants, then the thing in front of him now would certainly leave them speechless. Was that a mountain? A tower or a city? Michael could not identify, but in the dust created by the Tyranid swarms, he was sure that in the midst of this desolate plain existed a giant structure of countless buildings systematically stacked on each other and creating a gigantic version of Babel tower that was as high as a mountain. As if toying with the Admiral's already confused mind, the design of the buildings, doorways, and smaller towers looked very familiar, as if they were built by… humans.

The Tyranids Swarm was preparing to attack that city, that was for sure. He had seen the same thing in Helium, Neuntern, Temergen. The enemy would extend the front line and use overwhelming numbers to attack the target from all directions. The defenders would have little chance to survive the onslaught and they had almost no chance if they just let Tyranid close the distance unimpeded like this. Not a single gunshot, not a single artillery shell, or any kind of resistance came from the huge structure and for a few seconds, the Admiral thought it was abandoned or the people inside had given up.

He was wrong.

When the Tyranid vanguards were only about 150 feet from their meal, hundreds and thousands of red, blue, and yellow beams of light launched out from the trenches, watchtowers, windows, and walls surrounding the city, cutting through the ranks of the Tyranids, knocking them down in mass and temporarily halting their advance. The large and monstrous Carnifex tried to charge forward to support their kind but were quickly knocked down by blue beams of light and rockets while the Gargoyles above fell victim to the air defenses system in thousands.

A spectacular sight, but the Admiral would not be fooled by this momentary success. Many times they thought victory was within their reach, many times they thought the enemy had been defeated, crushed under their superior fire but it was all lies, an evil illusion created by Tyranid so they could let their guard down. After each wave of Tyranid defeated came another wave that was faster, stronger, and better adapted to the weapons they were up against so no matter how hard the defenders tried, their claws would eventually reach the first line of defense and that would be the beginning of the end.

Sadly, his pessimistic prediction of Michael soon came true even though he had always hoped he was wrong.

The Hormagaunts and Raveners under the covering fire of Biovore, a monstrous bio-self-propelled cannon, broke through the first trench and sent a signal for a new carnage. Michael suddenly found himself standing so close to the battle that he could clearly see who was fighting the bugs. They were all human soldiers armed with Lasguns, but the uniforms and banners were unfamiliar to him. Some wore unrecognizable green armor and helmets, some wore some form of stahlhelm, gas mask, and heavy trenchcoat while a considerable amount of soldiers had nothing but a red headband and camouflage pants. Although they looked rather shabby and quirky, their fighting skills and bravery were second to none. The Hormagaunts paid dearly for every inch of the trench they took, their bodies blown away by powerful shotguns, or find themselves at the other end of Lasguns, bayonets, and… shovels?!

The admiral couldn't believe his eyes anymore.

These men, these warriors, fought the Tyranids at close-quarter combat with a ferocity equal to that of their enemy. Many of them had fallen to the Tyranid. Their bodies were piled up around the trenches, but their positions were still held strong because there were even more soldiers ready to fill in the places of their dead kamerad and continue the fight. The distinction between the swarm of man-eating bugs and their victims faded in Michael's eyes. Both sides were merciless, uncompromising, and insane, both throwing their troops into the meat grinder without a moment's hesitation.

What madness is this? The admiral shouted but no one heard him or saw him and not a single bullet had ever touched his skin. It all looked so real. The smell of gunpowder, the smell of wet dirt, the smell of blood, the smell of burning flesh, the screams, the groans of dying men, the curses of those who were still alive. Everything was so real except the Admiral himself, it was as if he didn't exist and was just living in someone else's memory."

"IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR, HOLD YOUR POSITION. NO ONE STEP BACK, GUARDSMAN."

Michael heard an authoritative voice amid the chaos. He looked up at the mountain of corpses made of both humans and Tyranids and saw a commanding officer in a red cloak welding a half sword half saw weapon, cutting down Hormagaunts trying to dig their claws into him. Behind him were many flags of two-headed eagles spreading their wings and strange symbols that Michael didn't understand.

"PROVE YOURSELF TO THE GOD-EMPEROR, MEN. PROVE YOU'RE WORTHY OF HIS ETERNAL GLORY. DO IT WITH YOUR BLOOD, TEARS AND SWEAT. NO ONE STEP BACK, GUARDSMAN."

The man continued his rhetoric with a mad grin on his lip, totally enjoying the chaos and carnage and sending a chill to every bone inside Michael. He spoke of God-emperor but who was the God-emperor, the Admiral wondered. Michael never heard people refer to their Kaiser that way nor knew anyone thought he was some kind of God. Perhaps that was a thing during the ancient time of Germany but even if that was the case, it couldn't be explained what was happening around him.

"AND FOR THOSE WHO PROVE WORTHY, THE EMPEROR SEND FORTH HIS ANGELS."

And that prophecy had come true. Hundreds of fireballs pierced through gray clouds and the swarm of Gargoyles before crashing into the ranks of the Tyranids, crushing hundreds of bugs as they hit the ground and blasting away hundreds more. Based on what he observed, Michael knew they were not mere meteorites because there was no natural object that has the ability to slow itself down before the impact. No, they were some sort of landing craft and the Admiral was right on that. From the dust created by the explosion appeared giant knights in full plate armor. In mechanical hands were guns with a crude design no less than Lasgun but the difference was that they use projectile and the destructive power was ten times stronger than the laser beam. With just one or two shots, the gun was able to tear apart a Ravener while the smaller Tyranids seemed to evaporate as soon as the bullet hit their body.

At first, Michael thought these knights were Mechs or some kind of advanced combat droids because of their fast, precise, and extraordinary movements. The admiral used to be the supervisor of the Obersoldaten program, so he understood that no matter how much training a soldier went through or how much technology he possessed to compensate for his biological limitations, humans could not achieve perfection like these warriors. They were simply too fast, too powerful, too precise, and too reflexive to be human, therefore he couldn't hide his astonishment when he saw a face made of flesh and bones amid this symphony of fire, bullets, and steel. The man was one of the knights but he wasn't wearing a helmet and seemed to be their commander. The features of his face showed that he was still quite young, maybe only a few years younger than Michael but there was something very ancient in his look as if thousands of years had passed and it was just a dream to him.

Like his comrades, he was an excellent fighter. Like the officer wearing the red cloak, he was quite charismatic. Like those soldiers in the trenches, he fought with unparalleled courage.

However, unlike the rest of them, he noticed Michael's presence.

After slicing a Tyranid prime with his mysterious blue sword, the knight suddenly looked over at Michael, his eyebrows frowned

"Who are you?"

Asked the knight, he had a low and resonant voice like a church bell, majestic and well suited to his gigantic form. Then, with a decisive movement, he pointed the tip of his sword at the Admiral and looked at him like looking at a bug.

"Who are you?" The knight repeated his question, his voice was more menacing. "Speak, you devil."

"I…I am…"

Just as Michael was about to answer, the ground beneath his feet suddenly trembled. A Tyranid even bigger and scarier than Carniflex emerged from the ground, casting its great shadow over them. The monster's entire body was covered with blood-red skin and on its four arms were four hideous saws/swords instead of claws. Michael had never seen this type of Tyranid before, even Datalog had no information about it, but he couldn't say the same to the armored knight. Anger flashed in his brown eyes as if this encounter had been expected.

"Swarmlord!" He adjusted his stance then gritted his teeth, "Filthy Xenos."

With a roar of a lion, the knight charged straight at the monster with an impressive speed for a full-armored warrior. He throws himself into the air and strikes his enemy in the head. A spark erupted as the blade found its target and created an earth-shattering explosion that swallowed everything around. The Tyranids, the knights, the officer in the red cloak, those soldiers in the trenches, and Michael. All were touched by the dazzling light from the explosion, burned, and turned to dust.

What happened after that was rather hazy. The admiral could only remember falling into an endless white zone, no above or below until he felt like someone was grabbing his shoulder.

"Michael wake up. Michael, are you still there?"

A voice was calling his name but the Admiral could not recognize it because his ears were still deaf from the explosion. He also tried to answer but found something was in his throat.

"Michael. Wake up. Michael, honey."

Erina? He opened his eyes and saw his beautiful wife's worried face. Tears welled in her eyes and it was very close before she burst into tears but Erina was a very tough woman, unlike Nina Weiss. The girl was already sobbing next to Hackett whose face was so pale that one might think he was a vampire or something. There were many more people presented in the Admiral's private quarter and he was surprised to see that three of them were the ship's security guards with MPK-223 submachine guns in their hands.

"Erina, Hackett, Nina?" Michael looked at each familiar face in his life and then asked, "What happened? Why're you guys here for?"

He tilted his head to the side and was puzzled to see a dented object lying on the floor before realizing it was his room's door. A pungent smell of molten metal hit Michael's nose.

"Lieutenant Weiss heard your screams in the corridor, Admiral." Hackett explained, "She called the guards and then they informed me and your wife. The door was double-locked from the inside with a password known only to you, so we had no choice but to blow a hole in it."

"I…screaming?"

Michael leaned forward and felt an aching pain run through his body as if he had just undergone intense physical activity. His pillow and collar were wet with cold sweat.

"Yes, Admiral." Nina Weiss confirmed, her voice still shaking, "Vice Admiral Rottemann told me to wake you up and send an urgent message to all the commanders of the fleet that there would be a meeting on Frederick, but when I got to the door I heard you screaming like you were fighting someone inside, sir. I couldn't open the door so I had to call the guards. I thought….they were harming you."

They? Oh yes, it was he who infected the crew with the prospect of Genestealer sharing bread with them every night. Erina put her hand on his forehead, her hand warm and soft.

"You don't have a fever, Michael, but why do you look so pale? Are you sick? Are you feeling well inside?"

Because of that dream. He was about to tell Erina that but changed his mind at the last minute. Now was not the time to discuss such nonsense, and besides, he didn't know where to begin. The whole thing was strange. What happened in that dream was meaningless and was most likely a product of a tired mind, but why did Michael have the feeling that what he had just seen was a glimpse of a reality happening somewhere out there?

"A nightmare, nothing to worry about" He replied with a smile, and glanced at what used to be his door. "God, every one of you has overreacted this time and now I don't have any kind of privacy anymore. However, there is a blessing in disguise. I have been looking for an excuse to go over to Erina's place for a few nights so thank you anyway."

Hackett and the men present giggled, but Erina and Nina didn't appreciate his joke. The female captain frowned:

"You have to go to the Medical Desk right away, Michael. Don't argue with me, just don't. I am only acting for the sake of the fleet, no one here would want their Admiral to fall ill while fighting the enemy."

"Okay, okay, I will do as you lady says." He gave her a surprise kiss on the cheek and then got out of his bed. "Almost forgot, why did Franz call everyone to the meeting for?"

The laughter died down. They looked at each other with the gloominess of those about to announce someone's death but neither wanted to be the first to speak. Finally, Hackett stepped up and took that unpleasant task:

"Tyranid, sir. Our scouting vessels have detected a vanguard of 150 Bio-ships about 0.5 light-years from our star system. This report was sent 5 hours ago so they are probably near Karna by now."

So they finally arrived. Tyranid's tardiness had at times made Michael nervous about the prospect that they had seen through his strategy and were planning to deal with it ever since, but with these new developments the Admiral could have some peace of mind. The route from Karna to Eden was the shortest any attacker would choose and conveniently, it was also close enough for Michael to observe every of their movement from Ventura's moon.

"Tell the Vice Admiral he can start the meeting while I get to the Medical Desk." Michael ordered, "Send green code to all ships in my fleet, I want every element, every unit to be on combat readiness within an hour."

After that, Michael went to the Infirmary, but the one accompanying him was Nina Weiss, not his wife. Erina was a cruiser captain and member of the general staff, so her attendance at the meeting was mandatory. Of course, his wife was quite upset at the thought of her husband having a comfortable time with the gorgeous red-haired secretary, but Erina always knew how to control herself. Her jealousy was limited to menacing glances thrown at Nina as they entered the tram.

"As i recall, you studied history at Grothmann right, Nina?"

Michael asked the secretary when they were in the waiting room of doctor Hoch for the results of his medical examination. The process was faster and simpler than he thought. The doctors just put him on a scanning machine for two or three minutes and then injected nanobots into his body to heal any damage they could find. Therefore, most of the time he was here just waiting for the doctors to consult with each other to give their diagnosis of which Michael found rather futile, considering that the reason for sending him here had nothing to do with his physical condition.

"Yes, Admiral. I studied for both degrees at the university. Management is for finding a job, but history is about a hobby."

"I know I have picked the right person for the job. Tell me, in Grothmann do they teach the History of Earth's civilizations?"

"It's part of the curriculum, sir." The secretary smiled and replied, "And that's also my favorite part."

"Wonderful. So you must know a thing or two about 'God-Emperor' or have heard of that term, right?"

Nina Weiss crossed her arms, looking thoughtful. "I think so, sir. It was a form of title for kings who were considered to be children of the gods or designated by heaven as the right ones to rule the land. In the history of our Reich, this title was uncommon, but in the other parts of Earth, it was often used by many heads of state to legitimize their rule. You've been on Earth, so you probably know there is a nation called Japan, right? Indeed, their leader is called Tenno and is basically considered as a God-Emperor to all Japanese."

Michael once visited the land known as Japan and Yakuta, a planet founded by the Japanese in Avian Sector. It was a rather strange experience for the Admirals because, in his eyes, the Japanese looked no less alien than the Asari, Salarian, or Turian but somehow they were also human at the same time. The differences between the Germans and other branches of humanity always baffled those living far from the heart of the Reich and Core Worlds, making them surprised, amused, and sometimes so curious to the point it became an annoyance. The Japanese navy officer accompanying him during his short trip had once complained that he was forced to dye his hair as well as change his eye color to avoid unwanted attention as he went somewhere beyond Centi system and Michael didn't even surprise at that.

"I think I've heard that from someone else before." The admiral scratched his chin. "It is said that the Japanese believe Tenno is the descendant of some goddess."

"Amaterasu is her name. Goddess of the blazing sun and thus the word 'Japan' mean the land of the rising sun. Besides the Japanese, God-emperor is also the title given to the head of the Roman Empire since the early reign of Octavius."

The soldiers in his dreams also used a form of Aquila on their flags and for some reason, the knight's armor and its decorations reminded him of Roman legionnaires. Was there any connection here? Many human communities have been lost over time, assimilated into a larger alien civilization, conquered, or developed an independent culture since the Great Expansion of the 21st century. When the Germans entered the Terminus Zone, they were surprised to find cults of bull worshipers and fire eaters, groups of migrants living a nomadic life in space, or colonies that forgot where they came from after nearly 800 years of losing contact with the rest of humanity. They were called lost children of man, but some were considered illegitimate children no one wanted to claim to be a more accurate term. Differences in culture and lifestyle made it impossible for most of these communities to integrate into the Reich while those who assimilated into alien race society were seen as nothing more than blood traitors. Even in Hergen, a small and underdeveloped planet, this prejudice still existed in the population. However, according to Michael's personal observations, the hostility only stopped at unfriendly looks, slurs or the silly nicknames that the Germans often gave to Salarian, Hana, Krogan, and Vorcha but nothing serious to speak of. Things only took a turn for the worse for the lost children as the Great War dragged on and eroded German patience. On the year Michael joined the Kriegsmarine, there had been an unwritten law on the battlefield that all human soldiers on the wrong side would be executed on the spot. No trial nor accusation was needed.

Perhaps those people Michael saw in his dreams were lost children too, but even that didn't explain much. There was no record of any human civilization with buildings as tall as mountains, soldiers fighting with laser-based weapons, shovels, and swords, and wearing battlesuits. If such a civilization existed or ever existed, it should have been discovered a long time ago. The Milky Way was vast, but not large enough to conceal such a distinguished entity.

"I wonder if there were any Italian Mothers Ships in the Great Expansion?"

"Italian Mothership? Are you referring to the country called Italy on earth?" The secretary was surprised. "I'm sorry, Admiral, but I don't understand the nature of your questions?"

"Just out of curiosity." He lied, "I suddenly remembered that Nora had asked me that before. I also looked it up on the Extranet but couldn't find anything."

"Oh, I get it. If you're looking for information on Mother Ships, then Extranet can't help much, really. A lot of documents were lost after the World War at the end of the 21st century and what remained were put in the Imperial Archive on earth. However, I would not rule out the possibility that a ship with mostly Italian passengers was sent during the Great Expansion, given that our Reich had used utilized every resource to send as many Mother Ships into space as possible during that time"

That was unfortunate. Documents in the archive were not digitized, so if Michael wanted to have access to them, he must go directly to Earth and wait for a special permit from the Ministry of the Interior. Such a thing was impossible at the moment and he didn't know if it would be possible in the next five years. The two of them continued to discuss the topic until a young nurse entered the waiting room and invited them to see Dr. Hoch.

Contrary to his name, Doctor Albert Hoch was a short, stout man with a shiny bald head and a well-groomed mustache. The doctor joined the navy in 2812, served aboard the Frederick II for five years, and had been courting Nina Weiss for two years. Michael heard people say that the secretary had politely declined Hoch's marriage proposal twice, but the man still wouldn't give up.

"Good morning, Admiral." Albert Hoch got up from behind his desk and turned to Nina with a silly smile on his face. "Hi there, Nina."

"Lieutenant Weiss." She corrected him "The admiral is on urgent business, so please make it short, Dr. Hoch."

Obviously, the refusal was not politely given, people were wrong. The admiral thought as he sat down in the chair opposite Hoch. The Doctor didn't mind the backlash from his dream woman but received it with the enthusiasm of a dog welcoming his master's return from work.

"Yes, yes, of course. An admiral is always busy, which is a pity because it also keeps those people under his command busy so…"

"Doctor Hoch, your diagnosis."

"Yes, yes, of course. I am pleased to report that you are in excellent health, Admiral. There are signs of mild dehydration and lack of sleep but I think that is normal for the time being. Have you been working late lately?"

"I usually stay up at the observation tower until 1 a.m before going back to my room." Michael nodded. "Yesterday was a bit later than usual."

"It shouldn't be like that. Lack of sleep will have harmful effects on the health and reaction speed of the brain. You should leave such heavy work to more suitable people, especially the work in the garbage disposal area. The staff and officers who work there are biologically enhanced and have their genes mutated to combat the effects of the toxic environment while you are not."

Michael's eyes widened. "Waste disposal area?"

"We've detected some radiation in your blood, but no need to worry too much about that. Nanobot has completely eliminated them along with other toxins such as mercury, metalloid, lanthanum and sulfur. You are truly a diligent commander, I must admit. Rarely do I see a lieutenant come down to Desk E, let alone an Admiral go there himself just to oversee people burn trash and recycle bio-waste."

He didn't remember the last time he went to the waste disposal site, last year perhaps? No, that must be the time when Frederick II's former captain gave Michael a full tour of the ship before handing it over to him, but that was more than 15 years ago.

"Strange, I don't recall seeing the Admiral coming down to E compartment recently." Nina was as surprised as her superior. "You're not mistaken, are you, Dr. Hoch?"

"That can be the case." The doctor calmly replied and corrected himself in panic. "No, no, don't get me wrong… Our analysis is absolutely correct. We detected radiation and heavy metals in the Admiral's body but the source of them is our obvious conclusion as you can't find those things anywhere other than the garbage disposal area. The air quality and food in every compartment are checked monthly by the maintenance and health department so if there were any signs of a radioactive leak we would have noticed it long ago."

Michael still vividly remembered the chemical smell of the handful of dirt in his hand, the slimy feel between his fingers. It was only a dream, the Admiral thought to himself, It can't be real. was it an affirmation, a truth or a wish? If this one was real then the rest of his dream was also….

"I am the one who arranges the daily schedule for the Admiral so I am pretty sure that he has not been anywhere near Desk E this month or the month before."

"Then we should consider a full investigation on the Commanding Desk to find the leak." The doctor suggested, "Sailors and officers who were stationed there should also get medical checks. Who knows how many people have been exposed to radiation till now."

"That won't do." Michael said "We are in a state of combat readiness, so people on the bridge cannot leave their positions. Dr. Hoch, how serious is the threat?"

"Well…" Hoch scratched his shiny bald head. "The amount of radioactivity and metal concentrations we have detected in your body will not be enough to have a negative effect on human health in the immediate future. However, if the exposure continues, the consequence will be very serious over the next few years."

"Then your investigation will have to wait." Said Michael, "At least until this battle is over."

And even if he flipped the whole commanding desk up, he wouldn't find anything. Once again, Michael was about to tell them the truth but changed his mind at the last minute. They either wouldn't believe him or would ask questions he himself didn't know the answers to before concluding that he had gone insane. Should they be blamed for that? For not believing in his words? How could Michael convince someone that he went to another place while sleeping on a spaceship but actually, he never left. Across the galaxy, there was no lack of people putting their faith in stupid crazy things. Many Asari converting to Christianity believed that Athame and Jesus Christ were just one entity. The Turians considered the wormhole to be the passageway to the Bahars, their version of hell, so that was why all those ships entering it never returned and until now there were still people who claimed the Protheans were not extinct but were hiding somewhere at the edge of the Galaxy and waiting for a chance to get revenge on the Asari but his story was on another level of madness.

"Okay Albert, apart from that radiation exposure, can you confirm that I am perfectly fit to command the fleet?"

"Yes sir. I can confirm that."

"That's good to hear. We will have a talk on this matter later on if conditions allow. However, for the time being, I would like you to keep our conversation private from everyone, including my wife." Michael then turned to Nina. "You too, Nina."

The two of them exchanged confused looks and Michael could see a cloud of uncertainty haunting his secretary's mind but in the end, Nina Weiss nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I will do as you say, Admiral."

"Thank you, Nina. Now we have to go back to the bridge before Erina and Rottmann are at each other's throats."

And that was not an exaggeration. When Michael entered the bridge, his staff was divided into two distinct factions around the large tactical table. One faction was led by an older generation and veterans of the Great War such as Vice Admiral Franz Rottmann, and Commodore Reiner Sauerland with conservative proposals based on Kriegmarine's successes and failures in the past, and on the other side were enthusiastic young captains like Erina. They represented a new generation, who favored bold tactics, thunderous attacks overwhelming the enemy from the very first moments of the battle.

"I don't think you understand the current situation, Lady Einzberg." Franz Rottmann often used Erina's old title as a way of discrediting and provoking her "Your proposal simply can't be done."

"It can be done." Erina calmly replied, "If you are thirty years younger and still have your courage, you will see it can be done."

"You little…"

The Vice-Admiral quickly controlled his temper as he noticed Michael's presence on K-2. As usual, all the officers presented standing up in unison to salute the commander of Schutzengel Fleet and only sat down after he was seated.

"Okay, okay, everyone calms down and briefs me on the situation, would you?" He adjusted his chair and turned to Franz Rottmann. "Has the enemy fleet reached Karna yet?"

"Two hours after the first report came in, they entered our star system." The vice admiral gave a silent nod to the technician behind the control panel, "This is an image taken by the Blauer Delfin's periscope about 20 minutes ago."

A high-resolution image was displayed in the center of the table and Michael immediately felt a heavy weight on his chest. Surrounding Karna was a cluster of black nebulae so dense that he could barely see the characteristic green surface of the planet. There were at least a few thousand large and small Bio-ships in this photo and only God knew how many monsters Tyranids had brought to Eden.

"What about the analysis of the enemy formation?" Michael asked, "How many Hive Ships appear this time?"

"Our intelligence and reconnaissance units have confirmed 25 Hive Ships in Karna but they note that this may not be their final report."

According to the Republic Navy, about 50 Hive Ships were sighted around the Zelia System and they destroyed seven of them, damaging many more in the process. However, it was still too early to conclude that those Hive ships had taken so much damage that they were out of combat and needed to be repaired. The Datalog made no mention of what the Tyranids would do to their wounded Bio-ships, nor did it guarantee the bugs understood the concept of maintaining and reusing military equipment like the rest of the galaxy.

The admiral looked around the table and gave his first battle order "As you all know, Hive ships are the commanding headquarters of a Battlegroup so they will be our number one priority in the upcoming battle. I want everyone here to take note of that. Every mission and goal that I set forth can be put aside if you find a chance to destroy a Hive ship. For each Hive Ship destroyed, you directly neutralize hundreds of Bio-ships and deal a fatal blow to the enemy chain of command ."

No one objected. This was something they have been discussing for the past several days and everyone had agreed it was a reasonable approach. Michael signaled Vice Admiral Rottmann to continue:

"As previously decided, our Fleet will be divided into four groups with specific roles. Group A consisting of cruisers and a small number of battleships under the command of Commondore Sauerland will directly engage the enemy fleet at medium and long ranges. They will be our main line of combat and our shield throughout the battle. Supporting Group A would be Group B, a force consisting of destroyers, light cruisers, frigates, and stealth vessels with the task of protecting our fleet from enemy starfighters, and bombers as well as distracting and buying time so Group A can safely retreat to their next firing position in case the Tyranids attempt to get close to them."

No decision had yet been made on who would lead Group B, but Hackett was the number one candidate at the time. The captain of the Zyklon was a capable officer, a cheerful man, and especially more beloved than Erina, a cold- heart and distant Prussian noblewoman who often demanded too much of her subordinates. His wife certainly wouldn't be happy with this decision, but there was nothing Michael could do about it. Apparently, she shot herself in the foot this time.

"Group C consists of the rest of the heavy cruisers and most powerful battleships in the fleet that will be placed under my command," Michael added. "Group C will act as our HQ and reserve, ready to support any position if necessary. It is very likely that the Tyranids will gather their strongest Bio-Ships to punch a hole in our formation and if that happens, Frederick II and the other Battleships will join the battle and repel them."

Hive Fleet had done the same thing at Masari-1 after being unable to break Kriegsmarine's line with normal attacks. At 6 p.m on the 3rd day of the battle, their right-wing, the Hildegard Fleet under the command of Jörn Schaefer came under an unprecedented fierce attack from more than six Tyranid battlegroups with hundreds of Battleships and Cruisers- size Bio-ships.

Jörn and his men had fought to their last breath but were unable to stop the enemy due to the last of their reserves having been spent on the day before. The battle of Masari-1 was over at that point. The right wing of the Terminus combined fleet was shattered, forcing the remaining warships to retreat from Masari-1 before being completely surrounded and destroyed.

But the bugs won't be able to use that trick again. If they could learn from experience, so could Michael.

"The last fighting group is Group D under my command, Franz Rottmann." The Vice-Admiral proudly announced, "Group D will be stationed 10,000 km from Eden with 80% of the fleet's carriers and waiting for the command to attack from commanders of A,B and C. When enemy Bio-ships start to stray from their formation or be surrounded by our warships, interceptors Bf 251 Donnervogel (Thunder Bird), Starfighter Feuerfalke (Fire Falcon) and stealth bombers Sturmkrähe (Raven Strom) will engulf them in flames."

A hand was raised and it belonged to none other than his wife, Erina, the captain of Brunhilda 205. All eyes were on Michael and he had a bad feeling about what Erina was about to say.

"Alright, the captain can contribute her opinion." He allowed his wife to speak with a sigh. "Does it have anything to do with the argument between you and Franz previously?"

"With all due respect to the Admiral and Vice Admiral, I think your plan is very logical and effective." Erina began to use what she thought was the proper way to address her husband at work, an annoying principle Michael had always hated. "However, it can be even better if we bring all the carriers closer to the front line so they can directly send interceptors and fighters to attack the enemy as soon as they see the opportunity to do so."

Murmurs began to rise around the table, mainly from conservatives, but Michael did not hear anyone loudly protesting. Perhaps they heard Erina's opinion before and were somewhat wavering. Frustrated with the cowardice of his comrades, Franz Rottmann immediately bolted up and questioned the Captain of Brunhilda 205:

"And leave the carriers exposed to enemy attack? Have you lost your mind, Lady Einzberg? I agree that it will help our aircraft have more flexibility in coordination with other units as well as fuel economy, but that way of thinking is extremely short-sighted. As soon as they discover the location of our carriers, Tyranids will unleash everything they have to destroy them."

"That's exactly what I want, vice-admiral." She replied coldly, "The enemy must launch their attack somewhere, right?"

Michael scowled. "What do you mean, Erina?"

"The Hive Fleet will concentrate a large number of Bio-Ships in one attack to crush either the right, left or center of our fleet. They did that at Masari-1 and they will do the same here, no doubt about that but why should you have to wait and react to every Tyranid's attacks when you can have them attack wherever you want, whenever you want?"

A bait? It would be a big and risky gamble but the reward wasn't small either. Michael could set up a trap and crush thousands of Bio-ships in a very short time by doing what Erina had just suggested.

"In the early stages, we will engage the enemy as the Vice Admiral has planned. Groups A and B will bombard their Bio-ship at long distances but instead of waiting, our carriers will prepare for a large air attack on the Hive Fleet's right flank." Erina continued" "The goal of this attack was not to destroy enemy vitality, but to show the Tyranids the danger of our carriers, making the enemy realize that they must destroy our main offensive weapons if they are to win the battle. After they take the bait, the strongest and most well-armed battleships of group C would focus on protecting the carriers while groups A and B begin to move quietly to both flanks and establish an encirclement. Gentlemen, I am talking about ending the battle of Eden in a week or less."

"Nonsense!" Franz Rottmann exclaimed, "You are ruining the fleet with your naive thinking. How can we achieve such perfect timing and maneuvering?"

"Entirely possible." Erina said with certainty, "If you give the command of Group B to Captain Hackett and Group A to me, it can be done."

The meeting room was suddenly as silent as a grave. The conservative officers who didn't gasp at Erina's daring were gritting their teeth on their seats like Commodore Reiner Sauerland, who was in danger of being stripped of his command. Even her supporters could not have foreseen the situation. They knew his wife was a confident, assertive, and outspoken woman but directly contested for the position that clearly belonged to Reiner? This was unprecedented.

"So this was your intention in the first place." Franz smiled haughtily and pointed at Michael. "You think just because you're married to that man, you give yourself the right to put the entire fleet at risk just for your career advancement? Perhaps you should be content with the captaincy that the Einzbergs bought for you."

"I have not relied on anyone to get to this position and what I do here is for the fleet, for Eden, the Reich, and the German people."

"Very noble of you, but words are just words."

"I can prove it." Erina stood up, already lost her temper. "Or are you afraid that I'm right all along, Rottmann? Are you afraid that if I succeed, even your chair won't be safe anymore?"

Franz Rottmann gritted his teeth, looking like a wounded bear ready to tear the female captain to pieces. "If this were the old days and you were a man, I would gut you like a fish for saying those words." The vice admiral growled, "You should thank God for not giving you that thing between your legs."

"Words are just words." She snorted. "You can do better than that, Rottmann."

Michael didn't say a word during the argument. If he supported Erina then he would be viewed as favoring his wife but if he didn't it would mean they were ignoring a strategy that would surely be included in military textbooks if they succeeded. A commander must be smart when dealing with sensitive issues like these and should only intervene when he had a clear solution:

"That's enough, Erina!" He sternly reminded her, "You should reevaluate your behavior. Franz is your superior and he deserves a certain amount of respect whether he is right or wrong, do you understand that?"

She nodded silently, but stubbornness still remained on her beautiful face. "Yes, I understand, sir."

Calm down Erina, you're just making it harder for me, Michael mumbled then turned to the Vice-Admiral:

"This is not a bad strategy at all and I can totally see its potential, Franz. However, we will not make hasty decisions or disturb our previous tactical calculations. Reiner will continue to be the commander of Group A as you have requested. I don't see any problem with Commodore's ability in battle and I believe he will perform well in the next few days but how do you feel about giving group B to Erina?"

Securing one of his man's positions would smooth Rottmann's anger, leaving the rest of Michael's job to convince him to move his carriers to proper positions, a task that was best done behind the stage to avoid humiliating the Vice-Admiral.

"It's an important position." The vice admiral reminded him "Can your wife handle it?"

" Well, She just came up with a plan that would impress Otto Von Bismarck, so I don't think it will be a problem. Moreover, this is not the first time Erina has been assigned to an entire Battlegroup. After Jörn Schaefer's death, she had commanded what remained of his fleet and led them out of Masari-1."

That wasn't exactly an achievement to be proud of, considering the whole battle was already a defeat for Kriegsmarine but a paper shield was way better than no shield at all.

"If that's what you want, Admiral." Franz Rottmann reluctantly agreed and sat down. "You have complete control over staffing and our duty here is to voice our concerns."

"Your concerns are noted. Alright, now we'll talk about our rally point at Eden and logistics before deciding whose warships will join Groups A and B."

The meeting lasted another four hours and ended with Group A having three more battleships and seven heavy cruisers from Groups C and B. Reiner Sauerland worried that Group A's combat capability would be limited without the firepower of the fleet's largest ships such as Wilhelm, Hessen, and Braunwick, and this intimacy nearly sparked another controversy after Erina commented that she wouldn't need so many ships to hold the line. Michael then ordered his captains to return to their ships and prepare to proceed to Eden in two hours. He also invited Franz to his private office, mainly to apologize to his second-in-command for Erina's rude behavior and to advise him to rethink her suggestion. The Vice-admiral said he would do that but didn't make any promise. It was a pity because Franz seem to have seen the possibility of Erina's plan from the start, and things would have been easier for everyone if his woman's expressive abilities had been as good as her tactical mind.

This couldn't be called a complete victory, but at least Michael was temporarily satisfied with the results of his effort. There was still time to carry out Erina's plan and with his wife in command of Group B, Michael could be sure that the Tyranids would pay a high price trying to get close to his fleet. As an act of consolation, he also nominated Hackett to be the deputy commander of the reserve after the Captain of Zyklon was pushed aside during the meeting. Strangely, Michael's old friend was glad to have his position lost to Erina and accepted the offer without hesitation:

"I never get used to the spotlight anyway," Hackett told him. "Besides, every time I stay close to you, I always get out alive."

Or was it him the one who got all the luck when having Hackett around? The captain of Zyklon had saved Michael as many times as being saved. It was hard to be sure who was right there. The nature of life and death on the battlefield was a topic of laughter, and tears, and could never be settled. Many people who were more skillful, faster, and braver than Michael ever could have died before they could see the enemy while he was still alive here after so many battles. Some called it luck, some say it was a skill that was earned, but none of them have a full explanation.

Perhaps the secret here was trying not to die and leave the rest to fate. Perhaps stopping worrying about what would happen tomorrow, stopping thinking about the secret he was hiding, and that crazy dream he had last night, for the time being, would be the right choice. Such things were inherently beyond his understanding and the more he thought about them, the farther his path back to Nora became. At least that's what the Admiral told himself as the elevator lifted him up to the observatory where he would oversee Schutzengel fleet leaving Ventura's orbit. The tower was now more crowded than yesterday with twenty officers and specialists working diligently with the sensor system, Passive sensor antenna, energy receptor, and navigation system under the supervision of a young Major named Helge Binder.

He greeted Michael at the elevator doors, proudly announcing that his unit was 100% ready for the upcoming battle at Eden before whispering to the Admiral some unexpected news:

"Captain of Brunhilda, your wife is here, sir."

His wife had not yet returned to her ship and Michael did not think she had come up here to witness the magnificent view of the army marching to the front. Oddly enough, the Admiral suddenly realized that he didn't know of any female officers who would share this hobby with him, most of whom had accompanied Michael to inspect the newly built Kriegsmarine ship or come to the testing site of the new version of plasma cannon were all men.

"Did she state her reason?"

"No, sir." Helge shook his head. "But the captain asked me to tell you she's here."

So Erina wanted to talk to him. Obviously, that was the case and he could dimly figure out her reason. "Thank you, major. You can return to your position now."

Michael later found Erina standing by the large tempered glass of the observatory, near the table and couch he had shared tea and coffee with Hackett yesterday. Her eyes were on the formation of the battleships and cruisers of the vanguard battlegroup some 30 kilometers ahead of Frederick II, but her mind was like wandering somewhere. She knew he had come for long but pretended not to hear his footsteps on the stairs.

"I don't think I've ever seen you up here before." The admiral told his wife, "Today must be a special day."

"Maybe." She coldly replied, "It's not every day that a wife finds out her husband is hiding something from her right?"

"I hiding something from you?" He smiled, pretending not to understand what she said. "You must be overestimating me. I'm not capable of doing that."

Erina turned around and gave Michael a stern look, making the Admiral realize that he should stop his antics before things got worse.

" Normally I won't have any reason to dig deeper because the problem has been dealt with and that amount of radiation isn't dangerous to your health anyway" She could see through the smoke he created "But why did you order Hoch to hide it from me? You must have had some other reason than not wanting me to worry too much, I assume."

How could she know? The only ones who knew about it were him, Nina, and that Doctor Turtle. Erina couldn't get her hand on his test results either unless she accessed Frederick II's medical database, which was beyond her authority.

"You are very careful, Michael but your mistake was trusting someone like Albert Hoch can hide anything from me. It only took two minutes and he was singing like a bird."

The doctor truly had the bravery of a mouse. Michael shouldn't have laid so much trust in him.

"So you got your information from Hoch." Michael leaned against the glass with his arms crossed. "And yet I thought Nina told you and betrayed me."

"She would never do that, especially to her man."

It took a moment for Michael to understand the meaning of Erina's statement. Nina Weiss loved him? Seriously? If Michael said he was surprised, that would be an understatement. Nina never flirted with him or had done anything similar. The secretary was a quiet woman, not very sociable, and could be seen as cold and distant toward men, even to Michael, her boss. If any woman in the fleet had feelings for Michael, Nina was the last person he thought of but wives' judgments were rarely wrong on these matters.

"You should know that there's nothing going on between me and her." There was a slight panic in his voice. "I never touched her."

"I know. you never treat Nina more than a secretary, but that won't stop a woman from loving you, silly. However, that's not what I want to know now. Tell me the truth, Michael! What happened to you? What are you trying to hide it from me"

With no other choice, Michael began to tell her everything he remembered in his dream. The polluted arid lands, cities as high as mountains, Tyranids, strange warriors fighting under the banner of golden eagles. Erina listened to his story from beginning to end with inherent suspicion on her face but not once did she interrupt her husband.

"It was just a dream, Michael." She told him, "A meaningless dream. Why do you let it trouble you that much?"

"Just a dream? So how do you explain the radiation they detected in my body?"

She grew quiet, clearly having no answer to that question. Michael continued:

"I also hope it's just a dream, Erina, I honestly do but denying the truth often brings nothing but disaster. What i have seen is real, what i feel is real and you have seen the proof of it."

"And if you're right, so what? If there is such a civilization in this galaxy, then is it a surprise? More than six hundred years ago, none of us would have imagined an alien jellyfish could walk on land and build an advanced starship like the Hannar. Compared to them, those men in your dreams are less impressive to me."

Michael could only sigh at his wife's stubbornness. Honestly, he didn't think Erina didn't understand what he was trying to say, she was just too scared to accept it as the truth.

"Tell me, Erina. Where do you think these Tyranids come from? An unknown planet like the Rachni in the Terminus Zone? Outside the galaxy? Or another dimension as many people say?"

"It doesn't matter where they come from. The important thing is that they will be defeated and after a few centuries they will be nothing but a bad memory to some people."

No, it's not that simple. The admiral turned toward the large tempered glass of the observatory for some solace in the stars, but as the ship moved at this speed only eternal darkness greeted him back.

"I don't know how to explain it to you because all I have are mere feelings, not scientific evidence or logical conclusions. However, i believe that Tyranid is just part of something bigger and more terrifying than we can ever imagine, and if we don't recognize this threat in time, we will all be crushed to death by it"

-V-

1:00 PM September 23, 2839

The suburbs of Kaiserhausen, Planet Eden

Sergeant Johannes Alenko, 3rd Volkssturm Company, 237th Eisenwald Infantry Division, 12th Army.

When Johannes Alenko reached the power plant, it was over. Under the brown wall surrounding the reactor were six dead men on a gray concrete floor. They all fell forward with their hands tied, and in the back of their necks, there was a small bullet hole of the size of a coin, where the blood had gushed and clotted. Some were beaten before being shot. Johannes saw many bruises on the face of the young lad called Thomas and the knife cut on the head of a stout man he first met on the first day of his transfer to the 3rd company. His name was forgotten by Johannes and probably no one in the company could remember it. They came from different places all over Eden, were all drafted to the Volkssturm the day before, and had no time to get acquainted nor to be trained for combat so some of them naively thought that if they disappeared for a couple of hours no one would notice.

"So you wanted to find those damn deserters." A member of the 26th Panzergenadier division whom Johannes met at the abandoned grocery store laughed and pointed at the power plant. "Our colleagues caught them in the bomb shelter this morning. Six or seven guys, I heard they said so."

"So you're their sergeant?" A Captain he met at the gate cried out with regret, "Damn, if I knew you were coming, I would have saved them for you."

"Don't worry Sergeant, we've taken good care of them." A corporal wearing a brown camouflage jacket laughed and kicked Thomas's poor corpse. "This fool squealed like a pig when we pulled him out of the bomb shelter. No matter how he beat him, he wouldn't shut up, what a pathetic creature he was. Captain Bjorn was so upset that he shot him in the head and then told us to do the same to the rest of them."

So this was the end of six of the nine deserters from the 3rd Volksstrum Company. It was a pity because Johannes had purposely overlooked their absence on Monday night, hoping that until he was forced to report to his superiors about their desertion, they were as free as birds.

"Why don't you take them to the crematorium?" Johannes asked the corporal, "Why did you let them lie here?"

"You want us to burn them?" He scratched his big nose. "Why?"

"First, it's an order from Eden High Command. All carcasses of animals and humans must be destroyed to avoid becoming a resource for the Tyranids." He explained to him as he would a child, "Second, in about a day or so these bodies will start to decompose and you will have to endure the horrible stench while stationed here."

"Not our problem." He shrugged, "Our company is tasked with guarding the chip manufacturing facility, not the power plant, and Tyranids are free to do whatever they want with the corpses. At least, in the end, these idiots are useful to somebody, right?"

Sergeant Alenko frowned. The chip manufacturing facility was 2 km from where they stood, completely outside the range a Company was required to patrol. "So how did you know deserters were hiding in the bomb shelter? Drones?"

The corporal shook his head, "We got informed. Civilians, guys in platoon B said so." He scratched his big nose again. "Two stray dogs who refuse to be evacuated and stay behind for some looting to be more precise. It looks like they saw your men running into the reactor while were sleeping in the warehouse last night."

Obilik? Johannes didn't expect a planet with a high standard of living like Eden, there also Obilik existed. Tabenwald, Bastian-Tor might be but Eden? It seems there was no paradise in this miserable reality and all one could do was pretend.

"So where are those people now? I have something to ask them."

"Why so? Do you want to reward them?" He laughed heartily, "They keep asking for a reward for contributing their parts to the Reich's war effort. Fucking hilarious, i tell you. That little bitch is quite a mouth. "

"No. There are still three people missing."

"Three? What the hell are you talking about?"

"We had nine deserters but only six bodies here. I want to know how many people were here last night."

The corporal growled and spat on Thomas' dead body. "So it means there are three rats lurking around eh? All right, follow me. Those strayed dogs must be just hanging around here and there. As I recall, they asked Captain Bjorn's permission to collect the valuable stuff left behind by the reactor workers in the office this morning."

The corporal then led Johannes through empty corridors that led to the power plant's main office but the further he went, the more he felt that there was something very off about this place. A section of the corridor near the reactor had collapsed, so they had to use a passage that cuts through the staff dining room, which looked like it had just been swept by a hurricane. Johannes saw several black bullet holes in white walls, vending machines, and drinks counters. Garbage and decomposed food were scattered everywhere and none of the glassware he saw was intact. Johannes felt a little bit uneasy but kept his silence until he saw a stain of dried blood on an automatic door.

"What happened here?"

"Tyranids." The corporal replied, "Genestealer or terrorist. I don't know but Totenkopf had a gunfight with someone here a few days ago. Two of their members were killed and another was seriously injured. A lieutenant, they say."

Genestealer? He didn't know much about this type of Tyranids than that they were the intruders who had attacked Kristalhalle and killed the governor of Eden many days ago. Like all other soldiers, Johannes' knowledge of Tyranids came from datalogs and training programs provided by his division. He had been taught to identify Termagants, Spinegaunts, Hormagaunts, Raveners, and Tyranid Warriors as well as how to kill them, but not once in the past few months since the 12th Army had left its home planet of Beckenheim, did Johannes hear the name Genestealer.

"Those creatures… those Genestealers, what exactly are they? Humans or animals?"

The existing images he had on the intruders if not so blurry, then the genestealer's corpse was so disfigured that Johannes couldn't tell what he was looking at.

"Some look like people, some look like animals or both." The corporal used his Omni-tool to enter the password of the door lock. "Our division has also encountered several intruders since arriving here. Most of them look pretty much like a human with radioactive mutation, some have three arms and one eye, while the rest of the Genestealers are just a bunch of hideous six-legged monsters"

"In Silberlachsbach (Silver Salmon's creek) there is no Genestealer."

"Silberlachsbach? You Eisenwalds are a lucky bunch, are you?" The corporal laughed. "I've always wanted to sleep in those fancy houses once in my life. Tell me, are their beds made of gold and pillows made of organic silk?"

Johannes never knew. His company was stationed below the hill, away from residential areas, and there was a regulation that forbade non-commissioned officers and soldiers from entering those comfortable houses above. That privilege belonged to high-ranking officers, people with clear backgrounds, and children of aristocratic families, who were trusted by their owners to take care of their property after the evacuation.

"Imported wood from Tabenwald and high-quality cotton." He had worked for a wealthy family in Beckenheim, so he understood how silly that stereotype was. "Gold is a soft metal that cannot withstand force and silk pillows are actually not as comfortable as the name suggests."

"How can that be? Are you mistaken? It is said on the Extranet that Eden is so rich that a middle-class man can own a house, hovercar and private swimming pool before the age of 23."

"Maybe that's true." Johannes replied, "But that doesn't mean the rich in Silberlachsbach sleep on beds made of gold."

The corporal snorted, not satisfied with the answer but not trying to argue either because he could see that Johannes wasn't lying. They then continued their journey in silence. He asked no more questions about Silberlachsbach and Johannes stopped wondering about the Genestealers. That was generally a good thing because if they continued the conversation, Johannes' fists would soon land on the corporal's ugly face.

After five minutes of walking through corridors covered with blood and bullet holes, Johannes finally reached the main office located at the other end of the reactor. It was a sturdy building made of concrete with tiny windows that looked like murder holes and an entrance filled with broken glass. About 10 meters from the building was a shallow hole with dried blood and burnt flesh all around, so the sergeant could vaguely guess what had happened.

"That terrorist bastard detonated the bomb here." The big-nosed corporal pointed to the hole and said, "Workers of the power plant were gathering outside for a medical checkup then there was an explosion. More than fifty people were dead or injured. What a mess!"

"How did Genestealers get the bomb inside ?" Johannes realized this place was quite far from the main gate. "You said they look like mutants right?"

" That i don't know," he shrugged. "But they say the bomber was one of the reactor workers, not a genestealer. A dummkopf named Henrich or something and no one understands why he did it."

So the rumor about some citizens of Eden being under mind-controlled and becoming henchmen of Tyranids wasn't a mere rumor after all. Johannes had heard people talking about it when the 12th Army was replenishing supplies at Ashel but he didn't pay much attention to it because in every campaign, there was no lack of rumor about this or that and it wouldn't be good if Captain Timo found out that Johannes was involved in spreading rumors in his company.

"Are those civilians inside?"

"Stray dogs." He corrected Johannes, this time the contempt was clearer on the tip of his tongue. "Yes, they're inside. Captain Bjorn is truly magnanimous, if it were me they could only get a kick in the ass."

Then Johannes found his dogs inside the building. Two of them, to be exact. A big silly male Bernard and a nimble little female Terrier. They were collecting the most valuable stuff they could find and piled them up in the main hall. Tablets, computer monitors, heater batteries, cuckoo clocks, light bulbs, flower pots, pens, porcelain cups, snacks and drinks from vending machines. Seeing two soldiers approaching, the male Bernard panicked, dropping the flower pot in his hand, causing shards of blue enamel to hit Johannes' jackboots and cause the Terrier to trip over a cuckoo clock as she tried to find a way to escape.

"So you morons are here." The corporal said contemptuously, with his hands on his hips, "We are looking for you."

"These are ours." The Terrier hurried to her feet to defend her booty. "Your captain let us in."

"Do I look like the guy who's going to fight you over this pile of trash? The two of you pay attention! This sergeant is from the Eisenwald division and he has something to ask of you."

Johannes stepped up and looked at the strange couple from head to toe. The Terrier was a girl of about 15 or 16 years old with short blond hair and a face with the sly, experienced look of those living on the street. She wore a blue Reusch jacket that was almost ten years out of fashion, and two shoes of different colors and brands. Colonial omni-tool with scans and basic survival application hugged around her skinny arms and on the belt was a military RX medi-gel packet. Stolen goods, Johannes supposed because that type of Medi-gel was not sold to civilians.

"What's your name, girl?" He asked, then looked over at the large man in a dirty office suit. This guy was too old to be her brother and too young to be her father. "What is this man to you?"

"What's it to you?"

A slap sent the girl to the floor, but it didn't come from Johannes.

"Watch your mouth, kid." The corporal warned, "Next time I'll use my fists, not my palms."

"Really?" An insolent smile crossed her face as she tried to get up. "I was afraid you would use the thing between your legs. It's truly horrible to be stuffed with something that small."

A very good comeback, but unfortunately the big-nosed corporal didn't see any humor in it. He swung his leg and kicked the girl hard, causing her to fall to the floor again. The kịck was pretty vicious but this kid was no mere kid at all, Johannes had to admit. She didn't scream or groan, only quietly taking on the corporal's fury with the satisfaction of having provoked him.

"That's enough, corporal." Johannes grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back. "If you kill her then i won't have anyone to question. Get out there for some air, I'll take care of her myself."

With a growl, he accepted Johannes' advice but didn't forget to spit on the girl's head before leaving the building. The sergeant helped her to her feet and wiped the blood from her lips with his thumb.

"Okay, no more jokes." He said, "What's your name?"

With a moment of hesitation, a name escaped from her bruised lips:

"Gabi. My name is Gabi Altmann." She turned to her companion, "And this is Karl, a friend."

The friend who had watched her get beaten up and didn't even lift a finger. That corporal had a weapon, yes, but in the Obilik world Johannes knew, friends were those who risked their lives for each other.

"Are you the one who reported the deserters to the 26th Panzergenadier Division?"

A glint of hope flashed in the girl's green eyes. "You come to give me my reward?"

"Perhaps, but I need some answers first. First, how many people were here last night?"

"I do not know."

Johannes immediately scowled, "You said you saw them go into the power plant last night, didn't you? Or did you lie to me?"

"I didn't say anything like that. It is true that I ran to report them, but it wasn't me who saw them sneak into the bomb shelter in the middle of the night. Karl saw them and woke me up. At first, I just wanted to go back to sleep, but then I remembered those Genestealers they were talking about on the news, so…"

Johannes felt a bitter taste in his mouth. Just because of a little misunderstanding of a homeless girl, six people lost their lives. They had found a safe haven and all they had to do was to wait a few more days, when the battle began, people would forget their existence. However, their fates seemed to be sealed or speaking in the more poetic way of the Reichswehr, justice would come after those who deserted in one way or another.

"Tell the sergeant, Karl. You saw them go into the bomb shelter, right?"

The large man nodded and held up eight fingers. His hand had lost two fingers, so Johannes didn't know if he had seen eight or nine people the night before.

"What's wrong with your friend kid?" The sergeant asked, "I've never seen… a mute before."

Genetic diseases and birth defects have ceased to be a concern for mankind since the end of the 23rd century. The great development in medicine and genetic research allowed German doctors to eliminate genes that caused cause cancer, leukemia, disability, autism and birth defects while the baby was still in the womb. According to what Johannes read in the Reich's Medical Journal, these amazing achievements began with Adolf Hitler, a wealthy painter and famous politician of the 20th century. He and his comrades devoted all of their fortunes to creating an organization called Thule to fund pathological research, life-prolonging and Human genetic enhancement before finding a way for all citizens of Reich could have access to their new innovations at an affordable price.

Some say he was a brilliant businessman with a vision and they were not without reason. Thule was one of the leading corporations in the fields of biochemical applications, pharmaceuticals, cybernetic, genetics studies, biotic research, and healthcare in the galaxy until it was bought by a mysterious tycoon and changed its name to Cerberus last year.

"A mute? You mean Karl can't speak?" She giggled and ran to hide behind the man's big arms. "No, no. Karl is just a little quiet and shy with strangers."

His shyness could not explain his unusual behavior nor the Hugo Boss suit on him. Johannes could tell Gabi's clothes came from the thrift store because they were a bit too big for her, but he couldn't say the same to Karl. Although the suit was torn and dirty, it still fit the large and muscular body of the 2.1m, tall homeless man, perfectly. Wasn't that a bit unusual? Hugo Boss's high-end products were always custom-made, so it was hard to believe that Karl was lucky enough to find a rich guy that had the same size as him.

"Karl, you saw nine people here last night, right?" Johannes asked and sighed when he saw the man's dumbfounded face. "Do you understand what I'm saying, buddy?"

The giant responded with a nod and a clumsy smile. At least he was a friendly freak and not that stupid, Johannes tried to think of things in a more positive light before continuing his interrogation:

"We found six people in the bomb shelter, so three more people are missing. Did you see them?"

Karl nodded again.

"What? Why didn't you tell me that?" Gabi exclaimed and punched Karl in the hip, "You idiot! They can accuse us of complicity, do you understand?"

"She's right, Karl. If you know where those people are, you better tell me right now."

With this request, the giant suddenly refused to cooperate. He shook his head wildly, but his eyes and military jackboots under his feet had betrayed him. Size number 5, made of genuine leather, with a wider toe than usual and a flower of Frigelda, the symbol of the planet Eisenwald, blooming near the ankle. Johannes didn't need to guess to know where they came from.

"I think you should start being honest, man." Johannes' hand rested on the Walther G on his belt. "Don't make me ask you again."

Johannes' threats brought him to the third floor of the building via the emergency stairs because the elevator system had stopped working due to a lack of electricity. Karl led the way, and Johannes and Gabi followed closely behind. The blonde teen girl desperately convinced Johannes that Karl was the complete victim in this before blaming the deserters for taking advantage of a gentle and innocent person to do their dirty work. The sergeant ignored most of Gabi's explanation except for one detail:

"You said you met him wandering the scrap yard a few days ago?"

"Ye…Yes!" She was a bit taken aback by his question. "But I can assure you that Karl is a good person."

"And he never explained where he came from or what he did before living in the scrap yard? Aren't you bothered by the clothes he's wearing?"

"A man got his bad luck on the stock exchange, I guess that much. Recently, quite a number of men and women like him have joined the street life after the Blue Canaries thing."

"Blue canaries?"

"An Asari company or corporation. I don't know the details but this corporation wants to rebuild and develop infrastructure on human planets across Terminus Zone after the war. It went well for a while and a lot of people moved to Silberlachsbach overnight but then, you know, Tyranid came and wiped out everything. The corporation just declared bankruptcy a few months ago."

And the shock from seeing his world fall apart had turned Karl into a retard. Johannes could guess the rest of the story because the same thing happened to his father, who thought his house wouldn't burn down after paying his taxes in full, after being so supportive of the policy of his Centauri masters, and had a son who fought in the Turian-Krogan front.

He didn't say a word on their journey back to Fatherland, when they became third-class citizens in Beckenheim or when his grandson Kaidan was born into this world and Johannes sadly thought his father would be like that until the day took his last breath. There was no cure for regret and with his modest income, Johannes couldn't afford to get him psychological treatment.

"What about you, kid?" He asked. "What's your story?"

"There's no story here." She shrugged, "I grew up in an orphanage and when I didn't feel like it anymore, I moved out onto the street. That's all of my story."

Yet many people have had to trade sweat, tears, and blood for a roof over their heads. "That's the weirdest decision I've ever heard of." There was a hint of reproach in Johannes' voice. "I don't know anyone would choose to be Obilik when they already have a house."

"Obilik? Is that what they call us on your planet? It sounds cool, much cooler than stray dogs, but in Eden, being strayed isn't that bad." The blonde teenage girl stretched out her arms and smiled. "Look, I lack nothing. The clothes at the charity shop are full of stuff like this jacket, and if you are hungry you can enjoy first-class leftovers from Gastehaus. Damn, I'm sure what I can find in their trash are ten times better than anything you've ever eaten in your life."

But she suffered the scorn and kicks of men like the corporal. Johannes would never let Kaidan or anyone in his family suffer such a thing, even at the cost of his life.

And the lives of those three deserters as well.

The sergeant reminded himself of this stark reality when Karl stopped in front of a windowless room with a sign that read "Equipment Room" on the automatic door. The giant simply pointed at the steel door and that was enough for the Sergeant to understand what he was trying to say:

"Were they armed?"

Karl's shake of the head reassured Johannes somewhat. It was not like he was afraid of the deserters capable of doing something endangering his life, it was just that if they didn't have weapons, it would easier to restrain them and he didn't have to shoot anyone while defending himself. Although these people would be executed no matter what he did next, Johannes found it rather uncomfortable when for the first time he fought under the German flag, his very first kills were all Germans.

In this case, however, perhaps Sergeant Alenko was just overthinking. Under the faint light of the Omni-tool flashlight, he finally found the people who had made him drag his ass around the suburbs of Kaiserstadtfor the past few days, or more precisely what was left of them. Pieces of flesh, bones, organs, and blood were scattered throughout the six-square-foot room, and in every corner were corpses so disfigured and torn that Johannes could not distinguish who was who. A horrible smell escaped from the room and made Johannes' lungs feel like they were about to shrink.

"My…God." Gabi covered her mouth with her hand but couldn't stop the breakfast from slipping through her fingers. "What the fuck is this? Damn…Damn it!"

They were killed, as brutally and painfully as possible. That was all too obvious but the main question here was the man behind this atrocity ?

"Do you have an explanation, Karl?"

In a heartbeat, the Walther G was pointed directly at the giant's chest. Its bullets with depleted Uranium core caused the pistol to have a slower rate of fire than its brothers in the Walther series, but in return, the destructive power was undisputed. Just one round and Karl Stray Dog or Karl the Genestealer would surely die on the spot.

"What are you doing?" The terrified teenage girl exclaims before using her small body to shield her big friend "Karl didn't do this!"

"Stay away from him."

He then grabbed Gabi by the shoulder and pulled her behind him. She resisted fiercely, of course, but Johannes was a grown man with arms as hard as cold steel.

"Run downstairs and find the corporal." He ordered, "Tell him I need help."

"The hell i would! You guys will kill him. He didn't kill these people, Karl never will do such a thing."

"We'll find your friend a medic, not a firing squad." Johannes reassured her "If he's not Genestealer, there's nothing to worry about," He then looked at Karl. "Would you agree to do some medical check-ups, buddy?"

He nodded rather quickly, even voluntarily putting his hands behind his neck before turning his back to Johannes. For a guilty man, this cooperation was a bit unusual, but Johannes would not let his guard down because of that. There was too much evidence against Karl. He had an unclear background, and suspicious behavior and was now involved in a mysterious attack that left three people dead. Honestly, the two of them should have thanked Johannes for kicking the corporal out in advance. That brute would definitely open fire on Karl as soon as he saw the bodies then go ahead executing Gabi for her complicity.

"Now we will go down there. Try not to run away or startle me, Karl." Johannes said, "You get a bullet for every mistake. A bullet. Not a warning but a bullet. Okay, slowly turn around and walk this way. That's right, slow."

Their journey down to the ground floor took place in a very uncomfortable atmosphere, mainly because Gabi still kept rambling about Karl's innocence before suggesting that Johannes and the corporal had set a trap for your friend. Johannes endured her accusations for a while before running out of patience:

"If you open that mouth of yours again, I will finish what the corporal started!"

"Fuck you, you hypocrite. You are all the same! Playing good cop bad cop to take advantage of me. I pray to God that those bugs will tear you to pieces so I can shit on your…."

SLAP!

The slap wasn't very strong, but it was enough to let Gabi know that Johannes wasn't a man who made idle threats and shut her up until they were out of the building. Outside, it began to get colder, autumn winds threaded through the concrete buildings, and metal pipes of the power plant, creating creepy sounds like the weeping of those poor souls who had perished here. Johannes looked around for the corporal, but all he saw was a large empty courtyard between the administration building and the main reactor.

Where the hell is he?

This question echoed in his head as the shards of glass crackled at Johannes' feet until he found the corporal's Stg-51 on the ground. The light near the trigger was still blinking green, indicating that the gun was still in safe mode and had not been loaded. Johannes felt his fingers itch.

"Corporal!"

His voice echoed throughout the wide courtyard before being swallowed by the wind and cold. The silence and desolation of this place had long made the hairs on the back of his neck quiver, but now they seemed to suffocate him. There was a very unpleasant smell wafting through the air. Not the chemical smell from the reactor, not the smell of blood or the corpse, but the smell of something living, breathing, and hungry.

"We should get the hell out of here." Gabi had long come hiding behind Johannes's arm without him knowing it, "There's a path leading to the main gate nearby. Karl and I used it to…"

"Don't move" Johannes quietly gave an order to her and then picked up the Stg-51, fortunately, the corporal and he were both the same height so adjusting the stock was unnecessary. "Gabi, have you ever used a pistol before?"

She shook her head, "I've only ever shot mice and Kinamo bugs with a stun gun!"

Sergeant Alenko swore and shoved his Walther G into her hand: "The recoil will be slightly stronger than the stun gun so you need to make sure you're ready before pulling the trigger, you know what I mean?"

"But what do you want me to shoot?"

"Anything that isn't us," Johannes growled, then turned to his prisoner, "And this guy too if he tries to do anything funny."

"The hell i will! Karl would never harm us!"

Johannes grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up, his voice was as dry as metal clattering:

"Listen, you little shit! Do as I say if you want to live. You saw what happened upstairs, didn't you? Don't ever think for one second that it will spare you because you're just a kid."

Just as Johannes finished, a creature with two opaque yellow eyes like snake eyes emerged from the bomb crater in Gabi's scream of terror. Its large, bald, deformed head looks even more terrifying when accompanied by jagged jaws full of fangs and a long purple tongue. This creature seemed to be capable of standing on two legs like a primate although it had six limbs armed with sharp, curved talons like eagles, the terrible weapon that had slaughtered deserters on the third floor as well as that insufferable corporal. Johannes assumed so because a piece of his green uniform and half of his upper body was still caught on one of those talons.

RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH !

With the most savage roar Johannes' ears had ever experienced, the monster charged straight at them, ignoring the storm of 3.72mm Kurz rounds he created. Projectiles with a muzzle velocity up to 5500m/s were nothing more than harmless leaves to the Tyranid. Most of them failed to find their target but that was not because Johannes was a bad marksman.

Speed and ingenious maneuverability allow the animal to avoid most of the dangers to its head while the tough scales on its torso and arms absorb any damage from bullets that couldn't be dodged. An extremely clever tactic, corroborating the rumors of the Tyranid's inescapable abilities.

"Armor-piercing!"

Johannes ordered the control chip on the Stg-51 and immediately, the light near the trigger turned yellow. The gun could now only be used in semi-automatic mode and its recoil had increased significantly but in return, the monster was forced to jump aside, and abandoned its charge, after an armor-piercing round severed one of its hands. Gabi exclaimed in joy and terror:

"Kill it! Kill it! What are you waiting for?"

"Silent!"

Johannes knew now was not the right time to deliver the finishing blow, he knew he would need more than an armor-piercing round to kill the monster and that reckless use of an armor-piercing round would make the gun stopped working due to overheating. That prospect would be a death sentence for them, and after witnessing the Tyranid's extraordinary reflexes, Johannes knew he needed to come up with a good plan if he wanted to get out of here alive.

"Die, you bastard!"

The blonde teenage girl screamed and opened fire on the Tyranid. Of course, she shot with her eyes closed. Of course, she didn't follow Johannes' advice on being very careful, being ready every time pulling that trigger. After the third shot, Gabi was rolling on the ground screaming with a twisted wrist.

"Brainless fool!" He shouted at her "What did I tell you?"

RAHRAHRAHRAHRAHRAH

The intermittent sounds emanating from the monster's ugly mouth made Johannes' blood boil even more. It was laughing at them. Although it sounded quite unbelievable, he could not interpret what he witnessed in any other way.

RAHRAHRAHRAHRAHRAH

The Tyranid's complacency became even more apparent after dodging another attack from Johannes. It began to jump right and then left, circling around where they were standing, sometimes pausing to give Sergeant Alenko time to catch up to its speed and then laughing at him for missing the shot.

RAHRAHRAHRAHRAHRAH

Johannes gritted his teeth. When he first saw this Tyranid, he felt his bones were frozen with fear and only the professionalism of a soldier could stop him from falling to his knees and crying like a baby. However, that fear was now gone and in its place was a burning flame. Much later, when he recalled the events at the power plant, Sergeant Alenko was still unsure if his anger had anything to do with the risky decision he was about to make.

"Karl, pick up the pistol." Johannes told the giant, "It's time to see which side you're on, buddy."

The silly head hesitated at first, but when Gabi encouraged him with a kick in the leg, he did as he was told. Sergeant Alenko waited for the Walther G to fit rightly in his large hand, then continued:

"We only have one chance so no fuck up. There is a button on the backside of the pistol, press it until the light turns red. That's right, very good, very good."

Then, Johannes checked the amount of ammunition left in his Stg-51. He had only used half the amount of ammo, but his hand could already feel the heat radiating from the inside of the gun. The mass accelerator was nearing its limit and in Johannes' experience, he only had about 15 or less at most.

"Do not fire until I give you the order to." Said Johannes "And no matter what the monster or I do, do not run. If you run, you die, understood?"

The bravery of these two reluctant teammates was vital to the plan, as was the firepower from Overload mode of Walther G but today's deciding factor would be the surprise. His attack might only have the power of a needle, but when delivered at the right time, it would be the needle piercing the enemy's heart.

"Get ready!"

The sergeant told them then fired three shots at the Tyranid. The monster easily dodged the first one by jumping to the side before flipping into the air to escape the other two bullets. "What the hell are you doing?" Gabi shouted at him "Do you want to get us killed?"

Johannes ignored the criticism and continued to shoot. The armor-piercing round continued to leave the barrel as the Tyranid just continued to dodge them. Their enemy was so adept at this that to their eyes, it almost looked like a waltz of savage laughter, bullets, and dust.

Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep

The loud alarm on the Stg-51 went off, followed by the distinctive smell of the micro mass accelerator melting, signaling to the ladies and gentlemen that the dance was over and it was time for the feast. The Tyranid roared furiously and charged at them once more, sharp claws were raised up high, and looked like a second jaw, ready to tear Gabi, Karl, and Johannes to pieces.

Twenty meters, Johannes had something wet underneath his crotch. Fifteen meters, Gabi began to say a prayer. Ten meters, a blue flaming snake began to curl around Sergeant Alenko's arm. Five meters, his whole body was covered in a brilliant blue flame. Time seemed to slow down in his eyes, and for a quarter of a second, he could see everything, hear everything and feel everything.

The smell of shoe polish mingled with the damp earth beneath his boots, the plum blossoms in the wind, the pounding heartbeat in Gabi's chest, the hot blood in his veins, and the surprise in the Tyranid's eyes when he stretched his hand forward.

At one meter away from its meal, the monster couldn't move a muscle as it was trapped inside the gravity field created by Johannes. This was the surprise attack he had saved for the decisive moment, a high level biotic technique developed by the Asari and also partly explains the mysteries of his life story.

The Centauri rarely allowed outsiders to join their Crimson Guard because it was a privileged position in their society, but Johannes was added to the list of candidates when he was only fifteen years old. Reichswehr was also known to be quite hesitant at recruiting lost children into its ranks, but he was accepted as soon as he expressed his desire. Lucky? No, it was because of the abundance of eezo in Johannes' blood, a natural weapon favored by all armies in the galaxy. Out of a thousand children born, there was one who had the ability to move objects with his mind, and out of a thousand such children, there was only one qualified to apply this gift to combat.

A natural-born Biotic ability was the key to opening many doors that would otherwise close to the likes of Sergeant Alenko as the Reich had yet to find an alternative. Biotic drugs and implants could help the Reichswehr acquire a large number of Biotic soldiers in a short period of time, but those solutions also came with financial, security and ethical questions. These artificial biotics must be provided with eezo sources regularly as their bodies could not regenerate it naturally, leading to the risk of mental disorders, impaired brain function or worst of them all, dependence on stimulants like Red Sand. A crazy junkie might be just a nuisance to society, but when he had the ability to throw a light armored vehicle like a rag doll then it was a security threat.

Compared to the disadvantages mentioned above, a natural-born Biotic with the ability to use advanced techniques like "Petrification" was a much safer investment and now, Johannes was proving that point.

"NOW!"

Karl pulled the trigger. Under the side effects of Biotic, everything in Johannes' eyes played out like a slow-motion movie. A fiery red bullet rose from within the flaming dust created by the Walther G before slowly moving towards the Tyranid's head in a straight line. The bullet exploded upon contact with its glossy skin, the shockwave making its already hideous head look even more ugly with teeth, eyes, and flesh flying backward.

His plan, his bet up to this point could be considered successful, but at the height of that victory, Johannes also realized he had forgotten an important detail. The explosion would affect him too at this distance. The sergeant felt his whole body being lifted and his internal organs crushed. In the real world, this all happened in a millisecond, but for Johannes, the pain lasted for more than a minute.

"Fuck."

That was all he could say before his vision was blinded by a flash of light and followed after it was thick and endless darkness.