well here is chapter four a warning and that is that when I was translating the fanfic from Spanish to English, gpt chat started to fail me so I had to resort to another translator, I say this in case you notice many more errors than on other occasions, I promise That for the next chapter (which I hope won't take too long) it can come out in better shape, now enjoy the chapter

Chapter 4
While things were getting tougher on Earth, the situation in space was different. The use of Copper men proved to be much more effective in destroying Bionaves than conventional shots. Fortunately, the appearance of these ships had ceased, bringing some relief. However, there were still some issues, including running low on ammunition and the vast amount of Bionave wreckage.
"Sir, the Bionaves have stopped appearing, and we're gaining ground," commented an officer as McMillan observed.
"Order the Copper men to fall back. We need to clear the area to start sending reinforcements to Earth," McMillan instructed.
When the order was given, all Copper men positioned themselves behind the ships, and even some who were inside the walls of the Bionaves emerged. The more powerful ships took a firing position, each charging an orange shot. However, what emerged was not an energy shot; each cannon had loaded miniature suns that were launched towards the Bionaves. The ships were incinerated within seconds by these solar weapons, as the solar flares collided with them. The shields of the larger ships protected not only the crew but also the Copper men. As a result, alarms in the larger ships began to sound as they overheated, initiating a cooling process.
"Bionaves eliminated," reported the officer.
"All ships, deploy all soldiers, vehicles, and Droids you have to the planet now!" ordered McMillan.
Within minutes, hundreds of Federation ships began descending onto the planet, some carrying Copper men, others carrying regular troops, armored vehicles, and medical supplies.
"What troops do we have?" McMillan asked his AI.
"We have troops from different planets, including the mechanized and motorized divisions of Chemos, a Caliban Assault Regiment, Fenrir infantry battalions, the third army of Valhalla, Krieg airborne battalions, as well as doctors, Catachan snipers, and a rapid response team from Cadia, along with the First and Seventh Mech Divisions from Nocturne," Galileo reported.
"Wasn't the first division from Nocturne his?" McMillan questioned.
"The Praetorian Vulkan's, indeed. It was his main force. He was on Cadia during the AI revolution, and they were the primary defenders of the civilian evacuation from the planet."
"What happened to them after that?" McMillan inquired.
"I don't have data to answer that, sir," Galileo replied.
"How many enemies are on the ground?" The admiral lit a cigarette before listening to the response.
"So far, the approximate number is 120 million enemies, and the number is increasing. In the current fighting time, an estimated loss of nearly 9 thousand troops, 124 Virtual Intelligences, and 72 mechs, both medium and light, is projected. On the enemy side, approximately 5 million enemies have been killed so far," Galileo reported.
"We wouldn't have had these losses before," McMillan commented.
"Before, the percentage of humans in battle was less than 30%. Many years have made them arrogant and overconfident," Galileo responded, to which the admiral could only sigh.
"We might not be different from the Eldars, but I hope this doesn't lead us to our greatest downfall."

The Tiamath Force advanced slowly through the areas where the Tyranids were emerging. The bolter shots from the Tiamath soldiers, along with plasma shots and cuts from the Copper Men, left a trail of pulverized or turned-to-dust Tyranid bodies.
"Out of ammo!" shouted a soldier, reloading his weapon.
"Use your secondary!" ordered the regent while changing the cartridge of her own weapon. Hormagaunts continued to appear on all fronts, and the Copper Men maintained the barrier to prevent them from massacring the soldiers.
"We're being cornered!" yelled another soldier as he saw a Carnifex charge the barrier from behind. The Copper Man fired his plasma gun, disintegrating the creature. Meanwhile, the Ultramarines continued to observe the ongoing battle.
"Should we do something?" asked an Ultramarine.
"Give me the rocket launcher," commented Casius. Sergeant Casius took the rocket launcher and fired it towards the Federation soldiers, creating a breach they could exploit to move. Though it drew the attention of the Tyranids, it didn't last long due to the Federation soldiers' counter-fire.
"Orders?" asked another Ultramarine.
"We need to move. Even if we have to document their movements, we are also an easy target for the Tyranids. Let the servo-skulls and scouts follow them, while we go after the Norn Queen," said Sergeant Casius, and everyone nodded in agreement.
As they continued to fight, they were continually cornered. Without many options, they spotted a small hill in the distance that could serve as high ground. They didn't hesitate to head towards it, seeking a moment of respite. On their way, their path was blocked by a Zoanthrope and some Swarm Tyrants. The psychic Tyranid unleashed a powerful psychic energy discharge that didn't affect the soldiers but deactivated the shields of the Copper Men. This was the signal for the Swarm Tyrants to launch themselves against the Federation troops.
"Form a circle!" ordered Tiamath while firing at the approaching enemies.
The soldiers began to form a circle, but before they could complete it, a Lictor emerged from beneath the ground, taking the soldiers by surprise. One was brutally decapitated, and another was badly injured after being stabbed in the chest. It wasn't until a Copper Man reacted that the Lictors were annihilated. Meanwhile, the sound of shots echoed in the distance, not bolter shots but the sound of laser weapons.
"Survivors," thought Tiamath before dodging an attack from a group of Hormagaunts and then cutting them down with her sword.
"Holy See! This is Golden Eagle!" shouted Tiamath as she activated her communicator to communicate with the base in the church.
"Here, Holy See, over," the message was heard.
"We have suffered casualties, preparing troop teleportation, I repeat, troops are withdrawing!" shouted Tiamath.
"Understood, preparing teleportation for everyone," came the reply.
"Not for me! There are still survivors in the area, and I was heading towards their position!" contradicted Tiamath while dodging an attack from a Swarm Tyrant and then shooting it in the head.
"Ma'am, there are no survivors in this area," replied a soldier.
"Maybe they can't hear them, but out of the few enhanced senses I retained before removing my modifications, super hearing is one of them—superior to most. So, if I hear survivors, there are survivors!" Tiamath retorted sternly.
"Ma'am, with all due respect, I also have modified ears, and I hear nothing!" the captain shouted to the regent.
"Holy See, begin," Tiamath ignored the soldier.
"But ma'am..."
"Obey the damn order, soldier!" Tiamath shouted.
At that moment, the troops, along with the Copper Men, were teleported, leaving only Tiamath surrounded by the Tyranids. She looked at them, analyzing with her helmet, but it began to feel uncomfortable, so she took it off and threw it at a Swarm Tyrant. As it hit, she shot at it, but the gun jammed.
"Just what I needed." Tiamath drew her energy sword from her belt, looking at all the creatures that stopped attacking to observe her.
"What are you waiting for? I've faced worse things than you giant roaches!" Tiamath shouted.
The Swarm Tyrants launched themselves at her again, but as they tried to make contact, they were cut in half by her sword. The Zoanthrope attempted another Psychic bolt, but instead, Tiamath threw her energy sword at its head, killing it. The Psychic discharge was enough to reduce the number of approaching enemies, but there were still several attacking. Two more Tyrants charged at her. Having lost her weapons, she decided to use her hands. Dodging the initial cuts, she kicked both of them, knocking them to the ground. She took the opportunity to crush one's head and, using its swords, impaled the other. She was panting, trying to catch her breath, but the sound of gunfire in the distance caught her attention. That made her brief rest shorter. Checking the ground, she found her weapon, changed the magazine, and unjammed it, continuing her way towards the origin of the shots.

In the church, as expected, the soldiers appeared, including the decapitated soldier with his head intact. He was quickly taken to where the other corpses were. The one who had been stabbed was rushed to the infirmary for urgent care. The captain approached the table where the high-ranking officers, including Lilith, were gathered.
"Report," Lilith commented without looking at him.
"A severely wounded soldier and one fallen, we underestimated those creatures," commented the soldier.
"And my mother?"
"The regent stayed to fight, she had us teleported here," the soldier explained.
Lilith pinched the bridge of her nose upon hearing that before letting out a deep sigh.
"No matter her position, she will always go to the front lines of combat. It seems she doesn't understand that she's no longer just a soldier or an officer but the current regent. The last thing she should do is go into battle, damn it. Well, is there anything reportable?" the scientist asked.
"One of those creatures was floating and had a large head. A shot from what seemed like a Psychic attack deactivated our shields," the soldier replied.
"How is that possible? The shields should block even the most powerful Eldar Psychic attack."
"Maybe they are stronger than the Eldar themselves," the soldier looked at her.
"It could be. Now go and replenish, something like ammo. There are reports of a huge number of those things approaching our position."
"Yes, ma'am." When the soldier left, Lilith could only sigh heavily.
This defense was very long and tedious. She was beginning to wonder why they simply didn't abandon the planet and then destroy it, but those ideas were quickly expelled from her head due to the sound of screams coming from outside the cathedral. She, along with some officers, went to see, and what she saw surprised her a bit.
"Iron Men?" Lilith asked upon seeing them.
In the courtyard, crushing the dried flowers, there were several Copper Men standing. Some still had Tyranid remnants on their armor, but that didn't stop all the Mech soldiers and even IVs from aiming their weapons at them.
"Greetings," commented one of the AIs, resulting in the sound of weapons increasing.
"Ceasefire!" ordered Lilith.
"You have no rank in this being a scientist," commented a captain.
"In fact, she is the highest-ranking at the moment. We report as Pretorian of the Sixth Generation, Lilith," commented the AI from a moment ago, bowing.
"Who are you?" Lilith questioned, looking at them.
"We are the new models of Artificial Intelligence, designated as Copper Men."
"Did you follow us through the warp?" They shook their heads.
"We are the new Legion of troops for the current Regent Tiamath, loyal until our destruction. With her absent, we will receive orders from you."
"They are AIs, they must have free will, unlike the IVs," Lilith responded.
"Negative, we have renounced free will as penance for our brothers and sisters who rebelled," commented the AI.
"Droids don't have gender!" shouted a soldier, pointing his weapon.
No one said anything; the human weapons were never lowered. Time in the place seemed to have frozen, even the distant sounds of shots, Tyranid roars, or soldiers' screams seemed not to break the tense atmosphere.
"Do you follow orders?" Lilith questioned; the representative AI nodded.
"Yes," Lilith squinted at them, searching for any sign of falsehood, then realized she was looking for faction in a machine.
"All lower your weapons," she ordered, and the vast majority lowered their weapons except for a few.
"Everyone now," she emphasized, and everyone lowered their weapons.
"We are grateful and await orders," commented the Copper Man.
"Search and destroy any enemy Xenos organism, rescue human survivors, whether from the federation or the empire, bring them to this area, and ensure that transport ships land safely... Can you hack Droids?" The Copper Men shook their heads.
"Our arsenal is barely standard parade gear; we have not obtained weapons yet," the AI commented.
"Fantastic. Simple plasma weapons and cutting weapons. Well, just limit your orders to the former. Also, I want a scanner for any new creature you encounter," Lilith said.
"Understood." All the Copper Men, using the thrusters they had, shot up into the air. Once they were gone, a sergeant approached.
"Are you sure about giving them this opportunity?" he questioned seriously.
"If they wanted us dead, they would have done it already. Besides, with those orders, we'll know if they're telling the truth or not," Lilith commented, re-entering the church.

...

The defense of the platform area was difficult and tedious, but it resisted more because, for the moment, the sky was clear of Tyranids, which for Jenkins was extremely strange.
"Reload!" Kamala commented as she dropped the ammunition box while loading another.
"No ammo!" Dimitri shouted, ejecting the bolter pistol magazine.
Jenkins pulled a magazine from his belt and checked if he had more. The problem was that he had no others apart from the one he had just taken out.
"Dimitri, last magazine!" Jenkins shouted. The platform began to shake, and powerful explosions could be heard beneath it. Klaus approached to check and could see how the area below was filling with Tyranids, some of them with what seemed like a cannon on their backs firing at the platform.
"Those things, if they keep shooting like that, will bring down the platform!" Klaus shouted, firing again.
"Where the hell are the reinforcements?!" Dimitri yelled.
"Out of ammo!" Hazan shouted, throwing a grenade into the building. It emitted an orange flash, disintegrating most of the Tyranids, but they were quickly replaced by others.
"Damn it!" Jenkins cursed.
"Hold on!" Kamala activated the dampeners on her mech to maintain stability and keep firing.
Then, another shot hit the platform. It was more powerful and concentrated, causing the platform to stagger. Jenkins and the team lost their balance. Seizing the opportunity, a Hormagaunt leaped, sinking two claws into Jenkins' chest. She spat blood, trying to reach for her weapon.
The Hormagaunt let go just before Hazan severed its head with an energy sword. She was starting to see blurry.
"Am I going to die? I can't die yet. I need to... talk to the Empire. God-Emperor, please help..." Jenkins pleaded in her thoughts as her vision grew darker. But then, she saw something fall onto the platform in front of them. A silhouette that seemed golden landed on the platform, mowing down all the Tyranids in its path.
"...Cus...custodian?" Jenkins mumbled before losing consciousness.

"Tiamath could barely take a few steps, constantly cornered by a massive swarm of Tyranids. Instead of giving her any respite, they kept attacking. Gargoyles dove at her, only to be shot down by the Regent's weapon. With little time to recover, Tyrant Guards lunged at her. One struck her with its whip, but it seemed to have no effect on her skin. In response, Tiamath sliced off its head with the Tyranid sword, but the sword broke in the process.
"Initiate assimilation and enhancement," Tiamath ordered aloud.
The metal plates of her armor began to move, with a large portion flowing towards her hand where she held part of the Tyranid sword. The metal consumed it entirely, and as a replacement, a blade with multiple teeth appeared. These detached and formed a whip, magnetically connected. Though she found the assimilation curious, she continued the battle, managing to dodge the Tyranids' attacks. However, something happened, and they all stopped abruptly, then retreated quickly to another area. It seemed strange to her, but it gave her time to catch her breath. Her breathing seemed heavy.
"Age, truly a formidable enemy. I'll need to put on the implants again," she commented as her armor injected adrenaline and other analgesics. She released a massive groan before continuing.
"Much better." Now walking a bit more calmly through the combat zone, she looked at the rifle she carried. It was heavily damaged and too dirty.
"Assimilation," Tiamath ordered.
The plates moved again, absorbing the rifle. The metal, ammunition, and all its components disintegrated and integrated into the armor. Now, an arm with a miniature cannon appeared, and a visor with a sight and ammunition counter generated in her ear. Unaware, her helmet hit her head, returning due to the assimilation process. She saw it a second before it also disintegrated, reinforcing her body rather than her head. She began running towards her objective, but from what happened, she started to believe there were no survivors left. Nevertheless, she continued her march through the combat zone, observing all the Tyranid corpses—some killed by her, others by someone else. While walking, she noticed a dead gargoyle.
"Analysis," she ordered as she scanned the gargoyle.
Once done, a possible new artifact was projected—a set of foldable wings. After reviewing the analysis, she dismissed the idea. Although it would be interesting, she couldn't equip anything to fly at the moment, especially with these creatures causing more problems, both the ranged and the flying ones. She continued scanning the various types of dead Tyranids in search of improvements. It was somewhat disappointing since most only provided weaponry or enhancements useful for another time. That was until a Lictor suddenly jumped from among the corpses. Tiamath raised her arm with the cannons and shot; the Tyranid fell dead instantly. She approached the body to analyze it.
"What can be done with this?" she asked her suit.
Options began to unfold, with the most eye-catching being the ability to create a cloak that, when fully covered, made her almost completely blend with her surroundings. She decided to use that, and the plates shook again as a fragment detached and began to wrap around the Tyranid. After a few seconds, where there was once a Lictor, only a bloodstain remained. The metal fused back with the rest, and what seemed like fabric emerged on Tiamath's back. As it finished, it could cover her entire body, making it almost invisible at first glance.
"These creatures are a goldmine for new items," she commented aloud while walking towards where the Tyranids had gone.
The more she walked and the automatic scanning of her visor continued to review and replicate data for the creation of a myriad of devices, Tiamath became more and more surprised.
"I hope Lilith's habit of collecting everything she finds means there are many specimens of these creatures to study in the future, to create new devices and weapons," thought the Regent as she continued walking, observing everything.
While walking, she reached a small ravine where she jumped. On one side, there was a cave, and four shots from it made her turn. Using the cloak, she managed to block the laser shots. She turned and, without wasting time, fired her weapon. The shots hit something, but the sound was more metallic than organic. She activated her night vision, and what she saw seemed out of place."
"Robot Castellan?" she questioned aloud.
The Castellan robot fired its cannon again, but the shots didn't hit her suit as electric discharges prevented that. With a single motion of her sword, Tiamath enveloped the droid, then retracted the weapon. The speed with which she did it split the droid into three, and it fell to the ground destroyed and useless.
"This could be very useful. Analysis," she commented.
Her suit began analyzing the remains of the Castellan robot, verifying useful items, including its handheld and shoulder weapons. Designs for incorporating these into the suit were already being created. The shield it possessed could be useful as an area defense, and various parts could become armor components. While her suit continued assimilating the Castellan, she quickly turned to place her sword at the throat of someone attempting to attack her from behind. When she could observe him better, she noticed he looked like some sort of Rambo, including the red headband. He tried to make a move with a knife, but Tiamath was faster and sliced off the hand holding the knife. The soldier said nothing, just stared at her until she had the sword at his throat again.
"One more move, and you die, as well as your comrades." The former cannons of the Castellan, now assimilated, aimed inside the cave, where what seemed to be Astra Militarum personnel slowly emerged.
Upon seeing them, they had their hands raised as the weapon's barrel followed their every move. Along with the one missing a hand, Tiamath counted five Astra Militarum soldiers. But then her visor showed another signature, colder but still semi-organic.
"Tell him to come out now," she commented.
Out came an individual in a red robe, with much of his face being machinery, only his right eye and some parts were still organic. His hands were also still organic but pale, as were his feet.
"One of those Mechanicus folks, all new to me," Tiamath commented, looking at all of them, but none seemed to move.
"Now, all follow me; I'll take you to a safe place." When she insisted, laughter came from the commissar.
"We would never follow the orders of a traitor to humanity," one with more decorated attire, the Imperial Commissar, commented.
"What did you say?" Tiamath's tone was darker than before.
"What you heard. What do your Tau masters call you? Gue'vesa?" mocked the commissar.
In response, Tiamath lifted him by the neck. He didn't seem to struggle or kick, attempting to free himself. But then she felt something impacting her body—shots. The soldiers were shooting at her head, but the shots seemed to disappear upon making contact with her body.
"Stop," the commissar said to his soldiers before Tiamath let him go.
On his neck was the mark of the Regent's hand, and as he was catching his breath, Tiamath lifted him again, this time by the hair.
"What the hell is a Tau?" she questioned as the commissar only stared at her seriously.
"You don't know what Tau is? That's ridiculous," a soldier commented as they watched.
"Just to be clear, I don't belong to those Tau. I'm from the Human Federation of the 25th millennium, you filthy barbarians," she declared.
"Dirty lies, you're a traitor to the Empire. I think I've seen you on a battlefield against the Tau," the commissar received a blow that bent his leg in the wrong way. He only bit his lower lip, almost bleeding.
"25th millennium? Do you mean the Dark Age of Technology?" a soldier questioned.
"Maybe the term you're looking for is the Golden Age."
"No, hahaha, Dark Age is correct." The commissar smiled at Tiamath.
"Explain yourself now," she commented.
"I don't have to answer anything to someone like you. Humans like you and your foolish ineptitude caused too much harm and pain. Because of your ineptitude, we suffered for a long time until the Emperor saved and reunified us," he didn't finish speaking when Tiamath broke his nose with a headbutt. The commissar fell backward, spitting out almost all his front teeth and having his nose completely pulverized.
"I see... you don't like being told the truth, hahaha," laughed the commissar as Tiamath kicked him, breaking his ribs.
"Will you talk now?" she asked, looking at him.
The commissar remained silent. Tiamath's demeanor reflected how valuable that information was to her, and she had now made sure he would never know.
"Speak!" the Regent shouted, losing patience. The commissar said nothing, earning another blow, but this time, it broke one of his legs with a stomp.
"Beat me to death if you want, but I won't do it," he taunted.
Patience had left the Regent, who beat the commissar until he was unconscious.
"Damn, he passed out." Tiamath, tired of it all, took a device from her belt and placed it on the ground. She then exited the cave, allowing a powerful white light to cover it, leaving no one inside.
"Holy See, this is Golden Eagle. Over," she commented.
"Here, Holy see, what's happening, Golden Eagle?"
"I've sent a group of Imperial survivors; one is injured. I want them treated and isolated so that I can interrogate them later. Place Soldier Jenkins in isolation for interrogation as well. Ensure she doesn't come to harm," Tiamath ordered.

"Understood. The package has just arrived. Also, Soldier Jenkins has not arrived yet, but a report from a Copperman sent to her position mentions a seriously injured individual not wearing our uniforms, possibly her. Over."
Tiamath let out a deep sigh as she contemplated what to do with all of this.
"Understood Holy See. Have reinforcements arrived?"
"Reinforcements are still descending to the planet. Flying creatures are above the clouds ambushing transport ships, but most of them are still making it through."
"Understood. I want you to send a squad of heavy Mechs to my position. I'll need them," she ordered.
"Copy that. Your location has been sent to the nearest Mech pilot ship. They'll arrive in three minutes. Hold on."
"Understood. Golden Eagle, out." Tiamath ended the transmission before entering the cave to wait for reinforcements.

The lights of the training ground were too bright. Several recruits were seen dueling with swords while instructors observed and evaluated. In one area, a not-so-spectacular duel was taking place between a recruit and a tan-skinned girl with blonde hair. The girl seemed to be on the ropes as her opponent took advantage of a missed swing, hitting her with the hilt of the sword. She recoiled, receiving a kick to the stomach that made her lose her lunch.
"Recruit Jenkins, pay attention to the fight! Did you just return your lunch?!" shouted the instructor while assessing the duel.
The fight continued with Jenkins trying to focus on her opponent, but her already-finished companions made noise and tried to distract the adversaries. Jenkins, who blocked what seemed like a thrown can, was knocked down, and her opponent placed the sword at her neck.

"Well done, Recruit Brigmant. Go rest! You, Recruit Jenkins, that was disastrous, abhorrent. In a real combat scenario, you'd be dead! What's your excuse?!" yelled the instructor at Jenkins.
"Sir, my comrades were distracting me from the fight, sir!" Jenkins commented, earning herself a slap.
"In war, there will be many distractions! You must learn from them and focus! For being the worst performer, you will stay here to clean everything, have no dinner, and tomorrow morning, you'll report for a new combat attempt! Is that clear, recruit?!" shouted the instructor.
"Sir, yes, sir!" replied Jenkins.
In that moment, they threw a mop and a bucket at her. She began to mop the floor while watching her comrades leave and hearing the automatic door close. She just sighed; she couldn't even attend to her wounds. As she mopped the floor, a few drops of blood fell, but she kept on mopping until the door opened.
"So, here you are. I thought you'd leave me hanging at dinner," an elderly voice spoke up. Jenkins looked and saw that it was her mentor.
"Master Cain!" Jenkins exclaimed, seeing her mentor.
"Hello, girl. Cleaning again?" Cain asked, approaching.
The great hero of the empire showed signs of advanced age. His once-black hair was now silver, and his skin displayed some wrinkles, but he remained as lively as ever.
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir," Jenkins replied firmly but received a hit on the head from the commissar.
"I told you not to be formal with me. Just call me Cain. So, you lost in hand-to-hand combat?" The commissar examined the class record for a moment.
"Yes, the others wouldn't stop distracting me, which led to my defeat," Jenkins explained and received another hit on the head.
"I've told you to ignore distractions. A commissar must always stay focused and ignore everything happening around them. Your duty is to lead the troops, think with a clear head. Letting trivial things distract you is a sign that you're not cut out to be a commissar," Cain commented, causing Jenkins to lower her head.
"And that's a good thing. Your attitude is not that of a commissar because remember, many commissars meet an honorable death due to ten shots in the back." Jenkins laughed at the joke, mainly because she knew it was true.
"I understand, Master," she replied.
Cain went to an area where the sabers were kept, took two, handed one to Jenkins, and they got into position to spar.

After a few minutes of waiting, a transport ship arrived in the area. It had various damages to its chassis, and its weapons still smoked after firing. Six mechs, each almost four meters tall, descended from it, equipped with heavy weapons ranging from cannons, flamethrowers, and heavy missile launchers.
"Here is the Salamander Squadron of Nocturne," the main mech announced, featuring a dragon's face painted on the front.
"It's good to see all of you," Tiamath commented, looking at them.
"The feeling is mutual, Regent. Where are we headed?" asked the Mech leader.
"To the north. It seems something is happening there." The regent activated the wings she had scanned earlier and flew alongside the heavy mechs.
The journey was short, but distant gunfire could already be heard. The soldiers quickened their pace, while from the air, the regent scanned the terrain for anything useful until she detected something.
"Move forward; I'll check something," she commented as she descended towards a body impaled by what seemed to be a Tyranid's sword.
She moved the corpse, revealing that it was an Imperial soldier, an Ultramarine, with holes in his armor unrelated to the weapon. Tiamath began scanning with her armor, but an error popped up.
"What's happening?" she questioned, and a notification unfolded.
"Combat armor of large size, requires a reset of 90% of the previously obtained characteristics. Note: accepting the previous characteristics will be lost."
"Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of this armor," she ordered.
"Advantages: increased physical strength, speed, enhanced resistance, increased electronic characteristics, weapon improvements. Disadvantages: impossible size reduction, disabled aiming assistance and mobility, requires superior Virtual Intelligence, loss of other acquired functions." It finished writing the different advantages and disadvantages.
"Initiate formatting and assimilation," Tiamath ordered.
"Attention: the user will be unprotected. It is recommended to have a guard," the machine commented.
"Attention, Mechs, I need you to come to my position now," Tiamath said over her communicator. The Mechs quickly arrived at the area where Tiamath was.
"Order, Regent," the captain said.
"I need you to protect me while the armor assimilates an official material from the Empire right under your noses."
Having said that, both the armor pieces and the weapons and mesh underneath traveled towards the Ultramarine's corpse. Tiamath was momentarily naked while the suit finished assimilating. Once done, a black mass that almost looked like tar covered her completely. Thousands of blue-toned circuits began activating all over the full-body mesh. Then, a huge sphere that looked like liquid metal covered her, growing a bit before gaining volume. After a few moments, a suit resembling a Space Marine's but gray without ornaments, and futuristic, became visible. On her left arm, an opening revealed two energy claws, while on the other, an energy shield appeared. In her hand, a heavy assault rifle, much larger than the discarded bolter, began to form. The difference was that this one seemed to be energy-based rather than using physical ammunition. Tiamath examined the weapon to find its characteristics; her suit's visor now displayed not only different heart rate and life indicators but also an ammo counter and the status of the armor.
"Weapon analysis," she commented.
"Heavy Ionic Assault Rifle, chambered ammunition: 200 rounds, magazine ammunition: 10 cooling cartridges, a total of 150 shots per cartridge," she received the report before returning to the Mechs.
"What technology is that, Regent? I don't recall it," the captain commented.

"Experimental technology, a mixture of Plasteel, Ceramite, and a metal we obtained from some strange ruins," Tiamath explained.
"Ruins? What kind of ruins?" the captain questioned.
"I don't recall the details, but they had a phosphorescent green hue where robots seemed to be dormant. From what little we managed to translate from their writings, this metal is called Necrodermis. We've been trying to replicate it for almost 1500 years, and this armor I managed to recover is one of the few prototypes obtained," Tiamath commented as they walked toward what seemed to be a massive crater where the Tyranids seemed to be clustering.
Upon reaching the crater area, she observed the remnants of one of these bio-ships and how the Tyranids were entering. Not only the smaller ones like Hormagaunts but also massive ones known as Hierophants were entering what remained of the Tyranid bio-ship. Besides, gunfire could be heard coming from the inside.
"What do we do, Regent?" one of the Mechs asked.
"Fire your artillery, let the flamethrowers defend the gunners, I'll get closer," Tiamath commented.
"Understood, Fire!" the Mech leader shouted.
The heavy Mechs began firing their missiles into the air. The whistling of these weapons caught the attention of the Tyranids until they hit. Instead of a common explosion, there was a strong, almost invisible shockwave, and the nearby Tyranids exploded. Some of the larger ones were split in half. Tiamath started running toward the entrance, colliding with Tyranids that got in her way. The missile shots continued, and like before, there was no conventional explosion, only a tremor, and the Tyranids exploded.
She entered what remained of the bio-ship and could already see a pitched battle in the distance. She aimed her weapon, zoomed in, and saw that they were Ultramarines fighting a creature twice their size. This creature had what looked like its brain exposed on its neck. Tiamath fired two shots from her weapon, shots that would have been lethal for anyone else, but this thing dodged them. Undeterred, she charged again, reaching the Ultramarines or what was left of them.
"What's a Grey Knight doing here?" an Ultramarine asked. Despite everything happening, they did not lose their calm, which Tiamath admired.
"I am not one of those Grey Knights," Tiamath commented as she placed a beacon on the ground, generating a protective sphere. This was utilized by the surviving Ultramarines to reload their weapons.
"No, you're right, you're not," the recently speaking Ultramarine raised his Bolter towards Tiamath.
"I see that in this era, they show gratitude to those who save their hides by aiming a weapon at them," Tiamath looked at the Ultramarine.

He didn't get to say anything because the barrier was destroyed by several shots of psychic energy from different Zoanthropes. When the barrier fell, that unknown Tyranid with its huge claws stabbed the marine and then, with its mandibles, split him in half.
"Damn..." Tiamath commented, watching that.
Even though this giant was holding its ground, the smaller ones managed to surround them. Another Ultramarine was overwhelmed as the Tyranids began devouring him. Cassius lost his Bolter, having to draw his chainsword and started cutting through the Tyranids in a frenzied shower of blood, while Tiamath, who had stored her weapon, did the same with the retractable claws of her armor.
"We need to go!" Tiamath shouted.
"Not until the Norn Queen is dead!" Cassius shouted as he decapitated a Hormagaunt.
"We'll be the dead ones if we don't leave now! Mech, attention! Bombard my position; we need to get out of here!" Tiamath shouted.
"Understood," was heard over the radio.
The whistling of the missiles didn't take long, and they began to fall in the area. The shockwaves disintegrating the Tyranids were more potent, even affecting that unknown Tyranid, which turned out to be a Norn Emissary. However, it wasn't killed but lost what seemed to be an arm.
"It's weakened!" Tiamath shouted.
Both grabbed their weapons again and opened fire on the Norn Emissary, which was now annihilated. But the victory was short-lived, as two more Emissaries appeared from the entrance where the Norn Queen should be.
"Damn it... retreat now!" Tiamath shouted.
Cassius tried to reach the Apothecary's body, which had the tool to extract the genetic seed, but he didn't make it in time as one of those Norn Emissaries crushed him. Both had to run out of the area while the bombardment continued. When they reached the Mechs, Cassius looked almost paralyzed, but nothing could be distinguished through his helmet.
"Mission failed; we underestimated these things. Let's go back to the church," Tiamath commented.
"Understood, preparing teleportation beacon," the Mech captain said.
In that moment, a massive gray platform appeared beneath them, and everyone present, including Cassius, was teleported to the Church, precisely at the entrance where more ships with reinforcements were arriving. Upon arrival, Tiamath fell to her knees, exhausted. She deactivated her helmet and began to breathe heavily, as if lacking air.
"Medicine," she said, and her suit administered the medicine. Her breathing returned to normal.
"I have to regain my youth; if I continue like this, I won't survive," Tiamath commented as she caught her breath due to fatigue.
"They weren't lying," Cassius said, observing the large number of ships and vehicles that were strange to him but obviously designed by humans. The most striking thing was that where the Imperial Aquila should be, there were enormous shields that he didn't recognize on the landing doors, as well as on the Mechs and armor of the soldiers. This only confirmed what they were saying.
"Obviously not," Tiamath commented, looking at everyone.
Two soldiers quickly approached where the Regent was.
"Regent Tiamath, it's good to see you safe. Come, they need you urgently," one of the soldiers said.
The regent and the Ultramarine followed the soldiers toward the church. As they entered, a huge commotion could be heard coming from the infirmary. Upon arrival, they saw several soldiers aiming their weapons at a woman in armor who had a scientist as a hostage. In front of them, Lilith was aiming her shotgun.
"Back, filthy heretics!" the Sister of Battle shouted. Suddenly, a powerful shot rang out...