Conquering the Moon

The Astartes were more stable and more lethal than the Thunder Warriors.

They were born to serve war.

This was true for both body and soul.

They crushed all enemies in their path with superior combat skills.

Unleashing the fires of destruction upon the enemy's front lines.

Turrets were destroyed, and monsters forged through gene technology were mowed down in swathes by concentrated bolter fire.

The final defensive line, the Gene Cult's greatest pride, fell within an hour.

The Imperial armies advanced towards the Gene Cult's temple district, crushing their last resistance.

Inside the Gene Core Temple.

Matriarch Heliosa-54, the supreme controller of the Gene Cult, summoned her most favored disciple, Ta'lab Vita-37.

"The Tyrant's forces have broken through the final defense line and will soon reach the temple. You must take the Primal Master Copy and leave."

The Matriarch looked at the young woman before her and issued her command.

"Why does the Tyrant want to destroy us?" Ta'lab Vita-37 asked.

"He doesn't want to destroy us," the Matriarch shook her head. "He merely wants us to participate in his grand project."

"So you're staying here," Ta'lab Vita-37 looked confused. "But why must I leave?"

The Matriarch extended her needle-sharp, nimble hand and placed it on Ta'lab Vita-37's forehead.

A stream of light, swirling like a gene helix, appeared at her fingertips and entered Ta'lab Vita-37's mind.

Ta'lab Vita-37 felt a massive influx of knowledge and information flood her brain.

"The Primal Master Copy contains humanity's purest genes and all the genetic knowledge humanity has acquired since leaving Terra. It must never fall into the hands of a tyrant."

"The Gene Cult must survive, but the Primal Master Copy must never be handed over to the Emperor."

"All the knowledge I possess has been given to you. If, one day, the Tyrant destroys himself through his own madness, the Primal Master Copy may be the key to saving humanity."

Ta'lab Vita-37 bowed, her hands clasped across her chest.

"I will never disappoint you, my esteemed Matriarch."

With that, she turned and left.

The Matriarch then began formatting all information pertaining to Ta'lab Vita-37, ensuring no one could find her.

As the memories of the other woman vanished with the erasure of synaptic connections, she shed tears.

She loved Ta'lab Vita-37 as if she were her own daughter.

And now, she had forgotten everything about her, with not a single memory of her remaining in her mind.

Having completed this, she turned to the Gene Weaver's console and opened a full-channel broadcast.

"Please cease your attack. We surrender."

Meanwhile, Ta'lab Vita-37, carrying the Matriarch's knowledge and the Primal Master Copy retrieved from the Vault of Ten Thousand Histories, departed the temple through a secret passage.

However, her escape journey had ended before it even began.

As she emerged from the secret passage, she found several members of the Adeptus Custodes clad in golden armor waiting for her at the exit.

Leading them was the commander of the Adeptus Custodes, Waldo.

Ta'lab Vita-37 had no idea how she had been exposed.

But the moment she saw the golden-armored warriors, she instinctively tried to flee backward, only to find her retreat blocked.

"What do you want?" Ta'lab Vita-37's voice was filled with terror.

She had heard of the Tyrant's golden-armored warriors.

They were pure instruments of war, born for only one purpose: to kill.

Waldo took a step forward. "I don't want to hurt you, but you must hand over what you have."

"Hand over what?"

"The Primal Master Copy."

The response sent Ta'lab Vita-37 recoiling in fear.

"Absolutely not," she shouted, ordering her guards to stop them.

Her guards faithfully carried out her command.

However, the charging guards were cleaved into pieces by the halberds wielded by the Adeptus Custodes in less than a breath.

The gap in their strength was so vast it inspired despair.

Even with her genetic enhancements and cybernetic implants, Ta'lab Vita-37 couldn't even track the movements of the Adeptus Custodes.

They were too fast.

The Primal Master Copy in Ta'lab Vita-37's hand was snatched away, and she herself was subdued by the Adeptus Custodes, then escorted into a shuttle and taken away from the moon.

"How did you know they would transfer the Primal Master Copy?" Waldo turned his head to look at the Raven perched on his shoulder.

"The universe is a book to me, and I have the ability to read it."

The Raven preened its feathers with its beak.

"This woman obtained all the knowledge of the Gene Cult and the Primal Master Copy. More importantly, all her information was erased by the Gene Cult."

"No one knows her identity. She's practically the chosen one for the position of head of the secret laboratory."

"I know."

Waldo didn't particularly like others telling him what to do.

But considering the Raven's special status, he still nodded.

"Now that the matter on Luna is over, let's go get some fries to cheer ourselves up."

"You really like that fried food?" Waldo asked.

"You have to like something, otherwise life would be too boring," the Raven said.

"One is born to fulfill their duty, how could that be boring?"

Waldo couldn't understand the Raven's words.

Why did life need enjoyment?

The Raven tilted its head and looked at the stern-faced Custodian Prefect.

"Big Corn Cob, if you no longer needed to protect the Emperor, what would you do?"

"Me?" Waldo pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "That day will never come. My duty will only end with my death."

"Fine, I knew talking to you about this was like playing the lute to a cow." The Raven shook its head.

"Let's go, get me some fries when we get back. The ketchup last time was mediocre. You should find some unpolluted tomatoes to use as ingredients."

"You're too picky."

"As the advisor to the big guy, don't I even have the privilege of eating good ketchup? Believe it or not, I'll badmouth the big guy and have him send you bunch of corn cobs to guard the reservoir."

"Alright, I'll have the Custodes search all of Terra for various tomatoes and make sauces for you to choose from."

"Big Corn Cob, that's the right attitude. When the time comes, and I'm strong enough, I'll definitely persuade the Emperor to take you to other universes to broaden your horizons."

The matriarch of the Gene Cult surrendered to the Emperor with the survivors.

The Empire's territory expanded once more.

Terra and Luna, two planets with special significance to humanity, both fell into the Emperor's hands.

Upon receiving the news of victory, Malcador immediately led his people from Terra to Luna to begin the reconstruction work.

They repaired the long-dormant machines and sent people to clear out the monstrous creatures roaming the surface.

The climate controllers also began to operate again, creating a habitable atmosphere for Luna.

Once Luna was brought back into order and production resumed, the Emperor convened a new meeting.

"The Gene Cult has sworn eternal allegiance to the Empire. With their gene technology and machines, we can immediately begin mass-producing Astartes warriors."

"But if we want to launch a galactic expedition, warriors alone are not enough. We still need a sufficient number of warships, so our next target is Mars."

PS: Big Corn Cob, internet picture. Also, looking for some female Custodes pictures to post in the comments.

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Dear readers, please.