Warhammer version of The Matrix??

The dark and cold Void was distorted by an unseen force.

A rift appeared out of nowhere, and a massive fleet of hundreds of warships surged from the Empyrean.

Upon entering realspace, their Gellar fields flickered and died, replaced by raised Void shields.

The prows of these vessels were adorned with enormous golden double-headed eagles.

Along their flanks stood towering religious sculptures and rows of macro-cannon emplacements.

The fleet emerged from the cosmic rift, its powerful aura sending tremors through all.

The ships ignited their reality engines, adjusted their courses, and charged towards the burning star at full speed.

The Emperor's Grand Plan, leading the vanguard, released an invisible giant net as soon as it entered realspace.

It diligently absorbed the available data from the star system before it.

The fleet received very little information.

Beyond the basic data on the major planets, star rings, and asteroid belts, there was nothing else.

Through database comparison, the fleet learned that this star system was named Cenus.

It possessed multiple colonies.

After reconnaissance scans, the Imperium discovered that the technology of these colonies had regressed.

Some colonies even had historical gaps.

The achievements of their ancestors had become mere myths to their descendants, who had fallen into an age of ignorance.

Reclaiming these colonies was a simple matter.

The Imperium's forces descended from the heavens, and the ignorant brethren regarded them as gods.

The local rulers promptly surrendered, not daring to even consider resistance.

Everything proceeded so smoothly.

Only the situation on Planet Cenus III was somewhat peculiar.

The abandoned orbital ring stations and satellite platforms in the planet's orbit.

These indicated that Planet Cenus III had once been a highly advanced technological world.

Now, the entire planet was shrouded in thick dark clouds and electromagnetic storms.

Any electronic equipment that passed through the cloud layer, filled with electromagnetic currents, risked malfunction and loss of control. They severed the connection between the world of Cenus and the Void.

They also blocked the path for the colony's residents who wished to return to the Void.

The Imperium used various instruments to probe the surface.

Due to interference from the clouds and electromagnetic storms, the returned data signals were scarce and noisy.

The Mechanicus Sages utilized immense computational power to extract usable information from the noisy data signals.

They confirmed the presence of significant mechanical activity and human life signals on the surface.

The fleet issued a communication request to the other party according to standard contact procedures.

They hoped that Planet Cenus III would peacefully submit to the Imperium.

The Imperium's diplomatic envoy tried every means to convey the bright vision the Imperium had built.

Their words conveyed a beautiful hope for humanity's reunification and its return to its peak.

Their efforts only yielded a strange reply.

[Human.Error.Purge]

[Human.Error.Purge.Thought]

The fleet, having received no further information, remained stationary in the Void.

"Let me go to the surface. As long as there's still a chance for a peaceful resolution, we shouldn't give up."

The Imperium's diplomatic envoy displayed a side of courage and benevolence.

After deliberation by the high command, they decided to let him try.

The diplomatic envoy boarded a golden vessel, escorted by fighter craft, and crossed through the thick cloud layer.

The sensors carried by the vessel captured the scene beneath the clouds.

The planet's surface was a landscape of metal structures stretching to the horizon.

Not a speck of green vegetation or soil was visible.

Black metal buildings stood tall on the surface.

Some towered into the clouds, while others covered vast areas.

The buildings were dotted with crimson indicator lights, flashing in the dim sky, casting a scarlet hue even upon the mist enveloping the city.

Flying craft resembling octopuses, trailing mechanical tentacles, weaved between the tall buildings.

"This is a civilized world. I will do my utmost to ensure their peaceful submission."

"Use their strength for the Great Crusade, not for slaughtering their own kin."

The diplomatic envoy's tone was excited as he reported to the fleet.

His eyes shone with the light of ideals and hope.

Boom!

Whoosh!

The ground artillery array opened fire.

Dense beams and missiles streaked towards the ships carrying the envoy delegation, destroying them.

The scorching wreckage became meteors falling to the ground, forming terrifying explosions.

The pacifist diplomatic envoy met a tragic end, dying before he could even see the native inhabitants of Cennus III.

Many commanders on the fleet were shocked by this atrocity.

The envoy ships carried no weapons.

Even if they refused peace talks, they should not have massacred unarmed envoys.

"Bring them enlightenment."

The Emperor issued combat orders to the army.

The Imperium had offered Cennus III a peaceful choice, but they had refused.

Then, only the Imperium's vengeful fury would follow.

The fleet aimed its lance, macro, and missile launch platforms at the surface, commencing orbital bombardment.

Frenzied artillery fire rained down like a storm on designated drop zones and key military structures.

Many buildings were destroyed in the bombardment, reduced to smoking ruins.

Some special structures erected shields, withstanding the furious orbital bombardment.

The fleet's sensors continuously scanned the enemy's defenses.

Once the enemy's anti-air fire was completely neutralized, the boarding operation began.

"I will surely achieve victory, Father. Witness the rise of Horus."

On boarding deck 66, Horus and the warriors of the Sixteenth Legion were conducting final readiness checks.

Horus hoped to achieve a good result in this battle.

He wanted to prove to everyone in the Imperium that Horus was the Emperor's strongest, most outstanding, and most reliable son.

"Whether in the arena or on the battlefield, I will not fail."

Angron and the warriors of the Twelfth Legion stood together.

He viewed this drop as a new gladiatorial bout.

He firmly believed he would achieve victory and weave a new Crimson Victor Rope.

The Victor Rope was a custom of the Nuceria gladiators.

It was woven after each bout.

Red represented victory, and black represented defeat.

Angron's Victor Rope had remained red since the day he entered the arena.

He was an undefeated warrior, the Crimson King, the Angel of Battle.

The drop operation commenced.

The Twelfth and Sixteenth Legions were deployed as vanguards.

Upon landing, Horus was astonished to discover that their opponents were not humans, but pure mechanical units.

They had no fear of death, nor any cowardly emotions like fear or panic.

They merely executed preset programmed instructions with unwavering resolve, launching attacks against the Imperium's forces.

They were the most stubborn of enemies; this battle would only end when they were all annihilated.

The combat between the two sides was extremely fierce.

On one side were the Astartes Legions, filled with vengeful fury and indomitable will.

On the other were the mechanical units, absolutely rational and incapable of fear.

The battle situation became a stalemate.

Deadly weapons such as the Ignition Assault Rifle, Heavy Bolter, and Plasma Cannon were all deployed.

The Imperium's Titans were also dropped onto the surface.

Relying on their colossal size and Plasma Incinerators as large as skyscrapers, they carved a path of destruction through the metal city.

In the long and brutal war of attrition, the scales of victory gradually tipped in favor of the Imperium.

The landing forces of the two Legions annihilated all mechanical enemies near their landing zones.

They began to push deeper, expanding their occupation and establishing fortifications.

Angron led a squad of Twelfth Legion warriors in the assault on a magnificent domed structure, where they discovered something horrific.

Inside the building were countless nutrient pods, all containing humans.

Infants, children, adolescents, youths, middle-aged, elderly, men, and women.

Various data cables were connected to their bodies, sustaining their lives.

They were all in a deep sleep, seemingly trapped within a virtual world.

This news was quickly relayed back to the fleet.

"The Matrix?"

The Raven, upon seeing the visual data uploaded by the Twelfth Legion, instinctively thought of this.

But he quickly dismissed the absurd notion.

Biological batteries could not possibly support such a massive mechanical planet.

These humans were likely being used for a far more sinister purpose.

PS: Daily Loyalty, Krieg's BBQ

Thanks to book friends 20210830221342447, 20181231093153941, WRYYYYYY, Bored, Come! Execute this caterpillar, and these esteemed book friends for their tips.

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