Colony One (Part 2, Combined)

"Captain Litosys, remember this well. Your mission is very simple: assess the condition of that world. You do not need to do anything else. Understood? Under any circumstances, you are to make your own survival your absolute first priority."

Litosys, wearing his helmet, nodded silently.

He stood inside a silver room, wearing the Astra Militarum's newest model of Power Armor, one that had not even entered service yet. He was the first to use it. The streamlined black armor looked simple, with only the Empire's Aquila emblem on the chest, every other part clean and efficient.

But it lacked none of the functions. Four primary modes. Combat mode assisted the soldier and provided extremely high firing accuracy.

Stealth mode was designed for infiltration. It could eliminate footsteps and the user's outline, making it no different from invisibility, though it could still be detected by thermal scans. That counted as one of the flaws caused by the short development time, and would be improved later.

Melee mode—its purpose was obvious from the name. When close combat became unavoidable, it strengthened the armor's defenses and increased the soldier's strength.

And then there was the final mode. Overload.

At the cost of temporarily losing all auxiliary abilities, it enhanced the user's physical attributes in an instant. The Mechanicus Priest who had introduced this Power Armor to Litosys had told him very solemnly that unless it was absolutely necessary, he must never use this mode.

Apart from these modes, this set of Power Armor had every ability Power Armor should have, such as enhanced strength, speed, and reaction time. And because of the built-in Glyph Array, it could provide even more.

"You have three days to gather information and assess that world. I will emphasize this again, Captain Litosys. The Empire does not wish