"I understand."
"Lord Governor."
Marshal Koro sought instructions from Cisrain behind him.
"Bzzzzzzzz."
"Bzzzzzzzz."
A long-familiar sound rang in his head.
For some time now, it had been like a daily alarm, urging him onward.
Cisrain was almost getting used to it.
He hadn't even been back to rest for a few days.
And the Emperor was already pushing him to hurry up again.
I know you're in a hurry, but hold your horses. There's no point in rushing. Even livestock need time to grow before they can be sent to market.
At least give me some time!
This time, as he went after the Tau Empire, he wasn't counting on the Emperor's side to provide much help in the way of combat strength.
After all, the Imperium's borders were vast and its enemies numerous. The Emperor had to intervene on every important battlefield; even the legions from the Golden Age might not be enough.
When Cisrain was dealing with other factions, all he needed was for Chaos, the Imperium, and the other forces he was fighting not to sneak attack his home.
He hoped the Emperor's soldiers would pull their weight.
By now, every resource from Utopia had been loaded onto the carriage of the great expeditionary age.
There was no stopping them now.
As for his side, there was no need to overthink it. He just had to get on with it.
If the sky fell on Chaos, the Emperor would be there to hold it up.
As for himself, he had to clear away every obstacle in the path of his expansion as efficiently as possible and rapidly grow his power.
Even if those obstacles had never provoked him.
Even if his enemies had no intention of opposing him.
He still had to do it.
The radiance of Gamma World had to reach every corner of this universe.
His personal will had to stand above all that was good or evil, right or wrong.
The survival of civilized species would always come first.
Humanity had to rule the galaxy.
And he had to lead human civilization across the universe.
This was the will of Gamma World.
And it was his own will, too.
To achieve that—
he would use whatever means were necessary when the time came.
He would overturn everything that currently existed in the universe.
We are humanity.
We are its people.
We know all.
We rule all.
Every great achievement is forged through sacrifice.
They need not understand. They must obey.
Humanity above all!
[Event complete: Salamander gene modification technology (upgrade available)]
[Dark Matter Engine research: 80% complete]
[Crisis progress: 18.9%]
By the time the expedition set out, he should be able to complete Crisis Ascension and enter the second stage.
The third stage of the crisis would restore the glory of the human Golden Age in full.
And the fourth stage—
Of course, all of this depended on taking the Forge World left behind by the Golden Age.
No matter how many people the enemy had, or how large a war this became, Cisrain had only one demand.
"Take the Forge World!!!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
[Salamander Gene-seed Program, mission initializing]
The call to arms sounded across the skies of Gamma World.
The hands of the clock above Utopia, Gamma World's ideal city, pointed toward the two dazzling stars in the sky.
The smelting furnaces of Utopia roared as steel clashed against flame.
The engines of the First Fleet's main warships spewed plasma flames powerful enough to "burn through" the universe.
This was Gamma World's first truly all-out Great Crusade—and an expedition worthy of being recorded in the annals of history.
Gamma World committed all its resources from the past ten years, mobilized nearly ten million combat troops, support personnel, and special forces, and drew on assets donated by hundreds of millions of its people. Thousands of military contractors and tens of thousands of private businesses contributed ten mining ships, three survey ships, one hundred aircraft, ten billion bullets, and tens of millions of shells and torpedoes.
The three chief administrators, dozens of departments, over a million documents, and hundreds of millions of resource transfers were all involved.
Perhaps that scale seemed insignificant to the great powers.
But it was everything Gamma World could bring to bear, from top to bottom.
"Set out!"
"Set out!!"
"Set out!!!"
Above Gamma World,
a vast port held warships that were still under construction. Even so, they had been brought in to serve as transports. The station's machinery was packed with modules, and workers were still piling on the last of the supplies before departure.
[Force field shield inspection: complete]
[Power system inspection: complete]
[Gun turrets.]
Their resources were limited.
Every usable military, civilian, and commercial vessel and fleet had been enlisted.
One unfinished destroyer, ten three-hundred-meter mining ships, three survey ships, one research vessel, and a dozen or so civilian merchant ships following behind.
Ozrax.
A research vessel was departing the port in the sky.
"Master Brown, we've completely cracked the data in the Tau Empire's battlesuits and Drones with our universal key. We're cleaning and overwriting all the data now. Once we upload it to the enemy warships' control centers, we'll be able to temporarily paralyze their command centers."
"Once the overwrite is complete, send the data to Lord Governor."
"Master Brown, our sensors have detected a sudden increase in subspace energy zones in some parts of Ozrax."
"Understood. Have the biological research lab look into it. And make sure every Psionic detector is working properly. We need to do whatever it takes to ensure this expedition goes smoothly."
Tangle.
People on the ground looked up at the sky as Drop Pods roared past one after another, being recovered by Battle Barges and Drones.
Even the badly damaged ones were added to the list of usable equipment, as long as they still worked.
The Tau Empire battleships in the sky had not yet been repaired, but they were already being brought under control and urgently added to the fleet.
All that remained on this planet was the steel furnace, tearing at the veins of ore, while tunneling machines like giant worms swallowed the rocks with grinding roars. Billowing smoke was turning the entire sky gray.
Beyond the two fortress worlds,
lay the Tau Empire's homeworld.
"Our intelligent systems have discovered technology left behind in ancient times. We've found weapon manufacturing templates from the most glorious era of the 'Imperium of Man.'"
"Oh?"
The various castes of the Tau Empire each had their own duties, with every caste serving a different purpose.
The Tau of the Fire Caste were the strongest physically among their people and were warlike, making them the Tau Empire's dedicated fighting force. Fire Warriors took part in every war.
The Water Caste excelled at diplomacy, so its members served as civil officials. The Earth Caste possessed innovative minds and controlled technology. The Air Caste piloted airships and warships, while the Ethereals were the Tau Empire's absolute rulers. They had long lifespans and Psionic powers.
In their clashes with the Imperium of Man,
the Tau Empire had humbled the proud Imperium. But they had also learned about the once-glorious human civilization. Even the "Forge Worlds" humanity still possessed were few and far between. So the Tau Empire's own "Forge World" was not something Noah King, commander of the Eastern Sector, could afford to abandon.
"Take it!"
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