The Age of Mankind

Imperial World Feros | Orbit | Dominus Imperium

- My lord, we have arrived at our destination. - Achilles pulled me away from an ancient book in the collection. It was about the night sky and the constellations.

- Is there anyone in the system? - I don't want to be discovered near a forbidden planet.

- Negative, we're alone. Ruins of an ancient xeno race have been discovered on the planet, presumably an ancient polis. What are your orders?

- Scan the planet and give me a full report; I'll be in the armoury.

- Understood, Overlord. - The hologram disappeared, and, putting the book back on the shelf, I walked through the map hologram to the lifts that would take me to the landing bays.

I walked between the flat and motionless rows of machines. The very bots left over from the synthetic race. The finest machines I had ever seen, their construction still beyond my comprehension, and the Mechanicus unable to build anything like them. Everything about them was so perfect and incomprehensible that dismantling them was simply destroying them. We simply need the technology to dismantle them without destroying them. The secrets...

I ran my hand over the matted armour of the car and once again felt something unspeakable. As soon as I touched it, I could hear voices in my head, children's laughter, the noise of the streets, and plants. This armour was preserving the history of those who made it, absorbing their essence. The synthetics simply protected the creators who lived within their creations. I'll never know, or...

Right, no distractions! Placing my hand on the exact centre of the breastplate, I channelled energy into it, bringing the metal to life. Soon the visors flashed, and an ancient mechanism with an ancient Goeth inside looked up at me. After repeating the process with half a hundred more machines, I ordered them to line up near the landing craft.

- Achilles! - What can you tell me about this planet?

- Semi-desert planet. Most of it is occupied by the ruins of a large settlement of an ancient race. Heavy dust pollution in the atmosphere. Temperature - no more than 10 degrees. Gravity is normal. Pressure is normal. Nothing unusual was detected.

- You need to look in a different place; this differs from our discussion. Prepare the Ferro cohort for battle. The theatre is cities and narrow corridors. The enemies are biological objects, plants, and mutants.

- Thermal or flamethrower weapons are recommended.

- Set up units with jungle weapons and a defence complex against predators. - I thought for a second," And plasma weapons, too; Dick knows what to expect from the Bush.

- Roger, weapons loading will start in a few minutes. Any orders?

- Prepare the shuttles for launch, and when we're out, get into orbit and cover us from there.

- Understood. - With these words, I went to my quarters to prepare for the journey.

The Jibes broke through the clouds and headed for the ground. I wasn't afraid of the overloads, and the techno-ghost controlling the shuttle squeezed the maximum out of the machine.

- Any luck picking up the signal? - I talked to Achilles on my communicator, surrounded by dozens of bots.

- Yes, Overlord. As soon as you entered the atmosphere, I detected activity in an area of ancient ruins. The signal was relayed to all parts of the planet, suggesting a trap.

- I'm not even surprised. As soon as I give the order, you'll have to torch some areas from orbit. In the meantime, I'll manage on my own.

- Understood, returning to orbit. - The ship's silhouette began to fade into the atmosphere's blue. And our ships were approaching the end of the distance to Earth.

The bots took the position, dismantling sectors as I surveyed our target with the built-in zoom. A huge area completely covered in ruins. That's where our target lives.

- One," a bot-goet with officer insignia on his armour approached me, "what about the signals?

- Obviously, someone is around us, but they're not showing themselves. - his metallic voice gave out information in a monotone. - The motion sensors are picking up constant movement around us. The cohort is ready to move.

- Good, I even know who's running around us. Mark all objects as hostile; nobody can be here but us. Destroy everything on approach; save energy if it's in the distance. Start the advance! - The platforms began to move, taking me into the ring, and a dozen of them disappeared into the rubble, blending into the terrain.

As our party moved through the ruins of the long-dead Protheans, I constantly felt we were being watched. It would be nonsense if they weren't. Surely the Root is worried about his defences, and his creatures wander among the rubble. We don't look like the kind of colonists it would use or be influenced by, and these two are like signals to it, almost... Still, it's strange how much ruin there is here. Normally you'd find whole lighthouses or something like that, but these are just structures. I didn't think much of it when I played in my last life, but it's a drag now. Maybe we're...

- Locked on to a cluster of targets," the First stopped abruptly, "moving towards us.

I activated the projector in the palm of my hand, which displayed a map of the area. It showed a diamond formation with me in the centre, a chain of scouts around us and a huge horde of red signals moving towards us.

- Launch a scout and give me a picture! - A small, nimble craft burst from the rear of a platform and soared into the air. Soon I could see an image of the approaching objects.

Human-like, bald creatures with long claws on their arms. They hurtled through the liquid vegetation and ruins, heading straight for our group. The Bush seemed determined to wipe us out in one fell swoop.

- Mark all targets as hostile and destroy them at every opportunity.

- Roger that. - The platforms took positions behind the piles of rubble and rocks, their guns trained on the approaching enemy.

- The forward scouts will let them through and watch the room while we care for it. I don't want any more coming at us from anywhere else!

Soon the first creatures appeared, and they came down almost immediately with holes in them from the energy pulses. Still, those that followed crawled towards us over their own corpses. By the time we landed in the evening, the pulse trails had added a strange, intrinsic beauty to the battles. The creatures choked on blood, or whatever it was carrying, but continued towards us, paying for every metre with hundreds of congeners. But they had crossed the line marked by the system and were coming dangerously close to our position. And that meant as they used to say, "It's up to the Triarchs". Ahead came the heavy platforms, each carrying a canister of fuel. One of the Adeptos had developed it to protect the colonies from vermin and other pests. The stuff burned even in airless space and on water. The temperature could rise to two thousand degrees, melting even the hardest metals. The jets of flame shot towards Root's guard, and in a split second, the screeching of the burning creatures could be heard over the battlefield, muffled by the hiss of the molten Earth.

My squad and I walked across the ash that had replaced nearly an acre of land. It was only a few miles from the Root's dwelling. Achilles kept transmitting a picture from the orbit of several million creatures bearing down on us, causing us to accelerate sharply so that we would soon be there.

- It's just me and the First; the rest of us will stay here and keep the creatures at bay for as long as possible. - We were standing in front of a huge gate leading to the dungeons of the ruins. - Achilles, as soon as the situation is critical, set the whole area on fire. I'll finish as soon as possible, so send out a shuttle and get ready to pick up the cargo. All right, split up. - The platforms scattered again, digging into the wreckage to become stationary firing points. And the First and I headed out into the darkness of the dungeon.

It was now the fifteenth round. The sounds of impulses and the roar of the creatures echoed back to us, which meant that we were running out of time with each passing moment. The spy drones we had released at the beginning of the journey were mapping the dungeons, trying to find the plant's abode, but so far, they were only scurrying through this maze. Around another bend, however, we found a piece of Root on the ceiling, leading further down the corridor into the darkness. He and the First rushed down it, and in a second, we were at the edge of the hall.

The huge carcass hung from thick roots, gurgling and growling. Creatures scurried about, protecting it from uninvited guests. We exchanged information packets with the First and rushed inside. The energy cannon roared, sending dozens of plants hurtling across the landscape, the mighty steel manipulators whipping them like rag dolls against walls and corners. I armed myself with a gladius from my scabbard, fending off the clawed creatures with jagged lunges, slashing at one crawler after another, but there were too many. At one point, they simply cut us off from the exit and stood still, waiting for something. On the other hand, Root gurgled and 'regurgitated' a clone, but unlike the 'original', it was a Protean. Stepping ahead of his troops, he began to transmit:

- You have come far, very far indeed,' the Root began to say in an alien voice. - You can become very valuable food for the Ancient Root! Bow down to its eternal rule and power!

Interestingly, it spoke Protean. I knew it from the Creator Bases long ago, and the bots didn't need it.

- Do you know who you're talking to, Bush? - I crossed my arms over my chest.

- You're pathetic! - Clone hissed, "Who do you think you were before the great Torian?

- Your greatness, the dust in your eyes, or whatever it is you do..." Streams of energy began to flow from my hand, and soon the whole arm was aglow with golden light. - You thought you were eternal, but your eternity is long gone. - The energy torn from your hand rushed in all directions, scattering the creatures across the hall.

- You're not ordinary; what do you want? - The clone retreated slightly when he saw the result of the energy.

- I want the information you have absorbed throughout your existence. - I began slowly approaching the plant, giving the First the command to aim at the knotted Root.

- The price is high, can you pay it? - I thought it sounded like it was gurgling with joy or something.

- Who said I was here to negotiate? - My carnivorous, inward grin signalled to the First, and his cannon sent deadly clumps of energy into the roots. Immediately the Torinian roared, and up the chain, his roots began to tear. The clone immediately rushed to attack and tore through its body with energy streams. The Bush could do no more. Soon the last of the knots burst in a hail of projectiles, and the carcass collapsed to the ground. As I approached it, I stepped on its head:

- I'll get the information without any contracts with the various Xenos. Your time is over Root. The age of humanity is upon us! - The blade sliced easily through his flesh, and the plant, roaring one last time, fell silent forever, ending its vast life cycle.

- Achilles, we're done here. Dispatch the shuttles and prepare to retrieve the cargo. What's out there?

- Casualties, two scout platforms. Alien casualties are approaching 150,000. The defences are holding, but the mental pulse seems to have sent every creature on the planet after you. You'll be wiped out in half an hour.

- Understood..." I paused for a few seconds to consider the situation. - Proceed as planned; we wait for the transport and hold our defences; as soon as we launch from the ground, we start destroying life on the planet.

- The Stellar Code prohibits category A orbital attacks when allied units are on the planet.

- Achilles, I command you! Do you understand me? - A squabbling machine was the last thing I needed. After a minute, I heard it:

- Understood...

We finally came to the surface, and instead of us, the loader bots were being whisked away into the darkness, preparing to pick up the corpse of the Root. What we saw from above was staggering. A wall of fire surrounded our position on all sides. Through it, the silhouettes of crawlers and some other creatures Torian had created burst towards us. Thousands of laser beams streamed beyond the wall, collecting their tribute on the battlefield. But then the ground began to shake, and with the help of the scout, I saw the green wave rolling towards our positions. The last bots were loading, and the shuttles took turns gaining altitude. The last one was waiting for me, so I could watch the rolling wave. But then the last bot slot was taken, and the ship began to climb slowly. Turning, I took advantage of the acceleration, sprinted and jumped onto the transporter ramp. Grabbing the handrail to keep from falling out during the acceleration, I watched as the first energy clumps and missiles began to fall to the surface, destroying the planet...

- Achilles, get ready for the next jump.

- Where are we going?

- Into space, I want to find a Protein specialist. Let's wrap him up. - With these words, I entered the ship before the ramp closed. Soon the ship was in orbit.

"The Emperor's Hand."

POV Legatus.

- Sir, we have entered orbit around the world of Astar. All our requests are being denied, and no one is making contact. - I grinned. This world has been a hotbed of enemies of the Empire. Legions have often been sent here to crush the rebellions of those who considered themselves superior to the Empire. And now they are at their peak, sensing the weakening of our power. Even a Legion recruited on this planet has defected to the rebels.

- I hear you, Avitus, send a request to the Prefect's palace via my personal communicator and order the rest of the ships to stand by. - The aide nodded and disappeared. Soon, the central screen was covered in interference, and a man with a burn across half his face appeared.

- Ahhhh, Legate! I should have known he'd send you.

- Marcus! I thought I'd have to deal with the Prefect again, but it's you.

- Yes, I remember the last time we met. - He touched his hand to the scar. - This time, you'll choke on blood! The 45th Astra is fighting with us; now I'll see you smoke us out of here! - A crucified prefect could be seen behind his back.

There was some truth in that the world of Astar was famous for its underground section, which extended several kilometres below the surface, and for its huge population, which, under the rule of criminal leaders, was constantly in revolt. But this time, they would not be dealt with solemnly.

- Are you sure I want to get my hands dirty with you? The Emperor has had enough of you.

- There's nothing you can do! Astar is Polis. He can't do any serious damage! - He didn't look so arrogant after what I said.

- You hope..." I grinned and pulled a parchment out of its tube.

In the name of Imperial Law and the Eternal Emperor himself,

for opposing Imperial authority, rebellion, sedition and other sins,

I, Maximilian Theros, His faithful servant and Imperial subject,

condemn the Imperial World of Astar to purification by fire.

May the innocent rejoice at the prospect of eternal life,

May his enemies be furious at their failure to break the Empire of Humanity.

For the glory of the Empire and in His name!

Fire!

The projectile tore through the atmosphere and plummeted to the ground. Billions of eyes watched its desperate flight. Soon it reached Earth, and a wave of fire spread to all sides. In a minute, it was over; the once thriving Imperial World of Astar led down a path of vice and treachery, had ceased to exist. And so did the twelve billion who had been guilty before the Emperor...