Chapter 209: Ark Teleportation and Pre-Battle Preparations

In deep space.

The Atlas fleet, composed of six ships, was moving at great speed toward Mars, the engines of the ships lighting up the surrounding space with their fiery glow.

However, without a point of reference, the fleet's overall speed appeared deceptively slow, as if they were frozen in place.

The Fides-class frigate, Future, served as the command flagship for this mission, surrounded by five Cerenne-class transport ships, positioning it securely at the center of the formation.

In the upper living quarters of Future's midsection:

The hallways here were wide enough for four people to walk side by side. In the connecting areas near the edges of the ship, there were panoramic windows that, while not compromising the ship's structural integrity or defenses, provided a direct view of the vastness of space.

It seemed that when designing the ship, the engineers considered the importance of giving the crew and combat personnel enough living space to prevent psychological issues that might arise from confinement and tight quarters.

As for the crew's sleeping quarters, they were assigned based on military rank.

Privates to corporals shared four-person cabins, sergeants had two-person cabins, and officers of lieutenant rank or higher had individual cabins.

Additionally, below the living quarters, between the hangar and the equipment storage, the Fides-class was equipped with cryogenic chambers capable of putting the entire crew into deep sleep and pausing their bodily functions.

Before Atlas opened the eighth space gate to the Halo universe, they lacked faster-than-light technology. Even traveling to the nearest neighboring star system would take several years.

Journeys to more distant star systems would take ten or even dozens of years.

Fortunately, the research department had reverse-engineered the Ark teleportation technology built by humans on Mars in the Doom (movie) universe.

This technology allowed for point-to-point quantum teleportation, but each Ark teleportation could only send one person or up to one ton of materials.

However, as the number of Ark devices increased, it could meet strategic needs such as mass transportation, colonization, and combat transfers.

Still, none of this could proceed without the fleet's transport engineers and equipment reaching the destination first to construct the teleportation devices.

With the addition of the UNSC Shaw-Fujikawa slipspace engines, Atlas had finally expanded its operational range.

At that moment, in a lieutenant colonel's cabin:

"923, 924, 925…"

A rhythmic count, accompanied by steady breathing, echoed through the cabin.

A woman in ultra-short workout shorts and a sleeveless vest was hanging upside down from a bar, performing core-strengthening crunches. With each movement to the highest point, she would throw a quick punch.

"1000!"

After completing a thousand crunch-punches, the lieutenant colonel flipped off the bar in one smooth motion, landing gracefully on the metal floor.

On closer inspection, her face and skin showed no signs of sweat despite the intense workout, indicating that a thousand crunches were not enough to activate her body's cooling system.

Upon turning around and standing, it became clear that this lieutenant colonel was Aya Brea, a skilled Hunter operative who had once infiltrated the Steel City with Magnus.

Her lack of sweat was due to the Inquis Serum injected into elite operatives like her, which had pushed her physical limits beyond what was humanly possible.

Beep-beep!

At that moment, the communication terminal next to her bunk emitted a notification.

?

Aya, who was about to change into her combat gear, turned her head toward the bed, waved her left hand to answer, and asked:

"What's going on?"

"Lieutenant Colonel, the commander is requesting all department heads to gather in the war room."

"Understood, I'll be there shortly."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ending the call, Aya removed her shorts and vest, then donned a black, airtight combat suit.

Leaving the cabin, she walked through the hallway, occasionally passing engineers and small spider-like robots. After taking the elevator to the upper levels, she soon arrived at the war room below the bridge.

Whoosh—

The automatic doors slid open.

As she stepped into the room, Aya's attention was immediately drawn to three towering figures—Guilliman, Sanguinius, and Horus—each over three meters tall in their power armor.

However, Aya had long since grown accustomed to the intimidating presence of the Primarchs and felt no particular surprise.

Glancing around the room, she also spotted the Elven Queen Tinas, the so-called Queen of Heaven Hera, two colonels from the Orbital Assault Corps and the Emergency Response Unit, and the captain of Future.

In the center of the room, the central console displayed a holographic map of Olympus Mons on Mars.

Seeing that all department heads were present, Guilliman turned to the holographic map and began to speak:

"Ladies and gentlemen, Olympus Mons has a diameter of over 600 kilometers. According to the intelligence provided by Hera, the fallen Greek gods have built their temple beneath the crater at the summit.

They do not require oxygen to survive, nor are they affected by high radiation. Their physical capabilities far surpass those of our combat personnel, so a direct assault is not a wise option.

The fleet can carry out saturation bombing from orbit, but before doing so, we need to locate the position of any prisoners being held."

Guilliman extended his left hand, pointing to the west side of Olympus Mons, and continued:

"Hera has also provided another key piece of information. There is a narrow fissure on the east side of the mountain that leads directly to the temple."

With that, Guilliman retracted his hand and turned to Aya, issuing his orders:

"Lieutenant Colonel Brea, your task is to lead your Hunters aboard a Pelican dropship to the canyon for reconnaissance and try to pinpoint the location of the captives.

However, Lieutenant Colonel, you will be in a very isolated and unsupported position. The fallen gods possess supernatural powers that may render your cloaking technology ineffective.

Therefore, your primary objective is to gather intelligence while ensuring your team's safety. If necessary, immediately call for the fleet's fire support to assist in your retreat.

Although rescuing the captives is important, their value does not outweigh yours. Understood?"

Guilliman's words reflected his and his brothers' understanding that their father, still in the Zero-Eight Universe, could not provide the [Reset] assistance unknown to most of the company's employees.

What Hera might think of this decision to potentially abandon the Greek gods wasn't a concern for Guilliman.

"Yes, sir," Aya responded immediately.

"Good," Guilliman nodded slightly, then glanced at his brothers and the two colonels, adding in a stern tone:

"Once the Hunters obtain critical information and the fleet completes its bombardment, the rest will be up to you."

"Understood, sir."

_________________________

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]