Chapter 237: "Ruling the Stars and Galaxies" Voyager-class Ninth Gate (Double-length)

Twenty-eight hours later, within the core world of 0459:

The CCS-class battlecruiser, along with four CRS-class light cruisers, was completely surrounded by the Atlas fleet in the core region, with all their weapons and defense systems forcibly shut down.

Remarkably, the artificial star of the core world dimmed automatically, creating a "full moon night" atmosphere.

At the same time, the various insects living in the forests began to chirp, and nocturnal creatures emerged from their nests to forage under the cover of darkness.

Meanwhile, below the two fleets…

Boom, boom~—! 

The roar of engines echoed through the air.

"Team Two! Hurry up and move the materials to construction site 3-6!"

"Hey! One of the Hexes is down! Maintenance crew! Maintenance crew!"

The Atlas engineering team leaders were shouting orders impatiently as they directed their teams in the semi-permanent construction of a new base.

Large floodlights set up around the site, along with two Fides-class frigates providing powerful illumination, created a suitable environment for nighttime work.

Tens of thousands of Hex robots were scattered inside and outside the gradually forming base, while engineers, equipped with basic mechanical exoskeletons, supervised and controlled the robots' progress. When necessary, they would also step in to assist.

Engineers operating their specialized mechs worked with the hovering trucks to transport and unload materials onto the ground.

Occasionally, Templar Sentinels, while patrolling, would deviate from their usual flight path and descend to observe the Hex robots that operated tirelessly, lacking any autonomy, following only their programming.

The Templars' eye-like monitors would flash repeatedly, as if contemplating whether they were the same as the Hex robots, working without rest or weariness.

Fortunately, the Templar Sentinels did not dwell too much on their "existential" questions. After a brief observation, they returned to their designated routes, continuing their patrol.

In addition…

The first area to be completed in the base was the prisoner camp located at the far left.

Tyrant drones equipped with small-caliber plasma cannons or rotating Gauss guns, along with fully armed Atlas Emergency Countermeasure Soldiers (AECS), acted as the prison guards.

Once the engineering team finished constructing the cells for the Sangheili and Grunts, they began building a fixed Ark teleportation device to instantly link Shield World 0459 to the front-line base on Garon.

This would eliminate the need for a three-month slipspace journey, enabling the rapid transfer of personnel and supplies.

Inside the prison camp:

"Huff, huff…" 

"Yaa yaa…"

The Grunts, stripped of their armor and weapons but allowed to keep their methane tanks and breathing masks, were sprawled across their cells, sleeping soundly, seemingly accepting their status as prisoners without issue.

After all, their demands were simple—food, drink, and rest. Nothing made them feel more secure than those basic comforts.

Moreover, they no longer had to endure the abuse and bullying of the Jackals or live in constant fear of being killed or eaten by the Brutes.

So, the Grunts were enjoying their lives as prisoners.

In contrast, deep within the prison where the Sangheili were held, the air was filled with loud "Awoo!!" sounds of defiance.

The Sangheili, forced to remove their power armor, were left in only their combat jumpsuits, which, due to their color matching their skin tone, made them appear as if they were naked.

Being a race that values battle and honor, they found the humiliation of being imprisoned hard to accept.

Still, the empty food trays in their cells indicated that even a proud warrior race couldn't resist the temptation of good food when hungry.

The environment on their home planet was similar to Earth's deserts, and like humans, they required protein, carbohydrates, and other nutrients to sustain their daily activities.

So, the regular employee meals Atlas provided opened a new world for them.

At first, the Sangheili thought the rice, flatbread, braised meats, and stir-fried greens could never compare to their native cuisine.

But after tasting it, most of them were instantly hooked.

Had it not been for their race's pride, which valued dignity above all else, they would have asked Atlas for more portions.

However, once full, their energy returned, and they resumed their howling protests.

From the sounds of it, they were saying things like, "Let us out if you dare!" and "Face us in direct combat!" or "You're only brave because you have those giants backing you!"

Clearly, they were just putting on a brave front.

As for Garol, who had previously guided Lehman, the golden-armored commander, and the twenty elite guards, they had all been placed in a larger cell together.

They were far quieter than the others.

The elite commander sat in the corner, head down, deep in thought.

One thing was certain: being defeated in a single blow by Lehman had severely shaken the commander's confidence, leading him to wonder if Lehman and the Thunder Warriors were truly gods from legend.

Garol wanted to offer words of comfort, but, fearing his low rank, he chose to remain silent and wait.

Thud, thud.

Just as the Sangheili were shouting themselves hoarse, the heavy footsteps of magnetic boots echoed through the prison area.

!!!

The sound immediately silenced every Sangheili.

They vividly remembered the Thunder Warriors smashing their energy shields with bare hands and knocking them unconscious with hand strikes.

From their perspective, ten Thunder Warriors armed with storm rifles were now walking down the corridor, accompanied by two women in form-fitting black uniforms—one with long hair, the other with short hair.

Leading them was a "giant" even taller than the Thunder Warriors—Samuel Young.

The two women following slightly behind him were Ap and Melissa, both now with physical bodies.

Samuel walked straight to the cell holding Garol and the elite commander, gazing down at the commander crouching in the corner.

"Awo."

Garol and the elite guards immediately tensed up.

?

The elite commander sensed something strange and lifted his head, locking eyes with Samuel, whose pupils glowed with golden light.

Then—

Boom—!!

A faint radiance quickly expanded from Samuel, spreading across the entire prison in an instant.

This action transmitted the relationship between the Forerunners and humans, the fact that Atlas was a giant military-industrial complex spanning multiple universes, and even the sight of Samuel opening a spatial gate—all directly into the minds of the Sangheili and Grunts via psionics.

After a while, the light from the psionics faded, but Samuel's influence had taken root like a tree, permanently affecting the consciousness of the Sangheili and Grunts.

"Zyandel Bank Rhosze."

At that moment, the once-downtrodden elite commander knelt on one knee and, in his native Sangheili language, respectfully declared:

"I swear by the honor of the Sangheili people to uphold justice and truth unwaveringly and to aid the Restorer in ruling the stars and galaxies!"

"Ready to serve the Restorer!"

With Zyandel's words, all the Sangheili present knelt on one knee, laying down their dignity and swearing loyalty to Samuel.

"Ooee!"

All the Grunts mimicked them, their comically awkward bodies and voices following suit.

In truth, aside from Samuel's psionic suggestions explaining the Forerunners and humanity's history and purpose, the Grunts simply followed whatever the Sangheili did, trusting them unconditionally.

Samuel now had the power to use psionics to control intelligent beings with souls.

However, such actions would result in the controlled individual completely losing their self-awareness, becoming little more than a mindless puppet.

To avoid "burning out" the minds of the Sangheili and Grunts before him, Samuel only used a low level of psionic suggestion.

The main reason for their loyalty, though, stemmed from their deep resentment toward the lies of the Covenant's "Great Journey" and their hatred for the corruption within the Covenant's leadership.

"Captain Rhosze, rise."

Samuel used his psionic abilities and spoke in a resonant tone:

"From now on, you and your subordinates are officially recruited as special employees of Atlas, currently under probation.

Once you learn the human language and can communicate at a basic level, you'll sign employment contracts and benefits agreements.

These contracts are equivalent to the oaths and promises you hold in the highest regard."

Hearing this, Zyandel and the other Sangheili stood up.

Zyandel approached the bars and respectfully said to Samuel:

"My lord! You are the only one we can communicate with. How shall we learn the language of the Restorers?"

"No need to call me 'my lord,'" Samuel waved his left hand lightly, then turned toward Melissa standing to his right:

"She is Melissa, the company's AI specialist. She can attempt real-time translation based on your Sangheili language structure.

With her assistance, you'll be able to overcome the language barrier and learn our language."

"Yes, my lord," Zyandel replied respectfully.

"Hmm."

Seeing that Zyandel still insisted on calling him "my lord," Samuel didn't press the issue further.

After all, if the Sangheili viewed him as a god, it would help stabilize the current situation.

The Sangheili and Grunts would eventually integrate into human society, so there was no need to forcefully correct this small matter.

After that, Samuel and Ap turned and left, leaving Melissa and the ten Thunder Warriors behind. Samuel instructed:

"Captain Rhosze, Melissa will lead you and your men to the living quarters of the base. Please follow her instructions closely."

"Yes."

Zyandel remained deeply respectful until Samuel and Ap disappeared from sight.

"Everyone."

Melissa then smiled mechanically and spoke in slightly awkward Sangheili:

"I will now unlock the cell doors. Please cooperate sincerely as the boss instructed. Otherwise, we won't hesitate to use our physical sleep-inducing methods again."

As she spoke, the ten Thunder Warriors raised their weapons for emphasis.

However, the magazines were not loaded with standard or explosive rounds but with 75-caliber rubber bullets.

"Rest assured," Zyandel replied with a firm gaze, "our Sangheili people despise betrayal, dishonor, and broken promises more than anything.

Except for a few outliers and scoundrels, we never break our oaths."

"Very well, please wait a moment."

Melissa's eyes gleamed faintly as she prepared to unlock the doors for the Sangheili and Grunts.

—

Meanwhile…

Samuel and Ap had arrived at the base's biological research center and were heading to the second floor.

After the fleet entered the core world, Samuel sent Vulkan and Lehman, along with two elite squads, back to the surface of 0459 to search for the hidden Proto-Gravemind, based on the information provided by Serenity Shores.

Once its location is confirmed, they will drop metallic hydrogen bombs to eliminate the threat.

If they successfully kill the Proto-Gravemind, the wild Flood on 0459 will no longer pose a significant danger.

As for the smaller Flood spores, they could be filtered out using 0459's built-in Forerunner cleanup protocols. Serenity Shores had explained that she needed human approval as the Restorers to initiate the process.

This was why she couldn't deal with the rampant Flood herself, even with the help of the Templar Sentinels.

When the fleet first entered the core world, Samuel had met with Serenity Shores directly.

She had calmly accepted the fact that Atlas came from a different universe, stating, "The Forerunners attempted to verify the existence of parallel universes long before the war with the Flood and ancient humans."

Serenity Shores had also been forthcoming, revealing that her mental state was relatively stable, though she occasionally experienced "forgetfulness," causing her to repeat tasks that had already been completed.

Still, after verifying that the humans from the main universe were indeed Restorers and confirming Samuel's role as a "leader," she fulfilled her promise, verbally imparting Forerunner technology.

As planned, Samuel handed over Serenity Shores to Halsey for further study.

The 36 Voyager-class Forerunner ships anchored within the core world also became the property of Atlas.

The Voyager-class ships were shaped like blades, each roughly 10 kilometers long, and could combine to form a powerful beam matrix.

However, at this stage, Atlas only had the authorization to activate the ships. To fully control them, they would need to learn from Serenity Shores, and this would take time before the ships could be deployed.

Even so, Atlas had achieved all of its strategic goals for entering the Halo universe.

The next step would be to steadily expand the company's fleet and have Zyandel learn the human language while feeding false reports to the Covenant, waiting for the perfect moment to turn his fellow Sangheili.

Samuel had opened the eighth space gate to the Halo universe on February 17, 2001, and today was August 24, so there was just over six months left before the ninth space gate would open on March 8, 2002.

When the time came, he could use the Ark teleportation system to return to Garon and prepare for the opening of the next space gate at the ruins base.

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