The Imperial Palace and The Past of Holy Terra

Jet Bike belonging to Shield Host Captain Alexander raced swiftly, and throughout the journey, the landscape was nothing but a barren desert with no vegetation in sight. Dante could only wonder what had happened to this planet, why it had become nothing but a desert.

"Shield Captain, why has this planet turned into nothing but a desert? Wasn't Earth known as a fertile planet with many oceans?" Dante asked.

"An astute observation. Actually, before the Dark Age of Technology, humanity had already ventured into space," Alexander answered. "However, in M25 125, a Warp Storm occurred, making Warp Travel highly improbable," Alexander continued. "Secondly, we no longer refer to this planet as Earth but as Holy Terra," Alexander added.

"M25 125? What does that mean?" Dante asked, intrigued. "That's the dating system of the Imperium. M25 refers to the 25th Millennium, while 125 refers to the year 125," Alexander replied.

"Oh, I see. At least I won't be confused in the future," Dante said. Alexander then accelerated his Jet Bike even faster.

The Jet Bike began to enter a massive urban complex, with a towering palace at its center. The city was part of this palace complex and was the size of a small country. The city was bustling with people coming and going. Some of the residents Dante saw were fully augmented with complex robotic enhancements and wore red-colored hoods. Faintly, Dante could hear their voices sounding almost robotic.

Dante observed that some of the people living in the city had augmentations around their eyes, and he even spotted a towering figure clad in thick armor, wielding a large rifle. Dante could only sigh deeply, realizing that the world he was now in was quite advanced yet also quite dystopian. He also noticed several skull-shaped robots moving past them.

Before long, the Jet Bike stopped at a massive golden gate. Alexander gave a hand signal to the guards stationed outside, who were clad in black armor with helmets fully covering their heads, with green-tinted eye slits. The rifles carried by the guards didn't have bullet chambers; instead, they had cables connected to pouches they carried. The guards immediately understood and opened the doors to the palace.

"Who are they?" Dante asked.

"They're called the Tempetus Scion, elite forces of the Astra Militarum or Imperial Guard. Luckily, they're only responsible for the outer parts of the palace. The inner parts are the domain of us Adeptus Custodes and the Sisters of Silent," Alexander explained as he rode the Jet Bike into the palace.

Alexander headed towards the main entrance and stopped right in front of the palace. "Okay, we're here. The Captain-General will arrive shortly," Alexander said. Dante then dismounted from the Jet Bike and waited. Before long, a Custodian with a different pattern arrived. His armor covered more of his body, and on his right arm, there was a large shield with an eagle logo and red feathers. The Custodian approached, carrying a large axe integrated with a rifle, with an eagle emblem on the side of the axe head.

"You must be Dante, the one encountered by the Emperor... I am Trajann Valoris, Captain General of the Adeptus Custodes," said the Custodian. Trajann Valoris had white hair and beard, but Dante could sense that the Custodian welcoming him had seen many battlefields and could still move very swiftly. Trajann Valoris gestured for Dante to follow him, and the Captain General entered the palace, followed by his guards and banner barriers.

Dante nodded and followed the Captain General into the palace. Inside, there were many corridors, each patrolled by an Adeptus Custodes. "I actually have many questions," Dante said with curiosity.

"Feel free to ask. All questions asked in the Imperial Sanctum are protected, especially for someone who isn't from here," said the Captain General. "What happened to Holy Terra? Alexander said everything happened in M25," Dante asked. "That's a good question. Indeed, Holy Terra used to have beautiful scenery and advanced technology. I've even read reports and notes from previous Captain Generals that the Emperor of Mankind once possessed a terrifying weapon in space called the Sun Snuffer. The Sun Snuffer could even block out the sun from a non-compliant alien planet," said the Captain General as he walked.

"Then what happened in M25?" Dante asked. Captain General Trajann Valoris stopped and looked at Dante. "The Dark Age of Technology began, with the appearance of Warp Storms during that millennium. All Warp Drive travels were hindered, and Holy Terra lost its connection with all other worlds... In fact, all worlds lost their connection, including Holy Terra," said the Captain General. "The governance of Holy Terra, which was once a unified entity, split apart to seize the remaining resources, and its leaders became Techno-Barbarians who ruled over the territories. A great war ensued, damaging the ecosystem of Holy Terra itself," the Captain General continued as they walked towards the garden, with Dante following.

"Welcome to the Inner Garden. After passing through the final gate, the Eternity Gate, you can see the true form of the Emperor of Mankind and Lord Roboute," said the Captain General. "I won't lie, it's been incredibly rare since the Horus Heresy for us to receive an Auditorii Imperator. The last one I recall was Inquisitor Jaq Draco in M38," continued the Captain General.

"Continuing on, what happened during the Techno-Barbarian era?" asked Dante.

"The Techno-Barbarians began forming their own states. There was the Yndonesic Block, Ursh, Nordafric Conclave, and many others," answered Trajann Valoris. "Until the Emperor emerged in M29 and began persuading the Yndonesic Block to join, and from there, they were born..." said the Captain General.

"Who?" asked Dante.

"They were called the Thunder Warriors. You must have seen the rather large troops with appropriately sized weapons, right? You could say the Thunder Warriors preceded the Space Marines," explained the Captain General, as Dante observed attentively.

"The wars against the Techno-Barbarian Warlords involved rather terrifying weapons, and the results can be seen today," said Trajann Valoris. "The Emperor of Mankind himself began to act and unite Holy Terra in M29. We, along with the Thunder Warriors and the Warmaster at the time, successfully defeated all the Techno-Barbarians. Though the Thunder Warriors suffered the most casualties, we had no mercy for them," Trajann Valoris explained.

"Why is that?" asked Dante curiously.

"They were created solely for the Unification War. Many reports stated that after three months of service, the Thunder Warriors began to experience a decline in both physical and mental performance," Trajann Valoris clarified. "What happened to the Thunder Warriors?" Dante asked.

"We killed them all after the Unification War was over, at Mount Ararat. Well, not all of them, as some managed to escape," Trajann Valoris replied.