Chapter 198: Expedition to Transformers Universe
Magnus felt a spark of indignation at being called a frog in a well.
"I'm a frog in a well?"
"What else would you call it? You've only just emerged from Prospero. No matter how much you've learned, it remains the knowledge of a single planet."
"How could you have witnessed the profound mysteries contained within the vast cosmos?" Raven replied.
"Though I was confined to Prospero, my soul escaped my flesh long ago," Magnus countered.
"I soared through the highest heavens, reading the echoes left by countless civilizations in the warp, drawing knowledge from their remnants."
"Eloquence means nothing without practice. Words are cheap; action is what matters. Go to another universe, Child," Raven suggested, seizing the opportunity. "Once you set foot in a foreign cosmos, you'll understand just how differently reality can be structured."
"I confess, I'm curious to see what surprises it might offer," Magnus admitted.
Raven moved quickly, though in truth, he delegated most of the actual work to Valdor.
"No wonder bosses enjoy their positions," Raven muttered, watching Valdor return with his report only to be immediately dispatched back to the Bureau of Celestial Management.
"Who wouldn't enjoy ordering people around?"
After weighing the interests of the Human Empire, its military strength, and numerous other factors, the high-ranking officials of the Bureau of Celestial Management, led by Cawl, selected a universe that would both broaden Magnus's perspective and deliver substantial benefits to the Imperium.
The Transformers Universe.
They swiftly formulated a comprehensive campaign plan and submitted it to the Terra Council for evaluation by the High Lords.
The Great Crusade to unify the galaxy was approaching its conclusion. Most worlds had already fallen under Imperial control, and the Primarchs' conquest objectives neared completion.
To sustain expansion, the Imperium faced two options: dispatch the Primarchs to other galaxies or send them to other universes entirely.
In practical terms, traveling to distant galaxies, often hundreds of thousands of light-years away, consumed more time than reaching alternate universes.
With the Mist Space controlled by Raven serving as a foundation, the constructed inter-universal corridors could bridge the gap to another cosmos in mere days. The journey proved more convenient and expedient than intergalactic travel within their own reality.
While the conquest of their native galaxy would certainly continue, there was no need to commit all military assets to that single theater.
Better to venture into other universes to secure resources and acquire novel technologies.
Under the same cosmic framework, regions beyond their galaxy likely mirrored conditions within it.
Even if unique technologies existed elsewhere, they would at most reach the sophistication of the Necrons during the War in Heaven, already the pinnacle of what material science could achieve in this reality.
The current Imperium of Man utilized technologies from other universes to transcend the limitations of their native cosmos, forging entirely new paths of development.
After careful deliberation, the Emperor, Malcador, and other Imperial authorities approved the war plan submitted by the Bureau of Celestial Management.
The objective: launch a sustained campaign against the Transformers Universe, gradually claiming its territories while plundering its technology and resources.
The timing proved fortuitous. Primus, the grand cosmic consciousness of the Transformers Universe, had been betrayed by his own twin, the Chaos-Bringer Unicron.
Weakened and losing cohesion, Primus actively sought aid.
Therefore, when the Imperial expeditionary force entered his domain, they would face no resistance from the universal will itself. Indeed, they would receive its blessing, making their operations significantly more effective.
After extensive consultation, the Emperor, Raven, Malcador, Valdor, and other luminaries of the Imperium selected Roboute Guilliman and Sanguinius as the vanguard commanders for this cross-universal expedition.
Deployment orders were issued swiftly.
Guilliman and Sanguinius received the news with some bewilderment but dutifully withdrew from the Great Crusade and set course for Terra.
Assembly proceeded with remarkable speed.
The Golden Throne's construction had greatly enhanced humanity's mastery over the warp, rendering it calm and stable in most regions, a development that saved considerable time for vessels undertaking warp transit.
Shortly after the conscription orders went out, the Ninth Legion and Thirteenth Legion arrived at Terra.
The Thirteenth Legion's fleet dwarfed the Ninth's, with most vessels being second-generation warships.
When Sanguinius saw Guilliman's armada, he briefly questioned whether Raven had some bias about Guilliman.
Raven was never late in giving all the advanced vessels to the Thirteenth while leaving none for the Ninth.
Upon investigation, he learned that most of Guilliman's second-generation warships had been constructed in the Five Hundred Worlds under his personal administration.
After the fleets entered the orbital dockyards, they replenished ammunition and supplies before proceeding to the pocket dimension housing the Bureau of Celestial Management.
During this interval, the Bureau had been constructing a spacetime conduit to the Transformers Universe.
By the time both Legions completed their resupply, the channel stood fully operational.
The Ninth and Thirteenth Legions entered through the aperture opened by the Bureau of Celestial Management, committing themselves to cross-universal warfare.
Magnus was dispatched with them.
Before departure, Raven specifically instructed Guilliman and Sanguinius to grant Magnus no special consideration, to ensure he experienced firsthand the cruelty and indifference of an alien cosmos.
The cross-spacetime conduit churned with ethereal mist.
Its walls consisted of an unknown, exotic material, curving through dimensions that human eyes could not perceive, ultimately forming a tunnel capable of piercing the void between realities.
Warships pushed through the fog, traversing the immense passage. Their rear propulsion arrays expelled cerulean plasma flames that burned like torches in the gloom, illuminating the dimensional corridor and casting azure hues across the swirling mists.
Guilliman stood on the command deck of the 'Macragge's Glory', gazing through the viewport with solemn intensity.
As a Primarch implanted with the Imperium's most advanced gene-seed and awakening to his essential nature, he could perceive things hidden from mortal senses.
Something lurked beyond the tunnel's boundaries.
They shrieked endlessly, battering themselves against the barriers maintained by the Emperor and Raven in frenzied assault.
This was a war of silent desperation, enemies that could not be observed, heard, or detected by any human organ.
Yet Guilliman knew they existed, waiting for humanity to show the slightest weakness.
"Is there something outside the tunnel?" Valtheus, one of the Tetrarchs, muttered. "I feel inexplicably uneasy. My heart keeps pounding. This tunnel won't crack, will it?"
"That's not remotely amusing, Valtheus," Augustus, another high-ranking champion, said irritably.
"I'm simply stating the truth. This passage makes me deeply uncomfortable. I keep sensing something terrible hidden out there," Valtheus insisted. "There must be something horrifying beyond these walls. I can feel their hunger."
"Don't let fear overwhelm your judgment," Eikos Lamiad, another of the Tetrarchs, interjected.
"This isn't fear, Eikos," Valtheus protested.
"Gentlemen, regarding your concerns, I have an excellent suggestion." Tauro Nicodemus, the fourth Tetrarch, interceded before his colleagues' debate could escalate further.
The other Legion champions turned toward him, curiosity evident on their faces as they waited to hear Tauro's wisdom.
Valtheus bowed deeply to Tauro, as though addressing the Emperor Himself. "Then, esteemed Lord Tauro, would you be so gracious as to enlighten us fools, who are only fit to bask in your radiance, with your supreme wisdom?"
"Commendable that you recognize your limitations," Tauro grinned, his sharply defined features creasing with mischief.
"So what's your suggestion?" Augustus asked bluntly.
"It's quite simple." Tauro turned and gestured toward the statues of the Emperor and Raven standing on the bridge. "Trust in the great Emperor and Raven."
Valtheus: "..."
Eikos: "..."
Augustus: "..."
Speechlessness settled over the assembled champions.
"Am I wrong?" Tauro looked at his colleagues and raised an eyebrow, expression deliberately impish.
"Oh, you're absolutely right," Augustus growled, lunging forward.
Tauro had spoken an irrefutable truism, wasting their anticipation entirely.
Who possessed the authority to question the Emperor and Raven?
The other champions joined in, holding Tauro down so he could properly appreciate the iron fist of friendship and learn the price of toying with his brothers.
"Enough," Guilliman commanded, halting his subordinates' scuffle.
"There are unimaginably powerful entities beyond this tunnel, but with the Emperor and Raven's protection, those beings cannot breach our passage."
"What exactly are those things outside?" Augustus asked.
Guilliman's expression darkened. "I don't know. Father and Master Raven were deliberately vague, claiming we must grow strong enough to be worthy of knowing such dark truths. Don't dwell on it overmuch. One day we will face those enemies, but not now. Only when we've grown sufficiently powerful."
The fleet traveled through the cross-spacetime tunnel, where the concept of time lost all meaning.
Every timekeeping method proved useless. Each ship's chronometers displayed different readings.
On one vessel, clocks indicated they still existed in the Third Millennium. That ship even received a human transmission claiming to be the first pioneers colonizing space, requesting assistance.
Mist coalesced into faces, human, alien, and wholly unknown. They produced strange sounds, calling out crew members' names like sirens' songs, full of temptation, seeking to mislead unwary souls.
Countless images and sounds flickered past, captured briefly by human senses before vanishing.
Even the most advanced recording technology could not capture their memories.
The fleet journeyed for what felt like an eternity. Guilliman repeatedly established communication with Sanguinius, discussing their perspectives on the coming war and the tunnel's bizarre phenomena.
"We've arrived."
The navigation director's announcement echoed across the entire fleet. Sirens wailed throughout the decks, and the great bell suspended from the ceiling tolled with profound resonance, shaking the hearts of all who heard it.
"Prepare to transition into the target universe. All departments, battle stations."
The navigation officer shouted from his elevated platform, his ceremonial visor glowing with eerie green light.
Servo-skulls hovering around him synchronized with his words, broadcasting them to every corner of the ship.
[End of Chapters]
T/N: Phooo yeah, finally Conquering the Multiverse begins
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