[UNKNOWN PLACE]
After getting my arse beaten twice, I, Jean Razak Marshall of Gaia Colony, was once again unconscious. I don't know what happened, but as soon as I open my eyes once more, I or we are in yet another different place. Instead of a church that screams dark soul boss, this place is rather a plain gray metal backroom. The color is barely visible to categories as gray due to withering and lack of maintenance. In a nutshell, this place looks like an abandoned house after a century of neglect. Minus the house, since this place looks sci-fi enough. This place might be the size of a ghost house or a castle, but at least dim wall light still illuminates the area so the atmosphere is not as scary as it should be.
I try to move my body, but the pain that is suppressed by adrenaline begins to take effect slowly. I might scream, but I can't due to exhaustion. Although my body still reeks of blood, at least the wound was disinfected and clean. I muster the remaining energy to sit cross-legged on the cold, brick-like wall.
I didn't think much about the architecture since I'm seriously thinking about my injury. Somehow a sense of nostalgia stuck down in my psyche due to how quiet this place is. If we use an ambient soundtrack from a general game related to dungeon exploration, it perfectly describes how I feel.
"Have you woken up, Razak?" A stern, feminine voice, yet gentle, echoes in my left ear.
Albeit this startles me for a bit. I caught up with recent developments when she explained them to me. First, my wound heals up faster than before, and I sleep for a couple of hours. Second, Emil is not being found, as he is the one responsible for teleporting us here. Some weapons manage to be recovered, like her Gauss rifle, pistol, and my foldable katana blade.
But the munition barely lasted for a second for burst shots. Luckily, some of the most important supplies, like water canteens and dry biscuits, were "conveniently" there.
Third, obviously, we are in a different place, at the very least far away from those two Geh-looking alien-made terminators with magic or any hostile elements thus far. She did recon this place a bit and found something interesting. Regardless of my exceptional passive healing ability, I still don't have enough energy to move far and need to be carried.
"(This is very embarrassing.)" As I was resting on Shirogane's massive metal exo-arm.
Since my body is small and the armor is huge, I feel somewhat uncomfortable leaning on it. But somehow I feel secondhand embarrassed since she princess-carried me throughout the journey even though no one was looking. The corridor we walk is straightforward with a couple of intersections. All of them have visible markings on the wall with rough" "X"-shaped scratches. Some of the traps were triggered prematurely, and the remaining defense turrets were destroyed along the way. Although the corridor might be almost too tight for tall beings to navigate comfortably. At the third intersection to the right, we found a huge steel door. Untouched by time or outside influence.
"Razak, hold on tight. This might get a little rough." After putting me down, she seriously tried to use brute force to open that thing. Assuming the door mechanism is a vertical sliding door and is not locked.
CREAK.....!!
"Of course... So did you do all of this back then?" Point my thumb finger at the back.
"No, I investigated it already before. It might be long before we crash-land here, probably. Can you please come here fast? This thing is very heavy." Still holding the door with both of her hands. Sweat begins to drip from her forehead. So far she only managed to let the door open below her knees at this point. Before she loses her grip, I quickly squeeze in with an ounce of my strength before falling to my knees.
CLANK!
"Phew... a few more seconds, and you might turn into liquified tomato juice."
Ignoring her comment, I quickly scanned the whole area. Although this area has even less light illuminated than outside, it is still traceable enough for me to process. At first glance, it was an ordinary laboratory, albeit more advanced-looking than even Gaia Stettman's personal "super secret" lab and even bigger. Around the size of a soccer field in length. Even in this place ravaged by time and elements, there are still many devices, and assuming a computer monitor can't be fully understood. Yet the device is still intact in near-perfect condition.
The only thing stopping us from knowing the full condition is the lack of a power supply.
The overall condition on the first assessment is not so bad, and with a proper power supply and a little bit of electronic engineering, we could activate this place, at least on this particular section where we are standing. Before we could do any of that, we decided to split up a bit to explore. I take the left section to see the armory while Shirogane goes to find the power station or backup generator to light up this place. Using internal supply from her power armor microfusion generator might be achievable since she appears to be knowledgeable about electronic stuff.
How long it lasted, I don't know, but long enough to allow us access to most of what this place could offer. We agree to meet at the entrance after hours. As we depart, I immediately search the area one by one. Slowly and cautiously, armed with a katana in my right hand and a pistol from Shirogane on my left hip ready to be drawn. Most place the seal behind a thick door. Roaming around for half an hour, I finally found a place where the door was not in the way. Slowly crouching to enter and take a peek for a second.
After I convince it to save, I put my first 3 steps from the entrance and walk slowly. To my surprise, I see unsealed boxes of what I assume is a rifle with a boxy shape and very simple design. Faint dark green color with iron sight, length of 60cm with an estimated weight of almost 3 kg. The barrel is too large for the rifle to use a bigger caliber than what most ballistic weapons suggest. But the magazine chamber behind the trigger has shown the rifle is a bullpup design. The next feature is the most eye-catching: a winged skull with a grey wax seal with parchment of an unknown language.
"Is this...Lasgun?" As I inspect the rifle for a closer examination.
DING!!
[SUB QUEST: CRAZY DAVE PLEA ENGINEERING EDITION]
After escaping from the Machine Lifeform's strongest unit, Adam and Eve. You stumble upon an unknown area that potentially possesses untold wealth that could make your forces stronger. You might find another clue related to your main quest. Explore and retrieve some of the treasure and head back home. Your subordinate can speed up the process and carry more items to be brought back.
(NOTE: LOL, what was your catchphrase before getting beat up by the plant death-killing machine? Know your limit before doing something heroic. Seriously, currently you'd better do a desk-related job rather than frontline combat.
CURRENT TREASURE RETRIEVED
-LASGUN
Rewards:
-New commander Rory Swann includes possible new units.
-New research upgrade unlock
- Personnel armament slot unlock
(Will explain in detail after unlocking.)
DEADLINE: NONE
"Wow... You sure love to screw with me. How long will I see this sheet again?. Like days ago."
I ignore the notifications display for a moment and focus on what's in front of me. I play a little bit; I mean to confirm the weapon is still operational. Reloading the magazine chamber or power pack to check loading mechanisms. I aim at an empty metal box and squeeze the trigger to see if the power packs still have juice in them. It turned out it did work as a flash of red light struck and cut through metal sheets with ease. Satisfied, I decided to bring this baby as my main weapon. I am scavenging this place to find more useful items for the purpose of research, of course.
Among them, I find a frag grenade, chain swords, a shotgun, and a dozen sets of full-body armor with a dozen more variants along with an attachment on the helmet with a respirator on the mouth. It's heavier than the dominion trooper armor set but looks very tough as compensation. I decide not to pick full armor since I'm too tired to move around, so I pick body armor with a lot of pouches. As the promised time approached, I headed to the entrance with the gear I brought. Bulpup lasgun with 2 power packs, red pump-action shotgun with a gold eagle wing design that is more than others with 25 shells as the main weapon and 5 frag grenades. There is still a lot of stuff that needs to be explored, but time is not kind to me or anyone. Besides, being separated for too long like this in a very scary and silent place like this is definitely a flag.
Before reaching the entrance I come from, I see a humanoid form with a claw on its left and a huge gun. Without warning, the figure shot a trace of orange light at me. With luck, I dodged by lowering my body down and prone to the floor. Then, I rolled to the left and sought cover behind the wall of the metal box from the relentless barrage of gunfire and explosion. The box crate is incapable of stopping the barrage and is punched through and now full of holes from attacker weaponry. As a result, it exploded and distracted an unknown figure.
KABOOM!
It might be ammo crates, either shotgun sheets or laser power packs. This gives me time to formulate a plan. Intense stress and adrenaline once again pumping through my veins, I toss out 3 grenades at the humanoid's feet to throw him off balance. When it falls down, I get up from cover and begin shooting it with a shotgun with three consecutive shots.
BANG! CLINK-CLANK BANG! CLINK-CLANK BANG!
Each shot hits the humanoid figure shrieking in pain with miniature explosions. Struggling to stand up, let alone properly aim whatever weapon is attached to its arm. It stops after I deliver the final blow to its head. Blowing its head clean. The red liquid flowing with disgusting smells smears the entire room instantly. If I were here a month ago, definitely the floor would be full of puke right now.
"Please don't tell me this thing is what I'm thinking," I slowly point my shotgun barrel at the lifeless body. Poking its chest to see any sign of movement.
The body resembles a combination of a corpse and a metal robot body with exposed wiring and gray-colored flesh. The majority of its body almost comprises metal parts, leaving biological matter such as the heart, ribs, and a few other vital organs. Its arms are completely replaced with huge cannons and a crab-like fork too big for the size it should carry. On its back is probably a metal casing-like bag that holds ammunition. A lot of spiky wax seals and winged skulls decorate its body and weapon.
A dread feeling suddenly envelops my mind. Without thinking too much, I get out and make haste. Unfortunately, the injury I sustained still has not recovered properly, so not only can I not sprint, but also I fall to my knees. The grip on my weapon loosens and scatters in the corridor. Leaving my sidearm and sword on my hips and back.
"Sheet! I should have listened. Why do I go out for treasure hunting bullshit instead of doing boring office work with air conditioning and also relaxing...? Fak, forget it."
Struggling to get up. I find myself losing energy. Thanks to my body relaxing after the pumping of adrenaline earlier.
CLANK* CLANK* CLANK*
My heartbeat stopped, and my blood ran cold for that moment. A sound of heavy steps clanking in front of me. Each step sounds louder, and whatever that thing is is getting closer. I desperately want to stand up and try to draw my LAS pistol. In front of me is a three-way junction; I can see light getting closer. I steel myself; whatever happens to come my way, I shall bulldoze it.
Waiting and waiting, nothing is coming from that junction yet. Feels like eternity, but actually just seconds happen in real life. I don't know why now I feel really scared, as my arm holding the laser gun is shaky to properly aim. Then I see a hand on the wall. Instead of that metal human monster, it was instead a CMC arm.
"What happened here, Razak? I heard gunfire and an explosion, so I rushed and tried to find you. Why are you sitting on the ground and pointing some kind of weapon at me? Please calm down." She raises her hand to show she is not hostile. To assure me everything is alright.
"Exhale* Nothing happened here. Just a space-killing cyborg just jumped off me with a minigun and explosives. Oh, you better swap weapons. I found some cool toys for you to play with." I drop the gun immediately out of relief.
[MIDNIGHTS]
[EASTERN GARRISON]
[TUNDRA PLAIN, 231 km from EASTERN COMMAND CENTER]
In the vast plain covered with a thick layer of snow. The formation of armored vehicles traverses such harsh terrain. Since it was night, the snow fell from the sky like rain, covering their tracks. In the formation, 1 APC in the center is surrounded by 5 Helions. Around 20 people joined in this particular mission. Sixteen troopers and four Marines, including the platoon leader.
Four Marine, wearing bulky white-colored armor, specialized in cold regions. So it means the armor metal frame, etc., will not compromise and will work like usual. Not to mention, built-in heaters will keep them warm as long as they are wearing it or the power supply is still on. The current version of power is using a miniature nuclear power fusion cell that could last for weeks with the heater on. Not including acting as an external emergency battery.
Thanks to a compact and small design coupled with personnel armor modifications to carry more items like ammunition and other necessities.
For emergencies, just in case power armor is compromised, they wear a cold-resistance undersuit that gives them a chance to survive for a certain period before dying from frostbite. The troopers, or light infantry, are just wearing a thick layer of a white winter jacket on top of the armor they are wearing. Similar to Eskimo or Russian clothing, if not because of their armor. Each arm is equipped with a standard weapon with some explosive-tipped ammo in their arsenal.
A secondary weapon was also given, like a P-38 pistol, and some were lucky enough to wield a rare energy-based weapon code-named "LASER PISTOL." It fires a concentrated beam of light powerful enough to melt even the CMC outer layer and burn the organs of an unarmored person. Due to a long cool-down and battery life problem rendering it to be mass-produced. In the hands of a skilled person, the gun can be utilized beyond its intended use, making it perfect for this environment.
All of them follow the one wearing armor of a light shade of blue with a black Crimson Omen between the armor seals on the front. His name is 1st Lieutenant Marcus Fenix. A guy with black hair and blue eyes wearing a black bandana with a skull symbol. His peak physical body is rivaling bodybuilders with a height of 185cm or 6'1". Unlike other troopers under him, including marines, he is wearing prototype armor for the next future next-gen light infantry project. This is among the projects Razak approved before he went AWOL, and so far this is the only working prototype and ready for the test field, which is now.
The outside appearance is not that different from common armor, which is only equipped with an ammo counter HUD and a limited smart targeting operating system. The prototype has a major OS upgrade to perform more complex calculations and do more tasks simultaneously. The UI has also been updated to be more user-friendly. It means a better targeting system with a clear reticle for better aim. The future update can also be integrated more easily without changing the OS itself or needing to overhaul armor design drastically.
The problem is that hard drive housing for such OS needs to be more sleek, compact, and high-resistance but can still give a performance like CMC combat armor for marine use. So the prototype, or MK1, the engineer said, is bulkier and heavier, especially in the back, not just housing the hardware but the power reactor core. It resembles a heavy backpack with an exhaust pipe for a cooling system. While the prototype can be considered light power armor, it is actually an exosuit.
Not just the armor is not fully sealed; it only adds a wearable, thick exoskeleton to the already existing infantry armor and can be separated or changed if needed. Due to limited time and power, the initial design was drafted and just built in and wielded together with the infantry armor with a more protective layer added. Weight is distributed evenly with a reinforced exoskeleton and more armored plating on the leg up to the tights. The waist and crotch area have less protection for better movement and comfort. Furthermore, it was to avoid adding unnecessary weight and volume.
The prototype aims to give the wearer almost equal CMC power armor NBC protection while being mobile and more protected than standard infantry armor. Another one is to save storing space to lessen the burden of logistics and complication. Plus, it allows the wearer to be able to use more powerful weapons like the C14 Gauss rifle or any high-powered gun without risk of injury. Another prototype asset used by Marcus is a weapon called a heavy assault rifle.
The weapon is more like a heavy machine gun than an assault rifle by early 21st-century standards. It fires from a closed bolt but is belt-fed. Additionally, it's stated that it fires a 50-caliber FMJ round. Judging by the cartridge's appearance, it is roughly equivalent to the 50 BMG round, which has historically only been used for heavy machine guns and sniper/anti-material rifles. Its internal firing system uses some kind of Gauss assistant technology to help accelerate the projectile to near hypersonic level.
But the idea was scrapped, and the rifle used the traditional method of gunpowder propulsion instead. Still, due to more recoil and heavy weight, an exosuit or some kind of power armor is a must to use it to its full potential, like an assault rifle would do.
Although it's still less than the C14 Impaler rifle in terms of firepower, it's more than enough compared to the current standard weapon, the Ferromag SMG. Its main purpose is to defeat more heavily armed hostiles to compensate for the lack of Marine manpower. Since the current force troopers make up the majority in the army, they could be considered the backbone of the Gaia colony defenders.
But it doesn't mean Marcus was immune to cold, as current Mark didn't have sufficient technology to install a miniature heating system without compromising power distribution and weights. So, like other troopers, he was also wearing a white jacket to cover his body, but it was inside the armor instead of outside. So far nothing happened, so he was kind of bored for a while.
"We're still within communication range. No anomaly detected so far." One of his men says it with a casual tone.
"Maintain speed and ignore anything else unless we can't. We almost reach the destination. Ready your equipment while you can, folks. I have a feeling we might need every ounce of strength we have."
"Sir, are you setting a flag? You know, death flag with that kind of speech," said one of the troopers.
"Nah, I'm survive" Another trooper tries to make a joke, and he manages to make the entire passenger laugh. Even Marcus smirked behind his helmet glass.
The group continues to traverse the white plain of snow, heading to a specific location related to their mission. It's not that far, so a couple more jokes and small talk won't hurt.... Right?.
BACK AT RAZAK'S POV
As I recovered from the shock earlier, Shirogane led me to suppose a power station or generator. It takes her more than half an hour just to brute force to break the door, which is insane for a normal human. With or without power armor but still as a normal human without magic and sheet feats. After she managed to weaken the steel door structure, she intended to use Gauss's rifle and aim at a weak spot to create a hole.
Of course, due to the explosion, she stopped doing it and immediately tried to find the source of the explosion and find me, the scaredy cat. Bastard still teases me to this very hour of need. So in return I annoy her back during another hour to "fix" the power station.
"Are you done yet?"
"No, and stop it, fussy cat. My motion detector didn't detect those zombies, so stop being tense and relax. Gosh, whoever made this sure needs to retake the electrical engineering exam certificate," she said as she rearranged some complex wiring and mechanics I don't understand.
No, I didn't know basic, but the technology I see is so far beyond that of typical 21st-century wiring design. But not enough to make me recognize how different this place system is compared to Gaia Colony or the previous place we were stuck. After another hour of painstakingly fixing the stuff, she managed to restore this place's power, although only a small fraction is functional.
"Phew... Finally, the waiting ends. (Since this is a laboratory, there might be some juicy prototype toys lying somewhere.)"
"Yeah, sure," she looks at me with very annoying looks. It's not I who directly see, but I have some kind of feelings.
Anyway, since her Gauss rifle is almost run dry, I suggest using the weapon catch I found earlier. This time around upon returning, we scoured the entire room where I didn't properly search earlier. It turns out I was right. Another section of Armory has heavy weapons suitable for power armor users, and you guessed it. Bolters and other exotic weapons are completely different from regular arms here. It is too early to think it is what I think, actually. Yeah, it turns out this whole place has some kind of connection to Warhammer 40k yet again.
Of course, such an important asset is locked behind a more secure place, but sometimes we forget we did have other means to get inside without resorting to brute force. Shirogane did say she brought along AI from my broken armor and put it inside hers. So we find our way to a nearby terminal, which looks simple and has an easy-to-remember button pattern.
"The port is not compatible but still manageable. Need another minute to gain access, though. Cover me while I try to modify this and... easy."
PSSSSTTT....*
CREAK...! CREAK…! CREAK…!*
"Sometimes I forget how far the Imperium of Man has fallen to make this look easy. Or Shirogane is some kind of genius to hack such a device. I hope whatever is left behind stays dead, though.) So our next objective is to try to find the main terminal and learn more about this place. What the AI has learned so far.
"Hmm.... In summary, we are inside what is supposed to be a derelict ship. A lot of data has been corrupted and is beyond saving, but the last data was recorded around hundreds of years ago. Specifically, 343 years, 4 months, and 21 days ago, the ship was last active before crash-landing here. The ship operated at GULP* for over 1000 years before being lost inside the dimension FTL they were using. The crew's fate is unknown, which might be related to why we didn't see any skeletons or sights of battle here."
She stops for a moment to give her time to absorb the knowledge and process it. She continued explaining after a 5-minute break.
"This ship did use some sort of AI, but it was very primitive yet still more advanced than 22nd-century in many ways, which is odd for their level of civilization. They hate and worship it at the same time?. Last but not least, this ship is"
"Human vessels from different eras are not from entirely different dimensions than ours, right?"
"Yes. Around 40,000 years in a far, far alternate future. Despite being a galactic-sized empire, whatever government is currently in a state of decline and continues so for over ten millennia. A lot of redacted data related to such decline, but you don't want to know the rest. If we need to learn everything, we must find this ship bridge or main computer center to gain access to full information."
"You're right, I don't. (What is this place actually? Am I truly in the 40k universe, and is this planet actually the Necron World Engine? No, they will not do such a hassle to make a planet hospitable. I'm very sure not the trazan too. That necron British museum equivalent rather freezes his target inside a pocket dimension and is the only impactful event worthy in his collection. This might be the time to find out.)"
While I was busy in my own dilemma. Shirogane makes me snap by shaking me hard. Especially with that big and cold metal arm pressing on my shoulder really hard.
"Sir... You want to see this right now."
I set my eye in front. Indeed, there's a lot of power armor and bolters and stuff. I don't have a lot of knowledge about Warhammer, but even I know this is not Space Marine Armory. So far the weapons we see are not unreasonable enough in size and weight to be carried by a normal human. Standard infantry and stuff back then, but here? Most of them look bigger and heavier and, most importantly, fancier.
With a golden wing skull, wax seal, and a lot of parchment, they decorated not only the weapon but also giant armor taller than standard CMC marine too. Unfortunately, to equip such armor, you need actual slave people to put on the armor instead of the robotic arm the Marine Corps uses. Not only a hassle and super inefficient but also annoying as hell. I don't plan to use any of them at all, but doesn't mean I didn't any intent to bring it with me.
"Shirogane, the hard drive storage data on the armor still intact and have a lot of space you can afford, right?" A very long smirk on my face. I was not that extreme to a certain estate developer, though.
Time Remaining for Escape
[11 months, 11 days, 6 hours]