Imperial Palace
Dorn immediately understood his father's intentions.
In fact, ever since Atlas completed the unification of Terra and reestablished the Human Empire, Dorn had entertained the idea of having his father formally establish the True Human Empire.
It wasn't just him. His quiet and reserved "third brother," Ryan, had even published a paper on the company's internal network titled: "The Evolution of Terra's Imperial Political System and Its Impact on Human Social Progress."
Although Dorn had no way of knowing Ryan's inner thoughts, it was common knowledge that Ryan also wanted their father to establish an empire.
After all, during the original body's command of the unification efforts, they had witnessed too many revolting and hateful events caused by the aristocracy.
For instance, they saw resource wars and genocidal acts driven by personal greed, using the media to control public opinion and wage inhumane wars against certain nations or regions.
Corruption, scandals, and depravity were the most basic issues, and the original bodies had long become desensitized to such things.
Though Atlas, under their father's leadership, could also foster the growth of parasitic "elites," any sign of their rise would be swiftly detected by the Department of Supervision.
In the main universe, or in Universe 01 or 02, such parasites could often act with near impunity if they were aligned with those in power.
However, in Atlas, the Department of Supervision was directly under their father's control, and even as his sons, they had no authority to interfere.
Thus, any hint of parasitic behavior was met with armed intervention from the Supervision Department, with no room for negotiation.
Additionally, artificial intelligence now assisted their father, allowing him to monitor all movements within his domain in real-time.
So, whether it was from a moral or rational standpoint, the original bodies all hoped their father would serve as the sole ruler.
With the Department of Supervision's swift and ruthless methods, they believed it would minimize the breeding ground for parasitic elites.
The next issue concerned the legal system, education, and public services.
In the main universe, various unjust incidents greatly undermined the credibility of the law, while schools and teachers began to stray from their purpose, and the service industry became increasingly distorted.
Faced with these numerous problems, Dorn often wanted to take a "quick and decisive" approach, wiping out all corruption in one fell swoop.
But these actions wouldn't address the root of the problem. A complete overhaul of the social system and the enactment of a new constitution under a new regime would be necessary.
The United Government of Humanity clearly couldn't meet all these demands.
However, the original bodies also understood that this United Government was merely a transitional "tool" for Atlas or their father.
After a brief silence, Dorn stopped brainstorming and smiled:
"Alright, I understand. Is there anywhere in Terra that needs assistance right now?"
"Not for the moment, but you could start selecting some talented youths. In the future, I may form two exclusive legions."
"Understood. I'll take care of it," Dorn replied, patting his chest armor to show he had no problem with the task.
Samuel glanced out the window, sensing something, then turned back to his slightly shorter son and said:
"Also, when unifying Universe 09, don't hesitate to be ruthless. The large corporations there don't align with Atlas' philosophy.
Our operations in Night City have shown that it will take time to change the mindset of the population there. Still, avoid unnecessary collateral damage whenever possible. Understood?"
Even without the reminder, Dorn wouldn't have made any mistakes. But hearing his father's long-forgotten "nagging" again was oddly comforting.
"I understand, Father," Dorn said solemnly. "Based on the current trend, we should complete the unification of Earth-09 within six months. After that, we'll be dealing with the security clean-up."
Dorn frowned slightly as he continued: "I'll have Terra deploy more troops. The cybernetic technology of Universe 09 has endowed its humans with formidable combat capabilities.
While they're no threat to me, they could be troublesome for the company's regular security forces."
"Queen Lorrian and her niece are currently discussing this matter," Samuel replied. "There are nearly 20 million elves living in Terra, but only the Lorrian Kingdom, which accounts for one-tenth of the total population, sincerely follows our directives.
As Terra's governor, you should know this better than I do."
"Indeed," Dorn acknowledged.
"So, Queen Lorrian plans to have her niece unify the remaining elven kingdoms in her name to help you better manage Terra.
Additionally, this will allow you to quickly assemble hundreds of thousands of battle-hardened, physically robust elven veterans to assist in the security operations of Universe 09."
As Samuel spoke, he placed his left hand on his son's shoulder armor, speaking earnestly:
"Dorn, you've built strong relationships with both the dwarves and the elves. Putting you in charge of Terra was one of my best decisions.
Most importantly, you seem to have a rather 'ambiguous' relationship with the Lorrian royal family."
"Huh? Ambiguous relationship?" Dorn was confused.
"My son, you're an adult now," Samuel said, offering some fatherly advice. "While protecting yourself, make sure you also protect the other party."
"Um..."
Dorn immediately understood what his father was referring to.
"Alright, I won't interfere too much in that regard," Samuel said, patting Dorn on the shoulder again.
He then lowered his hand, returned to his desk, and brought up a holographic screen to continue monitoring the fleet's assembly progress and handle the various tasks that required his approval.
As the holographic screen displayed its content, Samuel looked up at his son, who was still standing in place, and smiled:
"Queen Lorrian and her niece will soon conclude their talks. It's time for you to head back, Dorn.
Remember what I've said, but don't let it weigh too heavily on your mind."
"Alright," Dorn sighed, turning to leave the office.
Before exiting, he turned back to bid farewell: "I'll be off then, Father. I'll come visit again when I get the chance."
"Alright."
With a swoosh, the sensor door opened and closed, restoring the office to its quiet state.
Samuel, still smiling, quickly resumed his work.
To be honest, Dorn coming to chat with him did bring Samuel some joy.
After all, it had been a while since he'd seen his son.
Moreover, Dorn had managed Terra exceptionally well, sparing Samuel many headaches.
But what amused him the most was the emotional tension between Dorn and Aioi.
Back when Samuel, Dorn, and Vulcan jointly defeated the warp entity Maiido and established the New Human Empire, Samuel had led the company's main forces back to the primary universe.
At that time, Samuel had been too busy to notice Tinas' niece.
However, this time was different.
When Dorn and Aioi, holding Perturabo, completed the Ark transfer and arrived at the core world, Samuel immediately sensed the emotional fluctuations between the two.
Before crossing over, Samuel had been the type who enjoyed playful banter but didn't take things too seriously.
Unless absolutely necessary, he rarely provided explanations.
For example, when a forum member once asked, "Why do people call Yvraine the Regent's Consort?" Samuel had found the official GW images from 2017 to clarify the matter for newcomers.
In Warhammer 40k, Guilliman was severely injured and nearly killed in his duel with Fulgrim, forced into a near-death slumber for millennia.
He was eventually revived through the efforts of various factions, with a key role played by the Eldar's Yvraine.
GW even released an official Halloween image of Guilliman and Yvraine dressed as a couple, serving a roasted orc to their guests, leading to Yvraine being dubbed "the Regent's Consort."
However, in reality, there was little chance of these two actually becoming a couple.
In Warhammer 40k, the Eldar saw humans as little more than monkeys.
While some Eldar seers believed the Primarchs to be a higher form of life, and there were prophecies that Guilliman would be the first human to fully master the Eldar language, the Eldar as a whole still looked down on humanity.
As for Guilliman, he only formed alliances with Yvraine's Death God faction out of necessity and to prioritize saving the Imperium.
Nonetheless, no one could predict whether GW would rewrite this narrative in the future.
Thus, players began creating meme images, with the "Regent's Consort" and "Macragge breaching the Eldar Webway" being among the most popular.
One foreign player even made a serious video, analyzing data to determine whether Yvraine could handle Guilliman.
But what Samuel didn't expect was that Dorn was the one to first establish a friendly relationship with the "elves," while Guilliman remained focused on logistics.
That being said, the Eldar of Warhammer 40k and Terra's elves were entirely different species.
The Eldar were aliens, while the elves of Terra shared common ancestors with humans.
Moreover, there was no reproductive isolation between elves and humans. Currently, the number of human-elf hybrids or their descendants living in Terra's capital numbered about 3,000.
While 3,000 may seem insignificant on the surface, given the elves' traditionally low birth rate, this was actually a considerable number.
So, after noticing the "unusual" emotional fluctuations between Dorn and Aioi, Samuel, as the caring father, naturally had to offer some advice.
That said, he wouldn't meddle in his sons' personal relationships.
Unless things got wildly out of hand.
Besides, it was
Dorn's friendly attitude toward Aioi's Lorrian Kingdom that had gradually won over the other elven factions, making them willing to formally join the New Human Empire.
As for whether Dorn and Aioi's relationship would blossom, Samuel decided not to focus on it further.
Next.
Samuel quickly finished his current workload.
During this time, he sensed that Dorn and Aioi had "disappeared," indicating they had returned to the frontlines at Prosperous Star through Ark transfer.
Meanwhile, the company fleet was nearing the completion of its deployment.
It didn't take long for Samuel to finish off the rest of his tasks. He stood up and left his office.
Walking out of the command building, he headed to the landing pad and boarded his personal transport shuttle, which ascended into the sky.
At the front of the transport shuttle was the company's fleet, composed of over 400 various warships and supply vessels, as well as four automated Leviathan-class dreadnoughts.
Soon, the personal transport shuttle joined the final wave of transport convoys, collectively heading to the New Era carrier, the flagship of the 1st Fleet.
Once all personnel and supplies were confirmed on board, the fleet began passing through a giant gate, over 100 kilometers in diameter, leaving the core world, passing through the planet's atmosphere, and deploying in near-Earth orbit around 0459.
When all ships were in position—
Swoosh—swoosh!
In deep space, four Leviathan-class dreadnoughts projected four swirling, blue-tinged jump portals.
The 1st to 4th Fleets followed the Leviathans into the jump layer, heading toward the star sector where the City of Charity was located.
The Leviathans' jump engines were approximately three times faster than those developed by the Covenant by reverse-engineering Forerunner technology.
This meant they could travel 2,700 light-years in 24 hours within the jump layer.
And the Leviathans were just the most basic Forerunner warship.
For instance, the massive "Ark" device that could devour Earth-like planets and create Halo rings could open "gates" to instantly teleport Halo rings across the galaxy.
This technology was far more advanced and convenient than the Ark portals in the DOOM universe.
Of course, the humans of Mars in DOOM were not on the same level of civilization as the Forerunners, who were galactic overlords.
However, Silent Shore didn't possess the specific coordinates of the Ark.
All Samuel knew was that, in the current timeline, the "small" Ark—10 times the size of Earth, around 130,000 kilometers in diameter—was located outside the galaxy.
So, relying on existing technology to explore extragalactic artificial celestial bodies was essentially a pipe dream.
Therefore, the best way to reach the Ark would be to activate the Earth-East Africa portal.
But for now, Atlas' main focus was helping the Sangheili establish a foothold and fend off the full-scale counterattack from the Prophets and the Brutes.
Meanwhile, in the far reaches of Reach's desert, at a Department of Investigation base;
Hidden deep in a canyon, with optical camouflage and strict communication protocols, the investigation base maintained its cover.
At this moment, in the base's teleportation hall—
Swoosh—swoosh!
Silver flashes appeared as teleportation activated.
The hall's PA system announced in a female voice:
"Attention all personnel: Pallas Athena of the Grey Judicators and 24 demigod members have completed teleportation. Please proceed with inspections immediately."
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