A barren silence blanketed the world, the landscape a sea of lifeless yellow sand. That was the first impression the stormtroopers had as they set foot on the planet.
"Deploy the Viper-type reconnaissance droids to survey the area. First and second squads, move out. Third squad, form a defensive line and establish a blockade!" Captain John's voice rang with authority through the comms.
Sixty stormtroopers and three Viper detection droids began their respective missions, sweeping the land within several kilometers.
"Warning! Unknown lifeform detected ahead! Activating alert protocol!"
The Viper droids instantly raised their energy shields and pointed their explosive cannons toward a collapsed structure. From the ruins of the city, a grotesque and terrifying monster slowly emerged, crawling forward with unnatural movements.
"Fuck..." Kenthelion hissed.
He recognized the creature instantly. It was one of the most common species in this world-a Devouring Beast. Known for its monstrous regeneration and near-impenetrable defense, it was a biological nightmare.
"What a shame," Kenthelion muttered. "These things will need to be wiped out eventually... but once this world falls under the banner of the Imperium Caelestis, we'll need to study them."
His mind raced. Who should I summon to handle this world's scientific analysis?
Two names came to him: Dr. Catherine Halsey from the HALO universe-brilliant, calculating, and cold. And Dr. Ariel Hanson from StarCraft-empathetic, ethical, yet highly intelligent in xenobiology.
But could the two work together? Their ideologies clashed like fire and ice.
Kenthelion's thoughts briefly wandered to the madman: Dr. Egon Stetmann. A genius... or a lunatic. The man who turned Zerg into mechanized units.
"No... I'm not calling him yet. Not now. Who knows what kind of abomination he'd create in a world already crawling with mutants?"
He stared at the screen, watching the creature inch closer to the Viper droid.
"Still... it's tempting, isn't it?"
Captain John, leading the Stromstroopers, immediately gave the order to fire when the Devouring Beast appeared. Red beams from their blasters slammed into the creature's hard shell, and the air was filled with the scent of burning flesh.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The troops surrounding Captain John joined in the barrage. Within seconds, the Devouring Beast collapsed, lifeless. Just to be sure, John tossed a grenade at it - a thunderous explosion reduced the monster to unrecognizable remains.
From orbit, the captain of the Gloriana opened a comm line.
"Emperor, is this the dangerous creature you warned us about?" he asked, watching the monitor showing what little was left of the Devouring Beast.
Kenthelion's mouth twitched.
"I was just being cautious... You never know. But if it's that weak, we might as well use it for Mechanicus Bawl's experiments."
He made a quick decision to capture more live specimens. Then, he summoned two of the greatest scientists he knew - Dr. Catherine Halsey from the Halo universe and Dr. Ariel Hanson from StarCraft. The three were brought together in a virtual briefing room.
Still, Kenthelion made a critical note in the command system:
> "Never station all three scientists on the same planet. Each must be given their own world. They are free to conduct any experiments, but must be monitored at all times."
"Well, maybe..." Kenthelion muttered, replying vaguely to the captain's earlier question.
He used to underestimate Stromstroopers because of their terrible aim in old films. But after witnessing them fight in the Nihilum Aeternum universe, he no longer had any doubts. Fiction and reality are not the same.
Suddenly, an urgent voice crackled through the comms.
"Commander John! We're under attack! The target is moving toward your location!" the second captain's voice echoed in his helmet.
"Copy that! Fall back to our position immediately! Request air support from your superior!" Captain John responded quickly, then turned to his troops:
"Staggered fire! Bring out the RPS-6 rocket launchers! Defend the second team!"
The battle had only just begun.
Seeing the scene on the monitor, Kahn's blood began to boil aboard the warship. The thrill of battle surged within him. He couldn't wait to wield his roaring chain axe against the Devouring Beasts.
"Emperor, I want to go down there!" Kahn said eagerly, fists clenched.
"Go," Kenthelion replied without hesitation. "Take the Iron Warriors and the others. I won't stop you - too far gone now."
Even though in the grand scale of the Imperium Caelestis, individual Space Marines weren't everything, Kenthelion never saw them as disposable. To him, they were the most elite warriors, invaluable in any war.
And Kahn? In Kenthelion's eyes, he was the embodiment of raw power - a true warrior. Even if everyone in the Lighthouse united against him, it still wouldn't be enough to bring him down.
"Deploy the TIE fighters to support ground forces. I'm planning to go down there myself," Kenthelion added calmly.
As Kahn and Oakes boarded the dropship, intending to join the chaos for some "fun," something unexpected happened:
A red blur leapt from the sky.
It was Kahn - the madman had torn open the dropship cabin mid-flight and jumped straight into battle. He hated how slow the ship was moving.
With Kahn's arrival