At the edge of Pandora's dense rainforest, Asuka had just concluded a joint patrol with a local Na'vi cooperative faction. Stripping off her heavy environmental adaptation gear, she felt as though the pungent scent of plant sap and damp earth still clung to her skin.
Returning to the rustic temporary encampment, she wiped her cheeks with a cleaning cloth while muttering a low complaint into her communicator: "Just how long are we supposed to live like primitives? There isn't even a decent shower here, just mushroom houses and bioluminescent bugs all day long... Shinji! Stop messing around with those herbs, aren't you sick of this yet?"
Right then, her encrypted personal communicator chimed with a specific, high-frequency alert. It was a direct line from higher command.
Asuka cut her complaining short and pressed the receive key. The second avatar's voice came through, concise and direct: "Shikinami Asuka Langley, terminate your current mission on Pandora immediately. A new cross-dimensional operational deployment has been authorized; you are ordered to rejoin the main force. A comprehensive briefing will be provided upon your arrival."
Asuka's blue eyes lit up instantly. She practically screamed into the comm: "We finally get to leave this dump?!"
She rapidly suppressed her overly exposed emotion, though her tone remained visibly jubilant: "Acknowledge! Preparing for immediate return!" She paused, quickly pushing with an extra question: "Wait—what about Ayanami and Shinji? Are they pulling back too?"
"Rei Ayanami and Shinji Ikari will remain stationed on Pandora to maintain the existing mission lines. Only you are assigned to this deployment," the second avatar explained patiently.
"...Oh. Got it." Asuka puckered her lips, her excitement cooling slightly, though the prospect of ending this tedious "primitive experience" still kept her highly motivated. Turning around, she began throwing her personal belongings together while shouting to Shinji, who was nearby helping pack away Na'vi hunting tools: "Hey, Shinji! I'm heading back first! You and Rei enjoy your little jungle life—!"
The Skitarii barracks at the base also received the deployment order. A full, thousand-man Titan Guard regiment stationed there had been selected for the vanguard. The commanding officer was a veteran Centurion who had survived numerous combat engagements.
Upon receiving the directive, he immediately ordered the entire regiment into a state of maximum combat readiness, initiating inspections of all weapons systems, power armor components, armored transports, and individual logistics. They were informed that they were embarking on an expedition where the duration, theater, and mission parameters were classified under absolute secrecy, requiring them to be prepared for varied extreme environments and high-intensity resistance. The entire base operated like a precision machine, accelerating its gears under the weight of the fresh commands.
Meanwhile, Osiris's prime persona focused entirely on the final combat readiness of the Eternal Seeker.
He initially arrived at the primary weapon core control room of the warship. The chamber was lined with rows of faintly glowing control terminals and monitoring slates, the air thick with the distinct scent of ozone radiating from heavy energy capacitors. Several Tech-Priests attached to the warship's primary weapon arrays stood watch.
"Retrieve the current operational status reports and stockpile manifests for the Nova Cannons, Cyclonic Torpedoes, Virus Bombs, and Atmospheric Incinerator Torpedoes," Osiris's synthesized voice commanded, echoing through the chamber.
The Tech-Priests immediately set to work. Holographic arrays flared to life, projecting a dense series of telemetry fields and three-dimensional schematics.
"Nova Cannon system, status: standby. Currently outfitted with three Nova Cannon warheads. Classification: standard crust-fracturing pattern," one Priest reported.
"Cyclonic Torpedo tubes, status: ready. A total of twelve launch units are integrated across the hull. The torpedo navigation systems have cleared self-diagnostic loops, and the counter-jamming modules are functioning nominally. Stockpile manifest: twenty-four Cyclonic Torpedoes," another Priest briefed.
"Virus Bomb repository, isolated within the specialized biochemical ordnance vault. Stockpile count: six units. The delivery vector is the Reaper-7 strain, engineered to target standard carbon-based circulatory systems. Its atmospheric dissemination efficiency is exceptional, with a surface persistence window evaluated at roughly seventy standard days. All payloads remain in stable containment; detonation triggers are awaiting initialization." The Priest responsible for the biochemical ordnance spoke in a rigid, mechanical tone, as if detailing standard kinetic munitions.
"Atmospheric Incinerator Torpedoes, stockpile count: four units. Status: cleared for launch. This classification utilizes a thermal-core and catalytic plasma payload. Upon detonation, it triggers a global, chain-reactive atmospheric combustion lasting forty-eight to ninety-six standard hours, dynamically determined by the target planet's atmospheric composition and density," the final Tech-Priest concluded.
Osiris's optical lenses swept across every data point. These planet-killing armaments represented forbidden power within the armories of the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Imperial Navy, typically reserved exclusively for executing Exterminatus or confronting absolute xenos emergencies. Heading into the Koprulu Sector, the worlds under the Swarm's dominance provided the "ideal" proving grounds to evaluate the true efficacy of these weapons.
"Initiate a comprehensive system diagnostic for all planet-killing ordnance, covering energy channels, launch sequences, safety locks, and remote detonation command receiver matrices. I want absolute certainty that they will operate reliably when required," Osiris ordered. "Concurrently, draft a detailed weapon evaluation protocol mapping out expected performance models and critical data acquisition parameters across varying planetary classifications and deployment methodologies."
"By your command, Magos," the Tech-Priests chanted in unison, instantly immersing themselves in the configuration arrays.
Leaving the weaponry chambers, Osiris's prime persona proceeded to the Primary Propulsion and Dimensional Navigation Center—the heart of the Eternal Seeker's cross-dimensional operations.
A massive cogitator array dominated the center of the vault, with countless conduits and energy leads feeding into the central navigation core. The core—a complex machine crafted from psionic crystal matrices and high-precision components—currently maintained a stable harmonic bond with the "Dimensional Gate" framework positioned out in Pandora's orbit.
"Report the current status of the Dimensional Gate framework and the translation readiness of the Eternal Seeker," Osiris inquired of the log官 handling the navigation arrays.
"Magos, the 'Gate of Hope' framework in Pandora's orbit is operating stably. The primary ring belt's resonance field intensity is holding at ninety-four point five percent, and the energy output remains uniform. The harmonic link with our vessel's navigation core is stable, showing zero telemetry latency," the Navigation Priest reported, bringing up a real-time data stream. "The ship's dimensional translation modules have completed pre-heating protocols, and the warp engines have undergone adaptive adjustments, cleared to shift into dimension-tearing mode at a moment's notice. According to our calculations, given this vessel's physical mass and the current output of the framework, establishing a stable conduit to the coordinates of 'Candidate World - Y' will require eighteen minutes of continuous power feeding. The translation window will remain viable for approximately forty-seven minutes, providing more than enough margin to guarantee the vessel's safe passage."
"Excellent," Osiris's main body evaluated the parameters. A forty-seven-minute window was exceptionally generous. "Based on the target world's coordinates, pre-calculate our prospective exit vector upon translation. Target an area isolated from major celestial bodies and presenting low background radiation interference, minimizing the probability of premature detection by local factions."
"Calculating... Prospective exit coordinates are mapped within the star system's outer Kuiper Belt region. It sits far clear of all established planetary orbits, presenting low background radiation and dust density—perfectly satisfying our concealment criteria," the Navigation Priest quickly delivered the results.
"Integrate it into the primary navigation protocols," Osiris confirmed, before asking his next question: "What is the status of the ship's fabrication facilities and resource stockpiles?"