Star Wanderer

Terra | Imperial Palace

A few days later.

- My Emperor, we have never been able to explain this phenomenon scientifically. - Karo squinted at the energy flying over my hand. - Are you sure it is safe?

- One cannot be sure of anything, my friend. But it won't hurt me or any of us. You'd better report, how are the preparations going?

- We've started to ramp up the assembly lines and will soon be able to increase production many times over. Still, we're hampered by the flow of resources from the 'distant' systems. Because of the distance from Terra, people live by different laws, and Imperial Justice can't do much to stop them.

- Is it that bad? - My good mood vanished in an instant.

- Yes, the forces of the Circumlium are insufficient to maintain order on the distant frontiers. The redeployment of troops to the space border is also having an effect. They've sensed our weakness and have become more active. Many transports need to reach the forges.

- I hear you, Karos. I'll take care of it soon, then you can go. - The Master bowed and disappeared behind the door.

- Legate. - A huge figure emerged from the shadows. - The weakening of Terra's control in these regions is dangerous for us. Go there with your Legion and bring them back to the Empire.

- It shall be done, my lord. Will that be all?

- Almost. I'll also leave the Empire's guards on you while I'm on my travels.

- You're leaving again? Where to?" His eyes would have widened.

- Time has come to a point beyond which incredible events lie. And I've got many places to go to set the galaxy on the right course.

- How long will you be away? Are there any special instructions? - There was a hint of excitement in his voice, for this was the first time I had decided to leave the Empire for a long time.

- A few years at the most, probably less. And I've set tasks for all of you. You just need to build up your military strength; the sooner, the better. I'll be in touch.

- What are you taking?

- My dreadnought. "The Dominus Imperium needs no crew. I can operate it myself. And I have enough power to accomplish any task. And you won't need its armament; there are no such enemies soon. At least I'll send it to you.

- As you wish, my lord. When will you leave?

- In a few days, I have some things to discuss with Karos about the new cloaking system on the dreadnought before we leave. And yes..." he looked at me carefully. - My absence is not to be divulged, neither within nor without the Empire. This knowledge could endanger us all. So I am in the palace for all to see. Is that clear?

- Accepted, my lord. I will see to everything.

- I have faith in you. - Having waited for the figure to disappear into the shadows, I prepared for my journey.

Terra Orbit | A few days later

"Dominus Imperium."

Stepping out of the 'tunnel', I looked around my platform. Generally, I had two types of them, not counting the bots. There were Servius platforms at all the transfer points. They looked like normal humans from the outside, except they didn't have faces. Their special feature was the nano-skin, with which they could change their appearance to whatever they wanted. This technology was very long and expensive to build because of this technology, which only Tribune and his people had. But it allowed you to travel between planets and stay in the shadows. I was on one of these platforms just now.

The second was the unique Emperor. It remained on Terra, in the throne room. His size made it impossible to be stealthy, and his appearance gave him away from a mile away. So he would stay home, and I would live in the 'little ones' for now.

Having finished my examination, I stepped out of the transfer station and immediately found myself in a luxurious corridor. The floor was made of marble slabs made in only one place on Terra and therefore cost enormous money. Synthesis cannot make all the things that are found in nature. So things that are handmade on Terra are very valuable because the planet's entire surface is now covered by cities, except for a few oceans. So rarities.

Along the sides of the corridor were columns, all painted with patterns and decorated with statues. Opposite columns at the top were connected by arches that held up the ceiling. The whole thing was like the Gothic style in our history or a medieval cathedral. They were about ten metres high, giving these corridors and halls a spaciousness.

Between the columns were statues of legionaries, so realistic that they seemed to be real warriors frozen in stone. In reality, however, they had a protective function as well as a decorative one. Each statue was a versatile combat bot that, when boarded, would emerge from stasis and protect the passageway. Such statues adorned the entire ship. So, in addition to the Legio Ferro, I also had hidden guards frozen in various poses.

I walked along the gallery that would lead me to the ship's bridge and looked at the sculptures and decorations. When this ship was built, they were all handmade by the best craftsmen in Rome and the conquered nations. None of them are alive now, and there may only be their work left on this ship. In fact, it was more my palace than my battleship. You will understand why later.

I soon reached my favourite place. A huge hall littered with many collectables. I had been collecting them for a long time and was justifiably proud of what I had collected.

First came the shelves of armour. There were Roman, Greek, various Eastern nations, Germanic, and British. There were even a few pieces from ancient peoples who had disappeared long before I arrived. I approached the armour of warriors from the time of the Republic. The metal was in perfect condition due to the stasis that had removed the effects of time from it. However, I was still very careful to touch it for fear of damaging something in this piece of history. Unfortunately, in this form of platform, I couldn't feel the coldness of the metal that made up the ring rings, so I couldn't fully enjoy touching history. I'll change back into my old body sometime later and come back here. After running my hand over it once more, I walked on.

After that came the next models of armour created during the growth and development of the Empire. There was one from the time of unification, with the first gunpowder weapons the legions were given, the first suit of armour for guarding the first colonies and fighting in space. And at the end was the current one, the AstroLegio X-11 armour. It looked quite interesting. There was almost nothing left of the old plating. The breastplate itself was made of tightly fitting "steel" strips. There were no protruding, bulky shoulder pads. All other parts were covered by flexible steel plates that fitted snugly to the body and did not impede movement, allowing free movement.

The helmet was similar to the old one, but only in appearance. It completely covered the face but allowed the soldier to see through two pairs of visors on the faceplate. The development of the Adepto Telepathic made it possible to link all systems and display information in the helmet. It also displayed all the information about the pulse weapon, which differed for each legionnaire because it was linked to their genetic code. If another person picked it up, it would simply not work, and if an alien picked it up, it would tear his arm off. The difference between a legionnaire's helmet and an officer's was the hair crest on top or the colour of the helmet itself.

The presence of a gilded helmet indicated a fighter who had distinguished himself. When the entire contingent consisted of 'golden helmets', they were placed in the first century. These men could form the command staff. On the other hand, the centurions were reduced to two hundred men in a legion because of the increase in the number of legions. As soon as the centurions were filled with "gold", they were transferred to the first of the one hundred cohorts, therefore called "Imperial". All of these hundred cohorts formed a single unit - the Legion. Named legions could have different numbers than the standard legions.

Interestingly, from the "Imperial" cohort, the best warriors gathered in their ranks to form another legion - the "Guardians of Terra". And the position of the hair crest and its type indicated the rank of the officers in the Legion, from centurion to legate. But this was more a tribute to tradition, as the friend-or-foe system built into the helmet could identify anyone.

The weapon, as I said, was the pulse rifle. It was the main weapon of the Legion and existed in several variations: sniper rifles, equipment destruction, light APs, etc. It looked like two long tubes instead of a barrel, separated by a small distance. Between them, a special crystal in the "trunk" generated an energy charge, which was then accelerated along the energy line in the form of the tubes to an enormous speed. The power of the charge was directly related to the rate of fire, so you could either fire single but very powerful clots or flood the enemy with a hail of light pulses that could easily pierce the armour of space. Firing in rain, storms and other weather conditions was rather poor. The power of the charge was reduced by the obstacles it had to overcome, but the weapon was at its most effective in the airless space. I'm not talking about heavy weapons; other technologies have little effect on the weather.

What was special was the weaponry that had survived two thousand years. Every legionary carried a gladius, albeit modified for convenience. All that remained of the ancient sword was its name. Made of heavy materials, like the rifle, it could be used as a bayonet, which proved extremely effective in battles with the Hierarchy, as such 'barbarism' was simply impossible and unacceptable to them.

The second was the legionnaire's scutum. Adepto Polaris had completely redesigned it into a high-tech defensive tool. Built-in field generators made it impervious to infantry weapons and allowed it to fire at second-line fighters. It could have been more effective in large-scale wars, as the doctrine of lightning attack was designed to split enemy defences and crush them in the trenches. But shield bearers existed in every cohort and were actively involved in storming cities.

I have talked too long about armour, and there is still a long way to go. After passing through a hall with its collection of antiquities, a rather large recreation area - I have a right to feel in a certain form - and other rooms I would tire of listing, I finally emerged at the control post. In itself, it was a throne, however trivial. And so I made my way to it.

As soon as I sat down, the AI activated all the ship's systems, causing the whole ship to vibrate.

- Achilles. - The hologram of the warrior I had chosen for the ship's AI materialised before me.

- My Emperor, seeing you after all these years is good.

- Me too, but we only have a little time for greetings. Report on the status of the ship. - The hologram nodded and waved. Within the hour, dozens of screens appeared in front of me with information from all over the ship.

Communication systems - normal...

Weapons are normal...

Storage was normal.

Power normal.

Autonomous units are normal.

Hull condition 100%...

Shields - 100%...

Engine failure - normal...

- All systems are operational, and no anomalies have been detected. Dreadnought ready. - I have a map of the galaxy in front of me.

- All right, plot a route to that planet. - I've zoomed in on a deserted planet.

- XV - 45/76 - Planet suitable for colonisation, rank 7. It's off-limits to visitors and all work in orbit. Terra's orders. Highest priority. You banned it yourself.

- I'm aware of that, and with good reason. An ancient shrub has been living there for a very long time, and I have to get it because it has some interesting properties. When we come out of the jump, I'll go to the surface with a squad of bots, you prepare the stasis chamber and the lab, and we'll learn the secrets of the universe.

- Confirmed. Begin transition from orbit?

- Can you? - The Consilium Code prohibits orbital leaps from planets.

- Yes, the Navigator has permitted me to make the orbital jump since it's your ship, my Overlord.

- Funny, but no. We will head for the asteroid belt and make the jump from there. Our departure must be covert. You've already been documented at the Mars docks.

- Roger that, Overlord. Warm-up engines set course for Mars.

The huge ship shook and slowly moved away from the orbital lift dock. Soon the dreadnought turned and headed for Mars along the special corridor assigned to it. Halfway through, it changed trajectory and was soon found near an asteroid field. Switching to cloaking mode, the top layer of armour refracted light and dampened the radiation from the instruments. Achilles began to prepare the breach engine, and soon the ship disappeared into the blue of transition...