Chapter 5: A Visit

-M29 671. Falmart. Unnamed plain-

The 5th Recon Team is in their cloak mode, walking through the rocky plain without detection. After a few scans, this plain is home to various beasts and small dragons. Though it was suicide for any human to pass this land without any preparation or a small number of troops, it was not the case for Solar Guardian.

Moreover, they are enveloped by their invisibility technology; no one can touch them. Even if they were the Japanese, their technologies would be on the level of cavemen compared to the Imperium's might of science and understanding.

They walked through the plains like ghosts clad in the flesh, seeking their destination.

With their Warp detectors, the person within the team could detect their teammates with ease.

"We arrive at our first pinpoint to mark," Raias said, stopping his walk. "Prepare perimeter as I will perform the marking."

"Yes, sir!" They answered at the same time. As Raias de-cloaking, his team began to move in various directions, the Captain kneeling to start the marking of the Immaterium.

In his Hud, a red screen appeared as various notifications popped in significant numbers. His nerve began to burn, and electrics ran through his flesh and bone.

"Captain, I will perform the calculation. Just bear it until I finish." UR-982 said.

"Do what must you do, 82," Raias growled in pain and distress.

A white ray emerges from his armor, and the soul becomes transparent in his body. Raias could feel the unrelenting waves of the Immaterium. He had expected it, but some elements still intrigued him.

It was calm and serene. Beneath that serenity lies unpredictable tides of power and psychic conduits.

"The calculation will finish in ten seconds." As the Ferrous Mind started calculating the time, Raias focused his perception on peering into a certain section in the Warp. Raias could see a particular woman watching the entire Falmart. No, an Empyrean entity is watching the whole world with its eyes.

For a slight moment, the Captain could swear that woman noticed his presence. The eyes stared deep into the Solar Guardian's soul.

"You think I could not see you, mortal?" It said with a feminine voice.

"Three, two, one. Calculation complete." UR-982 announced, severing Raias connection to the Warp.

His Nano Suit is on the very edge of overheating, letting out the steam of heat. The cooling mechanism began to take control, reducing the effect as the system started to estimate the damage control.

As the green light replaced the red one, Raias could breathe in relief. Yet, the Empyrean presence is lingering in his mind.

"82. I want to ask you something. Make it private." Raias said, drawing a deep breath into his lungs.

"Ask anyway." The Man of Iron replied neutrally.

"Did the Imperium know further about the Empyrean entity that opened that Gate?" Raias and other Solar Guardians have received the report that the culprit behind the Gate appearance is, in fact, an Empyrean entity residing in this world. Further implication still needs to be presented.

"Besides its nature, we still did not know more, Captain." The A.I answered.

"Explain." The man commanded, narrowing his eyes.

"It seems capable of harvesting souls and using the Warp portal. We also know it serves as a deity figure on this planet. That was the only information the higher-up provided me." As it spoke, it sent documents to provide its statement to Raias. Opening them and reading the data with his transhuman speed.

"I see. Then that was all, 82. Thank you." Raias said."

"Your welcome, Captain."

It replied with a sign of satisfaction.

"Sir!' Mal shouted, approaching as his cloaking mode was still active. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Mal. I appreciate your concern." Raias waved the question.

The said man sighed in relief, "But I still need your body scan from your suit, sir."

"Very well." Raias did what his medic said, sending the data to Mal's suit.

"Sir. If I may ask, where are we headed next?" This time, Maiya asked.

Raias look upon his map and its objectives. Letting himself smile, Raias closed the map. "It seems our next pinpoint is the farthest among our objectives. So, we will buy the Japanese some visit."

"Hell yeah!" Mal said happily.

"It would be ten kilometers from here. Raphael, I want you to be stationed three hundred meters from the main Japanese base, protect us if a threat comes." Raias said, while on Raphael's helm, had projected the map alongside the description on Raias' order.

"Understood, sir." Raphael simply said.

"Let's move." Raias' suit reactivates its cloaking mode.

______________________________________________________

-Alnus Hills. JSDF Base-

The 5th Recon Team has arrived. Standing on the green terrain, they watched the entire Japanese construction on their stronghold.

"For M2. It's still in my expectation." Maiya said, using her Tactical Visor Binoculars to monitor their movement. Using thermal sight, nerve viewing, and even a psychic scanner utilized by the Demolisher.

"What expectation?" Mal asked.

"Their construction speed? Don't get me wrong, as a former student of Oculus Terran Academy in history study. And yes, I was learning about the Old Earth. " She said with a hint of pride in their tone.

"A Demolisher has a history as a history student. Yeah, I see everything now." Nathaniel said playfully, smirking from beneath his armor.

"Shut up." The female Solar Guardian growled.

"Team, focus," Raias said, still monitoring the base intensely. "What about you, Raphael."

"Nothing's unusual. You are clear to proceed, sir." The sniper said from the vox channel.

"Acknowledge, Raphael. Infiltration started." Raias proclaimed, moving closer to the base.

The base itself was not that particularly fascinating. Rubbish and primitive by its own construct and material, none of them could match Imperium's mastery over architecture. But this singular evidence made the Solar Guardians feel alien to them. They came and were born in the city of steel and metal as the city rose to the sky as an independent arcology.

The creation of their base was conducted by Man of Iron, artificial intelligence born with incredible power and calculation. Witnessing the Japanese base made sensational nostalgia emerges from their souls.

"This base was created manually, using their own robust hands and available knowledge. Fascinating." Mal said, scanning the entire complex in great detail.

They watched men and women wearing green uniforms, talking with joy and smiles, innocent like a newly born child.

"Our ancestor," Nathaniel said in vox channel, drawing Mal's attention. "They are so innocent. Neither of them has seen blood nor violence."

"I can agree with that, Nathaniel. They are young and ignorant. But isn't that a blessing? Despite Imperium's technological marvel, we could create our own safe haven. The horror and truth of this cosmos can easily drive men to insanity." Mal said to the Devastator softly, like it was near a whisper.

"You are better suited to be a psychiatrist, Mal. No offense." Nathaniel said softly.

"None taken. Though I prefer to be a soldier like it was nature calling for me." The Apothecary replied with a chuckle.

"Well, we have our own reason," Nathaniel concluded. Even though it was not on the surface, it was easy for him to read the situation.

"Exactly."

"I will investigate their base and extract their data. I want you to record anything useful for additional proof and report." Raias said to his team.

"Yes, sir!' They replied, heading in their respective directions.

Mal decided to investigate the infirmary, Maiya went to the training ground, and Nathaniel decided to check their armory.

Raias nodded to himself, heading to their headquarters carefully. From the appearance of the base and UR-982's help, Raias could calculate when it was built and how long the Japanese had set foot on this planet.

"So it was two weeks." He said to himself.

"Based on the age of the carbon. Yes, it was two weeks ago. It seems their Gate opens earlier than us." Ur-982 said, showing the data it had to the Solar Guardian.

"Interesting. It seems that the Empyrean entity has some kind of plan to make such a move. I wonder what it is." Raias remarked, smirking under his helmet.

He was seeking an opening to enter the building with his scan. It did not take a long time to wait. Raias found a door in the back of the headquarter.

Using his stealth and agility, he opens the door soundlessly. Like the scan had shown him, there was not a single soul in this building section.

"Activate illusionary cloak mode." It was another mode for cloaking technology. Using the small tidal wave within the Warp, this device can replace any mortal's sight to serve the user's wish to the point it could deceive high-level Beta psyker. Yet, this device needs an experienced psyker and Ferrous Mind to perform its mechanism on a mass scale. Raias brought this to himself but rarely used it. Despite his difficulty when he used it, Raias now accompanied by UR-982 to manipulate every Japanese perception and sense of reality. But it has a cost; he must deactivate his initial cloaking mode.

With that, he could take or open any door without inviting any suspicion.

"It seems they did not have built their Noosphere network," Raias said. He watched the Japanese soldier talking with their comrades.

"In this era, it would be called internet network, Captain." UE-982 corrected the man.

"Thanks, 82." He said with gratitude. He walked through the office in the middle of the crowd without anyone noticing him despite being an 8-foot-tall soldier with steel armor.

"82, could you translate their language for me?" Raias asked the Ferrous Mind.

"A moment, please." UR-982 uses Its databank of various languages in Old Earth's history. Using Its psychic power, UR-982 translates the languages in just nanoseconds.

"Our attack three days prior cost us a significant material and financial resource." One of the soldiers said, holding a paper in his palm.

"The Empire. They throw their soldiers without any remorse. Even after we put a warning sign, they still marched." The other said, sighing in tiredness.

"I hear another Recon Team will be sent tomorrow morning. From the intel, we have information that various villages reside not far from our territory." The Japanese soldier said to his friend with a frown.

Sighing softly, Raias resumed his walk to seek the General's room.

_________________________________________________________

Mal watched Japanese medics performing their duties. Checking the healthiness of the entire soldiers and performing a basic check-up on all of the base's inhabitants.

UR-982 is using its psychic power to translate the Japanese language to Mal. Capable of understanding the Japanese medics somehow warming his heart.

"Kurokawa, can you help me?" A man called.

"Of course." A feminine voice answered happily.

In front of him, the said woman walked. She wore her green uniform and beautiful flowing black hair tied with a blue ribbon. A pair of flawless blue eyes shine with hope.

Mal's eyes followed the woman. She went to help her comrade, smiling joyfully, but professionalism lingered.

Mal could not move his sight from her. Smiling with a tired smile as something within his heart moved.

______________________________________________________

Maiya could see their training performance. Interested, she scans the entire ground, recording their training and the scan result.

"They are splendid soldiers indeed. Their tactics are all the same as in the historical record." Maiya said, taking a great interest in observing them.

She began to copy her official record to her private folder. She would dive into their culture, history, and everything she would take for intact records.

__________________________________________________

Nathaniel is busy scanning the entire war machines inside the Japanese armory. Even though this place is strictly guarded, Nathaniel could freely roam to fulfill his duty.

"To call those war machines to Imperial standard would be an extreme comparison. But," He said, placing his hand on the tank.

"These machines must serve mankind for a long time. As a Devastator myself, I have seen many war machines march for war. A relic originating in a forgotten past was reforged countless times to face hell." He said with admiration and a nostalgic tone.

Scanning the rest of the weaponry, smiling with pride.

_____________________________________________________

Raias open the General's room door. Even though the said General is sitting on his chair, thanks to the illusion, he would only see a closed door.

The General named Hazama, according to his fabric name tag on his cloth, is reading various reports. Raias should have bothered to scan the room to locate the document he wanted.

"82, did you see the connections?"

"Yes. As a primitive civilization, their data is open for me to access. Even their world's secret is mine to exploit." The Man of Iron stated.

Chuckled to amuse himself, Raias could only think what information UR-982 could get to frame the Old Earth. But he decided to focus on his mission.

Opening the metal drawer, he took a brown envelope. Unfurling it, he began to copy it into his Noosphere. The document itself registered the Japanese army's order and future plans.

"We've done here. We shall return to our second objective. Team, if you are done, regroup in this location." Raias said, giving his team the coordination as he returned the envelope.

He turned to the exit. Raias hand nearly reached the hinges, stopped when it began to move. A man with glass eyes stepped in.

"You called me General?" The man said.

"Yes, please have a seat." The General replied with a small smile.

Did not bother to listen further. Raias making his way out of the room.

"Don't know why but I hate that man," Raias said, irritated.

"Which one?" UR-982 asked.

"The four eyes one."

_________________________________________________________

"We've got what we wanted. I want the data you guys collected to be sent to my Noosphere." With that command, they give the Solar Guardian Captain the needed data.

"Good. With this, we will continue our second objective." Raias said, deactivating his illusion as he switched to the traditional cloaking mode.

"Yes, sir!" They replied at the same time.

As the rest began to move, Mal did not move for a moment. He looked back at the Japanese base, longing for something.

"We are still on our mission, Mal. move your feet!" Raias said directly into the Apothecary's vox channel

"At once, sir!"

_________________________________________________________

-M29. 671. Terra-

Emperor is in his private chamber. Did not clad in his golden armor. Instead, he wore Terran noble's attire.

The chamber itself, even it was grandeur with golden sigils and impossibly artistic shape ornaments. It could be classified as a laboratory, filled with uncountable Imperium's most advanced psi-tech and machinery. Even all of them are bizarre and downright eldritch. Each piece is capable of creating blasphemous creations to wreak havoc on reality.

Calmly sitting on his chair, the Master of Mankin peered into his holovid. A stream of data instantly transferred to his Noosphere.

Reading it with his transhuman power, the Emperor could only smile.

"Earth. His beauty never disappears, even after ages. A diamond worth of protection." He said with a voice that he was a lovely father.

Another burden rested on Anathema's shoulder. Yet, he will gladly accept it.