This was a beautiful planet. From orbit, it looked like a polished azure gem, with vast oceans covering most of its surface, and emerald-like landmasses surrounded by the blue water, dotting it like precious pieces on a divine chessboard.
However, as the view zoomed in on the land, this natural tranquility was utterly destroyed by the ceaseless roar of machines and the pungent smell of oil fumes. On one of the largest islands, scattered dwellings were roughly constructed from prefabricated panels and metal scaffolding. Most of those moving in and out of these crude buildings were Skitarii soldiers, cloaked in red robes and heavily modified with mechanical augmentations, numbering close to a hundred.
This small Adeptus Mechanicus exploration team, led by Tech-Priest Tallen Wick, was responsible for surveying the geological conditions and biological environment of this newly discovered planet, and compiling the data into a report for submission.
"Nine standard Terra years, six months, thirteen days, and four hours remain until the Imperial Navy arrives for handover," Wick muttered in binary prayers in his spartan personal room, as he calibrated his timer.
"May the Omnissiah bless us, and may they not arrive early. The environment here is excellent, the data flow stable, and I wish to dedicate more time to the sacred cause of exploration here."
Just then, an implanted chip in Wick's head suddenly received a communication request. He found it very strange; his logic engines whirred, but he could find no reasonable explanation: "Could there be other Imperial Navy vessels passing through this desolate star system?"
He chose to connect. A processed, electronic voice, also belonging to a Tech-Priest, spoke: "Excuse me, is this Tyran Primus?"
"No, this Magos' Name is Tallen Wick..." Halfway through, Wick realized the other party was asking for the planet's Name. He tapped his mechanical arm against his skull. "Uh, logic error. If you are referring to the planet, then yes, this is Tyran Primus."
"Excellent, Magos Tallen Wick," the other party's joy almost spilled out of the communication channel. "We are here to support you. Please be aware, our vessel is about to land."
"Support? But…" Before Wick could express his confusion, the other party cut off the communication, apparently eager.
He could only mutter to himself in the silent room: "What kind of support does a geological survey mission need? If they really wanted to provide support, why didn't they go to support the xenos war in the Damocles Gulf?"
Despite his doubts, he still got up and prepared to leave his room to greet his colleagues. He had expected to see a few Valkyrie transports, or at most a few Thunderhawk Gunships. However, when he walked out of the camp, a huge shadow was already about to cover the entire island. Wick's optical sensors instantly zoomed to their limit, and data rushed through his mind.
"Length... at least 1.5 kilometers... a frigate?!"
"There are no docking facilities on this island... Wait, they're going to land directly on the land?! Omnissiah, do they not intend to take off again?!"
Amidst Wick's exclamations, the frigate landed forcefully on the island with a tremendous roar that made the earth tremble, its massive hull nearly crushing the exploration team's camp. Several enormous hatches opened impatiently after the vessel settled, but what emerged first were not Skitarii, but a large number of Imperial Guard soldiers in black full-coverage carapace armor.
"Astra Militarum?" Wick immediately felt a sense of unease, but he still stood his ground, waiting for the "colleague" who had communicated with him.
He didn't wait for a colleague, but first for the commander of this Astra Militarum unit. The other party strode over, removed his helmet, revealing a young but steady face, and extended his hand in a friendly manner: "Hello, Magos Tallen Wick. You can call me Joker."
"Hello." Wick shook hands with him using his mechanical hand. "Excuse me, have you come to the wrong planet? There are no xenos here... unless some local amphibious mammals count."
"If there isn't a second Tyran Primus on the eastern edge of the galaxy, then we definitely haven't come to the wrong place," Joker said, pulling out a datapad. "You've been exploring here for a long time; you should have some understanding of the surrounding terrain, right?"
"Data complete, I'll transmit it to you," Wick said, operating the device, while asking uneasily, "What exactly is your mission objective here?"
"If there are no surprises, you will soon see it with your own eyes," Joker said meaningfully. He was about to turn to command his troops, but this process was interrupted by the sight of three figures, also in red robes, descending from the vessel.
Joker rushed over, trying to stop them: "Wait, you three, we haven't confirmed the absolute safety of the external environment yet..."
"Go, go, go," the one walking in front pushed him away impatiently. "Don't bother with those damned safety regulations in a game."
"Yes, you are right," another red-robed figure agreed. "Don't worry so much about it. What I hate most are all those miscellaneous restrictions! This place is like God's heaven to me; I can research whatever I want! If I have to follow regulations even after coming here, then wouldn't I have come for nothing?"
The last one merely shrugged, said nothing, and quickly followed the first two.
Joker looked somewhat annoyed at the two Helldivers who had only just emerged from the ship's cabin: "Lang! Grigory! Didn't we agree that you two would stop them?"
Grigory spread his hands helplessly: "Why would you think the two of us could stop them..."
Lang added: "Professor Boni, after giving himself a mad scientist-style modification, can take on a hundred of me."
Joker felt a wave of powerlessness, knowing that what the two said was true. Moreover, even if they could fight them, these three great deities were untouchable, so it would be strange if they *could* stop them.
He finally just sighed heavily and said, "Alright, let's discuss building the fortifications..."
Meanwhile, Tallen Wick felt an increasing sense of unease.
This so-called "support unit" was clearly not here for planetary exploration, and they made no attempt to hide it. As soon as they disembarked, they began constructing defensive fortifications on the spot, and Wick could clearly see that the prefabricated parts and weapon emplacements were not temporary; they were for a permanent fortress.
Furthermore, Wick noticed that these three Tech-Priests had no Skitarii accompanying them! And those Astra Militarum, who were theoretically unrelated to the Adeptus Mechanicus, treated them with great respect... This was truly strange; the guards of the Tech-Priests were not Skitarii, but Astra Militarum?