From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 538 "Test Force"

Halsey?
Hearing this, Dorn was stunned, obviously not expecting that the "legendary doctor" would ask for communication.

In his impression, Katherine Halsey should be in the universe numbered "08" (Halo) at this moment, leading the core research team on the Ark, continuing to break through the technological barriers of the Forerunners.

The other party's name is almost synonymous with "genius" and "madness". His research results not only promoted the technological progress of the human empire, but also played a decisive role in many key battles.

So, why did she appear in the Imperial Palace?

Why would they ask to speak to them when they were about to go on an "expedition"?

In just a short moment, countless questions flashed through Dorn's mind.

Halsey's appearance often means some major discovery or crisis, while the other party's communication request may indicate some unknown variable.

However, to outsiders, the Primarch showed almost no hesitation.

His face remained stern, with an elusive depth in his eyes, and he said to the Imperial Fist correspondent:
"Approval of request."

"Yes, father." The communicator responded quickly.

Dorn nodded, then turned away from the observation window and walked towards the center console of the bridge not far away.

Aoi remained silent and followed closely behind.

The elf girl's eyes were equally calm and deep, as if she was thinking about the deeper meaning behind Halsey's communication request.

The atmosphere in the bridge became tense and orderly, and every crew member quickly devoted themselves to their work.

Dorn stood in front of the center console, his eyes scanning the data stream flashing on the screen.

Before long, the center console released "particles" emitting blue light. These particles flickered like stars and quickly condensed into a holographic image opposite Dorn and Aoi.

In the image, Katherine Halsey is wearing a white experimental coat, with a neat ponytail, and a hint of urgency and concentration in her eyes.

"Doctor, I don't know." Dorn wanted to ask when he saw the image appear.

However, before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the impatient Halsey.

"I have a batch of experimental Terminator armors here, ready to be delivered to your Imperial Fists first."

Halsey's voice was crisp and clear, as if he was just reading out an important experimental result. "These armors can not only help our research department obtain more actual combat data, but also help you speed up the efficiency of winning local battles."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing the key information "experimental model Terminator armor", Dorn's brows suddenly relaxed.

He was obviously pleased with the arrival of this new batch of equipment.

But soon, Dorn realized that this was obviously a case of "giving a gift in return", and there must be another meaning behind Halsey's generosity.

The Research Department would not deliver good things directly to the Legion for no reason, even if it was an "experimental model" that had not yet been officially deployed.

A hint of thought flashed across Dorn's eyes, but he did not speak immediately. He knew that Halsey's next sentence was the key point.

As expected, Halsey ignored Dorn's reaction and continued, "At the same time, there is a group of experimental troops that need to accompany you, the Imperial Fists, to fight in Universe 17 (Star Wars)."

An experimental force?
To be honest, Dorn didn't have much objection to this, or rather, he didn't pay much attention to this so-called experimental force.

In his eyes, no matter how the troops were transformed and upgraded, they would most likely not be comparable to the Astartes with implanted gene-seeds, not to mention the Grey Knights and Custodians who used his father's gene-seeds.

The existence of the opponent is just another attempt by the Research Department. It may be effective in certain specific situations, but it will not become a decisive force on the battlefield.

Therefore, whether this troop accompanies the journey has little impact on Dorne.

He was not worried that the other side would "take away the credit". After all, the glory and strength of the Imperial Fists had already been proven in countless battles.

However, the process must be followed.

As Primarch, he must ensure that all actions are in accordance with the laws of the Imperium and the will of the Emperor.

"Doctor." Dorn's voice was low and full of authority. "We will fully cooperate with the needs of the Research Department. I will not ask too much about the specific situation of these 'experimental' troops, but what I want to know is whether your Research Department has obtained the approval of the Emperor."

There was a hint of scrutiny in his eyes, as if he was looking directly into Halsey's heart through the holographic imaging.

Dorn understood that there might be some deeper meaning behind Halsey's request, and as the leader of the Imperial Fists, he had to ensure that all actions were under control.

Otherwise, if you casually accept the other party's "gift" and then help the other party "a little favor", it is very likely that you and the entire army will be caught in a public opinion storm.

You know, in addition to the threat from external forces of the empire, the internal stability is not as solid as it seems.

The relationships between the legions are mostly competitive, and the relationships between the primarchs are not that harmonious.

Each legion fights for the glory of the empire, but the open and secret struggles between them never stop.

Once there is any evidence against him and the Imperial Fists, some legions will definitely take advantage of the opportunity to do something, or even add insult to injury.

In this complex network of power, any wrong step may trigger a chain reaction.

Therefore, Dorn must act with caution, ensuring that every decision is in accordance with the laws of the Empire and the will of the Emperor.

He couldn't let the Imperial Fists become the target of attack by other legions, nor could he let the glory of the legion be overshadowed.

Hearing Dorn's serious question, Halsey responded calmly: "Of course, I will consult your father first for any decision at work.

This project was also approved by the Emperor himself, so there will be no problems with the process, please rest assured."

Halsey looked directly into Dorn's eyes through the holographic imaging, and knew that Dorn's caution was not aimless, but was to ensure the glory and stability of the Imperial Fists.

"In that case, we, the Imperial Fists, have no objection."

As Dorn spoke, his eyes swept across everyone in the bridge, and he immediately ordered, "Let this ship leave the formation, hover outside the seventeenth space gate, and open the gravity well.

Then notify the other ships in the fleet to continue crossing the space gate according to the original plan. After arriving at Jedda at the other end of the gate, start the jump voyage directly to the planet Yavin 4."

"Yes, father."

The crew members who received the order acted quickly. The helmsman's fingers slid rapidly on the console, and the engine of the Eternal Expedition emitted an extremely subtle low hum, causing the ship to slowly break away from the formation and hover outside the seventeenth space gate.

At the same time, the messenger quickly conveyed Dorn's instructions to the main force of the legion.

Each warship continued to move forward as ordered, crossing the space gate and heading towards the planet Jedha.

"Then we will discuss it in detail later."

Seeing this, Halsey took the initiative to end the communication and dissipate the imaging.

When the image completely disappeared, Aoi spoke at the right time: "I remember when I was sorting out the materials two years ago, there was a second-generation auxiliary army project jointly developed by the Research Department and the Biological Department, also known as the Empire Sparta Phase I Project.

As for the person in charge of the project, it is Dr. Catherine Halsey. I think the test troops that the doctor mentioned should be the first batch of Spartans. "

Her voice was calm and clear, as if reminding Dawn of this detail.

"Ok, I know."

Dorn nodded slightly.

He had indeed heard of the Sparta plan and was even quite familiar with it.

The reason why my father sent the elite of the Investigation Department to secretly capture Halsey was to "take possession of" the UNSC's Spartan-II plan.

This plan was once the elite force that the UNSC's Naval Intelligence Department, ONI, was preparing to vigorously develop. It was also the key for the UNSC to assassinate the rebel leaders, but the plan was "stillborn" before it was officially launched.

Moreover, after Atlas unified half of the galaxies in the Halo universe, the progress of the Spartan project began to "slow down".

However, the reason for the delay is not a technical bottleneck, but because most of the selected members are children between five and nine years old.

These children need to undergo a long period of training and transformation before they can become true Spartan warriors. Therefore, the progress of the plan is relatively slow and is far less rapid than other projects.

Compared with the current auxiliary forces, the Sparta plan seems a bit "useless".

The auxiliary troops are mostly elite troops from ordinary units. After being screened by the technicians of the Biological Department and injected with the Inques serum which has no side effects, they are able to develop physical fitness that surpasses the peak of ordinary people.

After years of development, the Inquis serum has been fully improved by the Biological Department. The production cost does not pose any pressure on the empire today, which has greatly improved the combat effectiveness and number of the auxiliary troops.

It took nearly ten years for the first batch of members of the Spartan Project to be incorporated into the experimental force by the Research Department.

In Dorn's opinion, such efficiency was obviously not comparable to that of the auxiliary troops, so he did not have high expectations for the Spartan plan.

However, Pietro, who commanded the Imperial Fist auxiliary forces, showed great interest in the Spartan plan.

As a high-ranking member of the Legion, Pietro also browsed the progress of internal projects in the Scientific Research Department and the Biological Department that were open to high-ranking members like them.

He believed that the potential of Spartan warriors far exceeded that of ordinary auxiliary troops, especially when performing special tasks, they could play an irreplaceable role.

Whether it's sneaking behind enemy lines, destroying critical facilities, or performing difficult tasks in extreme environments, the Spartan warriors' adaptability and combat effectiveness are sure to attract attention.

However, Pietro did not express his opinions much in front of Dorn.

As the Primarch, Dorn has a more macro-level consideration of the Legion's overall strategy.

Therefore, he just quietly followed the progress of the plan, waiting for the right time to put forward his own views.

Now, Halsey took the initiative to bring Sparta to his door, which made Pietro extremely happy.

The general secretly hoped that if the Sparta plan could be fully promoted, and even the existing auxiliary troops could be directly transformed, the combat effectiveness of the auxiliary troops would achieve a qualitative leap.

By then, they might be able to display a combat power no less than that of the Astartes and become another absolutely elite force of the Imperial Fists.

So Pietro took over the conversation appropriately, with a hint of expectation in his tone: "Whether the test troops are Sparta or not, the Research Department has always given the latest equipment to us, the Imperial Fists, first. Let's go and take a look. Maybe there will be unexpected gains."

"You're right, let's go." Dawn nodded slightly, agreeing with Pietro's suggestion.

He had originally planned to meet Halsey in person to learn more about the specific situation of this test force.

Led by Dorn, Aoi, Pietro, and several Templars, the Imperial Fists' Honor Guard, left the bridge together.

They boarded the rail train and headed for the maintenance hangar located in the belly of the ship.

Not long after, in the No. 1 maintenance warehouse of the Eternal Expedition;
The space here is large and open, and its overall specifications and equipment are almost the same as those of a hangar, but most of the vehicles displayed here are ground armored units.

The Titan main battle tank with a magnetic levitation chassis, the Mammoth that is like a real mobile fortress, and the heavy Cyclops mecha are neatly arranged on the parking racks in the maintenance warehouse, like a group of sleeping steel behemoths, waiting for the moment to be awakened.

The Titan main battle tank, which has been in service for the longest time in the Empire, has long been strengthened, upgraded and modified in various aspects.

For example, the conventional model uses dual 100mm caliber Gauss cannons, which can accurately strike targets at extremely long distances and are powerful enough to penetrate and destroy most fortifications and heavy units.

In addition, a three-barrel 4mm caliber small Gauss close-in defense gun was installed at the rear end of the Titan's turret to enhance its defense capabilities against aerial targets.

Even though the battlefield dimension has risen to the cosmic realm, the position of tanks in land warfare remains unshakable. Their existence provides the most solid firepower support for the soldiers.

In addition to these heavy armored units, there are also various types of hunters on standby in the maintenance depot.

In the central area of ​​the maintenance depot is a plasma gas valve with a diameter of 100 meters and a gravity lift shaft of corresponding size.

The existence of gravity wells allows ships hovering in the atmosphere to directly drop combat units from the maintenance depot onto the surface, thereby greatly improving deployment efficiency.

At this moment, a large number of containers have been placed next to the gravity well and are neatly arranged on the metal deck, while the transport-type Terminators and Hunters are transferring these containers to other areas.

Dorn, Aoi, Pietro and others were also standing at the edge of the gravity well, and opposite them was Halsey, who was wearing a white coat and a ponytail.

Behind Halsey was a group of "children" who were over two meters tall but had very immature and green faces.

The most important thing is that these "kids" are only about 17 or 18 years old, but when they look at the Templars next to Dorne, there is not much nervousness or timidity in their eyes. Instead, they are curious and "eager to try", as if they are ready to face all kinds of challenges.

Of course, none of these "kids" had dared to make a similar expression to Dorn.

After all, no matter how confident they were, they knew they were no match for a Primarch.

Because everyone in the Empire knows that, apart from the Emperor himself, only the Primarchs have the power to "explode stars"
(End of this chapter)