Imperium of Man Terra Aeterna Season 01: Rise of Humanity's War Machin

In the next few days, the soldier module and weaponry module from the system would enter their next monthly cycle—and could be reclaimed. Reuel was thrilled.

Once he acquired this round of packages, it would be time to launch an offensive against Umbrella's bases across the globe.

It was time.

I will order Ursarkar E. Creed to confiscate every piece of ancient military equipment on this planet. All Second Millennium tech will be recycled. No more old tanks or NATO-standard rifles—everything will be reforged into warships by the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Reuel was lost in this vision of the future when the voice of the Red Queen snapped him out of his reverie.

"Brother, I just detected someone accessing the satellites," said the Red Queen.

Reuel immediately came to. "Have you tracked the source?"

"Yes. The transmission originated from The Hive base in Raccoon City," Red Queen replied.

Reuel nodded slowly. "So they've finally shown themselves…"

He had expected this. If any part of Umbrella remained, that place would be their nest. Just as portrayed in the Resident Evil franchise—they lurked in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to emerge.

"Red Queen, keep monitoring Raccoon City and The Hive. If there's any suspicious activity, report to me immediately."

"Understood, Brother."

"How long until we reach the San Diego coast, California?"

"Estimated time: four hours."

Reuel took a deep breath. "Living on a submarine is boring as hell…"

Only a day had passed, and he was already feeling restless.

Was this what life was like for real submarine crews? Sent on months-long missions beneath the ocean, inside narrow iron tunnels. How did they stay sane during military training in America or Europe?

But Reuel knew—this was only the beginning.

If everything went according to plan, he would soon leave this submarine behind and board a spacecraft, built by the Adeptus Mechanicus—not to Earth standards, but to those of Mars.

---

Salt Lake City

In this city, now under the direct supervision of Jill Valentine, the situation had become much more stable. No more civilians running out to get themselves killed, and the civic order was slowly being restored. Salt Lake had become the first model city for the future Imperium of Man on this planet.

Major Hellsker and the Cadia Shock Troopers had secured the supply chains. They organized logistics search teams and successfully located enough food resources to support the population. Farmlands were reclaimed, and food production had begun to stabilize.

Meanwhile, underground, Archmagos Belisarius Cawl and the Tech-Priests had made a vital breakthrough:

They developed a specialized antivirus for livestock—a crucial step toward food security for the four billion people Reuel envisioned as the foundation of his version of the Imperium of Man.

Even further, they created a human-compatible antivirus variant. Victims of infection were healed and restored to normal—so long as their vital organs weren't too damaged. If their bodies were beyond repair, recovery became impossible. Time and resources were far too limited to craft artificial organs one by one.

But Reuel had a solution.

If the victims' families were willing, they could join the Cult Mechanicus. Become Tech-Priests. Merge with machines, as their creators had. And in return…

Reuel had made a promise:

For every universe he conquered, there would be one Mars-designated planet—an autonomous territory for the Adeptus Mechanicus.

They were free to worship the Omnissiah, the god of all machines, as long as their loyalty never wavered from the Imperium of Man—now under the absolute command of Reuel.

---

Public Safety Department

Jill was buried in a mountain of paperwork in her office. Claire, having lost all her previous positions, wasn't much help anymore, and now the entire administrative burden rested squarely on Jill's shoulders.

Paperwork was the thing she hated most. But like it or not, someone had to do it.

"Sister Jill, Major Hellsker of the Astra Militarum division requests an audience," White Queen's voice rang through the room.

"Send him in," Jill replied curtly.

"Yes, Sister," White Queen responded politely.

A few minutes later, a broad-shouldered man entered and saluted.

"Ma'am, my name is Major Hellsker of the Astra Militarum, under the direct command of Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed," he said formally.

"Major Hellsker, how can I help you?" Jill asked, her voice calm but alert.

"Our troops discovered a large military base approximately 300 kilometers southwest of here. The strange part is, the base isn't listed on any military map," Hellsker reported.

Jill frowned. "A large military base that's unmarked?"

"Correct, ma'am. It's remote and… honestly, its equipment isn't of much use to us," he admitted.

Jill stood from her chair. Her tight combat uniform emphasized the perfect posture of a seasoned woman. She had made her decision.

"Ready a transport. I'll inspect it myself," she ordered firmly.

Major Hellsker looked uneasy. "Ma'am, there's no need for you to go personally. I can dispatch a recon team. We can secure the site."

Jill stared him down without flinching. She knew the risks—but she also knew her responsibility.

"No. I need to see it with my own eyes. Prepare the aircraft."

"Yes, ma'am," Major Hellsker replied, almost in a whisper.

Deep down, he knew—if anything happened to Jill, the wrath of His Majesty the Emperor would be inevitable.

Better he die on the battlefield than be seen as negligent by Creed… or worse, be branded a heretic.

---

Black Hawk Extraction & Recon Mission

After a moment, a Black Hawk helicopter appeared in the sky, slowly descending onto the rooftop of the headquarters.

Jill walked toward the aircraft. The Cadia Shock Troopers standing guard at the door immediately opened it and saluted with the distinct discipline of the Astra Militarum. Jill returned the gesture with a short nod and climbed the boarding steps.

The helicopter promptly took off, heading toward the target location. In the air, it was escorted tightly by four Apache gunships and two Lightning Fighters—Imperial starfighters now adapted for Earth-bound operations.

A few minutes later, their air formation arrived above the designated area.

One of the troopers handed Jill a tactical binocular. She brought it up to the cabin window and peered down.

Her brow furrowed at the sight below.

A massive military base sprawled beneath them. The runway stretched wide, packed with hundreds of aircraft in various models—all eerily silent, like ghostly remnants of forgotten wars. Along the edges, rows of tanks and armored vehicles stood idle, some partially covered by weathered, torn tarpaulins.

The chopper veered left, revealing a dozen large warehouses aligned in perfect order. Their contents remained unknown.

Further out, near the coastline, a cluster of oil depots stood in solemn silence. It was unclear whether they still held reserves or were nothing more than rusting husks.

But what disturbed Jill the most were the creatures roaming the facility.

Zombies.

Dozens—perhaps hundreds—of them staggered aimlessly across the base, still clad in filthy, tattered military uniforms. Former soldiers of the base, now reduced to lifeless husks.

Jill took a deep breath. That airfield… it was far too massive for a standard installation. Whoever had built it, they weren't playing around.

"That's enough. We're returning to Salt Lake City," she commanded firmly.

"Yes, ma'am," a trooper replied obediently.

The formation banked away. The Apaches and Lightning Fighters maintained tight formation, escorting them back to headquarters.

---

Salt Lake City — Reuel Villa

When Jill returned to Salt Lake City, her Black Hawk landed just as Reuel's aircraft touched down not far away. Their timing was nearly synchronized.

Jill quickly headed for the main villa. As she opened the door, she found Reuel in the middle of a light-hearted debate with Angie. The atmosphere was relaxed—the women in the living room looked amused, watching the exchange like an impromptu comedy show.

As soon as Jill entered, Reuel ended the discussion and strode toward her without hesitation. He pulled her into a gentle embrace and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I'm back, love. I heard you went to scout that military installation?" he asked warmly, gazing at her with genuine affection. He understood the weight Jill bore, especially now that she had been tasked with overseeing Salt Lake City's governance directly.

"Reuel, we might need a whole army to secure that place," Jill replied, energized.

Everyone in the room turned toward them, curiosity piqued.

"What did you see?" Reuel asked as Jill shrugged off her combat jacket.

"Aircraft, tanks, armored vehicles... so many. It's insane," Jill replied briskly.

Reuel raised an eyebrow. "How many are we talking?"

"Rough estimate—five to six hundred aircraft of varying models. Hundreds of tanks and armored units as well."

"Holy shit… that's massive," Reuel murmured, genuinely surprised.

The other women looked equally stunned. No one had expected such a colossal find.

"And there's a dozen large warehouses and several oil depots near the coast. I don't know what's inside, but that base is definitely not standard issue," Jill added.

"This is a jackpot," Reuel whispered in awe.

"There's no military record of that site. It's clearly a classified installation," Ada Wong commented as she examined the maps Jill brought back.

"Maybe a contingency base for full-scale war?" Alice speculated.

"Looks that way," Jill nodded.

Her expression then darkened. "But we've got a serious problem. That base is crawling with zombies—tens of thousands. We can't use airstrikes. If we bomb it, we risk destroying all the equipment inside."

"Our current force is under ten thousand troops. Even if we win, we don't have the personnel to secure and operate the facility," Alice pointed out.

"Unless Reuel's purple-eyed army gets deployed," she added flatly.

That statement brought silence to the room. Everyone knew the limitations of their manpower. The Cadia Shock Troopers would only act under Reuel's direct command, and coordinating that was no small task.

Reuel hadn't yet revealed the existence of the cloning facility. He also knew now wasn't the time to strike. The base could wait.

"Let Creed handle it later. Let him and the tech-priests of the Mechanicus salvage all that 21st-century military tech. Who knows—maybe they'll turn it into a spaceship or two," Reuel said with a chuckle.

"For now, our focus remains the destruction of the Umbrella Corporation."

"Agreed. Umbrella has to go first," Jill nodded, and the others responded in kind.

Jill looked around, then asked, "By the way—where's Claire? I didn't see her."

"She's back. Claire's out scouting housing options for her brother and Luther," Ada replied, handing Jill a glass of water.

"Thanks," Jill accepted it and sank into the large chair beside Reuel.

Suddenly, a hologram of the Red Queen appeared in the center of the room, seated like a digital empress on a virtual throne.

"Brother, I'm detecting large-scale zombie movement in Chicago."

"Large-scale movement?" Reuel snapped to attention.

"Display satellite visuals."

"Yes, brother."

A massive holographic screen flickered to life, showing live satellite footage: a horde of zombies in staggering numbers pursuing a convoy of heavily modified trucks. Over a dozen vehicles, each dragging thousands of infected behind them.

The sight left everyone in the room speechless.

"God… there are so many of them," Alice whispered.

"My estimate… around a hundred thousand zombies," Jill said grimly.

"And they're headed toward…?" Ada asked, narrowing her eyes as she traced the convoy's route.

"Raccoon City," Red Queen confirmed after a brief scan.

Silence descended.

Reuel watched the projection intently. A memory stirred within him.

This scene…

Wasn't this just like the ending of the final Resident Evil film, when Dr. Isaacs' replicant tried to capture Alice?

"This world… it feels like the plot's adjusting itself again," Reuel muttered—barely audible.