---->Archival inquiry

9th September 2568
System #792/SSW/047. Local designation "Haven"
Operational status:Green
Operational force:1st Imperial Fleet

Mission objective:Establish first contact with the Zodarrin force known as the "Forerunner Remnant"
                         Monitor Forerunner activities
                         

Archival submitted at command of Viscount Raxus Imar.

----->End Archival slate

Haven......

The Varanus had little knowledge of this supposedly mythical world,scouts of the first empire never reached this sector of space let alone entered the Haven system to deliver reports of a metallic world much like the Immortal Imme'ne yet also different.Unlike Imme'ne this entire system lacked any other forms of life.There where no other planets save the local star in the system.

Stories would circulate amongst the varied populations of the Imperium when mentioning the Forerunner world,the human citizens and troops would recall the battle of Haven whilst others slip into creational myths over how the Forerunners populated and engineered life in the galaxy.The Varanus who where alien to this galaxy itself would scoff at these claims but the question remained to claw their minds.

"If these Forerunners where so powerful and advanced....Why is it that they remain silent and isolated...If they truly created life in this galaxy,why would they not guide it towards co-existence" The Forerunners seemed to mimic the ideal the Imperium strives for....To build utopia between all in the galaxy....Yet these supposed creators allowed the Human-Covenant war,they allowed the Demonic Crusades,they allowed the Reich-Immortal wars and they allowed the aberration known as Helix to slaughter the North.

In the red yellow eyes of the Viscount this was not a act of mere sloth but rather an act of cowardice......

And Cowards have no place in the Imperial Vision.

Yet.......

If the myths and rumors are true.....

These so called Forerunners possessed technology we require to carry out the Grand Imperator's plan to end Helix once and for all.

So we swallowed our contempt....Readied our fleets and approached the metallic orb light-years away.

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The orb seemed so far away on the projected viewport of the bridge.Our fleet entered the edge of the Haven system and have been slowly approaching the planet designated Haven.We brought a full fleet of battleships and carriers with enough firepower to invade several planets simultaneously.The firepower was more then a show of Imperial power but also justified due to the fact that both the Viscount and the Grand Imperator where present to oversee what was going to be a turning point in the Helix Campaign....

...And also to determine the intent of this unknown power.

The reptilians gave their command and the fleet obliged slowly approaching Haven only to stop seven thousand lightyears away.The fleet entered a line formation facing Haven and after a short delay of 30 standard minutes did one of the battleships approach the shield world.

The INS "Spear of Serpentum" The Grand Imperator's new flagship was a mighty warship etched with golden reliefs of various battles and larger then most other ships of the fleet.It hailed the shield world with message encoded in a variety of greetings from every race the Imperium has documented in the Milky Way followed by the Grand Imperator's message which simply said: Audience.

Awaiting the response the fleet stood ready in case of hostile reactions,emergency protocols stood waiting and the "Spear of Serpentum boasted a wormhole generator capable of transporting most of the fleet in case the Viscount needs to be evacuated,the Imperials left no room for chance,they could not afford risking another war.

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The sudden appearance of a massive fleet right at the edge of Haven's system instantly alerted several sensory placements on the planet's shell. The Custodian had spent the last several thousand hours carrying out re-calibration procedures on several other installations spread thinly across the galaxy, mainly sentinel production facilities as well as simulated test firings of weapon installations.

The mysterious fleet's approach drew the AI's attention back to Haven for the first time in two years. Any Forerunner installation that the AI hadn't allocated its full attention toward was monitored by one of its several subroutines. In this case, it was one such subroutine that alerted it of the fleet. This was the first contact since the Nypherians two years prior, and their appearance perhaps sparked a sense of intrigue in the AI.

It watched as a sole ship separated from the fleet and closed distance between itself and the shield world. The ship proceeded to transmit several greetings in different languages before broadcasting a single word:

"Audience."

In front of the Spear of Serpentum, time and space warped and stretched around a growing singularity that rapidly increased to the size of several meters in diameter. An object exited the portal, octahedral in shape and with a surface of reflective silvery-blue. Light blue neon-lights glowed along its edges as the portal closed behind the object, which proceeded to approach the Spear until it was half a kilometer away from it. There was a brief pause as the Sentinel loomed there, still in the vaccuum of space.

And then came the transmission. A reply from the Sentinel, or rather the Custodian using the Sentinel as its avatar.
<\ STATE YOUR INTENT \>

The ensigns stated a massive power fluctuation taking place in front of the Spear of Serpentum and materialized into a ship.....or object.

The Varanus have seen and build many advanced technologies but being able to seemingly warp to and fro in seconds was something beyond even the most advanced Wormhole generators the Imperial Navy has ever fielded.But at least the Imperials have the attention of the Forerunners now.

The ensigns relayed the message to the Grand Imperator and the Cyborg general chuckled. "Send them the recording."

The ensigns then relayed a message back to the Sentinel. It was a collection of recordings regarding the Helix War.Images and videos of soldiers engaged with machines where flooded with images of suffering and loss in it's most base form. Thousands of refugees rendered homeless,worlds rendered into mines to fuel Helix's factories and a clip of a pile of dead children.......Helix had no use for underdeveloped lifeforms....Their genocide was just a means to damage organic morale.

The message was then followed by the Grand Imperator {G.I}'s filtered voice.

"We seek......."He paused......"guidance" The G.I then muttered. If these Forerunners where truly the caretakers they perceived themselves to be then they could not ignore this plight....Could they?

The rest of the fleet remained still as they awaited a response.

Guidance.

A call for help. The war as it had been shown to the Custodian was not going well, evidently. It was clear what this fleet, this Imperium wanted. It was clear what they required.

This virus seemed to target it's enemies' technologies, infecting them with some sort of technological plague and turning them against their makers. The Imperium was in dire need of something more. From what the Custodian could pull through scans and precise observations via outposts scattered all over the galaxy, the Imperium's intentions were for the greater good. The preservation of life in the galaxy against a threat not unlike the parasite that had thrived 100'000 years before.

From behind the Sentinel, a small hole appeared on the vast metallic surface of the planetoid. Through the hole shone a white-blue aura of light. The hole quickly increased in size, opening up to 200 kilometers across. The beam of light was vast now, stretching out beyond the planet. The Sentinel then backed away from the Spear of Serpentum and into the entrance of the planet.

As soon as the Serpentum would enter the planet, they would be presented with the sight of an entire thriving world beneath them. Bluish clouds decorated the horizon underneath them while mountainous regions stretched out across the surface, covered in snow at their very tips. The fields around the mountains were decorated with trees that had flowers of varying colours growing from them, ultimately blending the entire stretch of land into a mixture of bright and beautiful colours across the horizon.

Cutting through some of the clouds were long, metallic structures that appeared very smooth in texture and silvery-blue in colour. Spires that were suspended in the skies of Haven, looming several thousand kilometers above the surface.

The Sentinel slowly flew across the sky, leading the Spear to a destination yet unknown, allowing the occupants of the vessel to drink in the sights and comprehend and understand where they were and the nature of the world.

After a few minutes, it was clear that the Sentinel was leading the ship to a specific spire out of the several dozens of others populating the sky.

As the Sentinel neared it, a section along its outer wall facing the ship seemed to split open along different lines. The large shiny panels floated outwards with no visible support, just outright defying the laws of gravity and reshaping into a large platform. The platform then attached itself to the spire, sticking out of it like a landing pad.

The Sentinel descended towards the pad until it was floating only a few meters above it and appeared to wait there for the ship to land on the pad. A subsequent message was sent to the ship from the Custodian.

<\ YOU MAY LAND AND PROCEED TO EXIT THE VESSEL. \>

The Imperial military flagship hesitated then after a few minutes began to descend upon the platform that reshaped itself exactly to service the length of the massive flagship.The moment the flagship landed the hum of it's engines died out and several external objects moved across the frame of the blocky flagship.

Inside the Command Core of the Grand Imperator bowed as the Cybernetic general stood from the chair and turned without speaking marching outside the bridge,across the hallways where he was joined by a contingent of Legionarres and several Zikah Guards clad in the iconic Alabaster white power armour that signified their rank.They continued their march towards the lower exitway airlock that extended towards the ground floor of the platform,it took around 15 minutes for the entire group to traverse the starship towards the airlock that hissed as it opened,warning the dignitaries that the air on Haven was breathable but contained less oxygen as required for optimal Varanus life meaning little besides the fact that a Varanus that did extreme physical activity would tire much easily.It mattered little to the Grand Imperator...His lungs where no longer his and replaced long ago.

With a hiss the external doors opened and from the dark chamber the Serpentum Legionnaires clad in grey power armour lined up in opposing column formations,their m-2 rail rifles creaking with energy and raised towards the skies of Haven while the Legionnaires themselves had their helms looking down,bowing in respect to the Supreme commander of the Legion and raising it only as he passed.The several legates who had embellished armour with a cloak and a helm that contained markings and made the tips of their horns shone with a blue energy,they would pound their right claws in a fist every 5 seconds until the Grand Imperator passed them to with they screamed out "KURKAZAR VU MOR IMPEROSKA ZORBEK" The warcry of the Grand Imperator.

When the Grand Imperator finally appeared from the ship he towered over every other Varanus by one or two meters,he had lower his head slightly to exit the 4 meter doorway.And he hissed as the air filters adjusted to supplement his needs,unlike usual protocol the Zikah Guard followed the Imperator rather then to march out first and secure the perimeter as well as to show a force of power,the Cybernetic Imperator continued his march through the formation line carrying nothing but his extendable 3 meter Plasmic Morningstar,a weapon that was the size of two human heads and seen hundreds upon hundreds of battles,each felling foes to the Empire and the Terrasque Throne,the weapon itself was named by the Varanus as the "Vistak'Voor'Kor" otherwise translated roughly as 'End Bringer' a weapon from a age and place long past.

The Imperator carried the weapon in his right hand,throwing the weapon over his metallic shoulders that was scarred by the many wars it endured,the greyish armour of the Grand Imperator carried faint colours of green and blue and was made from a material lost to the Varanus during the chaos of Sigma Wars in their broken past.The metal despite it's faded colours shone reflecting the light of Haven dimly as the Imperator walked,the metal pounding of his footsteps echoed alongside the warcries stopping only as the Grand Imperator halted facing the empty platform of the spire,with a slow motion he raised the morningstar above his head and the formation behind him turned in almost perfect synchronization towards the spire and keeping their stance and keeping their muzzles raised with only the Legates taking ease with their weapons lowered in a neutral but wary stance.

The Grand Imperator then lowered the morningstar down crashing it's flat head unto the platform sending out a soft clang that died out with the synchronized pound of the Legion Regiment's feet,a symbol and cry for attention.

So the Grand Imperator flanked to his sides by 6 Zikah guards,a small regiment of his personal 1st Legion behind him,waited for the response of a sleeping giant.

The Custodian was... impressed with this show of force. It didn't think to register it as a threat, as it was only logical for a ship containing important personnel to have such an entourage.

Once the Grand Imperator finally left the ship, flanked by guards in white armour, the Custodian made its next move. The octahedral Sentinel that was up close, twenty meters in height and ten meters in width, could now be seen with more clarity. Upon close inspection one could see that the construct was actually composed entirely of metallic spheres that were silver in colour.

Suddenly, the Sentinel seemed to explode outwards as the several dozen spheres that made up its structure detached from each other and fell out of formation. The swarm of sentinels proceeded to "pour" down from the air and fall towards the planet's surface on either side of the platform, disappearing into the white mistiness below - all except one. The sole sentinel that was left approached the Grand Imperator. It was a meter in diameter and at its center was a glowing red "eye" that was fixated on the Imperator. It seemed to stay still in the air for a while, staring at the Imperator for a good few seconds before a noise came from it:

"Language assimilated." It spoke in a deep, metallic echo. "Welcome travelers, I am the Monitor of this installation and all other Forerunner constructs present in this galaxy. You may refer to me as the Custodian." It paused. "Please, follow me." It said as it turned and floated towards the wall that the platform was connected to. At the center of the wall was a massive set of double doors that were a few meters in height. As the Custodian approached it, the doors slid open to let it through. After everyone was inside, the doors closed shut behind them.

The visitors would be treated to the sight of a vast hallway that appeared to be made out of a silvery-blue metal type of material. The floor was transparent and underneath it, glowing patterns of intricate designs would be seen. These patterns were also holographically projected from the walls in sequential patterns that repeated every so often. The ceiling was lined with glowing white lights that lit up the entire hallway, which itself was quite large in terms of height and length.

The Custodian lead them down the hallway till the end and turned right into another identical one.
"I have examined and assessed the battlefield footage that you had sent to me earlier. I combined the assessment with data that my other outposts nearer to your enemy's territory managed to collect. As such, I extrapolated a conclusion from both sets of information: this machine-based enemy is evolving at a rapid rate. Their technological advancements are vast and they will only continue to grow if you do not eradicate them immediately."

The Custodian lead them down another hallway to the left until they reached the end of it. Another set of double doors slid open and the Custodian lead them into a large chamber. It was vast; hundreds of meters in length, width and height. If one were to look down from the elevated platform they were all standing on, all they would see if a white fog covering the floor that was of undetermined depth. Long, cylindrical spires stuck up from the fog and the tips of them glowed a faint blue colour. Other cylindrical constructs of larger sizes floated without any aid, at different elevations in the chamber.

Suddenly the platform they were on shifted and began to float away from the double doors they just came through, towards one of the cylindrical floating constructs in the vast chamber.
"Unfortunately, it is evident that your forces are being worn thin by the adversary. Even the Humans that are lending you aid will not be able to do so for much longer, given the primitive technology they seem to possess. As such, you will be requiring additional support in this conflict, and I am inclined to provide it to you."

As the platform finally "docked" with the large cylindrical construct, the Custodian floated towards it and stopped a few feet away from it. The outer shell of the cylinder facing the group seemed to split open in two halves from down the middle and the shells slid back around the construct, revealing what was underneath. A series of what looked like hand-held weaponry filled the inside of the container on different racks, numbering in the tens of thousands given the size of the cylindrical container.

"I will offer you weaponry. Weapons for your infantry in particular. In addition, I am also willing to lend additional aid in the form of a sentinel contingent numbering in the millions. In return, all I ask is that you formulate a strategy that will see to the end of this machine plague at the end." The Custodian then remained silent, waiting for a response or any other request the Impertor may have.

Only the Grand Imperator and his Zikah guards followed the Custodian into the vast structure,the remaining legion would stay standing on attention until the return of the Imperial commander.

"The interiors of the Zodarrin structure is impressive" The Imperator thought.He refrained from any more thought about the environment as he listened to the Custodian spouting reminders of their plight.The steps of the Imperator echoed through the halls followed by the lighter steps of the Zikah Guard who spoke not but continued their vigil with each and every turn of the hallways that seemed endless like that of the old Citadel.

The platform shifted and the Grand Imperator turned to watch them float from the ground to one of the floating cylinders.It was during this moment the Custodian noted the GSU and their aid in the conflict which is while helpful been fruitless to secure a decisive victory.The GSU seemed more concerned with defending against incursion to the South and those who do indeed take offensive operations have been far too small.Helix was expanding faster then they could take ground.

They docked and entered the cylinder armory,a vast array of weapons beyond anything the Varanus and the Imperium possessed all for the price of ending Helix......The Custodian's offer was almost too good for the fact that so much was to be gained on their quest to end Helix but what the Custodian doesn't know is the fact that the Grand Imperator came seeking weapons and men....But now he knew there was something else that could come to from the meeting.

"Esteemed Custodian....On behalf of the Terrasque Throne and the Imperium that serves it,I accept your offer of weapons and aid as it would no doubt help prevent further loss of life in this terrible war.....I do however-." The Grand Imperator rose his head as he filtered new air through his damaged filters. "Have a plan."

"Few know besides the oldest Varanidae of why I am a cybernetic when our own kind repulses such enhancements as to not taint the purity of flesh and scale.....The very reason of my existence was in fact to oppose my kind and to destroy all of their works for you see we faced a similar foe to Helix in our own galaxy long ago."

The Imperator began tracing back and forth as he recalled the dark times of his past.

"I was captured and modified at birth.....Created into a weapon of war to aid the Solsastian Technocracy in their conquest of the galaxy,I was to become the vessel of their war AI and lead legions of steel to put their foes to the sword.My escape was only possible thanks to a hatchling slave I would call Emperor.....As our people who where ordained under the Varanus Confederacy at the time continued their war,we would fight as insurgents deep within Solsasian territory...Until the creation of the Fist of Sigma....A weaponized Dyson sphere that wrought devastation to the Technocracy and ended the Sigma Wars."

He stopped and lifted a finger.

"But that was not the end......For you see a few years ago....Right in this galaxy we fought the Flickr to liberate a planet called Sabaton...The same machines we faced during the Sigma Wars....It was clear that our foe followed us and even now plagues us as they have fallen under the control of Helix."

The Grand Imperator sighed.

"It has become clear to me that we cannot defeat a intelligence with weapons and arms.....It will simply transfer itself....It can remain dormant until we enter a period of chaos so it can simply rise to wipe us away like sand in the wind.....No.....These weapons and Sentinels will not be enough....I demand the total destruction of Helix.....I will see that it is destroyed the only way I believe an AI can be destroyed."

The Grand Imperator held his hand towards the Custodian.

"I demand you....Esteemed Custodian."