"Details on the operation to capture UNSC high-ranking officials."
Samuel Young opened the document prepared by App, quickly scanned through it, and understood the "kidnapping" incident that played out within the Halo solar system.
Although Samuel was somewhat amazed, it was still within his expectations.
The Investigation Department had its own procedures when carrying out missions, and Samuel had granted them relative freedom in decision-making.
For example, when Lyon, Mike, and Maggie were unfortunately caught in the hijacking of the Neptune, they took the initiative to change their original mission goals and requested assistance from the company.
Samuel's instructions to Ada were to create as much confusion among the UNSC high command as possible and undermine the credibility of both the UNSC and UEG.
As for how to accomplish this, Ada was responsible for making the arrangements.
At this stage, Samuel needed to focus on solidifying the alliance between humans and the Elites and seizing as many star systems and resources as possible before next year.
If the UNSC or rebels chose to "declare war" on Atlas, although Samuel didn't want too many casualties among his human kin, he was still prepared to divert additional military forces to support the Investigation Department with absolute firepower.
The annihilation of the Free Liberation is a typical example.
If the conflict continued to escalate, Korax and Mortarion would lead part of the young Astartes directly to the Eridana system.
However, Ada had managed to make contact with the moderate faction of the rebels, with Cortana's help, and used the smuggling routes that the rebels had operated for over a decade to deliver large quantities of infantry equipment and ammunition.
They even sent Ark teleportation components, related engineers, and more elite investigators to the investigation branch hidden on Earth.
Of course, one of the conditions for cooperating with the moderate faction was providing them with weaponry and resource support.
Samuel knew this.
After all, if they wanted to achieve true cooperation, Ada would have informed him, the owner of the company.
Naturally, Samuel signed the proposal and stamped it with his electronic approval seal.
Atlas then sold the modular firearms and decommissioned mechanical exoskeletons from its stockpiles to the rebels at a "low price."
They also provided a large amount of necessary resources to improve their living conditions.
In any universe, as long as there were deals to be made, Atlas generally wouldn't refuse—unless the other party was an uncommunicative alien species or a group with anti-human ideologies.
Later, the investigators obtained critical intel about an upcoming meeting of the UNSC and ONI leadership in Sydney, and Ada made the necessary arrangements.
First, she ordered two special forces teams to infiltrate civilian space stations quickly and quietly seize control of a cargo ship.
At the same time, Ada commanded her forces to apply pressure on the UNSC and ONI headquarters in Sydney, forcing the high command to flee.
It was during this evacuation that the waiting Homeworld forces seized the key moment to complete their plan.
Among those captured were Conrad Volkov, head of the UNSC Navy, and ONI Director Margaret Parangosky, two familiar names to Samuel.
Volkov's rank was equivalent to that of a Navy admiral, theoretically the most powerful officer in the UNSC. He was also the father-in-law of Preston Cole, another legendary figure in the Halo universe.
Volkov's daughter had become pregnant out of wedlock, and since Volkov didn't approve of the father, Cole—outstanding in many respects—became his legitimate son-in-law.
This maneuver helped Volkov avoid a family scandal and further disgrace.
Cole, meanwhile, hadn't realized he was being "forced to take over."
Next was Margaret Parangosky.
Samuel furrowed his brow slightly.
Back in high school, he had looked up information about this ONI director.
Born on the Moon in 2461, Parangosky joined the UNSC Navy at around the age of 22.
When ONI fell out of favor due to escalating rebellion, and no one was willing to take charge, Margaret volunteered to handle the most rebellious sector, Onyx.
Ultimately, Onyx was classified as top-secret by ONI.
No one could view its files, and all reports, investigations, notes, images, and related information were completely erased by military-grade smart AIs, vanishing from the network.
In retrospect, it's likely that Onyx had been suppressed with brutal force, and all rebels, even the colonists, were executed.
During the Human-Covenant War, anyone who tried to access Onyx's files without permission would still be sentenced to death.
During her tenure as ONI director, Parangosky employed every conceivable method to maintain the UNSC's stability and secure her political position, including kidnapping, assassination, poisoning, and sterilization.
According to some UNSC officers, "She is the most dangerous and terrifying person in the UNSC, bar none."
Only Catherine Elizabeth Halsey had survived a direct confrontation with her.
Even so, Parangosky authorized the launch of the Spartan-II program and dispatched ONI agents to kidnap 75 children.
The purpose of creating Spartan-III was to shift from "quelling rebellions" to "sacrificing lives for time."
Facing the overwhelming technological and numerical superiority of the Covenant, the UNSC was almost powerless. Parangosky believed that sacrificing a few men and women to save an entire colony, or to buy more time and space for the bigger picture, was a worthwhile "transaction."
In short, though Parangosky was ruthless, it was precisely her and ONI's morally questionable actions, combined with the UNSC's front-line efforts, that allowed humanity to survive long enough for the Elite rebellion.
"."
Samuel raised his hand, lightly pinching his chin, deep in thought.
Given the current timeline, Margaret, ONI, and the captured UNSC leadership all had varying degrees of tainted reputations.
But those individuals were also doers, and were fundamentally different from the corrupt parasites exposed by the Investigation Department on the internet.
So, Samuel planned to "reuse" them.
After all, with Atlas rapidly expanding, talent reserves needed to keep pace.
Margaret's expertise would be very useful in the Investigation and Supervision Departments, as well as for the Grey Adjudicators tasked with handling subspace threats.
As for Volkov and his generals, they had extensive combat experience, especially in orbital engagements, landings, and space battles.
Samuel's orbital assault teams were modeled after the UNSC's Helljumpers, and the Helljumpers had over 300 years of history.
As for how to make them "willingly" become his employees...
"Notify the Investigation Department," Samuel said, glancing at App from the corner of his eye. "Have them use the captives to relay some key information to the UNSC and local humans, then transport the prisoners to our territory. I will personally handle the interrogation."
"Yes, boss," App nodded in agreement.
By "personally interrogating," Samuel meant having Alexia and Halsey assist him while he used psionics for conversion.
Although using psionics to manipulate minds could harm the mental health of those controlled, it was the most reliable way to ensure their loyalty and make the best use of their skills.
As for the psychic influence Samuel had exerted on the Elites, it only implanted a subconscious suggestion of loyalty and didn't have any adverse effects on their physical or mental health.
Of course, psionics weren't omnipotent.
Elites and humans in the Halo universe had no innate talent for psionics, which is why they couldn't resist him.
But beings like Maido, or heretics who worshiped Chaos Gods, had "immunity" to such influence.
Even with his Primarch sons, he could only guide them toward the right values through actions and words to prevent potential problems.
"Oh, right." Just then, Samuel seemed to sense something and instructed App again:
"Notify Korax and Mortarion to select 200 young Astartes from the accompanying trainee corps and immediately board the Warlord's Bane cruiser. They are to head to the Eridana system and await further orders.
"If necessary, they can temporarily follow the Investigation Department's command."
"Understood, boss," App responded once again.
Samuel made these arrangements because he had a feeling that subspace had already begun to encroach upon the near-Earth colonies within the Halo universe.
The Grey Adjudicators, composed of Greek gods and elite soldiers, were unlikely to be able to handle it alone, so he needed a Primarch to "hold the line."
Furthermore, the "allies" and the Warlord's Bane that Samuel mentioned referred to a CCS-class battle cruiser commanded by an Elite captain.
Korax and Mortarion, who grew up together and had great synergy, would form a formidable force.
With two Primarchs, 200 young Astartes, and the Elite warriors of an entire cruiser, they would be prepared to handle most emergencies.
As for the lone arrival of Perturabo...
For now, the Elf Queen, Tinas, would continue to care for him daily.
Fortunately, Alexia, who had been studying the "Monks of Bias" with Halsey, had prepared a sufficient supply of nutrient formulas to ensure the young Primarch received the necessary energy and nourishment.
Perturabo was only a month old and, although he already had self-awareness, his growth was slower because he was in the relatively safe environment of the New Epoch flagship.
Once he could walk and run, Samuel planned to introduce him to Fulgrim, Angron, and Leman.
After handling these important matters, Samuel refocused his attention on the ongoing colony wars.
April 18.
East Africa,
Earth, in the Halo universe, New Mombasa;
New Mombasa hadn't ground to a halt despite the attack on the UNSC headquarters. Everything was operating as usual.
It was early evening, and the city's residents, finishing their day's work, moved through the streets.
Public transportation was nearly full, and the streets were experiencing the usual daily traffic jams.
Whether it was due to a lack of room-temperature superconducting materials, mature condensed matter technology, or simply cost issues, there were very few civilian aircraft in the Halo universe.
Instead, the space elevator, which stretched into the sky, had become a landmark of New Mombasa.
The commercial street at the junction of the old and new parts of the city was especially lively.
Although called a commercial street, many of the shop signs were illuminated in red or pink, and there were even holographic images of graceful figures.
All signs pointed to this being a "red-light district."
As the sky grew darker, business only boomed.
Residents under UEG rule, especially those living on Earth, were wealthier than those on other colonies.
But they also faced far more pressure.
Housing and food costs were several times higher than in the colonies, and wealth was averaged out.
If you looked at the median, Earth residents probably had less disposable income than colonists living on the fringes of human space.
The UEG government, in its bid to stimulate consumption, had secretly manipulated conflicts over religion, gender, and politics, leaving Earth and near-Earth colonists dealing with inflation and ever-increasing housing and car prices.
Thus, places like the red-light district had become places where residents could relieve their stress.
Walking through the intersection of old and new Mombasa, you could see heavily made-up women, men, and even androgynous individuals soliciting customers in front of their establishments.
Nearby bars, nightclubs, and restaurants were also doing booming business.
To reduce the number of police interventions in New Mombasa, a large number of gang enforcers maintained basic order here.
Anyone drunk enough to try groping the male or female workers would be beaten half to death by the enforcers and tossed out into the street.
At this moment.
A burly man with a full beard, wearing a desert-colored long-sleeved shirt and black cargo pants, was walking through the red-light district.
"Hey!"
Seeing the large man, who was a head taller than the average person, a bikini-clad woman standing at the entrance of a brothel threw him a flirtatious wink and called out seductively, "Big guy, want to have some fun with me? For just 20 credits, you'll feel like you're flying~."
"…"
The burly man simply waved his hand in refusal without saying anything.
"Aw, too bad," the woman said, feigning disappointment, before turning to attract other potential customers.
In fact, this man, heading toward a restaurant, was Chris Redfield, senior team leader of the Investigation Department's special ops team.
He and his team had not participated in the recent "kidnapping" mission. Instead, they continued their original "anti-corruption" task, aiming to increase public support for the company.
Entering the restaurant:
"Three servings of ugali with roast meat, six servings of fried samosas, and a cup of room-temperature water."
Chris, familiar with the place, sat near the entrance and placed his order with the approaching waiter.
"Right away, sir," the waiter said, using his tablet to relay the order to the kitchen before handing Chris a cup of room-temperature water.
"Thanks."
Chris took the water and, out of habit, expressed his gratitude, then watched the brothel across the street through the automatic glass door.
Their current target was New Mombasa's police chief, Kinsler, who the locals regarded as a "bastard" and a "scumbag."
Chris's stakeout target was a police captain who knew Kinsler's daily routine.
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