Three minutes before the Shadowmoon Wolf 2nd Fleet began its orbital bombardment:
Tap—tap—clack—!
The ODST squad leader, gripping his commander-exclusive Gauss rifle, relentlessly pulled the trigger. The deadly, precise trajectory of the flechette rounds swept through every corner of the church, emptying the magazine in seconds.
As soon as the magazine was spent, he moved back several steps and quickly reloaded, snapping a fresh magazine into place with practiced precision.
By now, the interior of the church had been completely purged, its floor littered with the corpses of Na'vi.
Though their physiology was formidable, on par with the Empire's lightly armored bio-weapons known as Tyrants, they stood no chance against the piercing rounds of the flechette ammunition and the energy blasts of the plasma cannons. Under such overwhelming firepower, they were reduced to shredded remains and charred husks.
The air was thick with the acrid stench of smoke and burnt flesh.
Fortunately, the filtration systems in the ODSTs' and Elite veterans' helmets ensured they were unaffected by the foul odors and dust in the air.
After reloading, the ODST squad leader scanned the surroundings. His mini-radar confirmed that there were no longer any enemy signals in the church, only the friendly icons of his team members.
With the area secure, he issued a command through the communication channel, his tone calm and authoritative:
"Everyone, remain on guard. Search the church for evidence related to the Warp."
The Elite squad leader echoed his instructions, ordering his team to begin clearing the area.
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood!"
With swift responses, over a dozen ODST and Elite veterans spread out across the church, systematically beginning their search and "confirmation" of enemy casualties.
By "confirmation," this meant that certain personnel were tasked with administering follow-up shots to ensure every fallen Na'vi was truly dead.
Under ordinary circumstances, no carbon-based lifeform could survive the sheer firepower they had unleashed. However, the squad refused to take any chances.
To ensure absolute certainty and eliminate any potential threats, they decided to dismember and obliterate every corpse with their follow-up shots, leaving nothing but unrecognizable remains.
This was especially critical when dealing with Na'vi corrupted by the Warp. Their biology no longer followed natural laws, and it was impossible to gauge their life or death through conventional means.
The elders who had been praying moments earlier might yet spring back to life in a surprise counterattack. Only by confirming that every corpse was utterly lifeless could their comrades safely conduct the search.
Meanwhile, the remaining half of the team, including the ODST and Elite squad leaders, moved methodically through the church, inspecting every corner for signs of Warp-related artifacts.
Time was of the essence—minutes remained before the fleet would initiate a saturation bombardment on the Sacred Tree's core.
Although their current position was not within the fleet's "absolute death zone," they needed to evacuate before the bombardment began to ensure their safety.
At that moment, the ODST squad leader approached the shattered remains of the grotesque statue that had been obliterated by flechette rounds and plasma fire. His attention was drawn to the offering platform at its base, where various strange items were displayed.
Using his helmet's advanced visual overlay to highlight contours and details, his gaze locked onto an unusual object—
A peculiar, ancient book.
It appeared to be bound in some sort of animal hide, its surface wrinkled and marred with twisted, eerie symbols and patterns.
The symbols emitted a faint blue glow, pulsating as though alive.
The moment his eyes focused on the book, the atmosphere around him seemed to freeze. A deep, seductive whisper began to echo in his ears:
"Open it."
"Open it, and you shall uncover the truths of the universe."
"The origins of all things, the eternal mysteries—everything lies within this book."
"Hehehe..."
As the layered whispers enveloped him, the ODST captain felt his resolve waver. A powerful curiosity began to gnaw at him.
Almost involuntarily, he raised his left hand, as if guided by an unseen force, and reached toward the book, intending to open it.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the cover—
"Hey! There's nothing here! Hey, buddy, what are you doing?"
The sharp, growling voice of the Elite captain crackled through the comms, snapping the ODST captain back to reality.
The Elite captain had approached the offering platform and noticed the ODST's odd behavior. Without hesitation, he stepped forward to intervene.
The distinct growl of the Elite captain was enough to jolt the ODST squad leader out of his trance.
His vacant gaze cleared in an instant. Without needing the Elite captain's physical intervention, he yanked his hand back as though it had been burned. A cold sweat broke out across his back, and he shuddered involuntarily.
In that brief moment of distraction, he had nearly succumbed to the book's sinister influence.
Shaken and filled with dread, he immediately began silently reciting passages from the Codex Imperialis, knowing that only the Emperor's blessings could shield his mind from further intrusion.
As his thoughts steadied, the whispers in his ears began to fade, eventually disappearing entirely.
It even felt as though the voices had left with a hint of frustration, cursing under their breath.
Within moments, the ODST captain's mind was once again his own.
Yet, despite regaining clarity, a lingering shadow of unease remained.
The book's seductive pull had been extraordinarily powerful—far beyond that of a typical Warp-tainted artifact. It was clear that this was no ordinary heretical object; it might even be an extension of some Chaos entity.
The ODST captain took a deep breath to compose himself, then turned to the Elite captain, who was now standing beside him, also observing the eerie book.
"Thanks, man," the ODST captain said sincerely. "If it weren't for your shout, I might've done something disastrous."
"Heh, don't mention it," the Elite captain replied, waving his hand dismissively before turning his attention back to the glowing book.
After a moment of contemplation, he suggested, "I can feel something's off about this thing. For safety's sake, let's not touch it directly. We should use one of the containment devices from the engineering corps."
It was worth noting that the Elite captain had not been affected by the whispers at all. His mind remained entirely unclouded.
This was likely due to the unique psychic reinforcement provided to many of the Elites by Samuel Young's psychic radiance.
The radiance not only strengthened their loyalty to Samuel but also granted them a natural resistance to Chaos corruption, making them less susceptible to the Warp's insidious influence.
The ODST captain didn't dwell on why the Elite captain had been immune. Instead, he focused on the task at hand.
From his utility pouch, he retrieved a specialized containment device—a seemingly ordinary metallic sphere, about the size of a ping-pong ball.
The device, designed by the Empire's engineering and heretic-inquisition departments, utilized cutting-edge nanotechnology combined with liquid metal technology inspired by the Terminator universe. Infused with fragments of diluted Pure Blossom, it was highly effective at suppressing Warp-tainted artifacts.
Carefully, the ODST captain placed the metallic sphere on the cover of the book.
The moment the sphere made contact with the book, it reacted as though activated by a catalyst.
The smooth metallic surface liquefied, flowing like quicksilver and emitting a faint electronic hum as it rapidly spread across the book's surface.
In seconds, the liquid metal enveloped every symbol and groove, sealing the book in a seamless, impenetrable metallic shell.
The faint blue glow and the whispers ceased entirely, as though the book's power had been completely neutralized.
A faint, angry roar and the sound of distant curses echoed briefly, then faded into silence.
With the book now secured, the ODST captain exhaled deeply and attached the containment device to the magnetic lock on his back.
At that moment, his helmet display lit up with a notification—the fleet had locked onto its target, and the orbital bombardment was imminent.
Turning to his team, the ODST captain issued a sharp command:
"Key evidence secured. Everyone, evacuate immediately!"
"Let's move!" the Elite captain barked in agreement, leading his team with a booming voice.
The squad quickly withdrew from the church, regrouping with their comrades still engaged in battle. They navigated the village with practiced efficiency, retreating along the same path they had used to infiltrate.
The remaining Na'vi were disoriented, unable to fully grasp what was happening. They could only watch helplessly as their attackers vanished into the shadows.
Under the concealment of their optical camouflage, the ODST and Elite veterans slipped away from the battlefield with ease, leaving behind a village in ruins.
As they raced through the dense jungle, the distant echoes of explosions and the glow of fire reminded them of the chaos they had unleashed.
When they finally reached the designated safe zone and regrouped with the rest of their recon teams, the skies above Pandora erupted in a brilliant display of light.
Boom—BOOM—!!!
The orbital bombardment had begun.
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