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

Chapter: Foundations of Iron & Steel

"When it comes to building the shipgirls' headquarters, the world of StarCraft already provided an efficient answer," said Reuel the night before, in the main conference room aboard the Richelieu's bridge.

"First, solve the energy problem: build a power plant. Second, mine minerals and metals. Third, construct military facilities like barracks and a command center. After that, if we have enough capacity—we build a combat lab for high-tech research."

He pointed to the holo-sketch board in front of him.

"For the palace district and the central authority complex, construction will remain fully under the control of the Tech-Priests Mechanicus."

The Tech-Priests glowed with silent fanaticism.

"And once the gothic palace and the colony are completed... when that time comes, the shipgirls will be transformed. Not just seafaring warships—but warships of the stars."

---

Morning, Golden Horn Port

The first rays of sunlight swept across the sea, glinting softly off the waves.

The morning wind carried the scent of salt and metal. The cries of seagulls mixed with loli squeals, the clanging of heavy tools, and the synchronized steps of shipgirls marching in formation.

Morning troop formation: 50 shipgirls, 1,000 Bree units, and thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—of Universal Bulin and yellow Manjuu chickens. All of them wore yellow construction helmets emblazoned with the Azure World worker sigil: "Forge Tomorrow."

They stood waiting... for task mapping from one man.

Reuel faced them with a firm expression, a project terminal in hand.

"We begin today. Phase-one construction assignments."

He pointed to the digital holographic map hovering above the long silver table.

"Essex, Laffey, South Dakota, Colorado, West Virginia, Maryland—you'll be responsible for scouting and establishing mining facilities in Athens and Nicaea. Bring Universal Bulin and Manjuu units with you."

"The Balkan Peninsula region is mineral-rich. That's the main reason we've settled near the Mediterranean."

Though the distance was nearly a thousand kilometers, Reuel knew one thing:

Sea travel was no obstacle for shipgirls. The sea was their domain.

"Understood!"

Essex, a shipgirl with twin purple ponytails and a windproof tactical jacket, nodded. She gave the signal, and moments later, crystal-winged warships and semi-organic corvettes sailed into the sea, shimmering in the morning light.

Two submarine shipgirls—innocent-faced but deadly—dived straight into the water. All that remained were ripples and bubbles.

"Yixian, Ninghai, Pinghai," Reuel called to three girls from the Dragon Empery.

They bowed lightly, with elegant grace.

"Head to Golden Horn Bay. Focus on establishing the naval base there. Our fleet needs a home—and the port must be our main stronghold."

The three responded in unison, "Understood, Commander."

In the background, Universal Bulins were already dancing, assembling lightweight steel and concrete modules with absurd speed.

The Tech-Priests observed with a mix of awe... and suspicion.

They muttered prayers to the Omnissiah, documenting every movement of the Bulins—who seemed to violate every known principle of civil engineering... and yet always produced perfect structures.

And that morning at Golden Horn Port… marked the beginning of a cross-universal industrial miracle.

Upon departure from the world of Azur Lane, the entire port and naval base had been dismantled with military precision. All equipment was neatly packed into containers, and now, after relocation, the empty containers were being stacked together for efficiency.

At the same time, food logistics from Azur Lane were in the middle of distribution. Admiral Gerard DuGalle, the hard-headed veteran from the StarCraft universe, personally oversaw delivery to nearby colonies.

"I've taken care of it," Yixian said with a calm nod before leading Ninghai and Pinghai across the waves to the north.

---

"Amagi, clear the entire land area with the Bulin and Manjuu. We'll build a new city for the shipgirls here later," Reuel ordered as he marked a vast region on the holographic map.

He drew a large circle that covered an enormous territory.

"The scope... will be about this size."

"Two hundred thousand square kilometers?!"

Amagi was so shocked her fur stood on end. The circle Reuel had drawn covered a space nearly fifty times the size of Bali and more than ten times the area of Hawaii. If agricultural districts and orbital stations were included, the scope would rival—or surpass—that of a small country in South America.

"Commander... just how big of a city do you plan to build?"

"This is only the initial phase. For now, just prepare the foundations," Reuel replied calmly.

"After all, this will be the home of the shipgirls. Its size must match their future potential."

"As expected of Commander," whispered Amagi, still half in shock yet also deeply impressed.

Off to the side, Dafeng—with her classic yandere expression—stared at Reuel as though nothing else in the world mattered anymore.

"If it's Commander's order... Dafeng will obey... in everything..."

Reuel wasn't entirely convinced she even understood the task. The affection levels of shipgirls varied. Most started at a neutral 50, some colder around the 30s, while those who showed deep respect like Belfast and Yixian hovered around 70 to 80.

But Dafeng? She started at 120 from day one.

"If Commander came personally and worked alongside Dafeng... I'm sure my motivation would skyrocket."

Chongqing, the Dragon Empery carrier, joined in with her own seductive flair. She subtly adjusted her kimono, lowering the collar just enough to accentuate her curves.

"I'm a next-gen aircraft carrier. My protective armor is reinforced and my flight deck is wide. I can handle anything, Commander."

"Are you satisfied with Dafeng's body?"

"….."

Reuel held his breath. Internally, he cursed while comparing Dafeng's absurd flight deck to Saratoga's.

Whose deck is that white and huge?! Even fighter jets are forbidden from landing on top of a mountain like that!

"If it's just planes, that's easy... But if Commander wants something else... I can provide that too..."

Dafeng's voice was almost a whisper, sultry yet profound, as if every word brushed against the deepest layers of Reuel's soul. That aura of seduction ignited both his drive... and his libido.

Reuel knew it was time to retreat.

Tonight, I'll go to Claire… or Ada… or maybe Jill…

---

Suddenly, a cool but commanding voice cut through the rising heat:

"Put your clothes back on and start working."

Richelieu, the aircraft carrier and Cardinal of the Free Iris, stood with an expressionless face and eyes sharp as a silver cross.

She yanked Dafeng's kimono collar and wrapped the girl up until only her eyes were visible.

"Commander wants to build a naval base. Focus on the mission."

"Formidable has already started working. Don't be a hindrance."

"You?!"

Dafeng glared at Richelieu with burning intensity, as though her yandere fire had just been doused in gasoline.

"What are you plotting?!"

"Nothing suspicious," Richelieu answered with the composure of a cardinal. Her voice was gentle yet full of authority, like a war commander who could also lead mass.

"I simply believe our work here is more important than... personal distractions during the initial construction phase."

Her tone was firm, but not accusatory.

"We must unite. Work together. Building this place properly and quickly is the highest priority."

A brief silence followed her words.

Several shipgirls who had been leaning into the relaxed atmosphere lowered their heads, realizing the truth behind Richelieu's words.

Our main purpose here is to rebuild civilization… not to compete for the Commander's attention.

Dafeng bit her lip, holding back words that might spark even greater conflict. Her face showed a storm of internal struggle, but she finally exhaled deeply and responded reluctantly:

"...Fine. For now."

---

Chongqing stepped forward confidently, her hair fluttering in the sea breeze.

"Commander, if you have time, do visit Dafeng~"

"If you want, I'll be waiting for you on the bridge, anytime~ No one will interrupt... not at all~"

That soft, seductive voice trailed behind Reuel as he returned to the command center, either deliberately ignoring or pretending not to hear it.

Meanwhile, the shipgirls began moving according to their assignments. Some mapped the terrain, others organized kitchen logistics, arranged patrol routes, or calibrated radar and recon systems.

The atmosphere at the port suddenly shifted—becoming a truly functional military base.

But not long after, someone noticed something rather odd.

"Wait… Richelieu, what's your task?"

Dafeng raised an eyebrow, suspicious.

---

She had just been scolded for not focusing on work, but now Richelieu herself seemed to be... doing absolutely nothing.

"As the flagship carrier of this fleet, I have taken the role of Commander's secretary," Richelieu replied without a hint of guilt. "Starting today, I'll be responsible for all of Commander Reuel's daily needs—including meals, personal logistics, and general comfort."

"In short, I will handle him... personally."

Her smile was calm, almost saintly. But to Dafeng, it was nothing short of a silver bullet fired straight into the heart.

"You got a problem with that?" Richelieu added, still in that gentle tone.

Silence.

Tension.

The atmosphere between the two carriers could slice steel.

Several shipgirls glanced at each other, sensing the storm of 'Commander's smile eraser-level conflict' gathering dark clouds overhead.

"...Ha?!"

Dafeng finally exploded, her face flushed not with embarrassment—but with rage.

"I WILL FIGHT YOU!!!"

---

Reuel had no idea when exactly Richelieu appointed herself as secretary.

But one thing was certain—her words immediately triggered a chain reaction.

Dafeng, who had been calm just moments ago, suddenly challenged Richelieu to an open duel.

Her reasoning was simple—the position of secretary, in her view, should only be held by the strongest shipgirl in the fleet.

From a distance, the Tech-Priests of the Mechanicus could only watch with restrained enthusiasm.

They genuinely wanted to begin analyzing the materials used to make the Mind Cube, but their focus remained locked on the massive construction project underway in the capital of the Imperium of Man, Terra Aeterna.

Ten minutes later—

"Pest, wait up!!!"

The defeated Dafeng was being dragged away by Chongqing.

There was no doubt now—Sister Richelieu truly was the best in the fleet.

"Commander," she said, smiling softly, "shall we get back to work?"

She dusted off her robe, then pulled a notebook from her sleeve—as if the duel had never happened. Her gaze turned serious.

"But before that—so I can better perform my duties as secretary—I have a few questions."

"Do you enjoy cooking? What are your thoughts on French cuisine? I'm fairly confident, you know?"

"Any dietary restrictions? What's your usual work and rest schedule like?"

Reuel just stood there, silent.

Then more silence.

"...Isn't this kind of like the job of a lady-in-waiting from medieval Europe?"

He frowned, still trying to process everything that had just happened.

A duel between shipgirls, a secretary position treated like a noble title, and Tech-Priests just watching silently from afar.

Bringing shipgirls into the Imperium might not have been such a wise decision after all...

Sure, they were calm now... but what if he had to summon more Astrares and Adeptus Mechanicus later?

He'd have to explain all of this again to the stiff-necked high lords of Warhammer...

"Royal maiden?" Richelieu suddenly broke the silence, cutting into Reuel's thoughts.

"Wanna eat and watch the stars?"

"..."

He nodded, thinking for a moment.

Of course, when it came to food, the world seemed to unite around one shared sentiment:

mocking the cuisine of the British Empire.

France, as their age-old rival, naturally held an even deeper culinary grudge.

"But Richelieu... let's not talk about trivial things for now," Reuel finally said. "Why did you just claim the secretary position like that? I haven't made a decision."

He looked at her, half-smiling. Usually, appointments like that were made by the commander.

"I..." Richelieu paused for a moment, then sighed.

"Alright. I thought that as an aircraft carrier, I'd be more suitable as your secretary than my sisters."

"I'll do my best to help you handle everything. When faced with unexpected situations... I feel like I grow stronger and more ready to fight."

Her voice carried a hint of hesitation—almost uncertain.

Reuel gazed at her intently.

Remarkable—a cardinal so deeply devoted to her duties.

She could manage everything with order, maintain a formal distance like a symbol of grandeur, yet hide within her an inner world full of oddly sweet little thoughts.

"Appointing yourself without the commander's permission is invalid," Reuel said, putting emphasis on the last word.

"That..."

Richelieu looked slightly flustered.

"So... do you want to be officially appointed?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Hmm..."

"Ah? O-Of course. I overstepped... I'm sorry..."

Her tone was soft, even a little lonely.

"...Richelieu," Reuel said, gentler now.

"I appoint you as my secretary."

"Good job."

A light pat on the shoulder from Lu Chen followed the declaration.

"Richelieu... is shocked!!!"

Her emotional spike was so abrupt that her expression turned complicated—as if her brain couldn't fully process what had just happened.

But in the end, her eyes sparkled with determination as she said:

"I will bring you victory, Commander."

Construction began in the newly designated residential zone for the shipgirls.

Strangely, not a single piece of heavy industrial equipment was used—no cranes, no excavators, not even a bulldozer.

Meanwhile, in the golden gothic-style palace where Reuel remained, the Tech-Priests continued their work.

Only a few among them showed interest in studying the absurd creature known as Universal Bulin—a mysterious figure who, somehow, could construct massive structures with nothing but a drill and a wrench larger than her own body.

Equally baffling, the Tech-Priests had started paying attention to Azur Lane's mascot: a giant yellow chicken named Manjuu.

How could... such a biologically implausible creature lift debris so easily?

Some were even seen fishing, mining, piloting boats, and riding dinghies, as if it were all perfectly normal.

The Tech-Priests... were still struggling to come to terms with this new reality. Their sanity shaken.

Initially, Reuel had estimated that building the basic infrastructure would take at least sixty days—or more.

He had witnessed the construction of a port before. And that place wasn't just any military base.

Its structures included shipyards, spare parts factories, crew dormitories, aircraft workshops, and artillery production lines.

Its complexity rivaled the orbital shipyards of the Imperium.

But once Universal Bulin and Manjuu started working...

He could only sigh.

"I used to believe in science. And not in superstition."

Reuel had once thought that the people of the Warhammer universe were already beyond reason.

But after watching the two most absurd creatures from Azur Lane at work… he was left speechless.

Bulin and Manjuu scrubbed the floors with their bare hands.

While their physical strength wasn't on par with regular shipgirls, their efficiency and endurance far surpassed that of standard industrial machinery.

Some Manjuu were even capable of hauling steel beams weighing thousands of kilograms from containers to the construction site without the slightest tremble.

All the while shouting things like "Pi!", "Grumble!", or "Chirp!" in cheerful tones, as if singing in the middle of heavy labor.

Reuel finally understood why the shipgirls never worried about the safety of Manjuu, even letting them forage freely in wild forests.

No joke—if a lion or tiger ever showed up, that yellow chicken would probably kick it into splinters.

Once Universal Bulin took over the construction parts, she immediately placed them with precision and hammered them into place using a massive wrench.

The result?

A sturdy building frame stood tall… within minutes.

It was like watching someone assemble LEGO blocks on an industrial scale.

What was most shocking—this was all done without blueprints, without design sketches, no structural calculations, no CAD, no simulations.

Just hands, a drill, a hammer, and… intuition.

For components requiring extreme precision, Universal Bulin would simply tilt her head slightly, then drill or strike with what appeared to be instinctively calibrated force.

Some parts even seemed too complex to comprehend—yet still ended up completed with a precision that surpassed Imperium standards.

The question: where did Bulin acquire this architectural knowledge?

No one knew. But the results were undeniable.

In the Trade District, the buildings they constructed still stood firm despite daily Siren attacks and brutal bombardment by carrier-based aircraft.

Yet structural damage? Almost none.

Reuel could only arrive at one conclusion:

"The chaotic power exhibited by Bulin and Manjuu in the Azur Lane universe… can only be explained by one thing: Mind Cubes and shipgirls."

Two months later.

North of Constantinople, right on the legendary shores of the Golden Horn—a brand-new Azur Lane-style naval base now stood in grandeur.

What was once a quiet beach filled with ruins, debris, and no man's land was now transformed.

Dozens of kilometers of coastline had been cleared, compacted, and reshaped.

The harbor's shape resembled a perfect crescent, with a semi-enclosed area large enough to dock several aircraft carriers, battleships, and other support fleets simultaneously.

While this base was slightly smaller than the main ports in the shipgirls' original world, its facilities were no less complete:

There were ship dormitories, maintenance workshops, weapons depots, and a full-scale military production line.

As long as there were sufficient supplies of resources and oil, production of torpedoes, large-caliber weapons, carrier-based fighters, and various support systems could proceed without pause.

Of course—all based on Azur Lane standards.

Plans to upgrade it into a spaceport were still on hold.

Akashi, the engineering expert from the Sakura Empire, was currently studying the technological doctrines of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Despite being repeatedly accused of heresy, blasphemy, and even tech-heresy by the Tech-Priests for modifying technology without first praying to the Omnissiah, somehow…

Whenever Akashi engaged in a contest of technological absurdity, the Mechanicus always lost.

Akashi didn't forget to sell them boxes of paint, either.

On the other hand, the shipgirls were overjoyed.

To them, the port was home.

And now, they had a new home in this strange world.

A base that not only gave them shelter, but also a sense of belonging.

On land, reconstruction efforts were no less ambitious.

Amid the ruins of the ancient city, fresh Astra Militarum recruits—now integrated into the local PDF units—operated bulldozers and heavy machinery.

This recovery was led by Commander Chris Redfield, under the direct oversight of Alice—a figure more famously known in biohazard stories, but now leading galactic-scale civil development.

Hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of rubble and remnants of the old civilization had been cleared.

The surface was now clean—smooth as a military airstrip.

Yellow lines were beginning to be drawn with precision.

The first signs of what would become residential areas, commercial districts, scientific research zones, training centers, and future administrative sectors.

As long as there was enough energy, materials, and political will (or Akashi's will, which was far more dangerous), the construction of the main city for the shipgirls could begin.

Reuel stood on a low hill, surveying everything.

The view rendered him silent for a moment.

"Ah… how beautiful is the natural world, full of vitality and growth," he murmured softly—though he knew what was growing here wasn't nature at all, but rather an absurd dream made real.