Humans in the Dead Space universe utilized a remarkable technology known as "Shockpoint" for faster-than-light travel. Every vessel was equipped with a Shockpoint Drive, at the heart of which lay the singularity core. Spaceships employing Shockpoint Drives navigated through a distorted spacetime called "Shock Space," generating a specialized field to prevent their own physical distortion. On the surface, it bore a striking resemblance to the Warp travel technology used by the Imperium of Man in the Warhammer Universe.
However, in reality, compared to the treacherous Warp, the Shockpoint Drive was far more akin to a stable Warp Drive. In any case, for Marcus, a spaceship capable of safe, faster-than-light travel represented an immense asset. If he were to bring it to the Warhammer Universe... perhaps even the Emperor, that ancient figure on the Golden Throne, might stir.
Shaking his head, Marcus prepared to exit the Sanctuary. It was then that a vessel, dozens of times larger than the Sanctuary itself, slowly glided onto the Ishimura's flight deck. Marcus, having just stepped out of the shuttle, narrowed his eyes, instantly recognizing it. It was the USM Valor, laden with nuclear warheads and carrying at least a hundred professional soldiers.
"It seems that woman Daniels isn't a complete fool after all," Marcus murmured to himself. According to the original plot, the Valor was destined to receive an escape pod containing Necromorphs, leading to its loss of control and subsequent crash into the Ishimura. This would have wiped out almost all the soldiers on board, transforming them into even more troublesome Necromorphs. However, now, thanks to Marcus's intervention, the Necromorphs on the Ishimura had been cleared. The Valor would naturally not encounter such a fate.
The soldiers on the Valor were all subordinate to the Earth Government. Their mission was clear: retrieve the Red Marker from the Ishimura and eradicate any trace of the Necromorph outbreak. To this end, a high-yield nuclear bomb had been specially prepared, intended to erase all evidence. Marcus, of course, had no intention of letting them succeed.
The Valor's hatch opened, and dozens of soldiers emerged in a disciplined sequence, weapons at the ready. Their intelligence reports had indicated the Ishimura was infested with dangerous Necromorphs, prompting their extreme caution. Marcus, concealed in the Sanctuary's shadow, immediately opened his system panel, summoned a lictor, and rendered it invisible. In an instant, the lictor darted towards the still-open hatch, slipping silently inside.
Marcus's eyes turned cold. He had already claimed both the Ishimura and the Marker as his own. These soldiers, however, had been ordered to retrieve the Marker and destroy his new prize. Their objectives were irreconcilable. Moreover, Marcus couldn't secrete hundreds of Fleshworms and implant them one by one into these soldiers as he had with Daniels.
Three Psychic Flying Knives unsheathed and swiftly struck among the soldiers. In a flash, several soldiers' armor was pierced, and their necks were severed. Blood gushed, splattering onto the armor of their comrades. The other soldiers hadn't even grasped what was happening, still holding their guns and frantically searching for an unseen enemy.
"Retreat! Retreat! Get back to the spaceship first!" the Commander in charge bellowed.
The Psychic Flying Knives continued to hover and harvest among the panicked crowd, claiming several more lives. The remaining soldiers finally spotted the attacking blades and raised their guns, attempting to counterattack.
"Are you idiots!?" the Commander roared, knocking down their gun barrels. "This will only cause friendly fire! Get back to the spaceship!" Swiftly, the remaining soldiers retreated back onto the Valor and sealed the hatch. Marcus was in no hurry to retrieve his Psychic Flying Knives; doing so would only expose his position. If the Valor were to blast the Sanctuary, where he was hiding, with a single shot, he'd be caught in the open.
Simultaneously, inside the Valor, the lictor, which had remained invisible, finally began its hunting operation. The combat quality of these soldiers could only be described as pathetic. After all, in the original plot, they were single-handedly overwhelmed by a single Necromorph. Their fighting proficiency, naturally, wouldn't be impressive.
Soon, the lictor completed its mission. A few minutes later, the Valor's hatch slowly opened, and the blood-soaked lictor leaped out. Marcus casually recalled the lictor, then boarded the Valor.
At this time, the interior of the Valor was a scene of utter chaos. Bodies of soldiers lay everywhere, interspersed with traces of indiscriminate firing. Some had even died from friendly fire. Marcus shook his head. "If it were a hundred Astra Militarum, I'm afraid the lictor would still suffer considerable injuries," Marcus mused, comparing the combat power of these soldiers to that of Cadian Shock Troopers. The latter's military training far surpassed that of these so-called "professional soldiers."
Continuing deeper, Marcus found over a dozen unarmed survivors in a locked room, clearly in a state of panic. From their attire, they appeared to be pilots, engineers, and medics from the Valor. This was precisely Marcus's intention; he had only ordered the lictor to target the armed soldiers. As for these logistics personnel, Marcus simply declared, "All of you, go and repair the Ishimura!" He then, right in front of them, summoned a Tyranid Warrior and used it to stuff Fleshworms into each of their mouths.
After a combination of threats and inducements, all these people obediently disembarked from the spaceship. Before leaving, Marcus also had someone delete all video records on the Valor. He then released biovores and lictors to meticulously destroy all the bodies, leaving no trace.
As soon as he exited the Valor, Marcus encountered Isaac and Daniels, who had just arrived. "What... what is this situation?" Daniels asked, looking at the dozen or so people next to Marcus, utterly perplexed. Marcus merely shrugged, feigning ignorance. He certainly wasn't going to admit he had killed these soldiers.
Daniels looked at the bewildered survivors, but they, already terrified of Marcus, shook their heads, claiming to know nothing. Daniels gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with anger. Although there was no concrete evidence, she knew, deep down, that this was mostly the work of the man standing before her. But at the same time, a profound fear began to settle in. Did she really want to go against someone who could single-handedly kill all the soldiers on the Valor?
After a complex period of internal debate, Daniels let out a quiet sigh of relief. "How much salary does the Earth Government even pay me? Alas, I've already done my utmost," she rationalized, comforting herself. The anger in her eyes slowly dissipated, a change in expression fully observed by Marcus.