After days of realspace transit, the Sword of Honour finally reached Macragge's orbit. The Celestinians and their allies were hurried through the ship's corridors under armed escort. Gerhard donned the very new and most powerful specialised armour he had ever created. Knowing that he would most likely get to see traitorous Space Marine blood, he had worked hard and finished it just in time.
The Strike Cruiser shuddered around them, which were the unmistakable vibrations of gun batteries discharging and void shields absorbing monumental kinetic impacts.
As they boarded their Stormraven Gunships once more, the group could see through the shimmering shields of the embarkation deck that their craft was under heavy attack.
"What's the situation?" Gerhard asked the Stormraven's pilots.
"A sizeable Chaos armada is engaging the Ultramar Defence Fleet above Macragge. The void is filled with the battleships and escorts. Both ours and the heretics," they said.
Both the loyal Ultramarines and the Chaos Space Marines were exchanging lance beams and torpedoes in the void of space, trying to gain superiority and make planetfall.
The Chaos attack was primarily focused on the Fortress of Hera itself, the titanic fortification that covered much of Magna Macragge Civitas, the capital of the Ultramarines Chapter planet.
"Don't worry, though. We'll get you safely to your audience with the Lord," the pilot said.
Marneus Calgar had been informed of their arrival through a heavily encrypted vox communiqué and was waiting for them 'with interest', or so he claimed. The way he said it, in a flat tone, suggested that the Lord of Ultramar had more pressing matters to attend to than their mysterious holy mission. Like, the bloody Chaos forces that assault almost the entire realm of Ultramar?!
And with that, they were off, flying through the heavily fought-over space on their way to meet the famous Lord of Ultramar. The Stormravens propelled through the fire-lit void of space with their powerful thrusters. Gerhard, Lencillus, the Sisters of Silence, Inquisitor Greyfax, Saint Celestine, Marshal Amalrich and the Black Templars, the Ynnari, and Cawl's auto-reliquary were all firmly in place.
Below them, Macragge slowly came into view. It was a large orb of blue, white, green, and grey. Closer to the planet, chaos reigned in the darkness of space. Lance beams pierced and seared through the void, briefly illuminating it.
Broken wrecks of once-proud and only recently destroyed warships aimlessly moved through space, chunks of metal and globules of liquid drifting away from their blazing carcasses. Entire wings of Stormhawk Interceptors cut through clouds of grenade fire, executing bold bombardment runs on Chaos Cruisers.
Gerhard used [Observe] on all things he saw, as he had been doing for a while now. He saw the insignias on the Chaos Cruisers and confirmed his suspicions that they belonged to the Black Legion. But what bothered him was the large number of warships present.
The Ultramarines were the Space Marines Chapter he liked. They were one of the few who used logic and learned from their mistakes, making it almost impossible to catch them with the same trick or strategic move. So it was no surprise that they were keeping up with the invasion.
Nevertheless, the sheer scale of the attack was worrying. Because there weren't only Black Legion warships visible. There were also some bearing the icons of the Iron Warriors, the Purge, the Night Lords and many more Chaos Space Marines and traitors.
His presence had already started to deviate the history of the galaxy, even if it wasn't that big of a deal yet.
Swarms of Dreadclaw Drop Pods, filled with traitors and armoured attack craft, were shot downward, attempting to overwhelm the homeworld of the Ultramarines on the ground as well as in the air.
Abaddon was determined to prevent Gerhard and his group from succeeding.
.
Accompanied by an escort squadron of Stormhawks, the Ultramarines' gunships turned their noses downward and dove through the chaos of battle around them. In a show of impressive flight skills, they steered clear of any of the fighting and hit Macragge's upper atmosphere at immense speeds, flames washing over their hulls as the craft shuddered and shook violently during re-entry.
Gerhard's danger sense was constantly going off. He knew they were in serious danger, but was doing his part to keep the escort squadron safe, by casting [Mana Bullets] outside the gunship he was in.
This was only possible because of a handy skill he had gained after his 'chat' with the Lord of Change: [Spacial Awareness]
Spatial Awareness Lv. 1
| Allows perception of space as a manipulable medium and improves all detection skills.
Effects:
| Detect distortions in space
| +20% efficiency in space-based skills
| Improved control over distance and positioning
---
The torturing of the Lord of Change and the violent extraction of some of his skills had proven fruitful, granting Gerhard breakthroughs in his use of magic. If he hadn't been busy creating his magnum opus of armoury, he would have improved those skills.
Watching through external pict emitters, the Celestinians and Ynnari saw the flames on the gunship's wings disperse, revealing a dizzying sight of towering mountains that rapidly grew larger as the Stormravens hurtled downward.
Within the mountain peaks, an immense, fortified cityscape could be seen. It was illuminated from end to end by the muzzle flare of massive flak batteries and missile silos launching their shells into the skies.
Heldrakes and traitor fighter craft swarmed the sky above the Fortress of Hera, twisting at high speeds between towering statues and buildings to bombard the defenders and unleash tons of artillery on ground targets.
Explosions rocked temples and broke hab-stacks throughout Magna Macragge Civitas, while the Ultramarines' relentless return fire blasted dozens of Chaos attack crafts apart with each passing flight they made.
And yet, even as they were shot out of the sky, as long as they didn't explode outright, the Chaos pilots targeted the Ultramarines' defences, demolishing gun towers and massacring warriors.
It was pandemonium. Abaddon had clearly directed his forces to break through, no matter the cost, and to ignore personal safety in pursuit of results.
The Stormravens sped downward, aiming for the massive fortifications that overlooked the heart of the city. A wave of Chaos Drop Pods smashed into the ground around them, speeding downwards like small meteors, nearly knocking one transport from the sky, had someone, who knows who that might have been, not used [Psychokinesis] to prevent that from happening.
A pack of Heldrakes dropped in behind the Stormravens, using their fastest speeds. The escorting Stormhawks stopped their escort to intercept these daemon engines, as the metallic monstrosities attempted to latch onto the gunships carrying the most precious cargo.
Gerhard was working hard and used [Psionic Mana Shield] around the entire gunship, finally getting the attention of the psykers on board. To the pilot's credit, they managed to look past the peculiar new situation and kept control of the craft.
Gerhard was working hard, keeping one eye on his mini-map and using [Spatial Awareness], which was levelling up, and shooting more and more [Mana Bullets] at the fighter craft attacking them.
Amidst streams of cannon fire and falling comets of drop pods and daemon engines, the Stormravens pushed forward. They dived right through their comrades' curtain of anti-aircraft fire. Only the superhuman reflexes and skills of the Ultramarine pilots and Gerhard's masterful use of [Psychokinesis] prevent their craft from being torn apart by the multitude of threats surrounding them.
The group inside clung to their seats for dear life, violently shaken back and forth as the gunships navigated the perilous approach to the Fortress of Hera.
Lencillus looked at Gerhard and saw how he had his eyes closed. He was concentrated, and the Custodian knew that he was working hard right now. What they were doing shouldn't have been possible, but Gerhard made it possible through sheer force of will.
And he knew that Gerhard, through all this adversity, was still growing. Each moment, each hurdle was an opportunity to rise to the challenge and surpass it, coming out more powerful than before.
Finally, the gunships decelerated, raising their noses and gracefully moving into an armoured hangar embedded within the powerful fortification.
At last, the Celestinians and Ynnari had reached their destination.
.
Gerhard exited from the scorched and battered gunship. He looked around and saw that they had arrived in one of the fortress's many embarkation hangars.
Around them, urgent activity was evident everywhere.
Around the hangar entrance, Chapter serfs, which were normal human bondsmen and servants of a Space Marine Chapter, operated thumping anti-aircraft cannons that swivelled left to right in gyroscopic cages, tracking their targets across the skies and firing in powerful bursts.
Bulky servitors moved back and forth, dragging ammunition carriages to keep the guns supplied. Further back within the hangar, Stormtalon and Stormraven Gunships were refuelling, rearming, and undergoing swift binharic baptisms at the hands of Chapter Techmarines.
Seeing this, Gerhard shook his head. He had to remember that he was now in the wider galaxy and no longer inside his Hive City, where he had established a small sphere of logic and common sense.
Servo-arms whined, welding braziers which sparked and flared, and the sound of rivet cannons echoed through the large chamber, mixing with the many voices of Defence Auxilia and robed Chapter serfs.
Hundreds of men and women moved purposefully and with impressive order within the hangar; their expressions were grim but determined. They knew that they served the Ultramarines, one of, if not the most impressive, Space Marine Chapters in the Imperium right now.
The scale of everything was staggering, and this was just one chamber within a fortress the size of a city.
Amid the military hustle and bustle, a band of Chapter serfs marched towards the group. A single Ultramarines battle-brother led them. The warrior's helm was adorned in white and gold, and his armour bore numerous oath papers and honour markings.
The men following him carried gilded autoguns and wore stern expressions; several of their uniform tabards were spattered with what looked like fresh blood, clearly indicating they had just come from defending the fortress's walls.
"I am Veteran Sergeant Cassean," the Ultramarine announced. "Welcome to the Fortress of Hera."
He turned his gaze toward the Black Templars, offering a sharp, respectful nod toward Marshal Malrich.
"Marshal Amalrich. It is an honour to see the black-clad sons of Sigismund within these walls once more. Your blades are welcome in this dark hour."
He did not wait for pleasantries. His eyes shifted to the towering form of Belisarius Cawl and the massive auto-reliquary.
"Your arrival has been anticipated," Cassean stated. "The Lord of Macragge awaits. You and your companions will follow me. There is much to be done, and the enemy does not grant us the luxury of delay."
Without waiting for a response, Cassean turned and marched away across the hangar floor. Left with no other choice, the allies followed the Sergeant as he ascended a long granite ramp, leading them further into the corridors of the Ultramarines' fortress.
They moved at a quick pace through grand chambers adorned with marble statues and gilded decoration, traversing railed walkways decorated with magnificent Ultramarines banners and crossing void-shielded courtyards where battle-brothers unleashed boltgun fire from the fire steps above.
The racket of the massive battle was ever-present, as thunderous explosions shook the walls around them from time to time, sending dust falling like snow and flickering the lights.
As they made their way across an armaglass-shielded sky bridge, the group got their first clear look at the fortress. Gerhard was impressed, thoroughly so, at the scale of everything. It almost seemed excessive at times, and then small at others.
Towering fortifications sprawled in all directions, massive guns spewing fire into the sky and unleashing as much death upon the chaos forces pressing ever closer outside the walls or landing within the fortress grounds, as possible.
They saw Ultramarines in Terminator Power Armour marching relentlessly along armoured battlements, driving back jump-pack-wielding traitors with barrages of fire.
[Observe]
[Self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle]
Vehicle Name: Hydra Flak Tank
Forge World of Origin: Stygies VIII
Known Patterns: I–XIX
Crew: Commander, Driver, Gunner, Loader, Comms Operator
Powerplant: Vulcanor 16 Twin-Coupled Multi-Burn Engine
Weight: 38 tonnes
Length: 5.29m
Width: 3.78m
Height: 5.10m
-
Main Armament:
4x Long-Barrelled Autocannons (Quad Mount)
| High-velocity explosive rounds
| Extremely high fire rate (600 RPM sustained)
| Designed for anti-air superiority
-
A specialised anti-air platform based on the Chimera chassis.
The Hydras provide essential anti-air protection for their regiment and can also serve in a ground support role, where they are effective against infantry and light vehicles.
---
Squadrons of these Hydra Flak Tanks stood where beautiful guardians had once stood and fired massive shells and missiles into the air, causing hundreds of Chaos vessels to fall.
But that wasn't all. In the distance, Gerhard spotted a monstrous traitor Titan. And not only that, it was one of the rarest and largest.
---
[Chaos Titan]
Vehicle Name: Chaos Warlord Titan
Forge Origin: Dark Mechanicum (Corrupted STC)
Known Patterns: Warlord / Daemon-Engine Variant
Crew: Princeps (Fused), Daemonic Entity, Bound Servitors
Powerplant: Corrupted Plasma Reactor + Warp Core
Height: 35 meters
Weight: Warp-augmented mass
---
Armour:
Warp-Infused Ceramite/Plasteel
| Regenerates through daemonic influence
| Structural instability under extreme damage
---
Main Armament:
Volcano Cannon / Doomburner
| Extreme energy beam
| Warp-enhanced destructive output
Quake Cannon
| Massive ground impact weapon
| Shockwave devastation
Plasma Destructor
| Heavy plasma annihilation
---
Secondary Armament:
Macro Gatling Blaster
| High-rate anti-infantry suppression
Laser Blaster
| Multi-shot energy weapon
Vortex Missile
| Creates Warp tear on impact
---
Chaos-Specific Weapons:
Havoc Rack
| Saturation missile system
Doomfist
| Titan-scale melee weapon
| Can crush super-heavy targets
Chaos Energy Whips
| Warp tendrils
| Multi-target striking capability
---
Mutations:
Living Metal Growth
| Spikes, claws, and appendages emerge dynamically
Warp Tendrils
| Additional melee / ranged attacks
-
The Chaos Warlord Titans are Imperial Warlord Titans corrupted by the powers of Chaos, which now serve in the Traitor Titan Legions.
---
The truth of what Gerhard was seeing was framed by the breach the Chaos Warmaster Titan had torn in the fortress's outer wall. The Titan's guns glowed like miniature stars, and its void shields flickered and burst under the phenomenal and relentless firepower of the Ultramarines.
They were throwing everything they had at this thing, and right about now, Gerhard wished that he had taken Gustav with him. A few precise shots, and that Chaos Warlord Titan would have gone down for sure.
They didn't have time to continue watching, though, as Sergeant Cassean moved them along.
The Celestinians and the two Ynnari climbed a statue-lined stairway of marble and steel, passing a squad of battle-scarred Ultramarines jogging in the opposite direction, onto the battlefield, of course.
At the top of the stairway, they emerged into a broad circular chamber with a frescoed floor and walls and ceiling of void-shielded transparisteel. A massive bank of elaborate consoles and holomaps dominated the centre of the chamber, with servitors, wired into its complexity, chattering in binharic cant among themselves.
Dozens of robed officials, quill servitors, human serfs, and strategos moved lively around the central hololith, which projected a real-time map of the entire Fortress of Hera into the air.
Runes and signifiers were crammed across it in such a way that the Fortress of Hera seemed caught in a mess of data.
Standing before the display, their faces set in frowns of concentration and seemingly the only ones who truly understood what all of that meant were Chapter Master Marneus Calgar, First Captain Agemman, Chief Librarian Tigurius, and a Grey Knight whose scrollwork chest plate identified him as Grand Master Voldus.
Severus Agemman – Lv.84
|HP: 28,000/28,000
|MP: 900
|Captain of the Ultramarines 1st Company and Regent of Ultramar. A cold, calculating commander whose strength lies in discipline, logic, and battlefield control.
STR: 130
VIT: 140
DEX: 105
INT: 105
WIS: 115
LUK: 28
---
Chief Librarian Varro Tigurius – Lv.90
|HP: 20,000/20,000
|MP: 16,000/16,000
|The greatest seer among the Adeptus Astartes. A psyker whose foresight and mental resilience allow him to guide entire campaigns and withstand the horrors of the Warp.
STR: 105
VIT: 110
DEX: 90
INT: 185
WIS: 195
LUK: 45
---
---
Marneus Calgar – Lv.95
|HP: 36,000/36,000
|MP: 1200
|The Chapter Master of the Ultramarines and one of the greatest living champions of the Imperium. A master strategist and brutal close-combat warlord.
STR: 175
VIT: 185
DEX: 115
INT: 100
WIS: 110
LUK: 45
Wargear:
Gauntlets of Ultramar (Relic)
Damage: 900–1400 (melee)
| Ignores 80% armour
| Causes massive kinetic shock (knockback/stagger)
Integrated Bolters:
Damage: 300–450 (per shot)
| High fire rate
| +20% critical chance at close range
---
Aldrik Voldus – Lv.96
|HP: 30,000/30,000
|MP: 28,000
| Grand Master of the Grey Knights Chapter's Third Brotherhood. The most powerful psyker of his Chapter in centuries, wielding immense psychic force to annihilate daemons and rival even the greatest warriors of the Imperium.
STR: 160
VIT: 165
DEX: 120
INT: 210
WIS: 220
LUK: 40
|Special:
Psychic Augmentation
| +30% STR, VIT, DEX while active
Daemon Slayer
| Massive bonus vs warp entities
Aegis Barrier
| Strong resistance to psychic and warp damage
---
As Cassean led the pilgrims around the table, the commotion faded, and all eyes turned toward the diverse group. Solemnly, the Chapter serfs moved aside and knelt with their heads bowed to the Lord of Ultramar, forming a corridor through which the pilgrims advanced.
As they arrived before Calgar and his advisors, Marshal Amalrich dropped to one knee, holding his sword out before him, its point touching the ground, and his hands resting on its cross guard.
His battle-brothers followed his example, showing absolute respect for a hero of the Imperium. Inquisitor Greyfax bowed deeply, as did Celestine and her Geminae Superia.
Only Cawl and the Ynnari remained standing, impassive despite the seriousness of the moment.
Gerhard nodded ever so slightly—only so much as to show his respect towards the Lord of Ultramar. He wasn't prideful in that sense and could show respect where it was deserved.
Lencillus didn't bow at all. He only bowed to the Emperor, no one else and neither did the Sisters of Silence.