They Also Knew Lord Nimrod Would Offer Aid; Lord Nimrod Had Foreseen Everything That Happened Today
Purple mechanical lightning howled down, circling above Tycho Brahe.
The multi-meltas mounted on combat bikes spewed torrents of molten flame, swallowing the spiked armor of the Dark Skitarii.
As dust scattered, the Dark Skitarii were divided and cut into isolated positions.
Land Speeders swooped down, crashing into the Dark Mechanicum battle line as Terra's noble knights might ride their steeds into battle.
Adim Protos, a Dark Mechanicum Magos, raised his skull staff and spat out a string of Abominable Intelligence code.
The combat bikes racing past on both sides suddenly hovered in place, frozen as though they had slammed on emergency brakes.
Then the combat bikes suddenly roared back to life.
The Machine Spirits of their military systems had severed their connection to the systems that created them the instant the Abominable Intelligence code invaded.
"Emperor's Children." Protos swept his gaze over the purple-and-gold warriors descending from the sky with Power Packs trailing flames.
"Vespasian."
Bang!
Vespasian slammed into the ground and swept his eyes over the blasphemous creations around him.
Their towering bodies were not much shorter than Astartes.
Their bodies crackled, as though they were emitting electrical currents.
They were a fusion of flesh and machine, and the stench they gave off reminded him of the fallen Emperor's Children.
Vespasian opened the communications channel and gave the Honor Guard their orders. "Maru Skara battle formation, draw blades!"
The Emperor's Children regarded war as a necessary means of achieving perfection. They sought to master every Imperium tactic, adjust them systematically according to the situation, then execute them flawlessly under orderly command.
Of countless formations and tactics, their favorite was achieving perfect victory through Maru Skara.
It originated before the Primarch's return, from the most legendary and difficult technique of the dueling schools on Europa, the Legion veterans' recruiting world.