The First Warrior Entombed in a Saturnine Dreadnought Prototype
The 6th month of 851.
Nimrod stepped out of the Ancestor Shrine on the Forge-Ship, took the elevator, and arrived at Rosicky Czech's Hall of Dreadnought.
This deck was named the Dreadnought Deck because its purpose was to Burial fallen comrades in the Dreadnought Sarcophagus forever, allowing the Legion's elite to continue serving the Primarch.
Nimrod stepped out of the elevator and looked around.
The dozen or so decks were connected together, with a total length of over five kilometers, making it the second largest compartment in the entire Forge-Ship, second only to the Forge Hall of the Lord of the Forge.
The most eye-catching feature of the entire Dreadnought Hall was the rows of Dreadnought fixed to shelves Primarch's superhuman vision allowed Nimrod to confirm that the total number exceeded one hundred and twenty.
Numerous weapon systems lined up beside the Dreadnought: Missile Bay, disintegration cannons, massive Piston Hammer, Power Flail, Heavy Bolter, and Twin-linked Flamer, awaiting installation on its steel body.
There are three of the largest, one of which was completely built by the Primarch Vulkan and brought to the Legion by Rosicky.
The other two, built by Rosicky and Malevolus, are Mechanical Arm, indicating that they are not yet finished, with only the sarcophagus and related parts completed.
After the 5th Legion stormed Hearth-Fortress and a fierce battle broke out, Rosicky and Malevolus temporarily put aside their other work and devoted more of their time to this task.
Nimrod observed that each of their works was only half-finished.
The armored sarcophagus was open, revealing the translucent bubble chamber inside.
Inside the bubble-like life support capsule, the naked body was enveloped in amniotic fluid.
The viscous material clung tightly to Astartes' superhuman body, his enhanced muscles emitting a dim glow.
Between the remains, where the two burial procedures were only halfway completed, the massive, Dreadnought rose to its feet amidst the hissing sound of its attachments separating.
"I will serve the Monarch Majesty forever."
Nimrod walked toward Carlo, the former Chapter Master of the 5th Legion and the first Burial of the Saturnine Dreadnought archetype of the "Shadow of Order".
He once wore the two main weapons from the Saturnine Terminator Prototype, with the Heavy Disruption Cannon and the Pyre Serpent Cannon mounted on either side of his chest armor.
Its right arm is equipped with a heavy Plasma Bombardment Cannon, while its left arm is a terrifying Power Flail.
His shoulder armor has larger Teleport Transponder, allowing him to reach the battlefield more quickly.
The Dreadnought hummed and awkwardly took a step forward; its tone and mannerisms carried a sense of familiarity.
"Father."
Nimrod nodded slightly. "Carlo, you will continue your glory in the prototype of Dreadnought."
Rosicky and Malevolus circled around the Dreadnought from both sides and saluted Nimrod.
Nimrod handed the Data Crystal to Rosicky, "It contains the technology for the Concussion Weapon."
"As you wish," the Lord of the Forge replied, accepting the Data Crystal.
"How are the Dreadnought being buried?" Nimrod looked around. Each Dreadnought contained his offspring, the scars left in the "Shadow of Order" by the brutal war with the Squats.
He then reported to the Black Emperor: "The elite Warrior of each participating Chapter all wish to be Burial in the prototype Dreadnought steel sarcophagus."
"They were placed in life support capsules and transported to the Forge-Ship."
"But only a handful of people can be buried in the prototype of the Dreadnought. It's not just that only Malevolus and I can create it, but also because only Warrior with extraordinary willpower and focus can master this steel engine."
Upon hearing this, Carlo seemed to understand something.
He recalled his last clear memory before falling into a coma: being hit on the knee with a hammer by a small creature.
Although he guessed the weapon was dangerous, he never imagined it could kill him.
A thought suddenly flashed through Carlo's mind, and he remembered the dangerous weapon mentioned in the materials his father had distributed— the Dark Star Weapon.
[If I had remembered that immediately, I wouldn't have died.]
No... I was vigilant enough then, but the High Lord's agility and the powerful Psionic Energy of the two Grimnyr Magos mean that even if I faced them again now, I would not be able to escape their attacks unless Teleport away immediately.
They had already targeted me.
After accepting reality, Carlo immediately felt the immense power surging within his steel body.
[This feeling is also quite good; being able to serve my father for a long time.]
While Carlo was pondering, Rosicky continued his report.
"Besides the three cultivators buried in the Prototype Dreadnought, fifty-four other cultivators were buried in other Dreadnought. Their burial ceremonies are about to conclude."
"Thirty-seven of them are from the 5th Legion."
Nimrod nodded and asked, "How is the research on the new type of armor progressing?"
Malevolus spoke before Rosicky, saying, "Sir, we study various technologies and apply some of them."
"Only the core Hunt-Master Suit technology has been implemented yet. I believe we should create various models for important figures such as Auxilia, and try to integrate different technologies into each model during the process."
"Once we have mastered it, we will forge armor for you and the Shadow of Order."
"Let's proceed as you see fit." Nimrod agreed with Malevolus's idea; the time was right to create armor for the Shadow of Order.
In the war against Gardinal, his main force was not the Shadow of Order, but the Beyonder.
Unlike Ferrus Manus, who knew before the war that the social structure of Gardinal was based on the caste system.
He decided to use a different approach to conquer Gardinal.
"My lord," Rosicky said, thinking of the Black Emperor's trusted confidants, Primarch's Attendants Arsena Dunn and Malena Skala, who would surely be on the list.
"The data crystal records that there is no version of the Hunter's Set suitable for psionicists. Therefore, a completely new model can only be experimentally created using a system combining Grimnir runes and warp circuits."
"I need the cooperation of ordinary Psyker."
"I'll have Malena help you," Nimrod said.
Stepping off the Dreadnought Deck, Nimrod boarded the Stormbird and flew toward the surface of the Squat System.
Arsena's negotiations with the League of Votann have concluded, and he is heading to the surface to sign the treaty.
An hour later, Nimrod was in the temporary palace that Squat him, receiving a briefing from Arsena.
"My lord, the battle is over, and the legion's losses have been tallied."
"The legion lost a total of 273 ships, including 54 capital ships."
"Of the six Chapter that participated, a total of 18,400 were killed in action."
The Primarch's Attendants fell silent; the Shadow of Order had suffered its greatest loss in history.
Nimrod had anticipated this. Although he did not know the exact losses suffered by the Imperium in the war against the Squats, he knew it must have been a brutal war.
The Squats possess most technologies that surpass those of the Imperium of Man in their respective fields, making them the only force driving the revolution in Power Armor.
Whether in memory or now, Tech-priest have realized the limitations of conventional Power Armor in the face of brutal urban warfare.
The Mark III Power Armor is currently under research.
Meanwhile, the Squats, having joined the Imperium, maintained their independence, even surpassing the Tech-priest.
They do not pay taxes to the Imperium, but only provide the Imperium with some weapons and equipment. Their obligations are far less than the production capacity they possess and the responsibilities undertaken by the Tech-priest.
Without sufficient strength, the Imperium would never allow this situation to continue.
[If we hadn't requested the Tech-priest to provide the Cataphractii Terminator beforehand, and hadn't happened to receive the Saturnine Terminator Prototype, the losses would have been even greater.]
While Nimrod pondered, Arsena continued his report.
"The 5th Legion was responsible for attacking Hearth-Fortress and suffered the most casualties, with a total of 6,540 Shadow of Order killed."
"The other two legions also suffered heavy losses. The Thousand Sons lost nearly two thousand men in the attack on the D-1519 system, and the Iron Warriors lost nearly ten thousand men in the underground siege of the D-1504 system."
"The Primarch Magnus and Perturabo will arrive in the Squat System in two sidereal days."
"I understand," Nimrod Lu nodded, thinking to himself.
The "Iron Warriors" attacked Hearth-Fortress, which was smaller than the Slot system, but suffered more casualties.
Perturabo still relies on precise planning and direct confrontation—his forte!