Standard Terra Calendar 010.M31
The Gloriana-class Battleship Iron Blood.
Peter Karashis stood naked among a crowd of equally naked, muscular men. They were Neophytes who had undergone the same modifications and training as Peter.
Like Peter, the Neophytes had been selected from the lower decks or elsewhere. They had been given new lives, while their pasts had been taken from them. Bare-skinned, their powerful bodies moved through the ship's corridors, each step heavy and forceful.
The corridor lights were dim, and the air was thick with the smell of machine oil and metal. The Gloriana-class Battleship had witnessed countless battles and sacrifices; every scar was a mark of combat. The veterans said the smells of oil and metal could be removed, but the Primarch considered them unimportant and saw no need to waste time on such trivial matters.
Peter's eyes met those of the other Neophytes. He saw in their gazes the same uncertainty about the future and longing for the past that he felt himself. But Peter knew there was no turning back. They soon reached the drop-pod launch chamber, the place where they would set out for the battlefield.
Inside, groups of Servitors stood in twos and threes. They were servants of the Iron Warriors Legion, responsible for maintaining and preparing combat equipment. The Servitors were ready, with battered Power Armour laid out beside them.
The Power Armour looked scarred and battered, covered in scratches and bullet craters. Some gaps had not even been repaired. It was clear that the armour had been stripped from fallen Space Marines.
Now, though, the armour was about to be worn by the Neophytes. It would protect them, and symbolize their becoming members of the Iron Warriors Legion.
The Neophytes each went to the nearest group of Servitors and began donning their