Airborne Operation

On the drop deck of the Macragge's Honour.

One hundred Space Marines waited for the drop command amidst the buzzing of machinery.

The battle to purge the Plague fleet was still ongoing.

From time to time, brilliant beams of light could be seen streaking across the cold, silent void of space, dazzling in their intensity.

On the battlefield, the sight of Plague ships splitting apart in flames and crumbling silently was truly heart-shaking.

With their flagship destroyed, the combat effectiveness of the Plague fleet plummeted, leading to a slaughterous harvest by the Imperial fleet.

Other warships continued to hunt down those Plague ships attempting to resist or flee, adding another glorious chapter to their already impressive record.

The Macragge's Honour, however, abandoned this prime opportunity to reap glory.

Compared to hollow glory, Guilliman cared more about what was happening on the surface.

Those Plague Warriors were undoubtedly plotting another horrific and evil ritual.

There was certainly no harm in stopping them as soon as possible.

These one hundred Space Marines came from two different Chapters, forming a unique spearhead force.

Guilliman was experimenting with mixing different Chapters to fight together, moving them away from the old model of independent, lone-wolf Chapters.

He intended to adopt a brand-new system: during guerrilla operations, these Chapters could fight independently, but when gathered together, they could operate in scale and formation just like during the Great Crusade.

In that way, he could deploy tens of thousands of perfectly coordinated Space Marines in large-scale battles to crush all enemies, while still allowing Chapters to fight individually on specific battlefields to increase efficiency.

Among the one hundred Space Marines, fifty were from the Ultramarines Chapter, wearing the deep blue armor unique to them; the front row of Ultramarines veterans were even all clad in Terminator armor.

The other fifty were from the Dawn Star Chapter, a successor Chapter of the Ultramarines, with armor painted gray accented with blue.

This Chapter was not as wealthy as the Ultramarines, with only two or three veterans wearing Terminator armor, while the others wore standard-issue armor.

On the deck, hundreds of tech-specialists and Servitors were busy moving back and forth, making preparations for the Space Marines' landing operation.

Space Marines in Terminator armor were undergoing self-checks with the help of Tech-priests to ensure their armor was in good operating condition, guaranteeing that their terrifying combat power would not be compromised by poor maintenance.

Space Marines in standard power armor were being equipped with tall assault shields with the assistance of Combat Servitors.

Standard power armor lacked the absolute thickness of Terminator armor, so in the upcoming air-assault operation, the bulky assault shields would enhance their survivability in close-quarters combat.

Accompanied by a rumbling sound, the freight elevator lifted ammunition stored in the lower levels up to the deck.

Chapter serfs in crisp uniforms, aided by mechanical laborers, distributed the ammunition to every warrior.

At the same time, all the Space Marines performed a final pre-battle check on the armor and weapons of themselves and their comrades.

The Chapter Chaplain strode through the ranks, listening to the warriors' oaths and using wax to affix purity seals onto their armor.

With a hissing sound, he pressed the seal with a sacred, scorching iron stamp.

Thanks to years of training, every member, whether warrior or serf, worked with perfect efficiency.

"The Macragge's Honour has entered planetary orbit; the drop operation will begin in ten minutes."

This broadcast was swallowed by the noise and clamor of the ongoing preparations, but it was not repeated.

The hearing of the Space Marines had been enhanced, and they had all clearly heard the order.

Immediately, a deafening horn blast echoed across the deck.

All the Space Marines and serfs stopped what they were doing, stood at attention, and saluted, their eyes burning as they looked toward the archway.

In their expectant gaze, a magnificent giant clad in azure Armor of Fate strode forward amidst the blaring horns, followed closely by the Honor Guard.

The arrival was none other than the Imperial Regent, the Lord of Ultramar, the great Primarch of the Ultramarines, and the thirteenth son of the Emperor—Guilliman.

Guilliman wore the Hand of Dominion gauntlet on his left hand and the silent Emperor's Sword at his waist.

The power and will revealed in his every movement made even mortals hold their breath.

"Are you ready?" Guilliman looked at the many Space Marines, his voice low and resonant.

"My lord, everything is ready," said the First Captain of the Dawn Star Chapter.

"Awaiting your command at any time, my lord," said Sicarius, the Second Captain of the Ultramarines.

The other Space Marines all stood straight, their eyes filled with awe and adoration as they looked at Guilliman.

Admiration shone like light upon their faces; they were prepared to die for this great figure at any moment.

"Very well," Guilliman gazed firmly at all the Space Marines. "It is time to let those traitors see the consequences of rebelling against the Empire and humanity. For the Empire, victory."

"Victory."

"Victory."

The Space Marines roared, their loud voices drowning out all other clamor.

Sicarius and a portion of the Space Marines were loaded into drop pods, ejected by the catapult system like scattered flower petals toward Sara Planet, turning into falling fire as they descended to the surface.

This was the most common drop method for Space Marines; it was fast, and upon landing, they could utilize the violent impact of the high-altitude fall to strike the enemy, gaining the initiative.

Guilliman and the rest of the warriors boarded Thunderhawk gunships for the landing operation.

The Primarch and the Terminators were too large for the drop pods, so they had to be transported by heavy aerial vehicles.

Sara Planet was already surrounded by a sickly green plague gas, and the ejected drop pods plunged into the roiling toxic clouds like cannonballs.

"Forty seconds, prepare for combat," Sicarius shouted as the drop pod cut rapidly into the atmosphere of Sara Planet.

The high-speed descent created an incredibly intense roar of airflow, a sound so sharp that even the thick walls of the drop pod could not fully muffle the piercing noise.

The other Space Marines did not respond, remaining silent as they kept themselves in a state of peak readiness.

As the atmosphere grew denser, the rocket thrusters at the base of the drop pod ignited, releasing powerful propulsion flames to accelerate the descent.

The high-speed falling drop pod shook violently, the interior temperature rising as the immense friction transformed into noise and intense heat.

The entire drop process would not exceed five minutes, including the time the pod spent traveling through space.

Once it made contact with the target planet's atmosphere, the thrusters would engage to accelerate the descent, dropping from high altitude to the ground in mere tens of seconds.

Falling from ten thousand meters to the ground in tens of seconds was undoubtedly a death sentence for other troops, as their bodies could never withstand it.

But for the Space Marines, it was of no great consequence.

This method of airborne insertion also served as a side testament to the might of the Space Marines.

Sicarius struggled to control his emotions; surrounded only by noise, he could neither see the enemies he was about to engage nor the battle-brothers sharing the drop pod with him.

Until the drop pod fully touched down, there was nothing he could do.

Compared to this sky-piercing method of entry, he preferred the surgical precision and swift assault of a Stormbird.

Guilliman had a very valid reason for deciding to deploy troops via drop pods.

Smashing the Space Marines, hailed as the Angels of the Emperor, into the enemy's rear lines without warning could trigger a more devastating psychological shock, suppressing the opposition by three parts in momentum alone.

Accompanied by a thunderous boom, the doors of the drop pod were blown outward, and the restraint harnesses holding the Space Marines snapped open simultaneously.

They had landed with pinpoint accuracy directly onto a traitor artillery position.

The cultists, their faces and bodies tattooed with various blasphemous symbols, had not yet realized what was happening before they were sent flying by the massive shockwave caused by the drop pod's impact; some of the cultists who were too close had their bodies shattered instantly, their flesh and blood scattered everywhere.

"For Guilliman!" Activating his Power Sword and gripping his Bolter, Sicarius let out a battle cry.