Dark Crusade (IV: There Are So Many Ultramarines)

With hurried steps, Idaos, who put on a brand new uniform and wore his general medals neatly, walked out of the elevator door. (¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.-> 69 <-.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯)

He intended to leave immediately, but the machine, which was still under maintenance, made a sound of strain behind him.

The fourth company commander paused, turned around, and glanced at the elevator he had temporarily requisitioned. The elevator responded to his observation with the mournful groan of its motor.

Idaeus sighed, walked back into the elevator, pressed the check button on the control panel, and then wrote a short report to document the situation.

The maintenance worker will explain the situation to them once he arrives, and it's foreseeable that these people will likely have a sleepless night because of this elevator.

After dealing with this minor issue, the fourth company commander continued on his way to the Primarch Administrative Office.

However, the Primarch Administrative Office is actually a neologism used to refer to a separate room where Roboute Guilliman and the various captains of the Ultramarines held meetings.

Therefore, this name is actually quite misleading. But it has been used for many years. Some traditions probably originated from such small places, and time always has the ability to make many things look completely different from what they originally were.

Idaeus continued walking, spending a precious thirty minutes before finally arriving at the Primarch Administrative Office on the thirteenth deck.

The Victrix Guard, their armor gleaming, stood in formation before the gate, silently performing their duties.

The Chapter's servants formed a long line, going in and out of the two steel gates, delivering document after document, passing by these towering giants with awe.

They all looked very young, and were all Sons of the Void born on the Macragge's Honour. Barring unforeseen circumstances, they would typically serve the Chapter for only about ten years, after which those who had accumulated enough experience would be disembarked one by one.

Their personality and abilities will become important criteria for local officials in determining which planet they will ultimately go to. Enlightened people will be sent to wild or feudal worlds, while conservative people will be sent to Hive City or even the precious Forge World.

There are also some exceptionally capable or outstanding individuals who will be noticed in advance. Basically, once the time comes, the planet's administration will send an invitation to take them away.

Idaeus was pleased to see this happen; the bond between the people of Ultramar and the world was being continuously forged by generations of people like this. Of course, where these people ultimately go depends on their own abilities.

The Macragge's Honour will not grant them any special treatment or allow others to do so. In fact, those who came from the Gloriana-class Battleship will even be forced to take on many responsibilities that were not originally theirs because of this.

In other words, overwork leading to illness or even death is quite common in this group.

Idaeus stood at the door, slightly relieved—the fact that the documents were still being sent in meant the Primarch had not yet arrived. Roboute Guilliman was always punctual, but he rarely chose to arrive early.

His days were meticulously planned by a staff of hundreds of people, who would even schedule Primarch daily activities down to the second.

In other words, while the Chapter servants were busy delivering these documents to the correct desks, Roboute Guilliman was likely still in his office processing documents.

"Idaeus." A voice sounded from behind him.

The fourth company commander turned around and saw a familiar face. A broad forehead, a strong jawline, a hooked nose, and a pair of light blue eyes—he looked stubborn and indomitable. That was the first impression of Sol Invictus.

He was the First Company and a veteran who had served for over three hundred years; being a veteran of countless battles was the best way to describe him.

Idaeus smiled at his brother, but instead of calling him by his name, he used a different name in a special language.

"Hello, Invincible Sun."

The company commander's face immediately fell.

The language Idaeus just spoke is Latin, which comes from the time of Ancient Terra and is an extremely ancient language. Only those who are interested in studying ancient texts in libraries and learning from the wisdom of their ancestors speak this language.

Idaeus was naturally one of them. As for the title he just mentioned, it actually means the same thing when the name Sol Invictus is translated into Latin.

According to the Primarch author, this was a deity worshipped in the ancient Roman Imperium, said to be the guardian of soldiers. The learned Roboute Guilliman had no reason to lie, so the name spread like wildfire and became the company commander's eternal nickname.

It will probably stay with him until he dies, and then be recorded within the company.

"I told you not to call me that anymore—!" the Invincible Sun said, slightly annoyed.

"I think this nickname suits you well, even though it's a bit long. But you really are the soldiers' guardian angel, aren't you, brother? Need me to give you some examples?"

The platoon leader pretended to be angry and swung his fist at him. The fourth platoon leader bent his arm to block, then stepped back and elbowed another man with his elbow.

The man let out a cold snort and shoved Idaeus back with both hands. Unlike the other two company commanders present, he was not wearing an officer's uniform; he was wearing a traditional Macragge robe.

This man had blond hair and blue eyes, and a long scar on his face that stretched from his lower left jaw to his forehead. His name was Ekis Al, and he was quite handsome if one ignored the scar. He was the company commander of the Second Company.

However, although he looks very similar to the Primarch, he is a very old-fashioned person—this may have something to do with his family background.

His parents came from two ancient, now extinct, noble families whose history dates back to before the destruction of Macragge.

Even back then, they were already a prestigious noble family with a long tradition of intermarriage. Many of Ekis were Ultramarines or Archon of city-states.

However, these events brought them their demise during the devastating battle of Macragge. As great noble families, they were used as examples by the Word Bearers and brutally massacred after the walls were breached.

They did not surrender, but resisted relentlessly, even going so far as to detonate their family compound to buy more time for the civilians to escape. Their resistance excited the Word Bearers even more, and in the end, only a male and a female servant managed to escape.

They inherited their family name aboard the Macragge's Honour, only to abandon it themselves and begin to earn honor and exact Vengeance through their own hands.

By the time of Ekis's generation, the family had completely declined.

Their ancestral precepts bear the brunt of this responsibility—never be lenient with any traitor, and all descendants, regardless of gender, must join the military unless they demonstrate exceptional talent from a young age, in which case they will be trained as reserves for Ultramarines.

They sought neither power nor wealth, nor pleasure; they only desired to serve in the army and fight the enemy. Now, with the passage of time, the Al family has tragically been reduced to a single member Ekis.

He is proud of his family's traditions, which is why he always wears traditional robes when he doesn't need to wear armor, and even chooses hand-woven slippers to recreate the traditional clothing of the Macragge people.

Of course, hardly anyone dresses like that anymore; even the Primarch almost never do.

Idaeus glanced down and, sure enough, saw a pair of slippers under the robe. He grinned and nodded to the Second Company as a greeting.

The latter strode forward and shook hands with him and the company commander one by one before speaking.

I bet Razlion will be the last one to arrive.

"I don't think so," said the Invincible Sun, raising an eyebrow. "Although he has been quite late lately."

Idaeus noticed that Ekis had no desire to speak, so he took over the conversation.

"His scribe told me that Razlion has hardly had any personal time lately. Whenever he has a spare moment, he goes to teach that young apprentice, who is said to be his successor. I think that's probably why he's been so punctual lately."

"He needs to be punished," Ekis finally spoke, his tone icy. "I don't deny that apprentice's exceptional talent, but even the strongest talent can't compare to determination and willpower. Talent ultimately needs to be realized, but these two are different; one is innate and always reliable. He ruined a great deal because of a small matter—"

He paused for a moment, then, amidst the slightly mischievous glances of Inviktus and Idaeus, said, "--I'll speak with him after the meeting."

"Well, perhaps you'll need to learn how to persuade people for a while," the Invincible Sun said slowly. "Always using a commanding tone is why you always fail when you try to persuade others."

"That's why I killed more bugs than you last time," Ekis said.

Idaeus quickly began to act as a peacemaker.

He genuinely didn't think the two of them would actually fight. There were quite a few hot-tempered individuals among the Ultramarines, but since they had both risen to the rank of company commander, they would naturally have a grasp of the situation and know when they could fight and when they couldn't.

His only worry was that their noise was too conspicuous, especially since the Chapter servants across the corridor had been watching them. However, he soon didn't need to worry anymore, because Third Company Captain Janus Adiyas arrived.

He immediately and forcefully entered into the quarrel between Invictus and Ekis: "Do you two want the servants to pass down your quarrel as a story forever tonight?"

He glanced at the platoon leader, then at the Second Company, and asked again, "I thought arguing about who killed more bugs was something only the youngest combat comrades would do."

"Shut up," Ekis Al said, unusually in a sighing tone.

He was furious because the argument could obviously not continue, otherwise Janus Adiyas would have silenced them both with his own record.

All Ultramarines know how to fight Tyranids and Xenos, but the Third Company's warriors are the most experienced and hate the most, making Third Company often the first sword to pierce the heart of various Xenos.

In other words, no matter how outstanding their combat record was, they were no match for the Third Company Captain when it came to dealing with Xenos.

"I'll try," Janus said with a smile, making a helpless gesture to the Chapter's servants, which earned him admiring glances.

He knew very well how inspiring it was for these loyal men to have four company commanders standing shoulder to shoulder, which was why he did it on purpose, so that they would have more motivation to persevere through the difficulties and war to come.

Although he was deeply mired in hatred for many years, he did not become extreme. On the contrary, Janus Adiyas's hatred was only directed at Xenos and traitors. He was always smiling and very gentle with everyone else.

The next ten minutes or so passed quite peacefully. The company commanders chatted among themselves, talking about the new recruits and the upcoming war, while tacitly remaining silent about the terrorist attack that had occurred not long ago.

During this pleasant conversation, Kazir, the company commander of the Fifth Company, Grostus, the company commander of the Seventh Company, also arrived.

Kazir was a rather taciturn man, and no one knew if it was his nature, but his somber, serious, and unsmiling face always added persuasiveness to his brief words.

He and his company would continue to roam the dark, Ultima Segmentum without being drafted, responding to any distress signals they received.

Perhaps that's why he remained so silent—staying away from the Chapter is never pleasant for any Astartes.

Grostus was a veteran, and among the many company commanders, he was a legend.

He joined the Chapter in the middle of M39 and began his service. It took him about a hundred years to become a company commander. He then led his company to support the company commander of the Hamonk Clan of the Iron Hands at the edge of the Ultima Segmentum, Kaldas.

They were besieged in the area for years by a Word Bearers warlord and rebels until the Seventh Company received a distress signal, which broke the deadlock and led to victory.

Since then, a friendship has developed between the two companies belonging to different First Founding, and the flag of the Seventh Company has been changed to include an iron chain to symbolize the friendship between the two companies.

"I thought I'd be the last one to arrive," Grostus said in a loud, deep voice that sounded like the booming of granite.

He was very old, with gray hair, and looked remarkably similar to Roboute Guilliman today, though his beard made him appear even older.

His words sparked a new round of teasing and drew the attention of even more Chapter servants—even the Victrix Guard cast barely perceptible glances their way. This was a rare sight even for the Primarch Guard.

The Primarch Administrative Office wasn't a frequently used place, and it was a rare sight to see all the company commanders arrive one by one. Usually, they all had their own things to do.

Idaeus leaned against the wall with a smile, enjoying the pure camaraderie among his brothers. This pleasant atmosphere actually gave him a sense of what the upcoming battle would bring—all the company commanders present were tacitly trying to lighten the mood, which meant they all understood what they were about to face.

They are Ultramarines, and they are fearless.

As he was thinking this, a horn suddenly sounded in his ear, followed by someone shouting loudly. After a long list of titles, Roboute Guilliman calmly walked out from the end of the corridor.

Idaeus's heart skipped a beat—several company commanders hadn't arrived yet.