The void beyond The Rock was frozen with an icy tension.
The massive hulls of the Indomitus Crusade fleet loomed like mountains of steel, their gun batteries glimmering with lethal energy as they remained firmly locked onto the silent Rock.
Guilliman stood on the bridge of Macragge's Honour, the fury in his chest nearly bursting free from the restraints of his master-crafted power armor.
"One final communication attempt! Tell those cowards hiding in their iron shell that the Imperial Regent demands they immediately grant docking authorization without conditions! Otherwise, they will bear the consequences themselves!" Guilliman's voice was like a tempered steel spike, slamming hard into the communications officer's heart.
The communications officer's fingers trembled as he was about to send another request—
"Lord Regent! The Rock is responding!" the sensor officer cried urgently.
On the Rock's enormous, planet-like outer shell, the massive alloy gates of a concealed port meant for docking large vessels slowly slid apart! Beyond them was not a cold denial field, but navigation beacons steadily flashing to guide incoming ships!
"Hmph! So they finally learned fear?" Guilliman snorted. His anger subsided slightly, but his vigilance did not lessen in the slightest. "Prepare to dock! Honor Guard, board with me! I want to see exactly what they have been up to!"
Soon, a transport bearing the Ultramarines' insignia, tightly escorted by several fighter craft, shot from the belly of Macragge's Honour like an arrow loosed from a bow and flew precisely through the Rock's open port gates.
The transport settled in the vast hangar, and its hatch opened.
Guilliman was the first to step out. He wore deep-blue master-crafted power armor, the prominent Ultramarines insignia upon his pauldrons and the laurel crown of the Imperial Regent gleaming brilliantly beneath the hangar lights.
His face was stern, his