Ultramarines

Biodata

Background / History

The Ultramarines are the Thirteenth Legion descended from Roboute Guilliman and the central military power of Ultramar. Their home realm is known as the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, with Macragge serving as its capital and home world. The Chapter is associated with reliability, reason, administrative competence, balanced tactics, and strict discipline 20 86 96.

During the Horus Heresy, the Word Bearers and World Eaters betrayed the Ultramarines at Calth while the Ultramarines were protecting civilians. More than one hundred thousand were killed in the initial attack, followed by further losses during the Shadow Crusade across Ultramar. The betrayal created a lasting hatred between the Ultramarines and the Word Bearers 92 174 175.

The combined losses at Calth and during the Shadow Crusade exceeded two hundred thousand warriors and included numerous Dreadnought veterans. The Legion’s failure to reach Terra during its defense became a source of accusations of cowardice and desertion, contributing to its subsequent determination to reclaim its honor. Its hatred of betrayal is closely tied to these losses 92.

Under Chapter Master Marneus Calgar, the Ultramarines defended Macragge against Hive Fleet Behemoth. Calgar transformed the planet into a fortress of orbital defenses, trenches, shelters, mountain fortresses, and polar strongholds while waiting for Guilliman’s return 96.

The Chapter’s relationship with Lin En dramatically increased its battlefield effectiveness. His healing, attribute enhancement, and machine-support abilities allowed Ultramarines forces to survive injuries that would normally remove warriors from combat. During the defense of the Arctic Fortress, the First and Third Companies fought with almost no losses while using his aura to recover between attacks 107 112 114.

After Macragge survived, the Ultramarines shifted from defense to counteroffensive operations across Ultramar. They defeated Tyranid forces, fought Khorne’s daemons on Prandium, and later launched a devastating campaign against Biel-Tan after repeated attacks on Imperial patrols and civilians 122 131 160.

Biel-Tan’s subsequent intelligence assessment revealed that the Ultramarines had lost fewer than fifty warriors across three potentially annihilating battles. Their earlier campaigns had therefore left them close to full strength rather than exhausted, undermining Biel-Tan’s assumption that Ultramar was vulnerable 168.

The Chapter later reinforced Baal against Leviathan and assisted Imperial operations against an Ork-held mining complex. When the Ultramarines themselves came under daemon siege, the Blood Angels volunteered to return the assistance, citing the Chapter’s conduct at Baal and its earlier support for the Lamenters 293 325 356.

The defenders subsequently drove the Khornate forces from Macragge’s coastal battlefield. Ultramarines and their successors cleared wreckage, recovered wounded warriors, and eliminated the remaining Berserkers attempting to escape by sea before participating in the Bonfire Festival with the Blood Angels 367 368.

Guilliman later dispatched Ultramarines elements as part of a mixed Imperial coalition to reclaim the Nephilim Sector from the Necrons. On Paradis III, Lin En rescued Sergeant Agrippa and a small group of surviving Ultramarines and directed them to regroup with Phoros for further operations 416 422.

Appearance

The Ultramarines are generally depicted in blue Power Armor, often with gold-edged insignia and red markings associated with command or company roles. Their warships carry the Chapter’s winged emblem and are heavily equipped with macro-cannons, Void Shields, and Thunderhawk formations 76 86 97.

• Blue-armored Astartes of imposing size compared with mortal soldiers 76 96.
• Blue-and-gold honor guard armor and ceremonial banners 97 159.
• Red-trimmed armor used by combat commanders and some company officers 97.
• Terminator Veterans in the First Company’s distinctive Tactical Dreadnought Armour 97 107.
• Chapter memorials and statues throughout Hera Fortress honor fallen Ultramarines 97.
• The standard shoulder insignia is a white U-shaped emblem on a blue background, accompanying blue armor with gold trim 76.
• Before the Battle of Macragge, the Third Company’s standard bears a golden sword encircled by green laurels, the white Chapter emblem above it, and the golden Roman numeral III below. The later standard is described as adding a Tyranid head impaled on the sword 98.
• Sergeant Agrippa wears a distinctive red helmet, which Lin En recognizes again during the Nephilim Sector campaign 422.

Organization

The Chapter follows a ten-company structure:

The First and Third Companies maintain an especially close relationship. The Third frequently borrows First Company Terminator squads for dangerous anti-xenos missions in enclosed or communications-denied environments 107.

This connection also has a personal foundation: First Company Captain Invictus trained Fabian from his time as a recruit. Invictus accommodates the Third Company’s requests even when the First has simultaneous missions, dividing his Terminators between the two companies when necessary 107.

Company Chaplains automatically hold the rank of sergeant and may command ordinary Astartes squads within their company. A lieutenant functions as a deputy company captain, ranks above a sergeant, and may command half a company 99 122.

Notable Officers and Specialists

The Chapter’s Honor Guard includes former company champions with centuries of service. Ten accompany Calgar during his confrontation with the Hive Overlord on Macragge 117 118.

Honor Guard members are selected from the Chapter’s finest warriors and equipped with master-crafted Power Armor and weapons. They combine exceptional fighting ability with tactical expertise and unwavering loyalty, using shield formations and coordinated close-combat attacks to protect the Chapter Master 116.

Personality and Culture

The Ultramarines are presented as disciplined, orderly, courteous, and unusually reliable toward mortal forces. They generally do not treat civilians as expendable cannon fodder, and their officers combine military authority with formal etiquette and administrative organization 20 86 344.

Their culture emphasizes courage, honor, duty, and loyalty to Guilliman. During the defense of Macragge, Ultramarines repeatedly chose to hold impossible positions rather than abandon civilians or their home world 96 106 134.

Their restraint has limits. After Biel-Tan repeatedly attacked Imperial ships and settlements, the Chapter classified it as a Class-One Archenemy and authorized the destruction of Biel-Tan forces without negotiation or surrender. The resulting campaign targeted the Craftworld’s military infrastructure, engines, Webway nodes, life-support systems, food production, mining stations, and Spirit Stone facilities 160 161 162 163 164 165.

The Chapter’s tactical regulations do not ordinarily distinguish combatants from civilians during Exterminatus against a xenos Craftworld. After Lin En disappeared, Calgar initially ordered total destruction but allowed a two-hour evacuation window after recalling Lin En’s belief that the Ultramarines should represent humanity’s last standard of civilized order. This restraint reflected Lin En’s personal influence rather than an existing civilian-protection clause for xenos 168 171.

Despite their comparatively considerate behavior toward mortals, Ultramarines retain a degree of pride in their enhanced status. Lin En’s ability to heal, fight, protect others, enhance warriors, and control large numbers of machines challenges that assumption and leaves them acknowledging the extraordinary power of a mortal ally 115.

Their attachment to conventional formations is not absolute. During their pursuit of Leviathan, they discover that repeated hit-and-run attacks are highly effective and reconsider their earlier disdain for guerrilla methods associated with the Mantis Warriors. Practical success takes precedence over maintaining a dignified battlefield image 289.

Their kinship with the Blood Angels extends beyond combat. When a Bonfire Festival is organized on Macragge, no Ultramarine objects, and the two Chapters cooperate in preparing the venue and supplies 368.

The Chapter commemorates battlefield service through permanent records and personalized awards. Calgar orders every participant in the defense of the Arctic Fortress entered into the Chapter’s official history as a hero, alongside the distribution of medals and individual honors 122.

The preservation of Macragge extends to its environment. After the daemon siege, Ultramarines recover the bodies of Berserkers shot while swimming away rather than allow them to pollute the planet’s waters 367.

Abilities & Skills

Astartes Combat Power

The Ultramarines are genetically enhanced warriors equipped with Power Armor, Bolters, Chainswords, and specialized weapons. Their First Company Terminators can break through heavily fortified positions and continue fighting after sustaining injuries that would normally be fatal 97 112 162.

• Terminators form shield walls and assault fortified corridors.
• Assault squads use Chainswords and close-combat weapons to break enemy formations.
• Tactical and heavy-weapons squads maintain disciplined fire support.
• Companies coordinate armor, aircraft, artillery, and infantry rather than relying solely on individual heroes 101 133.
• In confined Aeldari fortifications, Terminators counter enemy mobility through steady advances, Heavy Flamer fire, and brute force. They punch through walls to bypass heavy-weapon positions and use Power Fists to break psychic barriers 162.
• With Lin En’s healing and attribute amplification, First Company Terminators regain their stamina and charge at speeds that astonish the younger Third Company warriors despite their heavy armor 111.
• First Company admission depends on proven achievements rather than service duration alone; even two hundred years of service may be insufficient without the necessary accomplishments 111.
• Invictus and Fabian demonstrate centuries of practiced coordination when fighting a Hive Tyrant: Invictus occupies its strongest attacks head-on while Fabian targets vulnerable joints and carapace seams 113.

Discipline and Coordination

The Chapter’s greatest conventional strength is its ability to coordinate large forces under extreme pressure. During the Behemoth invasion, Ultramarines fleets combined orbital platforms, battleships, Thunderhawks, Nova Cannons, macro-cannons, and targeted strikes against Tyranid Synapse Ships 101.

• Companies maintain assigned battlefield roles.
• Fleets use layered defensive formations and controlled retreats.
• Ground forces combine heavy fire, assault formations, and tactical advances.
• Commanders rapidly redirect forces when fortresses or civilians come under threat 106 122.
• Veterans demonstrate enough tactical judgment to question suspicious orders from a senior officer, surround an exposed infiltrator, and coordinate disabling crossfire before he can activate a self-destruct device 91 92.
• Chapter intelligence extrapolates the layout of Biel-Tan’s underground fortresses from external observations to identify likely engine locations 162.
• At Baal, the fleet rapidly takes positions on both flanks of allied formations and coordinates with Lin En without delaying its entry into combat 293.
• Escort squads possess well-practiced security procedures from protecting figures of Chapter Master rank, including thorough searches of rooms for suspicious objects before an important guest occupies them 93.

Maneuver Warfare

During the approach to Baal, the Ultramarines fleet repeatedly closes on Leviathan, attacks, and withdraws whenever the swarm turns to engage. Several days of successful harassment demonstrate that the Chapter can adapt from its customary positional warfare to mobile operations 289.

• Repeated attacks disrupt the Hive Fleet without requiring a sustained frontal engagement.
• Controlled withdrawals deny the Tyranids a decisive response.
• The harassment drives Leviathan onward and causes it to arrive earlier than expected.
• The experience changes the warriors’ assessment of guerrilla warfare from an undignified or rebel-associated method to a useful tactical option 289.

Industrial and Logistical Capacity

Ultramar possesses extensive military-industrial infrastructure. Macragge and its surrounding worlds produce Astartes equipment, vehicles, warship components, and other military supplies through large forge-world networks. The Chapter’s expansion is described as being limited largely by equipment production rather than a lack of potential personnel 95.

• Mass production of armor, weapons, tanks, and warship components.
• Refitted merchant ships and civilian vessels used in wartime fleets.
• Extensive orbital defenses around Macragge.
• Rapid mobilization across the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar 96 122.
• Acastelan is a Forge World on Ultramar’s western frontier directly under Ultramarines jurisdiction 20.
• Hera Fortress maintains extensive stores of fuel, timber, food, drink, textiles, decorations, and other supplies, demonstrated by its provisioning of the Bonfire Festival 368.
• Ultramar’s wealth and status as the Primarch’s tax-exempt home territory support the exceptional operating costs of the reclaimed Macragge’s Honour, whose Blackstone System and additional shields raise its energy consumption by approximately twenty to thirty percent over an ordinary Gloriana-class vessel 184.

Evacuation and Disaster Relief

The Ultramarines possess evacuation expertise developed through ten thousand years of battlefield disaster relief. During the defense of Macragge, Thunderhawk Transporters evacuate crews from outer-screen vessels previously ordered to ram Tyranid ships, transferring them to Chapter strike cruisers and transports 103.

Following the daemon siege of Macragge, blue-armored successor forces carry wounded warriors back toward Hera Fortress on stretchers while other personnel gather enemy bodies and daemon-engine wreckage 367.

Lin En’s Battlefield Support

When Lin En serves with the Chapter, his abilities become a major force multiplier rather than an inherent Ultramarines trait. His Healing Aura allows warriors to recover wounds and fatigue while remaining within range. Emperor’s Gaze can double loyal targets’ attributes and greatly increase morale 77 118.

• Terminators retreat briefly to recover, then immediately return to combat 112.
• Golden enhancements allow weapons to destroy daemons permanently rather than merely disperse them 133.
• Machine Spirit Resonance can awaken and empower up to two hundred vehicles 165.
• The support is range-dependent and becomes less useful across extremely large battlefields unless Lin En can extend its area 101.
• The Ultramarines’ dependence on Lin En creates a major vulnerability; when he is pulled into the Warp, the Golden Aura and machine support vanish immediately 171.
• At the Arctic Fortress, Third Company forms a skirmish line centered on Lin En and remains within his one-hundred-meter healing radius. Unmanned armor supplies cover and firepower while the aura restores wounds, strength, and stamina 108 109.
• On Prandium, his aura covers the frontal battlefield, enabling the Chapter to advance through daemon armies with so little attrition that waiting Apothecaries receive no requests for medical aid 131 135.
• His weapon enchantment supports the First and Third Companies against daemons. Fabian later uses Holy Light weaponry to annihilate daemons possessing Word Bearers warriors and damage their Daemon Weapons 139 176.
• Power Armor telemetry confirms that his early enhancement doubles strength, speed, and reactions while stabilizing heart rate and blood pressure, with no detected side effects 77.
• During the Biel-Tan campaign, Second Company also receives the doubled-attribute blessing. Its ordinary warriors gain explosive power described as approaching that of a company captain and break through successive defensive lines around the Life Source 163.
• Supported by Lin En’s healing and enchantment, Fabian fights for an entire day in the Warp, kills at least twenty Enchanted Warriors, and continues protecting Lin En despite extensive damage to his armor 175 177.
• During the later daemon siege, Lin En enchants Hera Fortress’s gun mounts against Angron. Their shells inflict the enchantment’s two-hundred-percent true-damage bonus against daemons and leave wounds that no longer regenerate during the attack 365.

Equipment / Weapons / Assets

• Power Armor — Standard protection and life-support system for Astartes warriors 76 107.
• Terminator Armour — Used by First Company Veterans for assaults and sieges 97 107.
• Bolters and Storm Bolters — Standard ranged weapons used in massed, disciplined fire 108 171.
• Chainswords and Power Swords — Common close-combat weapons among assault troops and officers 107 175.
• Power Fists and Heavy Flamers — Terminator weapons used to break fortifications, bypass walls, and clear enclosed corridors 162.
• Melta Bombs — Used to destroy engines, reactors, infrastructure, and fortified objectives 162 163 164 165.
• Thunderhawk Gunships — Used for atmospheric deployment, extraction, and battlefield support 96 101 107.
• Thunderhawk Transporters — Used to transfer evacuated crews to strike cruisers and transport ships during the Macragge orbital battle 103.
• Macragge’s Honour — Initially described as a massive ancient battleship approximately twelve kilometers long, with extensive macro-cannon batteries and Void Shields. Its keel was laid by Guilliman ten thousand years earlier. Chapter 86 calls it Emperor-class, while the Macragge defense fleet identifies it as Gloriana-class. The later reclaimed flagship is described as twenty-six kilometers long, larger than a standard twenty-kilometer Gloriana, and equipped with a Blackstone System and additional redundant shields 86 100 184.
• Macragge’s Honour fleet — Includes battleships, Strike Cruisers, frigates, orbital platforms, merchant ships, converted cargo vessels, and other requisitioned craft 100 101.
• Octavius — Calgar’s Battle Barge, deployed in the main Macragge orbital defense fleet 100.
• Hera Fortress — Chapter headquarters constructed from silver-white granite and adamantium above Hera Falls. It occupies a mountaintop overlooking Laphnis Valley and is surrounded by urban and industrial districts 95 96.
• Hera Fortress Gun Emplacements — Defensive gun mounts and retractable missile launchers support the defense of Macragge. Lin En temporarily enchants the gun mounts against Angron during the daemon siege 365 367.
• Librarium Sanctuary — A treatment facility within Hera Fortress’s Librarium. For Lin En’s emergency treatment, its inner sanctuary is cleared, six Chief Librarians stand by, and a psychic monitoring array is calibrated 143.
• Temple of Correction — A site within Hera Fortress where Guilliman formerly lay in stasis. Calgar later orders Fabian and Lin En taken there under heavy protection after their return from the Warp 128 181.
• Mortal Chaplain Equipment — Lin En’s assigned equipment includes lightweight black-and-gold Power Armor adapted for mortals, a Scepter of Truth, a Rose Rosary, and a mortal-use Bolter 99.
• Fist of Ultramar and Axe of Ultramar — Calgar’s specialized Power Fists and protective battle-axe. The axe is forged from material extracted from beneath Prandium 97 118.
• Marksman’s Glory Medals — Awards made from Guilliman’s shell casings and granted to defenders of the North Pole Fortress 122.
• Iron Halos and Axes of Ultramar — Honors awarded to distinguished officers and the Honor Guard after the Macragge campaign 122.
• Imperial Laurel — Awarded to the Honor Guard captain after the Macragge campaign because he already possesses an Axe of Ultramar 122.
• Defender of Macragge — Honorary title granted to Lin En for his performance against the Tyranids and daemons, following Guilliman’s private praise of his service 156.

Relationships

• Roboute Guilliman — Primarch of the Ultramarines, Imperial Regent, and their spiritual and political father. His direct orders transferred Lin En to the Chapter and sent him to defend Macragge 83 134.
• Marneus Calgar — Chapter Master and Lord of Macragge. He commands the Chapter’s defenses, counteroffensives, and major campaigns 96 97 122.
• Lin En — Mortal Librarian, later Chaplain, Lieutenant, Defender of Macragge, and Chapter Honor Advisor. His healing and enhancement abilities transform Ultramarines operations, while his moral teachings influence Calgar’s conduct toward civilians. His attachment to the Chapter persists after his transfer elsewhere, and he personally rescues Agrippa’s group during the Nephilim Sector campaign 99 122 156 159 171 422.
• Third Company — Lin En’s principal assignment within the Chapter. It treats him as a trusted commander and becomes strongly attached to him 97 99 293.
• First Company — Veteran force closely connected to the Third Company. Its warriors become particularly dependent on Lin En after surviving the Arctic Fortress battle without fatalities 107 114.
• Blood Angels and successor Chapters — Allied or rival Imperial forces with competing claims on Lin En. The Lamenters, Flesh Tearers, Blood Knights, and Blood Angels regard him as one of their own after his service on Baal 76 293. The parent Chapters also maintain a longstanding brotherhood rooted in Guilliman and Sanguinius’s relationship: the Ultramarines have helped rebuild the Blood Angels, while the Blood Angels have helped defend Ultramar’s borders 368.
• Lamenters — Beneficiaries of Ultramarines support when other Chapters were unwilling to assist them openly. Phoros respects the Ultramarines’ bravery and competence despite disliking them and opposing their attempts to claim his commander 325 356. Lin En later orders Agrippa and the rescued Ultramarines to regroup with Phoros on Paradis III 422.
• Emperor’s Scythes — An Ultramarines successor Chapter assigned to guard Ultramar’s border. After Kraken destroys its homeworld of Sotha, its Chapter Master escapes with two hundred warriors and the remaining gene-seed; the survivors establish a temporary base on Mira and protect civilian refugees before being besieged again 371.
• Aeldari Reaper Host — Temporary strategic partner against the Tyranids and Chaos. The alliance is based on necessity and remains secret from the wider Imperium 128 129. Its Webway intelligence helps the Chapter track Kabanha’s approaching fleet, and Calgar later contacts it to facilitate the two-hour evacuation window for Biel-Tan 130 171.
• Biel-Tan Craftworld — Formerly a neutral or distant Aeldari faction that initiated attacks on Ultramar. It was subsequently designated a Class-One Archenemy and subjected to a full-scale Ultramarines campaign 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172.
• Word Bearers — Historic enemies responsible for the betrayal at Calth and the Shadow Crusade. The Ultramarines retain an intense hatred of the Legion 92 174 175.
• Flagship Machine Spirit — The reclaimed flagship’s identification system permanently recognizes Ultramarines as guardians and traitor warbands as lethal contamination. During its recovery from the Red Corsairs, it unlocks systems and passageways for friendly boarders and assists them against the remaining traitors 187. The ancient Machine Spirit regards the Ultramarines with familial concern, asking Lin En about Macragge’s ground defenders because the ship is too large to land and could only fight in orbit during the Tyranid invasion 189.
• Salamanders and Nephilim Coalition — Fellow participants in Guilliman’s campaign to reclaim the Nephilim Sector, alongside Battle Sisters, Cadian Astra Militarum, the Death Korps of Krieg, Knight households, the Adeptus Mechanicus, and Inquisitors 416.
• Necrons — Enemies during the Nephilim Sector campaign. Agrippa’s group survives fighting on Paradis III until Lin En’s relief force reaches them, after which they are directed to join preparations for an assault on Zeras’s Tomb Complex 416 422.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruitment of Lin En

After witnessing Lin En empower thousands of mortal soldiers against the Greenskins, an Ultramarines captain identifies him as a possible Living Saint or equivalent strategic asset. The Chapter attempts to transfer him before the Blood Angels, Inquisition, or other Imperial institutions can claim him 76 77 78.

Roboute Guilliman personally signs the transfer order, assigning Lin En to the Ultramarines and sending him to Macragge during the Behemoth invasion 83.

During the voyage, an infiltrator posing as an honored Ultramarines captain attempts to eliminate Lin En. The Chapter’s veterans refuse to accept the captain’s suspicious explanations and help expose him. Coordinated Bolter fire disables him before he can trigger a self-destruct device, after which four Ultramarines secure him with Astartes restraint chains 88 91 92.

The red-helmeted sergeant involved in Lin En’s escort and the disabling gunfire is later identified as Agrippa when Lin En encounters him again on Paradis III 422.

Defense of Macragge

The Ultramarines transform Macragge into a fortress and fight Hive Fleet Behemoth in orbit and on the surface. Lin En chooses the dangerous Third Company rather than a defensive or support-oriented assignment 96 97.

His military registration is officially transferred to the Chapter, and Calgar approves his appointment as an additional Third Company Chaplain. Castor helps equip him before the company deploys aboard a Thunderhawk 99.

The First and Third Companies later rescue the besieged Arctic Fortress. Lin En’s healing aura allows the Ultramarines to repeatedly charge, recover, and return to battle, producing a near-casualty-free victory 107 112.

The rescue combines Third Company infantry, Lin En’s unmanned armored vehicles, and the recovering First Company Terminators. After breaking the siege, both companies clear the remaining Tyranids while Techmarines work to restart the fortress defenses 108 109 111 113.

Calgar and ten Honor Guard then confront the Hive Overlord with Lin En’s healing and Emperor’s Gaze supporting them. Calgar meets the creature head-on with the Axe of Ultramar and his Power Fists rather than retreating 117 118.

Afterward, Calgar has every participant in the Arctic Fortress defense recorded in the Chapter’s history and awards Marksman’s Glory Medals made from Guilliman’s shell casings. Invictus and Fabian receive Iron Halos, the ten Honor Guard receive Axes of Ultramar, and their captain receives an Imperial Laurel 122.

Counteroffensive Against Tyranids and Chaos

After Macragge is secured, Calgar turns the Chapter toward offensive operations across Ultramar. The Ultramarines destroy Tyranid forces at Velydia and later cooperate with the Aeldari Reaper Host against Kabanha’s daemon army 122 129 131.

The Chapter chooses the already-devastated surface of Prandium as its battlefield against Kabanha. Fighting on the ground avoids the daemons’ advantage in the airless void and allows the orbital fleet to bombard the enemy if the battle turns against the defenders 130.

Lin En’s mass healing and Emperor’s blessings allow the Ultramarines to advance through daemon armies with minimal attrition. Their weapons become coated in Holy Light, permanently erasing daemons from the battlefield 133.

Guilliman arrives during the fighting and sees the full scale of Lin En’s support. Lin En’s amplification also strengthens the Primarch, whose renewed combat power drives Kabanha back 134 135 137 139.

Emergency Treatment in the Librarium

After a Lord of Change escapes, Guilliman finds Lin En unconscious but alive, places him in a Vacuum Stasis Pod, and orders an immediate return to Macragge. The Chief Librarian and Chief Apothecary meet him at Hera Fortress 143.

Tigurius directs Guilliman to the cleared left-wing sanctuary of the Librarium, where six Chief Librarians and a calibrated psychic monitoring array await. Calgar follows as Guilliman personally carries Lin En inside for treatment 143.

Following Lin En’s service against both the Tyranids and daemons, Calgar informs him that Guilliman has praised his performance and that the Chapter will grant him the title of Defender of Macragge 156.

Biel-Tan Campaign

Following Biel-Tan’s attacks on Ultramar, the Ultramarines launch a punitive campaign against the Craftworld. They destroy its fleets, engines, Webway nodes, Life Source, agricultural dome, mining stations, and Spirit Stone cultivation site 160 161 162 163 164 165.

Second Company uses Melta Bombs to open an underground route toward the Life Source. Newly supported by Lin En’s doubled-attribute blessing, its warriors force their way through layered defenses and automated psychic Gun Emplacements 163.

The destruction of the Spirit Stone Cultivation Site eliminates its Bonesingers and shatters every Spirit Stone. A site protected by twelve hundred Aspect Warriors is destroyed less than ten minutes after the Ultramarines land, forcing surviving defenders to flee toward the Infinity Circuit 167.

The First, Second, and Third Companies then assault the Infinity Circuit. Aeldari forces attempt to eliminate Lin En through a suicidal Warp strike, but Lin En and Captain Fabian are pulled into the Warp together 168 171.

Lin En’s disappearance immediately extinguishes the Golden Aura and leaves the two hundred supporting Sentinel Mechs motionless. Invictus orders the destruction of all Aeldari soldiers present, while Calgar ultimately grants a two-hour evacuation period through the Reaper Host before carrying out the Craftworld’s destruction 171.

Fabian and Lin En’s Return from the Warp

Within the Warp, Fabian fights Word Bearers warriors while Lin En maintains healing and provides Holy Light weaponry. The enchanted weapon annihilates possessing daemons rather than simply banishing them, allowing Fabian to resist enemies who would otherwise overwhelm an isolated captain 175 176 178.

The fighting continues for a full day. Fabian kills at least twenty Enchanted Warriors while repeatedly recovering from wounds, and he keeps Lin En protected even after every plate of his Power Armor has sustained damage 177.

The pair eventually emerge in the plaza outside Hera Fortress, alive and apparently uncorrupted. The gate guards recognize them and gather around while awaiting loyalty checks. Fabian reports their confrontation with a Word Bearers Dark Apostle and their escape through a spatial rift 181.

Calgar orders them taken to the Temple of Correction under heavy protection and prepares to inform Guilliman of Lin En’s return and condition 181.

Escort to Terra

Guilliman assigns Calgar to escort Lin En to Terra. Calgar travels with an Honor Guard contingent, and the Solar Fleet’s First Border Defense Flotilla receives the party with formal respect 194 198.

At the Imperial Palace, the Custodes challenge Calgar because his name is absent from the reception list. He explains that he is completing the Regent’s escort order and must subsequently report to Guilliman. When Guilliman meets them near the Emperor’s Sanctuary, he praises Calgar’s work 198 200.

Reinforcement of Baal

Before arriving at Baal, the Ultramarines harass Leviathan with repeated hit-and-run fleet attacks. Their adoption of maneuver warfare proves effective but also drives the Hive Fleet toward its destination earlier than anticipated 289.

The Ultramarines later send the First, Third, and Fifth Companies to reinforce Baal against Leviathan. Their arrival relieves pressure on the Blood Angels successor Chapters and enables aggressive fleet tactics, including shielded charges and ramming attacks against Tyranid ships 291 293.

The Ultramarines continue fighting alongside Lin En and the successor Chapters for fifteen days, using fleets, psychic support, and machine assistance to hold back the Hive Fleet 294.

During this prolonged engagement, the combined force pins Leviathan in deep space outside Vitellia. The fighting consumes in a single day the amount of ammunition normally expended over half a month on Ork battlefields 294.

Rescue of Imperial Civilians

During the assault on an Ork-held mining complex, the Ultramarines engage the main Ork army outside the complex. Their battle draws away the bulk of the enemy and creates the opening used by the Lamenters, Flesh Tearers, and Blood Knights to rescue millions of imprisoned civilians 325.

Although the Ultramarines decline the direct rescue of Slaughterhouse’s three million captives, they continue fighting the Ork warlord’s main force. Phoros acknowledges that this engagement is indispensable to the rescue and refuses to disparage their military contribution despite his personal dislike of the Chapter 325.

Daemon Siege and Blood Angels Assistance

When daemons besiege the Ultramarines, Blood Angels company captains volunteer in succession to relieve them. The Blood Angels regard the intervention as repayment for the Ultramarines’ prompt assistance at Baal and their willingness to support the Lamenters when other Imperial forces would not 356.

The relief fleet reaches southern Ultramar on the fourteenth day of its voyage and emerges into realspace with Macragge ahead. The planet’s orbital region remains densely occupied by fleets, defense platforms, and space stations 357.

During the ensuing counterattack, Ultramarines Bolter fire covers the enemy’s front while the Flesh Tearers and Blood Knights cut down those attempting to escape around the flanks. Watching the advance from the rampart, Calgar orders his Honor Guard to accompany him into battle, but Invictus blocks his departure 360.

Lin En later applies Weapon Enchantment to Hera Fortress’s gun mounts during the fight against Angron. The golden shells worsen the Daemon Primarch’s wounds and prevent their regeneration during the bombardment 365.

By the cleanup phase, the Khornate coastal battle line has been driven into the sea. The remaining daemons turn on one another as they return to the Warp, while Berserkers attempt to swim away. Ultramarines establish firing positions along the shore, shoot the fugitives, and recover their bodies to protect Macragge’s waters from contamination. Successor forces gather wreckage and evacuate wounded warriors as the fortress weapons are cleaned and secured 367.

Bonfire Festival on Macragge

The Ultramarines and Blood Angels cooperate in preparing a Bonfire Festival on Macragge. The Ultramarines raise no objection to the celebration, and Hera Fortress provides large quantities of fuel, food, drink, decorations, and other supplies 368.

The event illustrates the Chapters’ longstanding bond, which encompasses shared service during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, mutual assistance over ten thousand years, and reciprocal efforts to preserve their home territories and forces 368.

Nephilim Sector Campaign

After detecting anomalies in the Nephilim Sector, Guilliman dispatches a nearby coalition that includes Ultramarines, Salamanders, Battle Sisters, Cadian troops, the Death Korps of Krieg, Knight households, the Adeptus Mechanicus, and Inquisitors. The campaign develops into a full-scale war against the Necrons, with Paradis III among the affected worlds 416.

Lin En encounters seven or eight surviving Ultramarines sheltering behind a ruined wall on Paradis III. Some support wounded comrades, while others carry empty weapons. Their red-helmeted leader recognizes him immediately and is revealed to be Sergeant Agrippa, the same warrior who had escorted him aboard Macragge’s Honour and helped stop the infiltrator 422.

The reunion gives Lin En a personal connection to the endangered Ultramarines. He recalls the red-helmeted sergeant’s death at a teleporting Deathmark’s hands in the original animation and refuses to leave familiar warriors to that fate. He orders Agrippa’s group to join Phoros while his Tyranid swarm searches for the entrance to Zeras’s Tomb Complex, intending to gather the survivors for a joint assault 422.

Notable Quotes

“Courage! And! Honour!” 131

“For Guilliman!!!” 118

“Aeldari soldiers on site! Leave none alive!” 171

“The Ultramarines were humanity’s standard answer.” 325

“Third Company, standard skirmish line. Spread out around the Chaplain as the center. Do not leave the aura’s range. Kill.” 108

“Everyone, come out! Lord Lin En is here!” — Sergeant Agrippa 422

Trivia

• Ultramar contains the Five Hundred Worlds and is described as the Ultramarines’ home turf 20.
• The Ultramarines are nicknamed “blue tin cans,” “Little Blueberries,” and “Smurfs” because of their blue armor 20 86.
• Their famous military-industrial capacity supports the recurring joke that they can suffer enormous casualties and still appear to retain their full strength 86 95.
• Macragge’s Honour is initially described as approximately twelve kilometers long and as having remained operational for ten thousand years. The later reclaimed flagship is described as twenty-six kilometers long 86 184.
• The Chapter’s formal battle cry is closely associated with courage, honor, and Guilliman’s leadership 131 159.
• The Ultramarines are described as exemplary rather than necessarily the strongest Astartes Chapter 344.
• The narration recalls that the Ultramarines were once called the “Sons of War” 113.
• Their newfound enthusiasm for guerrilla warfare contrasts with their earlier dismissal of the Mantis Warriors’ tactics as a rebel’s method of fighting 289.
• The Macragge system contains six planets: Nova Thulium, Yardim, Thulium, Lapis, Macragge, and Mortendar. Mortendar serves as the outermost defensive frontier and falls before Behemoth reaches Macragge 96.
• Hera Fortress stands near the place where the Macragge Consul and Lady Euten found and adopted the infant Guilliman 96.
• Agrippa is identified as the previously unnamed red-helmeted Ultramarines sergeant whom Lin En remembers from the Pariah Nexus animation 422.
• Invictus attempts to recruit Lin En into First Company immediately after being rescued, prompting Fabian to refuse despite their teacher–student relationship and the First Company’s longstanding loans of Terminators 111.

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