Several days later, a thick blanket of gray fog still hung low over the skies of Barbarus.
The fog poured out of the valleys, winding around the fortress spires and the starport towers like an unseen curtain blocking out the sunlight.
Wind swept across the plains, carrying the scent of dust and dry grass, stirring the otherwise motionless banners on the landing pad.
A Storm Eagle Gunship bearing the insignia of the Sons of Horus broke through the clouds and fog, slowly descending from low altitude.
Its engines rumbled deeply, their exhaust tearing an invisible swath through the fog.
The gunship bore the Sons of Horus insignia on its flank. It slowly settled in the very center of the landing pad, its landing gear striking the ground with a dull thud and kicking up a fine spray of dust.
As the thick fog dispersed, Mortarion stood at the head of the Death Guard Legion before the landing pad, silently watching the arrivals.
He stood at the very front of the formation like a massive gray-white boulder. A sackcloth hood concealed most of his face, leaving only his gaunt jaw and faintly gleaming eyes exposed.
Behind him, the Death Guard officers stood in a single row, their gray-and-green armor looking heavy and forbidding in the fog.
No one spoke. No one moved. Only the sound of wind brushing the edges of their armor echoed softly across the landing pad.
The gunship's hatch slowly opened with a hiss of hydraulics.
Several Space Marines of the Raven Guard Legion and a Space Marine Archon stepped out of the gunship.
The Raven Guard's black armor nearly blended into the shadows amid the gray fog. Their helmets partially concealed their faces, revealing only pairs of deep, cold eyes.
At the head of the group stood