War Mobilization

Countless communication waves spread throughout the Macragge system. Rogue traders, the Adeptus Mechanicus, planetary consuls—all urgently wanted to know what had happened on Mustafa and if it was connected to the war directives issued by the Primarch.

They were surprised to find their intelligence networks knew nothing about it. The connections built over long years were useless.

Consuls of other planets had even sent letters of inquiry to Guilliman, asking indirectly or directly for clarification.

Guilliman was the ruler of Macragge, but his dominion over his realm was not absolute. Many nobles still held considerable influence.

The vast distance inevitably diluted power; no person or nation could escape this.

All these questions were dismissed by the bureaucratic system under Guilliman. In fact, even Guilliman himself only received summarized reports from Hill, with no access to specific details.

The Primarch suddenly felt that the surprise Loci had given him might turn into a shock. It had only been a short time, and Mustafa had already experienced such an anomaly.

"Never mind. It's fine even if he transforms Mustafa into a Forge World. Let him do it; the sky won't fall. Loka's troubles for me are the real crisis."

Guilliman put down the data-slate in his hands. Alerts from the Five Hundred Worlds, compiled and organized by data technicians, were presented to him. All the data indicated a larger war was imminent.

The Word Bearers were not the only enemy. According to reports from intelligence departments across various regions, the Twelfth Legion, the World Eaters, had also arrived in the Five Hundred Worlds.

The World Eaters, formerly the War Hounds Legion, had once been a formidable force. However, after their Gene-Father Angron returned, the legion became notorious for its madness.

The World Eaters prided themselves on conquering enemies within thirty-one Terran days, or one Nuceria day, whether it was a city or a planet, employing extremely brutal and bloody methods.

Guilliman's brother was one of the few Primarchs who had not conquered his homeworld. During the slave uprising, he had been implanted with a vicious technological creation called the "Butcher's Nails" by the slave masters, making his temperament extremely irritable and ferocious.

Furthermore, according to battle reports from some destroyed fringe worlds before their annihilation, the Word Bearers seemed to possess new warships more powerful than the Gloriana-class Battleships.

Guilliman treated this crucial intelligence with extreme caution, sketching and drawing on the screen with a data-pen, his brow furrowing deeper.

A massive warship with a heavy, pointed prow appeared on the data-slate. Even as a blurry silhouette, its length was at least thirty kilometers.

On either side of the hull, three pairs of massive, serrated armored sections were deployed, giving it the appearance of a giant trident.

Countless twin-linked lascannons and macro-cannons glinted with cold light. Every sharply angled metal surface was covered with turrets, and the dark muzzles of torpedo tubes on the ship's spine and belly exuded a chilling aura of death.

This was an unprecedentedly massive warship. Compared to it, even Guilliman's flagship seemed insignificant.

When had they built such new warships?

Such colossal vessels could only be constructed in the shipyards of Mars or Jupiter. The entire Imperium only learned of its approximate details when it appeared in the Five Hundred Worlds. How long had they been secretly planning this?

Guilliman's thoughts raced, pondering the hidden meanings. The more he considered it, the more uneasy he became.

He couldn't dwell on this question. Guilliman wasn't even sure if the Adeptus Mechanicus on Mars was still loyal.

Could Mars claim ignorance of building such warships?

This was undoubtedly an insult to everyone's intelligence.

One of the symbols of the human double-headed eagle was Mars. The Adeptus Mechanicus was persuaded by the Emperor to become allies of the Imperium in the early stages of the Great Crusade. They possessed a high degree of autonomy and political power. No one knew how loyal they truly were.

If Mars also defected, many human worlds would not have enough weapons to resist the rebels.

Guilliman rubbed his forehead, feeling an abnormal throbbing in his temples. He decided to set this issue aside for the moment.

"What's the progress on the augmentation of reserve recruits from the various planets? Gage, I hope to hear some good news today," the Primarch asked.

Marius Gage, standing beside him, immediately began his report:

"My lord, including Macragge, fifty planets are in the process of selecting new recruits. Eighty percent of them are candidates who performed adequately but not exceptionally in previous selections. They have already passed their assessments and only need to undergo gene-augmentation surgery to become Adeptus Astartes."

"Our people are eager to enlist and become Ultramarines, to defend the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar. Our losses will soon be recovered."

Marius Gage said proudly.

Among the many legions, only the Ultramarines unreservedly selected Adeptus Astartes candidates from all their governed planets.

The Five Hundred Worlds did not refer to only five hundred inhabited planets; it was a general term for a sphere of influence encompassing powerful planets with influence and productivity. This also led to the astonishing speed of the Thirteenth Legion's troop deployment.

"Thanks to the stability and compatibility of our gene-seed, the success rate of candidate augmentation is over 95%. Several of our Forge Worlds are operating at full capacity to produce compatible organs. I believe these young men will soon become glorious Ultramarines."

"What is the status of gene-seed recovery for those heroes who died in battle at Kaos?" Guilliman continued to ask.

According to legion statistics, over seventy thousand Adeptus Astartes warriors died directly at Kaos. Due to the chaos of the battlefield and their initial passive state, many Ultramarines were never recovered, let alone their gene-seed.

However, given the vast numbers, a considerable amount of gene-seed was still recovered.

"Approximately thirty-six thousand gene-seeds were recovered, my lord. We are severely lacking Apothecaries, which makes it difficult to meet the expected progress in augmentation."

Gene-seed recovery is a very delicate process, usually performed by Chapter Apothecaries. The gene-seed is stored in the gene-seed vault, awaiting use.

Guilliman immediately issued an order: "Inform the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus of the situation and dispatch some Tech-priests of the Biological Sphere to assist in gene-seed production and implantation."

"What is the status of the warships' resupply? Our fleet suffered unprecedented damage, and the Word Bearers possess new warships we have never seen before. This is a significant vulnerability. What are the Adeptus Mechanicus's opinions?"

Gage immediately lowered his tone and replied.

"My lord, the Adeptus Mechanicus has stated that they have activated all production lines. Shipyards and Forge Worlds on worlds like Konnor, Macragge, and Amatra are working at full capacity to repair the warships withdrawn from Kaos. However, regarding the timeline..."

"Excluding vessels with minor damage, the repair of other warships will take at least 3-6 months. The Glory of Macragge will require one month for inspection and repair."

Although Guilliman was already aware of the Adeptus Mechanicus's efficiency, he felt a wave of frustration.

Time. Time was what they lacked the most.

It would take so long just to repair warships, let alone build new ones, which required Terran years of effort. By the time new warships were built, the enemy might have already reached Macragge.

It could be predicted that for a considerable time, the Ultramarines would have to rely on the Glory of Macragge and other defense fleets for combat. Guilliman had to consolidate the warships scattered across the Five Hundred Worlds to prevent the enemy from picking them off one by one.

The enemy's fleet consisted of the Word Bearers' Gloriana-class battleship, The Emperor's Word, the World Eaters' Gloriana-class battleship, Conqueror, and an unknown number of Trident-class battleships, which were superior to the Gloriana-class.

For a moment, even the Primarch's great heart constricted.

On paper alone, this disparity in military strength seemed insurmountable.

However, the Ultramarines did not need to engage in a full naval engagement. The Star Fortresses scattered across the Five Hundred Worlds, planets bristled with weapon arrays and Orbital Platforms, were obstacles the enemy would have to overcome.

"No matter what, all invaders must be buried within Ultramar's Five Hundred Worlds. In the Emperor's name, I will drag these traitors before the Emperor to face judgment!"