Traveling Together

"You mean those two Astartes will be operating with us for the time being? Emperor above, this is my first time seeing such big fellows!"

Recruit Bellein was staring in shock as he whispered to the veteran Krank beside him.

"Calm down, kid. You may be a rookie who enlisted only a week ago, but there's no need to get this worked up. You're making the rest of us look like country bumpkins." The veteran sounded helpless, though he understood Bellein's feelings.

The Astartes were the Emperor's angels. Their battlefields differed from those of mortal auxiliary forces; they fought in far more dangerous and savage places. Power swords and bolters tore their enemies to pieces, whether those enemies were xenos or human factions unwilling to submit.

Sergeant Herlock looked at the young man before him. The man claimed to be the mortal attendant of two Ultramarines and said he would speak on behalf of the two Astartes, who were unwilling to talk.

Decades of service told Herlock that something was off. The young man possessed none of a soldier's bearing, and neither his words nor his conduct carried much of an attendant's humility.

But who cared? At the very least, the two giants in Ultramarines Legion power armor could not be faked. Especially that big one—he looked at least 2.6 meters tall.

Herlock and the soldiers busy at the port were ordinary infantrymen of Numenus's 61st Company. Thanks to Herlock's company commander having a friend in the Ultramarines' 9th Company, they were not entirely unfamiliar with these modified superhuman warriors.

"Where are these weapons and munitions being sent?"

Faced with Lox's question, Herlock ground the cigarette butt beneath his boot and twisted it. "According to orders from above, we'll be launching a cleansing operation against the xenos in the Gaslac region."

"They're a group of Greenskin Orks breeding on the edge of the sector. Those loathsome xenos are on the rise, and they pose a threat to Calth," he added.

"Greenskin Orks?"

Lox understood at once. He knew of these humanoid xenos. Greenskin Orks were peculiar beings related to fungi; with only a little flaked skin and the right environment, they would sprout from the ground like mushrooms.

Humanity had dealt with these things in the past. They were extremely troublesome and had gathered into terrifying green tides more than once.

"Sergeant, say what you want to say. I merely want to understand the situation. After all, we've only just arrived on Calth."

Lox caught the hesitation in the veteran's eyes. Clearly, there was more he wanted to say.

"Forgive my bluntness, but I don't understand why a few Greenskin Orks require the deployment of an entire XIII Legion, along with the entire XVII Legion. Emperor above, either of those Legions could utterly destroy an entire star system, blasting the xenos empire to rubble before those aliens could even strike back."

When he mentioned the XVII Legion, the two Shattered Legions veterans behind Lox twitched. Their blade-sharp gazes focused on Herlock's face through their helmet lenses.

The sergeant swallowed. He knew it was absurd to send two of the most elite Legions to slaughter a small Ork empire. Since Ullanor, no Legions on such a scale had united against the Orks. But weren't these two Emperor's angels reacting rather strangely?

Then he recalled what Lox had just said: they were Ultramarines who had only recently arrived on Calth. That thought somewhat suppressed the sergeant's suspicions.

"The XVII Legion... the Word Bearers."

Lox realized it as well. The Ultramarines and the Word Bearers were fighting together—could it be that the Emperor's thirteenth son had betrayed him too?

Wayland's hand tightened unconsciously, his power armor grinding with a low roar.

So it was true. Guilliman had abandoned the Imperium as well. He was a traitor!

"Remain calm, my brother!"

Tassa's voice came through the encrypted channel, soothing the Iron Father's agitation. This alone was not enough to determine whether the XIII Legion remained loyal.

"Sergeant, have you heard any other news? Anything about the Warmaster, or Isstvan?"

"My lord, according to certain rumors, the order for the XIII Legion and XVII Legion to fight together came directly from the Warmaster. The Wolf Lord wished to reconcile the rift between the two Legions. That was an old matter from Perfect City. It is said that Lord Guilliman wished to make peace with his brother, which was why he was cooperating with their muster on Calth."

Herlock paused before continuing his answer concerning Isstvan. "As for the latter, I've never heard of that term. Is it the name of a place?"

The Imperium's territory encompassed more than half the galaxy. Many mortal auxiliary soldiers might never reach another star system in their entire lives.

"It seems they don't know about the Warmaster's rebellion," Lox said quietly over the three men's communications channel.

"Nor have they heard of the tragedy at Isstvan."

If the XIII Legion had betrayed the Imperium as well, they would surely have heard about the actions of their allies.

A terrifying possibility emerged. The three realized that among the warships gathering in Calth's orbit, the Word Bearers might once again raise the poisoned blade of betrayal, just as they had on Isstvan V.

"The XVII Legion is on its way. We need to move fast, before everything becomes irreversible."

Lox made up his mind. There was no longer much time to hesitate.

Based on the information at hand, the possibility that the Ultramarines Legion had betrayed the Imperium alongside the Warmaster was vanishingly small. By contrast, the possibility of another Legion civil war erupting was practically at hand.

"Cogitator, infiltrate the intelligent systems of Macragge's Honour. At the very least, warn the Ultramarines' high command. Tell them the Word Bearers have betrayed them."

Lox could no longer worry about whether this would expose the starship in orbit. According to the Cogitator's calculations, neither the massive defensive weapons stationed in Calth's orbit nor the space fortresses and patrol fleets in space could pose a genuine threat.

But Red Alert was not a true warship. It was merely the carrier of an STC.

Lox also feared that this planet might contain some dangerous weapon left behind from the past, one that could threaten Red Alert.

Interference detected. Purging.

The Cogitator's response made Lox's scalp prickle. A faint burst of static suddenly appeared in the previously stable communications channel, as though some presence in the void had lightly plucked a string. A subtle song slowly began to rise.

What was singing?

The timing was too perfect. At the very instant Lox intended to issue a warning, his connection to the starship in space was severed.

All of the Cogitator's processing power was occupied resisting the whispers from the void.

"It's the power of the Warp, similar to what we encountered during the voyage." A flash of understanding crossed Lox's eyes. He had not forgotten the Cogitator's erratic state when they faced that Warp daemon.

Clearly, they had been watching from the other side of the world all along, interfering at critical moments to prevent change.

Lox's abnormal behavior quickly drew the attention of the two Astartes. They gripped their power weapons, ready to charge at any moment.

"Soldiers, you must take us to the nearest Ultramarines camp immediately. Now!"

The sudden order left the sergeant somewhat stunned. By rank, this young man claiming to be an Ultramarines attendant had no authority to command or deploy them.

"Listen to him."

The Astartes' electronically distorted voice rang out, carrying an unquestionable command.

Faced with a direct order from one of the Emperor's angels, Sergeant Herlock's expression immediately turned grave. After assembling the soldiers under his command, he boarded a vehicle and raced toward the nearest Numenas City.