The entire battlefield was a complete mess.
On the outermost edge were the independent Astartes calling themselves Stone Will, a force only a company strong. In the middle were William's troops, and inside their formation was the Chaos Warriors' Strike Cruiser. On the planet, meanwhile, everything had devolved into a free-for-all.
Stone Will's Librarian woke up and saw their "Chapter Master" arguing with the Crimson Tide Chapter. In reality, they only had a company's worth of men.
"Brother Librarian, you're awake. Did you see anything?"
"It was somewhat hazy. I need to understand recent developments before I can judge. What's the situation?"
"The world ahead is controlled by the Red Corsairs, a gathering place for all sorts of unruly factions. The Crimson Tide Chapter is fighting Chaos Warriors. They don't trust us and have refused to let us join the fighting for now."
"The Crimson Tide Chapter..."
The Librarian recalled his prophecy. Usually, his own perspective represented the fate of their entire force.
Then the liquid slowly submerging him must have symbolized successive disasters dragging his force into the abyss, little by little. But the red liquid might well have represented the force they had just encountered.
They'll help us. Then let's give it a try.
"Tell Chapter Master Kurens that we've chosen to help the Crimson Tide Chapter."
"Understood."
The warriors trusted their Librarian utterly. This powerful Astartes had always led them forward, and his prestige exceeded even their Chapter Master's.
Stone Will's warship turned all its weapons away to demonstrate its desire for peaceful coexistence.
The Steel Jungle did the same, redirecting most of its weapons toward the battle ahead.
The Chaos warship could no longer withstand the assault and attempted to withdraw. The Chaos Warriors on the ground were abandoned outright as the Chaos Strike Cruiser began