The Chief Librarian set out a few minutes late, having asked Annos to fit him with several specialized pieces of equipment.
On the ground, the Crimson Tide Chapter's arrival transformed the battle. What had been a clash between two sides became a one-sided slaughter.
The Blackshields plunged into the Genestealer army without hesitation. They would deal with these creatures who spent every day dreaming of inviting a Tyranid Hive fleet over for an all-you-can-eat buffet.
At first, Leon had thought that eight hundred or so Astartes taking on two factions at once was rather overconfident. But when he saw the Crimson Tide Chapter's true reserves, he suddenly felt they might actually be holding back.
Surely this much firepower could sweep an entire star system clean.
As a "prospective captain," he had to demonstrate his worth amid this tide of steel if he wanted to secure his position in the Chapter.
The ultimate expression of Astartes warfare.
Using the Stormraven Gunships and Land Speeders supplied by Evan and his men, the Blackshields mounted a noisy feint outside the Hive City, covering a squad's infiltration of the enemy gathering place.
Everyone knew that an enemy patriarch either liked to stand in the Spire, gazing up at the sky and acting important, or hole up in the Underhive, snoring away.
Locate the target. Launch a decapitation strike.
After some brazen, ground-hugging flights and dropping a few explosive little gifts, the Blackshields withdrew to their outer positions to await news from the scouts.
"Leon, are we really going to pledge our allegiance to this Chapter?"
"I think it's a good choice. This Chapter is everything I imagined a Chapter should be. And... allegiance isn't quite the word, Brother Iron Face. We're part of it." For reasons unknown, the Astartes called Iron Face had replaced