MTLNOVEL Chapter 7: chapter 7
Chapter 7: Distinguishing Loyalty from Treachery
"The flagship of the XIII Legion is here, so their Primarch must be here as well. My lord, we must inform the Primarch about the Horus Heresy and rally the loyal forces."
Tess said in a deep voice. After the Battles of Isstvan III and Isstvan V, the legions that had clearly betrayed included the Sons of Horus, the Emperor's Children, the Iron Warriors, the Night Lords, the World Eaters, the Death Guard, the Word Bearers, and the Alpha Legion.
The Iron Hands, Salamanders, and Raven Guard—who remained loyal to the Emperor—had suffered heavy losses due to the traitors' treachery. The Iron Hands' Primarch, Ferrus Manus, was even seen being beheaded.
The Imperium was on the brink of collapse. Although they did not know why the Emperor's wolf-god had turned against them, with powerful enemies surrounding them, the remaining loyal forces would be defeated one by one unless they united.
Bucky also realized that the fate of the Imperium was in jeopardy.
Though he had little fondness for this ignorant and backward empire, there was no doubt that it was the foundation upon which humanity's survival rested. Mankind had reached a point where it was drinking poison to quench its thirst—only through extreme unity could it endure.
Just as he was about to order the ship's intelligence system to land on Calth, Iron Father Sabik Wayland raised an objection.
"No! We can't land now. We've already experienced the betrayal of our brothers—how can you guarantee that the Ultramarines won't betray us as well?"
Before the massacre at the landing site, the loyalists who had arrived to destroy the traitors had no idea that their original plan—seven loyal legions besieging four traitor legions—would turn into eight traitor legions overwhelming only three loyal ones.
Even the Emperor's Children, a legion named after the Emperor himself and adorned with the Imperial Aquila, had turned traitor. Who could guarantee that the Ultramarines, isolated in the eastern reaches of the galaxy and ruling over five hundred worlds, wouldn't betray them too?
Most of the Primarchs recruited their Astartes only from their home worlds and, aside from leading the Great Crusade, paid little attention to outside matters.
But the XIII Legion was different. The Ultramarines drew recruits from all habitable worlds within their vast domain, making them the largest of all Astartes legions.
According to available intelligence, the Ultramarines fielded 25 chapters—250,000 fully armed Astartes.
In contrast, the Raven Guard and Salamanders, the forces behind Nykona Sharrowkyn and Tess, each had fewer than 100,000 warriors.
"My lord, I advise against revealing the truth of Isstvan V to the Ultramarines until we can be certain of their loyalty," Wayland declared. The Iron Hands, after the death of their Primarch, had lost faith in their former battle-brothers.
Once doubt is planted, it grows into a towering tree.
"Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, has always been an ambitious man. He once sought to sway our father to his side but was seen through by the wise Ferrus," Wayland said.
"We need intelligence," Bucky mused.
"The ship's intelligence system can infiltrate the data networks of the Queen of Glory-class battleship or access the planetary defense systems, but doing so would expose our presence."
The voice of the intelligence system echoed in Bucky's mind. With its advanced processing power, it could sense something akin to itself within the massive battleship—a fellow intelligence.
That presence was the machine-spirit of Macragge's Honour.
"Until the last moment, we cannot risk exposing our ship's abilities. However, there are other ways to determine their loyalty."
If the Ultramarines had turned traitor, their industrial worlds would still be producing war materials for their rebellion. A sudden surge in production data would be an unmistakable sign.
The Red Alert quickly vanished from sight, cloaked by an invisible distortion field. The stealth technology of the Golden Age erased its presence, and on Calth's command consoles, a small dot that had briefly appeared in the system's orbit vanished without a trace.
On the command tower of Calth, the servitors and Mechanicus technicians were busy processing navigation data for thousands of transport ships and warships in orbit. None of them noticed the anomaly.
The orbital docks were bustling, a clear sign that something significant was taking place. The density of traffic alarmed Bucky and his companions.
"I will infiltrate the Ultramarines' battleship. A covert approach is best. With multiple sources of intelligence, we can gain a clearer picture of the situation."
The Red Alert anchored in low orbit over Calth as Nykona donned his helmet once more.
In the confined corridors of a warship, the Raven Guard's stealth abilities would be invaluable. These Astartes, masters of infiltration, could evade every watchful eye and strike at the heart of their target.
"Take this communicator. It will allow you to stay in contact with us," Bucky said, handing over a specialized device.
The communicator, constructed by the ship's intelligence system using ancient STC technology, could maintain a stable signal within the star system, even under heavy interference.
Nykona secured his power swords and slung a modified grenade launcher across his back. Nodding to his brothers, he stepped into the teleportation matrix of the Red Alert.
His armor carried a teleportation beacon, allowing him to return instantly at a moment's notice.
In an instant, lost technology from humanity's past transported the Raven Guard to the nearest warship in Calth's orbital docks.
"No margin for error—one transmission, one target, one mission," Bucky thought.
"If we could place teleportation beacons inside enemy ships, our boarding operations wouldn't be so difficult," Wayland said excitedly.
Currently, Astartes could only board enemy vessels using boarding torpedoes or teleportation beacons.
But if a beacon malfunctioned, teleporting warriors could materialize inside solid structures, instantly merging with the ship's hull and dying horrifically.
The teleportation matrix flared once more, and Bucky, Wayland, and Tess materialized on Calth's surface. The remaining Iron Hands stayed aboard the Red Alert, ready to provide orbital support.
A concealed teleportation beam deposited them on the planet below.
"This is the southern bank of the Poros River. The city of Numinas is on the other side," Bucky observed, studying a projected map.
Beside him, the Iron Hand and the Salamander had exchanged their power armor for the cobalt-blue plating of the Ultramarines.
"To be honest, I prefer dark green," Tess muttered. "There's no cobalt-blue scenery like this on Nocturne."
"I don't like the arrogant cousins of the Ultramarines, but we need their strength now," Wayland admitted, glancing toward a military encampment in the distance.
The camp bustled with mortal soldiers operating machinery and transporting equipment. Many worked bare-chested, their bronzed skin glistening with sweat.
"Follow my lead, my lords," Bucky quipped. For now, he would play the role of a mortal attendant accompanying Astartes on their mission. "At least no one will question my identity."
Their unusual trio—a mortal and two Astartes—was quickly noticed by the soldiers.
An old veteran, his dark-blue uniform unbuttoned at the collar and a cigarette dangling from his lips, straightened up and jogged over.
"My lords, Sergeant Heloc salutes you!"
(End of Chapter)