MTLNOVEL Chapter 8: chapter 8
Chapter 8: Traveling Together
"You mean those two Astartes will be traveling with us? Emperor, this is the first time I've seen these giants up close!"
The new recruit, Bella, whispered in shock to the veteran, Crank, beside her.
"Calm down, kid. You've only been in the army for a week, but that doesn't mean you have to act like a country bumpkin." Crank sighed, though he understood Bella's reaction.
The Astartes are the Emperor's angels. Their battlefields are far more dangerous than those of mortal auxiliaries. They wield power swords and grenade launchers, tearing apart enemies—whether they be xenos or rebellious humans.
Sergeant Heloc scrutinized the young man before him. He claimed to be a mortal attendant to two Ultramarines and spoke on their behalf, as the Astartes themselves preferred silence.
Decades of experience told Heloc that something was off. The young man lacked the discipline of a soldier and did not behave with the expected humility of a servant.
But in the end, what did it matter? The two armored giants standing behind him were unmistakably Astartes, and the larger one, towering at nearly 2.6 meters, left no room for doubt.
Heloc and his unit, the 61st Company of Numinas, were ordinary infantry. Thanks to a connection between their company commander and a captain in the Ultramarines' 9th Company, they were familiar enough with these superhuman warriors.
"Where are these weapons and supplies being sent?" Bucky asked.
Heloc crushed his cigarette beneath his boot before answering. "We're being deployed to the Gaslak region to eliminate xenos threats."
"Orks," he clarified grimly. "A greenskin infestation on the edge of the sector. These filthy xenos have been multiplying, and now they threaten Calth."
"Orks?"
Bucky immediately understood. He had encountered information on these fungus-based creatures before. Given the right conditions, they could spawn endlessly, sprouting from the ground like mushrooms.
The Imperium had fought these creatures countless times. They were relentless, forming terrifying 'green tides' capable of overwhelming entire worlds.
"Sergeant, you seem hesitant. Is there something else?" Bucky asked.
Heloc hesitated but then admitted, "I don't understand why an entire Thirteenth Legion and a Seventeenth Legion are being deployed for this. Emperor, just one of these legions could obliterate an ork empire before they even had a chance to react."
At the mention of the Seventeenth Legion, the two Astartes behind Bucky tensed. Their gazes, sharp as blades, locked onto Heloc through their helmet lenses.
The sergeant swallowed hard. His observation was correct—since Ullanor, no such large-scale deployment had been made against the orks. But the reaction of these Astartes seemed... off.
Perhaps they were simply new arrivals, unfamiliar with the situation on Calth.
"The Seventeenth Legion... the Word Bearers," Bucky murmured.
The realization struck him like a hammer. Were the Ultramarines and the Word Bearers fighting together? Did this mean the Emperor's Thirteenth Son had also turned traitor?
Sabik Wayland clenched his fists, the servos in his power armor whirring ominously.
Guilliman, a traitor?
"Stay calm, brother," Tess' voice crackled over their private channel, soothing the Iron Father's rising anger. "We can't jump to conclusions."
"Sergeant, have you heard anything about the Warmaster? Or Istvaan?"
Heloc hesitated before replying, "There are rumors that the Warmaster himself ordered this joint operation. The Wolf King wants to mend the rift between the two legions. Apparently, it goes back to some old dispute in the City of Perfection. It's said that Lord Guilliman wants to reconcile with his brothers, so he called them here to Calth."
"As for Istvaan..." The sergeant frowned. "Never heard of it. Is it a place?"
The Imperium is vast, spanning the galaxy. Many mortal soldiers would never even leave their assigned system, let alone hear of a conflict light-years away.
"They don't know about the Warmaster's betrayal," Bucky whispered over the comms. "Or the massacre at Istvaan."
If the Ultramarines had truly turned traitor, surely their forces here would be aware of it.
A chilling realization dawned upon them. Among the warships gathering in orbit, the Word Bearers were likely preparing to strike—just as they had at Istvaan V.
"The Seventeenth Legion is en route," Bucky said grimly. "We have to act before it's too late."
Based on what they had learned, the chances of the Ultramarines being traitors were slim. But another civil war among the legions seemed imminent.
"Intelligent Computer, hack into the systems aboard Macragge's Glory. At the very least, we need to warn the Ultramarines' leadership about the Word Bearers' treachery."
Bucky didn't care if this move exposed their starship. The defenses around Calth were formidable, but according to the Intelligent Computer's calculations, neither the orbital weapons, space fortresses, nor battlefleets posed a true threat.
However, Red Alert was no ordinary battleship—it was an ancient vessel built using lost Standard Template Construct (STC) technology. If there were hidden dangers on this planet, it was best to remain cautious.
[Interference detected. Initiating self-purification.]
Bucky's blood ran cold at the AI's response.
A faint, eerie noise crackled through their previously secure comms—like a distant hand plucking the strings of reality itself. A strange, distorted melody echoed in the void.
Something was singing.
The timing was too perfect. Just as Bucky attempted to send a warning, contact with their starship was severed.
All of the Intelligent Computer's processing power was being redirected—fighting against an unseen force.
"It's the Warp," Bucky realized. "The same kind of power we encountered during the voyage."
A horrifying thought struck him: something had been watching them all along. And now, at a critical moment, it had intervened.
The strange tension in Bucky's expression didn't go unnoticed by Tess and Sabik Wayland. They instinctively gripped their weapons, ready for battle.
"Sergeant, take us to the nearest Ultramarines command post. Now!" Bucky ordered.
Heloc hesitated. This young man, supposedly an Ultramarines attendant, had no authority to issue commands.
"Listen to him," the deep, distorted voice of an Astartes cut through the silence, brooking no argument.
Faced with the direct order from the Emperor's Angels, Sergeant Heloc straightened up. He quickly gathered his troops, mounted their vehicles, and set course for the city of Numinas at full speed.