Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [213]

Possessing the Emperor's psychic power, Rhodes could access the Imperial astropathic choir at will, communicating far more efficiently than any other.

If he wished, he could contact any Imperial faction and learn what was happening across the Imperium.

"Please wait, Lord Rhodes! You haven't officially returned to the Imperium, and only the people on this ship know your identity as a Primarch. I think you should wait until Lord Roboute Guilliman awakens and you're formally recognized before contacting High Marshal Helbrecht," Marshal Alvarich said.

The current High Marshal was quite young, only having served for a few decades. Alvarich thought it best not to reveal this news yet.

"You're quite thoughtful. That makes sense—let's wait for Guilliman to awaken and return to Holy Terra before contacting your High Marshal," Rhodes agreed.

After all, with no one to vouch for him in the astropathic choir, telling another astropath he was a Primarch and the Emperor's chosen would not be believed—it would sound too much like the work of a daemon or Chaos god.

If handled poorly, it could even get an innocent astropath killed. Astropaths were powerful psykers, but they were also vulnerable to daemon corruption.

...

A few days after completing the Primaris female Space Marine transformations, Rhodes' space fortress and the Mechanicus Ark of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl finally left the Eldar Webway, emerging in the Ultramar system, home of the Ultramarines.

Ultramar is an enormous region, the realm of the Ultramarines once called the 500 Worlds. As its name suggests, Ultramar includes over 500 prosperous planets and many mining worlds.

In terms of wealth, the Ultramarines are the richest—Ultramar's 500 Worlds are guarded by many successor chapters.

Upon arrival, the 300+ legion-era Ultramarines were the most excited. They had been fighting in the Horus Heresy when suddenly transported to a strange battlefield and told that ten thousand years had passed—the world they knew was gone. Now, finally home, they saw a world utterly changed.

After the Great Rift opened, time flowed differently across the galaxy. Some places experienced days, others years. Chaos forces were launching a massive invasion of Ultramar—Abaddon wanted to stop Rhodes and others from reviving Roboute Guilliman. One revived Primarch was already too much; a second would be disastrous.

So Abaddon sent Chaos forces—including Iron Warriors, Night Lords, and traitor factions—against Ultramar. They crippled outer planets before sending their main force to Macragge.

Rhodes' arrival coincided with a Chaos fleet. Without hesitation, he used his fortress's Phaedanium cannons to blast the Chaos ships to pieces, earning thousands of system credits.

They landed on a shrine world, not far from Ultramar's main world—just a few AUs away. There was an Ultramarines company garrisoned there. Rhodes, the Archmagos, Elyena, Ynnari prophetess Yvraine, Lelith, Living Saint Celestine, a few Black Templars, and the returning Ultramarine legionnaires landed there.

To avoid trouble, Rhodes didn't bring all his Primaris; only a small force. He also brought Titus and Custodes. The two Eldar women disguised themselves as Sisters of Battle.

"The Webway can't take us directly to Macragge—we need the Ultramarines here to guide us," Yvraine said.

Rhodes' ship could fly there, but having the Ultramarines lead the way was wise since they wanted to enter the Chapter's shrine.

Their sudden appearance drew the attention of the garrisoned Ultramarines, who were shocked to see brothers in blue armor—albeit slightly outdated marks.

"Who are you? Why are you wearing Ultramarine's power armor?" the company captain demanded.

"Brother, our story is a bit unbelievable—we're Ultramarines from ten thousand years ago, from the legion era. We were captured by a Xenos and imprisoned for millennia, only breaking free recently," the ancient company captain explained.

"Ten-thousand-year-old legionnaires? What Xenos did this? Don't try to fool me," the garrison captain challenged.

"A Necron—Trazyn the Infinite. Much has happened: Cadia fell, Abaddon's Black Legion broke the Eye of Terror, tore apart reality, and even altered time across the galaxy," Belisarius Cawl explained.

"Incredible—such an evil Xenos, holding you for millennia. How did you survive?" the captain asked.

"To us, it was only a moment—we were fighting Horus's traitors, then suddenly on Cadia, then suddenly home," the ancient captain said.

No one knew what the future held for them—they just hoped Rhodes could revive Guilliman and tear up the Codex, letting them rejoin the Legion.

"I'll report this to Lord Calgar. Much has changed in ten thousand years—our Legion is now only a thousand-strong Chapter."

These 300+ returning Ultramarines would greatly strengthen the Chapter for this Chaos invasion, but how would the Imperium explain their return? The High Lords might send them on a suicide mission—their usual solution.

Living Saint Celestine explained that they were on a mission crucial to humanity's survival and the Imperium's future.

"We must see the Lord of Macragge. The Emperor watches over this mission—we must go," Celestine said.

She revealed a little, but kept the true nature of their mission secret—reviving a Primarch was just too incredible.

"I'll arrange a transport to take you there, but could you leave some men to help defend this shrine world? We're under Chaos attack."

"Let us stay. We're Ultramarines—returning home after ten thousand years, it's our duty to defend it," the ancient captain said.

Leaving 300+ veterans would greatly ease the defenders' burden.

"Alright, you stay here and we'll go to Macragge's main world to see Chapter Master Calgar," Rhodes nodded.

With the Chaos fleet destroyed, only a few Chaos soldiers remained on the planet—clearing them wouldn't take long with 300 Ultramarines.

After making arrangements, the garrison captain and the ancient captain coordinated defenses, and then Rhodes and company boarded the Sword of Honor strike cruiser to Macragge.

On the way, the Ultramarines captain tried to ask Rhodes, the Living Saint, and Cawl what their mission was, but Celestine would only say, "It's the will of the Emperor; you'll learn more when we reach Macragge."

"Titus, get ready to speak to your old commander," Rhodes said.

"Yes, my lord! I'll do my best to convince Lord Calgar," Titus replied.

PS: Read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode