This morning something happened that had never happened before - as least as far as the chapter master of the Ultramarines could remember: Marneus Augustus Calgar fell out of his bed.
He did not care about his ungraceful landing, though; he had much more important things to worry about now.

Had this alien - Luna - really been here in his dream? Had she really used her magic on the Primarch?

He jumped to his feet and immediately activated the intercom, embedded in a wall of his quarters.

“Varro!” he shouted and a moment later, the face of the chief librarian appeared on the screen.

“Yes, Lord Calgar?” he asked.

From his looks, he had suffered a similar fate to Calgar.

“Tell me, Varro,” Calgar said,
“did I just have a thoroughly weird dream or did we really have a visitor?”

“My Lord, we were indeed visited by Princess Luna, the equine princess of a place called ‘Equestria’.”

“I thought so,” Calgar said, then he opened another channel.

“Good morning, Lord Calgar,” the Ultramarine at the other end of the intercom greeted,
“how can I be of service?”

“Send a team of apothecarii and techmarines to the shrine of the Primarch. They are to examine the stasis field and Guilliman himself. Now!”

Calgar could see that his liege had no idea what was going on, but he nevertheless answered without hesitation:

“Of course, my Lord!”

Calgar switched the intercom back to Tigurius.

“Varro, meet me at the Shrine of the Primarch,” Calgar said,
“and make haste!”

A few minutes later, Calgar entered the Temple of Correction and made his way towards the shrine. He had not taken the time to don his armor and wore his plain, blue robes instead. Not many people had seen him in this rather casual attire, but again this was something Calgar did not care about at the moment.

As he approached the shrine, he took a look at the pilgrims on site who kept a respectful distance to the converging Ultramarines: men and women of every age. He knew some had traveled for months, even spent everything they had to take a look at Primarch Guilliman, to pray in front of him and hope for salvation. Well, salvation was something they all could need.

He turned his attention back to the shrine and saw Varro Tigurius standing there, together with another member of the librarium. Hmm... and he had thought he had been fast.

“Varro, status report,” he said curtly.

“My Lord,” Tigurius started,
“our brothers are examining Primarch Guilliman and the shrine as you ordered. While they will still need some time to get the first results, there are visible signs of something unusual going on.”

Having said that, he pointed at the Primarch; at his neck, to be exact. Calgar took a closer look, and indeed: there was a dark blue shimmer around Guilliman’s wounds, and if he strained his eyes, a similar, but much less obvious shimmer seemed to encompass the whole body, though it was difficult to be sure because of the slight distortion the stasis field caused.

“So, it seems she was successful,” Calgar mumbled.

“Indeed, my Lord,” Tigurius answered.

“It would seem that all we can do now is wait for the results, doesn’t it?”

“Well, I can try to analyze the energy that is working on the Primarch.”

“Do that. But I see that there is nothing for me to do now - except waiting.”

“I’m afraid so.”

Usually, Calgar did not mind waiting. He knew that patience was a virtue, and that it was critical to most operations. Now, however, he was eager for those results.
The minutes that passed seemed to be hours, but finally an apothecarius and a techmarine walked up to them.

“Report,” Calgar said calmly, although he was anything but calm.

“My Lord,” the apothecarius began to speak,
“we have analyzed Primarch Guilliman’s current status as ordered, and though our scans were somewhat hampered by the stasis field, his wounds are obviously healing. We don’t know how, or why, but if this process continues at the current rate, he will be back to full health in about four days.”

Four days until the legendary Roboute Guilliman would walk amongst the living again!
Calgar could hardly believe it. This was almost too good to be true.

“My Lord,” the techmarine spoke up,
“the stasis field itself is working within operational parameters. There should be no passage of time in there, but there is some kind of energy, concentrated in the area around the Primarch’s wounds, that counters the effect of the field so that the wounds can still heal.”

“I have analyzed this energy,” Tigurius said,
“there are similarities to warp energy, but it is some kind of tamer, more friendly derivate. It is hard to put into words, but you can downright feel a trace of benevolence when examining it. I checked with my brother here; he comes to the same results.”

The other librarian nodded in agreement and Calgar turned to him, the apothecarius and the techmarine:

“I want you and your teams to stay here and constantly monitor Primarch Guilliman. Keep me up to date on his condition.”

Then he turned to Tigurius:

“Varro, we will meet in my quarters in ten minutes. We have a lot to discuss... and since Seventh is here, get sergeant Seneca, I want him to be present, too.”

Exactly ten minutes later, Tigurius and Seneca entered Calgar’s quarters. The chapter master, now wearing his armor, greeted them:

“Good. First, we need to bring Seneca up to date, then we can talk. Varro, would you be so kind?”

Before the chief librarian could start, however, there was a knock on the door.
Calgar sighed and called:

“Who is there?”

The answer came promptly:

“A chaplain with questions, and maybe advice, young Calgar.”

There only was a single warrior who was allowed to call the chapter master ‘young Calgar’:
Ortan Cassius, master of sanctity of the Ultramarines.

Calgar really should have expected him to show up. And it was only natural that he had a few questions, the Primarch was about to wake up again, for Emperor’s sake!

“Come in,” Calgar said and the door opened.

Cassius walked into the room and closed the door behind him. As the oldest non-dreadnought member of the chapter, he was not only rich in years, but also in experience. His scares and extensive bionics were a visible sign of the many battles he had fought and won thanks to his bravery, but that was nothing compared to the steely resolve in his eyes.

“I better close the door, since you obviously want this conversation to be secret. And now, please tell me what is going on here - and with brother Varus.”

Calgar had to admit that he was thoroughly surprised. How did Cassius know that Varus was involved in the current events?

Cassius noticed the chapter master’s bewilderment and explained:

“Brother Varus is still listed as ‘missing’ instead of ‘killed’, and you had a similar gathering when the Righteous Fury returned back then, just Cato and his navigator are missing because they are on a mission. So I assume that Varus is involved somehow.”

Calgar smiled and shook his head in disbelief:

“Really, Ortan, keeping a secret from you is next to impossible.”

“Of couse,” the chaplain replied calmly,
“and the moment it becomes easy will be the moment I retire.”

“I seriously doubt that you will ever retire,” Tigurius grinned.

“Exactly,” Cassius agreed flatly.

The others chuckled briefly, then Calgar said:

“Okay, okay. My apologies for keeping you in the dark about brother Varus, but it was advisable because of the specific circumstances.”

“I do not hold any grudge, my Lord, but I have to admit that I am quite curious.”

Now Calgar and Tigurius told Cassius - and Seneca - what had happened, from Varus’ disappearance to Tigurius’ experiences to their visitor and the results of that visit.
Both looked rather perplexed.

“So,” Seneca said,
“he actually found friendly xenos, who are not really xenos, a weapon against Chaos and an operational standard technology construction system? And this was told to you by a horse, a winged unicorn that visited you in your dreams, helped probably by the Emperor himself?”

“As strange - or unbelievable - as it sounds, it is apparently true,” Calgar confirmed.

“Well,” Cassius started speaking,
“this is definitely new. Xenos that seem to be willing to help us...”

“Apparently not really xenos,” Tigurius interjected.

“Non-humans that were cut off from mankind for ten millennia,” Cassius stated,
“we should see them as xenos and be accordingly suspicious. And even if they are genuinely friendly and helpful and the Emperor moreover saw fit to help them - which we can’t be sure about - we still have to question brother Varus’ loyalty and state of mind. He will be forced to live among them for more than a year, after all. That may have a negative influence on him.”

“A psychic scan should be able to determine if he is still trustworthy,” Tigurius said.

“It will be a start, but a chaplain will have to interrogate him, too, and keep an eye on the expedition force we will send. This situation is a challenge unlike any we have ever faced. It may not be a physical challenge, but it will definitely be a spiritual one. With so much to gain, we still have to be wary not to get corrupted by the strange ways of the xenos.”

“I appreciate your cation,” Calgar replied,
“with everything we know now, it is easy to get carried away, yet caution is necessary. So, a librarian and a chaplain will be part of our expeditionary force. Any suggestions who we should send on this mission?”

“As for the librarian, I would like to go myself,” Tigurius stated,
“Princess Luna already knows me, and I will be able to determine not only if brother Varus is still trustworthy, but also if those ‘Elements’ are really as good as it seems.”

“And the chaplain?” Calgar asked, turning to Cassius.

“This could easily be one of the most important missions we have ever conducted. The chaplain responsible for it will be me,” Cassius answered.

“If I may be so bold, my Lord,” Seneca said,
“I would like to go, too.”

“Of course,” Calgar agreed,
“you know Varus better than any of us. You will most likely be able to notice deviations from his usual behavior. So, you will join us.”

“Thank you, my Lord... did you just say ‘us’?”

“Yes. It is my plan to lead this mission myself.”

“So, we have the chapter master, the chief librarian, and the master of sanctity,” Seneca grinned, shaking his head in disbelieve,
“I wonder if there are any more high ranking members of the chapter wanting to join us.”

“If so, they will be disappointed. We can’t allow our whole HQ to go on this journey, the three of us really are enough.

The others were silent for a second, then Tigurius said:

“Lord Calgar, this mission will most likely take years. While we would certainly appreciate your company, I doubt that it will be wise to leave Ultramar without its Lord for that long.”

“You’re forgetting something, Varro,” Calgar smiled,
“by the time we are ready to depart, I will not be the Lord of Ultramar any more.”

“Because the Primarch will be walking amongst us again...”

“Exactly.”

“And that presents us with a problem,” Cassius added for consideration,
“some strange magic was used on our Primarch. How can we be sure that he was not corrupted by those energies?”

The following silence lasted a few seconds, then Calgar said:

“That is a good point. As benevolent our new friends may seem, we still have to be sure. Varro, do you think the librarium can find out if he is really… himself?”

“Hmm... probably. It is difficult to say, since we do not know his exact psychic signature before he was embedded in the shrine. However, we will definitely be able to detect any kind of daemonic or malevolent presence.”

“Strange. I am not even sure if Primarch Guilliman can be corrupted at all,” Seneca opined,
“and now we are going to tell him ‘hello, your Excellency, we are glad that you are back, but we have to psychically scan you to make sure that you are not a traitor, insane or anything. Hope you don’t mind.’ That’s quite... daring.”

“But necessary,” Calgar said firmly,
“I just wonder how the legendary Roboute Guilliman will be. What he will think of us and what he will do.”

“I hope he will allow us to conduct our mission. It would be terrible if he canceled it.”

“We should assume that we get his permission and collect as much information as possible in the meantime.”

“Information about a planet that far away, inhabited by creatures we just heard about?” Tigurius asked,
“where are we supposed to get that information? What do you have in mind?”

“Luna told us that the base they discovered was built by a company named ‘Hastings Brothers’. I wonder if Knight House Hastings has something to do with them.”

“Well, they claim to be able to trace their history back to the Golden Age,” Seneca said.

“Indeed. Perhaps there is some truth behind that. Uriel is operating in the area. I will contact him and tell him to make a slight detour and innocuously ask them about ancient deep space or extragalactic operations - for study purposes - return to Macragge and report his findings to us.”

“And you think they really could have records on this base? And share them with us?”

“We shall see, Seneca. We shall see.”

Four days later, the great moment had come. Almost every Ultramarine on Macragge was in the Temple of Correction, as long as he did not have guard duty. An impressive honor guard, the armors neatly polished, the weapons presented.

Outside the temple, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were waiting in reverent silence, hoping to catch a glimpse of Guilliman. While the word of the healing wounds had quickly spread, no one except Calgar, Tigurius, Cassius and Seneca knew the exact reason. It was really helpful that there had always been a rumor that the Primarch’s wounds were slowly healing, and the increase in speed was seen as a sign that the Emperor had intervened.
Well, he probably had. In a way.

Calgar was standing in front of the Shrine of the Primarch, Tigurius and Cassius to his left respectively right.
Apothecarii and techmarines were scurrying around, making sure that they could intervene should anything go wrong.
Calgar waited for their okay, then he said:

“Deactivate the stasis field.”

The field collapsed, exposing Primarch Guilliman to the normal flow of time for the first time in millennia. The apothecarii immediately started examining him, and the techmarines were standing by, ready to reinitialize the stasis field.

For a long second, everything was quiet, then Calgar could hear Guilliman take a breath.

“No signs of poisoning or malfunction of his organs. He seems to be in good health,” an apothecarius reported.

Now Guilliman opened his eyes and looked at Calgar. The look seemed to penetrate flesh and bone and go straight into the soul. At the same time, the chapter master had a strange feeling of euphoria. He had never been this nervous in his entire life, but he pulled himself together and said solemnly:

“Greeting, Excellency Guilliman, and welcome back. I am Marneus Augustus Calgar, current chapter master of the Ultramarines. At my sides are Varro Tigurius, chief librarian, and Ortan Cassius, master of sanctity.”

Then the Primarch spoke:

“What year is it, Chapter Master?”

“040M42.”

Guilliman rose his hand and touched his neck.

“You were able to heal me.”

It was more an assessment then a question, but Calgar still answered:

“Yes, your Excellency, although I would like to explain the exact circumstances in a more private conversation. I can also bring you up to date on the overall situation at that opportunity.”

Guilliman gave Calgar a questioning look, and Calgar felt the urge to spill the beans right here and now, but he once again contained himself and waited for his Primarch’s reply. It came promptly:

“As you wish, Chapter Master. Calgar, right? Now, I guess, it is time to get up. I’ve been sitting here long enough.”

Having said that, Guilliman slowly rose to his full height and Calgar had to look up to him. A giant, a demigod of war, and the father of the chapter.

“Your quarters have been prepared for you, your Excellency,” Calgar informed him.

“Quite some dust to be removed after all that time, hmm?” Guilliman asked with a smile.

Calgar was thoroughly surprised. Such a lighthearted question from the Primarch...

“Well, your Excellency, we proved ourselves able to get rid of it.”

Calgar hoped that his humor had not been misplaced, and was relieved when Guilliman started laughing:

“So, the Ultramarines still excel at a wide range of tasks. Good to hear that.”

“Yes, your Excellency. Would you like to greet the warriors of the chapter - and the populace?”

“Definitely.”

Calgar, Tigurius and Cassius stepped aside and Guilliman turned to the assembled Ultramarines:

“Warriors of Ultramar, my beloved sons, I, Roboute Guilliman, have returned.”

The Ultramarines cheered loudly at that.

“It has been a long time since I walked the surface of Macragge, and as much as I would like to celebrate with you now, I first have to be brought up to date. Chapter Master Calgar was so kind to offer me that opportunity, so I will retire to my quarters for now and listen to his report. But do not fret, my sons: I am with you, and I won’t leave you ever again!”

The cheers were deafening. It was a rarity that Ultramarines let themselves go like that, but who could blame them? Guilliman had returned.

“Now, let’s say hello to the populace,” the Primarch said, turning to Calgar.

As Guilliman, Calgar, Tigurius and Cassius were walking through the hallways of the temple on their way to a balcony, the Primarch asked:

“Chapter Master, please give me a short summary of the current situation. How is mankind doing?”

“We are constantly fighting malevolent xenos, traitors and daemons,” Calgar told him.

“Hmm... how little things have changed... at least at first glance. I’m looking forward to your more detailed report, but that will have to wait. Time to address the citizens of Macragge.”

“And the pilgrims.”

Guilliman took a glance at him:

“Pilgrims? I was a tourist attraction?”

“More a beacon of hope, your Excellency.”

“Well, I’m curious what those pilgrims will say when they see me.”

“I guess they’ll shout at you.”

Guilliman looked at Calgar again:

“Huh? Was that another joke, Calgar?”

“I am sorry if it was misplaced, your Excellency.”

The Primarch shook his head.

“No, Calgar, it was not misplaced. It was quite funny, actually.”

They had arrived at the door to the balcony by now, and they stepped through it.

Calgar was proven right. The masses screamed. It was almost deafening.

“Citizens of Macragge,” Guilliman boomed, raising his hands.

The humans down below went silent.

“Citizens of Ultramar and the Imperium! I, Roboute Guilliman, have returned!”

The audience cheered loudly again. The Primarch used this to turn to his companions for a second:

“I usually don’t like to repeat me, but that sentence is just right on.”

Then he turned back to the crowd:

“For long years, I have been inactive, forced to exist inside a stasis field because of wounds inflicted by a traitor. Those wounds are gone now, but the traitors are still at large. And they are not the only ones endangering mankind.
We always had to fight for our survival, and the mere fact that you all are here today and listen to me is prove of our prowess! We are humans! We do not go gentle into the night! We fight whatever threatens us! And we prevail!
And now that I am back, my dear citizens of the Imperium, we will teach our enemies what fear is! They will curse the day they first thought about challenging us! And we will send them into oblivion! This is my promise to you, the promise of Roboute Guilliman!”

The audience went nuts. There was no other way to describe what was going on. Frenetic applauding, loud cheers, people celebrating the Primarch and the return of hope he symbolized.

Guilliman waved them goodbye and left the balcony, followed by his companions.

“You were right,” he told Calgar with a smile,
“they did shout at me. And now, let’s go to my quarters. Then you can tell me everything I need - or want - to know.”

A short time later, they entered Guilliman’s quarters. Beautiful rooms, elaborately decorated, and with furniture in three different sizes: for normal humans, Astartes, and the Primarch.

“Home, sweet home,” Guilliman grinned.

“Perhaps a glass of wine could make it even sweeter?” Calgar suggested.

“I like your way of thinking,” Guilliman laughed and seated himself behind his huge desk.

Calgar, Tigurius and Cassius also sat down and Seneca appeared, carrying a tray with a bottle of wine, three glasses and a massive chalice. He poured everyone a drink and subsequently took up his post close to the door.

Guilliman took a look into his chalice, then he took a sip and grinned.

“A good wine,” he stated,
“and now, I think it’s time to bring me up to date.”

“Excuse me, your Excellency,” Calgar said, a little nervous,
“but would you mind us making sure that you are not influenced by an outside force? I know that this is impolite, but due to the circumstances of your return, it is necessary, I’m afraid.”

“This is the second time you mentioned those ‘circumstances’ as an excuse not to tell me what is going on. Will you finally spill the beans if I let the librarian scan me?”

It was only a little reprimand, but hearing it from the Primarch made Calgar feel quite uncomfortable.

“Yes, your Excellency,” the chapter master assured him.

“Then, Tigurius, do your duty.”

Tigurius put down his glass and got up. He walked to the desk behind which Guilliman was sitting and said:

“Excuse me, your Excellency.”

Then, the air around his head started glowing. It stayed that way for almost a minute, then the glow vanished and Tigurius bowed.

“There is no sign of malevolent influence, insanity or other conditions not desirable. Primarch Guilliman is mentally perfectly healthy,” he stated and returned to his seat.

“Content?” Guilliman grinned.

“Yes, your Excellency,” Calgar replied.

“Then, Chapter Master, as curious as I am about those ‘circumstances’, I have to set priorities, so please tell me about Ultramar and the Imperium first.”

Calgar started talking. He told Guilliman about the Realm of Ultramar; how the Ultramarines ruled it and how they meticulously followed the Codex Astartes.

Much to Calgar’s surprise, the Primarch raised an eyebrow and said:

“Umm... you know that I wrote the Codex as a guideline, not as some kind of straightjacket, right? While it covers almost every aspect of war and living as an Astartes, I never claimed it to be infallible, or all-encompassing. So, some deviations are actually acceptable if they are necessary. You do know that, right?”

Calgar looked slightly abashed at that and responded:

“Well, to be honest, we always did our best not to deviate from the Codex. There are only very rare occasions where this was allowed, and we would never act explicitly against it.”

Guilliman took a sip and said:

“It is a good choice to try and follow it as closely as possible, but sometimes, even the Codex is inadequate and you need to improvise. Please keep that in mind. And now, let’s talk about the Imperium.”

Now Calgar told his Primarch about the current state of the Imperium of Mankind; the battles it was fighting and the way it was ruled.
He told him the full truth, without omitting or sugarcoating anything. Guilliman started looking more and more concerned, and when Calgar was done, the Primarch put a hand to his brow, covering his eyes, and sighed heavily.

“I need more wine,” he mumbled after a few seconds.

While everyone was silent, Seneca quickly poured him another drink. Guilliman downed his chalice, which was immediately refilled again.

Now Calgar was concerned, too. He knew that the Imperium was probably not exactly what the Emperor and his sons had imagined ten millennia ago, but that was how things were.
Before he could say anything, however, Guilliman spoke again:

“So, let me summarize: The Imperium, once meant to be a beacon of hope, freedom and reason, has become a decaying, fascist, superstitious terror regime driven by ignorance and hate. Is that about right?”

“Well, your Excellency, even the best of intentions have to bow to reality. And the times are grim...,” Calgar answered apologetically.

Guilliman peeked through his fingers:

“You have no idea. I always fought to prevent something like this. Seriously, why do we even fight Chaos if we are like that ourselves?”

Those words of the Primarch hit hard. The Ultramarines looked at each other, not knowing what to say now. It was Cassius who began to talk:

“Your Excellency, the Imperium may be far from perfect, that is true. But even with its many inadequacies, it is still very much preferable to a reign of the Ruinous Powers. There is still valor in mankind. There is courage and honor. There is honesty and loyalty. Mankind may not be immaculate, but it definitely deserves better than to be thrown to the daemons of the warp.”

Guilliman lowered his hand and regarded the chaplain for a few seconds, then a weary smile crept upon his features:

“You are right, Cassius, and I thank you for your words. Instead of whining about the Imperium’s current state, we should try to improve it.”

“And this leads us to the circumstances of your convalescence, your Excellency,” Calgar told him.

“Really?” Guilliman asked him, an eyebrow raised,
“then please tell me what has happened.”

So Calgar told him the story of Antonius Varus and the unusual visitor who had met them in their dreams, although he worried a little about Guilliman thinking him to be crazy.

The Primarch listened intently, and when the chapter master had finished, he said, now with a genuine smile:

“So you found them.”

This was definitely the last thing they had expected Guilliman to say and all four Ultramarines simultaneously exclaimed:

“WHAT???”

“Yes,” Guilliman said calmly,
“I have heard of those little creatures, and that they would prove to be useful, although I had had no idea in what way. I guess it is time that I bring you up to date regarding a series of events that happened during the time of the Great Crusade. Unfortunately, I don’t know all the details, and there are other details my father ordered me not to talk about, but I will tell you everything I can:

“It was when all my brothers had been found and assigned to their respective legions. My father sent one of my brothers - now only known as ‘II’ - and a small force of Space Marines on a mission into the intergalactic void to find something of great value. Contact was lost, and none of them ever returned.

“So my father sent another one of his sons - ‘XI’ - to investigate. This time, there was a greater force of Space Marines accompanying him. The legionaries returned, but without their Primarch. Finally, my father asked me to incorporate both leaderless legions into my own legion, which I did. This is one of the reasons the Ultramarines were so many in number before the battle of Calth, by the way. Then, my father ordered all records of the two Primarchs to be deleted from imperial records, so whatever he sent them after must have been very important to keep a secret.

“Of course I asked my father what had happened, and he told me - at least a part of it. And now, I tell you this: The findings of Antonius Varus fit quite well into the story as I know it. With the standard template construction system, we can ring in a second Golden Age. With those ‘Elements’, we can fight an enemy that was obscured at the time those deep space missions were conducted. We will fly there, help them, and bring back the future of mankind.”

“So we have your permission to conduct this mission?” Calgar asked.

“More than that. You have my order,” Guilliman responded.

“Thank you, your Excellency. I thought about leading this mission myself, with Tigurius, Cassius, Seneca and 50 young Ultramarines joining me. In addition to that, I would like to take about 200 well-trained chapter serfs along. That way, we will not diminish the strike capability of the chapter too much, but will still be able to react to unforeseen situations.”

“Your plans seem to be carefully thought-out. I approve them. We still have to refit a ship for this journey, though.”

“The strike cruiser ‘Sword of Iax’ is currently being refitted at Calth and can be customized to fit our needs.”

“So, everything is just waiting for my permission?”

“More or less, your Excellency.”

Guilliman smiled.

“Well, then you have my permission. Still, the journey will be long and perilous. Perhaps we should call the Mechanicum. They will be eager to aid us if they get the chance to recover a construction system.”

“Your Excellency,” Calgar immediately replied with a dark tone in his voice,
“I must strongly advise against that.”

“Oh. And why?”

“The Adeptus Mechanicus will be so eager to get their hands - or whatever - on this construction system that they will kill anyone and anything that could possibly interfere in their efforts - including those equine aliens and even brother Varus - and us.”

Guilliman tilted his head a little.

“Calgar, don’t you... exaggerate a little? The Mechanicum would never attack an Ultramarine.”

“They would. And they have,” Calgar stated firmly.

“What?” Guilliman exclaimed,
“tell me what happened!”

Calgar sighed and started:

“Several decades ago, a space hulk appeared in the vicinity of Iax. I travelled there, together with Tigurius, an inquisitor and a magos of the Mechanicum. We split up and started exploring the hulk, but were attacked by Mechanicum forces that had already been on the hulk.”

“Dark Mechanicum, I presume?” Guilliman asked.

“No, my Lord,” Calgar replied,
“regular Adeptus Machanicus. And things got even more complicated when the space hulk prepared a warp-jump. I ordered our men who were still on the surface of the hulk to return to our ship, while my group, already in the bowels of the hulk, had no other choice than to proceed. We fought daemons of Khorne and Nurgle down there when the dominus of the enemy Mechanicum forces wanted to talk to us.”

“What did he say?”

“He told us that the attack was just a misunderstanding, and that he wanted to help us destroy the hulk.”

“Did you believe him?”

“Not a second. He had wanted to decimate us, so that we could still help him fight Chaos, but then be too weak to fight his own forces. Still, I had no choice but to agree, caught between the forces of Chaos and the Mechanicum. So we attacked Chaos together, and I and a small team made it to the command center of the hulk. Once there, we manipulated the reactor so that it would explode and destroy the hulk.
Unfortunately, the magos who was initially sent with us betrayed us, sided with the dominus and foiled our plans. Then, the dominus appeared again and told us straight to the face that he would normally kill us all to keep the origin of the hulk a secret - it was an ancient Mechanicum project. But the magos had told him that the Ultramarines would not stop looking for me and prevent him from delivering the secrets of the hulk to Mars, so he put us onto an old ship, stranded on the surface of the hulk, and set us adrift. An imperial patrol found us, and so I am here now.
I have to admit that, despite destroying the forces of Chaos that controlled the hulk, I did not bring the chapter much honor those days; I consider this mission to be one of my greatest shames.”

Everything was silent for a few second, then Guilliman suddenly jumped up.
Calgar also jumped to his feet. He had no idea what his Primarch was going to do now, but since he had just told him about his failure, it would probably not be too pretty. Still, he wanted to take his punishment standing, like a warrior.

He was quite surprised when Guilliman grabbed his pauldrons with his massive hands and stared him into the eyes. Again, it was a gaze that seemed to go straight to his soul.

“Listen, my son,” Guilliman said firmly, but not without kindness,
“this is not your shame. It is the shame of those Mechanicum forces that plotted against you, against US. You did what you could to get your brothers out of this situation alive, and that is better than dying an useless death. I tell you, we will take care of this dominus - and the magos - once we get the opportunity. In the meantime, and considering our task at hand, I agree with you. There certainly are still sensible Mechanicum forces, but we can not take the risk, so will do this largely on our own, without the help of Mars.”

“Yes, your Excellency.”

Those words of the Primarch were like balm to the wounds the incident had left on Calgar’s soul, and he allowed himself to smile a little.

“Still, we’ll need tech-priests to run the ship we’re going to send…”

“Yes, your Excellency, but there is a reliable magos named Gearhart who is currently overseeing the refitting of the ‘Sword of Iax’. He trusts us enough not to ask too many questions.”

“Good. Please supply me with a detailed report of this space hulk mission, including the names of those tech-priests, so that I can recognize them should I encounter them. Furthermore, I have to inform you that next to Gearhart there is another particular tech-priest who should show up as soon as the word of my resurrection spreads.”

“And who is this tech-priest, if I may ask?” Calgar wanted to know.

“His name is Belisarius Cawl. He is an old acquaintance of mine and has worked on some projects for me. I am curious to see if he was successful.”

“So... he is trustworthy?”

“Only to a certain extent, but anyway he will be busy with his own tasks, and we won’t ‘bother’ him with the exact nature of our mission.”

Calgar bowed. He knew they were all playing a dangerous game of secrets and intrigues. Sadly, this was not a novelty in the Imperium, but in this case, it was necessary to ensure the continued existence of those little equines - and of brother Varus and their expeditionary force.

“Now, Chapter Master,” Guilliman said,
“there is another point we have to talk about. While I see that you were a capable commander of the Ultramarines, I should probably take command again soon. This is not meant to be a vilification of your accomplishments, but since I am a Primarch, I have to assume leadership and light a beacon of hope for the Imperium.”

Well, this was not at all surprising, but still somewhat strange. Calgar had been chapter master for quite some time now, and he had always thought that death would end this duty.
He smiled. Handing the rank over to his Primarch was certainly a better option.

“Of course, your Excellency,” Calgar replied,
“when do you want me to announce the change in leadership?”

“Give me a week to get more familiar with the current situation, then I will officially ask you to take command of the chapter.”

“Yes, you Excellency.”

“In the meantime, start your preparations for our deep space mission and keep me up to date on your progress. We must not hesitate. My resurrection will not only serve as a beacon of hope for the Imperium, but it will also alarm Chaos, and they will respond to it. My sons, things are now in motion that cannot be undone.”