Ukkana and Oray completed a full circuit of the Lunar-class Cruiser. Aside from the Ultramarines who treated them with cold indifference throughout, the mortal crew aboard the ship at least showed the two Marines the respect they were due.
After confirming the cruiser's operational status, Ukkana and Oray immediately transmitted a message back to the Captain of the Indomitable.
With the alert standing down, the two Dark Angels did not immediately depart in their Thunderhawk. Instead, they decided to accompany the Ultramarines' cruiser to the orbital station. The inherited tradition of the Dark Angels made them acutely sensitive to the presence of secrets.
As for Calanthus's stated purpose, investigating enemy incursions, Ukkana and Oray's first reaction was disbelief.
Even if the Ultramarines fielded superior numbers, it made no sense for a single Victrix Guard to lead the mission. Furthermore, this was a sizable force: two full companies, over two hundred Space Marines.
During their patrol of the cruiser, Ukkana and Oray had observed their surroundings carefully.
Almost all the Ultramarines present were Primaris Astartes. Judging by their shoulder markings and insignia, they appeared to be nearly all neophytes.
An old-line Invictarii [1] veteran leading nearly two hundred new recruits?
This defied all logic. No Chapter would ever conduct an operation in such a manner.
Moreover, the composition of their fleet was puzzling: one cruiser accompanied by a few destroyers. If the purpose was to repel an enemy threat, surely cooperation with the Astra Militarum or the Imperial Navy would be required.
Yet, they had seen no trace of other Astra Militarum regiments, nor had the Navy transmitted any clearance or warning signals. After all, an Imperial Oberon-class Battleship was stationed here; even a passing Navy vessel transiting through real-space would transmit a communication to acknowledge their presence.
The lack of any incoming information could only mean that the mission did not include standard Imperial Navy support. This was absolutely irregular.
The Invictarii served as the Ultramarines Chapter Master's elite honour guard, personal warriors entrusted with the security of the Chapter Master and even their Primarch. Aside from the Chapter homeworld of Macragge and the five hundred worlds of Ultramar, it was exceptionally rare to encounter organized formations of these decorated, highly-skilled Space Marines.
The isolated appearance of a lone Invictarii could only be explained by a direct command from the Chapter Master, or even the Primarch himself.
"I can sense some hidden matter unfolding," Oray said, turning to Ukkana, then pointing to the cruiser they were on and the Ultramarines patrolling around them.
Ukkana nodded in agreement. "Do not trouble yourself, my brother. The loyalty of the Ultramarines is beyond reproach. Every Chapter holds its own secrets. Whatever this may be, so long as it does not endanger the Imperium or verge upon treason, it is not our place to pursue."
Oray offered Ukkana a faint smile and clapped him upon his bulky shoulder guard. "I must confess, you sometimes remind me of my own mentor."
Ukkana merely shrugged. "I thought you would have said I was more like Chaplain Raydon."
Oray looked at him in surprise. "Chaplain Raydon? Our Company Chaplain?"
Ukkana nodded. "Raydon Corr."
"Iron Corr! He's a Chaplain?"
Amidst their casual discussion, the damaged cruiser, pulled by the Destroyers, finally docked successfully in the orbital station's void-port.
Imperial Navy logistical personnel swarmed out immediately. The materials salvaged from the support fleet for the station's earlier repairs were still ample, more than sufficient to overhaul a cruiser.
The station's master, a known Imperial Noble, deftly negotiated a considerable sum of credits from the Ultramarines' ship captain. To captains who constantly traverse the breadth of the galaxy, the station master's conduct was entirely acceptable. Furthermore, the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar were never wanting for coin.
The Ultramarines had perfectly inherited Roboute Guilliman's political and administrative acumen. Were one to develop a planet and appoint a Planetary Governor, the question of whether an Imperial Noble or an Ultramarine could better operate a world would be self-evident.
However, outside of the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, the Ultramarines unfortunately never interfered in local politics or administration. The Gene-Father was, of course, the exception.
After all, Guilliman had very nearly ascended to the title of ruler of a Imperium Secundus. Had that matter ever been made public knowledge, it would have been heresy of the highest order, and a betrayal beyond measure. Even more so now that Guilliman served as the Regent of the Imperium.
With the support of a large contingent of slave-labourers and the local Cult Mechanicus element, the repair progress on the ship was remarkably swift.
To ensure the purity of the vessel's Machine-Spirit, the Captain even mandated a two-day long blessing ritual by the Tech-Priests. The scents of sanctified oil and sacred incense permeated nearly every corridor of the vessel.
Only after the Tech-Priests informed the Captain that the Machine-Spirit was duly placated, the ship was prepared, and a further colossal fee had been collected, did the entire fleet finally undock from the port.
With the repairs complete, the two Dark Angels returned to the Battleship Indomitable. Accompanying them were two additional individuals: Ultramarines Invictarii - Zayne Calanthus and his second-in-command, Kyros Hadrian.
Axion had initially assumed that all Gene-Wrought Warriors would be similar, but he was somewhat surprised by the Ultramarines' appearance. These blue-armoured warriors seemed to exhibit a more complex degree of genetic modification.
The Black Templars they had previously encountered, and the Dark Angels who remained, both showed evidence of genetic corruption, exhibiting significant deviations from standard human genetics, including certain abnormal genes. The Ultramarines, in contrast, seemed to be the result of a form of gene-enhancement; while still vastly different from human genetics, they appeared more like a deeply modified, augmented variant.
In essence, they bore some resemblance to the Engineer species. However, compared to the Men of Gold, the genetics of these Ultramarines were distinctly different.
Axion grew increasingly curious about the Emperor who had engineered these genetic samples. Based on the data acquired so far, Axion knew this Emperor likely predated the Golden Age of Technology. Furthermore, it was clear that he possessed a vast reservoir of genetic samples, potentially including those of the Men of Gold, who had vanished along with the Men of Iron.
The Men of Gold were also a product of human technology, the pinnacle of genetic engineering. However, their characteristics were primarily focused on research and political administration. While their physical forms were strengthened, it was clearly not the kind of crude, brute-force strength augmentation exhibited by these Gene-Wrought Warriors. There had to be a primary focus: either the body or the mind.
The emergence of the Iron Men had caused humanity to abandon the concept of purely physical augmentation.
"The Flesh is weak, Iron prevails."
No amount of flesh enhancement or genetic recombination could ultimately compare to the strength conferred by technology and steel.