Chapter 13
Trial of Home

In the orbit of Carolea, the Imperial Navy started a full retreat with many of the ships suffering from heavy damage from the gigantic fleet that is a thousand times bigger than what the Imperium brought. Some of the ships shielded each other from the awesome firepower of the fleet while the other ships of other factions not only trying to fight each other but on the Archaeo Coalition's fleet. On the ship with the Captain General, the Primarchs made their way towards the bridge.

Roboute orders, "We have to leave, now!"

"We're trying, my lord!" says the helmsman, "But we are unable to initiate Warp travel!"

A shock wave shakes the ship that caused the lights to flicker.

"How the hell are we suppose to get the fuck outta here!?" Custodisi demands answers. "We have to get to Holy Terra, NOW!"

Nearly half of the Imperial Navy ships have been destroyed in the battle. The fleet is locked in a pincer against all factions as they try desperately to flee. All hope was fleeting as they are being wiped from existence before getting back to Terra. However, a voice is heard over the vox.

"This is Yvraine of the Ynnari Fleet. Hang in there and we will open the path to the Webway."

Black and blue portals started to open towards the path of the Imperial Navy.

"GO IN!" Roboute orders, "ALL SHIPS, INTO THE WEBWAY!"

Whatever remains of the invasion force now entered into the Webway as some of the Ynnari vessels appeared to gun down some of the other ships.

Back on Carolea, Carolus look up at the sky and see the blue lights of the portals. He grip his sword tightly as he looks up at the heavens with anger in his eyes. He knows that the ones responsible are getting help.

The Imperial Navy and the Ynnari Fleet made it into the Webway portals as they made it to safety. The other ships of other factions aren't so lucky as they all got blasted into oblivion. The Imperial Navy along with the Ynnari Fleet now travel across the alternate dimension full of glowing tunnels that are a complex network of capillaries and arteries in a labyrinth setting. Everyone in the Imperial Navy all sigh in relief as they managed to get away to fight another day. Others, such as the Black Templar, just moan and complain about retreating as they all roar in anger while listening to Linkin Loyalist on full blast.

Roboute says over the screen that shows Yvraine, "Thank you, Yvraine. Thank you for saving us."

Yvraine smiles,"Not to worry there, love."

Roboute blushes, "Whoa, uh, *ahem*, yeah. Thank you. But how did you find us?"

"Eldrad Ulthran of Craftworld Ulthwe foresaw a vision. A vision that involves the end of our galaxy."

"Um..." Kitten interjects, "We already foiled that. The 13th Black Crusade, remember?"

"Yes. But it involves what is growing within the new region of space your kind has discovered. Something about the 'Dragon of the End' as he called it. However, the Farseers are having trouble predicting the future as of late so it is hard to say what it could actually mean."

"Maybe it has something to do with that unfabulous creature we saw." Wamuudes speaks, "However, the creature was destroyed right down to its very soul. Yet there might be more of them. Possibly something akin to a broodmother or something."

"I don't think so." Magnus speaks. "Maybe it has something to do with our nephew that we discovered."

"...what?"

Kitten looks at Magnus and goes, "What?"

Roboute sighs, "We have a lot to talk about. Just hope my Ultramarines are still okay."

In another ship, Chapter Master Magnus Calgar celebrates while wearing an Ultramarines party hat on his head and cheers with confetti falling all over.

"WOO-HOO!" he went, "We may have lost, but at last that idiot is fucking dead! I say that there does deserve a celebration! And on this day, FREE AMASEC FOR EVERYONE FOR A WEEK!"

Many Ultramarines cheer for it but are still a bit down for not just losing their captain of the 2nd company, but also losing the battle. However...

"I, CATO SICARIUS, LIIIIIVE!"

Everyone stopped cheering as they see Cato Sicarius alive and well.

Calgar's only non-robotic eye twitched before saying, "Sicarius, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE ALIVE!?" He screamed with a great deal of anger that he can no longer hold back. "Explain." he says with a growl.

"I, Cato Sicarius, survived by making a special servitor that I, Cato Sicarius, used in the battle with forgeries of my equipment. The reason is I, Cato Sicarius, had his tarot card reading and said that I will face my death on that world. So I, Cato Sicarius, have cheated death so that I, Cato Sicarius, can become Chapter Master of the Ultramarines that will lead the chapter to a new, glorious age."

Calgar grit his teeth and tighten his fists with fuming anger.

"Are you okay, my Cha-"

"I CAST FIST!"

Calgar punches Sicarius across the room and right through the wall.

"Next time you are suppose to die in combat, DIE IN FHUCKING COMBAT! Not use a fucking remote control servitor to do your fucking bidding! FHUCK IOU!" He then address his troops, "No free amasec!"

"I, Cato Sicarius," he speaks in a daze, "wish to have some amasec to dull this horrible pain."

Back on Carolea, the adrenaline that Carolus had has started to wear-off as he is on his hands and knees at the front of his home. Around him, people are putting out fires and picking up all the dead bodies and debris. Various species are trying to help rebuild what was destroyed as some soldiers of the Coalition try to find any Imperial forces left behind and take them out. Carolus crawls back home as he feels the weight of his sword on his back and the toll of what this new war have done to him. He vomits after holding everything in until he made it back home.

A person walks up and helps him up, "Easy there, Carol."

Carolus recognizes the voice as he looks at the person helping him up. It is Rugu, now as a fully grown man wearing Saiyan armor with three scars on his left cheek.

"Rugu?" Carolus hardly recognized him at first but can tell it is him because of his hairstyle. "Is that you?"

Rugu smile, "Yeah. I heard our home was under attack and joined the coalition forces here."

Carolus coughed a little before speaking, "The hell took you guys so long?"

Rugu carries him inside, "Well..." He tries to explain but says, "It's a long story."

They open the doors and see the rest of the Hestia Familia. Hestia runs up and hugs the two boys.

She slaps Carolus, "What were you thinking?!" Hestia is upset at him, "You can't just run out there and just take on every single bad guy there is! You're not a superhero, Carolus!" She is shedding some tears and was worried sick.

"I'm...sorry, Lady Hestia." Carolus apologizes, "I just...lost my temper." He grasp his left hand, "I just couldn't take it." He looks around, "This is our home. Our home. And they just came down here and ruined it all. They even killed Emma!" he starts raising his voice, "Those freaks and corpse worshiping fanatics decided to come down here and take whatever they want and kill whoever they please! I could not take that! They got more than what they deserve!"

"Excuse us, ma'am?" says one of the three Guardians from earlier. "But we need to talk to him after he recovers."

Rugu point a finger at himself, "You talking to me?"

"No." the Titan Guardian then looks at Carolus, "Him."

The Imperial Fleet has exited the Webway and entered into real space on the very edge of the galaxy.

"We have arrived back in our galaxy." Yvraine says over the vox.

"Thanks, Yvraine!" Roboute thanks her, "Hope you and the Ynnari will take down Slaanesh for good!"

"I'll keep you posted."

The Ynnari Fleet make it back to the Webway and headed towards parts unknown. The Imperial Navy prepare to enter the Warp and head back towards Terra. On one of the ships, Delphan Gruss gleefully laughs at his success of obtaining his goal after many centuries of searching. Some of the survivors had the servo-skulls write down all the accounts of the battle and accurate detailed description of everything they fought against, the species that they encountered, the magnitude of their fleet, the type of attacks the Coalition use, and among other things. The Blood Ravens and Magnus check on all the books they have collected and try to keep the Fabstodies collection away to prevent any damage done by body oil (or in Wamuudes case, grease).

The fleet continues to travel across Warp space and keep on getting home.

Over at Archaeo Space, the fleets of the other factions of the Milky Way Galaxy were completely wiped with very few survivors. Many members of Chaos had to give up since they have lost all connection to the Warp. Many Tyranid specimens have been collected and studied...after those things suffered psionic attacks that severed their hive mind connection and then chopped up. Many Orks are placed under quarantine due to the fact they are shroom creatures and more of them are produced by the shrooms they leave behind. The Necrons were a little harder to destroy as they just refuse to give up while the Dark Eldar managed to hide in various worlds with system wide searches for them. Some of them have been founded and were either executed by the locals or taken prisoner. The ships they all came in were rounded up along with the Imperial ships with much of the debris rounded up.

However, in another solar system, Carolus Rex is taken to a space station on the edge of the system. While on the ship, he is cuffed and muzzled with his sword secured in a case. He is being watched by the three Guardians that have him in this situation and the same ones as before.

The hunter-class Guardian asks, "Are you sure about this?"

"You heard what they've said about him, Tan." says the Exo Guardian, "This kid is related to those motherfuckers that have been destroying Carolea and the rest of the other worlds."

Carolus tighten his fists until they start to bleed.

"I know what they said. But there is no way in hell this kid is a spy, even if he is related to those giant weirdos."

The titan-class Guardian says, "That is why there is gonna be a trial. Even it is dumb."

"You can say that again."

The Exo Guardian says to Carolus, "Sorry, kid, but people want to blame this shit on somebody. Those fuckers claim you might be family, but your family is with the Hestia Familia. You are upset, I get it. But hey, at least you will get a fair trial. Guys like us are just following orders after we just reported on what we just heard and witnessed. We got plenty of witnesses you back you up, including those divas of the Gangarella that have been eyeing on you. Name's Jack by the way. Jack-16." He points at his partners, "And this is Tan Jujanj."

"Sorry for dragging you into this, kid."

"And the other human guy is..."

The Titan-class Guardian introduces himself, "Nicholas Fletcher. Rank: major. So what's your name again?"

Carolus just remains silent.

"You can speak now. You don't have to remain silent."

"Carolus." he speaks, "Carolus Rex."

Jack then says, "Well then, Carolus, you might wanna prepare for what is to come. The trial will be fair, but they might want to test you to see how loyal you are."

Carolus looks down. "I promised Hestia I wouldn't leave."

"Then make her a new promise then. Just promise you will make it back alive."

"That is a promise I cannot keep." Carolus looks at Jack, "In a galaxy like ours, it is almost impossible to stay alive. Live and die young in the Milky Way."

"I hear that." Nicholas agrees.

A moment of silence passed before Tan breaks the ice.

"By the way, did you know that you have cousins here in Archaeo Space?"

Carolus is surprised, "No, I did not know that."

"Well, after the battle, three of them have been captured and detained because they wield the same kind of sword you just wielded."

"Small space."

Jack holds onto the sword case, "You can say that again. But I wonder how many relatives you have from 200 years ago. Sensei, they're called?"

"I believe so."

A buzzing noise was heard as the door opens.

Jack jumps up, "That's our cue."

Everyone heads out as Nicholas holds onto Carolus' chains as he is taken to the courtroom.

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" a male voice is heard to the right.

They glance over and see an Arabian human with long, black locks that does have a similar visage to the Emperor of Mankind in his early years but stands seven feet tall. He is dragged through the halls as he tries to resist five guards pulling him out of the cell.

An officer in blue armor speaks, "You have the right to remain silent until we make it to the courtroom. Any resistance will lead to your termination."

"Fine. Alright, alright." he sounds annoyed by all this but follows.

Two others come out of their cells. One of them stands five-foot-seven who is white with curly blond hair with a light blue right eye and a dark blue left eye. He is being escorted by three Guardians that are escorting him. The second, and Carolus' supposed 'fourth cousin', stands six feet tall with dark skin and have no hair on his head while having dark brown eyes. He is very muscular with yellow oriental tattoos on his arms that look like dragons and birds. Unlike the blonde, he is being escorted by the officers of the station. The four of them are on a tram as they are taken to the courtroom of this station. While on route, the four men started to talk.

"Hey." says the Arabian man, "I'm Gustavus Adolphus. You?"

"Carolus Rex."

Gustavus looks at the blond hair one, "What's your name?"

"Leonidas. Just Leonidas. But my friends call me Leo."

Gustavos then looks at the fourth man, "What about you? Do you have a name?"

The man speaks in a deep voice, "Clement Stanislaw Charles Gustaf Audie von der Ardennais. Son of Countess Martha Catherine Elizabeth von der Ardennais of House Ardennais. Everyone calls me Charlie."

"Noble eh?" Gustavus speaks, "Guess our fathers love to screw whoever they want. Hard to believe we're cousins." He looks back at Charlie, "Especially you, Charlie of House Ardennais."

"Well I don't see us as family." Carolus says. "For all I do know, you guys are complete strangers to me."

Leo says to Carolus, "Point taken. I never knew you guys until today after that shit-show that happen at Carolea."

"Yeah, well, I did get up close and personal with our other so-called, 'uncles'."

Leo raises an eyebrow and crack a smile, "For real?! Damn."

The tram stops at the station called, 'Halls of Justice'. Everyone got out as the four cousins are pulled by their chains into a very large circular room. It is dark with the only lights being shined down upon the judge's bench, attorney tables, the bailiffs' station, and the witness stand. Around the central area are where the spectators look down on the court with a jury box behind the attorney tables. The judge is a large man wearing a traditional judge garbs and a powdered wig and look like he is one course away from exploding his guts out. He also has a large nose that is ten inches long that has a few freckles on it. The four are forced to take their seats next to a woman in black with black glasses and short black hair.

"Now then." the judge speaks, "It is time for judgement."