A storm had come down from over the Crown Mountains, and the sky was a black overcast by the time the Primarch of the Ultramarines and First Captain Marius Gage stepped out from the Conference Hall of the Fortress of Hera. They were adorned in their combat gear, as were the countless hundreds of Officers who followed them from the chamber and out into the Forum. Gathered together in the massive staging area that served as the Thirteenth Legion's main deployment field were five hundred thousand members of the Ultramarines Legiones Astartes. They too were adorned in their full armor, just as Guilliman had ordered them to be when he ordered the muster. Their weapons and wargear were adorned but holstered, and the legionaries themselves assembled in marching formation. The officers departed to their respective Chapters, taking position at the head of their units. Marius Gage however continued to follow his Primarch into the center of the Forum, walking down the center aisle between the onlooking formations. They walked for some time, minutes taken to traverse the breadth of the Legion. The Ultramarines were here in their near entirety, pulled from all corners of the Galaxy at the call of their Lord Father. Only a mere forty thousand of his brothers were absent, having been too far from Macragge to make it in time for assembly at the Monastery. They were coming shortly, but would not be present here. In brighter days, in more hopeful times, Marius' hearts would have been beating with pride to see so many of his brother Legionaries assembled here on the homeworld, in the presence of their Primarch. This was not one of those times, and those brighter days seemed to grow ever more distant.
They were silent for most of the journey to the center of the Legion until, as they neared the cleared circle that had remained vacant, his father spoke to him.
"Are there any of your men I can mention?", Guilliman asked, his normally emotion-filled voice monotonous, his azure eyes and immaculate visage fixed straight ahead. He would not look at Marius, nor anyone else until he was to speak, wanting his sons to remain silent and waiting for him. Marius thought on his Lord's question for but a moment before answering.
"Aeonid Thiel", the First Captain said, mimicking the manner of his Father, both out of duty and out of understanding. He knew better than most the very severe gravity of the situation. "He bisected the first brother who came at me".
Guilliman gave no response, yet Marius knew he had heard.
They reached the center, and Marius stepped off to the side of one of the formations before stopping in his tracks. Guilliman alone stepped into the center of the Forum, and the subtle noise of five hundred thousand Astartes turning their heads to look at their Father sounded off as he pulled a data-sleet from a slot on the side of his armor. He scanned each of their faces in an instant. He knew the names of every single one of them, even the ones who were out of the system. Guilliman exhaled sharply, dispensing the anger and rage that threatened to boil over at the thought of the news he was to break to them. He retained his composure, and stood tall and proud over his sons, though his face was stern.
"Astartes!", his voice bellowed out, heard easily by every single one of the Legionaries present, as well as the countless mortal personnel viewing from across the Fortress Monastery. He held the data pad aloft.
"The Warmaster, and the Senate Imperialis, have formally declared that Lord Roboute Guilliman... is an enemy of Terra!"
Shouts of shock and surprise broke the silence of the Forum, the Ultramarines present shouting their disbelief and barking their disgust. The mortals stared, awed and terrified at the implications of such a declaration.
"They have declared that I am a traitor! A heretic! They have declared, in effect, that all of you also are traitors!"
The shouts turned from discordant cries of bewilderment to vicious outrage. The walls of the Forum, the foundations of the Fortress Monastery, the very air around them shook with the anger of the Thirteenth Legion. They howled their indignant rancor, the Legion lines wavering at the news of such an atrocity. Marius Gage remained silent, watching Guilliman closely and waiting for his Primarch to continue. He did so, waving his hand up to regain the floor. He managed it, the Astartes reigned in, if not entirely silenced. The Chapters of Ultramarines shifted back and forth in formation, following along with their Lord Father.
"The rights of the Legion are no longer being recognized! Through their actions, they have shown their intent to cast them aside!". More shouts of anger shot up as Guilliman waved a hand to Marius Gage, fixing the attention on him. He didn't react but kept the same unreadable face.
"The Legion's First Captain, Marius Gage, and a hundred men of the Invictarus Suzerain, personal representatives of my office no less, were assaulted and attacked by a thousand men of the Space Wolves Legiones Astartes!". The shouting turned to disgusted jeers, shocked at Guilliman's words.
"A Great Captain of the Legions, accosted and wounded on the steps of the Imperial Palace, by my brother's own Sons! The Warmaster ordering Astartes of one Legion to fire on another! Can you imagine a more treasonous sacrilege?!", he asked, knowing the answer he'd receive.
"Our beloved Imperium has been corrupted by madmen! This is a dark day my Sons, and I have come to a split in the path. I could acquiesce to the Censure, disband our Legion, submit myself to the whims of the Senate, and do nothing as the Imperium succumbs to corruption and treachery. Or, I can go to Terra, with my sword in my hand, and drive those lunatics off the Palace walls!"
The Legion's shouts turned to cheers, echoing throughout the Monastery and across the Crown Mountains as a whole. From the taste of copper in the air, Marius could tell that the ears of several mortals were bleeding. Guilliman raised a gauntleted hand and silenced them all.
"Sergeant Aenoid Thiel, step forward!", Guilliman ordered loudly. There was silence, no sound of movement or talking. The entire Forum, for the first time since the Primarch and his officers had left the Conference Chamber, was deadly quiet.
"Aeonid Thiel!", Guilliman repeated the call.
Quick footsteps could be heard, the thumping metal of the Sergeant's boots striding with purpose from the center of the large formation as fast as could be done without breaking out into a hurried run. Eventually, the individual in question appeared in the center of the Forum with Marius and the Primarch. The Sergeant paid no mind to the First Captain whatsoever and immediately dropped to a knee and knelt before his Father. Thiel's armor was impeccable, bearing trophies, victory ribbons, conquest streamers, and oaths of moment all across the blue-gold plate. His helmet's plume was a red half-circle that ran its width, the feathers wavering slightly downward as the Legate bowed his head, saying nothing. Guilliman paid him a similar disinterest, returning his focus to the rest of the Legion.
"When a hundred brave Sons of Macragge fought the Custodes' thousand on Terra and saved the Great Captain, it was Sergeant Aeonid Thiel who struck down the first of the maniacs". If at all possible, Thiel bowed lower out of reverence. He could feel the heavy gaze of Guilliman on him now, and the Sergeant looked up into the Augustan features of his father. He was bid to stand and he did, rising quickly. Guilliman returned the data-sleet to his armor and instead drew a sword of unsullied perfection, sheathed in a scabbard of master-crafted skill.
"This is a sword of mine own making. A blade crafted and finessed to intrinsic detail. A weapon to be wielded by no one other than Aeonid Thiel". Guilliman declared. He returned his attention to Thiel and handed him the blade. Aeonid took it by the pommel holding for the first time and taking in its weight, or lack thereof. He drew it from its sheath and examined it. The blade was utterly flawless, the weapon pristine and speckless. It had no weight to it whatsoever. Swinging it through the air several times gave the impression that it caused no drag either. However his means, Guilliman had crafted a blade that Thiel was a hundred percent certain could be wielded for time on end without the wielder ever tiring.
"Thank you, Lord Primarch", the Sergeant said, having to draw his attention away from the magnificent blade. He sheathed it again, and attached the scabbard to his armor, declaring louder, "Forever grateful, Lord Guilliman".
Guilliman's gaze remained affixed to the Legate.
"Are you with me, Aeonid Thiel? Will you fight by side, son? Will you come with me to Terra?"
"Readily, Lord Guilliman!", the Sergeant declared completely and wholeheartedly, a sentiment that he saw made Guilliman start to smile slightly as he returned his attention to the Legion at large.
"Aeonid Thiel is with me!", Guilliman declared, fixing his gaze at once on every other son of his Legion, still deathly quiet.
"And you? And you, the most loyal of Ultramar! Are you with me?!"
The Ultramarines did not cheer for their Primarch. They did not shout, or yell, or cry out.
They roared.
The Legion burst into chants and battle songs, raging against the injustice done to them by the Imperium. They made declarations of retaking their honor, of endless courage, of hope for a dream restored, and for upholding the edicts of the Emperor of Mankind. And above it all, was the chant of "To Terra! To Terra! TO TERRA!"
And as the Legion chanted, as the air clapped with cries of justice being done, and even as the storm clouds overhead began to crack thunder and belch rain, Marius Gage could just barely make out the smile on Roboute Guilliman's face grow ever so slightly wider. Over the calls for war, he could hear his Father say just one, single utterance:
"The die is cast".
(A/N: "Hey y'all! This is something I drew up because of my love of Warhammer 40k and the Ultramarines. I wrote it for some group writing sessions in our own Alternate Heresy and had it sitting around. Figured it could be a good post on its own and I've always wanted to put something of mine out there, now here we are. It's the first thing I've ever posted, and it took massive inspiration and structure from a scene from the TV show Rome (If you've seen it, you know which one I'm talking about and if you haven't then you should, it's well worth your time) so please let me know in the comments what you think! All feedback and constructive criticism is welcome. Cheers" -TGA)
