Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monsters

Chapter 539 Calgar Arrives, Takes Over Vigilant Star

The Ultramarines' fleet was quite large, consisting of five combat barges, along with dozens of cruisers and frigates.

Leading a million Imperial troops and nearly 4000 Astartes Ultramarines, Kalga and his crew emerged from the warp in a daze, as the ship's navigator told them they had reached their destination.

However, they only set off a month earlier than their genetic father, Guilliman, and according to the timeline, they should arrive at the Vigilant Planet two to three months later.

But now that their voyage is over, they have arrived at the warning star more than two months earlier than expected!
“Navigator, why did we get here so quickly?” Calga asked his navigator.

"Anything can happen when the Calgarians are traveling in the warp. Moreover, the Imperial ships are now equipped with faster-than-light engines. Although they can only travel at a speed of a few hundred times faster than light, their speed in the warp has increased considerably."

"So arriving at the destination two months ahead of schedule is not a strange phenomenon, but a normal sailing occurrence," the navigator said, looking at Karja.

Since the development of the faster-than-light engine, a large number of Imperial ships have been deployed, making warp travel completely different from before.

They're moving much faster now! And there's no concept of time in the warp! Your ship might arrive early, or it might arrive much later.

This time, they arrived at their destination two months ahead of schedule, and the navigator saw no problem whatsoever.

"Sir Calgary, it's a good thing we arrived ahead of schedule this time, because this planet is under attack, according to our radar."

"An orc fleet has already jumped out of the warp, and it's only one light-year away from us. At their speed, they should arrive at the warning planet in about two days," the mortal first mate on the ship said.

"An orc fleet? How come we didn't receive any news?" Karga asked, somewhat puzzled.

This time, he was escorting the Primarch to deliver a special weapon of war to the dark side of the Empire, so there could be no mistakes. He went to Vigilant Planet before the Father of Gene to ensure the safety of the route.

The appearance of an orc army is unacceptable to Karga. Fortunately, he has brought enough troops to wipe out the orc fleet.

"Lord Karl! The people on Vigilant Star discovered this orc fleet a few days ago."

"And we requested aid from the Empire, but at the time the Empire was unable to send reinforcements, and we just happened to arrive at the Vigilant Star at that exact moment," the Spirit Speaker on the spaceship said.

When navigating in subspace, the information that comes out can be completely different, which can cause you to be delayed for a long time.

“I understand. Contact the Imperial forces on Vigilant Star immediately. I need to obtain supreme command of Vigilant Star,” Calgar said.

The orc fleet is less than a light-year away, meaning a space boarding action is imminent, and all available forces must be mobilized now.

"Yes, sir. Lord Calgar will begin contacting the ground forces and the Imperial Navy stationed here." The crew on the spaceship immediately began to act, making contact with the vigilant planet.

Kargar's sudden arrival surprised and puzzled the nobles on Vigilant Star. Why would the second-in-command of the Ultramarines appear at this critical juncture? Had the Empire foreseen the Orcish invasion?
Regardless, the arrival of this second-in-command of the Ultramarines is a good thing for them.

With this deputy commander of the Ultramarines leading the way, they can now relax and do their job as bystanders!
After all, there are tall people to hold up the sky when it falls. The sudden arrival of Calgar, the vice commander of the Ultramarines, gave everyone confidence.

Calga soon landed on the surface of the Vigilant Planet aboard a landing craft and met with the members of the Supreme Council.

When Calgar appeared in the Supreme Council Hall, everyone in the Vigilant Star Council held their breath.

This is a true bigwig in the Empire, the former Chapter Master of the Ultramarines, the former Lord of Macragge, and now entrusted with an important mission by Primarch Robert Guilliman.

He served as the deputy commander of the Ultramarines Legion, and the number of troops he could command was several times greater than the thousand during the Warband era, reaching a scale of over 100,000.

Calgar, clad in blue and gold power armor with the emblem of the Radiance of Macragge etched on his shoulder armor, surveyed the assembled crowd with piercing eyes. “By the Emperor’s decree,” Calgar’s voice came through the communicator.

"The Vigilant Star will serve as an important outpost to welcome the Regent, and the Orc threat must be contained outside the landing zone."

"Now I want to know who is in charge of this planet. I need you to hand over all military command to me," Calga said.

He didn't waste any words; his immediate goal was to seize control of the Vigilant Star's military. He had no time for political games with the people of the Vigilant Star; the greater good was at stake, and the Primarch would arrive soon. "Lord Calgar, I am a member of the Agamemnon family, the planetary governors of the Vigilant Star. I am willing to hand over supreme command of the Vigilant Star to you." The head of the Agamemnon family readily relinquished power.

Anyway, Vigilant Star and the Agamemnon family don't have much power anymore, so the arrival of the Ultramarines might be a good thing.

The Mechanicus sage immediately stepped forward and said, "Honorable Chapter Master, we are planning to transform the lower-class civilians of Hive City into the Mechanicus's protectors—"

"Absurd!" Calga suddenly interrupted sharply. "The Emperor's subjects are not expendable commodities. This proposal is rejected."

I have brought forty companies of Ultramarines, as well as the Titan Legion from Macragge, and I will command this war.

Transforming the people of the Empire into that kind of foundation is something he cannot tolerate. Servants can be prisoners, clones, or traitors, but never ordinary Imperial civilians.

Calgar's words were firm and resounding, and the entire council hall fell silent instantly. They never expected that the vice commander of the Ultramarines would refuse the proposal.

The mechanical tentacles of the sage from the Mechanical Cult of the Eighth Forging World of the Underworld writhed restlessly.

“But, Lord War, Vice Commander of the Calgar Legion,” the sage of the Mechanicus tried to explain.

"The lower hive cities have a large population, and after modification, they can form an effective defensive barrier—you know the fighting power of the Ork, their numbers seem endless, and after the Ork die..."

Soon the planet's surface will be covered in green mushrooms, and their forces will be virtually endless. Without sufficient manpower to gain an advantage, we cannot win this war.

“I said, this proposal is rejected!” Calga said.

"The Emperor's subjects are not your experimental subjects. Now, I need a complete map of the planet's defense deployment, as well as a list of all available forces."

The planetary governor wiped the cold sweat from his brow and quickly gestured for his attendant to hand him a data panel. "My lord," he said, "this is our defense deployment, but to be honest, our orbital defense system is old and dilapidated, and our ground forces lack heavy equipment."

Throughout the entire planet Vigilant, although the Agammonnon family is the planet's governor, essentially a local tyrant, the conflict between the state religion and the Mechanicus means that the governor has very little power and naturally, he has very few troops at his disposal.

"Our state religion can provide a number of combat nuns, about 20,000 in number, as well as some state religion ships."

"But our Guardians of the Faith have not yet received the genetic modification of Lord Luo Jia, so we do not have suitable Space Marines," the head of the State Religion said.

The current state church has accepted the teachings of the new pope, and the situation is different from before. This time, his mission is to do everything he can to help Calga reverse the course of the war.

“Excellent! All Imperial Navy forces near the planet’s orbit will be recalled to my command, and the Martian Mechanicus will be responsible for the maintenance and resupply of our weapons and equipment!”

"At the same time, all members of the Mechanized Guard must participate in this battle without pay. If they fail to comply with this order, they will be treated as traitors, and I will have the authority to carry out the Emperor's judgment!" Calga said.

“Yes, Lord Calgar.” The sage from the Forging World of the Underworld No. 8 sighed helplessly. He knew that if he disobeyed, Calgar would definitely execute him, and no one would speak up for him.

The planetary governor on the other side also handed Calga a data panel showing all the military forces on the vigilant planet.

Calga nodded, took the data panel containing planetary information, quickly browsed the information on the vigilant planet's defense forces and weaponry, and then his brows furrowed more and more.

The situation was worse than he had imagined. The planet's defenses were extremely weak. Fortunately, his fleet arrived in time; otherwise, the planet would have fallen within days under the orcs' attack.

The reason why Calgar arrived at the Vigilant Planet two months ahead of schedule was naturally Rhodes's doing. Rhodes used a little trick through Tartarus to send Calgar's troops directly to the warp portal closest to the Vigilant Planet.

To get this Ultramarines vice commander to the battlefield, relying on the useless bunch on Vigilant Star, there's absolutely no way they can stop the Orc army, so Karga must come over.

Just then, the fleet's communications officer suddenly connected: "Prince Karl! Emergency! The orc fleet has suddenly accelerated and is expected to enter engagement range within 24 hours!"

The council hall erupted in an uproar; no one had expected the orcs to arrive so quickly!

(End of this chapter)