I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 222 Opportunities to Change the Status Quo

Calgar returned to his simple private room on the "Radiance of Macragge." There were no luxurious decorations, only sturdy metal walls, a simple bed, and a heavy wooden desk. He sat heavily in the chair; the power armor's servo system emitted a soft hiss before falling silent.

The meeting that had just taken place in the command center was still lingering in his mind.

He had to admit that although he had led hundreds of squadrons and hundreds of thousands of Space Marines to provide support, he had never considered this option before Nguyen Van Bo proposed that astonishing "best strategy." He also had to admit that when Nguyen Van Bo put forward that plan, he inevitably... was tempted.

Did the Ultramarines, as the parent organization, not experience the negative effects of the warband split? On the contrary, among all the original Legions, the Ultramarines may have experienced the negative effects of this split most profoundly.

The most obvious problem is the shortage of manpower.

The once glorious and united world of Ultramar 500, ten thousand years ago, has seen its control over this vast star system drastically diminished since the Ultramarines were split into single-organization warbands. Today, aside from the core world of Macragge, which remains absolutely stable, many governors of the outer worlds have harbored ulterior motives. They believe that by breaking free from the Ultramarines' control, they can gain more benefits and amass greater wealth. As for the development of their own planets, the lives of their people, or even the construction of PDF? Ha, who cares about that?

In this respect, it's already a good thing that the Highlords of Holy Terra haven't secretly fanned the flames. They're happy to see the Ultramarines' power further weakened!
Calga couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

The Ultramarines are clearly the most law-abiding chapter, and under their leadership, the five hundred worlds of Ultramar could become even stronger! Would Ultramar's prosperity be detrimental to the entire Imperium of Man? The answer is clearly no! But there are always some despicable individuals who, for their pathetic lust for power or for their own extravagant enjoyment, are willing to destroy all of this! Their only reason for fearing the Ultramarines is simply that this powerful and just force is not controlled by these corrupt politicians.

At this thought, an uncontrollable rage ignited in Karga's chest. He suddenly raised his fist, which was covered by power armor, and slammed it hard on the wooden table in front of him.

"boom!"

The sturdy wooden table shattered with a crash, scattering wood chips everywhere.

"How can an empire be run well when surrounded by these insects!"

Just as Calga was still fuming, a polite knock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” Calga said in a low voice.

A mortal servant pushed open the door and entered. Seeing the sawdust scattered all over the floor and the terrifying aura emanating from the warband commander, he couldn't help but shrink back.

“Clean it up and replace it with a new one,” Calga said, pointing to the pile of rubble.

“Yes, sir,” the mortal servant replied respectfully, adding cautiously, “In addition, the Grand Master of the Angels of the Dead requests an audience and is currently waiting in the reception room.”

Angels of the Dead? Calgar certainly knew them. They were an Ultramarines sub-cohort stationed in the Orps Sector, and for this expedition, they had answered the call, sending five hundred Space Marines, with the Chapter Master himself also present.

Although puzzled as to why the other party had suddenly come to see him, Calga said, "I'll go to the reception room right away."

A moment later, Calgar arrived at the reception room. After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the Chapter Master of the Angels of the Dead, an Astartes who was also a seasoned veteran, the other man suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Brother Calgar, let's find somewhere else to talk. It's not convenient here."

Calga instantly realized that the other person was about to bring up an extremely sensitive topic.

“Alright, follow me.” Calga led the other person through several corridors to a private meeting room. The heavy adamantite gate closed behind them, isolating them from everything inside and outside.

“No one will come in without my order, and no one will know what’s happening in this room,” Calga said.

The leader of the Angels of the Dead nodded, but instead of immediately stating his purpose, he asked, "Brother Calga, do you know about Libesla?"

"Your chapter's homeworld?" Calgar replied. "I remember it was awarded to you as a reward after the devastating war of faith in the Orpheus Sector. It was a glory you earned through valiant fighting."

Calga didn't press for more details; he knew the other person would continue.

“Yes, that was the result of that war of faith.” The other sighed. “The world only sees the glory of our chapter’s victory, but who cares about the countless unnecessary sacrifices we made? Brother Calga, do you know? In that war of faith in Orpheus, we lost hundreds of brothers, while another chapter, separated by only one sector, knew nothing about it. By the time a large-scale war broke out on their side, and we received the news and wanted to go to their aid, the battle was already over.”

He looked at Calgar, a painful memory in his eyes: "After learning about that history, I often thought in countless late nights that if our two chapters could have joined forces, shared resources, and provided immediate support when one was in trouble, making full use of each other's resources, perhaps so many brothers in battle wouldn't have sacrificed themselves in vain. I think you understand, Brother Calgar, that a mission might require a severely wounded Astartes to complete; but if two Astartes went together, perhaps both could return unscathed."

Calgar didn't speak, but merely narrowed his eyes. He probably already guessed what this Chapter Commander of the Angels of the Dead wanted to say.

"And now," the other side finally revealed their trump card, "hundreds of thousands of fighting brothers are gathered here, fighting together. Are we really going to insist on fighting separately at such close range, letting our precious strength be sacrificed in vain due to a lack of coordination? Calga brothers, this doesn't even require more resources; all we need to do is unite and coordinate our forces!"

Calga finally spoke, his voice cold and sharp: "Who told you about this?"

The chapter leader of the Angels of the Dead pretended not to understand: "Do I need someone else to tell me this? Brother Calga, once you've been an Astartes long enough, you'll understand this on your own."

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Calga said, his mind racing as he spoke.

The contents of the meeting at the Supreme Command headquarters have already been leaked so quickly! This can only be due to someone deliberately leaking it. Who was it? Was it Sage Wick? Inquisitor Koptman? Or…?

"Does this or that even matter?" the other person retorted. "The brothers are fed up with this situation of fighting alone and being isolated. There are many groups that want to change the status quo, many, many brothers like Calga..."

"Are we really uniting just to fight more effectively?" Calga asked coldly, his words carrying a scrutinizing tone.

“Brother Calgar, we simply want to do our part for the Emperor,” the Chapter Master of the Angels of the Dead replied shrewdly. “We are facing an unprecedented enemy, one not even recorded in the Astartes Codex—after all, even the Primarchs cannot foresee what will happen ten thousand years from now. Perhaps it’s time we used our own ingenuity to fight an enemy that is equally undocumented, using methods not recorded in the Codex. That… surely doesn’t violate the Codex?”

“I will consider it.” Calga stood up and gestured for him to proceed.

The leader of the Angelic Souls Warband also rose, and before leaving, he gave Karga a deep look, uttering his final words:

"Everyone is looking forward to your good news, Calga brothers."

(End of this chapter)