I sat on their cramped, uncomfortable chair. I listened as Barabas argued with Polux; their voices rose in escalating dispute. Their arguments echoed around the room. I began to wonder if I was even in the right place. My thoughts revolved around one question: Why am I here? As soon as the battle started, I intended to decimate the traitors in orbit. My ship and my crew were ready to strike at the heart of the enemy forces. So why was I sitting in the ground forces command center, listening to them argue about where to deploy individual Astartes? Their disputes seemed trivial. If only they had anything meaningful to say. Their role here was purely symbolic in the council. The main commander was Addelus, who had almost all the forces under him. Did a Polux, with 50 of his battle-brothers, have much say? No. They were only here symbolically. Their presence was just a facade.
"- I see you are not concentrating on the briefing," Addelus interjected, silencing the arguing pair.
"- You see correctly," I replied, bringing the wine cup to my lips. "I fight in space; ground combat is not my forte. I can offer you ten thousand pirates; they won't be needed up top, and they might save your skin down here."
"- We'll take every pair of hands we can get."
"- They will be commanded by Trek, my trusted commander. Deploy him wherever you wish, and don't be surprised when you see something that seems impossible."
"- What do you mean?" Barabas cut in, speaking for the first time in a while.
"- You will certainly see it; that's all I'll say. Your Primarch saw it and accepted it. I hope his sons won't destroy my trust," I said, looking at Addelus.
Finishing, I stood up and left; I couldn't stand being with them anymore. Let Trek deal with them; I wasn't going to listen to them argue about nonsense.
Entering the barracks aboard the Arcadia, I saw Trek. He was sitting on his bunk, leaning forward. He was giving himself a vitamin injection prescribed by Nibe. The needle glinted in the dim light of the barrack. This injection was meant to support the development and regeneration of his modified body. Even though the Black Matter had done its job, some organs hadn't integrated as well as initially seemed. Their full integration still required time and additional support.
"- Trek."
"- Captain!" he said, getting up from the chair.
"- How many injections do you have left?" I asked, curious how much longer he would need to convalesce.
"- 13. I take two daily; I'll take the second one in the evening."
I nodded. "You will take ten thousand men with you and head down to the surface; you will support the planet's defense. You can choose whoever you want to take."
"- Defense? We are usually on the offensive," he replied, surprised that this time they weren't attacking.
"- One doesn't always attack," I said, looking at him. He was already surpassing my expectations. "You have until the end of the day. In the evening, the Arcadia will fly into orbit to prepare for battle. If you need anything, talk to Cornelius."
"- YES, SIR!"
I returned to the bridge. To everyone's surprise, I sat on the throne and closed my eyes. No one even saw it. It was quite dark on the bridge, so my face was mostly invisible to most of the crew anyway. Whoever needed to approach had to check if I was sleeping or just sitting there.
Minutes, or perhaps hours, passed; I'm not sure. I started perceiving time differently—Nibe told me about this during one of our conversations. That many things would change now, and time was a perfect example. I close my eyes for a second for myself, but for others, it's hours.
Perhaps it is an advantage or a disadvantage; I cannot evaluate it yet. But I can confidently say that I know how the Emperor feels now. It will take me a long time to get used to it.
"- Captain," August spoke up.
"- Speak," I replied, opening my eyes, fully conscious of the entire surroundings.
"- Trek has already left the Arcadia; we are awaiting orders."
"- Orbit and invisibility. Let them not expect us."
"- Roger that. PREPARE! ARCADIA ENTERING FIRST STAGE OF READINESS!"
Leaving the planet, we circled in orbit, making one lap after another around it. Despite the distance separating me from my pirates, I could feel them as if they were a meter away from me. The Black Matter is truly immensely powerful; perhaps only humanity in the Golden Age possessed such power.
We waited for the Night Lords Legion to appear. The first phase was infiltration via wrecks, within which the traitors were located, to capture Relay Station Number 7. But unfortunately, the Astartes did not know that enemies had already infiltrated them about two weeks ago; the enemies were sitting in the shadows, waiting for the attack.
Looking through the viewports, I saw wrecks appearing in space; this meant the Battle of Sotha had begun. I sighed, loud enough that Cornelius glanced over his shoulder at me. He quickly turned his head away. He was starting to understand me, good.
"- Cornelius. Prepare the ship for battle." My voice cut through the bridge, making everyone serious.
"- YES, SIR!"
The Arcadia began to gain speed, approaching Relay Station Number 7. The Ultramarines would have no problem with the wrecks, but the first clash would begin at the station.
"- Approach the station and wait in readiness; we do not engage."
"- Understood. Set course for Relay Station Number 7!"
The Ultramarines ship, Probity, after destroying the wrecks that threatened the planet, executed a turn. It now headed towards Station Number Seven, a distant assembly point. Its crew and command, however, did not know that the Night Lords had boarded it two weeks ago. These traitor Marines had been waiting ever since. Slowly approaching the relay, the Ultramarines began to suspect something was wrong. Problems with communication arose; their signals were distorted. Incorrect docking formulas and procedures, deviating from Imperial standards, occurred. This was something inconsistent with the Ultramarines, their discipline, and order.
Sergeant Lethicus, suspecting the station had been compromised, acted quickly. He led a squad of fifteen Marines to attack. And he was not wrong. The Night Lords forces, led by Skraivok, numbering thirty-two warriors, prepared a trap for them. The Ultramarines quickly found themselves ambushed. They were surrounded on three sides.
The fight was short. Pinned down from three sides with fewer Marines, they did what they could to kill as many as possible to ease future battles for their brothers. The traitors won, suffering considerable losses, and soon after, they captured the Probity.
Thus, the first phase of the battle was won by the Traitors. The Ultramarines did not even know the fight for the system had begun, and they had already lost the first phase.
The second phase of the attack began with torture and blood. Members of the captured destroyer were forced into obedience. If they did not want to suffer, they had to comply. They steered the ship toward the Aegis platform. Aegis was a large orbital station guarding the entire system and, at the same time, the planet Sotha.
The destroyer Probity, guided by its tortured crew, requested docking. Captain Addalus, unaware of anything, thought they had returned after completing their mission. He allowed them to dock. This was another mistake by the Imperial defenders. Skraivok quickly managed to break through the defenses aboard the station. He took Captain Addalus and half of the 199th Company prisoner. However, this was not a perfect victory for the traitors. The 55th Scout Squad, composed of Neophytes, managed to escape to the planet aboard a Thunderhawk. With the capture of the station, the Night Lords fleet arrived in the system. The planetary invasion began.
"- Captain, this does not look good!" Gbur said, seeing all the transport ships descending onto the planet.
I rose from the throne and approached the helm. It had been a long time since I felt it; it fit my hand perfectly, as always. I smiled gently. "- Raise the pirate flag! Arcadia joins the fight!"