The Ultramarines' fleet was quite large—no fewer than five battle barges, with dozens of cruisers and escorts in tow.
Leading a million Imperial soldiers and nearly 4,000 Astartes Ultramarines, Calgar and his forces emerged from the Warp in a state of confusion, because the ship's Navigator said they had already reached their destination.
But they had departed only about a month earlier than their gene-father Guilliman. By their reckoning, they should have arrived at Vigilus in two to three months.
Yet once the voyage ended, they found they'd arrived more than two months ahead of schedule!
"Navigator, why did we get here so quickly?" Calgar asked, turning to his Navigator.
"Lord Calgar, anything can happen in the Warp. And Imperial vessels now mount FTL drives. While these are only capable of a few hundred times lightspeed in realspace, they also noticeably increase effective speed in the Warp.
"So arriving two months early isn't some uncanny anomaly—it's within normal variance," the Navigator replied.
Since the development of FTL drives, many Imperial ships have been outfitted with them. It's a far cry from the old days of purely Warp-sailing.
They're faster now. And the Warp has no fixed sense of time to begin with—your ship might arrive early, or much later.
This time, they arrived two months early. The Navigator saw no issue.
"Lord Calgar, arriving early is actually good news. The planet is under attack. Our auspex indicates
an Ork fleet has also just dropped out of the Warp, only about 1 light-year away. At their speed, they'll reach Vigilus in roughly two days," said the mortal first officer aboard the ship.
"An Ork fleet? Why didn't we receive word?" Calgar asked, puzzled.
This mission was to escort a special weapon to the Imperium Nihilus. Nothing could be allowed to go wrong. He had left ahead of his Primarch to secure the route.
An Ork fleet showing up was unacceptable to Calgar. Fortunately, he had brought sufficient forces—he would simply annihilate the Orks.
"Lord Calgar! The people on Vigilus detected the Ork fleet a few days ago
and signaled the Imperium for aid. The Imperium couldn't dispatch help at the time, and we just happened to arrive now," said the ship's Astropath.
Traveling through the Warp often scrambles timelines. You might be delayed a long time.
"I understand. Contact Imperial authorities on Vigilus immediately. I require supreme command," Calgar ordered.
With the Ork fleet less than a light-year away, ship-to-ship actions would soon commence. All available forces had to be organized at once.
"By your command, Lord Calgar. We'll contact the ground forces and the Imperial Navy garrison here," the ship's crew replied, moving quickly to establish contact with Vigilus.
Calgar's sudden arrival left the nobles of Vigilus both delighted and confused. Why would the Ultramarines' second-in-command appear at this critical moment? Had the Imperium foreseen the Ork incursion?
Regardless, his arrival was good news.
With the Ultramarines' second-in-command bearing the brunt, they could afford to delegate and stay out of the worst of it.
When the sky falls, the tallest shoulders hold it up. Calgar's sudden appearance inspired everyone.
Calgar soon took a lander down to Vigilus to meet the High Council.
When Calgar entered the council chamber, everyone held their breath.
Here was a true Imperial heavy-hitter: former Legion Commander of the Ultramarines and once Lord of Macragge, now entrusted by Primarch Roboute Guilliman himself
to serve as the Ultramarines' Chapter's Vice-Commander. The forces under his command were now several times greater than the Chapter era's thousand—well into the hundreds of thousands.
Clad in blue-and-gold power armor, the Crest of the Macragge's Honour engraved upon his pauldron, Calgar swept the room with a piercing gaze. "By the Regent's mandate," his amplified voice rang out,
"Vigilus shall serve as a vital forward bastion to receive the Lord Regent. The Ork threat must be contained outside the landing perimeter.
"Now—who is the responsible authority on this world? You will transfer full military command to me," Calgar declared.
He wasted no time. He would seize control of Vigilus's defenses immediately; there was no time for politics. The Primarch would arrive soon.
"Lord Calgar, I represent the planetary governor from House Agamemnus of Vigilus. I am willing to transfer supreme command to you," said the House's spokesperson, straightforward and decisive.
In truth, the Agamemnus family's authority had waned. The Ultramarines' arrival might prove a blessing.
A Tech-Priest Magos stepped forward. "Honored Legion Commander, we were planning to convert the lower-hive civilians into Mechanicus Skitarii adjuncts—"
"Absurd!" Calgar's bark cut him off. "The Emperor's subjects are not expendables. Motion denied.
"I have brought forty companies of Ultramarines and a Titan Legion from Macragge. I will command this war."
Turning Imperial citizens into that kind of baseline servitor was intolerable to him. Use convicts, clones, traitors—but never ordinary Imperial civilians.
Calgar's words hit like a thunderclap. The chamber fell utterly silent. No one had expected him to refuse the proposal so flatly.
The Magos from Forge World Stygies VIII's twitched his mechadendrites uneasily.
"But, Lord Vice-Commander Calgar," the Magos tried to argue,
"the lower hive's population is immense. Converting them would form an effective defensive screen—you know Orks' combat power. Their numbers seem endless, and after they die,
green fungus will soon sprout across the surface. Their manpower is functionally inexhaustible. Without sufficient mass to gain numerical advantage, we cannot win this war."
"I said no. Motion denied," Calgar replied.
"The Emperor's subjects are not your test stock. Now, I require a complete planetary defense schematic and a muster roll of all available forces."
The governor wiped sweat from his brow and had a retainer bring a dataslate. "My lord, this is our defensive layout. Frankly, our orbital defenses are in disrepair, and our ground forces lack heavy equipment."
On Vigilus, the Agamemnuss were nominally kings, but the infighting between the Ecclesiarchy and Mechanicus had left the governor with scant real power—and thus few forces to command.
"The Ecclesiarchy can field about twenty thousand Battle Sisters, and some fleet assets.
"But our Frateris Templar have not yet received Lord Lorgar's gene-seed improvements, so we have no suitable Space Marines," said the Ecclesiarchy representative.
The Ecclesiarchy had embraced the new Ecclesiarch's reforms; things were different now. Their orders were to aid Calgar in reversing the tide.
"Excellent. All Imperial Navy assets in near orbit will come under my command. The Martian Mechanicus will handle maintenance and resupply of our arms.
"All Skitarii and Mechanicus militia must participate without compensation. Failure to comply will be treated as treason. I am empowered to carry out the Emperor's judgment," Calgar said.
"By your command, Lord Calgar," the Magos sighed helplessly. He knew defiance would mean summary execution, and none would speak for him.
The planetary governor handed over the full military inventory of Vigilus.
Calgar took the dataslate, scanning defense and armament lists, his frown deepening.
The situation was worse than he'd thought—the planet's defenses were very weak. Fortunately, his fleet had arrived in time; otherwise, Vigilus would have fallen to the Orks within days.
As for why Calgar arrived two months early—this was Rhodes' doing. Through Tartarus he nudged things so Calgar's force exited the Warp at the nearest translation point to Vigilus.
The Ultramarines' vice-commander had to reach the field—Vigilus's locals alone would never hold the Ork tide.
At that moment, the fleet officer cut in: "Lord Calgar! Urgent! The Ork fleet has suddenly accelerated—estimated to enter engagement range within 24 hours!"
The council chamber erupted. No one expected the Orks so soon!