The Overseer Magos requested permission to board the vessel for a formal inspection, but the Space Wolves flatly denied him. Left with no alternative, the Magos was forced to conduct a detailed external survey.
The results were unsettling. Aside from the ship's heraldry, which seemed slightly off, every technical specification and data-log aligned perfectly with the Macragge's Honour. While the Imperium still possessed a handful of Gloriana-class battleships, they served almost exclusively as the flagship for a Space Marine Chapter. Each Gloriana was a bespoke, singular masterpiece of naval architecture. Never in the history of the Imperium had two identical sister-ships been recorded.
Thrown into a state of bureaucratic paralysis, the Imperial Navy reported the anomaly to the Segmentum Munitorum, who in turn relayed the news directly to the Lord Regent of the Imperium in the Solar Segmentum.
Equally stunned, Roboute Guilliman temporarily departed Terra aboard the Dawn of Fire. The Macragge's Honour had once been his personal flagship; he knew every rivet and deck-plate of that vessel.
…
"What in the name of the Allfather are they looking for? If the vermin of the Inquisition are behind this, I will make those fools pay a heavy price."
Logan Grimnar paced back and forth within a massive chamber. On the Macragge's Honour, this room had once served as Guilliman's private sanctum. Since they had sailed this vessel back into the Sanctum Imperialis, no Sector Munitorum had dared to intercept them. Yet, as they passed through the Solar Segmentum, the Imperial Navy had blocked their path.
Grimnar had already renamed the ship the Wrath of Fenris. The vessel's heraldry had been overhauled. Every visible surface, be it inscription or icon, had been altered by a literal army of mortal artisans. Even the towering statues of Guilliman had been meticulously re-sculpted into the likeness of Leman Russ.
However, if an inspection team discovered the massive cache of gene-seed stored within, even Russ himself might struggle to explain it. If those gene-banks were sent for forensic analysis, the Ultramarines would likely declare war on the Space Wolves. Logan did not fear Marneus Calgar, but shedding the blood of kinsmen was a tragedy he wished to avoid, especially with the Inquisition lurking, ready to brand them heretics at the first opportunity.
"Great Wolf."
Bjorn Sharpblade entered the chamber and stood to one side. Behind him emerged a silhouette so towering and imposing that even an Astartes felt small in its presence. Logan instantly recognized the stern, solemn figure.
"Lord Guilliman?"
"Logan Grimnar, son of my brother Russ. Now, tell me the truth of this ship."
Before a loyalist Primarch, even the Great Wolf had to show due reverence, particularly since the Wrath of Fenris was an exact, unauthorized duplicate of the Lord Regent's own flagship. For the first time, Guilliman saw a flicker of sheepishness on the old wolf's face.
"I believe this is the first time I have seen such an expression from you, Logan. I have already spoken with Calgar; the Macragge's Honour remains in Ultramar. Do not tell me you simply 'found' this." Guilliman's voice was like grinding stone. "The Imperium has never constructed a twin to my flagship."
Logan found himself in the same position Bjorn had been in before him. "If I told you this ship was a gift, would you believe me, my Lord?"
Seeing Guilliman's eyes narrow, an expression that clearly signaled he would not be played for a fool, Logan immediately presented the mission logs of Bjorn's strike team. As the pict-feeds played, Guilliman's expression twitched. When the recording ended, the Regent of the Imperium fell into a profound silence.
Logan watched him curiously, then spoke softly. "Lord Guilliman?"
Guilliman, his eyes momentarily unfocused as if looking through time, seemed to snap back to the present. He stood and turned toward the familiar corridor.
"Logan, the ship is yours. Keep what is on it. Deliver the gene-seed and the relics to Ultramar; Calgar will receive you."
With those words, Guilliman vanished into the shadows of the hallway. Yet, Logan sensed a heavy, dark gravity in the Primarch's hurried departure.
…
Immediately after leaving the Wrath of Fenris, Guilliman returned to the Dawn of Fire. He stormed through the decks to the chamber housing the Quantum Communicator and began a desperate attempt to hail Axion. However, Axion was currently deep within the Warp, and the signal could not penetrate the veil.
Frustrated by the failed communication, Guilliman went alone to the ship's chapel. He leaned against a massive pillar, staring up at a towering statue of the Emperor, his heart filled with dread. He could not show his unease to others; only here, in solitude before the likeness of his Father, could he allow his vulnerability to surface.
"Father, what am I to do? The growth of these 'Iron Men' is terrifyingly rapid. Are the ancient chronicles true? How did humanity ever defeat such horrific machines in the past?"
"For the first time, I feel fear for the future. A power the Imperium cannot hope to contest is growing in my own hands. If this force slips from our control, what becomes of us? What becomes of the galaxy?"
In the haze of his thoughts, Guilliman thought he heard a familiar voice echoing from the Empyrean, a voice that seemed to speak in riddles, yet offered a glimmer of comfort. As the faint golden light receded, Guilliman stood tall once more.
He had to return to Terra. He had to face the Emperor one more time.
…
As the Dawn of Fire set sail, the Wrath of Fenris was officially registered. From this day forward, the Space Wolves once again possessed a sanctioned Gloriana-class battleship.
Guilliman returned to Terra with burning urgency, his mind racing with strategies to counter the threat of the sapient machines. Upon arrival, he went directly to the Sanctum Imperialis, disappearing into the inner palace accompanied by a detachment of the Adeptus Custodes.
No one knew exactly when Guilliman left the Imperial Palace, nor what he experienced within. But when he finally reappeared before the High Lords and his staff, his countenance had regained its usual stoic calm. Once again, he appeared as the master of strategy, with every detail under his control.
While Guilliman was on Terra, the Space Wolves were reveling in the glory of their new flagship. The massive vessel plunged into the Warp and emerged days later near the Segmentum Ultima. In a remarkably short time, Logan brought his "wolf-pups" to the borders of Ultramar.
Marneus Calgar, alerted in advance, had been waiting for them. When the gargantuan silhouette of the battleship actually appeared before the Ultramarines' fleet, the shock among the sons of Guilliman was beyond words.
As several familiar-looking Thunderhawks deployed from the launch bays of the Wrath of Fenris, Logan's boisterous laughter boomed over the vox-channels directly into Calgar's ear.
"Haha! Calgar! For Russ and the Emperor! Look at this beauty! The Space Wolves once again have a Gloriana-class battleship. She shall tear through the enemies of the Emperor like the freezing gales of Fenris! Awoooo!"