The Bizarre Adventure of the Warhammer Guard

Lord Guilliman's shuttle slowly landed on the landing deck of the Abomination.

The shuttle's landing ramp descended, from which emerged two squads of Lord Guilliman's private guards, dressed in brand-new, gleaming combat uniforms, carrying brand-new laser guns, and with exquisite power swords at their waists.

The avenue was lined with warriors from various chapters of the Final Wall, with Astartes warriors in the front and Terminator armor in the back.

There were nearly a thousand Space Marines on the landing deck, their armor bearing more or less scars, which seemed out of place with the exquisite armor of the guards.

At the end of this steel corridor stood the company commanders, chaplains, and battle group leaders of each battle group.

The guards jogged along a main road, spreading out from the shuttle to the battalion commander's path to form a four-person-wide passageway.

Then they turned to the Astartes troops and stood straight, as if to prevent anyone from attacking Lord Guilliman.

Kurland found this move utterly ridiculous.

If they truly harbored murderous intent towards Lord Guilliman, these mortals alone, even he, could easily break through the guards' defenses and kill this arrogant high lord.

As the music began, Lord Udo finally stepped out of the shuttle, followed by high-ranking officials from the Mechanicus and Terra.

Lord Udo was dressed in a smart and luxurious suit, embroidered with all sorts of patterns and designs. His chest was covered with medals of honor, and he wore a standard ceremonial smile.

His cloak was pulled up from the ground by six elaborately decorated servant skulls to prevent it from getting dirty on the deck.

Then, Lord Udo's servants followed closely on either side of him, each carrying an incense burner that emitted a faint white fragrance.

Lord Udo was flaunting his authority to these Space Marines, a tactic he frequently employed, rife with political undertones.

Finally, he stood before the Chapter Master. Kurland keenly sensed a subtle, almost imperceptible, disgust in Lord Guilliman toward the worn, battle-stained armor of the Space Marines before him.

Of course, there was also the dissatisfaction and disdain among most of the Space Marines towards the High Lords' splendid attire.

Faced with the Chief Elder, even with all their grievances, the sons of Dorne had no choice but to bow their heads and reluctantly kneel on one knee to show their respect for him, their loyalty to Terra, and their loyalty to the Lord of Mankind.

"Arise, loyal servants of the Empire!" Lord Udor clapped his hands, finally laughing happily. "You are worthy of being the sons of Dorne. When Terra was in danger, you were able to arrive in time. You did not disappoint him."

The Space Marines rose in silence, their towering figures forcing Lord Guilliman to look up at their faces.

However, Lord Udo did not do that. He looked at the servo skull with the image capture device next to him, cleared his throat, opened his arms, and spoke with a hint of arrogance:

"The destruction of the orcs' Battle Moon in one fell swoop was no accident. It was all thanks to me, Udin Macht Udo, for my overall planning and precise deployment."

A hush fell over the crowd, all eyes fixed on Udo. Kurland could hear suppressed hisses from his brothers over the communication channel.

Lord Guilliman, oblivious to the danger, took a step closer to the servant's skull. "Of course, this is also thanks to the supervision and support of the Imperial Guard. And the close cooperation between the various chapters, which enabled us to achieve such a glorious victory."

He paused his speech and waved to a servant who was carrying a heavy tray with several medals of honor on it.

Lord Udo's servants followed behind, cautiously approaching the group of superhumans, and with trembling hands pinning the medals on the chapter commanders' armor.

"In recognition of your bravery and loyalty, this emblem is named 'Defenders of Terra.' You will be permitted to display it on your armor and banners forever."

Kurland's gaze passed over Udo and landed on the group of busy scribes behind him, who were writing furiously on scrolls of paper, recording the great moment of the awarding ceremony.

The servo skull, capturing images, flew around, searching for better and more angles to capture the ritual.

All of this is just another carefully crafted script by Udo.

Kurland could almost imagine these images being played repeatedly in the palaces and squares of Terra, and news anchors singing praises of yet another great achievement of Lord Udor.

"Now, loyal defenders of the Empire," Udo raised his hands and proclaimed, "the Orcs are not yet defeated, and we must hold a meeting."

In the conference room, the warband leaders sat around the conference table, while Lord Udo sat on a tall throne at one end of the table, with a holographic projection of the star map displayed in front of everyone.

After listening to a series of battle reports and statistics, Lord Udo yawned and casually flipped through various detailed documents.

"The Battle Moon is not only a combat warship, but also a space teleportation device," Lord Udo inquired. "Then I'd like to know, is that teleportation portal permanently disabled?"

"Uncertain," said Black Templar Chapter Master Bohemond. "Although the energy core and outer structure have been destroyed, deep scans have revealed energy fluctuations."

"There's only one solution now," Kurland said. "We must attack again and destroy the entire Battle Moon in one fell swoop."

Just as Lord Udo was about to speak, a servant came to his side, whispered something in his ear, and handed him a data panel.

Udo paused for a moment, then handed the data back.

"No," he said firmly, "Commander Kurland of the Sunlight Wall Company, you cannot attack any further."

"You're just leaving it on the path of Holy Terra?" Poshimond asked, glaring angrily at Lord Udo. "Are you trying to deny our victory? Deny our sacrifice?"

"Grand Marshal Bohemond," Kurland said, "let us hear the reason why Lord Guilliman did so."

Udo nodded and said, "Listen to the Second Company Commander; he has shown remarkable wisdom."

Lord Guilliman emphasized "wisdom," as if mocking the recklessness of Chapter Master Bohemond.

"Kurand is the Chapter Master of the Imperial Fist, Lord Guilliman," Sain interjected.

"Kurand is a company commander, not a chapter commander." Udo was clearly prepared. "There are strict rules for the succession of the chapter commander position."

"If it is not nominated directly by the former chapter leader, according to convention, it must be approved by all the priests and company commanders in the chapter and elected by vote."

"Then, Company Commander Kurland," he turned to Kurland and asked, "which of these conditions do you meet? As far as I know, you don't meet either of them."