While the forces of Chaos came close to battering down the gates of the Palace, the Loyalists' stout defence managed to hold the line long enough for Loyalist reinforcements to drop from the Warp on the edges of the Sol System. Salvation was coming.

It was immediately apparent to Imperial observers that Roboute Guilliman possessed a powerful analytical intelligence, even when compared to the superhuman cognitive abilities of his peers, as well as talent for statecraft and macro-organisation of staggering potential. Yet few could then guess what such talents harnessed to the Great Crusade would go on to achieve.

2:25 pm – Newcrons*

This void battle was a form of dirty fighting between warships, too close for the neat calculations of ranged battery fire. Instead, it was an up close and personal slugfest. As the fighting raged, the burning shell of the Fidelitas Lex cut through the clouds into the planet's atmosphere, shuddering on its way east, rolling ever downwards, achingly slow for something of such scale. The weight of the Lex' massive plasma engines dragged the stern down first, colliding with the Nucerian ocean's surface far from shore. The Ultramarines armada looked wounded, cobbled together from separate fleets. It was not a dedicated interdiction warfleet, but clearly a ragtag strike force, a lance thrust to the enemy's heart. Guilliman himself had done the best he could with limited resources. Not wanting to appear vain and power-hungry like his brother Horus, Guilliman refused to declare himself the Emperor of Imperium Secundus, instead initially trying to convince his fellow Primarch Lion El'Jonson, who had arrived at Macragge with his Dark Angels Legion, to take the position despite being distrustful of El'Jonson's motives.

The Orks of Ullanor represented the largest concentration of greenskins ever defeated by the military forces of the Imperium of Man before the Third War for Armageddon began during the late 41st Millennium. Following the defeat of the Orks of Ullanor, the Emperor of Mankind was to return to Terra to begin work on His vast project to open up the Aeldari Webway for Mankind's use.

Lorgar saw the expression of disgusted awe on his brother's face as the wounded Ultramarine primarch stared at Angron's metamorphosis atop the mound of dead sons from all three bloodlines of Space Marines. The XIII Legion continued to fire even in retreat, leaving the world of Nuceria battered and bloody. Their campaign against the two Traitor Legions was over...for now. Karlrech - Brother Karlrech was a battle-brother of the 3 rd Company who sided with Chaplain Herdain's decision to stay and die an honourable death, refusing to change his mind even after Herdain's execution, and was subsequently executed at the hands of Brother Nicz.

Roboute Guilliman to his gathered Chapter Masters (duty servo-transcription, hours prior to the Battle of Calth

Roboute Guilliman in the Horus Heresy

By his will, he made it so and within their Warp-sealed enclave, vessels from Macragge now plied regular and well-patrolled trade routes with local star systems, bringing raw materials and people to the flourishing world, while against some of its neighbours, short, victorious conflicts had already been waged to pacify the strife they had found there. Following the Trial of Konrad Curze, Sanguinius, Lion El'Jonson, and Guilliman all agreed that the Imperium Secundus had been a mistake and should be disbanded. Instead, they agreed to try and breach the Ruinstorm to reach Terra and aid the Emperor, who they had learned still lived, in the defence of Terra from Horus. As swiftly as he put his plans for Ultramar into action, he embarked on the root and branch reorganisation of his Legion. Adopting an extraordinarily detailed plan which drew from both the military doctrines and political philosophies of his surrogate homeworld, a detailed study of the history of the XIII th and each and every other Legion and armed force under the Emperor's banner in their then current form, he remade the organisational structure and tactical doctrines of his Legion accordingly. Librarian Zacherys - Zacherys was the Librarian assigned to the 3 rd Company. His prophetic visions helped influence the company's actions. When he informed Captain Gessart of the impending daemonic incursion that would arrive in a matter of hours as part of a Warp Storm that would engulf the doomed world of Helmabad, Gessart resolved to withdraw his forces and save his men by any means possible. Zacherys stood by his captain and supported his decision after discerning the meanings of his visions; for he knew that to stay on the planet meant certain death. Integrating all the wonderful details that the studio and miniatures designers have come up with is somewhat easier, but still needs careful ongoing work. I don’t like contradictions in my universes! Who does?