GATE: Thus The Imperium of Man Fought There

The Story of Retribution pt 3

-M29. 583. Ultramar Regnum-

Raias had lost all sense of time within the enveloping darkness. It could have been hours, days, or even months. He was completely disoriented, with the only feelings that remained being his seething anger and the burning desire for vengeance against those who had turned the Ultramar populace into abominations. With a powerful roar, Raias jolted back into awareness, his hands instinctively reaching out to strangle the first thing he saw.

He could feel his fingers gripping something cold and, thanks to his augmented transhuman strength, he could easily bring anyone in his grasp to their knees. After a moment, he returned to his senses.

"My lord," a voice whimpered from the person he had been choking. Raias slowly looked down and realized that it was an Apothecary, identified by the symbols of the Ultramar Auxilia.

"My apologize," Raias withdrew his hand, concerned for the medic's well-being.

"It's quite alright, my lord. Given the injuries you've endured, such a response is only natural," the Apothecary replied.

Raias glanced around, taking in his surroundings in the well-equipped medical laboratory filled with cutting-edge Imperial medical technology. In this place, the most severe injuries could be mended, and even the dead could be brought back to life. From the interior and the medicae symbols, Raias immediately recognized their location.

"Are we aboard the Sword of Ultramar?" Raias asked to confirm.

"Yes, my lord. We are aboard the Sword of Ultramar," the medic nodded in confirmation.
Raias mentally prepared himself and contemplated what he would say upon leaving the room. He found himself on his father's flagship, a mighty vessel that stood as Ultramar's pride and joy. Raias remembered the first time his father had taken him to this mighty vessel. It was truly an unforgettable moment. The Sword of Ultramar, a colossal warship stretching an awe-inspiring 535 kilometers in length, boasted a lineage of excellence within Ultramar. This monumental titan of the void gleamed with the ornate gold filigree of the Seloce Astratum family, an empire of power and grandeur. It wielded an impressive array of armaments that could single-handedly reduce entire sub-sectors to smoldering ruins, its weaponry rivaling the might of an entire fleet.
Within its grandiose hull, billions of battle automatons were held sleep, waiting their time to be unleashed to the enemy, a testament to the eternal vigilance of the Ultramar Auxilia. Yet, its arsenal were not limited to the automaton legions but also legions of combat titans, towering giants brimming with weaponry capable of obliterating entire armies in a single, earth-shaking salvo. Countless war machines were stored and produced on this ship, making it not just a warship but also an industrial powerhouse of war potential itself.

Raias donned the attire provided by the Apothecary and strode purposefully through the elaborately decorated passageways toward the teleportarium. Each footstep reverberated through the marbled corridors, lined with reverential banners and larger-than-life murals, chronicling tales of Ultramar's unwavering valor. His thoughts involuntarily returned to the relentless battles he'd endured, where his once-immaculate armor was torn asunder, and his flesh was pierced as he fought ceaseless waves of abominations. He recalled battling hundreds of these monstrosities, each with varying sizes, some nearly as large as Imperial Knights. Following that, a group of Solar Guardians had teleported in front of him, efficiently dispatching the rest of those cursed creations.

Upon reaching the teleportarium, Raias chose to proceed directly to the central command deck, an architectural marvel brimming with advanced technology that house the ship's Ferrous Mind. This was the very hub where Ultramar's greatest leader directed fleets of smaller vessels and orchestrated the safeguarding of countless worlds. With a brilliant burst of light, Raias teleported to this command deck, the beating heart of the Sword of Ultramar, where his father made decisions that would define the path of this civil war.