The landing craft touched down in a vast open area.
The landing site was the massive spaceport of the Vitoria hive world.
Armies in formation disembarked from the landing craft.
Hawk's 502nd Regiment was among them.
They marched out of the landing craft in neat square formations.
The hive city was enormous, spanning thousands of kilometers in diameter, housing a vast number of metallurgical and foundry factories.
The troops would be dispersed to various locations to perform combat and defense missions.
The moment he stepped out of the landing craft, Hawk felt as if he had returned to the hive city in the Natal system.
A hazy air, filled with slight toxicity.
Hive city buildings shrouded in a thin mist.
Everything was so familiar.
Adeptus Arbites officers blew whistles, and hovering servo-skulls roared, directing each formation forward according to orders.
After dropping off its passengers, the landing craft took off again to transport other regiments.
Continuously delivering Imperial forces to this location.
Hawk stood at the front of his unit.
They carried all their equipment.
Enthusiasm still filled everyone's faces, brimming with motivation.
A new war was about to begin.
The great Primarch would lead them to victory once more.
Everyone implicitly assumed this was how things would unfold.
The Primarch was invincible.
Upon receiving orders from the Adeptus Arbites, Hawk shouted to his subordinates, "Move out!"
Under Hawk's command, the 502nd Regiment began marching towards its destination.
A regiment on the move was not just a group of people running around, but a disciplined advance in the formations practiced during training.
It's worth noting that within the Astra Militarum's structure, a regiment is typically composed of up to six companies.
A company usually has four to five platoons.
This excludes the logistics company, which is responsible for the entire regiment's transport vehicles, engineering units, and weapon equipment.
Wealthy regiments have massive logistics companies.
Poor regiments don't even have a logistics company.
Because all their worldly possessions are carried on their person.
Of course, this issue doesn't exist in the Indomitus Crusade.
Guilliman would not be so cruel as to treat his troops so differently.
A platoon, on the other hand, has five or six squads.
Squads are further divided into fire teams, and fire teams form different fire units.
In this way, a regiment is formed.
The number of soldiers in a regiment varies.
Some regiments number over ten thousand, while others have only a few thousand.
Hawk's 502nd Regiment was a ten-thousand-strong regiment, considered quite capable and one of the main forces.
The term 'main force' is relative to other regiments.
They cannot be compared to the Adeptus Mechanicus or the primaris space marines.
The two have different focuses.
The Natal regiments, primarily composed of workers, were highly favored by the senior command of the crusade.
The resilience and obedience possessed by the Natal people were qualities not found in other regiments.
Hawk was proud of this.
Natal would be the Primarch's most loyal protectors.
The squad leaders led their dozens of soldiers in neat square formations.
Squads formed platoon-level formations.
Platoons, in turn, formed company-level formations.
This chain-like structure ultimately formed the regimental formation.
Hawk and several other regimental commanders rode in a Salamander scout vehicle, rumbling along at the front of the column.
In another troop transport, a military band was energetically playing the newly composed piece, "My Beautiful Wife, How Can I Betray My Duty to Serve the Emperor?"
This military band was put together by the artists on the troop ship.
Hawk paid them no mind.
However, it was having a rather good effect now.
Other regiments passing the 502nd Regiment were all dumbfounded.
The astonishment in their eyes was hard to conceal.
They looked at their own officers, their eyes asking the same question.
Why did this regiment have a military band, while they had nothing?
The envy of their brother units made the soldiers of the 502nd Regiment puff out their chests.
They strode proudly down the wide highway, their lasguns slung over their shoulders.
They marched forward to the sound of the military band.
Their faces were filled with joy.
They had spent too long on the ship.
Stepping onto the ground and breathing a few breaths of fresh air gave them a very comfortable feeling.
It felt like a picnic or a vacation upon arrival.
The rhythmic tread of 10,000 boots and the military band's performance almost drowned out the sound of the engines.
After leaving the spaceport, the 502nd Regiment marched seven or eight kilometers before entering the hive city district with its towering buildings.
The streets had already been cleared of vehicles to allow the army to pass.
The populace hid in their homes, in the shadows, watching the arrival of these soldiers.
No one welcomed them.
The streets were deserted.
It wasn't that the people of Vitoria were ungrateful.
It was because a battle had just taken place here not long ago.
The crusade fleet had forcefully put down the rebellion in the Vitoria system.
To demonstrate his resolve, Calgar showed no mercy to the surrendered rebels.
He dealt with them swiftly and decisively.
After all, screening surrendered rebels for tyranid corruption was a cumbersome process.
It would waste a lot of time.
And time was the most precious commodity in the Vitoria system right now.
The shadow in the warp was growing thicker.
Astropathic communication was experiencing problems.
The tyranids were drawing ever closer to this system.
Calgar didn't have the luxury of time to show mercy to those who surrendered; he could only execute them.
The executions resulted in rivers of blood flowing through various parts of the city.
Although the smell of blood had gradually faded now, the people of Vitoria still harbored fear towards the Imperial crusade fleet.
"They're all afraid of us," Jorn said beside Hawk.
"If I didn't know anything like them, I'd be afraid too. The tyranids are coming. If Vitoria falls, we'll all become food."
Hawk finished speaking and turned to look at his adjutant.
"How is the evacuation of the elderly, weak, women, and children progressing?"
"That's something the logistics department should handle," the adjutant said. "We're combat troops. Those matters aren't our responsibility."
"I need to know why there are still so many civilians here," Hawk said.
"We can't evacuate everyone. They are men and women who can fight on the battlefield. If we're short on troops, they'll be conscripted immediately."
The adjutant said, "As reserves, they won't be allowed to leave Vitoria."
Hawk shrugged and didn't press further about the reasons.
After walking for an hour, Hawk and his men reached the 502nd Regiment's assigned position.
They were positioned on the second defense line. When the tyranids breached the outer void shield, it would be their turn to engage.
The first order of business upon reaching the designated location was to strengthen the camp's defenses.
Large numbers of sandbags were piled up, and lascannons were set up behind the emplacements.
The range of the lascannons was sufficient to cover any open area where the enemy might land.
Bulky Sentinel walkers were positioned at key traffic points.
Under the control of their pilots, the fire platforms moved their heavy limbs and entered empty buildings, concealing their massive bodies.
When the enemy arrived, these fire platforms would deliver the most brutal blows.
After setting up the camp's firepower,
Hawk went to the unit's mess hall to enjoy breakfast.
The food was as bland as ever, nothing special.
Fried meat patties and reconstituted eggs, the only difference was an extra cup of milk.
Don't imagine it was cow's milk.
Hawk tasted it; it had a gamey flavor, likely from some xenos creature.
"More news from upstairs," a regimental commander sitting next to Hawk said. "We'll be facing the tyranids directly in two months at most."
"Isn't that good? Maybe you'll all get promoted by then," Hawk said, shoving a piece of meat into his mouth and chewing.
Hearing this, the people nearby chuckled.
The regimental commander who had just spoken said, "You need to be alive to enjoy a promotion. The Primarch isn't here yet. We're just cannon fodder to block the tyranids."
"I heard the Primarch is winning against the necrons. Once they capture the enemy's Crown World, they can turn their attention to the tyranids. After dealing with the tyranids, the Charadon Sector will probably be at peace."
The seemingly older staff officer spoke, analyzing the current situation.
"Where do we go after the Charadon Sector is finished?" Hawk asked the staff officer.
"Probably the Naflia Sector. It's said the Dark Angels are locked in fierce combat with traitors who emerged from the Great Rift there. The Primarch will likely go there. As for us, we'll probably follow Lord Calgar."
The staff officer took a sip of milk and explained to the others.
"Do you think we'll ever go to Terra? If so, I could see what Terra looks like," another regimental commander nearby said.
"Are you f*cking crazy? Saying something like that."
The staff officer moved his tray away slightly.
He looked at the person who spoke with a look as if they were an idiot.
"What's wrong with saying that?"
Hawk was also confused.
Was there something wrong with just talking?
"We are the Astra Militarum. Although the 502nd is a main force regiment, in the eyes of the primaris space marines, we are just rows of leeks, meant to be harvested at will, cannon fodder to wear down the enemy."
"Why would the Primarch take the Astra Militarum to Terra? Is there a target in the Solar System that needs to be worn down? Are we supposed to take the primaris space marines and the Astra Militarum to eliminate the Imperial High Lords and seize the God-Emperor's throne?"
The staff officer voiced his concerns.
Everyone was instantly terrified.
Taking the Astra Militarum to Terra carried so many implications.
"Let's not talk about that. Let's think about how to survive. The tyranids are extraordinary. Facing those beasts, instances of Astra Militarum regiments being wiped out are countless," the staff officer's tone became heavy.
Hawk sat in his seat, eating his food, also contemplating this campaign.
They were the vanguard; they had to hold back the tyranids on Vitoria until the Primarch arrived.
Anyone who understood the horror of the tyranids knew exactly what such a mission entailed.
"Perhaps we'll all be summoned by the Emperor," a regimental commander nearby said humorously.
Everyone laughed for a moment, then lowered their heads and continued eating.
Jorn did not stay in the camp but took his companion Kakar into the city.
He needed some inspiration.
The two walked through empty, deserted streets and narrow alleys between high walls, entering the dimly lit buildings.
They walked into streets devastated by the war to put down the rebellion, collapsed and damaged.
People were cleaning up garbage and sweeping the streets.
In a dark street.
Jorn and Kakar were about to walk past.
When they heard someone shouting.
"Guilliman is a traitor! He betrayed the Emperor, he betrayed us!"
Jorn and Kakar looked over.
They saw a ragged man, running up to people, shouting frantically.
Passersby scattered, avoiding him as if he were a madman.
"I was once your ruler, and you treat me so rudely, you shameless wretches! You'll see, that despicable Guilliman will surely seize his father's throne! He's a faithless bastard!"
"My family sacrificed everything for the Imperium, and his lackeys drove out the loyalists, handing all power to a wretched woman. One day, he'll discard you too, like trash!"