Colonel Kovek had his reasons for drilling the troops.
Once the soldiers grew fully accustomed to their reconstructed bodies, he planned to lead them into clearing out the remaining heretics and xenos infesting other sections of the ship.
With those battle honors in hand, he would finally have the standing to request, through Remesis the psyker, use of the Astropathic Choir to contact the Departmento Munitorum and secure reinforcements from the nearest Cadian resupply station.
By Munitorum regulation, Astartes weren't supposed to interfere in Astra Militarum operational decisions. In theory, the commander of a Guard regiment was on the same hierarchical level as an Astartes Chapter Master.
But rules were rules, and execution always depended on reality.
Right now, Colonel Kovek felt it necessary to consult the Angels.
He had barely opened his mouth when Romulus abruptly cut in with a question.
"?"
Though confused, Kovek replied quickly.
"Completely feasible, Lord Romulus."
Cadia had always trained its people on armored vehicles. As long as supply was sufficient, any Cadian infantry regiment could seamlessly transition into an armored regiment.
For the Cadian Shock Troops, people adapted to the equipment, not the other way around.
"Come with us. Sister Arabella as well."
Romulus, satisfied with the reply, turned and led the group into the ship compartments they had recently purged.
Everyone knew Astartes operated on a scale vastly beyond that of mortals.
What was manageable for a Space Marine was hell for the Guard.
Mortals lacked the reflexes to dodge damage, the mobility to reposition, and the defenses to shrug off most hits.
So what could compensate for these weaknesses and still allow the Guard to advance in lockstep with the Astartes in high-intensity combat?
Armored strength.
Enough armor to encase every single Guardsman.
"By the Emperor… a Stormblade? A Falchion? A Hellblade… and what's that? Emperor's mercy! That's a Fellblade super-heavy! I've only ever read about these in the Munitorum's manuals."
The Commissar, a veteran of Armageddon, had seen enough horrors to keep his composure.
Young Colonel Kovek, however, could not restrain his expression as he gazed at the elegant, angular lines of the super-heavies filling the depot. He even overlooked the Executioner Leman Russ lurking in the corner.
Never in his memory had so many relic-class vehicles been gathered together.
"Why are they all plasma variants?"
Romulus, already well-versed in the Imperium's arsenal, asked under his breath.
"No choice. All these cog-boys are from Ryza. Pulling patterns from the Warp only unlocks along those lines. But honestly, plasma's better anyway. At least, Ryza-forged ones are."
Remesis shrugged.
"Soul-to-matter only cares about material makeup, not tech complexity. Same mass, you don't get to pick a worse version. That'd be a raw loss."
He gestured at the Fellblades and troop carriers.
"See that Fellblade? Just dragged the pattern from the Warp. Baneblade cannon, demolisher mortar—one shot flattens a monstrous unit."
"And that Mammoth APC. Fire up the void shield, crash straight into the enemy line, and a swarm of tin cans pours out shooting. You could trade twenty Land Raiders and still not match it."
Romulus nodded in agreement.
"Makes it feel like we're back in the Great Crusade."
Arthur scratched his head.
Compared to the modern Imperium, where Rhinos and Land Raiders dominated and seeing a single Leman Russ or Chimera counted as luxury, their current loadout was absurdly lavish.
But as Remesis said, if you're spending the soul-energy anyway, why settle for worse?
Once their Astartes were re-equipped, fielding a uniform force of Cataphractii and Contemptors would make even veterans drool.
That was the power of soul-to-matter.
"The Cadians can handle these vehicles?"
"Completely, my lord."
Kovek answered firmly. Aside from the rare Fellblade, which only Astartes Chapters retained in small numbers, the rest of the armored lineup he was fully confident his regiment could master quickly.
"Good."
Romulus led them into another chamber, pointing to rows of neatly arranged suits of war-plate.
"These are Sol-pattern void armor. They'll give your men far greater protection. Each of you may select one."
"These suits?"
Kovek instinctively refused.
"I don't need them. My duty is to command from the rear. Better to issue them to the boys at the front—they need them more than me."
"Everyone gets one. If it breaks, we'll replace it."
Romulus pointed further to the armory.
"And collect matching weapons as well. Vehicles included—each comes with an instruction manual. Read them."
"...My lord."
Kovek couldn't help but caution him, seeing Romulus act like a man flaunting how powerful his gear was.
"These are priceless."
His gaze lingered on the Sol-pattern suits. He'd only ever seen such gear on the dreaded Arbites tax squads.
Those enforcers were all graduates of Schola Progenium, paragons among mortals. Even the famed Cadian Kasrkin, hailed as the pinnacle of the Guard, were only their weaker cousins.
"No matter how precious, they exist to be used."
Romulus caressed the authentic, full-scale relic armor—gear that in his previous life he'd never been able to obtain.
If he'd had this power back then, he could have bankrupted Bandai and GW both. Charging model prices like precious metals—utter robbery.
Kovek, watching, mistook the gesture for a solemn remembrance.
"I understand, my lord!"
"Good."
Romulus withdrew his hand, surprised at how the colonel seemed suddenly filled with new purpose.
"Equip your regiment from this depot. Learn the vehicles. We need an armored force that can deliver overwhelming fire support."
Then he turned to Sister Arabella.
"Sister, we've also prepared replacement equipment for the Order of the Sacred Rose. Until reinforcements arrive, we'll purge the remaining enemies aboard the ship together, coordinating our tactics."
"Understood, Lord Romulus!"
"Then I leave this to you."
With that, Romulus and his companions turned and left.
Their council was not yet finished.
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