Editing Hektor Heresy (section)

==The War Begins==

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<center>'''TREASON AND NON-COMPLIANCE'''</center>
The hesitant designations of the early Heresy often seem strange in retrospect.  It's easy to see why the Voidwatcher and Rogerius Merrill were dubbed Traitors, but why didn't the same label get applied to the rest of the Olmer Tribunal?  Malcador's use of the term ''Non-Compliant'' - usually used to designate humans who had not yet joined the Imperium - suggests that the Sigilite hoped to reconcile with those of the rebel Primarchs who had yet to commit any crimes.  That hope would not survive the year.
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In the Imperial Palace, Malcador met with the Council of Terra to determine a response.  The Council was unanimous.  Rogerius Merrill was declared a Traitor.  The rest of Hektor's Olmer Tribunal (Hektor Cincinnatus, Aubrey The Grey, Cromwald Walgrun, Inferox "The Burned King", Johannes Vrach, and Uriel Salazar) were declared Non-Compliant and instructed to give up their warships.  Finally, Alexandri of Rosskar was appointed Warmaster of the Imperium and given free reign to bring the realm to order.  Alexandri informed the Council that he would use the full extent of his powers to wipe every trace of rebellion from the Galaxy and applauded for his resolve.  He was not merely playing the crowd.  Even before the response of the Olmer Tribunal was announced, the measures Alexandri had employed across the Solar Sector were pronounced over the whole Segmentum Solar.  Officially, the entire population of the Imperium's most densely-settled planets was put under military discipline.  Imperial Discipline-Masters were given a blanket commission to enforce Alexandri's decree and maintain order in the face of Hektor's insubordination.  Finally, Alexandri suspended the Edicts of Nikaea, reasoning that the Librarians would be needed to combat the Black Augurs.  Unfortunately, the ambiguity of "suspending" the Edicts meant that many of the Loyalist Legions did not reform their Librariums until very late in the war.

The Primarchs still gathered on Olmer were not so quick to act.  Hektor and his brothers considered the matter carefully and eventually, with some reluctance, reached their conclusion.  Invoking his authority as the Emperor's Warmaster, Hektor accused Malcador and Alexandri of Treason and Usurpation of the Emperor's authority.  He called on the soldiers of the Imperium to aid in subduing the forces loyal to the Council of Terra.  Aubrey, Cromwald, Inferox, Johannes, and Uriel all pledged their Legions to the cause.  Many of the Space Marines from other Legions present at Olmer declared their forces for Hektor, most notably the Council of Nine who all but ruled the [[Eyes of the Emperor]].  Thus resolved, the Olmer Tribunal disbanded and the rebel Legions set a course for the centre of the Imperium.  Hektor's plan was to move quickly, gathering supplies and reinforcements from the many worlds personally loyal to him in the Segmentum Solar, and strike at Terra before Malcador and Alexandri could prepare a defence.  Were it not for three factors, this bold plan might have succeeded.

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<center>'''DEVOTION OF ILLOBIAN'''</center>
[[File:Octullus.jpg|right|160px]]
The successful raids carried out by the Loyalist forces were not a matter of good luck or the fabled prophetic powers of Shakya Vardhana.  Although the Council of Nine Masters pledged the Eyes to Hektor, Phirun Soun (once the Tenth Master) had no intention of joining the revolt.  A powerful telepath, Soun discovered the Warmaster's plans and seized the Warp Runner ''Devotion of Illobian'' to carry these secrets to his master, Shakya Vardhana.  Armed with inside knowledge, the Vardhana cut Hektor's plan to pieces.
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Firstly, the Council of Nine had over-estimated their control over the Eyes of the Emperor.  Shakya Vardhana and his Disciples returned to the Segmentum Solar and although many officers stayed with the Council, the majority of the ordinary Battle Brothers obeyed their Primarch.  The Vardhana commanded his men to strike at Hektor's supply lines.  The Eyes showed an uncanny knack for discovering and destroying key depots, depriving Hektor of supplies that would have supported a great mass of Auxilia.  Secondly, Alexandri of Rosskar's decrees were heeded on many worlds and Governors who would have assisted Hektor were summarily executed by Discipline Masters who then seized power in the name of Terra.  Although Hektor's forces could have brushed aside the garrisons on such worlds (and likely been welcomed as liberators), the effort would have slowed down their push.  Finally, as Hektor's fleet concentrated at Kuniat at the north of the Parthorum Stream, the Stone Men burst from the Warp and conducted a hit and run naval attack.  While Onyx's ships did little damage before their withdrawal, the appearance of another Loyalist Space Marine Legion close to Terra made it clear that Hektor could not win a quick victory.  Deeply saddened at the prospect of a long war, the Warmaster issued new orders to his troops.  They would fall back from the gates of Terra and establish a cordon around Alexandri's stronghold.  Those Legions that had not declared would be won to Hektor's banner or taken out of the fight.  Then, with his lines secure, the Warmaster's march on humanity's birthplace could resume.

In the Solar Sector, Alexandri made similar plans.  He was in contact with Onyx and the Vardhana and knew that they could be counted on to help defend Terra.  But to win the war against Hektor he needed to gather more allies.  Astropathic communication from far-off Centauri seemed to indicate that the [[Steel Marshals]] would soon join the fight against Hektor and although interference from Cygnus X-1 scrambled signals from [[The Entombed]] it was believed that they would fall in as well.  Though battered, the [[Thunder Kings]] would surely side against Hektor, as would the remnants of the [[Scale Bearers]].  That left three Legions undecided.  The nearest undeclared Legion Homeworld was Tisenjoch, where the bulk of the [[Mastodontii]] were believed to be refitting.  Onyx volunteered to chance the Warmaster's guns and discover [[Tollund Ötztal]]'s true loyalties, before proceeding onwards to [[the Atalantos Worlds]] to recruit [[Arelex Orannis]] and his mighty [[War Scribes]].  As for [[Gaspard Lumey]] and his [[Void Angels]], the most Alexandri hoped is that they would remain in exile.  With his strategy decided, the guardian of Terra directed his Silver Cataphracts and the Vardhana's Eyes of the Emperor to seize a defensive perimeter of systems around Sol.  Although the Traitor ships could bypass planet-bound garrisons, by holding the systems around Sol the defenders of Terra denied their enemies a convenient supply base.

===The Bloody Star===
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<center>'''FROM THE SHADOWS'''</center>
[[File:InvertedIR.jpg|160px|right]]
After their murderous assault at Diamat, the Iron Rangers had not returned to Olmer, but Rogerius Merrill had stayed in contact with Hektor. The two agreed that it would be impolitic to appear together but their loyalty to one another was undamaged by the death of Tiran Osoros. Free from the obligations of maintaining a peaceful facade, Merrill gathered his Legion for war. By the time the Olmer Tribunal concluded and the march on Terra began, the Iron Rangers were ready and becoming impatient.  Merrill's men initially kept a relatively low profile, attacking in advance of Hektor's Legions and paving the way for a Traitor victory. Only after Onyx's raid at Kuniat guaranteed a longer war did the Iron Rangers openly fight alongside their allies.
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''What good can be said of The Voidwatcher? The hive moon of Ostium robbed him of every noble quality that could be found in a man. His tale is not even as much as a tragedy. The Voidwatcher was just a waste.''

- Gaspard Lumey, private correspondence

The Silver Cataphracts and Eyes of the Emperor were surprised by the forces that contested the perimeter with them. Hektor's own Legion and those of the Olmer Tribunal Primarchs had all fallen back to regroup. In their place were the fresh [[Black Augurs]] and [[Iron Rangers]]. While Rogerius Merrill's men were devious and unconventional, they at least fought for comprehensible objectives. The Black Augurs seemingly attacked worlds at random, indifferent to their pronounced loyalties, and focused on slaughter more than battle. Yet as the Voidwatcher's rampage continued, the powerful psykers defending Sol began to sense a terrible disturbance in the Immaterium. Malcador and Shakya Vardhana conferred with the savants of the Astra Telepathica and determined that the Voidwatcher's seemingly random attacks were part of a vast work of sorcery. Once the gathered psykers had determined the next world to be struck, the Vardhana set forth with his Disciples to stop whatever vileness the Black Augurs were hatching.

The Voidwatcher made it to Yu-Jang first, but his Marines were still engaged with the garrison when the Vardhana's warriors began to drop from the skies. Against all military logic, the Black Augurs did not rally to oppose their enemies but instead carried out horrible sacrifices of the civilian population while the Eyes raced to stop them. Eventually the madness on Yu-Jang was confined to the luckless city of Fengdu, where the Voidwatcher himself presided over a carnival of atrocities. Shakya Vardhana led his Disciples in a desperate assault but nothing could have prepared them for the power being channelled through the Voidwatcher. Once in failing health, the traitor Primarch had been revitalised through some unholy bargain and revelled in his new might. The Vardhana was gravely wounded and his men slain, but the Voidwatcher showed a twisted streak of honour. Recalling how Shakya Vardhana had called for mercy at the Council of Nikaea, the lord of the Black Augurs decided to let his brother live - but used foul sorcery to tear away the Vardhana's psychic powers. Despite the cacophony of the Warp Storms the Voidwatcher had conjured into being, telepaths across the Segmentum Solar shuddered at the psychic screams of Shakya Vardhana. Even to those who did not recognise the Primarch's mind, the agony was unmistakable. To Phirun Soun, his gene-father's agony was almost unbearable. The Librarian hastily boarded the ''Devotion of Illobian'' to once more find a way to his lord's side. There was no possibility of saving Shakya Vardhana from the Voidwatcher, but Soun found his crippled gene-sire in the blood-drenched husk of Fengdu and carried him back to Terra.

If the grievous injury to Shakya Vardhana was not bad enough, the Warp Storms created by the Black Augurs would last for years and greatly hampered Warp communications. Astro-telepathy into or out of the Sol Sector was all but impossible. The light of the Astronomican was greatly obscured even in the nearby Sectors of the Segmentum Solar and totally invisible to Navigators in the far Segmenta.  Without a fixed point of reference, Warp travel was dangerous and slow. The Loyalists could rely on short-range Warp beacons, though these were mainly found in the centre of the Imperium where the Astronomican was visible anyway.  Hektor's forces turned to new allies introduced by Aubrey the Grey, the enigmatic Hezeyar. Although the Primarch claimed that the creatures were only psychically gifted Xenos, in truth the Hezeyar owed their abilities to the malign influence of Chaos, their souls long sold to Dark Gods. The corrupting influence of these vile entities would accelerate the moral degeneration of the Legions in Hektor's service, but their affinity for the Warp would also give his forces an important strategic advantage. As has always been the case, those who are too quick to compromise end up compromising themselves.

===Tisenjoch===
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<center>'''THE MADNESS OF TOLLUND ÖTZTAL'''</center>
[[File:Tollund Ötztal.jpg|right|160px]]
What caused Tollund Ötztal to change so dramatically? Some simply say that he was corrupted by Chaos and leave it at that, while other Inquisitors who have investigated the matter believe that the Primarch's gentle nature was merely a facade. But there is some reason to believe that Tollund Ötztal's mind had split at an early age. Remembrancers who visited Tisenjoch were hard-pressed to square the Primarch's account of coming to the planet with a twin brother with the testimony of local people, who said that the Skyborn was a singular entity. If this is so, Tollund Ötztal's alter-ego was a defence mechanism for the challenges of Tisenjoch that turned into his dominant - and terrifying - personality during the mayhem of the Heresy.
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Before the Voidwatcher's spell was completely woven, Onyx the Indestructible had travelled to far-off Tisenjoch in the Segmentum Pacificus. There, he delivered an ultimatum to [[Tollund Ötztal]], the Primarch of the [[Mastodontii]]. There was no neutrality in the developing war. The Emperor needed all of his loyal Space Marines to destroy the Traitorous Hektor Cincinnatus and his gang of villains. Tollund Ötztal did not reply, and though his Praetorians claimed that the Primarch was deeply troubled by the war between his brothers Onyx was unimpressed. Taking the silence as just a ruse to disguise a treacherous heart, Onyx decided to cripple the Mastodontii before they could act against Terra. The Stone Men dropped onto Tisenjoch almost unopposed while the Mastodontii commanders tried to rouse Ötztal to war.

When Tollund took command, he was a new man. The gentle warrior who had striven to keep collateral damage to a minimum was gone, replaced with a sadistic madman. Despite having to organise his defences in haste, Tollund Ötztal employed depraved tactics to unbalance Onyx. Civilians were used as human shields if they were lucky; the less fortunate callously implanted with explosive devices and used as living booby-traps, and fates of the truly luckless are best not discussed. While the material balance never tipped decisively in Tollund's favour, the Stone Men withdrew from Tisenjoch after three long Terran months, vowing that the Mastodontii would be more trouble for their allies than their enemies. During the course of the campaign the Voidwatcher's Warp Storm had intensified and the Navigators of the Stone Men fleet could barely pick out the light of the Astronomican. Undeterred, Onyx insisted that they plot a course across the Segementum Solar to the Atalantos Worlds.  There, he hoped to rouse [[Arelex Orannis]] and his [[War Scribes]] to the Loyalist cause.

The departure of the Stone Men brought no relief to Tisenjoch. Freed of the distraction of invasion, Tollund carried out a great reorganisation of his forces. Those of his gene-sons who had raised objections or even hesitated to carry out his vicious orders suffered slow deaths. The most demented killers from the battle of Tisenjoch were promoted to head new "hunting groups". Then the Legion turned on the human population, systematically tracking down and torturing to death every man, woman, and child they could find. By the time the Mastodontii boarded their shuttles and lifted into orbit, Tisenjoch had been stripped clean of human life.

===The Fires of Narhadul===

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<center>'''A SCRIBE NO LONGER'''</center>
[[File:1443906436221.png|right|200px]]
Wolzhi Steelblood's embrace of the Ruinous Powers came as a bitter surprise.  In the eyes of many, he had served the Imperium loyally for decades and was held in high esteem.  But he was viewed differently among the Arch-Magoi of Mars.  Wolzhi had little time for the spirituality and reverence of the Machine Cult.  He had learnt much "practical knowledge" from the Mechanicum, but his soul was empty of their wisdom.  Over time, the taint of Chaos crept into Wolzhi's hollow vessel, taking hold of his pride, his hope, his fears, and his perfectionism.  Every new "technical achievement" opened the way to deeper damnation.  Without the aegis of the Machine God, his fall was as inevitable as the laws of physics.
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''What separated my fate from that of Inferox? A human being that knows the enemy intends to destroy his or her family, friends, and everything dear will resist with the whole of their being. Therefore, to use terror, one must hold out the prospect of mercy. Inferox did not use terror. Terror used him.''

- Gaspard Lumey, private correspondence

The failure of the [[War Scribes]] to rally to Terra was a mystery.  Arelex Orannis was no friend to the Black Augurs and took accusations of sorcery seriously.  Nor was the Master of the Second Legion inclined to shirk his responsibilities to the Imperium.  Yet when the crisis turned to war, the Atalantos Worlds were undone by treachery most foul.  Wolzhi Steelblood, the Master of the War Scribes Forges, had indoctrinated the majority of his brother TechMarines and the mortal aides who worked with them into the mysteries of the Cosmic Truth.  Although this cult did not openly recognise the Gods of Chaos, it was utterly dedicated to their ends.  Perhaps some of those who followed Wolzhi believed that their actions were merely a drastic measure to prevent the War Scribes' arsenal from being unleashed upon the other Legions, but the Master of the Forges himself was under no such illusions.  He acted at the bidding of the Cosmic Truth when he enacted a plan to sabotage every technological wonder of the Atalantos Worlds, from the Fortress-Ship ''Sol Invictus'' down to the last Volkite gun.

The War Scribes were still reeling from Wolzhi's betrayal when the fleets of Inferox and Aubrey the Grey arrived at the Narhadul system and began their attack.  The Ring-World could not be defended in the void, particularly when the perfidious Dock Lord, Joghal Zash, commanded the few functional War Scribes ships in system to join the Traitors.  The garrison, a full battalion of five thousand War Scribes and their supporting auxilia were brave and determined to resist, but they lacked all of their heavy equipment and were often reduced to personal sidearms such as bolt pistols and chainswords.  Chapter Master Kor'ek Jamad reported that his 54th Chapter, the worst hit on Narhadul, had just 58 bolters and 2 sniper rifles to serve as battle weapons for a thousand Astartes.  With such meagre arms, the defenders of Narhadul could only hope to delay an armada led by two Traitor Primarchs while their Lord Arelex Orannis found some way to send aid.

In orbit far above the adamantium walls of the Basilikon Atalantos, the Primarch of the War Scribes was battling to restore the systems of the ''Sol Invictus'' when he was notified of the attack on Narhadul.  Orannis was immediately aware that he lacked the transports to send substantial reinforcements, but he could not just sit idle.  Although a great army of War Scribes was based on Atalantos itself, only a few thousand Marines were present on each of the other Atalantos Worlds.  If the [[Sons of Fire]] and [[Eternal Zealots]] were free to attack where they willed, half of the War Scribes' strength could be destroyed in detail.  Resolving for swift and decisive action, Orannis and his bodyguard took to the "Silent Scribe", an advanced ''Echo''-class Strike Cruiser, and set a course for Narhadul.  Silent Scribe's stealthy profile allowed her to evade the Traitor Fleets until the final approach to Narhadul, where she was detected by a pair of Eternal Zealot cruisers.  It is a testament to the voidmanship of the War Scribes that Silent Scribe managed to get close enough to teleport Orannis and his men onto Narhadul before fleeing to the outer system.

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<center>'''THE PYRES OF CREMATORIA'''</center>
[[File:Inferox the Burned King.jpg|160px|right]]
Inferox was the second Primarch to join Aubrey's conspiracy.  The lord of the Sons of Fire had travelled to Olmer in a deep despair, feeling that the Imperium was coming to pieces.  He remained in a black mood until after long, private discussions with Aubrey the Grey.  In these talks, the falsity of the Imperial Truth was exposed and Inferox was shown a new way: the way of Chaos.  Before coming to the Atalantos Worlds to unleash the fury of the Ruinous Powers, the Primarch had gathered his Legion at Crematoria to share his revelation.  Those who embraced Chaos most willingly became Inferox's shock troopers.  Those who refused, such as the former Librarians of the Sandaramet, were killed and burned - not always in that order.
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On the surface, the carnage was horrific.  The brave Marines and Auxilia who had defended Narhadul had been slain and three Chapters of Sons of Fire had run amok, putting whole hab-blocks of civilians to the torch to satisfy a yearning they could not yet name.  Inferox was no restraint to his men - he was the most fire-mad among them, revelling in the inferno of destruction.  By contrast, the Eternal Zealots had sated their lust for battle and were engaged in looting the planet's warehouses.  Arelex Orannis longed to take the fight to the insolent invaders and teach them a lesson in person, but he mastered himself and remained focused on his objective.  There was one structure on Narhadul that would have remained beyond Wolzhi Steelblood's saboteurs - the fortified magazine that housed the deadliest munitions of the War Scribes fleet.

Strangely, the War Scribes faced little direct opposition.  A few fire-mad squads of Sons of Fire wandered into their path, but were no match for the Primarch and his Terminator-armoured bodyguard.   Arelex Orannis opened the lock keyed to his unique genetics and psychic imprint and gazed upon the stockpiled weapons, his eyes drawn to the rows of deadly Phosphex torpedoes.  These were world-killers.  Could he kill a world that he had poured so much of his soul into?  The Primarch looked back to the fires and bodies in the streets.  Narhadul was already dying.  Better to stop the torture.  Orannis commanded a few of his men to help rig the torpedoes to detonate while the remainder stood guard.

Setting a watch was a sensible precaution.  Though the Sons of Fire had lost control of themselves, the Eternal Zealots had detected the teleport and Aubrey directed a company of his warriors to investigate.  While Arelex Orannis worked within the magazine, his terminators began to sell their lives in exchange for time to complete the work.  The War Scribes were veterans but their ranks grew thin under the furious assault of Aubrey's gene-sons.  There was no time to set up a delayed detonation.  Orannis looked to Mohxes, the only Librarian who had ever come from the ranks of his Legion, and bade him to signal the Silent Scribe.  Then he detonated the magazine, infecting Narhadul with a vast, deadly green mist.

The pyres set up by the Sons of Fire were nothing compared to the metal-fed Phosphex fires of Narhadul's factories.  Far from the centre of the spreading catastrophe, Aubrey the Grey found Inferox.  The Burned King was so fixated on destruction that he had ceased to heed personal danger and wallowed in the hungry flames.  Aubrey shouted out above the mayhem, telling his brother to make ready for destiny.  Then the Primarch of the Eternal Zealots boarded his shuttle and left Narhadul to its doom.  Inferox only half-heard Aubrey's words, but the approaching Phosphex demanded his full attention.  The destruction of a whole world, gripped by one of the most devastating weapons mankind had ever developed.  This was the purpose of Inferox's life.  It was not beautiful.  It was not pleasurable.  It was simply his essence wrought in the world.  As the Burned King became one with conflagration, the mighty hand of Khorne touched his Champion.  Inferox ascended as the first of the Daemon-Primarchs.

Elsewhere, another son of the Emperor suffered the touch of Phosphex.  Arelex Orannis still lived.  His armour burned, his flesh charred, but he still lived, curled protectively around the personal teleporter housed in his armour's chestplate.  The Primarch would never know how long he endured the fires of Narhadul, but eventually the Silent Scribe managed to dodge its way into range and deliver its master from suffering.  The charred, still burning figure of Arelex Orannis materialised in the cruiser's teleportation bays and croaked one word - ''Airlock''.  The sons of Arelex Orannis did as their father commanded and exposed their father to the Void.  In a hard vacuum, the Phosphex's flames finally went out.

===Death on Caria===
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<center>'''THE CARDINALS OF SEPULCHRA'''</center>
[[File:Entombed icon.jpg|160px|right]]
After he was nearly slain at Ullanor, Golgothos spent a long time regressed to his memories of endless violence on Sepulchra. As the Primarch rambled, Cardinal Obitus recorded his words and was greatly struck by the description of the Emperor as a God. Obitus spread this bizarre creed throughout the Chaplains of the Entombed in the years before the Heresy and the remains of the Legion would embrace it whole-heartedly after the Siege of Terra.
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''Whatever you require, I would be happy to help.  Only do not conduct landings here, for a terrible fate awaits you on the soil of Caria.''

- Uriel Salazar

In the Segmentum Obscurus, [[The Entombed]] had concentrated their forces at their bleak homeworld Sepulchra and awaited the reports of their emissaries to the rival councils.  Cardinal Obitus returned from the Olmer Tribunal to report that Hektor's partisans had tried to convince him to betray the Legion.  The Cardinal claimed to have tactfully refused by saying that he would report back to Golgothos and present the Olmer Primarchs in the best light possible.  The emissary to Terra, Cardinal Eulogos, informed his brother officers that Alexandri of Rosskar was gathering all power into his hands for a total war against Hektor.  Eulogos wondered whether Alexandri would set aside his powers in the end, but could assure the other Entombed that he had been treated honourably.  Primarch Golgothos was more persuaded by the disgraceful attempt to split his gene-sons than the relatively good conduct of Alexandri.  If the Rosskan tried to seize the Imperium after Hektor's defeat, that war could be fought in turn.  Obitus also reported that he had observed logistical plans drawn up at the Olmer Tribunal indicating that [[Uriel Salazar]]'s [[The Justiciars|Justiciars]] would be moving to secure a target on the edge of Cygnus X-1.  The world was designated as Caria and although it seemed to hold no inherent significance the world was close enough to Sepluchra to be used as a staging base.  Golgothos had his doubts about dated and opportune intelligence, but decided to dispatch the Warp Runner "Strix" to investigate.

True to Obitus's reports, Strix found Justiciars ships plying the Caria system.  Most were unarmed transports, no doubt moving Auxilia or supplies, but they were watched over by several of Uriel Salazar's deadly Strike Cruisers.  The Warp Runner also picked up signals from the planet Caria to the Justiciars ships in system that seemed to indicate the presence of a significant garrison.  On its return to Sepulchra, the reports of the Strix hardened Golgothos's resolve.  Whatever friendship he and Uriel had once enjoyed was in the past now.  The Justiciars had taken part in an attack towards Sol in an attempt to depose the Emperor's designated regent and that made them enemies of the Entombed.  If they plotted an attack on Sepulchra, they were fools who should be punished for their insolence!  If they were at Caria for another reason, then it was the duty of the Emperor's Space Marines to foil the plans of the traitors.  Golgothos and his warriors boarded their warships.

In the Caria system, the Entombed warships brushed aside the Justiciars' cruisers and dispatched boarding parties to secure the transports which could not escape.  Orbital picts revealed large supply depots and prepared airfields for shuttles and small craft.  Before Golgothos gave the order to commence landing operations, a signal from the surface came through preceded by the personal identification codes of Uriel Salazar.  The master of the Thirteenth Legion bade his brother welcome to the Caria System and warmly remarked that if Golgothos had needed more transports he could have simply asked.  Uriel politely asked if the Entombed had sufficient supplies and promised to send anything they required up by shuttle, but warned his brother not to send troops to Caria's surface.  Golgothos did not reply.  He simply ordered his troops to prepare to drop into combat.

Initially, the battle for Caria favoured the Loyalists.  The Entombed dropped into the midst of Justiciar concentrations and the Dreadnoughts they so favoured wreaked havoc on Salazar's men.  Although the Justiciars favoured close-quarters fighting, they fell back from the intensity of the Entombed assault and sought cover.  By now, warriors of any other Legion would have been voicing concerns.  The campaign had been too easy, with "fortune" all on the side of the Entombed.  War is almost never so kind, unless the enemy is baiting a trap.  The Entombed are furious in their wrath, but they are no fools.  Golgothos's sons suspected that Salazar had an unpleasant surprise waiting for them and relished the arrival of traitor reinforcements to encircle their landing sites.  Once there were enemies on all sides, the Entombed would have no shortage of targets.

Tragically, Golgothos's warriors were unaware that the surprise attack had been among them the whole time.  The [[Life Bringers]] had seeded Caria with a designer virus, harmless to most organisms but deadly to the Entombed gene-seed.  As the Justiciars withdrew from the battle for the landing sites the virus claimed its first victims.  Battle Brothers of the Entombed reconnaissance squads were sometimes overlooked, but they played an essential role in a Legion that had become so successful at stand-up battle that few foes would face them.  On Caria, the unsealed armour of the reconnaissance squads provided no protection against the Life Bringer's creation.  Within a few minutes, all of the Entombed scouts lay dead.  Before the Legion's Apothecaries could even come to terms with the danger, Power Armoured Space Marines began to sicken and die.  Only the veterans entrusted with Terminator Armour and the honoured fallen interred in the Legion's Dreadnoughts were fully protected.  Standing among the bodies of his dying warriors, Golgothos received another message from Uriel Salazar.  The Justiciars Primarch expressed his regret for what had happened and suggested that Golgothos leave with what was left of his command.  Where others might have gloated, Salazar did not see fit to remind his brother that a warning had been given and promised not to interfere with the evacuation.

For the first time in his life of fierce struggle, Golgothos ordered a retreat.