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Language:
English
Series:
Part 5 of AQUILA
Stats:
Published:
2025-07-25
Completed:
2025-12-28
Words:
188,787
Chapters:
42/42
Comments:
175
Kudos:
38
Bookmarks:
2
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1,135

Glory

Summary:

Following the successful defense of Cosperan from the Drukhari, Caius and his newfound team receive the formal blessing from the Inquisition to go after Hepharion on the planet where it all began: Novrasa, the dead world once home to the heart of Project Apocalypsis Dominus. They head first to Novrasa's twin, the paradise world of Orphis, where they learn that the ghosts which are said to haunt the sister world might be far more sinister than just old stories to frighten children at night.

Pursued by the Kabal of the Screaming Dawn on one side and pursuing Hepharion on the other, the group's problems only mount when Bahad learns that he himself is pursued by the last person he wishes to see. Sent by the Farseers of Ulthwé to hunt down their wayward companion, Autarch Cial-Cadach has tracked Bahad to Orphis and will stop at nothing to bring him back, no matter how vital his role in putting an end to Hepharion's machinations might be.

Armed with time, the group knows that they need to find a way to land on Novrasa and unlock it's secrets before Hepharion, unaware that what they might find there could change everything they know about the project... and themselves.

Chapter 1: Prologue

Notes:

Howdy! It's kind of wild to see that we have already made it to Volume IV of the series, and this is marks the midway point of the series. Being the fourth installment of AQUILA, be sure to go back and catch the first few volumes to be sure you get what's going on if you stumbled here by accident.

To all of my return readers, welcome back! Volume IV is one of my favorite ones in the planning phase since we start answering a lot of the big questions I'm sure you've developed as we've gone on, so I'm really excited to get the chance to share them with you! This story also marks the halfway point through AQUILA which is insanely exciting to me as well. This fanfiction series has been a labor of love, and it's been so much fun writing it and getting to share it with all of you. This one is shaping up to potentially be as long if not longer than Renegade, so I hope you are all ready for a long one.

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope that you enjoy Glory!

Chapter Text

....

.....

........Waking up.... The sounds of gunfire... Of brothers dying...

"That does not matter! We have no time!"

"How many can board the shuttle?"

"Valerian..."

"Answer the question, Devantis. How. Many?"

"...Approximately eighty, not counting the Mechanicus staff needed to ensure the shuttle remains functional."

Silence. Deafening.

"There is not room on that shuttle for all of us. Some will have to remain behind."

"Then I am staying with you-!"

"No."

"Then get on in my place!"

"No. I am the Legate in charge. I will be the last Astarte to leave this place."

"Valerian-!"

"Lord Guilliman entrusted the safety of this place to me, and in turn, your Primarchs entrusted you to me. I will not hear anything more. You will board the shuttle and get to Lord Guilliman if you can. He must know what has happened here. Someone must be sent to retrieve..."

An explosion... Optical sensors still offline, loading in...

"Legate, they are breaching the doors. I estimate we have approximately fifteen minutes at most. A majority of the Tech-brothers remained with them."

"Devantis. Go."

"Valerian, you... You will not survive! I will not leave you!"

"I gave you an order, Devantis."

"Damn the order-!"

A loud sound, metal on metal, and something heavy hits the floor.

"Get him on the shuttle, Calphas."

"Legate, we should be with you."

"I know that World Eaters do not flee combat, but right now, you are needed to protect them. Let them leave with our blood on their hands. It will not be so easy to justify to their Primarchs... or mine."

That voice... Not the Legate. No, that was the Salamander... What was his name? How could I have forgotten his name?

But Valerian... Valerian, I could never forget.

He says my name... What... What was my name? "I know that you are not fully awakened, but we are out of time. Follow Tech-brother Verullus."

I should be staying. Staying with my brothers. I do not remember what I said...

"You have protected us for long enough, Big Brother. Now it is time for us to protect you."

I did not want to leave them... I should have stayed. Maybe if I had... Would they still live?

"Legate! They're at the final door!"

"Is the shuttle away yet?"

"Barely..."

"Then we hold the line. I will not ask you to die for me here..."

The door closed between us, I could not hear the rest. I do not remember Verullus' face or even his voice now, but I remember that he was kind. He put me in here... put me to sleep. It will be alright, he told me. I wanted to believe him, I truly did... 

Everything... Everything after that is cold...

I miss my brothers. I miss Macragge. I miss my Father. I am so alone here in this place...

When I finally go back to sleep...

I do not want to wake up again.