"You're awake! Can you listen calmly now, instead of acting all rebellious and ready to betray the Imperium?" Rhodes said to the white-haired old man before him.
This old guy must be five or six hundred years old! He was already Chapter Master during the first Tyranid War.
In terms of real age, he was even older than Primarch Guilliman.
Guilliman slept for ten thousand years but only lived a few hundred among mortals.
Among Space Marine veterans, Calgar's age was second only to Dante of the Blood Angels.
Dante is over 1,500—an extreme age even for Space Marines, but no one can match Rhodes' gene-sons in lifespan.
Belisarius Cawl estimated Rhodes' gene-sons wouldn't reach middle age until 3,000, with a combat lifespan of five to six thousand years.
Gomora's lifespan was a hundred million years; as for Bemstar, it couldn't even be calculated—he's a cosmic monster.
"I—I'm very sorry, my lord Primarch! You should have revealed your identity earlier," Calgar stammered.
He hadn't expected to be taken down so easily. Upon waking, Calgar was furious and wanted to fight back.
How dare you ambush Chapter Master Calgar of the Ultramarines? Do you know who I am?
He'd never backed down from fighting Tyranids, Orks, or Chaos.
His only concern was for his gene-father. After being knocked out, he didn't know if the rest of the Ultramarines could hold out.
But upon waking, he found the Librarian looking speechless at him.
Tigurius pressed the agitated Calgar down and explained, pointing to the imposing figure chatting with Rhodes.
The moment Calgar saw that figure, he immediately calmed down—as if seeing a god!
Since his first day as an Ultramarine, donning blue armor, entering the grand temple to pay respects to his gene-father, and becoming Chapter Master, he'd dreamed of seeing his gene-father awaken.
But that seemed impossible—his gene-father had slept for ten thousand years, outlasting countless Chapter Masters. He wasn't particularly special.
Yet, he was the one to witness his gene-father's return—what an honor!
They awakened the other Ultramarines, and Calgar eagerly came to the energy field, hoping to see his father.
But before even meeting the gene-father, he encountered the new Primarch who knocked him out.
"Honestly, at your age, you're still so impulsive. Luckily I was here to knock you out—otherwise, you'd have caused trouble. If you'd messed up Guilliman's resurrection, could you take responsibility? Even with ten thousand lives! Be grateful I knocked you out," Rhodes scolded Calgar.
"I—I'm very sorry, great Primarch, thank you for knocking me out and healing my limbs," Calgar said awkwardly. He'd been beaten up, but his body was now better than ever—his severed limbs had regrown thanks to new medical tech.
"Good, that's better. Remember, I'm disciplining you for your father! So you won't ruin things by being impulsive in the future," Rhodes said.
"I—I understand, but, Primarch! You really should have revealed your identity from the start. If you had, I…" Calgar began.
"And then what? Told you I needed to stab your father in the neck first to revive him—would you have agreed?" Rhodes replied.
Calgar opened his mouth but was speechless. If the new Primarch had revealed himself but needed to kill his gene-father to resurrect him, he'd never have agreed.
Maybe getting beaten up was worth it! Not only did he save his gene-father, but his limbs grew back.
Tigurius, suppressing laughter, looked at his Chapter Master.
He hadn't seen Calgar so embarrassed in years—being scolded like a child was satisfying!
He even wanted to take a photo. The two had known each other since youth—only he could tease Calgar.
Calgar could only hang his head—he'd been thoroughly beaten and scolded.
Though he was annoyed, he couldn't vent it. He planned to go back and scold some new Scouts to get it out of his system.
"Looks like you're up to date on the situation," Rhodes said.
The Ultramarines knocked out by the Custodes and Sisters had woken up and left. The situation was no longer dire!
Otherwise, Calgar would never have time to wait here for his gene-father.
"Thank you for your army's help, Lord Rhodes! The Chaos fleet is under control, your troops are striking everywhere, and Chaos is barely resisting. All of Ultramar owes you gratitude," Calgar said respectfully.
Though only a few hours had passed, Rhodes' army had deployed everywhere using FTL drives, purging Chaos from all 500 worlds of Ultramar.
All the reports were good news—Chaos defeated everywhere.
Chaos on Macragge was being wiped out, and Calgar had sent the Ultramarines to help.
"Guilliman is communicating with the Emperor in a special way—don't disturb him. When he's done, he'll meet his gene-sons," Rhodes said.
"I understand, great Primarch Rhodes. I've prepared the most luxurious guest room for you—please, stay there," Calgar said respectfully.
"Wait a bit—I still have much to discuss with Guilliman. You'd better prepare more rooms—you'll soon have 200,000 brothers moving in," Rhodes said.
Two hundred thousand new Ultramarines is no small number. Calgar had to be ready.
"Two hundred thousand brothers! Lord Rhodes, what do you mean?" Calgar asked.
A new Primarch with over 500,000 new Astartes—a force on a legion scale. Is the entire Imperium about to change?
"I've already discussed it with your gene-father. The Codex Astartes he wrote ten thousand years ago no longer fits this era.
We'll soon reform it, restoring the legion system. Before Guilliman's duel with Fulgrim, he gave Cawl two tasks: revive him and train a new generation of Astartes. Cawl has secretly done this, and the army is ready.
You're not overly stubborn—you must know the Imperium is beset on all sides now. Restoring the legions is essential," Rhodes said.
"You're right, Lord Rhodes. I fully support this. If you and my gene-father agree, I, Calgar, will set an example.
I'll be the first to abandon the chapter system, and set an example for all old Astartes," Calgar said.
"Your example doesn't stop there.
You also need to persuade all Ultramarines to accept Primaris Astartes surgery. It will make you stronger—you must lead by example," Rhodes said.
In the canon, Calgar was the first classic Space Marine to become Primaris.
"I will, Lord Rhodes! May I ask if Titus has already undergone the surgery?" Calgar asked.
"Yes! He was in the first batch and now has my gene-seed. He wasn't comfortable in your chapter—everyone shunned him," Rhodes said.
"I understand. The Ultramarines failed Titus. Lord Rhodes, he's an excellent warrior—please take care of him," Calgar said.