The initial steps of the campaign to reclaim their territory had begun. Macragge was finally cleansed of Chaos control. Roboute Guilliman was eager to push forward, driven by an intense desire to expel the forces of Chaos from the Ultramar sector completely.
However, the troops he commanded desperately needed a break to reorganise and secure their positions. Thousands of injured soldiers required medical care, and hundreds of combat vehicles needed extensive repairs. And someone had to keep track of everything, check all the inventories, make sure the supplies were filled and ready.
Guilliman was smart enough to recognise this and granted his followers the necessary breathing room. Not only that, but he also had recognised the sheer brilliance that was Gerhard and 'Excel', and almost couldn't get his mind off of it. It was just so brilliant in his mind, and he felt like a child again.
Gerhard smiled knowingly to the side after explaining the intricate details of how one should use it or how it was intended to be used. He thought he was brilliant as well, but for another reason.
By introducing this marvel of ages past, he believed that he wouldn't have to do as much. All in all, quite a good plan.
Sadly, he wasn't dealing with an idiot. He was dealing with a transhuman logistics genius demigod. Instead of taking over, Guilliman officially tasked someone with handling the 'technology' and ensuring everything was working as intended, giving him time to focus on other matters and speeding up the entire preparation and rebuilding process.
And who was that lucky guy or woman...?
"Fuck...!"
Gerhard was the most obvious and logical choice. There was, however, a bit of a problem.
Gerhard didn't really have much say or 'weight' on Macragge. Sure, he was seen next to the Primarch by those inside the temple when he absolutely ploughed through Chaos Space Marines, but the other thousands upon thousands of people... welll, they didn't really see the 'mortal' as anything special.
Gerhard's inquiries and demands were ignored or 'sabotaged' in ways, and he wasn't really taken all that seriously. He could have forced them, but that wouldn't have shown him in a positive light, would it?
And he also wasn't going to run to Daddy Guilliman to tell on them. Nah, Gerhard, while he was an amicable dude, had lived in this reality long enough, and was smart enough, thanks to his high INT, to solve this himself.
But how?
When you're going to prison, what do you do to make sure that no one tries to bend you over and 'fill the hole'? You look for the biggest, baddest s.o.b. and smash his face in until he can't breathe anymore and then smile to show the others that that would happen to them as well.
And while he wasn't going to challenge Roboute, the next best thing was Marneus Calgar, who, while he had seen Gerhard's martial prowess, didn't really respect him all that much either. He was suspicious, and whatever else he thought of Gerhard, he was a good place to start.
Gerhard started to 'provoke' the old Chapter Master, asking him questions, wanting to know things, being nosy, and acting a bit arrogant or ignorant, and all that. He pushed Calgar more and more, knowing that the pressure would cause him to explode at some point.
And that's what happened.
Gerhard manipulated the setting perfectly, ensuring it was during an official meeting where many of the Ultramarines' higher echelons were present.
"No, that won't work," Gerhard said, shooting down an idea from Calgar.
It was like the tenth time he'd done that, and now the veteran had had enough. He smashed his massive, bare fist onto the data-screen, cracking the reinforced glass, and pointed a thick finger directly at Gerhard's chest.
The strategium went dead silent. Space Marine Captains, high-ranking Chapter serfs, and logistics officers all froze, their eyes darting between the towering Lord Macroragge and the seemingly ordinary mortal who had been riding his nerves for the past hour.
"Enough!" Calgar's voice boomed, rattling the heavy iron light fixtures above. "You sit there, a mortal granted unearned authority, sneering at thousands of years of Ultramarines tactical doctrine! You mock the logistics that have sustained this sector for millennia. I have tolerated your insolence out of respect for the Primarch, but I will not have my commanders' plans dismantled by a petulant bureaucrat!"
Gerhard didn't flinch. In fact, a slow, entirely calm smile spread across his face. He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head in a display of utter relaxation that only infuriated the Space Marines further.
"Do you think you can do it better?" Gerhard asked, his voice a smooth, infuriating contrast to Calgar's rage.
He tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with calculated mischief.
"If my presence and my methods offend your ancient traditions so deeply, former Chapter Master... then you can always challenge me for the position. Right here. Right now. Let's see if that legendary doctrine translates to an unarmored victory."
A collective gasp echoed through the room. Challenging the veteran Space Marine, Marneus Calgar, at that was madness. Doing it as a regular-sized human, even one who had fought well in the shrine when he had armour, seemed like a death wish.
No one truly believed that Gerhard was as powerful as it appeared. Who could he? The Blank presence he projected made it hard to keep track of him and messed with senses. Also, they were incredibly prideful.
Calgar stared at him, his jaw clenched so tightly the grinding of the teeth could be heard. His eyes moved to Roboute, who was watching all of this and nodded, and then back to Gerhard.
"A duel. No armour. Standard practice weapons. You wish to be humbled, mortal? Follow me to the cage. Let us see how your arrogance holds up when you aren't hiding behind our Lord's shadow."
The Chapter's primary apothecarion-adjacent training ring was quickly cleared. Word had spread like wildfire through the Fortress of Hera, and the upper viewing galleries were packed with hundreds of Space Marines, all eager to see the upstart mortal put in his place.
In the centre of the sand-covered pit stood Marneus Calgar. Even stripped of his towering Terminator armour, clad only in a simple white sparring tunic and trousers, he was a mountain of a man. His skin was a roadmap of service studs, horrific scars, and cybernetic ports. In his right hand, he held a heavy, weighted steel sparring sword, blunt, but more than capable of shattering bones.
On the opposite side, Gerhard stretched his neck, wearing similar simple grey athletic clothes. He picked up an identical steel practice blade, balancing it casually in his hand. Unlike the angry Calgar, he looked utterly relaxed and ready.
Without the Praetor suit or his anti-warp shotgun, Gerhard looked entirely outmatched. Using [Observe] showed that Calgar's stats were overwhelming: a towering beast of pure physical dominance with a staggering 135 Strength and 145 Vitality. Gerhard's physical stats were lower, but appearances could be deceiving.
Calgar relied entirely on physical might, his Astartes training, and centuries of experience. Gerhard had an ungodly 259 INT, 171 WIS, and the cold awareness of [Gamer's Mind]. But not only that, his base stats of 120 STR and 122 VIT weren't that much lower, now that both of them were without armour.
"First to yield, or first disabled," Calgar grunted, taking an unbreakable defensive stance. "I will not break you completely, boy. But you will learn your place."
"Big words from a big man. Less talking, more swinging," Gerhard smirked.
Roboute acted as the referee in this bout.
Calgar exploded into motion. For a man of his size, his speed was terrifying. He closed the distance in a fraction of a second, bringing the heavy steel blade down in a brutal, overhead arc meant to smash Gerhard's guard, break quite a few bones and end the fight instantly.
To the Astartes crowd, it looked fast, but still normal. To the mortals who got a glimpse, it looked like a blur. To Gerhard, it was nothing special.
Gerhard didn't even bother trying to parry a blow backed by 135 Strength. Funny enough, as soon as Calgar initiated the fight, Gerhard's physical stats went up by 30 due to the blessing of Gork and Mork.
He slipped to the left, the heavy steel blade missing his shoulder by a millimetre and slicing through the air with a loud whoosh.
Before Calgar could recover his momentum, Gerhard stepped into the Chapter Master's guard. He didn't use his sword to slash; he used his fist, driving it with pinpoint accuracy directly into the nerve cluster beneath Calgar's right armpit.
BANG!
Calgar grunted, his right arm momentarily losing feeling. The legendary Ultramarine reacted instantly, spinning to unleash a devastating left-hand backfist that would have decapitated a normal human. But Gerhard was already gone, ducking under the sweeping arm and delivering a sharp, agonising kick to the back of Calgar's left knee.
The giant stumbled forward, his balance broken.
The viewing gallery went dead silent. The Chapter Master had missed twice, and the mortal hadn't even been touched.
Calgar roared, turning around with a sweeping low strike meant to clear the zone. Gerhard anticipated the trajectory perfectly. He hopped over the blade with effortless grace, and while in mid-air, he spun, bringing his practice sword down in a lightning-fast strike across Calgar's exposed forearm.
WHACK-!
The steel blade bit deep into muscle. Calgar's grip almost failed, and his practice sword almost clattered into the sand. But he was a serious beast; no one would question that. There was a reason Calgar had been Chapter Master for as long as he had.
Refusing to quit, Calgar lunged forward to grapple, intending to use his massive weight to crush Gerhard into the dirt. But Gerhard had sparred against Sisters of Silence, Lencillus, who was now one of the strongest Custodes after Gerhard's healing and even the Eldar.
He deflected Calgar's extended wrist, used the Space Marine's own rushing momentum against him, and punched Calgar's midsection.
[Divergent Fist]
BOOOM-BOOOM-!!
The entire training pit shook as Marneus Calgar slammed hard against the wall and then onto his face in the sand, the breath completely exploding from his lungs.
Gerhard had made sure not to use too much Mana, as that would have killed the man quite easily, in fact. He was still trying to achieve that perfect strike, where Divergent Fist would evolve.
Before the Chapter Master could even attempt to roll over, the cold tip of Gerhard's steel sparring sword was resting directly against his throat.
The silence in the arena was absolute. Hundreds of Space Marines stared down in sheer, unadulterated shock. The great Marneus Calgar, hero of a hundred warzones, who had fought a Tyranid Swarmlord and endless Chaos spawn, had been completely dismantled in less than two minutes by an unarmored 'mortal'.
Gerhard held the pose for three seconds, ensuring every single eyewitness absorbed the image. He had established his dominance. He had shown them that he wasn't someone to be ignored, sabotaged, or trifled with.
Then, the cold, arrogant smirk vanished from Gerhard's face, replaced by a warm, respectful smile.
He threw the sword away and reached out his hand.
"You're as tough as the rumours say, Lord Calgar," Gerhard said, his voice carrying clearly across the silent arena, completely devoid of mockery. "If you had your armour and the Gauntlets of Ultramar and hadn't underestimated me, I'd be a red smear on the wall. It's an honour to test my limits against a legend."
Calgar lay in the sand for a moment, his chest heaving as his dual hearts hammered against his ribs. He looked at the offered hand, then up at Gerhard's face. He saw no mockery there, only a fierce, proud camaraderie and a tactical mind that had played him beautifully. But he also saw genuine warmth and care in those eyes.
Calgar realised exactly what Gerhard had done. The mortal needed respect to do his job, and he had taken it the old-fashioned way.
A low, rumbling chuckle started deep in Calgar's chest. He reached up, his massive hand clamping around Gerhard's forearm, and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.
"You are a terrifyingly deceitful man, Gerhard. And a monstrous fighter," Calgar said, brushing the sand from his shoulders, a look of hard-earned respect in his eyes.
He turned to face the stunned gallery of his Captains.
"Listen well! This man handles the logistics and the new technology by command of our Primarch, and by right of the ring. Anyone who delays his requests answers to me. Clear?"
A resounding chorus of "Understood!" echoed through the large hall.
Gerhard smiled. He had enjoyed their little bout, despite being a bit exasperated that he had to waste time with it.