Chapter 48: Macador Heavy Tank

"My Lord!"

Loken seemed to have made a sudden decision, snapping his head up.

"There is one more thing I hope you will see."

"Hmm?"

Soshyan looked at him with doubt, but ultimately nodded.

Loken then led him to the entrance of Warehouse No. 1. After taking a deep breath, the Tech-Priest opened the doors.

"This is..."

As the heavy metal doors slowly creaked open, a row of lighting spheres mounted on the warehouse ceiling lit up one by one, allowing twelve roaring steel behemoths to emerge from the darkness. It felt as if Soshyan had stumbled into a predator's den and inadvertently awakened them.

Each of these metal monsters possessed a scale far exceeding that of a Leman Russ heavy tank.

Soshyan stepped into the warehouse, observing them closely. These massive, blue-gray hulks, standing 8 meters high and 5 meters wide, were covered in rivets and mounting bolts. The tracks alone were as wide as a man, and the diamond-shaped turret housed a main cannon as thick as an Astartes' torso, gleaming with a dark, oily sheen under the lights like the fangs of a beast.

"...I have never seen this type of tank."

"They are Macarthur Heavy Tanks, an almost forgotten ancient model. Currently, only the 'Macarthur II' remains in production. They were also my mentor's pride."

Loken stepped forward and stroked the steel behemoth, with a tenderness as if he were caressing a lover.

The Macarthur Heavy Tank was an extremely ancient design. Many believed it was even a predecessor to the Leman Russ, but since the Horus Heresy, it had become rare within the Imperial military; few even knew such a tank existed.

In many regions of the Imperium, the Macarthur Heavy Tank had been completely decommissioned since the end of the Heresy, leading to the prejudice that it was a heretical, localized armored vehicle of certain fringe sectors.

However, during the Age of the Great Crusade, it had been standard equipment for many mortal auxiliary forces.

As time passed, the small number of Macarthur Heavy Tanks still serving in the Imperium were either withdrawn to strategic reserves, moved to planetary interiors and various "secondary fronts," or kept by certain Imperial Guard regiments as a matter of tradition.

Most Forge Worlds no longer produced new Macarthur hulls or improved variants. As for the exact origin and provenance of the Macarthur Heavy Tank, even the Adeptus Mechanicus found it difficult to trace.

Most believed the vehicle was named after the sigil-patterned Macarthur—but as an early personal advisor to the Emperor himself, he was an extremely secretive figure.

This very reason was used by certain theorists to claim that the tank design likely originated during the chaotic years immediately following the outbreak of the Horus Heresy.

Because of the desperate need for combat materiel during that era—after all, too much had been lost in the war, including knowledge and production capacity, to the point where even ancient Land Raiders had become the exclusive domain of the Astartes.

Therefore, even something like the Macarthur was likely unearthed and mass-produced for emergency use.

However, like most things born of turbulent eras, they became shrouded in mystery.

Despite being designed to serve as main battle tanks, the original Macarthur models were larger and heavier than the well-known Leman Russ.

The tank itself was extremely durable due to its massive size and heavy armor. It featured a powerful main gun mounted on a turret with limited firing arcs, and two secondary weapon points that could be fitted with heavy flamer machine guns, heavy bolters, lascannons, or small autocannons.

But due to its antiquity, the design had certain limitations, which were particularly evident when compared to the smaller Leman Russ.

The first issue was the weapon's field of fire. Due to the tank's massive hull, heavy armor, and additional weaponry, the firing arcs of all weapons were restricted. The main and secondary turrets, unable to rotate simultaneously, proved extremely ineffective during the chaos of a line penetration, a weakness enemy infantry could easily exploit.

Even so, experienced commanders would integrate infantry with the tanks to compensate.

However, the second flaw—the weakness of the engine—was much harder to overcome.

The main engine of the Macarthur Heavy Tank was an ancient combustion power engine, a variant used in many industrial and agricultural heavy machines. Unfortunately, the size and weight of the Macarthur Heavy Tank overloaded it.

This resulted in abysmal logistical performance and extremely poor fuel efficiency.

If one sought to further increase engine power, it inevitably meant increasing the tank's tonnage—because the only way to increase power was to add more engines.

Simply put, the design of the Macarthur Heavy Tank was caught in a vicious cycle of diminishing returns.

This was perhaps the true reason it had been abandoned.

"...My mentor was constantly improving the Macarthur Heavy Tank. He removed the secondary turret, designed a new independent turret to give the main gun sufficient field of fire, and replaced the engine with his improved composite power engine, which is capable of making the Macarthur run as fast as a Leman Russ."

As Loken provided his introduction, Soshyan was observing the model himself.

Just as the man said, the Macarthur Heavy Tank before him indeed possessed only one main turret capable of 180-degree rotation, which set it apart from most Imperial armor. Furthermore, the front of the hull had been cut into a 50-degree slope, taking the already thick armor to a new level of defensive capability.

As for secondary weapons, there was a heavy bolter on the front of the hull and an external autocannon on each side. This design reduced the required crew by two, allowing it to operate with only 4 to 5 men.

Soshyan admitted that the improved Macarthur Heavy Tank was a reliable weapon, and might even perform better than a Leman Russ in breakthrough operations or war of attrition.

After all, it held advantages in tonnage and defense, and its potential for further improvement was immense.

But the key question was: what did Loken want to do?

"Priest Loken."

Soshyan withdrew his gaze from the Macarthur Heavy Tank and turned toward the incessantly chattering Tech-Priest.

"What is the meaning of bringing me here to see these?"

Loken's shoulders visibly stiffened, and he slowly turned around.

A forced, rigid smile squeezed onto his face as he said

"My... My Lord, after hearing of the great deeds of your Chapter, I... I also wish to make a contribution to the Imperium."

"These are not our property, nor are they yours."

Soshyan stared at Loken, his voice gradually darkening.

Under the piercing gaze of the Space Marine, Loken's psychological defenses finally collapsed. He hung his head like a child who had done something wrong and stammered

"I... well... on your ship... there is... there is still one Tech-Priest missing..."

With his head bowed, Loken did not see the faint smile that appeared on Soshyan's face.

It was exactly as he had suspected.

"You are afraid of accountability?"

"No, no, no! It's not about accountability! They will only seek revenge! They hate my mentor, and they hate me! They won't let this opportunity pass!"

Loken looked up, his tongue tripping over itself in his nervousness.