Altareus
Altareus was an Intercessor in the Ultramarines' Combat Squad Damocles, which was part of the Chapter's 2nd Company.[1a]
History
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The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: | Space Marine II |
The Squad was originally under the command of Sergeant Gadriel, when the 2nd Company aided in the defense of the Tyranid invaded Recidious System. However after Demetrian Titus was reinstated into the Ultramarines as a Lieutenant, the Company's Captain, Sevastus Acheran, gave Titus command of Damocles. He then charged the Squad with re-securing the Orbital Defence Cannons on Kadaku, which had been swarmed by Tyranids, so that the Imperial forces in the System could finish the evacuation of the doomed world. The Cadian 8th had been tasked with protecting the Cannons, until the Tyranids began overwhelming them and the Regiment was forced to retreat. When the Thunderhawk Absolver, deployed the Squad at the Cadians' new location, they met with Major Sarkaana who informed them of the situation.[1a]
Upon learning that the Tyranids were continuing to launch assaults against the Regiment, Titus charged the Squad member Lyreo with helping the Cadian 8th secure their location, with the aid of Altareus and Elion. The Lieutenant, meanwhile would take Gadriel and Chairon to reclaim the Orbital Defence Cannons. Once the area was secure, though, the three were to rejoin Titus and aid in reclaiming the Cannons. However before they could do so, Captain Sevastus Acheran gave Lyreo, Altareus and Elion new orders to carry out on Kadaku. The Intercessor informed Titus of this and stated the Lieutenant's group would have to reclaim the Cannons on their own.[1a] As they carried out their Captain's orders, though, the three were swarmed by Hormagaunts and Elion became separated from the others. After Altareus and Lyreo defeated the Tyranids, they discovered that he had been killed during the battle. Some type of Tyranid had put a hole clean through Elion's head, which a sorrowful Lyreo shared with Titus after both of their missions had been completed.[1b]
Shortly after this, Captain Sevastus Acheran ordered Combat Squad Damocles to return to Kadaku and evacuate an important asset to the Battle Barge Resilient. This turned out to be the Archmagos Nozick Beta-12, who had been working on a secret project and refused to leave until he collected data from his invaded facility. Thanks to the efforts of the 8th Cadian and other Ultramarines, the Archmagos had been taken from there before the Tyranids could harm him and then secured within an Astra Militarum base, where the Thunderhawk Absolver touched down at. After talking to Nozick, Titus learned that the Archmagos' data would have to be manually transmitted to him, by someone within the facility. The Lieutenant took on the task with the aid of Gadriel and Chairon, while leaving Altareus and Lyreo to guard the Archmagos. The base was later under attack by the Tyranids, when Nozick successfully received the data from Titus. Though they were still near the facility, the Lieutenant told Lyreo to quickly board the Absolver and evacuate the Archmagos to the Resilient. The order was obeyed at once, and the two Intercessors left with Nozick aboard the Thunderhawk, along with the Archmagos' research.[1b]
However before they could get far, the Thunderhawk was wracked with explosions and began to crash. No one on the ground has seen what had hit the Absolver, but it had landed in an area held by the Tyranids. When Titus, Gadriel and Chairon reached the Thunderhawk,[1b] they could see that everyone aboard it had died.[1c] This had been no accident, though, as the Absolver's remains were daubed with the markings of Chaos, along with the name of Imurah and Nozick had been purposely impaled upon a part the Thunderhawk's wreckage.[1b] It was soon discovered, that this had been the work of the Thousand Sons Sorcerer Lord Imurah, who then launched his own invasion of the Recidious System.[1d]
