An especially heartwrenching scene that doubles as a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming. Captain Cortez saves a mother and her children (one of whom is just a baby) from being murdered by Orks. Chapter Master Pedro Kantor is less than pleased with this development, as there are (to his knowledge) only a dozen or so Crimson Fists left after the destruction of their monastery, and they cannot afford to bring refugees along. But Kantor says that the family can tag along as long as they can keep pace with the Space Marines, which anyone will tell you is no small feat. After a while, the mother becomes tired and unable to keep up. Kantor moves to the back of the column, to (as the reader is led to believe) "grant her the final mercy." As he kneels next to the mother with his wrist-mounted storm bolter pointed disturbingly close to her head, we believe he's going to kill her. Then, after the mother pants that she tried, but her children were just so heavy, Kantor (who, I feel the need to stress, did not want her there in the first place) replies with the following:
It further exemplifies why the Space Marines are held up as legends and saviors as well. The stories are born of deeds such as this. By the people they save. Which means there is still hope if there are survivors in this horrible galaxy.
The Siege of Castellax
The slave Yuxiang, who has started a rebellion against the Iron Warriors and watched it fail as one Iron Warrior kills all his friends and comrades and starts hunting him, is caught in an avalance and emerges unharmed. And then sees that Skintaker Algol, the most brutal Iron Warrior overlord on the planet, has been trapped and cannot get to him. He then executes Algol, telling him that sometimes even a man can kill a god, and avenges his comrades by making Algol die like a slave and not a warrior. Doubles as a Moment of Awesome and Heartwarming Moment.
Blood and Fire
The entire plot of the novella; The plot is set after the infamous Hive Helsreach battle and features Chaplain Grimaldus coming to the aid of the Celestial Lions Chapter. Bit of backstory here; the Celestial Lions are a Chapter that once took part in a battle against Chaos that the Inquisition ended early by Exterminatus. The Lions were horrified as this killed millions of innocents and they felt they could have saved them, so they call out the Inquisition for it. Even when the High Lords ignore them they don't stop, demanding the Inquisition be held accountable for a massacre. Things gradually turn against them as accidents in battle and disappearances of Chapter command whittle them down, until Armageddon where faulty intel and unusually accurate sniper attacks leave less than 100 of them alive. The last Apothecary in the Chapter is killed just as they reach safety, by someone shooting him in the temple with a drill-las. The Chapter is convinced they are doomed and resolve to die with their fallen brothers. Until Grimaldus says screw that! and leads the entire army of Hive Helsreach to support the Lions in avenging their honour against Ork Warboss Thogfang, which the Lions Pride-Leader Dubaku manages to kill. After this he orders the Lions to return to their home and start rebuilding, which is made easier when High Marshall Helbrecht arrives and gives Dubaku, the new Chapter Master, an ancient suit of Power Armour from the Heresy, a Strike Cruiser and an elite detatchment of Black Templars to help rebuild this Chapter that put honour and what is right over their own existence. For once in 40k a story where honour and justice prevailed and the guys who did the right thing were rewarded for it, but sweet Emperordid they have to earn it
Additionally, there's the implication that due to the Templar's support the Celestial Lions will be able to rebuild properly, as the Inquisition learned the last time what happens when they mess with a First/Second Founding chapter with the First Battle for Armageddon. Especially when they're a chapter that is extremely close to each other, like the Black Templars and the Space Wolves.
Fall of Damnos
There's something really heartwarming in the way humans and Space Marines become Fire-Forged Friends. Jynn and Scipio quickly shift into First-Name Basis and slowly grow on each other, while Ialus accidentally refers to human Falka as battle-brother and the two start calling each other Brother-Angel and Brother-Soldier.
Helsreach
At the end, Grimaldus's final thought:
Hero of Helsreach, the crowd cheers. As if there is only one.
