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I think for a real challenge it would have to be something more like - a Company of Space Marines against an Alien Intelligence if we wanted to go the Rifts route. A company is 10 space marines.

I have done a full conversion of the Warhammer 40k Deathwatch RPG into Rifts because my players did not want to learn a new system and after basically going through everything in both books to find some semblance of balance I am going to just say... it depends... but here are arguments for both sides. I am a fan of both Warhammer 40k and Rifts.

First, we have to take a look at the men inside. The Astartes (Space Marine) is far beyond the peak of a mortal man. Before becoming a Space Marine, as a human, he was one of the greatest specimens of an entire planet. Literally bred for his role, the human would go through trial after trial before reaching victory and after that he would be taken away from his world to the stars. Becoming a Space Marine requires years of surgeries to become a supernatural creature with a ceramic "mega-damage" skeleton. This peak condition human would become an 7-8 foot tall powerhouse with the weakest Space Marine able to lift 1.7 tons. A full fledged space marine is usually 60 years old or older... many are centuries old and according to novels, they could be immortal if war didn't kill them.

The Glitterboy pilot, at best... is merely human and probably not the greatest human on the planet but to make them near - let's say that this particular human is olympian - nearly the peak of human perfection.

Ok. So looking at the two men as what they are without armor - the Astartes Space Marine is far superior. Did I mention his Larraman's Organ can clot non-mortal wounds in seconds?

Let's take a look at the Power Armor? The Glitterboy, of course has the Boom Gun. A monster of a cannon but he has to hit. One thing that the Astartes has is near acrobatic perfection and full reactive mobility - his armor is his body. There is an implant called a Black Carapace that links the two inseparably in mind and body. Now, the Power Armor that the Space Marine uses is about 30,000+ years from the time the Glitterboy was made, utilizing technology that is not even in existence on Rifts Earth. As a matter of fact, the Glitterboy cannon might simply knock the Space Marine down without penetration. Why? The Power Armor the Space Marine has is "completely enclosed, combat armor composed of adamantium and plasteel plates encased in a ceramite ablative layer'. In Warhammer (in the year 40,000 A.D.) adamantium is the strongest substance in the known universe and is invulnerable to attacks from most known weapons. It took Diamantine tipped ammunition to penetrate... so basically the glitterboy would have to fire diamond flechettes out of the boom gun to penetrate the armor. Trying to compare the technology of Rifts: Earth to the Space Marine is going to be difficult.

Let's take a look at one more thing. The Space Marine is firing a bolter most likely and let's just say he has normal ammo (there is a wide variety of ammo to be used). It fires four round bursts of diamond tipped explosive ammunition. This ammunition is propelled and is more like an armor piercing round that penetrates armor then explodes. The bolter is specifically designed to be used by a superhuman. If a normal human were to fire an Astartes Bolter it would tear his/her arm off, failing that the arm from the socket. Also, the targeting system links with the Space Marine's auto-senses. The standard bolter round - a 'bolt' is basically a gyro-jet round that has a hardened diamantine tip (which is better than diamond tipped), it has a depeleted uranium core (irradiated stuff doesn't bother a space marine, they are protected from radiation) and an explosive charge that is probably millenia from being discovered by humanity still.

I think the main deciding factor is the fact that the Space Marine's technology is 37,000 years from the future. In the novels they do come across planets that have achieved space travel and the human population does not want to surrender to the Emperor. A single company of space marines is able to subdue the entire planet's military force.

Okay. This does make me want to defend the Glitterboy - so I will. It is heavily armored for the 2nd millennium. With 700 m.d.c. the glitterboy is not to be ignored. I just realized... I can't defend the glitter boy in this fight. Simply based on strength, the Astartes without armor could beat the robot P.S. of the Glitterboy. The slugs of the glitterboy would flatten against the far from the future armor of the Space Marine. I mean 37,000 years is a long time even if they are using technology that is thousands of years old.

Victory would have to go to the Space Marine.
1. The Space Marine is statistically superior in all ways - well maybe not in M.A. or P.B. - he is more like a Mega-Juicer without the flaws.
2. He is using technology that has reached the pinnacle of warfare and has not needed to change. His armor and weapons are superior to anything that pre-rifts technology had. The origin of Space Marine starts on Earth.

I tried to think of something comparable to a Space Marine Astartes in Rifts and I just couldn't think of anything. Even the basic weapon of a space marine is something that Naruni would give up nearly everything they had to backwards engineer... but now think of this - almost every weapon and suit of armor in the Imperium of Man is an artifact with it's own soul. Every suit of armor has a machine spirit - so now we get into pseudo magical artifact armor that the astartes is wearing - I'm not even going to start that up.

The Iron Ring of Galvan
Galvan was a druid, obsessed with metals and their conductivity, he even went so far as to study the arcane arts, harnessing eldritch energies to aid him in his studies. Galvan needed a tool to aid his obsession, a ring he would create, to harness the energies of metal and electricity. In this he failed though, he had obtained many scrolls that would aid him in the creation of the ring, a mistake was made and one scroll was mixed up with another. Galvan intended to create a ring that could change metals into other metals; instead he imbued the ring with the ability to rust metal. Not knowing this, Galvan stacked his massive supply of gold, he would convert it to mithral as his first act, and blinded by his ego he used the ring, turning to rust all his accumulated treasure. In his panic and madness Galvan threw himself over the edge of his tower, to his death. The ring has succeeded him though, immortalizing his efforts, even though he failed.

The Iron Ring of Galvan grants its wearer resistance to electricity of 20 points, meaning that each time the wearer is subjected to electrical damage (whether from a natural or magical source), that damage is reduced by 20 points before being applied to hit points. The ring also grants the ability to use shocking grasp (as the spell) 3/day and rusting grasp (as the spell) 1/day. The caster level of the ring is 7th level.

Moderate Abjuration; CL 7th; Forge Ring, resist energy, shocking grasp, rusting grasp; Price: 58,836 (29,418)

Heaven’s Razor
Forged in the brilliant fires of Celestia, blessed by angels and touched by Heironeous himself, the blade was delivered to the plane of mortals, to be granted to a paladin for his acts of bravery and valor, through the fall of Hextor’s faithful. Hextor sent his avatar to deal with this Paladin upon learning that he would receive this grand gift from the heavens. Hextor would send a message to his half-brother, and take from Heironeous the satisfaction of granting such a gift to the world of mortals.
A great battle ensued, the priests of Heironeous and their army of light slamming headfirst into the dark armies of Hextor’s avatar. During this battle a single angel, bearing Heaven’s Razor waded through the armies to deliver the blade to the one it was created for. The Paladin, receiving this mighty gift from his god, drove through the ranks, smiting down all who stood in his path, coming face to face with Hextor’s avatar. The battle was fierce and short, in the end the avatar stood above victorious, the paladin’s head in hand. Then, a young priest, desperate to prove his faith to Heironeous, took the blade driving it into the creature that had slain his hero, piercing the heart of the dark avatar, ending its life.
Heaven’s Razor is a holy relic of Heironeous, immediately recognized by his followers.

Heaven’s Razor is a cold iron longsword +1, but in the hands of a paladin of lawful good cleric, she becomes a cold iron holy keen longsword +2.
Heaven’s Razor sheds light (as the spell) and cannot be dimmed, even by those who wield her. The celestial blade also protects her wielder from all death spells, magical death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects.

Strong Evocation [good]; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, holy smite, keen edge, deathward, creator must be good CL 17th; Price: 126,630; Cost 63,630 +5,065 xp