Chapter Summaries

Zahndrekh and Obyron disguised themselves as farmers to investigate the Holy Soul Sect’s Tomb World, while Ron joined them and guided them into a lively Necrontyr district. Seeing Necrontyr going about their daily lives overwhelmed Zahndrekh, who realized he was witnessing their civilization alive again.

• Zahndrekh rejected Obyron’s suggestion to leave and chose to remain in order to learn more about the Holy Soul Sect.
• Zahndrekh and Obyron wrapped themselves in tattered cloth and sneaked out to investigate the city, while Ron watched and decided to follow them in a similar disguise.
• Ron approached the disguised pair, posed as a local farmer, and led Zahndrekh and Obyron toward a populated district.
• Ron, Zahndrekh, and Obyron reached a bustling area filled with Necrontyr residents, workshops, shops, and market stalls.
• Zahndrekh was overcome with emotion at seeing Necrontyr civilization alive again after sixty million years.

Zahndrekh explored the Necrontyr city and decided that supporting the Holy Soul Sect offered the best hope of restoring his people, despite the dangers of serving a god. He and Obyron pledged themselves to Ron, who welcomed Zahndrekh and prepared to begin his next plan.

• Zahndrekh wandered through the city with Obyron, witnessing Necrontyr civilians living with restored identities, emotions, and senses.
• A Necrontyr peddler blamed the Silent King and the war-makers for taking away his former life, and Zahndrekh acknowledged the nobles' responsibility for their civilization's fall.
• Obyron warned Zahndrekh that the Stormlord and the Silent King would oppose the Holy Soul Sect, but Zahndrekh chose to remain with it rather than obey the Stormlord's order.
• Zahndrekh argued that the Necrontyr should accept the New God's gifts while remaining ready to overthrow him if necessary, and Obyron reluctantly stayed with him.
• Zahndrekh and his Royal Wardens arrived at the Phaerakh Pyramid and submitted to Ron, who welcomed them and established a new Command Protocol.

Ron unified the nearby Necrontyr dynasties under the Ramesses Dynasty and considered using humanity’s war against the Necrons to expand his power. At the Royal Court, Imperial officials split over whether to launch an offensive in the Silence Zone, and their heated debate ended in a brawl.

• Ron sat on the Phaerakh Throne and used its Pulse Array to bind the surrounding Necrontyr forces to his command protocols.
• Ron declared the assembled dynasties subjects of the Ramesses Dynasty and planned to annex more Necrontyr territory while humanity drew the attention of the Silent King and the Stormlord.
• At the Royal Court, Ari urged the Imperium to stop retreating from the expanding Silence Zone and ask Ron for a supreme war directive.
• The Minister of Economy and the Minister of Foreign Affairs argued that the Imperium should preserve stability and prepare before starting a war, while Claudi called for everyone to speak freely.
• Kais supported considering total war, but Finance Department ministers objected to contacting Ron while he remained in the Silence Zone.
• Guilliman, Jaghatai Khan, Dorn, and the other Primarchs observed as the Radical and Conservative factions argued, and the meeting devolved into a physical fight led by Ari.

The Imperial court received the Savior’s decree to wage an all-out war against the Necron Empire, with no compromise until the Silent King’s rule was crushed. Bayev announced that the war had begun as Devere and the Inquisition prepared to enforce the order.

• The Minister of the Administratum charged into the brawl and fought Ari, while the Conservative and War Factions clashed across the meeting hall.
• Guilliman, Rogal Dorn, and Jaghatai Khan discussed how public brawling let the New Imperium’s factions resolve conflicts without turning to assassination and purges.
• Phaerakh Zabok arrived with the Supreme Seal and declared that the Savior ordered an all-out war against the Necron Empire.
• The officials saluted the seal, and Devere arrived to verify its authenticity and oversee enforcement of the decree.
• Devere confirmed the decree, passed the Supreme Seal to Bayev, and Bayev announced that the war had begun.

The Imperium declared total war against the Necrons, and the Departmento Munitorum invited retired veterans to return as instructors for its expanding forces. Old York and the other veterans eagerly prepared to rejoin the military, while Draining anticipated that the Imperium's next moves would reach beyond the Galaxy.

• The Royal Court accepted the Emperor's order to place the Imperium in a state of total war, and the Departmento Munitorum began issuing directives to the armies.
• On Rida's Sanatorium World, Old York and other retired veterans complained that they were no longer needed and worried that the Imperium's young people would grow too comfortable.
• Draining argued that the Imperium's improved weapons and training would prepare the new generation, but Old York wondered what would happen if peace made everyone forget the need to remain strong.
• The veterans received the Departmento Munitorum's announcement that they could voluntarily return to the forces as instructors to train new recruits.
• Old York celebrated and called Little York to announce his return, while Draining reflected that the Imperium's plans would eventually extend beyond the Galaxy.

The Imperium declared total war on the Necrons and mobilized its economy, military, and propaganda network across the Galaxy. As citizens adjusted to wartime life, Kent learned that the defense of his home system had canceled his hoped-for relocation to Segmentum Solar.

• The Minister of Economy proposed expanding the military, producing more weapons, recruiting xenos forces, and broadening campaigns against xenos, and the Departmento Munitorum approved the larger war plan.
• The Royal Court's media announced that the Imperium had entered total war and declared war on the Necrons, prompting a Galaxy-wide propaganda campaign and wartime products and policies.
• Teachers and students across the Imperium studied the Necrons, while students resented the new material and exams and blamed the xenos for their increased workload.
• Kent received notice that Coruscant Planet's evacuation and relocation to Segmentum Solar had been halted because an Imperial Navy Fleet would defend the system, and he mourned losing the chance to move and work for a major corporation.

After the evacuation of Coruscant Planet was halted, Kent learned that he had passed the preliminary application to join the Storm Army Group, with a chance to earn his family a home in Dawn City. Days later, the Imperial fleet arrived in the planet’s skies as its people prepared to fight the Necrons.

• Kent and his wife grieved the canceled evacuation until a broadcast announced new development plans and enlistment opportunities for Coruscant Planet.
• Kent discovered that he had passed the preliminary application to join the Storm Army Group and told his wife that military merit could earn them residency in Dawn City.
• Kent and his wife celebrated the chance for a better future as people across the planet cheered for victory over the Necrons.
• Several days later, the Hymn of the Savior sounded across Coruscant Planet, and Kent and his wife saw the Imperial fleet fill the night sky.

Kent joined Coruscant's new recruits as they departed for military training, while the Imperium expanded its armies for war against the Necrons. On a civilized world, a pro-T'au peace demonstration turned violent, and the Archon learned that the Inquisition had contacted him.

• Kent boarded a troop transport with the other recruits and left Coruscant for Training World 13, determined to return with honor.
• The Imperium expanded its forces, and new-blood Astartes learned that Gene-seed implantation quotas were finally increasing.
• A group of T'au-loving peace advocates protested humanity's war against the Necrons, and Mallen fought their leader over his claims that humanity had provoked the invasion.
• The Arbites captain charged the demonstrators and led his officers and cheering citizens in breaking up the protest.
• The Archon saw the Inquisition symbol on his communications terminal and turned pale as his vehicle approached the scene.

An Inquisitor investigated a heretical rebellion linked to Pro-T'au ideas, punished the planet’s Archon and the rebels, and cleared the T'au of involvement. As total war expanded, Dovan Agricultural Machinery Group began shifting toward military production and planned to build cheaper Titan God-Machines, while a neglected factory on Vanaheim appeared at the chapter’s end.

• The Inquisitor found no xenos involvement in the rebellion, stripped the negligent Archon of his offices and citizen rank, and sentenced rebel leaders to be sent into Necron territory as peace envoys.
• The Supreme Ethereal and the T'au elders went to Dawn City to deny involvement, and a high-ranking Inquisitor confirmed the T'au were uninvolved and closed the case after ordering a self-criticism.
• Mallen received a Brave Citizen certificate, a Credit Point bonus, and a promotion after helping suppress a heretic, while his supervisor discussed new military business opportunities at Dovan Agricultural Machinery Group.
• The supervisor told Mallen that Dovan planned to use its components and technology to assemble affordable Titan God-Machines as total war drove up demand for military equipment.
• A mechanical factory on the Forge World of Vanaheim appeared abandoned, with its fires extinguished and dust covering the machinery.

Magos Prik’s Mechanicus Workshop faced bankruptcy after its dangerous nanny-type mechanoids caused injuries and triggered a lawsuit, but Pinos withdrew his claim and helped get the factory reopened. With total war underway, the workshop received a Munitorum order as the Imperium activated a new production system.

• Prik’s civilian nanny-mechanoid venture failed after customers complained about damage and injuries, and a Schola Progenium teacher named Pinos sued his workshop.
• The market regulators sealed Prik’s factory, and Prik prepared to close it and use its assets to compensate Pinos.
• Pinos withdrew the lawsuit and urged Prik to keep the workshop operating, presenting his decision as service to the Imperium during total war.
• Pinos turned his forgiveness into a public-relations campaign, recasting himself as a loyal and broad-minded teacher.
• The regulators lifted the factory’s seal, and Prik’s workshop received a Munitorum order for components and mechanoid weapon modules as the Imperium activated a new production system.

Prik embraced the Imperium’s new Big Data Supply Chain platform and began producing customized melta cores for Cadia, while a Gantz Industrial Group convoy carrying ship cannon components was ambushed by Drukhari pirates. The captain’s crew fought back, but one pirate sailboat reached the flagship and threatened to board.

• Prik learned that Cadia had ordered millions of melta core components and joined with other Magi to meet the demanding order.
• Prik explored the new Supply Chain Platform, which connected the Imperium’s industrial data and let manufacturers outsource components and coordinate production.
• Prik restarted his workshop’s furnaces and began manufacturing customized melta cores for Slaughter Automata.
• A Gantz Industrial Group convoy took an unprotected route to deliver ship cannon components to Voss Prime Forge World on time.
• Drukhari pirates ambushed the convoy, and the captain ordered his fleet to fire on their concealed sailboats.
• The captain’s fleet disabled several sailboats, but one reached the flagship and prepared to board as the captain drew his Bolt Pistol.

Drukhari pirates boarded a Gantz Industrial Group transport ship, but its Security Warriors fought back until a high-ranking Haemonculus turned the battle against them. The security team then activated special tactics that trapped the battlefield in a Warp formation, leaving the Haemonculus and pirates terrified.

• Drukhari pirates boarded the flagship and attacked its crew as they pushed toward the Bridge.
• The Security Captain and Security Warriors ambushed the pirates in Ship Cathedral Plaza and drove them back with heavy weapons and Centurion Armor.
• A high-ranking Haemonculus incapacitated a Centurion Warrior with a painful injection and shifted the battle in the pirates’ favor.
• The Security Captain ordered special security tactics, and the Chief Monitor crushed a gem to create a Warp formation across Ship Cathedral Plaza.
• The Haemonculus and Drukhari pirates realized the humans had marked them with a terrifying power and feared the attack had been a trap.

A security team summoned Ba Nieni to rout Drukhari pirates attacking a Gantz Industrial Group transport ship. The pirates fled into an Imperial escort fleet’s overwhelming encirclement, where the commander opened fire before their leader could negotiate.

• The monitor operator summoned Ba Nieni, who devoured the Haemonculus and led her Daemonettes in slaughtering the Drukhari pirates before returning to the warp.
• The security team finished off the surviving pirates, seized their space sailboat, and reported the victory to the captain.
• The Kabal leader abandoned his pursuit near human defenses, but an Imperial escort fleet soon surrounded his ships.
• The escort commander accused the Drukhari of attacking Imperial merchant vessels and attempting to return fire, despite the Kabal leader’s protests.
• The Kabal leader offered compensation and reconciliation, but the escort fleet bombarded the pirates with shipborne weapons and Cyclonic Torpedoes.

The Voss Pan-Industrial Zone Escort Fleet destroyed a Drukhari pirate band and its bases, then hunted down the surviving scout ship, turning the operation into a public warning and a chance to secure honors. The Gantz Industrial Group transport fleet completed its voyage safely and reached Voss Prime Forge World, where its captain and first mate witnessed the immense traffic at the main port.

• Beard's escort fleet annihilated the Drukhari raiders, while a scout ship escaped and found its asteroid-belt base erased by human bombardment.
• The scout ship tried to flee human territory, but Beard's fleet had waited nearby and destroyed it after sealing the warp routes.
• The Voss Pan-Industrial Zone Escort Fleet released footage of the extermination and planned to pursue the pirates' remaining frontier base, while its commander sought a deployment to the Silence Zone.
• The Gantz Industrial Group captain received the escort fleet's report, reassured his crew, and ordered them to sail on without stopping so they could meet their delivery schedule.
• After a smooth voyage, the transport fleet reached Voss Prime Forge World, where the captain and first mate saw the vast ship traffic before entering the main port.

The Gantz Industrial Group’s crew marveled at Voss’s vast shipyards and delivered their cargo as the Imperium prepared for war. Meanwhile, Ron weighed his next move against the Silent King, then ordered an attack on an approaching Triarch Praetorian force after learning that the human army was advancing into the Silence Zone.

• The captain and crew saw Voss’s enormous Savior colossus, its defenses, and thousands of shipbuilding docks, and the captain grew confident in the Imperium’s strength.
• The Gantz Industrial Group delivered its ship-cannon parts to Voss Prime Forge World and secured a partnership and future orders.
• Ron refused to advance into the Silent King’s domain before the Necron rulers weakened each other, while preparing to exploit their conflict.
• Zahndrekh reported that one Triarch Praetorian battle group was approaching, and Ron ordered his forces to destroy it.
• Ron learned that the human army was advancing toward the Silence Zone, and the human fleet’s gathering point began to tremble as something approached through the Void.

Imperial fleets from across the Imperium assembled for a campaign against the Necrons, while Guilliman rallied the forces and declared war. With the Warp stable and the Beacon lit, the armada began its jump toward the Silence Zone.

• Cadian, Voss, Calixis, Charadon, and other fleets reported for the muster, while human commanders mocked a T'au Ethereal commander who had joined their public channel and drove him out.
• Guilliman, Dorn, Jaghatai Khan, and other Primarchs surveyed the immense fleet, and Kais vowed that humanity could not lose the coming battle.
• Old York urged new recruits to fight for their unit's honor as civilians on frontier worlds cheered the fleet and hailed the Savior.
• Guilliman addressed the armada, declared war on the Necrons in the Savior's name, and ordered all forces to prepare to jump.
• The command Space Fortress vanished into the Warp, followed by Imperial warships heading for the Silence Zone.

The Imperium’s vanguard ships crushed an alien pirate fortress as they advanced through the Silence Zone. At Farsight Homeworld, Commander Farsight prepared to attack humanity while Shadowsun urged caution, but both were stunned when an immense, devouring shadow spread across nearby star systems.

• A Jotunheim-class Vanguard Capital Ship rammed through an alien pirate fortress, destroying it without slowing the fleet.
• The ship’s captain treated the encounter as routine and ordered the fleet to continue clearing obstacles ahead.
• Shadowsun warned Commander Farsight that provoking humanity could endanger the T'au’s last home, but he insisted that humanity’s coming war with the Necrontyr offered their only chance to reclaim their territory.
• Commander Farsight falsely assured Shadowsun that he would consider her concerns while secretly planning to purge her and other dissenters before the war.
• Commander Farsight and the T'au saw a vast shadow engulfing nearby star systems, and an Ethereal Elder feared that an enormous Tyranid swarm had arrived.

Farsight Homeworld mistook the approaching human fleet for the Great Devourer until the T'au recognized the warships and the Emperor’s banners. As Commander Farsight prepared a suicidal attack, Shadowsun and other T'au resisted him, while the human fleet advanced without firing and the T'au ships yielded passage.

• The T'au panicked at the vast shadow surrounding Farsight Homeworld, then learned it was an enormous human fleet bearing the Emperor’s icon.
• An Ethereal Elder launched a ship with a surrender flag to welcome the human fleet, but Farsight ordered the orbital arrays to destroy it and Shadowsun secretly intervened to protect it.
• Shadowsun urged Farsight to let civilians survive under Imperial rule, but he killed a dissenting Administrator and ordered the T'au fleet to attack humanity.
• The Air Caste captain hesitated when Farsight’s attack order arrived, and the T'au fleet held its fire as human weapons tracked their ships.
• The human fleet pushed aside the T'au warships and sailed onward while many T'au ships shut down their weapons and shields.

As the human fleets advanced toward the Necrons, Imperial T'au forces intercepted Commander Farsight’s final charge and captured him, reclaiming Farsight Homeworld for the Imperium. The Indomitus Crusade fleet then entered Necron territory near the Silence Zone.

• Commander Farsight launched his KX139 Supremacy Battlesuit and loyal guards from Farsight Homeworld, determined to attack the human fleet.
• Vash led Imperial T'au battlesuits to stop Farsight’s force from leaving the planet, and the two T'au factions clashed in the atmosphere.
• Vash’s newer battlesuit overwhelmed Farsight’s forces, damaged his Supremacy Battlesuit, and captured him for trial in a Stasis Field cage.
• Vash promised the people of Farsight Homeworld safety and freedom under the Greater Good, and they began to cheer.
• The Imperium designated Farsight Homeworld as a logistical depot, while the Indomitus Crusade fleet advanced into Necron territory near the Silence Zone.

Trazyn awakened in his tomb only to be captured and tortured by the Carcharodons and Lamenters, who were excavating the dormant Tomb World for the Imperium. As he was carried away, he witnessed a vast war against the Necrontyr Empire and realized humanity had launched a war of races.

• Trazyn awakened in his Stasis Crypt and found Tyberos, Malakim, and their Carcharodons and Lamenters watching him.
• Tyberos, Malakim, and the other warriors used Wrath of the Savior Pulse Weapons to subdue Trazyn and the Royal Guards, then sealed them in their Stasis Crypts and hauled them away.
• Trazyn watched the Imperium's forces excavate the Tomb World, suppressing Necron awakenings and plundering the tombs.
• Trazyn saw human fleets destroy Tomb ships and Tomb Worlds across the star sector, then realized the Imperium had begun a war against the Necrontyr Empire.