Chapter Summaries

Arthur gave Aglaia records to help her report Piaerde's Chaos contamination and tried to ease Dantioch's guilt over the Tyranid Hive Fleet. The chapter left Arthur heading into the bridge reception room.

• The Archmagos's transport lost power after leaving the asteroid belt, and escorts destroyed it after the STC was removed.
• Aglaia told Arthur she lacked reliable data for her report on Piaerde and could not reveal her meeting with her teacher.
• Arthur gave Aglaia records documenting the Chaos cults' activities on Piaerde, and she hurried away to write her report.
• Arthur found Dantioch blaming himself for the Tyranid Hive Fleet's arrival and gave him genetic-analysis materials from Romulus.
• Arthur returned mischievous children to their parents, then entered the reception room atop the bridge.

Romulus and Arthur reviewed the Blood Angels’ development on Baal and prepared to move on. After confirming the planet’s work was complete, Romulus began planning the Expeditionary Fleet’s route to Macragge and its operations along the way.

• Arthur returned and explained how his ability could identify physical wear, production dates, and Astartes traits, while Romulus asked after Karna and Ramesses.
• Arthur reported that Primaris surgery was going smoothly, but Blood Angels Apothecaries were researching organs to suppress their genetic bloodlust.
• Romulus sent the Apothecaries’ plans to Dante after reviewing Arthur’s investigation materials, and Arthur agreed that their experiments were dangerously reckless.
• Romulus reviewed the completed Blood Angels development framework, Primaris technology rollout, Angel Scions’ training, and records of Baal’s Thirst-Maker.
• Romulus decided to leave Baal and assigned Arthur offline coordination while he planned the Expeditionary Fleet’s route and campaign stops toward Macragge.

Arthur and Romulus prepared the Expeditionary Fleet’s departure after receiving confirmation that Gavin Knight World had fallen to a heretical cult. Karna and the Angels left Baal with soil from its wasteland as a reminder of the world they hoped to restore.

• Arthur and Ramesses used the daemons’ Warp concealment to verify astropathic messages and organize reports for the fleet.
• Romulus waited for Gavin Knight World to respond while the fleet gathered supplies and prepared its route.
• An Astropath received a verified plea for aid from Gavin, reporting that the Gavin Dynasty had fallen and resistance remained in the Principality of Leinster.
• Romulus ordered the Expeditionary Fleet to depart for Gavin after replenishing personnel at Bushilin.
• Karna and the Angels collected Baal’s soil in crystal pendants and prepared to leave, believing the world could recover.
• The Expeditionary Fleet formed up and vanished into the Warp at the Mandeville Point.

Leonardo Gavin led the defense against the Slaaneshi invasion, first rallying the city’s civilians and then fighting beside them as the principality faced overwhelming odds. Just as the defenders seemed doomed, Astartes reinforcements arrived and launched a planetwide counterattack.

• Leonardo Gavin announced that cultists were advancing with roughly three hundred Knight Titans and six million auxiliary troops, while the Prince used evidence of the enemy’s atrocities to persuade the civilians to fight.
• As the enemy bombardment began, the Prince armed the civilians and sent Leonardo and the knights to defend the city; Leonardo charged the invading Chaos Knights in the Oath-Keeper Blade.
• Leonardo fought through the assault while the servant troops and civilians joined the battle, and Spike and other civilians died helping free Leonardo when a Chaos Knight pinned him down.
• After civilians rescued him, Leonardo led them into another charge, but a Melta Cannon destroyed their opponent and the sound of approaching reinforcements gave them hope.
• On September 9th, 741.M41, Stormbirds brought Astartes to the planet, and commanders activated the Teleportation Beacons and launched the expedition.

The Imperium’s forces crushed the rebellion on Gavin, as Seth and the Angel Scions directed their Black Rage against the enemy and Ramesses’s allies captured and destroyed a Keeper of Secrets. After the planet was secured, Romulus surveyed the victory and reflected on the Expeditionary Fleet’s power.

• Karna and Seth led the Angel Scions through the Slaaneshi lines, with Seth explaining that the Archangel helped him control his Black Rage.
• The Angel Scions broke open the enemy formation, allowing the heavily armored forces to overwhelm the heretics and Knight Titans.
• The Grand Vizier revealed itself as a Keeper of Secrets, opened a portal, and tried to escape before Ramesses and Arthur seized it.
• Ramesses and the Black Templars bound the Keeper of Secrets to a banner and used golden flames to weaken it, then Ledodus led the citywide purge.
• Gavin’s civilians and former slaves helped capture the defeated nobles as the fighting ended, and the battle record reported an Imperial victory after eleven hours and twenty-three minutes.
• Romulus left the command throne aboard the Dawn and looked down at Gavin, contemplating the Expeditionary Fleet’s power.

After the battle, Seth and the Blood Angels helped rescue survivors while Aglaia delivered the Inquisition’s judgment on the Gavin Dynasty. The Dynasty was allowed to survive and retain its Knight production lines, though the Expeditionary Fleet had no time for a victory ceremony.

• Seth searched the rubble, rescued Maria, and reunited her with her father.
• Aglaia informed the Prince of Leinster that non-defending Gavin bloodlines would be executed and civilization outside Leinster would be erased.
• The Prince worried that the Gavin Dynasty might lose its Knight production line and its standing in the Imperium.
• Aglaia reported that inspections found no Chaos corruption in the remaining production lines and that Lord Romulus had approved the Dynasty’s continued possession of them.
• The Prince offered to hold a victory ceremony, but Aglaia said the fleet had to resume its campaign and directed him to speak with Romulus.

Ramesses trained the Librarians to use psychic power safely and proposed making demon-slaying honors visible to encourage other Space Marine Chapters to adopt Reality Anchors. As Romulus emphasized the Expeditionary Fleet’s duty to answer distress calls, the fleet moved on to Elkes, where Imperial troops welcomed the arriving Astartes as they prepared for battle.

• Ramesses taught the Librarians how to identify Warp corruption and cast spells without deepening their connection to the Warp, using lessons tailored to their souls.
• Arthur suggested that demon-slaying records and customized honors could make Reality Anchors appealing to Space Marine Chapters, so Ramesses went to commission prototypes.
• Romulus praised Prince Forthis Leinster Gavin for resisting Chaos but stressed that the Expeditionary Fleet would answer distress calls across the stars rather than remain for a victory ceremony.
• The Expeditionary Fleet arrived at Elkes, where Orks and Chaos had trapped millions of Astra Militarum soldiers in a stalemate.
• A Commissar saw the Astartes descending onto Elkes and told his lieutenant to lend him a pen so he could write their wills.

Arthur organized 400,000 Astra Militarum troops to operate newly delivered artillery and promised a swift victory, while the Crimson Fists assaulted an Ork fortress. The bombardment and a Knight Valiant’s weapon breached the fortress and confronted its Big Mek.

• Arthur learned that the local Astra Militarum lacked heavy weapons and vehicles, then ordered the Commissar to assemble troops capable of operating artillery.
• Super-heavy transports delivered Stone Lizard self-propelled guns, and Arthur assigned the Commissar to coordinate regional artillery coverage for a rapid victory.
• Pedro Kantor led the Crimson Fists through an Ork fortress as artillery, Valkyries, and plasma fire devastated the defenders.
• The Ork Big Mek relied on his fortress’s traps and planned a transformation, but bombardment blew away its upper section.
• A Knight Valiant’s triple-barreled flamethrower thrust through the breach in front of the Big Mek.

Pedro and the Crimson Fists helped defeat the Orks on Elkes, while the Expeditionary Fleet swiftly secured the planet and prepared to move on. The chapter ended with an Inquisitor requisitioning a Commissar and his troops despite their victory.

• Pedro killed the Big Mek with a power fist and handed its surviving remains to the Chaplain to test whether Orks could be recorded on an honor banner.
• The Chaplain confirmed the banner recorded the Big Mek, though its reality-stabilizing effect was weak and its Ork inscription displeased Pedro.
• Romulus ordered the expeditionary forces to compile information, gather troops, assess Elkes, rest aboard their warships, and proceed to the next planet.
• The Expeditionary Fleet helped pacify Elkes in twenty-two hours and sixteen minutes, securing a human victory over the Orks and Chaos.
• A returning captain told the Commissar that they had won, then fell silent when he noticed the Inquisitor and saw the requisition order.

Inquisitor Aglaia completed her report on the Expeditionary Fleet’s rapid eastern campaign and joined Romulus’s meeting with Rogue Trader dynasties at Hendarris Trade Port. As the fleet prepared to continue toward Forge World Tigrus and Macragge, Hendarris revealed that the Iron Warriors had reclaimed the Opt system, where an ancient Imperial cipher suggested a link to the Aeldari.

• Aglaia finished her report stating that the fleet had reclaimed hundreds of Imperial worlds and was preparing to resupply at Tigrus before advancing on Macragge.
• Arthur told Aglaia that Romulus’s reception for several Rogue Trader dynasties was entering its closing stage, and she went to observe the meeting.
• Aglaia passed Platinum Oath-Keepers at a checkpoint and noticed that more unfamiliar Space Marines had joined the growing Expeditionary Fleet.
• Romulus thanked Hendarris and the other Rogue Traders for their support, while Hendarris praised the fleet for protecting Imperial trade routes.
• Romulus asked Hendarris about the Opt star system, and Hendarris explained that the Iron Warriors had reclaimed its ruin world and that an ancient cipher had arrived alongside their request for aid.

Romulus learned that Iron Warriors had occupied the planet Opt and decided the Expeditionary Fleet would go there despite the danger. He gave Ledodus detailed intelligence and ordered the Chapters to prepare plans for a tactical discussion.

• Hendarris warned Romulus that Iron Warriors had taken a planet and explained that his Dynasty could no longer claim what lay there after the Drukhari destroyed its mobile fleet.
• Romulus suspected the planet held valuable Aeldari material and concluded the fleet needed to investigate, both to recover the system and to prevent a wider crisis.
• Romulus told Hendarris that the fleet would liberate the planet if it still resisted or destroy it if it had fallen, then accepted Hendarris's letter as the Rogue Trader departed.
• Ledodus, Pedro, and the Executioners' Chaplain approached Romulus after hearing about the Iron Warriors.
• Romulus handed Ledodus detailed information about Opt and ordered each Chapter to prepare tactics before gathering for a discussion.

Romulus and his companions prepared for their next move while dealing with the Imperial assassins and other unexpected visitors who had come aboard the Dawn. The chapter ended with the Officio Assassinorum Grand Master on Terra wondering why only one Assassin remained.

• Romulus told Ledodus to contact Techmarine Dantioch, then headed to the Dawn to plan a meeting with his companions.
• Romulus saw Rogue Traders had found Blanks and reflected on the intelligence and dangers they brought to the expedition.
• Arthur and Ramesses told Romulus that all four major Assassin types had arrived, and described how they had contained or disposed of them.
• Ramesses revealed that the Rogue Traders had brought Necron technology for their laborers to examine.
• On Terra, the Officio Assassinorum Grand Master read a report and wondered why only one Assassin was left.

Romulus reviewed the expedition’s technological gains and the political problems created by its growing influence. He planned to keep building the fleet’s reserves and prepare for the next battle, which he expected to win.

• Ramesses told Romulus that they could only hope to unlock limited Necron technologies, while Romulus accepted the gathered equipment and research as future reserves.
• Romulus considered recruiting Astropaths and Navigators, whose recent success with Warp travel and communications had strengthened their trust in the expedition.
• Romulus worried that the Ecclesiarchy was exploiting the Dawn Crusade and exposing ordinary people to further wars, so he and his allies sent the Ecclesiarchy a letter urging it to prioritize the recovery of depleted worlds.
• Romulus used the expedition’s authority to restrain Rogue Traders and maintain control over the fleet, despite complaints from Sector Governors.
• Romulus assessed the next battle and concluded that the Expeditionary Fleet would win unless it faced an exceptionally powerful enemy.

The Dawn and its fleet reached the Opt System, where Romulus found Aeldari and Iron Warriors fighting alongside Drukhari raiders. After the fleet joined the battle, Ramesses sabotaged a Howling Banshee teleport assault on the Dawn, and he asked Romulus to lend him Arthur.

• The Navigator found the Warp voyage unusually calm as the fleet followed the Dawn through the tides.
• Ramesses divined that the fleet would emerge amid a battle involving Craftworld Aeldari, Iron Warriors, Drukhari, and other forces, so Romulus ordered the fleet to prepare for combat.
• The fleet emerged into the Opt System, where Romulus directed it to attack the xenos and flank the Iron Warriors.
• The fleet's Macro-cannon fire missed the Aeldari ships, and Ramesses reported that a powerful Farseer was guiding them.
• The Navigator warned that Aeldari were boarding the Dawn, but Ramesses disrupted the Howling Banshees' teleportation and fused their bodies into the deck.
• Ramesses told Romulus that the teleportation had been sloppy and asked him to lend Arthur.

Romulus coordinated the Imperium fleet’s response to the Aeldari and Iron Warriors after communications were disrupted, then learned that a damaged Grand General Cannon aboard an enemy Battle Barge could be recovered. The chapter ended with Romulus and Arthur joking with the veterans about the Lion King’s past role in lending the cannons to Perturabo.

• Romulus assessed the fleet’s damage and learned that psychic interference had blocked ship-to-ship communications while leaving the Auspex operational.
• Romulus ordered psychic communication, and the Astropath gathered reports so the first fleet could rendezvous with the second fleet and encircle the Aeldari.
• Romulus ordered energy weapons used against the Aeldari and kinetic weapons against the Chaos traitors, while the Iron Warriors fleet slowed after its command system was disrupted.
• Arthur gave Romulus data showing that a Battle Barge in combat zone A2 carried a repairable Grand General Cannon.
• Romulus explained that Perturabo had used the cannon to bombard Terra’s gates after the Lion King lent it to him, and Arthur quipped that Primarchs could make mistakes.

Dantioch learned that Idris Krendl commanded the Iron Warriors opposing the Eternal Crusade, and he prepared to lead the main assault. Meanwhile, Arthur and Ramesses boarded an Aeldari ship, defeated its defenders, and captured a Farseer for Ramesses to use.

• Romulus identified Idris Krendl as the enemy commander, and Dantioch recognized his old acquaintance and took charge of the coming assault.
• Ramesses asked Arthur to teleport them aboard the Aeldari ship, and Arthur used the predicted moment to cut his way into a quiet corridor.
• Arthur and Ramesses fought through Aeldari and Drukhari defenders, destroying a Wraithguard and emptying the defenders' Spirit Stones.
• An Aeldari Farseer arrived and threatened Arthur and Ramesses, but Arthur cut off his psychic power and seized him.
• Arthur caught the Farseer by the head and told him to come inside with him.

Ramesses read the memories of an Aeldari Farseer who had led his kin to reclaim a colossal Spirit Stone on Ouretan, then spoke with him about prophecy and the doomed search for Ynnead. The Farseer realized Slaanesh’s usual hold over his soul was absent, but remained trapped in the Warp with no clear idea where he was.

• Ramesses probed the Farseer’s memories and learned that the mission to recover the Sword of Souls from Biel-Tan had failed before Monoceros proposed seeking Ouretan’s colossal Spirit Stone.
• Ramesses withdrew from the memories, recognized the Farseer’s efforts to prepare for Ynnead’s awakening, and compared him to Eldrad Ulthran.
• The Farseer admitted that he had defied prophecy and led his kin to their deaths, while fearing that Kaelor and the Aeldari would lose their home.
• Ramesses revealed himself and offered to avoid torture if the Farseer cooperated, but the Farseer mistakenly assumed he was a Slaanesh minion.
• The Farseer noticed that speaking Slaanesh’s name no longer caused the familiar dread and wondered where he was.

Ramesses captured the souls of an Aeldari fleet and made their Farseer agree to share Aeldari knowledge in exchange for protection. In realspace, the Aeldari reinforcements arrived as the Imperial fleets moved to intercept them and attack the Iron Warriors.

• Ramesses told the Farseer that he and the Aeldari souls were in the Warp and could choose to serve him or face a worse fate.
• The Farseer found that Ramesses was beyond his divination and agreed to the bargain to protect his people.
• Ramesses ordered the Aeldari to share their Paths, technology, culture, and history, beginning with the Farseer Path and technological applications.
• Ramesses returned to realspace as an Aeldari fleet emerged from a hidden Webway gate near Mandeville Point.
• The Claw of Law intercepted the Aeldari reinforcements while the Eternal Crusade led the main Imperial force against the Iron Warriors.

The Iron Warriors aboard the Battle Barge Iron Gloom were provoked into charging the Imperial fleet, allowing Romulus’s forces to isolate and board them. Ramesses teleported the Sons of Dorn onto the enemy ship, where Fafnir Rann led the assault as the battle began.

• The Executioner Master learned that the Iron Gloom faced Black Templars, Crimson Fists, and Executioners, then ordered it to ram the Eternal Crusade rather than retreat.
• Romulus detached a battle group to cut off the Iron Warriors’ support while the Eternal Crusade and two Avenger-class Battlecruisers disabled the Iron Gloom’s shields and engines.
• Ramesses prepared the teleportation ritual, and Ledodus gathered the eager Sons of Dorn for the boarding action.
• Ramesses teleported the Imperial warriors onto the Iron Warriors’ ship, where Fafnir Rann led the Executioners through the defenders while Ledodus headed toward the storage area.
• An Iron Warriors guard officer smashed the sonic transmission device after hearing the Sons of Dorn’s battle cry and vowed to tear their mouths apart.

Zabriel’s Dark Angels escaped the battle near Opt, but Arthur captured the crew of the Silent Vow and reviewed its records. As Loyalist forces fought the Iron Warriors, Romulus learned that rival Dark Angels factions on Opt were about to clash and sent 260 Deathwing Terminators to intervene.

• Zabriel ordered the Silent Vow to withdraw, while Kai insisted on attacking the Fallen Angels on Opt and vowed to make them repent.
• Arthur ambushed Zabriel and the Dark Angels aboard the Silent Vow, incapacitated them, and sent a message to the Dawn that the ship was ready for takeover.
• Rann killed the Iron Warriors’ commander and defeated the Executioner Master, revealing his identity as Fafnir Rann before executing the traitor.
• Romulus examined the captured Grand General Cannon and contacted Arthur, who reported that two groups of loyal Dark Angels were preparing to fight on Opt.
• Romulus generated 260 Deathwing Terminators and prepared to intervene in the confrontation between the Caliban Native Faction and the Lion King’s faction.