Nimrod recalled how Menes Kalliston, captain of the Thousand Sons' Fourth Fellowship, had lost contact with the Legion and led Revuel Avida and a squad back to Prospero to uncover the truth and search for survivors.
He had been ambushed by the World Eaters led by Kharn. Aside from Avida, the entire squad of Thousand Sons had been killed.
Menes himself had been captured by Kharn and subjected to brutal torture.
[Saving Menes would allow him to recruit the Thousand Sons of the Fourth Fellowship.] Nimrod's obsidian eyes burned with the flames of ambition.
He remembered that, before Menes was killed by Kharn, he had believed that Magnus and the Legion had brought their fate upon themselves.
That showed that his loyalty to his Primarch was not unshakable.
"Find a way to rescue the Thousand Sons captured by Kharn and the others. You and Togon will handle it."
"As You command." Hasik respectfully accepted the order, then asked in confusion.
"My lord, during my battle with Kharn, I sensed that his vitality was extraordinarily abnormal."
"After Kharn received the Butcher's Nails, he found pleasure only in slaughtering enemies. His love of killing ran so deep that it even drew the attention of a Chaos God in the Warp," Nimrod said.
"During the battle on Isstvan III last year, in his fight against the loyalist Son of Horus, Garviel Loken—"
"Loken smashed him onto a rebel vehicle and drove his blade through his chest. He should have died."
Nimrod knew from Akurduana's report that Kharn had fought a battle similar to this against Loken.
"But he had long since stepped onto the Blood God's Eightfold Path. He had received the blessing of a Chaos God."
"Horus knew this. He gave Kharn a Kill Counter, now installed on his helmet's eyepiece, and