Chapter Summaries

Assassin and Seventh Squad confronted Kyle, whose uncontrolled psychic powers killed the charging Players. Assassin destroyed Kyle with Hell Fire, while Redito Ossimia realized the surviving psion had stabilized into a dangerous Delta-class threat and wondered when reinforcements would arrive.

• Assassin arrived with his squad, and he and Big Eagle Cop decided to try conventional weapons against Kyle before using Hell Fire.
• Seventh Squad charged Kyle, but an invisible force froze their weapons and Kyle burned the Players to ash with his psychic power.
• Ninth Squad fled and left Assassin behind, while Assassin confronted Kyle and unleashed Hell Fire, destroying him and the surrounding ruins.
• Redito Ossimia detected the Hell Fire and concluded that the rogue psion had stabilized as a Delta-class threat, then wondered when reinforcements would arrive.

After the Death Seekers cleared the processing district of the Genestealer cult, they reached the Holy Trinity Forge Workshop and met Tech-Priest Redito Ossimia. Redito confirmed the Players were uninfected, then discovered their brand-new Chimera had apparently appeared on the battlefield as a reward from the Omnissiah.

• After Cult Sorcerer Kyle died, the Genestealers chose to retreat, and the Players did not pursue them.
• Robert contacted the Holy Trinity Forge Workshop and led the Death Seekers to its gates.
• Redito Ossimia greeted Robert and ordered Skitarii to test the Players for Xenos infection; the tests found no signs of infection.
• Redito examined the Death Seekers' Chimera "Dragon" Suppressor and realized its components were all less than a month old.
• Robert said the vehicle had suddenly appeared on the battlefield, and Redito believed the Omnissiah had manifested it.

Redito witnessed Robert summon a Lasgun and brought him and the Players into the Holy Trinity Forge Workshop, warning him about a future Inquisitor and the unpaid tithe. Redito and Robert then examined the Genestealer cult threat, and Robert asked for weapons and mechanical augmentation for the Death Seekers.

• Robert summoned a standard-issue Lasgun, and Redito resolved to study the phenomenon in private.
• Redito predicted an Inquisitor from the Holy Hammer Chapter would arrive with the Adeptus Arbites after the Warp storm weakened, and reminded Robert to prepare the tithe.
• Redito led Robert and the Players into the Holy Trinity Forge Workshop, where Skitarii guided the Players to rest areas.
• Redito showed Robert a tactical map marked with Genestealer cult nests and strongholds in the mid-hive.
• Robert recommended a decapitation strike against the cult's leaders and asked Redito to supply weapons and augment the Death Seekers.

Redito accepted the Death Seekers’ requests for mechanical augmentation, only to find that they wanted dangerous and bizarre modifications. Archer sought to become Redito’s apprentice and left with Plasteel manufacturing principles, which he delivered to excited officials on Earth.

• Redito agreed to perform mechanical augmentations for the Death Seekers, expecting their requests to be manageable.
• The first Players demanded a tactical nuclear explosive and extensive implants, then a transparent, color-changing abdomen, and Redito carried out their requests despite warning of their short lifespans.
• Archer asked to become Redito’s apprentice, and Redito gave him a difficult test of mathematical and philosophical problems.
• Archer requested the formula and manufacturing principles for Plasteel, and Redito wrote them down for him.
• Archer returned to Earth with the Plasteel information and the memorized problems, and officials praised him and arranged for specialists to help solve them.

[Name? Not Decided] led a group of Players on a tour of the Holy Trinity Forge Workshop, where they learned about several combat stimulants. The Players became eager to obtain a dangerous mixture that Uranium HJ354 said would enhance their abilities but kill them when it wore off.

• [Name? Not Decided] gathered more than a dozen Players and asked Uranium HJ354 to show them around the factory.
• Uranium HJ354 received permission from Priest Osimia and led the Players through the workshop's production lines.
• The Players questioned the role of the Servitors and wetware, and Uranium HJ354 explained that they helped appease and monitor the Machine Spirit.
• Uranium HJ354 identified one production line's product as HK-III Physical Activation Agents, and the Players grew interested in the factory's stimulants.
• At [Name? Not Decided]'s request, Uranium HJ354 calculated a 750-milliliter stimulant mixture that enhanced combat abilities for up to forty-eight hours but caused death when it wore off.
• The Players discussed obtaining the mixture and asked for automated injections, planning to tell the Company Commander.

Archer passed Redito’s test by awakening a connection with the Wyvern Suppressor’s Machine Spirit. Redito then assigned him the remaining work on new Carapace Armor, and Archer realized the Tech-Priest had wanted free labor all along.

• Archer followed Redito to a warehouse and was told to communicate with the Wyvern Suppressor’s Machine Spirit.
• Archer ritually tended to the Suppressor and eventually heard its Machine Spirit answer him.
• Archer chatted with the Suppressor and cleaned its mortar barrel during the six-hour test.
• Redito confirmed Archer had passed and took him to a room full of blueprints.
• Redito tasked Archer with finishing the Carapace Armor design, and Archer recognized that Redito had recruited him to do the work.

Archer demonstrated his simplified Carapace Armor at the rest area and let Name test its drug-injection system. After the drugs greatly enhanced Name’s abilities, he defeated three veteran Players in seconds.

• Archer showed the Players a newly made set of Carapace Armor and explained how he had become an apprentice Tech-Priest.
• Archer fitted Name with the armor and explained its simplified systems and drug injection.
• Name activated the injection and felt his strength, speed, and senses surge.
• Name challenged three veteran Players and incapacitated all three in a fight lasting only seven or eight seconds.

Name died abruptly from catastrophic organ failure after using enhancement drugs, and Archer took his corpse for research. Robert arranged Grav-chute training for the players, who prepared to jump from a high ledge as he planned to use them against the Genestealers' leadership.

• Name checked his attributes and fatal debuffs after boasting about defeating three opponents, then collapsed and died when the suppressions failed.
• Archer examined Name's corpse, blamed a problem with the neutralizing solution, and carried the body away for research while promising compensation.
• Redito questioned Robert's disregard for life, then agreed to provide Grav-chutes and Valkyries in exchange for damaged player equipment to maintain.
• Robert gathered players atop a Mid-hive building and ordered them to begin Grav-chute training by jumping straight from a high ledge.
• Archer began explaining how to operate the Grav-chutes as Robert watched the eager players and anticipated rough first landings.

Archer taught the Players how to use grav-chutes, but they ignored his instructions and died in spectacular crashes during their first jumps. After he explained their mistakes, they listened more carefully and kept training, repeatedly dying and respawning as the onlookers watched.

• Archer asked an eager Player to repeat his instructions, saw that he had not paid attention, and told the Players to jump anyway.
• The Players leaped from the hive city, and their poor grav-chute control led to crashes, explosions, and fatal impacts.
• After respawning, the Players described their mistakes, and Archer explained the controls and precautions again.
• The Players listened closely and jumped a second time, but most still crashed or landed badly; one shot himself after breaking his legs.
• Watching Players mocked the brutal training, while one pointed out that Astra Militarum airborne training was rigorous and serious.

Qiaogelisi Top Laner and his squad began an airborne assault on the Genestealer cult, but anti-air fire killed every Player except him. Calm under Freezepoint Agent, Top Laner reached the cult’s core nest and activated the tactical nuke inside his body.

• The Players joked aboard Archer’s Valkyrie transport as they approached the target, and Qiaogelisi Top Laner injected himself with Freezepoint Agent before jumping.
• The squad leaped from the transport, but one Player deployed his Grav-chute too early and was killed by a sharpshooter.
• The Players deployed their Grav-chutes, and another Player was fatally struck after admitting he had forgotten to set his gun’s safety.
• The squad formed a protective circle around Top Laner, but Genestealer anti-air fire killed the Players one by one until he was alone.
• Top Laner spotted the cult’s core nest and activated the tactical nuke inside his body.

A massive explosion disrupted the Genestealers’ psychic control, sending them into panic and disarray as the Players turned the chaos into an opportunity to fight and train. Veteran and the newcomers cleared out their enemies with help from an Airborne Trooper, while Veteran reflected on how much the Death Seekers had grown.

• A blinding blast and shockwave struck the battlefield, leaving the Genestealers frantic, disorganized, and attacking or fleeing without orders.
• The resurrected Qiaogelisi Top Laner discovered his tactical nuke was gone and discussed how to use such consumables before dying next time.
• The Players decided to exploit the Genestealers’ disarray for live-combat training, and Veteran led a group of inexperienced fighters against several dozen enemies.
• An Airborne Trooper arrived on a Grav-chute and killed nearly half the Genestealers with laser fire before flying off to assist elsewhere.
• After the battle, Veteran told a new Player that he had known many Death Seekers since the second beta, but rarely saw familiar faces now that their numbers had grown.

Robert proposed establishing a Military Committee to let Death Seekers Players elect their officers and safeguard the collective’s authority if he died or left the game. The Players supported the proposal, and elections left Robert as Company Commander and made him Chairman of the Military Committee.

• Robert posted a proposal for a Military Committee as Death Seekers Company grew to nearly three hundred Players and its squads multiplied.
• Robert argued that grassroots elections would formalize officer appointments and transfer authority from him to the Player collective, protecting Players’ merits and preventing a leadership crisis if he died or left.
• The Players overwhelmingly supported Robert’s proposal, trusting his judgment and believing the committee would benefit them.
• Robert organized elections for officers and committee members, and the process proceeded smoothly.
• The elections kept Robert as Company Commander and also made him Chairman of the Military Committee.

Assassin led the First Company to attack a massive Genestealer stronghold, calling in a Leman Russ Punisher to break the Xenos assault. The tank annihilated the charging horde, and the Death Seekers advanced to clear the remaining nest.

• After the Death Seekers grew to five hundred members, Robert established a battalion, and lone Players returned after finding solo play too dangerous.
• Assassin spotted a huge Genestealer stronghold and ordered Water Tank to bring the Leman Russ Punisher to Cargo Station Gamma Sector-07.
• The Genestealers poured out of their nest and charged the Death Seekers.
• The Leman Russ Punisher’s Gatling Cannon shredded the attackers and destroyed their cover.
• After the tank’s barrage stopped, the infantry advanced to clear the scattered survivors.

Assassin coordinated the Death Seekers and a Valkyrie to hunt down a pure-blood Genestealer, which Bald Qiang’s squad captured alive. At First Company’s camp, the Players used a Dark Angels' Interrogation Whip to make the captive repent, while Assassin hinted that its information could help them catch more pure-blood remnants.

• Assassin directed the ground forces while a Valkyrie marked enemy positions and helped the Punisher fire on a fleeing pure-blood Genestealer.
• The Valkyrie reported a hit, and Assassin stopped the Punisher’s commander from firing a follow-up volley so the target could be captured alive.
• Bald Qiang’s squad found the badly wounded Genestealer near an underground opening, restrained it, and reported the completed capture to Assassin.
• Assassin ordered Bald Qiang to bring the captive back, saying it could help them catch more pure-blood remnants.
• At First Company’s camp, the Players whipped the captive with a Dark Angels' Interrogation Whip until it cried and renounced the Void Lord.

Assassin's interrogation of a pure-blood Genestealer failed, so Robert sent him to regroup his troops and assist Commissar Walter. Meanwhile, the Death Seekers overwhelmed the Cultist rebels with armored vehicles and artillery, and Walter's soldiers heard the approaching rescue and regained hope.

• Assassin discovered that the whip made the pure-blood Genestealer believe it was a Fallen Angel instead of revealing information, then Robert assigned him a mission involving Commissar Walter.
• Assassin ordered his Players to regroup before heading out to help Walter.
• The Death Seekers advanced through the Underhive with tanks, Chimeras, a Valkyrie, and Wyvern artillery, crushing the Cultists' defenses and forces.
• Walter and his soldiers heard the approaching Imperial war machines, recognized them as a possible rescue, and Walter told them that hope existed.

Commissar Walter welcomed the Death Seekers with a speech that rekindled the exhausted defenders’ hope, and the players delivered supplies to his troops. Assassin outlined plans to investigate the Upper Hive and the governor, while Walter worried about the Orks beyond the city.

• Walter and the soldiers saluted the Death Seekers, then Walter delivered a speech praising their resistance and calling for the liberation of Pedetia.
• The soldiers and players answered Walter’s rallying cry, their cheers turning despair into renewed determination.
• The Death Seekers unloaded power packs, medical kits, nutrient paste, and clean water for Walter’s soldiers.
• Assassin told Walter that the Death Seekers planned to send elite troops into the Upper Hive to check on the governor and assess the old ruling class.
• Walter agreed that Pedetia would need military rule after its internal enemies were defeated, then voiced concern about the Orks in the wilderness.

Fluttering Moth, [Name? Haven't Thought of One], and Great Horned Beast explored the eerily empty Upper Hive while searching for a safe route to the Governor's Mansion. They stopped at a tavern for drinks, and Great Horned Beast played a strange tape whose music could alter battles within its range.

• Fluttering Moth, [Name? Haven't Thought of One], and Great Horned Beast arrived in the Upper Hive and noticed its clean streets, real sunlight, and unsettling silence.
• The three Players speculated that a powerful predator had driven all other life from the area, then continued toward the building leading to the Top Nest.
• Great Horned Beast found a tavern and began pouring wine, and [Name? Haven't Thought of One] and Fluttering Moth joined him for a drink.
• Great Horned Beast switched on a vintage tape recorder and played Bohemian Rhapsody, a Tool that made battles within its range take on exaggerated, comic-book-style scenes.

Moth, Great Horned Beast, and Name defeated a grotesque harp monster in a luxury bar and deduced that a Slaaneshi enemy was behind the horrors in the Upper Nest and Top Nest. Moth identified the Governor’s Mansion as the likely location and ordered the team to report and prepare heavy firepower.

• A harp-like monster burst into the bar, and Moth, Great Horned Beast, and Name shot it until it vanished, leaving behind a Damaged Harp.
• Moth read the harp’s description and concluded that music had summoned the monster and that the Governor had invited a musician linked to the Slaaneshi faction.
• Great Horned Beast suggested the Dark Eldar as the culprit, but Moth used Friedrich Payton’s loss of pleasure in ordinary music to rule them out.
• Moth reasoned that the Slaaneshi enemy would be in the most luxurious place and pointed to the Governor’s Mansion.
• Moth activated his communicator and ordered the team to report and use heavy firepower against the Governor’s Mansion.

Robert and his command staff considered how to force the Slaaneshi enemies out of the Governor’s Mansion, whose defenses made a direct assault or collapse impractical. [Assassin] proposed firing excrement into the building, and Robert reluctantly approved the idea as a backup plan, leaving Redito to refuse any role in making the shells.

• Moth reported Slaaneshi enemies in the Upper Nest, and Robert ordered him to maintain an observation post and wait for heavy weapons units.
• Robert asked his commanders and Redito whether heavy fire could collapse the Governor’s Mansion, but Redito explained its construction might withstand even extreme weapons.
• [Assassin] warned that attacking the mansion could cost many lives, especially if a veteran Chaos Space Marine was inside.
• Robert demanded a way to lure the enemies out, and [Assassin] suggested firing excrement into the mansion to provoke them.
• Redito refused to contaminate weapons sacred to the Omnissiah, while the Players debated the proposal’s effects on enemy morale and their own troops.
• Robert listed the idea as a backup plan, and Redito said he would not produce the special shells.

Bit explored other universes but could only observe them, leaving him puzzled about why he could deeply connect only to the Earth where he was born. He set aside the mystery to focus on growing stronger, then saw that humanity's population on Pedetia had stabilized and continued to treat its survival as a source of power.

• Bit observed a post-apocalyptic Fist of the North Star universe and lamented that he could not reach into it as he could his own Earth.
• Bit questioned why he could establish a stable connection only with his home universe, then stopped pondering the problem and resolved to build strength before confronting the Chaos Gods.
• Bit considered why observing many universes did not make him powerful enough to defeat the Chaos Gods, whose existence in the Warp vastly predated his own.
• Bit examined Pedetia's life-sign curve and found that humanity's numbers had stabilized instead of continuing to decline.
• Bit regarded humanity as a source of information and power, believing he benefited whether people lived in peace or endured war.