Chapter Summaries

Alvin negotiated with Drakris, trading promises of Golden Age technology for Styx Eight’s support and a large force of Diet Guard troops and tanks. As Alvin left the Forge Temple, a psychic explosion erupted over the hive, leaving him stunned.

• Drakris accepted the Iron Man as a bargaining opportunity and asked Alvin what he wanted in return.
• Alvin proposed a way to ease the crisis in Celerus Hive and asked Drakris to keep the Astra Militarum, Space Marines, and Diet Guard from interfering.
• Alvin secured Drakris’s promise of at least a thousand elite Diet Guard troops and heavy equipment by claiming he could lead him to Golden Age technology on Alert Star.
• After learning the relic lay inside a Valian Sandstorm Vortex and required Styx Eight’s help to reach, Drakris agreed to provide five thousand Diet Guard troops and fifty Leman Russ tanks.
• As Alvin left Drakris’s Forge Temple, a psychic blast erupted in the southeastern hive, raising a purple mushroom cloud and shocking him.

A massive psychic explosion in Celerus Hive revealed that Haarken Worldclaimer had been using his broadcasts to awaken latent Psykers, and Alvin feared the newly awakened Psyker might be dangerously powerful. Alvin agreed to help find them before Chaos could claim them and secured a squad of Aeldari warriors from Samhan to assist.

• Alvin realized Haarken Worldclaimer's broadcasts had been intended to awaken latent Psykers among Celerus Hive's abandoned civilians, and the explosion marked one Psyker losing control.
• Drakris feared the awakened Psyker could be Beta-level or Alpha-level and postponed his deal with Alvin to search for them before Chaos did.
• Alvin agreed to help locate the Psyker, recognizing that Chaos could use them to threaten all of Alert Star.
• Alvin asked Hilda for a squad of Aeldari warriors from Samhan, and she agreed to lend them while staying behind to protect Elsa.
• Alvin told Hilda he would go after the Psyker himself and considered sending them to the neighboring Xenomorph Universe if necessary.

Alvin Valshius sought Colonel Watson’s cooperation in using his Xenomorph Legion to turn Celerus’s enemies against one another. Watson agreed to risk being branded a heretic, and the chapter ended with Alvin urging him to abandon the last Middle Hive district and trade territory for time.

• Alvin introduced himself to Colonel Watson and offered to ease the pressure on the Astra Militarum’s front, though he could provide no reinforcements.
• Alvin asked whether Watson would accept the charge of heresy to protect Celerus, then revealed that he commanded a Xenomorph Legion and showed his Rose Knot badge.
• Watson agreed to cooperate despite the risk of being declared a heretic, provided the plan could help Celerus hold until reinforcements arrived.
• Alvin proposed using the Xenomorph Legion to draw the Orks and Genestealers into a battle with Chaos while the Astra Militarum helped set the plan in motion.
• Alvin urged Watson to withdraw from the last area of the Middle Hive so their forces could concentrate and strike the enemy with ambushes.

Warboss Kroldaka’s Orks chased Aeldari skimmers into a planned ambush, where they overwhelmed the Astra Militarum and turned on the Genestealers. Watson revealed that he had deliberately sacrificed the soldiers to lure the Orks and inflict greater enemy losses.

• Kroldaka led the Orks into the empty human position and charged into the Hive City, where Aeldari warriors ambushed them and destroyed many of their motorcycles.
• Enraged, Kroldaka ordered the Orks to pursue the fleeing Aeldari toward the battlefield where Astra Militarum soldiers were fighting Genestealers.
• The Commissar ordered his surrounded soldiers to stand and fight, and they charged the Orks; the horde killed them, though the Commissar took down one powerful Ork before he died.
• The Orks turned on the Genestealers, and Alvin questioned Watson about why he had not ordered the Astra Militarum to evacuate.
• Watson admitted he had intended to sacrifice fewer than a hundred soldiers to lure the Orks and cause thousands of enemy casualties.

Alvin descended into Celerus Hive’s Mine Shaft No. 3 to follow the Inquisitor and Department of Justice forces, using his armor to withstand the deadly conditions. Around two thousand meters down, he found destroyed Necron Immortals and realized a Necron tomb was hidden in the mine.

• Alvin surveyed Celerus’s devastated Underhive and learned that its scavengers survived by occupying abandoned factories and hiding in the maze of waste pipes.
• Alvin followed traces left by Drakris’s forces to Mine Shaft No. 3 and prepared to descend by combining with Sky-Shaking Unicron and hiding a Space Bridge at the edge.
• Alvin carefully descended through the mine, using his armor’s reconnaissance and scanning systems to track the forces ahead of him.
• At around two thousand meters deep, Alvin found dozens of destroyed Immortal bodies and recognized the fading green glow from their remains.
• Alvin concluded that a Necron Dynasty’s tomb must be hidden beneath Mine Shaft No. 3.

Alvin discovered that the mine concealed an ancient Necron city and realized the fighting could awaken the sleeping dynasty. He rushed into the ruins to stop the battle, where he sensed something watching him from the tomb.

• Alvin examined the battlefield at the bottom of the mine and deduced that the Inquisitor's forces had recently killed several Necron Immortals.
• Alvin sent Soundwave's Cassette Warriors ahead to scout the largest mining tunnel, then discovered that its metal was tens of millions of years old.
• The Cassette Warriors revealed a vast underground basin containing a ruined Necron city and a central black spire.
• Alvin realized Necrons were awakening after the Psyker's loss of control and feared that the Inquisitor's battle would rouse the entire tomb.
• Alvin hurried into the city and found a fight already underway, then sensed a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows.

Alvin followed the Imperium and Chaos forces as they encountered a powerful, mentally unsound Psyker who wandered through the ruins. He discovered the Psyker was protecting a child inside a circle of Blackstone spires, and that the child’s brief movement nearly destabilized the entire space.

• Alvin reached the battle at the black Obelisk and saw a frail Psyker halt the fighting between the Imperium and Chaos forces.
• The Psyker crushed a Chaos Space Marine who stood on an Energy Battery, then drained water from several Arbiters who aimed their guns at him.
• The Imperium and Chaos forces cautiously followed the Psyker, while Alvin secretly tracked them and found another way into the ruin.
• Alvin entered a circular plaza and saw the Psyker give water and an Energy Battery to a child enclosed by four black spires.
• When the child stepped partly beyond the spires, a powerful pressure shook the plaza, and Alvin realized the Blackstone Creations were suppressing the child’s Psychic Power.

Alvin discovered that the child in the Blackstone Spire was an extraordinarily powerful Alpha-level Psyker and feared he would be killed if he tried to take him to another universe. When the children grew hostile, Alvin calmed them by offering hamburgers and asked to become friends.

• Alvin recognized the Blackstone Spire and realized the child inside it could unconsciously unleash enough Psychic Power to tear open a Warp Rift.
• The child sensed Alvin hiding and accused him of coming to steal something, while the older child demanded that he come out.
• Alvin stepped into view with his hands raised, deactivated his Sky-Shaking Unicron Armor, and insisted he meant no harm.
• As the children remained wary and the plaza filled with psychic pressure, Alvin offered them food to break the standoff.
• Alvin produced steaming hamburgers, and the children grew curious and eager as he invited them to become friends.

Alvin used food from his Personal Space to calm the two dangerous Psykers, then gave them the names Gabriel and Michael. After learning that Michael could keep others from entering simply by willing it, Alvin considered taking the girls to another world and teaching them.

• Alvin gave the hungry children hamburgers, fried chicken, fries, and cola, and they lowered their guard after eating.
• Alvin learned the girls had no names and offered to name them; they eagerly accepted Gabriel and Michael.
• Alvin asked the girls not to get agitated and warned them about the dangerous people outside.
• Gabriel said no one else could enter their refuge, and Michael explained that she kept them out because she did not want them to enter.
• Alvin realized Michael could alter reality and began considering taking the girls to another world to educate them and gain powerful Psykers he could control.

Alvin persuaded Gabriel and Michael to leave their home by promising them food and safety, then used his Navigator to take them to the Xenomorph Universe. A tiny beetle-like creature watched them vanish from the shadows.

• Alvin asked Gabriel and Michael whether they wanted to leave, and their agitation made the Blackstone spires howl and the ruin shake.
• Alvin calmed the sisters by promising them hamburgers, fried chicken, cola, and fries, then offered them ice cream.
• Gabriel hesitated because the ruin was home, but Alvin promised she and Michael would be safe and never go hungry.
• Gabriel agreed to go with Alvin, and she reassured Michael that she would stay beside her.
• Alvin took both sisters by the hand and used his Navigator to travel to the Xenomorph Universe.
• A tiny green beetle-like creature watched the three disappear.

After Michael’s uncontrolled psychic outburst devastated an uninhabited planet, Alvin discovered that Gabriel and Michael could no longer hear the Warp’s whispers in the Xenomorph Universe. He left the sisters aboard the Master of the World with food and care arranged while he went to LZ-223, hoping they could recover and eventually study at a Psyker academy.

• Michael’s psychic power erupted after the transfer, and Gabriel shielded the Master of the World while the Stormfront ravaged the planet.
• Gabriel and Michael told Alvin that the Warp’s whispers and strange writing had vanished, and Alvin realized they were cut off from the Warp.
• Alvin decided to educate the sisters and comforted Gabriel, who had become more lucid but did not want him to leave.
• Alvin promised to visit the sisters and bring presents, then left them safely aboard the Master of the World with Kentucky Fried Chicken meals.
• Alvin piloted the Master of the World to planet LZ-223 and entrusted the sisters’ care to Weyland.

Alvin ordered Weyland to create an isolated planet, ecosystem, and school to care for two dangerously powerful children, with strict religious rituals to keep them stable. Weyland reluctantly accepted after seeing proof that the children could destroy a planet.

• Weyland grew anxious when Alvin greeted him with an unusually kind smile and asked what he needed.
• Alvin told Weyland to choose a remote uninhabited planet and build an ecosystem and school for two children, with specially made Bioroids caring for them.
• Alvin explained that the children could destroy a planet if they became emotional or felt threatened, then showed Weyland footage of the destruction.
• Weyland received Alvin's instructions, including two hours of daily prayer before statues of the Emperor and the Holy Son.
• Alvin warned Weyland that the rituals were necessary to control the children, and Weyland realized he had agreed to care for two walking nuclear bombs.

Alvin left Weyland in charge of training Gabriel and Michael while he returned to the Necron tomb, only to find Necron forces awakening as he tried to leave. The chapter ended with Necron Warriors and Canoptek Scarabs advancing on Alvin, the Inquisitor, and the Chaos forces.

• Alvin gave Weyland an Infinite Potion and persuaded him to take responsibility for Gabriel and Michael.
• Alvin introduced Weyland to the two sisters, whose psychic power shook the space station and frightened him.
• Weyland reported that recruits had been selected for training on special planets, and Alvin reminded him to prepare the Forge World.
• Alvin returned to the ruin and found the Inquisitor and two Chaos groups still unable to enter Alpha's chamber.
• Necron Warriors and Canoptek Scarabs emerged from the ancient city and advanced on Alvin and the others.

The Necron Warriors awakened and forced the Imperial and Chaos forces to unite against them, while Inquisitor Marshall pressed ahead to find and eliminate the Delta-level Psyker. Alvin was nearly killed by Tasha Ortiz, but Winnie’s Rose Knot badge stopped her sword just short of his forehead.

• The Necron Warriors emerged, prompting the Imperials and Chaos forces to turn their weapons against the Xenos.
• Marshall refused to retreat and ordered his troops to hold their positions, then took Tasha Ortiz with him to search for the Psyker.
• Tasha detected Alvin hiding in a corridor and attacked him before he could explain himself.
• Alvin was overwhelmed by Tasha’s Untouchable presence and nearly struck down by her Executioner Greatsword.
• Alvin pulled out Winnie’s Rose Knot badge, and Tasha’s sword stopped 0.1 centimeters from his forehead.

Alvin reunited with Inquisitor Marshall and claimed he had eliminated the Delta-level Psyker. With their surviving forces trapped by Necrons, Alvin used a mysterious power to teleport the group away, leaving a faintly green speck of dust on Marshall.

• Marshall recognized Alvin and questioned why he was there, while Alvin insisted he had taken care of the Psyker.
• Marshall scanned the area, confirmed the target was gone, and refused Alvin's offer to recruit Tasha.
• Alvin and Marshall emerged to find Necron Warriors surrounding the outnumbered human survivors as Chaos forces retreated.
• Alvin hinted that Xenos could save them, and Marshall agreed that using Xenos power could serve the Imperium.
• Alvin led the survivors into the passageway, told them to close their eyes, and invoked Sky-Shaking Unicron's Space Teleportation.
• As the group vanished, a speck of dust glowing faintly green stuck to Marshall's clothes.

Chaos Raptors commander Hal’s squads were overwhelmed by Necrons while searching the ruins for the Unborn, and Hal was captured by Necron Lord Torzak. Torzak then spoke with Trazyn, who ordered him to protect the human until Trazyn arrived.

• Hal ordered his Chaos Raptors to hold back the Necrons while the others searched the ruins, but they failed to find the Unborn.
• Hal suspected Inquisitor Marshall had escaped with the Unborn, and his squads ran out of ammunition as the Necrons surrounded them.
• Hal led the remaining Raptors into melee, but his force was destroyed until only he remained.
• Torzak appeared, revealed that the Necrons had switched to melee to capture specimens, and had Hal seized along with the dead Raptors.
• Torzak went to the Blackstone Creations and spoke with Trazyn, who ordered him to protect the human until he arrived.

Alvin and Marshall escaped the Xenos ruin, and Marshall killed the remaining Arbiters to keep the Space Bridge secret while forcing the Brass Claws to swear silence. As they returned to Celerus, they found the Underhive eerily empty and saw the Space Elevator engulfed in flames.

• Marshall demanded to know whether Alvin's teleportation technology could bypass the Warp, but Alvin refused to reveal the Space Bridge.
• Marshall ordered the Sisters of Silence to kill the remaining Arbiters and threatened the Brass Claws squad leader until he swore to keep the incident secret.
• Alvin, Marshall, and the nine surviving Brass Claws headed back toward the Hive City, and Marshall laughed at the Chaos forces trapped among the Xenos.
• The group crossed the silent Underhive without encountering Genestealers, which made Alvin suspect something was wrong.
• Someone pointed out that the Space Elevator in the Hive City's central region was engulfed in flames and pouring out thick black smoke.

Alvin saw that Celerus Hive City was under a massive attack and resolved to return to save Elsa, Penny, and Tucker. He enlisted Inquisitor Marshall to gather Knight Families from the Deadwood District, then promised to hold the city for seven days as he prepared to bring in his legion.

• Alvin and Marshall saw Celerus Hive City burning as Hell Dragons and Genestealers attacked its defenses.
• Alvin refused to abandon Elsa, Penny, and Tucker and chose to stay and attempt a rescue.
• Alvin persuaded Marshall to join him, and Marshall agreed to help despite believing the city could not be saved.
• Alvin gave Marshall the Rose Knot and sent him to the Deadwood District to gather Knight Families in his and Inquisitor Winnie's names.
• Alvin headed toward Celerus Hive City and vowed that it would hold for seven days while his legion entered the battle.

Alvin entered the burning Hive City and summoned Nightblade, then used his Navigator power to teleport in armies from other dimensions. With reinforcements arriving around him, he prepared to fight for Celerus.

• Marshall promised to cross Alert Star and bring reinforcements from the Knight Family within seven days, while Alvin went alone toward Celerus.
• Alvin entered the Middle Hive, rejected Tzeentch's prophecy, and ordered Nightblade to destroy the Genestealers surrounding him.
• Alvin activated teleportation as a Navigator, drawing armies from multiple dimensions into the combat zone.
• The Transformers, Biohazard, and Bioroid armies, the First Auxiliary Army of Holy Terra, the Punisher Legion, and the Honor Guard arrived, and Alvin turned toward the burning Hive City.

Alvin committed his forces to rescuing Elsa and the others in Celerus, organizing his legions and planning to strike the enemy’s supply lines rather than attack the Hive City head-on. As his army began bombarding the Genestealers, Drakris spotted the unfamiliar, lavishly equipped troops and suspected Alvin had brought them.

• Alvin ordered his legions to secure the border between the Middle Hive and the Underhive, clear out the remaining Genestealers, and establish defensive lines.
• Alvin met with his commanders, reviewed the strengths and equipment of his forces, and chose to avoid a direct assault in favor of cutting enemy supply lines and attacking from behind.
• Drakris watched Celerus’s defenders face waves of infected attackers and saw the city’s powerful Plasma Annihilator batteries destroy everything in their path.
• Alvin’s army opened fire from the outskirts, and Drakris was stunned to see hundreds of thousands of unfamiliar soldiers wearing extravagant modular armor.
• Drakris concluded that the army’s equipment was too wasteful for the Astra Militarum and wondered whether Alvin had made it.