Chapter Summaries

Perturabo mistook Lin Fan for Dorn and ordered his Iron Bone Guard to capture him, but Lin Fan fought through the robots using an upgraded hammer. After Lin Fan revealed he was Dorn’s friend, Perturabo unleashed a corridor full of automated defenses, and Lin Fan charged into their fire.

• Perturabo noticed the Centurion armor lacked the features he expected and doubted that its wearer was Dorn, but ordered the Iron Bone Guard to capture Lin Fan.
• Lin Fan dodged the Guard’s fire, drew Big Hammer Eighty, and used its heat blast to melt and destroy several Iron Bone Guard robots.
• Lin Fan removed the Centurion armor and called on Perturabo to talk, then claimed to be Dorn’s good brother.
• Perturabo threatened Lin Fan and aimed thousands of weapons at him, deploying more turrets and Iron Bone Guard.
• Lin Fan charged through the gunfire, smashing defensive weapons and asking Perturabo to fight him directly, while Perturabo prepared heavier weapons.

Lin Fan endured Perturabo’s weapons and taunted him into leaving the control center. Perturabo pursued him and repeatedly battered him with Forgebreaker, while revealing the despair behind his daemon form.

• Lin Fan survived the Volcano Cannons and dug through the Adamantium floor to approach Perturabo.
• Lin Fan mocked Perturabo until Perturabo smashed the console and charged after him with Forgebreaker.
• Perturabo’s missile barrage struck Lin Fan, who was shocked by the Lord of Iron’s pale, necrotic appearance.
• Perturabo explained that his daemon body reflected his despair and hatred, then attacked Lin Fan at great speed.
• Perturabo repeatedly struck Lin Fan through the air, repairing Forgebreaker’s shattered hammerhead with Warp energy after each blow.

Lin Fan used a Gellar Field to stop Perturabo, but its power began melting him, so Lin Fan and The Emperor restored his body. As Perturabo lay unconscious, Lin Fan reflected on how The Emperor’s expectations and Perturabo’s own flaws had shaped his tragedy.

• Perturabo kept striking Lin Fan until Lin Fan activated Oedmeir’s Gellar Field generator at maximum power.
• The Gellar Field weakened Perturabo and made him melt, so Lin Fan shut it down and poured Nurgle's old soup over him.
• The Emperor told Lin Fan to place the holy icon on Perturabo, and its power cleansed the Chaos corruption and restored his body.
• The Emperor warned Lin Fan not to use the Gellar Field on other Primarchs unless necessary, and Lin Fan asked whether he had anything else to say.
• Lin Fan recalled The Emperor’s expectations for Perturabo, Perturabo’s execution lottery, and the family ties and personal flaws behind his fall.

Lin Fan captured Perturabo and, with Oedmeir’s help, defeated the Iron Warriors fleet and brought him aboard Rebecca. He left Perturabo in stasis, planning to let him choose his own path at the Big Canteen rather than use him for his own purposes.

• Lin Fan contacted Oedmeir after capturing Perturabo, and she reported that she had nearly dealt with the Iron Warriors warships.
• The smith Sander refused to believe Perturabo had fallen and urged the Iron Warriors to save him, but Oedmeir destroyed their warship.
• Oedmeir joined Lin Fan aboard the Iron Blood, examined Perturabo, and proposed storing the ship inside Rebecca.
• Lin Fan carried Perturabo to Rebecca in Oedmeir’s cramped shuttle, and Oedmeir placed him in a stasis field.
• Lin Fan told Oedmeir he would let Perturabo do as he wished at the Big Canteen, provided he caused no trouble.

Oedmeir returned to the Big Hotel Galaxy with the warship, while Lin Fan learned that Slaanesh had been visiting Delia in her dreams and altering her body. Lin Fan went to inspect Delia’s room and called for Commissar Cain, but the chapter ended with an account of Konrad Curze’s failed attempt to warn Rogal Dorn about the rebellion.

• Oedmeir returned the warship to the Big Hotel Galaxy and told Rebecca to stay aboard while she prepared the ship.
• Delia rushed to Lin Fan and explained that Slaanesh had been visiting her in dreams and changing her body.
• Lin Fan brought the captured Perturabo with him as Delia led him toward her residence.
• Colonel Erika told Lin Fan that she had hidden the disturbance, captured Commissar Cain, and occupied the Valhallans with difficult hand-calculation exams.
• Lin Fan ordered Erika to bring Cain out and give the Valhallans time off.
• Konrad Curze sought Rogal Dorn’s help after foreseeing the rebellion, but Dorn mocked him, prompting Curze to attack him and flee.

Lin Fan learned why Commissar Cain had been confined after he stumbled upon Delia and a Slaaneshi presence, and Delia removed the bomb collar she had put on him. Cain accepted her apology, though he still believed the regiment had been corrupted by Chaos.

• Lin Fan questioned Colonel Erika about how Commissar Cain had been kept in the vehicle, and Erika explained that Delia had fitted him with a bomb collar linked to it.
• Delia removed the collar, apologized to Commissar Cain, and he accepted her apology in the name of serving The Emperor.
• Cain recalled finding Delia asleep before a vast shadow, blood-red liquor, and gold coins, and mistaking the scene for Slaanesh's corruption.
• Cain tried to alert the camp, but Slaanesh blocked his message while Delia restrained and collared him.
• Delia and Colonel Erika decided to confine Cain in the mess vehicle, where he told Krieg soldiers what he had seen, though they did not believe him.

Lin Fan brought Commissar Cain and Colonel Erika to the Golden Throne to explain the alliance between the Emperor and Slaanesh and the nature of Chaos. Cain struggled to accept what he saw, while Slaanesh recognized him as a man who had interested one of her followers.

• Cain believed Delia and Lin Fan were illusions and feared that daemons had already taken over the planet, so Lin Fan invited him and Erika to a private meeting.
• Lin Fan brought Cain and Erika into the Golden Throne, where Cain met the Emperor and received calming pink vapor.
• Slaanesh appeared, embraced Lin Fan, and explained that she lived beside the Emperor, while Lin Fan revealed that she was his wife and the Emperor's ally.
• Cain questioned why the Emperor had allied with Slaanesh, and the Emperor and Slaanesh explained that they could not truly destroy each other.
• Lin Fan explained the connection between the real world and the Warp, then reassured Cain that the Emperor's allies offered hope for the future.
• Slaanesh recognized Cain as someone one of her followers had previously reported on.

After leaving the Emperor’s throne room, Lin Fan entrusted Erika with watching over Commissar Cain, who went looking for a drink to process what he had learned. Cain and Erika ended up at Old Jock’s makeshift bar, where Cain ordered his usual strong fruit wine.

• Slaanesh teased Commissar Cain, and the Emperor told Lin Fan to handle Perturabo because he understood him better.
• Lin Fan, Slaanesh, and the Emperor returned to the real world, and Cain left to find a bar and digest the information he had received.
• Lin Fan ordered Erika to keep an eye on Cain, while he and Delia began building a room for Perturabo.
• Erika caught up with Cain and followed him along the newly built avenue to a temporary camp.
• Cain greeted Old Jock at his makeshift bar, ordered strong fruit wine, and brought Erika to sit beside him.

Cain and Erika visited Old Jock’s gathering place, where Squad 1342 arrived and revealed a secret performance. The Krieg sisters took the stage in work clothes and began a synchronized routine.

• Cain and Erika spoke over substitute drinks at Old Jock’s gathering place, where Erika recognized the arriving soldiers as sisters.
• Squad 1342 entered, and Erika received a note from one of its members before exchanging a knowing glance with Old Jock.
• Old Jock announced a secret performance, and Squad 1342 moved onto a makeshift stage.
• The six Krieg sisters removed their gas masks and greatcoats, revealing their faces and sturdy work clothes.
• The sisters linked arms and began stomping their boots in unison on the platform.

The Krieg sisters performed a traditional dance that moved the Valhallans and drew soldiers from across the camp into a lively celebration. Erika reflected on how Officer Soap had changed her understanding of life and what the Imperium should fight for, and Cain agreed to continue working alongside them as the night’s festivities began.

• The Krieg sisters finished their dance to enthusiastic applause, then saluted the soldiers and reported their successful task to a Krieg watch officer.
• Valhallans, Kasareans, and Landes people raised drinks to the Krieg sisters, while soldiers took turns showcasing their hometown talents.
• Erika drank with Cain and Old Jock and described how she had once seen atonement and killing in the Emperor’s name as her only purpose.
• Erika recalled Officer Soap’s words and explained that she now fought to build a better life for those who came after, rather than spread war across every planet.
• Cain accepted Erika’s vision and agreed to keep acting alongside them as the soldiers clinked their shell casings together.

Perturabo woke after a nightmare to find that Lin Fan and Oedmeir had removed the Warp corruption and altered his body. Left alone in an unfamiliar room, he struggled with losing his ability to sense the properties of matter and tore apart a blanket.

• Perturabo relived memories and visions of the Eye of Terror before Lin Fan woke him.
• Lin Fan told Perturabo that his weapon had been put away and that Oedmeir had cleaned up the Warp corruption.
• Perturabo discovered that Oedmeir had removed the cables and components from his skull and fitted a device that limited some of his abilities.
• Lin Fan explained that the device temporarily suppressed Perturabo's ability to sense the properties of matter.
• Perturabo demanded to know Lin Fan's intentions, but Lin Fan shoved past him and left.
• Perturabo sat alone, struggled to make sense of a blanket, and tore it apart.

Perturabo explored his room, ate the meal Lin Fan had provided, and convinced himself that he was being held in a carefully designed prison. After walking out through the supposedly fortified door, he received Forgebreaker from four attendants and recognized the hammer.

• Perturabo eagerly tested the objects in his room, then accused Lin Fan of trying to trick him into serving and watched Lin Fan leave.
• Perturabo ate the steak, potatoes, and fruit with growing satisfaction, then searched the room for surveillance devices.
• Lin Fan told Oedmeir that he planned to leave Perturabo without orders so Perturabo would decide for himself to help; Oedmeir went to sleep.
• Perturabo found no hidden devices, decided the room was a prison, and opened the door with almost no effort.
• Four attendants brought Perturabo a cart bearing Forgebreaker, and he picked up the hammer.

Perturabo found himself in a place where no one tried to control or trap him, but he suspected Lin Fan had an ulterior motive and confronted him. After Lin Fan admitted he wanted Perturabo to work for him, the two fought until Oedmeir threatened to silence them.

• Perturabo left the building, accused the mortals of planting a bomb in the aircraft, dismantled it, and then reassembled and flew it into space.
• Perturabo saw that his Iron Blood was waiting without any attack or trap, recalled how others had always demanded things from him, and returned to confront Lin Fan.
• Perturabo demanded to know what Lin Fan wanted and threatened the mortals, so Lin Fan challenged him to fight.
• Lin Fan overpowered Perturabo in their brawl and admitted he wanted him to work there, offering him a job serving tea and water.
• Perturabo attacked Lin Fan again, but Oedmeir threatened to put them both in coffins and launch them into the sun.

Perturabo sought to become Oedmeir’s assistant, then questioned why Lin Fan had allowed a traitor to live. Lin Fan challenged his despair by explaining how The Emperor and Perturabo’s brothers had cared about him, leaving Perturabo quietly assembling wooden pieces as he listened.

• Perturabo learned that Oedmeir was a Golden Age scientist who had made his talent limiter, then crashed through her window and was blasted back out by her 110 Probability Cannon.
• After several days in a coma, Perturabo woke and announced that he wanted to be Oedmeir’s assistant, but she rejected him as an idiot.
• Lin Fan told Perturabo he could go outside if he did not hurt anyone, and Perturabo asked why Lin Fan had not killed him despite his crimes.
• Lin Fan explained that a primarch’s death only meant rebirth in the Warp, and told Perturabo what he knew about Horus, Sanguinius, Ferrus, and Curze.
• Perturabo dropped the wooden pieces he was assembling when Lin Fan claimed Slaanesh was his wife, then resumed building after making Lin Fan stop swearing oaths.
• Lin Fan told Perturabo that The Emperor had not deliberately driven his sons away and described Dorn’s sorrow and Guilliman’s hope for a reunion with their brothers.

Perturabo reflected on his hatred and loss before emerging from isolation and accepting work on Lin Fan’s developing world. He headed to the Krieg Corps’ construction district, where Oedmeir’s plans organized the planet around energy production, agriculture, and industry.

• Lin Fan asked Perturabo whether he wanted revenge for the sons they had killed, and Perturabo replied, “Well done.”
• After spending more than a week alone, Perturabo visited Lin Fan’s office, where Lin Fan gave him a hard hat and suggested he work as a construction foreman.
• Perturabo showed Lin Fan a board of Greek-style place names, and Lin Fan told him he could change the official food-themed names himself.
• Perturabo headed toward the mixed fortress district under construction by the Krieg Corps.
• Oedmeir’s plan placed synthesis-conversion fields and agricultural zones near the central energy array, using crops as food and sources of industrial minerals.

Perturabo spent a day inspecting Oedmeir’s city construction and working alongside the Krieg soldiers, then spoke with Lin Fan about his weariness and his desire to try unfamiliar things. He settled into his new life and asked Lin Fan to bring Rogal Dorn if he found him.

• Perturabo examined the fortress blueprints and construction machinery but found no flaws, then joined the Krieg soldiers in moving ore.
• After work, Perturabo watched the soldiers study and dance before Lin Fan sat beside him and asked how his day had gone.
• Perturabo challenged Lin Fan’s relaxed approach to work, and Lin Fan argued that people needed joy as well as effort.
• Perturabo told Lin Fan that he no longer cared about glory, duty, or ideals and only wanted to do things he had never done before.
• Lin Fan encouraged Perturabo to follow his wishes without hurting anyone, and Perturabo asked him to bring Rogal Dorn if he found him.

Sam learned that the Imperium was recruiting factory workers from residents with Common Knowledge Skills certification, and he headed to the announced factory. On the train, he reflected on how the outsiders had transformed the city and improved his life, though he still depended on finding work for a full ration.

• Sam woke, dressed, and left his bunker-like home to collect his food ration and learn about the day's events.
• Sam overheard two men discussing a Common Knowledge Skills certificate and asked what it was needed for.
• A floating skull announced that certified Imperium citizens should report to the factory on Line One of the Second Ring, and Sam recognized the tattoo on his wrist as his certificate.
• Sam boarded a train to the factory and saw the towering new city built by the outsiders.
• Sam recalled his former life in the slums and recognized that work was plentiful, while people without jobs received only half a standard ration.

Sam entered the newly opened factory, where he was scanned, assigned a work station, and taught to operate a console on the assembly line. His shift ended after only a few hours, leaving him puzzled by the factory’s short work schedule as another worker took his place.

• Sam followed the crowd through a gate inspection, was scanned, and entered a red gate after workers were directed to gates matching their new clothes.
• Sam arrived at a workstation in a vast, religiously decorated factory and read the technical guide on his console.
• Sam operated buttons to control a mechanical arm on the moving production line, gradually becoming faster at the repetitive task.
• The end-of-shift bell rang while the production line kept running, and Sam left as a new worker took his place.
• Sam calculated that fewer than four hours had passed from entering the factory to leaving, and heard someone behind him complain of feeling weak after doing so little work.

Sam completed factory work, classroom instruction, and military training before receiving his wages. The chapter left him with a two-pound meat voucher and the prospect of buying a good meal and supplies to alter his clothes.

• Sam followed the factory signs to his assigned classroom and saw a servo-skull punish a lost worker before forcing him back to his seat.
• An Adeptus Mechanicus priest taught Sam's class how to operate factory machinery manually and warned them to flee if the broadcast announced an energy output adjustment to eighty percent.
• A servo-skull led Sam and the other workers to a training ground, where soldiers put them through four hours of military drills.
• Sam's group completed a circuit of the factory complex and was assessed by scanners at the entrance.
• A servo-skull gave Sam a two-pound meat voucher as his wages for the day.

Oedmeir monitored the factory’s startup and showed Lin Fan her upgrades to the regiment’s armored vehicles. She dismissed combat mechs as impractical and planned to develop better armored forces.

• Oedmeir said the workers needed about a month to adapt to the factory lines and explained how their schedule allowed recovery from the Gellar Field’s effects.
• Oedmeir asked Lin Fan about Perturabo, who had been making statues and architectural blueprints and picking vegetables.
• Oedmeir took Lin Fan to the weapons facility and showed him the regiment’s tanks and other heavy equipment.
• Oedmeir explained that she had added anti-gravity generators and sensory equipment to improve the tanks’ mobility and observation.
• Lin Fan suggested building combat mechs, but Oedmeir argued that their costs, limitations, maintenance, and size made them impractical.