Chapter Summaries

Curtis Mannheim led the Iron Skull Titan Legion and Steel Ball Skitarii toward the Ork armored force, compelled by von Straub to obey an ancient treaty despite fearing the enemy’s overwhelming numbers. As they advanced, Ork aircraft appeared, and the Imperator Titan began its anti-air mission.

• von Straub used his family’s Sacred Iron Treaty with the Martian Mechanicus to force Curtis Mannheim to lead the Legion into battle.
• Mannheim ordered the Imperator Titan to maintain its pace so it would not become separated from the Skitarii.
• The Titan’s Machine God priests maintained its reactor while the Legion and Skitarii advanced toward the Orks in coordinated formation.
• The Imperator Titan crushed a path through a ridge as Ork aircraft swooped toward the advancing force.
• The fortress built across the Imperator Titan began its anti-air mission when the aircraft entered its targeting sensors.

Fei Bengzha led an Ork bomber attack against the Machine Legion, but the Imperator Titan’s Void Shield stopped his bomb and the Ork air wing was destroyed. Mannheim’s forces prepared a defensive ring and traded devastating fire with the approaching Ork Gu Juji and Stompas, leaving the ground shattered as the larger Ork war machines remained a serious threat.

• Fei Bengzha flew through the Skitarii’s anti-air fire and dropped his bombs at the Imperator Titan, but its Void Shield absorbed the blast.
• Hive Missiles and Skitarii fire destroyed Fei Bengzha’s plane, while most of the Ork air wing was shot down or fled.
• Mannheim’s Skitarii salvaged equipment and built a temporary defensive ring around the Titan Legion.
• The Imperator Titan fired its Plasma Annihilator at a distant target, turning the ground into a field of glass and overwhelming nearby Skitarii with the ionized blast.
• The Ork Gu Juji and Stompas battered the Titan’s Void Shield, while Mannheim prepared the Imperator Titan’s other weapons to fire.

The Orks and Imperial forces fought a massive battle as Ork artillery overwhelmed the Reaver Titans’ Void Shields and the Big Big Big Waaagh opened a gap in the Skitarii lines. An Imperator Titan then destroyed the giant scrap mountain and its Big Big Cannon, leaving the Orks’ largest artillery position in ruins.

• The Ork armored force charged the Titan Legion and Skitarii while Battlewagons, Flakk Trukks, and other vehicles attacked across the battlefield.
• Imperial Knights, Skitarii, servitors, Dunecrawlers, and Warhound Titans fought back against the Orks’ infantry, vehicles, and Deff Dreads.
• Ork artillery overloaded a Reaver Titan’s Void Shields and damaged its armor and missile nest.
• The Big Mek ordered the Big Big Big Waaagh to fire its Big Big Cannon, whose blast tore a massive gap through the Skitarii positions and killed Orks and Skitarii alike.
• An Imperator Titan fired its Gatling Macro Cannon into the scrap mountain, killing the Big Mek and collapsing the structure from within.

Ork Big Meks used rocket-assisted Iron Claws to bypass the Warlord Titan’s Void Shields and melt away its leg armor. The Titan raised its shields and turned to meet the incoming claws as the Gu Jujis unleashed their remaining firepower.

• A Big Mek demonstrated how his battle fortress’s Iron Claw could pass through a Void Shield and damage the Warlord Titan’s leg.
• The Big Mek and other Orks launched dozens and then hundreds of Iron Claws at the damaged Titan.
• The Warlord Titan’s princeps felt the Machine Spirit’s distress as the exposed cables impaired the Titan’s movement.
• The Titan raised its Void Shield to full power and turned toward the incoming Iron Claws, while the Gu Jujis fired all their remaining weapons.

Ork battle fortresses destroyed Steel Valiant by breaching its Void Shields, and the Warlord Titan self-destructed rather than be captured. Mannheim’s Imperator Titan remained the Imperium’s last force on the battlefield as Big Mek Loba scavenged the Titan’s wreckage.

• Ork battle fortresses surrounded Steel Valiant and repeatedly pierced its armor with Iron Claws, overwhelming its defenses without Skitarii support.
• Steel Valiant’s Princeps declared loyalty to the Omnissiah and activated the Titan’s reactor meltdown, destroying the Warlord Titan and nearby Ork fortresses.
• Mannheim received Steel Valiant’s final message and recognized that his Imperator Titan was the last remaining Imperium fighting force, besieged by Gargants and infiltrating Orks.
• Big Mek Loba escaped the wreckage of a ruined battle fortress, found Steel Valiant’s Blue Death Ray in the crater, and began salvaging its components.

Curtis Mannheim was severed from his dying Titan during an Ork assault and struggled to survive in the wrecked bridge. With the god-engine close to falling and Orks climbing over it, he injected a life-prolonging sedative and tried to reconnect to its machine spirit.

• Curtis Mannheim was thrown from the amniotic tank when explosions ruptured it and severed his connection to the Titan.
• Mannheim found the bridge destroyed, its crew dead, and the Titan’s Void Shield still unrepaired.
• As Ork fire tilted the dying Titan and Orks climbed aboard to loot it, Mannheim dragged himself toward the console to protect his final honor.
• Mannheim injected a toxic sedative, then removed a dead operator’s interfaces and connected them to the cables at the back of his head.
• Mannheim began searching through Binary Cant for the Titan’s machine spirit after switching from controlling its body to controlling its data flow.

Mannheim urged the wounded Imperator Titan’s machine spirit onward as Ork Gargants trapped it with grappling claws. As the Titan began its reactor meltdown, surviving Tech-Priests rallied to its machine spirit and removed the reactor’s voltage limits to grant it a final glory.

• Mannheim comforted the machine spirit, and the Imperator Titan regained its footing and advanced toward the Ork Gargants.
• The Orks’ Big Mek ordered the Gargants to bind the Titan with grappling claws, and their attack stopped its advance.
• Knowing his sedative was failing, Mannheim ordered the machine spirit to die with him as the reactor’s final countdown began.
• Tech-Priest Unit 0037 reconnected the surviving reactor maintenance priests, but they lacked the strength to stabilize the reactor.
• The machine spirit restarted the reactor, and the surviving priests approved an overload protocol and removed its voltage limits.

Unit 0037 and the tech-priests overloaded the Imperator Titan’s systems to transmit their data before the reactor’s self-destruction. The blast killed Gu Juji and the Ork forces, while Curtis Mannheim’s soul drifted into darkness and reunited with Steel Skull.

• The damaged tech-priests staggered their shutdowns to pass their data to Unit 0037, who continued operating as his body failed.
• Unit 0037 heard the countdown to Final Loyalty and welcomed the reactor meltdown as a final act of devotion to the Omnissiah.
• The Imperator Titan’s reactor exploded, vaporizing Unit 0037, Gu Juji, and the remaining Ork forces while clearing the storm and smoke from the sky.
• Curtis Mannheim watched memories of his life and the Titan’s destruction pass before him as his soul drifted away from Armageddon.
• Mannheim saw a red-haired woman reach for him, took her hand, and recognized her as Steel Skull.

The Oskuritarii on Mars learned that Steel Skull was dead and decided to send a Mechanical Ark to Armageddon while erasing Captain Mannheim from the records. On Armageddon, von Strab celebrated the Titan Legion’s victory until his butler revealed that the Legion and its Skitarii had been wiped out, leaving von Strab in shock and the witnesses silenced.

• The Oskuritarii concluded that Steel Skull was dead, approved a Mechanical Ark’s 57-year journey to Armageddon, and ordered Captain Mannheim erased from history.
• Von Strab’s butler reported that the Iron Skull Titan Legion had destroyed six million Orks and all the Gu Juji.
• Von Strab claimed credit for the victory and ordered the news delivered to Yarrick and Mannheim summoned to meet him.
• The butler revealed that the Titan Legion, Steel Skull, and the Steel Ball Skitarii had all been destroyed.
• Von Strab vomited, shot a slave, and staggered away while the butler had the dancers and other witnesses killed and the room cleaned.

Yarrick invited Herman von Ozk and Hades Hive’s nobles to a banquet, where he revealed that the Titan Legion had been destroyed and urged them to prepare a defense against the Orks. The nobles panicked and argued over defenses, while Yarrick warned them against fighting the Orks in the open.

• Herman von Ozk arrived at Yarrick’s banquet, believing Yarrick’s apology and praise for the Titan Legion’s supposed victory.
• Von Ozk insulted Yarrick with a toast, but Yarrick remained calm and sat quietly at the end of the table.
• Yarrick announced that the Titan Legion had been wiped out, and the guests mocked him until a tech-priest confirmed the destruction.
• Von Ozk and the nobles panicked at the revelation, and Yarrick demanded they fortify Hades Hive and plan for the Orks’ advance.
• The nobles proposed defenses, and Yarrick argued that they must fight within the hive rather than send troops into the open.

Yarrick killed the military-industrial entrepreneurs and ordered the Planetary Defense Force to slaughter the nobles who had obstructed the war effort. When Magos Kaos intervened to enforce the Steel Treaty and protect Von Ozke, Yarrick charged him in battle.

• Yarrick shot the two entrepreneurs after they claimed their factories were already sacrificing profits for the war.
• Hundreds of Planetary Defense Force soldiers stormed in and killed the nobles, while Yarrick confronted the surviving Von Ozke.
• Yarrick contacted Domisilon, who reported that the operation was going well, as Flamethrower Reid interrupted to boast about killing noble guards.
• Von Ozke invoked the Steel Treaty, and Magos Kaos stepped between him and Yarrick, declaring that the treaty must not be violated.
• Yarrick drew his boltgun and power sword and charged Magos Kaos, shouting, “For the Emperor!”

Yarrick killed Feng Ozke with Tech-Priest Sage Kaos's help, then purged Hades Hive's nobles and took temporary control as its residents and the Adeptus Mechanicus backed him. Five days later, regrouped Orks advanced on the hive while industrial relocation remained unfinished, and Yarrick went out to fight.

• Kaos feigned defeat and signaled Yarrick to kill Feng Ozke, then explained that the Steel Treaty had obliged him to protect the family until Yarrick proved too strong to stop.
• Yarrick and his forces wiped out Hades Hive's nobles and magnates, while the Adeptus Mechanicus recognized his temporary authority and the residents accepted his administration.
• Domisilon joined the administration, and Flamethrower Reid became Yarrick's guard and helped train Planetary Defense Force troops in street fighting.
• The Adeptus Mechanicus guided the relocation of factories to the lower hive, but many facilities remained unmoved.
• Five days after the purge, reconnaissance reported that Orks were charging toward Hades Hive, and Yarrick set out with Reid to meet them despite unfinished factory relocations.

Bored Orks rampaged through evacuated Hades Hive, while Yarrick's forces ambushed them and defended the relocation of Dehalan Industrial Zone's facilities. The Orks regrouped under their boss, and the Planetary Defense Force continued its defense around the industrial zone.

• The Orks entered Hades Hive, found little useful scrap, and began smashing buildings out of boredom.
• A sniper killed an Ork, prompting its companions to brawl over eating it instead of reacting to the attack.
• The Ork boss broke up the fight, ate the dead Ork, and ordered the Boyz to search for scrap.
• Planetary Defense Force troops ambushed scattered Orks in the hive districts around Dehalan Industrial Zone.
• Yarrick's Lasgun-armed troops established defensive positions around Dehalan Industrial Zone to protect the relocation of its industrial facilities.

New recruit Dovell faced his first Ork assault at Crossroads Fortress, where veteran soldiers helped him overcome his fear and drive the attackers back. After the defenders rested, three Ork Dirty Tanks advanced on the fortress, leaving Dovell stunned by their crude weapons.

• Dovell cowered during an Ork attack until his veteran sergeant ordered him to take cover and fight.
• The sergeant slapped Dovell into action, and Dovell fired his Lasgun, wounding an Ork as the fortress defenders repelled the assault.
• The Orks retreated after leaving hundreds of corpses in the streets, while Dovell and the other soldiers rested.
• The veteran spotted Ork tanks approaching Crossroads Fortress and ordered the soldiers to prepare anti-armor weapons.
• Three Dirty Tanks fired on the fortress, and Dovell stared in disbelief at the holes in one tank's cannon barrel.

Dovell and the rookie squad defended Crossroads Fortress, destroying two Ork tanks and driving back the attackers. As Dovell slept through the continuing artillery fire, the Ork leader Bunglak planned a surprise night assault on the fortress gate.

• Orks attacked Crossroads Fortress with three Dirty Tanks, and Dovell ducked incoming fire and killed charging Boyz from a firing slit.
• A rocket crew hit an Ork tank, detonating its ammunition and destroying it, while a second rocket disabled another tank.
• Bunglak's remaining tank withdrew under red smoke, ending the battle temporarily after the defenders killed hundreds of Ork Boyz.
• Dovell ate a protein bar and an energy bar, purified dirty water, and fell asleep as artillery continued outside.
• Bunglak resolved to attack the fortress gate under cover of darkness with his Boyz and their big choppas.

Bunglak led an Ork attack on Crossroads Fortress, using a chaotic distraction and cardboard-box camouflage to get close to its gate. After the ambush failed and his Boyz were killed, he charged the gate alone and began hacking it open as the fortress soldiers rushed to defend it.

• Bunglak ordered the Orks with guns to fire at the fortress while he and the axe-wielding Boyz snuck forward in cardboard boxes.
• Crossroads Fortress soldiers woke and opened fire, killing the exposed Orks and forcing Bunglak to flee through the rubble.
• Bunglak hurled his axe at an Ork who was returning to camp, then charged the fortress shouting, "Waaagh! for the Emperor!"
• The fortress heavy bolter jammed as Bunglak reached the sealed gate, and he began hacking at it with his axe.
• The veteran sergeant took his chainsword and followed the soldiers as they hurried to defend the gate.

Bunglak smashed through the fortress gate and slaughtered soldiers while mistaking their resistance for the fighting style of the “Stomach-Shakers.” After defeating the veteran sergeant and turning a rocket back on its launcher crew, Bunglak suddenly shriveled and died, leaving the surviving soldiers to tend the sergeant and repair the gate.

• Bunglak broke through the gate and killed several soldiers despite their concentrated lasgun fire.
• Bunglak fought the veteran sergeant, who struck his armor with a chainsword before Bunglak broke both of his arms and sent him crashing into a wall.
• Bunglak caught an anti-tank rocket and hurled it into the fortress ceiling, then boasted of his strength.
• Bunglak suddenly weakened, shriveled into a skeleton, and collapsed dead.
• The soldiers carried the sergeant to the medical room and began repairing the gate.

Commissar Yarrick’s point defenses and snipers slowed the Ork advance toward the Dehalan Industrial Zone while its defenders held their positions. After Lede reported driving back an attack, Yarrick went outside and found the enormous Ork corpse his gang had brought back.

• Yarrick observed the battle from a forward bunker and relied on fortified buildings, snipers, and point defenses to wear down the Orks.
• Lede’s gang members used their hive knowledge and traps to ambush Orks and delay their advance.
• Domisilon kept the industrial district’s production lines running and refused Sage Kaos’s offer to become an apprentice priest.
• Lede reported that his fighters had repelled Orks attacking near the south gate and the Promethium Pipeline.
• Yarrick followed Lede outside and was stunned by the huge Ork boss corpse they had brought back in an armored vehicle.

Dakka Bang Bang led his ork boyz in a furious assault on a Defence Force position, where their music-empowered fire nearly overwhelmed the defenders. After Lede killed the ork bard and Chimera reinforcements turned their guns on the orks, Dakka Bang Bang decided to attack from another direction.

• Dakka Bang Bang charged from the promethium pipelines and led his heavily armed boyz in a barrage against the Defence Force position.
• An ork boy played wild electric guitar music, strengthening the boyz' shooting and making their fire tear into the defenders' bunkers.
• Iron Fist Squad arrived in several Chimeras and opened fire, while Dakka Bang Bang stopped one transport with an explosive shot.
• Lede fired his meltagun at the ork bard, ending the music and removing its boost to the orks.
• Dakka Bang Bang fired at Lede and the Chimeras, then led his boyz back toward the pipelines to attack from another direction.

Lede killed the heavily armored Ork boss Dakka Bang Bang after evading his attacks and planting a melta bomb on his chest. Afterward, a soldier reported that the troops had found something strange, and Lede went to investigate.

• Lede melted Dakka Bang Bang's ammunition box, but the Ork charged him after discovering it was ruined.
• Dakka Bang Bang battered one Chimera and killed the gunner in another by throwing his big gun through its turret.
• Lede dodged Dakka Bang Bang's attacks, stuck a melta bomb to his chest armor, then fired a melta shot into the opening behind his ammo box and killed him.
• A soldier told Lede that the troops had found something strange, and Lede went with him to see it.