Chapter Summaries

Slaanesh ignored the upheaval in Segmentum Pacificus to focus on stopping the Ynnari, while Nurgle reacted to the Art Student's new power by spreading plague beyond the Blackstone Obelisk's reach. The God-Emperor and the Emperor argued over the Art Student's C'tan abilities, leaving the Emperor willing to risk humanity's fate for another possible path forward.

• Slaanesh dismissed the changes in Segmentum Pacificus and focused on thwarting the Ynnari, knowing one Crone Sword was hidden in His palace.
• Nurgle noticed that the Art Student had gained Mag'ladroth's power and hurled a flood of plague-filled soup toward regions beyond the Blackstone Obelisk's coverage.
• The God-Emperor and the Emperor argued over how the Art Student had shielded sectors and acquired powers resembling those of the Void Dragon.
• The God-Emperor asked whether they should let the Art Student continue, while the Emperor replied that humanity needed another path, even if it carried danger.

Art Student continued refining Blackstone and expanding the Star Army’s forces as the Carcharodons Chapter advanced into the uncontacted Jerma System. Governor Winston mistook the Chapter for heretics and ordered Jerma Hive World’s defenders to fight to the death.

• Art Student entered dimensional space to refine more Blackstone while Gaia arranged for Star Army forces to guard the new star gate.
• The battle-ready Chapters departed the Jesta Galaxy to conquer the remaining star systems in the Provence Sector.
• The Carcharodons Chapter arrived in the Jerma System, alerting the Planetary Defence Force on Jerma Hive World.
• Governor Winston recalled how his attempted escape had failed when Warp travel stopped working across the Provence Sector.
• Winston ordered the Planetary Defence Force to resist the invaders and threatened to punish anyone who defected.

The Carcharodons Chapter attacked Jerma Hive World, destroying its spaceport defenses and sending Hummingbird Assault Boats toward the planet. The assault craft evaded anti-aircraft fire and began wiping out the Planetary Defence Force’s gun positions.

• The spaceport opened fire on the Carcharodons Chapter’s fleet, and Captain Evans ordered the warships to return fire and destroy it.
• The Carcharodons Chapter’s macro-cannons battered the spaceport, wiping out the Planetary Defence Force stationed there.
• Tyberos ordered the Hummingbird Assault Boats to deploy, carrying recruits toward Jerma Hive World under veteran pilots.
• The assault boats entered the planet’s atmosphere and dodged the Planetary Defence Force’s guns, shells, and lasers.
• The assault boats used their plasma cannons to destroy anti-aircraft positions across Jerma Hive World.

A Hummingbird Assault Boat delivered Space Marines to a shelter on the Jelma hive world, then destroyed the Planetary Defence Force artillery emplacement that had attacked it. The pilot continued toward anti-aircraft positions identified by radar.

• The Hummingbird Assault Boat landed near a shelter, and an elite veteran led the recruits off the craft.
• After the assault boat lifted away, Planetary Defence Force artillery shelled its former landing site.
• The enraged pilot spotted the concealed artillery emplacement and fired a Melta Cannon at its ammunition depot.
• The explosion destroyed the emplacement and killed every soldier in the unit.
• The boat's intelligent system reprimanded the pilot for striking its control stick, and he apologized before continuing toward anti-aircraft positions.

The Carcharodons launched a massive assault on the Jerma Hive World, using Hummingbird Assault Boats to destroy its anti-air defenses before deploying tanks and human auxiliaries to overwhelm the Planetary Defence Force. As Tyberos watched the battle from the battleship, he defended sending two thousand recruits into combat and said heavy casualties would call his recruitment judgment into question.

• Hummingbird Assault Boats destroyed the Jerma Hive World's anti-air positions and dropped teleportation beacons onto the surface.
• Apocalypse Tanks, Chimera carriers, and human auxiliary soldiers emerged through the teleportation passages and began advancing under armored cover.
• The human auxiliaries seized advantageous positions and used their armor, advanced weapons, and artillery to smash Planetary Defence Force defenses.
• Tyberos, Garland, and El watched battlefield footage from the Emperor-class Battleship's bridge as the Space Marines fought across the world.
• Kurland questioned Tyberos for deploying nearly all the recruits, and Tyberos replied that their veteran captains and superior support should prevent severe casualties.

As Jerma Hive World’s defenders prepared to hold the passage to the spire against the Carcharodons Chapter, the noble commander fed and threatened the Ogryns sent to fight. The Ogryns ate eagerly and vowed to crush the heretics once they were full.

• A minor noble ordered the soldiers guarding the chokepoint to stay alert and fight to the death to protect their families and the spire.
• The noble commander discovered that more than a hundred hungry Ogryns were demanding food.
• The commander had his guards bring the Ogryns a pile of canned food, and a servant threatened to withhold future meals if they did not fight.
• An Ogryn raised his spiked mace and promised to beat the heretics to pieces after the Ogryns filled their bellies.
• The Ogryns devoured the cans while the hungry private soldiers watched enviously from behind cover.

A Carcharodons squad led by its captain launched a decapitation strike against the Jerma Hive World’s leadership and attacked a heavily defended corridor. Their weapons destroyed several enemy guns, but the defensive position continued to pour fire on them.

• The captain halted the squad after detecting an enemy defensive position around the corner.
• The captain ordered two Space Marines carrying Void Shields to lead the assault, with the rest following close behind.
• The shield guards charged into a barrage of anti-tank shells and autocannon rounds, which their shields withstood but whose force stopped their advance.
• The squad returned fire, destroying an anti-tank cannon with a detonating round.
• The Space Marines’ Gauss rays disintegrated a firing autocannon.

The Space Marines shattered the Noble Coalition’s defensive line with precise gunfire, then their captain charged into the position with twin Power Axes. As the Ogryns finally took up their weapons and the battle descended into chaos, an enraged enforcer charged at the captain.

• A Gauss beam disintegrated a Noble Coalition soldier while Heavy Ripper Rifle fire killed defenders and weakened their barrage.
• The Space Marine captain rushed forward between the shield bearers as the Noble commander tried to restore order by threatening fleeing soldiers and having his guards shoot them.
• The Noble commander ordered the Ogryns to stop eating and attack, and more than a hundred Ogryns grabbed their spiked clubs and charged toward the front.
• The Space Marine captain broke into the Noble Coalition position, cutting down soldiers with his Power Axes and throwing the defensive line into chaos.
• An enraged enforcer charged out of the crowd as the Noble soldiers hesitated over whether to focus their fire on the captain.

A Space Marine captain's squad fought Noble Coalition soldiers and faced a charging group of Ogryns. After the Ogryns suffered heavy losses to the Marines' Ripper Rifles, their largest warrior hurled an anti-tank gun emplacement at them.

• A Space Marine killed a law enforcer charging the captain with two Meltabombs, and the captain praised him.
• The captain warned his squad to keep the Ogryns away from their defensive line and attack from range.
• The Space Marines fired on the Ogryns, who took cover and threw heavy debris at them.
• Several Ogryns charged behind a steel plate, but Ripper Rifle fire pierced it and killed them; more Ogryns were shot when they peeked out.
• The largest Ogryn lifted an anti-tank gun emplacement and hurled it at the Space Marines.

The Ogryns charged the Space Marines after one of their number hurled an anti-tank turret, and the fight turned into a brutal melee. After an Ogryn broke a Space Marine’s ribs with a mace, the wounded Marine recovered enough to fire his Plasma Pistol at the attacker.

• The Ogryns stopped firing their Ripper Rifles and charged as a Space Marine fled the anti-tank turret one of them had thrown.
• A Space Marine cut an Ogryn’s spiked mace in half with his Power Sword and killed him.
• Another Ogryn struck the Space Marine in the chest with a mace, breaking two ribs and sending him crashing to the ground.
• The Space Marine’s power armor injected medicine, easing his pain as the Ogryn charged to kill him.
• The wounded Space Marine drew his Plasma Pistol and fired an azure beam into the charging Ogryn’s head.

Twenty Space Marines fought a hundred Ogryns, and their Captain charged the Ogryn leader after witnessing severe rookie casualties. The Captain’s Power Axe became lodged in the leader’s Adamantium mace, leaving the two locked in a clash of strength.

• A Space Marine killed a charging Ogryn, retrieved his Power Sword, and joined the fight against the Ogryn pack.
• Twenty Space Marines battled a hundred Ogryns, while the leader’s powerful blows incapacitated several rookies and killed another.
• The Space Marine Captain saw the Ogryn leader smash a rookie’s head and charged him, determined to kill him.
• The Ogryn leader met the Captain’s charge with a strike from his massive mace, and the Captain blocked it with a Power Axe.
• The Captain’s Power Axe cut only halfway through the mace, revealing it was made of Adamantium, and the two fighters strained against each other.

The Space Marine captain outmaneuvered and killed the Ogryn leader in a brutal duel. The twenty Space Marines then annihilated more than a hundred Ogryns and all the noble coalition soldiers defending the position.

• The Space Marine captain evaded the Ogryn leader’s powerful strikes and broke his spiked club with a Power Axe.
• The captain severed the Ogryn leader’s arm, dodged his counterattack, then cut off his remaining arm and knocked him down.
• The captain killed the helpless Ogryn leader and hung his head from his waist.
• Twenty Space Marines slaughtered more than a hundred Ogryns and all the noble coalition soldiers in just over ten minutes.

The Carcharodons Space Marines and mortal auxiliaries slaughtered gang members in the Jerma Hive World's Underhive. After someone in the darkness addressed the captain as Tyberos, five cloaked figures in worn military-green power armor emerged, leaving their identities unclear.

• The Space Marines and mortal auxiliaries pursued the fleeing gang members deeper into the Underhive.
• A gang leader charged the Space Marines with a Meltabomb, but a Ripper Rifle round killed him before he could attack.
• The gang members fled after seeing their boss die, and the Carcharodons caught and slaughtered them despite their pleas for mercy.
• Someone in a dark corner applauded, and the Space Marine captain aimed his Gauss Rifle and demanded that the stranger come out.
• A voice from the darkness identified himself as Farahel and told Tyberos not to fire.
• Five cloaked figures in worn military-green power armor stepped out of the darkness.

Farahel and four Dark Angels mistook a Carcharodons captain for Tyberos while seeking him in the Underhive. Tyberos arrived through a teleport beacon and confronted them, leaving Farahel stunned by how much taller he had become.

• Farahel identified the Carcharodons captain as Tyberos, despite the captain repeatedly denying it.
• The captain reported that Farahel and four Dark Angels had come specifically to find Tyberos, and asked whether he should eliminate them.
• Tyberos ordered the captain to activate a teleport beacon so he could meet the visitors himself.
• Tyberos emerged from the teleportation passage with El, Garland, Kurland, and other warriors, overwhelming Farahel with his imposing presence.
• Farahel stared at Tyberos and stammered in disbelief that he had grown from around three metres tall to 3.5 metres.

Tyberos confronted Farahel and learned that he and his warriors were members of the Fallen, hunted by the Dark Angels and trapped in the Jerma System. Farahel asked to pledge allegiance to the Lord of the Stars and seek his protection, and Tyberos assured him that the Lord welcomed brave fighters.

• Tyberos demanded to know why Farahel and his companions had come, and openly admitted that he had surrendered to the Lord of the Stars.
• Farahel revealed that he was one of the Fallen, whom the Dark Angels called traitors, and said he did not know why they were being pursued.
• Tyberos asked how Farahel had learned of the attack on the Provence Sector and entered the Jerma System despite the sealed Mandeville Points.
• Farahel explained that his psychic ability let him eavesdrop on Astropath communications and that he and over a hundred Fallen had entered the Jerma Hive World for supplies before its Mandeville Point closed.
• Farahel said he wanted to pledge allegiance to the Lord of the Stars, and Tyberos declared that the Lord would grant strength and protection to those who fought for humanity with courage.

Tyberos questioned whether Farahel’s tiny group could survive as an independent force, but Farahel revealed that more than a hundred Fallen Space Marines and a fleet were stranded in the Jerma System. Tyberos confirmed they met the minimum strength to establish their own Chapter, leaving Farahel hopeful that their organization could survive.

• Tyberos warned Farahel that his four companions were too few to carry out missions or fight effectively, and Farahel insisted he wanted to keep battling and avenge his fallen brothers.
• Tyberos offered the Carcharodons Chapter as a temporary refuge until Farahel gathered more than a hundred Fallen and could seek permission from Chapter Master Gray to form a Chapter.
• Farahel said that more than a hundred Space Marines, a strike cruiser, and several other warships were in the Jerma System.
• Tyberos asked why his flagship’s scanners had detected no ships, and Farahel explained that their warships had exhausted their energy and shut down their systems.
• Tyberos told Farahel that his force met the minimum standard to establish an independent Chapter, and Farahel asked whether their organization could be preserved.

After Tyberos left Jerma Hive World, he arranged repairs and fuel for Farahel’s damaged strike cruiser and promised to contact Chapter Master Gray about Farahel’s future. Farahel accepted an escort and felt reassured that joining the Lord of the Stars had been the right choice.

• The Space Marine captain rallied his nineteen recruits to purge the Underhive of gangs, xenos, and cultists.
• Tyberos ordered Evans to send repair robots and personnel to Farahel’s strike cruiser and replenish its fuel.
• Tyberos told Farahel that he would contact Chapter Master Gray to arrange what came next.
• Farahel thanked Tyberos, who said that joining Gray’s forces would let them support one another.
• Mortal auxiliary troops escorted Farahel, whose admiration for their advanced armor strengthened his confidence in his decision.

After the Carcharodons Chapter captured Jerma Hive World in a recruitment trial, Tyberos ordered the surrendered prisoners to fight one another for a chance to join the Chapter. The prisoners began attacking each other as the armed forces prepared to execute anyone who refused.

• The Carcharodons Chapter captured Jerma Hive World in twenty-four hours, though five Space Marine recruits died in the assault.
• Tyberos accepted the victory and left the world for logistical departments and the Defense Force to administer.
• A Carcharodons Space Marine addressed more than a hundred thousand surrendered prisoners and offered them the choice to live or die.
• The Space Marine told the prisoners they had to kill those beside them to qualify for recruitment, and threatened to execute anyone who did not act within ten seconds.
• The armed forces aimed their weapons at the prisoners, and one man lunged at a comrade, who fought back by removing his helmet and striking him with it.

The Carcharodons Chapter tested more than one hundred thousand prisoners on Jerma Hive World in a brutal melee, stopping the slaughter only after a few thousand survivors remained. The survivors were taken for treatment while the dead were burned on the battlefield.

• Prisoners fought and killed one another as the Carcharodons and mortal auxiliaries watched from the field’s edge.
• After the survivors dwindled to several thousand, a Space Marine announced that they had passed the test.
• When the prisoners ignored him and continued fighting, Space Marines fired their Ripper Rifles into the air to stop them.
• The Space Marine warned the survivors against fighting again and ordered the mortal auxiliaries to take them away, treat the wounded, and burn the corpses.
• The mortal auxiliaries escorted the survivors to treatment and burned the dead on the battlefield.

Tyberos defended the Carcharodons Chapter’s brutal recruit trials and confirmed that its forces had cleared threats from the Jerma Hive World. A squadron sent by Commander Kanas arrived to escort the Fallen Angel, and Tyberos told Farahel the news.

• The Defense Force commander criticized the Carcharodons Chapter’s recruitment trials, but Tyberos defended them and the commander agreed not to interfere.
• Tyberos assured the logistics department chief that xenos, Chaos cultists, and gangs had been eliminated from the Jerma Hive World, and said the Carcharodons had seized only a small number of vehicles and artillery pieces.
• A frigate and four destroyers entered the Jerma System and sent a communication request to the Carcharodons flagship.
• A squadron commander under Commander Kanas told Tyberos that he had come to escort the Fallen Angel.
• Tyberos contacted Farahel, who was excited to learn that his escort had arrived.