Recaps

Hercules watched the Imperial Fleet crush the enemy and spoke with Brother Skranchi about his fear of dying without serving the Emperor or meeting Primarch Lorgar’s expectations. Their conversation ended when a black sphere struck the Iron Resolve, breached its defenses, and unleashed Constructs aboard the ship.

• Perturabo ordered the Fleet to advance and destroy the enemy vessels as they retreated under Imperial fire.
• Hercules admitted to Brother Skranchi that he feared dying without making a meaningful contribution and failing Primarch Lorgar’s expectations.
• Brother Skranchi urged Hercules to face his fear, then ordered him to prepare for ship-to-ship combat and boarders.
• Hercules spotted a fast-moving black sphere approaching the Iron Resolve, and the ship’s weapons failed to stop it.
• The sphere attached itself to the Iron Resolve’s hull, burst open, and released black Constructs onto the ship.
• The ship’s alarms announced that enemy units had breached the outer defenses and called combat personnel to repel boarders.

Black Constructs breached the ship and attacked the Word Bearers’ defensive line, where Norskar, Brother Skranchi, and the Imperial forces fought them back. As the enemy kept advancing in overwhelming numbers, Hercules overcame his fear and joined the battle by destroying a Construct with his longsword.

• Black Constructs formed into Hound-like shapes inside the ship and charged the Word Bearers’ defensive line.
• Norskar dodged a Construct’s attack, broke its rear leg joint, and destroyed its head with his Volkite Pistol.
• Menoetius ordered the defenders to open fire, while Brother Skranchi crushed and erased Constructs with his Dreadnought weapons.
• The Space Marines, Tarantula turrets, and Leman Russ tanks poured fire into the attacking waves, but the Constructs continued to advance.
• Hercules drew his longsword and shattered a Construct, losing his fear and embracing the fight.

Hercules charged into battle against the black Constructs, using his Power Sword and the swordsmanship Company Captain Menoetius had taught him to destroy them. The Constructs merged into giant units designed to counter him, and Hercules launched a counterattack against them.

• Hercules charged into the Constructs and cut one apart with his Power Sword.
• The Constructs fused into humanoid forms and fired disintegration beams, which Hercules evaded.
• Hercules combined Company Captain Menoetius's swordsmanship with his strength to destroy more Constructs.
• The Constructs merged into giant combat units equipped with weapons tailored to counter Hercules.
• Hercules countercharged the giant Constructs and began defeating them with his swordsmanship.

Hercules and Company Captain Menoetius led the Word Bearers in a countercharge against the enemy constructs, turning the defensive battle into an assault. As Brother Skranchi urged Hercules to stay close, Hercules embraced the exhilaration of fighting for the Emperor and the Legion.

• Hercules tore through the enemy ranks, giving Menoetius the opening to lead the Word Bearers out of their defenses.
• Menoetius rallied the warriors with a battle cry, and hundreds of Word Bearers charged the enemy.
• Menoetius and Hercules fought into the enemy tide as the Word Bearers cut down the disordered constructs.
• Brother Skranchi advanced in his Dreadnought and teased Hercules about once fearing death, while clearing a path with his weapons.
• Hercules told Skranchi that fighting made him feel as though he were bathing in the sunlight of Colchis, and Skranchi called him a born warrior.
• Skranchi told Hercules to stay close, and Hercules and the surrounding Word Bearers raised their battle cries for the Emperor and the Word Bearers.

The Word Bearers and Imperialis Militia faced a black-metal colossus that formed from the scattered constructs and resisted their weapons. A sudden eruption of spikes devastated the militia and forced the survivors to retreat, leaving Company Captain Menoetius to assess the gruesome scene.

• The scattered black constructs converged and formed a towering humanoid colossus despite the Word Bearers' concentrated fire and the militia tanks' cannon shots.
• Company Captain Menoetius sensed danger beneath the floor and ordered everyone to fall back, but black-metal spikes erupted around the colossus before they could escape.
• The spikes impaled militia soldiers and destroyed several Leman Russ Tanks, while some Space Marines were wounded as they dodged the attack.
• The Word Bearers retreated behind cover, and Apothecary Norskar treated the wounded while Menoetius surveyed the devastation.

Hercules charged through the Colossus's lethal spike field and severed its ankle with his Power Sword. As the Construct fell, Brother Skranchi attacked it with the Dreadnought's Grav-cannon and inversion beam.

• Hercules ignored Company Captain Menoetius's order and charged into the spike field to reach the Colossus.
• Menoetius ordered the troops to provide covering fire and distract the Construct.
• Hercules dodged the spikes and cut an incoming spike aimed at the joint behind his knee.
• Hercules fought through the remaining spikes and drove his Power Sword into the Colossus's ankle joint.
• Brother Skranchi fired the Dreadnought's Grav-cannon and inversion beam as the Construct fell.

After the battle, Hercules heard Brother Skranchi wonder what life would be like after the Great Crusade, only for Apothecary Norskar to remind him that he would soon return to suspended animation. Hercules was left pondering the future as Frank and Perseus returned alive, and Frank showed off a broken Volkite Weapon.

• Ancient Dreadnoughts praised Hercules for his performance against the enemy construct, while Brother Skranchi joked that Hercules would make a formidable Dreadnought.
• Hercules asked Skranchi to stop planning to have him interred in a Dreadnought, and Skranchi imagined a peaceful life after the Great Crusade.
• Skranchi asked Hercules what they would do when the Great Crusade ended, but Apothecary Norskar said Skranchi would need to return to suspended animation after the assignment.
• Skranchi went to search the other compartments for enemies, and Norskar left to tend to the fallen Battle-Brothers' gene-seed.
• Frank and Perseus returned alive, and Frank boasted about defeating enemies with a broken Volkite Weapon while Hercules worried about his explanation to the Techmarines.

Lorgar met with Vulkan to ask him to forge weapons for himself and Angron, and Vulkan agreed. Perturabo arrived seeking a private conversation with Lorgar and praised the Word Bearers as they spoke in the corridor.

• Vulkan entered the conference room with Artellus Numeon and greeted Lorgar.
• Lorgar asked Vulkan to forge weapons suited to him and Angron, and Vulkan gladly agreed.
• Angron arrived and complained that he had kicked a black ball through a broken window in the corridor.
• Perturabo arrived, criticized the Word Bearers' ornate ship decorations, and asked to speak with Lorgar.
• Lorgar left Vulkan and Angron waiting and followed Perturabo into the corridor, where Perturabo told him his Legion was good.

Perturabo praised Lorgar's command of the Word Bearers and agreed to deeper cooperation and an exchange program with the Iron Warriors. Vulkan then offered the Word Bearers heavy weapons and equipment.

• Perturabo acknowledged Lorgar's skill in uniting and leading the Word Bearers.
• Perturabo proposed deeper cooperation between the Iron Warriors and Word Bearers and agreed to exchange veteran noncommissioned officers and Warsmiths, with Dantioch coordinating the details.
• Perturabo reflected that he trusted the Word Bearers and hoped Lorgar would side with him in future conflicts with Dorn.
• Lorgar told Vulkan that Perturabo had discussed an exchange between their Legions.
• Vulkan offered the Word Bearers 200 Saturnine Terminators, 15 Saturnine Dreadnoughts, and 34,600 Volkite Weapons.

Lorgar and Vulkan finalized plans to forge new weapons for Lorgar and Angron, while Perturabo began a campaign to destroy the hostile constructs by annihilating infected worlds. The chapter ended with a silver skeleton surviving the destruction of Hestia.

• Lorgar agreed to send Vulkan detailed weapon specifications, and Vulkan said his stores held the necessary rare materials.
• Vulkan assigned Artellus Numeon to oversee the transport and handover of materials and finished weapons.
• Angron told Vulkan he wanted a weapon heavier and longer than his current Chainaxe.
• Perturabo ordered his fleet to blockade the system's jump points, establish a fire screen, and carry out Exterminatus.
• Iron Warriors Lance Batteries destroyed the colony world Hestia, but a silver skeleton hidden beneath the explosions survived.

Perturabo led the Iron Warriors fleet in a bombardment of the Xenos Factory encasing Derrick, hoping to destroy it and secure an advantage over Dorn. The attack opened a hole in the shell but awakened a powerful force below, which disabled the fleet’s weapons and plunged the Warships into chaos.

• Perturabo ordered the Iron Warriors fleet to concentrate fire on the metal shell surrounding Derrick and destroy the factory within.
• The battleships’ Lance volleys melted through the shell, but the crew could not initially assess the damage through the intense energy interference.
• The bombardment revealed a deep hole and a rising surge of black energy rather than a destroyed planetary core.
• Perturabo ordered the Warships to raise their shields and maneuver, but a wave of black energy disabled their weapons systems.
• A Cruiser’s Lance exploded from overheating, killing thousands of crew members, and the Adeptus Mechanicus Sage identified infiltrating nanomist as the cause of the system failures.

As nanites crippled the Warship, mortal crew members struggled to keep its weapons and power systems functioning. Kasin kept the coolant flowing after an explosion killed Dekens, and the ship’s systems were eventually restored.

• Sage Karathos and the Tech-Priests fought the nanite infestation while the captain ordered the crew to operate the Warship manually.
• Kasin and Dekens turned the coolant valve to prevent the Lance mount from overheating.
• A corroded power conduit exploded, killing Dekens and throwing Kasin against a wall.
• Kasin returned to the valve alone and forced it open further despite his injuries and burns.
• The Warship purged the nanites, restarted its systems, and restored its Lances.

Perturabo led the Iron Warriors Fleet in destroying the Black Planet after it launched a desperate tentacle attack. He refused the Adeptus Mechanicus permission to recover its wreckage and ordered the planetary core destroyed utterly.

• Perturabo ordered the Fleet to fire on the Black Planet's energy eruption points as the planet's surface began to change.
• The Black Planet sent out massive metal Tentacles that attacked the Iron Warriors Warships, and Perturabo ordered evasive maneuvers and covering fire.
• After a Cruiser was entangled, its Captain overloaded its Warp Engine, destroying the ship and the Tentacles holding it.
• Perturabo ordered a full saturation bombardment when the Black Planet's defenses weakened, and the Fleet shattered its surface and silenced its resistance.
• An Adeptus Mechanicus Archmagos asked to recover wreckage for study, but Perturabo refused and ordered the Fleet to destroy the planetary core.

Trazyn destroyed the last escaping fragment of the Black Planet before it could spread the Xenos Factory, leaving Perturabo unable to trace the mysterious attack. Trazyn then hinted that the strike was repayment for a past wrong.

• A black nanometal seed escaped from the Black Planet's core, and Perturabo ordered the Iron Warriors to intercept it.
• The seed accelerated beyond the reach of conventional weapons as Perturabo feared it would rebuild the Xenos Factory elsewhere.
• Trazyn fired an unexplained green beam that disintegrated the seed.
• Perturabo ordered scans to find the attack's source, but his crew could detect neither its origin nor its trajectory.
• Trazyn watched the final metal dust disappear and said it was time for someone to pay for what they had once done.

After the threat was destroyed, the Legions arranged an exchange of warriors before Lorgar led a funeral for 137 fallen Word Bearers aboard the Law of Faith. The ceremony ended with the warriors’ empty armour returned to the ship’s furnace, and the Legion prepared to continue the Great Crusade.

• Perturabo ordered the Iron Warriors to bombard the star system repeatedly until every fragment of nanometal was destroyed.
• Vulkan selected one hundred Salamanders veterans to join the Word Bearers, while Lorgar sent two hundred Word Bearers to serve with the Salamanders.
• Lorgar addressed the assembled Word Bearers and honored the 137 warriors who had died in battle.
• The Word Bearers raised their bolters and cried out for the Emperor and their Legion before the empty suits of armour were lowered into the plasma furnace.
• The Legion welcomed its new comrades and prepared to return the Dreadnought veterans to slumber.

The Legion held a farewell ritual as Brother Skranchi prepared to enter a hibernation that could last decades. After sharing his conditions for being awakened and asking Norskar to look after the Legion, Skranchi fell silent in his cradle, leaving Norskar to keep his promise.

• Norskar explained that Skranchi’s maintenance and hibernation cycle could last several decades, and Skranchi asked to be awakened if Hercules ever became a Dreadnought or if humanity reached a Golden Age of Peace.
• Skranchi told the Legion not to wake him for any other reason and reclined in his hibernation cradle.
• Skranchi asked Norskar to watch over the Legion and its warriors and to stay alive until he awoke.
• Norskar promised to do what he could and activated the hibernation cycle.
• Skranchi’s voice and optical sensors went out, and Norskar wished him a good night.

After Sergeant Richard died in the purge operation, Company Captain Menoetius told Hercules that he would lead the Fifth Combat Squad after his nineteenth operation and recovery assessment. Hercules accepted the responsibility and went to prepare for surgery.

• Company Captain Menoetius asked Hercules if he was ready, and Hercules thought he meant the final organ implantation.
• Menoetius clarified that Hercules would take command of the Fifth Combat Squad after Sergeant Richard was killed covering the squad's flank.
• Menoetius explained that Hercules would lead the squad for about ten standard Terran years, learning command and earning the veterans' trust.
• Menoetius said that if Hercules proved capable, he could visit other Chapters and grow into an officer able to command independently.
• Hercules accepted the assignment, and Menoetius told him to prepare for surgery because the Fifth Squad was waiting for its new leader.

Lorgar and Angron finished another wrestling bout, with Lorgar reflecting on Angron’s mysterious power and ruling out Warp corruption. Hercules completed his black carapace implantation and was ordered to report to his newly assembled squad.

• Angron won the wrestling match by pinning Lorgar, who admitted defeat and praised the fight.
• Lorgar asked Rockefeller to record the bout for the training robots and learned that Hermes had left with a metal shard.
• Lorgar concluded that Angron’s golden inner light did not indicate Warp corruption, easing his concerns about the War Hounds.
• Norskar completed Hercules’s black carapace implantation and reported that his compatibility exceeded baseline expectations by 37.5%.
• Hercules misunderstood Menoetius’s question about testing his enhanced body, then received orders to join Fifth Squad at Tactical Training Ground No. 7.
• Menoetius asked Norskar whether Hercules’s personality had become more like a mortal’s, and Norskar said it was more resilient than a mortal’s but less so than a Space Marine’s.

Hercules arrived to take command of Fifth Squad, where his exceptional strength quickly impressed the veterans and surprised the recruits. He introduced himself and dismissed the squad, bringing the assembled warriors together under his leadership.

• Frank and Perseus waited anxiously with the newly assembled Fifth Squad for their squad leader to arrive.
• Hercules charged into the training ground and surprised Frank and Perseus, who recognized their friend as the new commander.
• Aram questioned Hercules's unusual build, and another veteran explained his beneficial mutation and his achievements against xenos constructs.
• The veterans reconsidered Hercules after hearing of his strength and battlefield record.
• Hercules introduced himself as Fifth Squad's leader, called the squad to unite around their mission, and dismissed them.

Perseus and Frank received handmade adamantium daggers from Rhys, a Salamanders veteran sharing their quarters, as a welcome gift. On Caliban, Lion El'Jonson voiced his suspicion that Lorgar was using mixed-Legion operations to spread Word Bearers beliefs, while Luther warned that the Imperium's enemies were returning.

• Perseus, Frank, and the other Fifth Squad Recruits returned to their shared quarters and met Rhys, the Salamanders exchange warrior.
• Rhys gave Perseus and Frank handmade adamantium daggers bearing the Salamanders' Insignia as a welcome gift.
• Perseus and Frank thanked Rhys and promised to use the daggers well.
• Lion El'Jonson told Luther that Lorgar's mixed-Legion operations and shared doctrinal texts might be a way to spread his ideology.
• Luther said he did not know Lorgar's purpose and warned that the Imperium's true enemies were returning in force.

The Word Bearers fleet arrived at Tians Prime as the Gexi invasion threatened to destroy the Tians Federation. After Speaker Oakes accepted Imperial rule in exchange for aid, Lorgar Aurelian ordered the fleet to annihilate the Gexi ships, leaving their ground forces cut off and facing the Word Bearers.

• The Word Bearers fleet arrived in the Tians Star System while the Gexi attacked Tians Prime.
• Word Bearers warriors landed behind the defenders’ lines and made contact with Speaker Oakes.
• Speaker Oakes offered the Tians Federation’s unconditional submission to the Imperium in exchange for military aid.
• Lorgar Aurelian accepted the request and declared that the Word Bearers would answer the call.
• The Imperial fleet destroyed the Gexi ships in orbit, trapping their ground forces on Tians Prime with the Word Bearers advancing against them.

Lorgar Aurelian welcomed the survivors of Tians World into the Imperium’s protection, granting the war-ravaged planet a century without taxes and promising the Word Bearers would answer future calls for aid. The chapter ended with a Department of Internal Affairs official silenced by the Legion after he questioned Lorgar’s authority.

• Council Speaker Oakes knelt before Lorgar, who gave him a golden Aquila flag as a symbol of the Imperium’s protection.
• Lorgar invited Oakes and the senior officials to hold the Word Bearers Legion Banner and declared Tians World exempt from Imperial taxes for one hundred standard Terran years.
• Lorgar gave Oakes a Communications Beacon and promised the Word Bearers would send troops if Tians faced another crisis.
• A Department of Internal Affairs official objected that the tax exemption violated Imperial regulations.
• Rockefeller, Seras, and the Word Bearers turned on the official, while a Terminator-clad warrior held a Power Fist over his head until he fell silent.

Lorgar publicly forgave an Interior Ministry official who questioned him, but privately ordered Rockefeller to have the man killed. While the Word Bearers fleet rested in the Tians System, its warriors began rescuing civilians from the ruined capital.

• Rockefeller asked Lorgar whether he should dispose of the Interior Ministry official, and Lorgar publicly declared his mercy before secretly ordering a clean killing.
• Rockefeller forced the terrified official to thank Lorgar, then sent him away under the control of two Terminator veterans for disposal.
• Lorgar ordered the Word Bearers fleet to pause at gravitational equilibrium points in the Tians System for repairs, resupply, and rest.
• A Word Bearers veteran in Cataphractii Terminator Armour lifted rubble at the collapsed Central Starport so mortal rescuers could evacuate survivors.
• Word Bearers warriors rescued civilians trapped in buildings containing toxic substances, protected by their Terminator Armour.

The Word Bearers helped rescue and care for civilians after a disaster, with Hercules clearing immense wreckage and Norskar treating the injured. Lorgar helped Rockefeller understand that protecting survivors was a responsibility alongside conquest, and Rockefeller pledged himself to humanity and the Emperor.

• The Word Bearers' Imperialis Militia distributed supplies while Techmarines cleared roads, searched for shelters, and repaired critical systems.
• Hercules shoved aside massive debris to open a path to trapped survivors, who hailed him as an angel.
• Norskar treated injured civilians and teased Hercules over a private channel for enjoying the rescue work.
• Lorgar asked Rockefeller how he felt after directing rescues, and Rockefeller described the unfamiliar trust and hope he had seen in the survivors.
• Lorgar explained that protection was a weighty responsibility of the Great Crusade, and Rockefeller affirmed his duty to the Emperor and humanity.

Primarch Lorgar led a parade celebrating Tians’s return to the Imperium, and Rockefeller began to understand the meaning of protecting its people. The chapter left him carrying a grateful girl on his pauldron as he marched, reflecting that the people were his family.

• Lorgar opened the celebration parade, with the First Chapter led by Rockefeller and followed by other Legion companies.
• Rockefeller marched through cheering crowds and reflected on Lorgar’s words about battle, duty, and protecting people.
• A little girl placed a flower on Rockefeller’s armour, and he gently offered her a place on his pauldron.
• Rockefeller lifted the girl onto his shoulder, where she happily watched the parade.
• Rockefeller continued marching as Lorgar’s words returned to him: the people were his family too.