Chapter Summaries

Agent John was captured by Narek, a renegade Word Bearer who wanted help killing Lorgar, and revealed that he had been sent to assassinate Vulkan with the Fulgurite Spear. They agreed to cooperate temporarily, though John remained suspicious of Narek, and followed him into a sewer tunnel.

• Narek captured John and restrained him with ropes and a psychic suppression collar.
• Narek refused to pursue Lox and demanded John's help killing Lorgar, while John explained his mission to assassinate Vulkan.
• John told Narek that Vulkan was imprisoned in a secret base outside Macragge and guarded by Ultramarines.
• Narek cut John's restraints and proposed that they help each other; John kept the Fulgurite Spear until he completed his mission.
• Narek revealed that he had betrayed the Word Bearers to save the legion from Lorgar, and led John into the sewer while John remained wary of him.

Lox returned to Sotha and laid out plans to use it as a forward base for finding Blackstone and expanding humanity’s reach. After Dantioch reported three planets that might contain Blackstone, Lox and the Space Marines prepared to investigate them.

• Dantioch and Pollux discussed the arriving reinforcements, and Pollux said he would stay on Sotha to keep watch over the Warsmith and Pharos.
• Lox returned through Pharos and assured Pollux that the Night Haunter had been captured and imprisoned on Macragge.
• Lox explained that Sotha would serve as a forward base for searching for Blackstone and preparing for a possible war to reclaim Terra.
• Dantioch reported that probes had found three planets that might contain Blackstone and more than twenty planets with signs of life.
• After a day of rest, Lox and the Space Marines departed Sotha aboard the Red Alert and five light cruisers to investigate the suspected Blackstone planets.

Lox’s expedition reached DX-114 and discovered a primitive civilization of blue-skinned xenos. After observing them hunt, use tools, and make fire, Lox ordered the fleet to begin exterminating them.

• Lox brought the fleet out of the Warp near DX-114 and ordered the crew to assess the planet from orbit.
• Hill introduced the target world, while Lox’s forces deployed stealth and scanning systems and prepared for possible psychic threats.
• Lox showed the gathered commanders images of the blue-skinned xenos, and the Tech-priests expressed interest in studying them.
• The expedition watched the xenos hunt with wooden spears, butcher their prey, and cook meat over a fire.
• Lox judged that the xenos civilization had to be destroyed, and Gantula and the Ultramarines prepared to attack.

The exploration fleet studied and exterminated the weak blue-skinned inhabitants of DX-114, whom Fafnir named the Tau, while the Space Wolves developed a taste for eating them. Lox tolerated their hunting until a vicious incident finally enraged him.

• Adeptus Mechanicus Biologis sages dissected captured xenos and discovered their humanlike anatomy, unusual senses, and physical weaknesses.
• The White Scars, Ultramarines, and Space Wolves spent a week wiping out most of the planet’s xenos population.
• Gantula’s Tengu-piloting White Scars swept through the xenos efficiently, but refused to take their heads as trophies because the hunt brought no honor.
• Fafnir and his Space Wolves tasted the xenos, named them Tau after their death screams, and developed several ways to prepare their flesh.
• Fafnir urged Lox to try Tau meat, but Lox declined, suspecting the Wolves had gone exploring partly to find snacks.
• Lox had tolerated the Space Wolves’ eating habits until a vicious incident made him furious.

Lox investigated why the Tau on planet DX-114 seemed to have developed unusually quickly and learned from Magos Lawrence that their genes showed signs of deliberate editing. The fleet had found no Blackstone, but Lox now suspected the Tau were a genetically engineered species.

• Fafnir persuaded mortal auxilia veterans to eat Tau flesh, and several suffered severe cobalt poisoning before doctors and Apothecaries treated them.
• Lox reprimanded Fafnir and ordered Barabas Dantioch to beat him and send the Space Wolves back to their cruiser.
• Fafnir continued promoting Tau meat aboard the cruiser, asking Mechanicus priests to remove its cobalt and his cousins to preserve Tau specimens.
• Lox reviewed Magos Lawrence's report and was alarmed that the Tau had apparently advanced from ocean-dwelling ancestors in only fifteen hundred years.
• Lox summoned Magos Lawrence, who showed him genetic anomalies and concluded that the Tau were likely a genetically engineered species.

Lox and Magos Lawrence concluded that the Tau had been genetically manipulated by an unknown force, steering their evolution along a predetermined path. They suspected humanity’s arrival had disrupted a long-running experiment, but they could not determine its creator’s purpose.

• Magos Lawrence explained that subtle genetic edits had guided the Tau’s rapid evolution and choices, unlike humanity’s slow process of natural selection.
• Lox realized the Tau had functioned as tools, with their apparent inventions and ambitions shaped by genetic prompts rather than independent development.
• Magos Lawrence said the Tau’s cultivation had likely begun at least fifteen hundred years earlier and wondered why an unknown power had invested so long in the experiment.
• Lox and Magos Lawrence agreed that humanity’s arrival had disrupted the Tau’s evolutionary process and hoped the force behind it would not retaliate.
• Magos Lawrence imagined the Tau becoming an industrial or spacefaring civilization, while Lox questioned whether their unseen cultivator meant to make them another major power in the galaxy.

Lox and Magos Lawrence investigated the Tau’s unusual biology and, with Librarian Toroi’s help, discovered that their souls barely registered in the Warp. The finding suggested the Tau possessed an innate insulation from psychic influence, though the reason they had been cultivated remained unknown.

• Lox and Magos Lawrence speculated that mysterious beings had chosen to cultivate the Tau because the young species possessed some undiscovered advantage.
• Lawrence analyzed Tau genetics and found several developing subspecies, including types predisposed to combat and to production or invention.
• Lox asked Librarian Toroi to examine an unconscious Tau with his psychic power.
• Toroi found that his psychic power weakened near the Tau and that its soul was thousands of times fainter in the Warp than a human’s.
• Lox realized the Tau were almost completely insulated from the Warp.

Lox explained that humanity’s growing contact with the Warp may have increased the number of Psykers and led to the creation of Navigator lineages, while the T'au remained naturally insulated from psychic influence. Troy tested that resistance by striking an unconscious T'au with psychic lightning and concluded that it was far weaker than an Untouchable’s.

• Lox and Sage Lawrence discussed the T'au's faint presence in the Warp and humanity's contrasting vulnerability to it.
• Lox recalled that humanity had few Psykers before the eighteenth millennium and linked their later increase to the invention and use of Warp engines.
• Lox described how human rulers used genetic editing during the Dark Age of Technology to develop the ancestors of Navigator families.
• Lox asked Troy Librarium whether the T'au shared the psychic resistance of Untouchables.
• Troy struck the unconscious T'au with psychic lightning, killed it, and said its resistance was far below that of Untouchable warriors.

Kuran Shovah of the Fire Clan prepared the Titan clans for war against the metal giants from the stars, ordering supplies, evacuations, and stronger patrols. He remained confident that his warriors could defeat the invaders, though his instincts warned him of danger.

• Kuran learned that the star-borne enemies had destroyed an Air Clan tribe in the Ohn Mountains and were capturing Titan people.
• Kuran decided the clans needed stronger weapons and called on Earth Clan craftsmen for help.
• Kuran ordered the Water Clan to prepare supplies within three sun-days and the vulnerable members of every clan to evacuate into Earth Clan caves.
• Kuran ordered the Air Clan to strengthen its patrols and immediately report anything unusual.
• Kuran declared that the Fire Clan would defeat the invaders, while recognizing that the Water Clan helped unite the rival clans.

The T'au united under Kuran Shova, improved their weapons, and prepared an ambush for the White Scars, while Gantula led his hunting party straight into it. The ambush failed when Kuran’s bronze spear broke against Gantula’s armor, and Gantula’s counterattack struck down Kuran’s adjutant.

• Kuran Shova equipped the Fire Caste with bronze weapons and iron armor, then ordered his warriors to wait in ambush while volunteers served as bait.
• The T'au withdrew into underground caverns, but the White Scars used scans from their Tengu Mechs and cruisers to track their movements.
• Gantula led his hunting party in Tengu Mechs toward Kuran’s trap, expecting the T'au to provide a more worthy fight.
• Over a hundred Fire Caste warriors attacked as the White Scars landed, and Kuran hurled a bronze spear at Gantula’s helmet lens.
• The spear broke against Gantula’s armor, and he twisted its halves together and flung them back, pinning Kuran’s adjutant to the ground.

Captain Gantula tested the courage of the Fire Caste by having Qin Xin duel Kuran, who was swiftly outmatched by the young White Scar. Just as Qin Xin was about to kill him, a blue rift swallowed Kuran, and Qin Xin slaughtered the remaining T'au.

• Kuran pulled Gantula’s bronze spear from the bedrock and rallied the surviving Fire Warriors, prompting Gantula to praise their courage.
• Gantula sent Qin Xin to face Kuran in a duel, and the young White Scar overwhelmed him with his speed and skill.
• Qin Xin severed Kuran’s spear hand and prepared to strike the killing blow.
• A blue rift opened beside the battlefield and swallowed Kuran before Qin Xin could kill him.
• Enraged by Kuran’s escape, Qin Xin activated his power guandao and killed the remaining Fire Warriors.

Gantula and Lox responded to the psychic rescue of Kuran by mobilizing anti-psyker forces and intensifying the hunt for the hidden xenos. Kuran awoke in the Sea of Souls and met a mysterious Tau who called himself Ether, telling him his mission was not over.

• Gantula stopped Qin Xin’s battle-lust, ordered him to remain disciplined, and sent mechanical falcons to search for the hidden psychic enemies.
• Gantula requested support from Lox, who dispatched anti-psyker and Librarius squads, including Emilia Toroi, and ordered the Tau hunt to continue.
• Lox concluded that powerful psychic beings had created or guided the Tau, but chose not to pursue Kuran into the Warp.
• Kuran awoke wounded in the Sea of Souls and mistook the darkness for the afterlife.
• A strange, majestic Tau appeared to Kuran, identified himself as Ether, and told Kuran that his mission was not complete.

Youhai, an Ethereal, awakened Kulan Shovah to the Greater Good and convinced him to set aside his hatred of humanity and the other Tau clans. Youhai then discussed the Tau’s future with another Ethereal and resolved to avoid humanity while continuing their plan to use the Tau for their revival.

• Youhai revealed the Ethereals’ plan to guide the Tau and taught Kulan Shovah about humanity and the wider galaxy.
• Youhai persuaded Kulan to endure humanity’s attacks, prioritize the Greater Good, and set aside clan rivalries.
• Youhai discussed with another Ethereal how humanity had found T’au earlier than prophecy predicted and dismissed the weakened Aeldari.
• Youhai explained that the Ethereals had chosen the Warp-insulated Tau for their revival plan because humanity was too unpredictable.
• Youhai decided the Ethereals would avoid another clash with humanity, relocate if necessary, and wait for an opportunity to advance their plan.

Lox oversaw the withdrawal from DX-114 after the hidden force evacuated the remaining T'au, leaving a garrison behind to secure the planet. As the fleet set course for its next target, Lox summoned Nykona to give his Raven Guard comrade a special gift.

• Hill reported that all T'au on DX-114 had been purged except for a vigorous batch held in the cruiser, which Fafnir wanted to breed for food.
• Hill told Lox that Librarian Emilia Toroi had found Warp traces where the vanished T'au appeared to have retreated, but the search had yielded no major gains.
• Lox ordered the Librarian corps and anti-psyker squad to return and assigned Ultramarines, mortal auxiliaries, and defensive equipment to guard the planet until reinforcements from Sotha arrived.
• Hill organized the withdrawal, and the fleet departed DX-114 for its next target planet.
• Lox summoned Nykona and prepared to give his Raven Guard comrade a special gift.

Lox gave Nykona Sharrowkyn a reforged C'tan Phase Sword and a Necron-derived Gauss sniper rifle, equipping his friend with powerful new weapons. Nykona accepted both gifts and prepared to carry them into battle.

• Lox considered what to give Nykona Sharrowkyn after returning to Sotha.
• Lox presented Nykona with a human-adapted C'tan Phase Sword and explained its ability to pierce armor and energy shields.
• Nykona tested the sword, admired its balance, and accepted it as a gift from Lox.
• Lox revealed a two-meter Necron living-metal Gauss sniper rifle for Nykona.
• Nykona slung the rifle across his back, and Lox looked forward to seeing him fight with his new weapons.

Lox led his exploration fleet through the Warp in search of Blackstone, finding Necron traces on one planet before turning to Pandora, their last promising target. The fleet arrived at the system and learned that Pandora was an inhabited moon orbiting a vast gas giant, leaving Lox to investigate the exploration ship’s findings.

• Lox learned that reaching the next target would take seven days because Lorgar’s Warp storm still disrupted travel.
• Lox’s fleet searched five planets, and an exploration ship mistakenly reported Necron tomb-world signatures as possible Blackstone.
• Lox decided not to provoke the Necrons and set course for the final candidate planet, which Hill said the fleet had named Pandora.
• After seven days, Lox’s fleet emerged near Pandora as the Warp storm weakened during the journey.
• Hill reported that Pandora was an inhabited moon orbiting a gas giant, and Lox ordered the fleet to retrieve the exploration ship’s navigation log and inspect the moon.

Lox's fleet discovered that an Aeldari warship had destroyed an exploration vessel with a psychic attack near Pandora. After finding no sign that the Aeldari remained in the system, Lox ordered the fleet to approach Pandora and prepared the Space Marines to deploy to its surface.

• Lox's augurs found the exploration vessel twisted into wreckage, and his crew recovered its navigation log.
• Chief Librarian Troy judged that a psychic attack had warped the vessel, and the log revealed a slender white warship.
• Lox identified the attacker as Aeldari, while Gantula recalled the Fifth Legion's earlier conflict with them.
• Lox ordered the fleet to activate its void shields and approach Pandora cautiously as Hill reported no Aeldari ships in the system.
• Lox confirmed that the Aeldari had left and ordered the Space Marines to prepare for deployment to Pandora.

Lox and the Shattered Legions explored Pandora, established a fortified base, and detected an immense Blackstone deposit. The Adeptus Mechanicus prepared to exploit the find, which could help them overcome the Warp storms and leave the Five Hundred Worlds.

• Lox, Barabas Dantioch, and the Shattered Legions traveled to Pandora and saw its gas giant, floating mountains, and unusual atmosphere.
• Lox's expedition landed and built a fortified mobile base with mining vehicles and an auspex array.
• Lox raised the expedition's guard after recalling that they had glimpsed Aeldari in space.
• Adeptus Mechanicus sages used Lox's instruments and detected an immense Blackstone vein beneath Pandora.
• The Mechanicus sages celebrated the discovery, and Lox saw it as a chance to develop Blackstone technology and leave the Five Hundred Worlds.

The White Scars and Space Wolves explored Pandora while clearing a path through its dense jungle, and the ground team was ambushed by enormous hammerhead beasts. As bolter fire failed to stop the beasts, Qin Xin drew his Knight mech’s chainsaw blade for the next clash.

• Gantula sent most of the White Scars out in Tengu Mechs to map Pandora while the rest cleared a path with Knight mechs.
• Qin Xin complained about being assigned to ground duty as Fafnir Bloodpact and his Space Wolves followed in troop carriers, eager to hunt.
• The ground team sensed an abnormal tremor, and a gigantic hammerhead beast struck Qin Xin’s Knight mech.
• Fafnir and the Space Wolves opened fire on the beasts, but their boltguns inflicted severe wounds without stopping them.
• Qin Xin drew his Knight mech’s adamantium chainsaw blade as the hammerhead beast charged again.

Fafnir and Qin Xin fought off an Aeldari-led beast attack, while White Scars forces in the sky faced flying drakes of their own. Fafnir killed a reaper beast after it ambushed him, leaving the Space Marines surrounded by evidence that the planet’s inhabitants had anticipated their arrival.

• Qin Xin killed a hammerheaded beast before Fafnir could strike, and Fafnir discovered an Aeldari had ordered the creature to attack.
• Packs of hammerheaded beasts charged the Space Marines, who fought them with bolters, plasma cannons, and Knight Mechs.
• Qin Xin contacted Gantula, who reported that six-winged drakes were attacking the Tengu Mechs and preventing them from helping.
• A reaper beast ambushed Fafnir in the forest and drove him toward a dead end.
• Fafnir spat acid into the reaper beast’s eyes, then severed its forelimb and beheaded it with his great axe.