Chapter Summaries

Chuck ordered Ghana City firebombed and shelled to eliminate the Orks, then escaped serious punishment after Governor Cornwall suppressed criticism. As Pex's fleet approached Number 4, he reviewed the planet's reconnaissance and the damage to the crashed Glory Knight.

• Chuck ordered the Banshee squadron to carpet-bomb Ghana City, including areas where his own forces were positioned, and ordered Basilisk and Manticore artillery to prepare to fire.
• After the Orks drove the Garrison Force to the city's outer ring, Banshee bombers dropped Heavy Incendiary Bombs that set Ghana ablaze.
• Iron Claw and his Boys watched the city burn from the Rainforest, while Daft became fascinated by the bombers and wanted to fly one.
• Chuck's forces spent another week hunting surviving Orks and largely destroyed Ghana City with artillery, while Governor Cornwall suppressed public criticism and gave Chuck only a reprimand.
• Pex read Chuck's battle report aboard his fleet bound for Number 4 and approved of his ruthless approach to the Orks.
• Pex reviewed a holographic map showing the wrecked Glory Knight and the Orks' exposed mushroom farms on barren Number 4.

Cheng Mingrui learned that human forces had arrived on Number 4 and ordered the Orks to launch their first assault while Rambo’s Kommandos captured prisoners for intelligence. After half an hour of preparations, the Orks emerged from underground and surrounded the human base.

• A Gretchin told Cheng Mingrui that the humans had arrived while he was racing a Big Digga underground.
• Cheng Mingrui and several Boyz observed human soldiers burning the mushroom farm and building a fortified base under the protection of warships.
• Cheng Mingrui ordered Rambo to capture human prisoners and told Kuka to prepare the first wave of Boyz to attack in half an hour.
• Kuka relayed the order to the Ork Bosses, and the Orks organized their forces for the assault.
• When the countdown ended, countless Orks emerged from tunnels, valleys, and underground passages and encircled the human base.

Pex ordered an emergency defense of Pioneer Base after a massive Ork army attacked before its fortifications were complete. The human line was close to collapse half an hour into the battle, and War Squigs broke through the eastern defenses.

• Pex learned that Orks were attacking Pioneer Base while only about fifty thousand troops had landed and its defenses remained unfinished.
• Pex ordered the Expeditionary Force's second wave and armored divisions to reinforce the base, while the fleet prepared for orbital bombardment.
• Ork Speed Freeks, artillery, Rokkit Boyz, and Psyker Boyz assaulted the human positions as reinforcements continued arriving.
• The eastern defensive line held for only three minutes after the Orks reached it, and enormous War Squigs broke through.

Cheng Mingrui’s Orks overwhelmed Pioneer Base with attacks on all four fronts, despite the Guardian’s orbital bombardment. After the human defenses collapsed, the Greenskins flooded into the base and the battle became a melee.

• Cheng Mingrui’s vast, well-equipped Ork force launched its assault on Pioneer Base.
• Pex fired the Guardian’s Orbital Bombardment across the eastern front, carving a magma-filled trench through the Orks but failing to stop their advance.
• The southern Trukks and Trukk Tanks breached the base walls while Ork Boyz attacked the human defenses.
• Gretchin and packs of Squig Beasts battered through the western defenses as Orks and walkers advanced under heavy fire in the north.
• After just over thirty minutes, all four defensive lines collapsed and the Orks poured into Pioneer Base.

The human fleet began orbital bombardment as Orks overran Pioneer Base, forcing the survivors into a desperate evacuation and the commander’s final stand. After the battle, Cheng Mingrui learned Rambo was missing and prepared to question captured humans while checking on the Stompa.

• Pex ordered the fleet to bombard Number 4, and the bombs devastated the battlefield, killing humans and Orks alike.
• Pioneer Base’s commander ordered an evacuation, then stayed behind with his Kasrkin Guard to fight the Ork vanguard.
• Some human transports escaped amid the bombardment and Ork antiaircraft fire, while most survivors were left behind or killed.
• Cheng Mingrui and Clever Git discussed the bombardment and planned to visit the Stompa, while Clever Git reported that the Kommandos had captured several humans and Rambo was missing.
• Cheng Mingrui asked for the captured humans to be brought to him for questioning and lamented that he was too strong to grow through fighting.

Pex tended to wounded soldiers aboard the Guardian when Rambo and four other Orks launched an assassination attempt. After escaping the docking bay in a stolen supply ship, Rambo detonated bombs that devastated the bay and then descended toward Number 4.

• Pex treated wounded soldiers in the docking bay, winning their respect, when Rambo and four Orks suddenly appeared and attacked.
• Pex survived Rambo’s attempted beheading with psychic power, and guards shielded him from the Orks’ shotgun fire as soldiers fought back.
• Rambo used grenades, flashbangs, and smoke to cover his retreat, then tricked the crew of a supply ship into opening its hatch.
• Rambo and two surviving Boys seized the supply ship and smashed through the docking supports to escape into space.
• Rambo detonated bombs planted in the docking bay, killing most of those inside, then piloted the ship toward Number 4.

After Rambo’s attack, Pex ordered a week of fleet-wide searches and bombardments but could neither defeat the Orks nor leave. Meanwhile, Cheng Mingrui interrogated captured soldiers, learned that Euronia was a remote system with limited human forces, and heard that the galaxy was in the Forty-Second Millennium after Abaddon’s Thirteenth Black Crusade shattered Cadia and created the Great Rift.

• Pex deployed Servo-skulls and Kasrkin squads to search the warships while the fleet remained in orbit over Number 4 and bombarded the Orks.
• Cheng Mingrui inspected three partly assembled Gargants in an Underground Factory and considered the dangers of taking them through the Warp without a Gellar Field.
• A Kommando killed a prisoner by exposing him to Euronia IV’s airless, hostile environment, then threatened the others into answering Cheng Mingrui’s questions.
• The prisoners told Cheng Mingrui that the Expeditionary Force had numbered three hundred thousand and that the remote Euronia system had limited human strength.
• A soldier described Abaddon’s Thirteenth Black Crusade, the destruction of Cadia, and the Great Rift dividing the galaxy.

Cheng Mingrui learned that the galaxy was in the Forty-Second Millennium before a Chaos entity tried to probe his mind. Kidd’s work on a statue of Gork and Mork freed Cheng Mingrui, who killed the entity’s human vessel and prayed for continued protection.

• A strange soldier recounted major events of the Forty-Second Millennium, including Ghazghkull Thraka’s rise, the Ynnari’s formation, and Roboute Guilliman’s return.
• Cheng Mingrui recognized a Mark of Chaos on the soldier and realized the human knew far too much.
• The soldier restrained Cheng Mingrui and reached for his forehead, but Kidd’s hammering on a Gork and Mork statue sent supernatural power through the Underground Factory and freed him.
• Cheng Mingrui punched apart the soldier’s body, but an eerie voice offered him a precious gift before fading away.
• Cheng Mingrui ordered the Kommandos to kill the prisoners, then reflected on his recklessness and thanked Gork and Mork for protecting him.

After receiving another cryptic oracle from Gork and Mork, Cheng Mingrui asked Kuka about fighting Daemons and whether they should dig. Kuka insisted they obey the gods and revealed he knew how to cast Gork’s Fist and Gork’s Big Foot, leaving Cheng Mingrui eager to learn the powerful spells.

• Cheng Mingrui carved Gork and Mork’s command to keep digging into the floor, then destroyed the writing so Kuka could not learn it.
• Cheng Mingrui used Psychic Communication to ask Kuka whether he had fought Daemons, but Kuka cut the connection and decided to teleport over.
• Kuka teleported into the room, and Cheng Mingrui punched him across the floor; Kuka interpreted the blow as Mork’s promised oracle.
• Cheng Mingrui explained the oracle and the Warp Entity’s threat, but Kuka urged him to start digging anywhere and said Gork and Mork would protect them.
• Kuka described how Weirdboys cast Gork’s Fist and Gork’s Big Foot by imagining a giant Gork and pouring waaagh energy into him, making Cheng Mingrui want to learn both spells.

Cheng Mingrui overcame his fear of daemons, redirected the Mekboys toward a Mega Big Digga, and encouraged Rambo to lead the Boys against the returning humans. Meanwhile, Pex resumed attacks on Number 4 from orbit while awaiting reinforcements.

• Cheng Mingrui decided to follow Gork and Mork's instructions and begin digging underground, then persuaded Kidd to build a Morkanaut before finishing the Stompa.
• Rambo returned after failing to kill Pex, and Cheng Mingrui reassured him that he could try again.
• Clever Git warned Cheng Mingrui that the humans were coming, so Cheng Mingrui put Rambo in command of the Boys and encouraged him to believe he could become a Boss.
• Pex told Cornwall that the expedition had suffered devastating losses and ruled out further large-scale landings, but planned to use the fleet's air superiority to keep attacking Number 4.

Pex used a small armored landing force as bait to draw the Speed Freeks into a valley for an orbital bombardment. The Mouse Trap tactic succeeded, and the battered Expeditionary Force was ordered to withdraw.

• Pex requested more troops or ammunition for Number 3 and watched a two-thousand-strong landing force descend on Number 4 to set the Mouse Trap.
• The Expeditionary Force built defenses in a narrow valley, but over a thousand Speed Freek vehicles charged in and wrecked most of the fortifications.
• The bait commander requested permission to withdraw, but headquarters ordered the troops to hold as Ork Bikes and other vehicles overwhelmed the defensive line.
• A crimson beam from orbit swept through the valley mouth and destroyed the greenskin vehicles, stopping the Speed Freeks' advance.
• Command allowed the bait force to withdraw after the tactic killed several thousand orks and hundreds of vehicles at the cost of three hundred casualties.

Pex used the Expeditionary Force’s victories against the Orks to expand his Cult while hiding the threat posed by the Mushroom Farm. Underground, Rambo confronted disobedient Ork Warbosses and revealed his power when one attacked him.

• Pex treated wounded soldiers in the repaired docking bay and secretly used the opportunity to expand his Cult with the new, slower-acting gene virus.
• Over the next month, Pex repeatedly lured Orks into traps, and the Expeditionary Force reported a million enemy casualties while growing confident of victory.
• Pex knew the Orks could replenish their numbers until humanity destroyed the Mushroom Farm, but he kept that knowledge secret to build his military record and Cult.
• Rambo scolded the Ork Warbosses for attacking recklessly, but they defended their desire for fights and one challenged him.
• Rambo dodged the Warboss’s punches, then unleashed his genetic power, tore off the Ork’s arm, broke his leg, and threw him to the floor.

Rambo defeated a much larger Ork Warboss, while the Orks later ambushed and overwhelmed the human Expeditionary Force after changing their tactics. Pex then learned that massive Astra Militarum reinforcements and possibly an Astartes Chapter were coming to Euronia, threatening his and Cornwall’s control.

• Rambo slammed the Ork Warboss into the floor and believed he could carry on the legendary name Rambo.
• The Expeditionary Force waited through two sunsets without an Ork attack, and Pex rejected a staff officer’s proposal for a large-scale landing.
• On the third night, Orks erupted from underground passages, destroyed the Landing Platform, and wiped out the defenders in about twenty minutes.
• A staff officer apologized to Pex, who recognized that the Orks’ changed tactics warranted caution and retreat.
• Cornwall told Pex that a twenty-million-strong Astra Militarum regiment and possibly an Astartes Space Marine Chapter would arrive in Euronia.
• Pex and Cornwall wondered what had changed and feared losing their authority over the Euronia System.

Pex learned that the Tyranid threat endangered his plans, while Commissar Kester prepared to face Hive Fleet Leviathan with an inadequate Imperial force. Meanwhile, Osuwiss sought Parker Pan’s counsel about a vision of immense Orks, but he dismissed the value of prophecy and warned that such quests had brought death to the Aeldari.

• Cornwall ended his call with Pex and told him they needed to discuss matters face-to-face.
• Pex looked over Number 4 and worried that humanity would lose its chance to conquer the planet before it became a source of countless Orks.
• Commissar Kester joined the region’s command circle as the Imperial fleet and two million Astra Militarum troops prepared to delay Hive Fleet Leviathan until reinforcements arrived.
• Osuwiss told Parker Pan that her visions showed something inside a vast Growth Vat and huge, savage Orks fighting endless enemies.
• Osuwiss explained that Mentor Suwina had dismissed her vision, but Parker Pan warned that prophecies were unknowable and had led many Aeldari to their deaths.

Osuwiss explained her determination to find hope for the Aeldari, whose history included the rise and fall of their galactic empire and the birth of Slaanesh. Moved by her resolve, Parker Pan agreed to escort and guide her, while an elite Aeldari fleet began assembling aboard Craftworld Khanantel.

• The chapter recounted how the Aeldari inherited the Webway, became the galaxy's overlords after the Necrons went dormant, and lost most of their race when Slaanesh was born.
• Osuwiss vowed to pursue her Path and risk her life to preserve the Aeldari, and Parker Pan listened as she described the beauty of their culture.
• Parker Pan agreed that Osuwiss needed an escort and prepared the clothes he had worn on the Path of the Warrior.
• A small, elite Aeldari fleet began assembling aboard Craftworld Khanantel to accompany Osuwiss.
• Cheng Mingrui steered the Big Digga while the carefree Orks ate mushrooms and sang.

Cheng Mingrui uncovered a Necron structure beneath Number 4 and realized a Tomb World might lie below the Ork base. He summoned the Bosses for a massive Waaagh! as the obsidian door opened and green light poured out.

• Cheng Mingrui struck a hard black wall while digging with the Big Digga, and the Boys cleared the dirt to reveal a Necron symbol.
• Cheng Mingrui recognized the Necron markings and considered the danger of finding a Tomb World beneath Number 4.
• Cheng Mingrui told Kidd to build the Morkanaut and Gargant at the same time and used Psychic Communication to summon the Bosses below.
• The obsidian wall trembled and its symbol glowed purple, so Cheng Mingrui sent the smallest Boy to fetch reinforcements while the others stayed with him.
• A door opened in the wall and green light streamed out as Cheng Mingrui called for a Waaagh.

Cheng Mingrui led a mob of Ork Boyz against Necron Warriors, using his Big Mek armor’s magnetic fields and electromagnetic attacks to break their ranks. He and the Boyz reached the end of the passage and found an enormous Underground Necropolis.

• Necron Warriors emerged from the obsidian gate and fired Gauss Beams at Cheng Mingrui and his charging Boyz.
• Cheng Mingrui used his Magnetic Explosion Coils to crush groups of Necron Warriors together, reducing their suppressive fire as the Boyz closed in.
• The Boyz fought the durable Necron Warriors in melee, while Cheng Mingrui grew anxious about being outnumbered before reinforcements arrived.
• Cheng Mingrui unleashed powerful electromagnetic attacks that blasted Necron Warriors into fragments and delayed their regeneration.
• Driven by the Waaagh!, the Boyz hacked apart the Necron Warriors until they fell silent, and Cheng Mingrui led them through the defensive line.
• Cheng Mingrui and the Boyz reached the end of the passage and saw an enormous Underground Necropolis.

Cheng Mingrui and his Ork Boyz fought Necron maintenance units as a Tomb World awakened, while Cheng Mingrui explained how the Waaagh! field worked. The Boyz faced four Canoptek Spyders, and the fight continued as Cheng Mingrui considered the field’s reliance on an emotional anchor.

• The awakening Tomb World sent Canoptek Scarabs and Tomb Stalkers to attack Cheng Mingrui and his Boyz.
• Cheng Mingrui used Tesla Coils to destroy the Scarabs and discovered that Tomb Stalkers could be hit when they became solid to attack.
• The Boyz destroyed the Tomb Stalkers, while the surviving Scarabs repaired abandoned Necron vehicles and powered four Canoptek Spyders.
• The Boyz charged the Spyders and damaged their armor with Choppas, but the Spyders killed Orks with their disruption-field pincers.
• Cheng Mingrui reflected that the Waaagh! field grew with Ork numbers and emotions, and depended on an emotional anchor to connect the Orks.

Cheng Mingrui rallied the Greenskins with his fearlessness and led them in a charge through a Necron tomb. As he and the Choppa Nobz faced an immense Necron force, the Waaagh! Field grew powerful enough to turn their advance into a devastating assault.

• Cheng Mingrui charged a Canoptek Spyder barehanded, broke off its limbs, and tore it in half as his Waaagh! Field strengthened.
• Cheng Mingrui and the Choppa Boyz destroyed the remaining Canoptek Spyders and broke out of the passage into the tomb complex.
• Cheng Mingrui led the now-Nobz into the advancing Necron army, and their Waaagh! Field formed a giant Ork face that blasted countless Necrons apart.
• The surviving Choppa Nobz fought through the Necron ranks until an Immortal's Staff of Death was caught barehanded by one of them.

Cheng Mingrui’s waaagh! drew an enormous Ork army into the Necron tomb, where they overwhelmed the defenders with a growing flood of fighters and firepower. The Necrons’ elite forces failed to stop them, and Kuka’s Psyker Boyz summoned a gigantic phantom of Gork that crushed the Heavy Destroyers and weakened the suppressing fire.

• Cheng Mingrui and the Choppa Nobs tore through the Immortals in close combat as Necron reinforcements surrounded them.
• Big Diggas bored through the tomb ceiling, pouring Ork Boyz, Gretchin, and Squigs into the battle, while Speed Freeks raced in through the entrance.
• Clever Git joined Cheng Mingrui, and Gretchin scavenged materials to build cannons and bombard the Necrons.
• The growing Ork horde overwhelmed Necron forces across the tomb, even as concentrated fire destroyed many Orks before they could land.
• Cheng Mingrui tore apart a Necron vehicle, and more Big Diggas opened passages until Orks rained through the ceiling.
• The Necrons deployed elite units, but Kuka and his Psyker Boyz arrived and summoned a gigantic phantom of Gork, which flattened the Heavy Destroyers.