Ch. 41Bring It On

Evan led the Crimson Tide Chapter into Scaria’s mid hive to draw out the Night Lords, then fought their ambush in a brutal night battle. He killed the Terminator-armoured leader with an overcharged ion blast, but the blast also hurled him through several walls, leaving his fate unknown.

  • Evan and the other Astartes patrolled Scaria as its residents prayed and welcomed their protection.
  • Evan led Kazhaniv and Xiao Lan’s squads into the dark mid hive while William waited at the passage to the upper hive.
  • Night Lords ambushed the patrol, and Evan sensed their attack, pursued one into a building, and fought off multiple enemies with his squad.
  • Kazhaniv killed a Night Lord veteran, while Evan’s fighters drove off the remaining attackers and Evan battled their Terminator-armoured leader.
  • Evan overcame the leader with a close-range overcharged ion blast, but the explosion hurled him through several walls.

Ch. 42You can't hide

Evan led a years-long hunt for the Night Lords on Scaria, eventually tracing them to the Underhive and setting a trap at a sewage-pipe exit. The chapter ended with the six remaining Night Lords caught in an Imperial bombardment.

  • Evan took command of Scaria’s military after the Night Lords wounded him, and ordered a planet-wide search for their landing craft.
  • After three years of searches, Evan’s forces found the Night Lords’ hidden transport in a mountain cave and estimated that as many as six enemies remained.
  • Evan visited Xiao Lan’s former home in the Underhive and recruited Hartmann to gather gang intelligence and map the district.
  • Evan’s offer of Mid Hive identities stirred gang conflicts and informant activity, pushing the Night Lords to hide and then plan an escape through the pipes.
  • Evan anticipated the Night Lords’ escape route and ambushed them as they emerged from a sewage pipe, sealing their retreat and opening fire.

Ch. 43Spit back what you ate

Evan's Crimson Tide Chapter defeated a Night Lords raiding force, secretly left ten Astartes to protect Scaria, and spent four years training and expanding its ranks. When a cruiser squadron came under attack from metal-eating Space Mantas, Evan led the Chapter's full strength into battle and discovered that the creatures could be confused by a torpedo's camouflage signal.

  • Evan's forces killed five Night Lords and captured one, and Governor Otist agreed to hide ten Astartes on Scaria outside official records.
  • Evan held a funeral for the fallen, trained the recruits for four years, and convened the Chapter's first leadership meeting before departing on another recruitment drive.
  • Evan received an Adeptus Mechanicus distress call and took thirty-six Astartes with three Escort Ships and two fire-support ships to aid Nian Cijin's battered cruiser squadron.
  • Nian Cijin's fleet withdrew toward Evan as Space Mantas devoured ships and resisted conventional weapons, while Evan arranged the reinforcements into a crossfire formation.
  • Evan noticed that Space Mantas escorted a camouflaged ion torpedo instead of eating it, and ordered the Tech-Priest to analyze and adapt the signal for a counterattack.

Ch. 44The warehouses were full, full to bursting

Evan’s fleet lured the Space Mantas into open space, used a modified Auspex to disable them, and captured more creatures than its ships and warehouses could hold. After returning to Atris and arranging storage, Evan traveled to Puqi, where Chief Apothecary Situval accelerated recruitment and Ferin discovered the planet’s local seafood.

  • Evan split his fleet and drew the Space Mantas away from the star system before sending four warships into the warp.
  • Captain Froze trusted Commissar Nian Cijin and ordered the eleven Escort Ships to overload their reactors and endure until the fleet returned.
  • Evan’s warships emerged from the warp and used a modified Auspex to disrupt the pursuing Space Mantas, allowing the crews to capture huge numbers of them.
  • Evan filled the ships and newly built warehouses with Space Manta specimens, then gifted Atris an Escort Ship and carried more creatures to Puqi.
  • Chief Apothecary Situval expedited recruitment on Puqi, while Ferin visited a seaside barbecue stall and sampled its seafood dishes.

Ch. 45A "Friend" Came from Afar

Ferin became Omani’s apprentice while Puchi prospered from the public Astartes trials, which ended with Evan’s recruits preparing to board. When Chaos warships emerged in the Puqi System, Evan destroyed one and led a boarding party onto the other, where Blackshields sought atonement against the Crimson Slaughter Warband.

  • Ferin bought Omani’s recommended ingredients, and Omani agreed to teach him in exchange for having Ferin name a dish “Omani Grilled Fish” to any Astartes who asked.
  • Evan opened the recruitment trials to the public, turning the selection events into a planetwide spectacle that enriched local businesses and drew nobles into his orbit.
  • Annos discovered that an STC Fragment contained instructions for an assault tank and partial plans for a warship, while the recruitment trials advanced through warp testing and a final battle simulation.
  • Omani declared Ferin’s grilling skills good enough as the final recruits boarded their ships, and the pair watched the ceremony over food and drink.
  • Captain Arnos led the Blackshields out of the warp near the Puqi System while fleeing the Crimson Slaughter Warband, and Evan’s forces destroyed the corrupted pursuing cruiser.
  • Evan boarded the remaining enemy vessel and learned that its crew included Blackshields seeking forgiveness, while Captain Arnos was badly wounded fighting the Warband’s commander.

Ch. 46The master con artist

Evan defeated the Crimson Slaughter Warband, took the surviving Blackshields into the Crimson Tide Chapter, and secretly recruited the Ecclesiarchy to reclaim relics on Stolov. He then tipped off the Adeptus Mechanicus to sell the relics to the Ecclesiarchy and prepared to consolidate the Chapter’s control of Atris.

  • Evan and the Crimson Tide Chapter defeated the Iron Warriors, while Kazhaniv killed their Khorne-blessed leader.
  • Evan ordered the Apothecaries to treat the wounded Blackshields and assigned Captain Arnos and his warriors to the Thirteenth Company’s Penitent Company.
  • Evan confined the Blackshields aboard the fleet and ordered Chef Ferin to cook for them under strict secrecy.
  • After the fleet reached Atris, Evan arrested hundreds of thousands of Ecclesiarchy personnel and persuaded Father Fuloemang to lead them to Stolov to reclaim sacred relics.
  • Evan secretly informed the Adeptus Mechanicus that the Ecclesiarchy delegation was coming to buy the relics, then prepared to establish the Crimson Tide Chapter’s rule over Atris.

Ch. 47The Adeptus Mechanicus definitely knew something

Atris prospered under Evan’s reforms, and the Crimson Tide Chapter and Adeptus Mechanicus joined forces to attack a swarm of Space Mantas surrounding a vast mechanical structure. The battle turned in their favor until the structure fired a beam that destroyed a Mechanicus warship.

  • Tristy curbed abuses by newly empowered officials, while the Astartes executed coup plotters and educators were sent to teach in the Underhive.
  • After eight peaceful years, Evan led the Crimson Tide fleet toward rebel planets, but the Adeptus Mechanicus called him to investigate a mass of Space Mantas surrounding a rogue planet.
  • The fleet discovered that the supposed planet was a colossal mechanical structure and attacked the Space Mantas while avoiding damage to it.
  • The Space Mantas formed an ion storm that disabled most electronic weapons, so Evan ordered the fleet to split into groups and draw the creatures away from the structure.
  • The fleets wore down the scattered Space Mantas, which then regrouped around the mechanical core and raised an ion defense layer.
  • A pale-green beam erupted from the structure and destroyed one of the Adeptus Mechanicus's fire-support ships.

Ch. 48Echoes of the Ancients

Evan and Biologis Great Sage Gladys met Alan, the commander of the ancient exploration vessel Infinite Courage, and negotiated a cautious exchange of minerals for technology. They left after agreeing to make contact once every hundred years, while Alan warned them not to touch his damaged repair units.

  • The Infinite Courage opened a passage through its electric defenses and summoned leaders from both sides to negotiate, so Evan and Biologis Great Sage Gladys entered the vessel.
  • Alan introduced himself and explained that a Warp storm had damaged his vessel and stranded him far beyond the galaxy for more than ten thousand years.
  • Evan proposed a mineral-for-technology trade and argued that humanity and Alan shared enemies, while Alan doubted the Imperium could be trusted and refused to return to the galaxy.
  • Gladys attempted to access Alan’s systems, collapsed after Alan detected the intrusion, and later recovered after receiving a large amount of information.
  • Alan agreed to send an integrated unit to meet the Imperium once every hundred years and exchange technology for minerals, but Gladys showed Evan the costly trade list.
  • Alan gave Gladys information about mineral sources and a virus that made him dance, then expelled the visitors and ordered them not to touch the damaged integrated units.

Ch. 49The Space Manta ate the title guy

Evan’s fleet escaped the ancient construct, arranged protection for the Mechanicus, and continued building up the Crimson Tide Chapter through recruitment and new technology. Meanwhile, a Slaaneshi daemon possessed a mechanical apprentice on a Mechanicus world.

  • Mororis scolded Evan for risking himself, and Evan’s fleet departed after negotiating with the Mechanicus over rare ores and technology.
  • Evan persuaded the Mechanicus to hire his fleet for protection, then appointed William and Xiao Lan to train recruits.
  • The Crimson Tide Chapter returned to Taste and Atris to recruit new boys, while children on Taste III began a dangerous selection trial.
  • The Techmarine decoded an STC Fragment containing plans for the Roscoe Ground Sweeper assault tank and part of a warship design.
  • A Slaaneshi daemon hidden inside Emperor’s Children Power Armour possessed a mechanical apprentice investigating a Genestealer corpse.

Ch. 50An Elf's Night Dance

Lillisa survived a Genestealer attack and woke with her body restored by a being she believed was the Omnissiah, while Slaanesh’s corruption made her increasingly alluring and dangerous. After stealing and contaminating the Biologis Great Sage’s culture fluid, she returned home as the Adeptus Mechanicus launched a furious hunt for the culprit.

  • The Adeptus Mechanicus began inspecting its personnel for subtle signs of daemonic corruption as Lillisa fled its pursuit.
  • A Genestealer attacked Lillisa in a warehouse, and the resulting explosion left her severely injured and mechanically augmented.
  • After another apprentice attacked her, Lillisa saw a beautiful angel in a mental realm and heard it identify itself as the Machine God and Omnissiah.
  • Lillisa woke with her flesh restored, concealed her transformation beneath her old mechanical equipment, and grew increasingly beautiful and alluring.
  • Believing the Omnissiah wanted her to obtain culture fluid, Lillisa seduced two Skitarii guards and entered the Biologis Great Sage’s laboratory.
  • Lillisa tore open the culture-fluid tank, absorbed its contents, and left it contaminated as the Adeptus Mechanicus vowed to find and punish the intruder.

Ch. 51A clumsy dance partner

Lillisa’s Slaaneshi corruption spread through the Forge World until Nian Cijin fought and killed her, though the Adeptus Mechanicus continued screening the affected personnel. The Battle Barge then departed Taste to rendezvous with the Light of Dawn.

  • Lillisa evaded the Adeptus Mechanicus’s robot search while corrupting people, but her mentor could not find her in any isolation zone.
  • Archprelate Froes summoned Nian Cijin to deal with the Slaaneshi daemon after Lillisa escaped the search teams and reached a warehouse.
  • Nian Cijin battled Lillisa while the Skitarii evacuated the people she had targeted, and Lillisa weakened him with Warp-infused hormones.
  • Nian Cijin seized Lillisa when she tried to finish him, then shot her with Psybolts until her flesh was blasted to ash.
  • The Adeptus Mechanicus continued screening the corrupted personnel, while Nian Cijin recovered and considered joining Evan’s swordsmanship training.
  • Evan’s Battle Barge departed Taste to rendezvous with the Light of Dawn.

Ch. 52Man is iron, food is steel

William and Xiao Lan led the recruits in using food to rally starving residents and overthrow the rulers of a rebel planet, completing the mission after five years with 98.4% popular support. Evan then sent the recruits into years of combat and swordsmanship training, leaving them still needing to pacify two more rebel planets before graduation.

  • Evan supplied the recruits with food, and William and Xiao Lan organized them to build support among the starving residents of a rebel planet.
  • Frus urged the locals to form their own army, and the recruits seized the enemy’s armories and armed the uprising.
  • William used steamed buns to persuade Meloni’s starving defenders to surrender, helping the insurgents liberate the city.
  • The recruits completed their mission after five years, and William reported that they had achieved 98.4% popular support.
  • Evan assigned the recruits three years of combat training with the Blackshields and taught them swordsmanship, setting defeating Xiao Lan as their graduation requirement.
  • The recruits continued training while the Blackshields chased and beat them, and the recruits were told they still had to pacify two more rebel planets.

Ch. 53You fool, you worshipped the wrong god

Evan’s Chapter expanded its recruits while its Astartes uncovered a Khorne cult operating through the Ecclesiarchy on Scaria. The Astartes fought the corrupted clergy and advanced on the Emperor Statue, where the cult’s growing corruption gathered beneath its seemingly normal surface.

  • Evan sent the older recruits to liberate two rebel planets and prepared a fifth recruitment drive as the Chapter’s ranks swelled.
  • An old desert wolf told a cub how a Daemon had slaughtered desert creatures and how humans later built the enormous metal pillar in the desert.
  • Astartes investigating the Khorne Cultists traced their worship to the Emperor Statue and raided the Ecclesiarchy after discovering Father Esei’s followers were corrupted.
  • The Astartes and Astra Militarum surrounded Ecclesiarchy sites across Scaria while Governor Otist handed command to the Astartes.
  • Durudo and other cultists received power through a Warp rift and sacrificed victims beneath the Emperor Statue as the Astartes convoy approached.

Ch. 54So you're the Bloodletter

The Astartes and Frosa’s forces fought off a Khorne Cultist assault near the Emperor’s statue, while an orbital scan revealed an abnormality in its right eye. A Bloodletter emerged from the battlefield’s Warp rift and attacked the Astartes, who brought him down with coordinated strikes and Psybolts.

  • The Astartes ordered the Astra Militarum to scan the Emperor’s statue and formed defensive lines as Khorne Cultists gathered to attack.
  • Durudo’s cultists and augmented cyborgs assaulted Frosa’s troops, and three Astartes joined the battle to defend them.
  • Five infiltrators led pilgrims toward the Astartes, but the warriors killed them before the Basilisks’ bombardment devastated the cultist ranks.
  • A Warp rift opened near the statue, and a Bloodletter emerged and headed toward the fighting.
  • The Astartes engaged the Bloodletter with Power Swords and Psybolts, severing two fingers and then blasting off his horns and badly wounding his leg.

Ch. 55Going with the flow... and now everyone's seeing red?

After the desert’s Khorne plot was destroyed, Evan used unrest across five planets to overthrow their governments and the Ecclesiarchy, replacing religious rule with Astartes-led education. He then pondered how people’s belief in the Emperor shaped the Emperor’s power, and feared he had glimpsed the Emperor’s purpose on the Golden Throne.

  • Three Astartes warriors killed a Bloodletter with Bolter fire, while Company Commander Frosa ordered the Khorne projection device destroyed and Sentinel Walkers saturated the hidden altar with fire.
  • Over eight years, reforms on Taste and Atris inspired protests and uprisings across five planets as Upper Hive rulers tried to stop people from emigrating.
  • Evan sent William and a scout company to intervene, then used the upheavals to overthrow the five governments and arrest local Ecclesiarchy Personnel.
  • Evan replaced the Ecclesiarchy with an Astartes-centered ministry of faith and promoted universal education about the Emperor as humanity’s greatest man and strongest psyker.
  • Evan failed to persuade imprisoned Ecclesiarchy believers, so he invoked the Emperor’s destruction of Monarchia to justify his own crackdown and declared war on Ecclesiarchy branches in the region.
  • After removing the Ecclesiarchy, Evan questioned whether reverence for the Emperor could grant him power like religious worship and concluded that the Emperor might have been pursuing an experiment on the Golden Throne.

Ch. 56Victory-class Battleship

Evan’s fleet rescued Captain Sloft’s Victory-class Battleship from a Chaos pursuit and fought the pursuing ships in Scaria’s system. As the Slaaneshi and Nurgle vessels came under attack, the Khornate cruiser charged the Ancient Secret and launched World Eaters toward it.

  • Captain Sloft ordered the Ancient Secret toward a psychic beacon and escaped the Warp into Scaria’s system, followed by a Chaos battleship and two Heavy Cruisers.
  • Evan’s fleet answered Sloft’s call, and its ships attacked the Chaos vessels, targeting Nurgle’s cruiser while the Battle Barges closed on the Slaaneshi battleship.
  • Evan’s Blackshields repelled Slaaneshi boarders aboard the Righteous Vigil, with cook Ferin fighting beside them and defending the shellfish cold store.
  • Evan arrived after the boarding battle and found Ferin standing amid the fallen attackers while Captain Arnos was eager to fight again.
  • The Khornate cruiser charged the Ancient Secret despite the fleet’s attacks, struck the Victory-class Battleship after its Void Shield failed, and launched Assault Pods carrying five World Eaters.

Ch. 57Rescued

Evan and the Thirteenth Company helped repel Khorne's boarding force, then turned the captured Chaos ships over to his forces for clearance. He brought Captain Sloft and the Victory-class Battleship to Scaria, where he revealed his account of the Imperium's hidden history and declared his plans to unite Imperium Nihilus, leaving Sloft shaken and uncertain whether to believe him.

  • Evan led the Thirteenth Company to the Victory-class Battleship and joined Captain Arnos in destroying the Khorne warriors threatening its reactor.
  • Evan returned to the Righteous Vigil and assigned the Imperialis Militia, William, the Fourth Batch, and the Blackshields to capture and clear the disabled Slaanesh battleship.
  • Evan escorted Captain Sloft's Victory-class Battleship to Scaria and arranged a meeting with the local administration.
  • Evan told Sloft that he had killed the local Ecclesiarchy and recounted how Lorgar's worship of the Emperor led to the Horus Heresy.
  • Evan claimed his Chapter preserved the true history, challenged the Imperium's rule, and introduced the provisional Segmentum Pacificus Second Council and its ten worlds and three Forge Worlds.
  • Sloft questioned Evan's account and considered leaving the segmentum, while Evan declared that Guilliman might join his crusade to unite Imperium Nihilus.

Ch. 58Prosperity

Evan persuaded Captain Sloft to inspect his worlds while his forces seized a Slaanesh battleship, and Sloft saw how Evan’s laws and teachings shaped civilian life. The chapter left Sloft entering an exhibition about the Emperor as Evan prepared a new batch of recruits for their armour ceremony and took on more Chapter responsibilities.

  • Evan told Sloft he intended to reclaim enemy-held worlds rather than attack loyal Imperial planets, and Sloft agreed to visit the local worlds before deciding what to do.
  • The Ecclesiarchy Personnel aboard Sloft’s ship were escorted away, while Evan’s forces held debates about whether the Emperor was a god and prevented extremists from attacking a Battle Barge.
  • Sloft visited Uncle Fufuluo’s cake shop, learned about the Evan Law and local views of the Emperor, and watched a thief repent after being sent to an educational room.
  • Sloft ate a hot cake, then hurried to the exhibition hall dedicated to the Emperor’s deeds and entered to look around.
  • Evan rapidly cleared Slaanesh’s battleship, and Archbishop Froes arranged to deliver Power Armour, Bolters, and Power Swords.
  • Evan’s recruits prepared for an armour-bestowal ceremony as recruitment for the sixth batch began, and Evan started handling the Chapter’s affairs himself.

Ch. 59Taking a stroll, time to unite the backwaters

Evan prepared the Crimson Tide Chapter to recruit and eventually support Segmentum Obscurus while confronting the Adeptus Mechanicus over its ties to the local worlds. As the Chapter made plans to depart, the last two rebel planets chose to surrender and sent envoys bearing gifts.

  • Evan began recruiting on Scaria, and Laest won the desert race’s first round ahead of Carl William and two other finalists.
  • Captain Sloft asked Evan to send help to Segmentum Obscurus, and Evan agreed to support it once the Chapter had more warriors and ships.
  • A Victory-class Battleship left to aid Segmentum Obscurus, while the Forge World Stolov returned the repaired Strike Cruiser Steel Jungle with an expanded recruit-modification area.
  • Evan told the Stolov representative that the local worlds believed in the imperial truth and warned the Adeptus Mechanicus not to interfere, then offered technology in exchange for increased biological-organ production.
  • The two remaining rebel planets decided to surrender and sent envoys toward Imperial territory with gifts from their ruling families.

Ch. 60Which Bastard Stole My Stuff?

Evan expanded the Crimson Tide Chapter’s territory, reached a secret agreement with the Adeptus Mechanicus, and set Scaria’s beacon to attract ships while preparing his forces. Elsewhere, Iron Warriors and the Dark Mechanicum attacked Adeptus Mechanicus mining stations, and a boarding battle left a gunship’s defenders overwhelmed.

  • Evan negotiated a secret supply deal with Archmagos Phinnis in exchange for technology, while the two sides publicly severed ties.
  • Two rebel transports arrived at Scaria to submit, and Evan sent recruits to Redden their planets and stationed forces there.
  • Evan arranged for Scaria’s psychic beacon to be strengthened and deployed his warships around the system to intercept ships emerging from the Warp.
  • Situval warned Evan that the growing number of recruits would strain augmentation, so Evan assigned Apothecary Aspirants to train on the sixth batch.
  • Iron Warriors working with the Dark Mechanicum raided scattered mining stations and later ambushed four Adeptus Mechanicus gunships.
  • The Iron Warriors teleported successive waves of boarders onto an Adeptus Mechanicus gunship, overwhelming its Skitarii defenses as the other ships fought outside.
Show
Page 3 of 28