Chapter Summaries

Bona resolved to find a way to reach Roboute Guilliman, then rushed to the Engine Room to stop Gagags and the Tech-Priest from fighting. He revived Bals, assigned the Tech-Priest to repair the Dreadnought, and persuaded Gagags to join his cause, while Arlith watched and recorded his actions.

• Bona considered how to reach Roboute Guilliman before Captain Spire reported that Gagags and the Tech-Priest were about to fight in the Engine Room.
• Bona found Gagags confronting the Tech-Priest over the rocket-covered engine and asked about Bals's condition.
• Bona pressed his bloodied finger against Bals's Dreadnought, restoring the dying warrior's vital signs and waking him.
• Bona gave the Tech-Priest a book and told him to oversee Bals's repairs.
• Bona promised Gagags his freedom once they reached safety, then convinced him to stay by describing the brutal wars ahead.
• Arlith watched Bona and wrote that he used every available source of power, including Chaos and Xenos.

The Righteous Protector left Mustran V after seeing off the Blood Angels and Yvraine, then entered the Maelstrom to recruit from Huron’s Red Corsairs. The ship received landing clearance, and Bona prepared to meet Huron.

• Admiral Spire used the Blood Angels’ presence to secure supplies and a warm reception for Captain Annoth at Mustran V Starport.
• Bona gave Yvraine and her companions gifts before they departed, while the Visarch thanked him on behalf of Craftworld Biel-Tan.
• The Righteous Protector left Mustran V and entered the Warp, arriving in the Maelstrom, where the Red Corsairs ruled under Huron.
• Captain Spire told the Maelstrom authorities that the ship had no intention of engaging in hostilities, and they granted it landing clearance at CHKY-331.
• Bona spotted Huron’s distant fortress and told his companions to wake Bals.

Bona brought Bals, a Dreadnought, to Huron Blackheart, reuniting the former Star Scar Claws brothers and exposing their bitter disagreement over Huron’s fall to Chaos. After Bals condemned Huron and the Red Corsairs, Bona claimed his bounty reward: permission to recruit Astartes and a fleet to conquer a Forge World.

• Horus forced the group’s way into Huron’s stronghold, where they revealed they had come to find the Star Scar Claws.
• Huron recognized Bals, but Bals raised his weapon against him until Horus stopped the attack and Bona disabled the Dreadnought’s controls.
• Amanius arrived, and Bals angrily denounced him and Huron for abandoning the Emperor and becoming the Red Corsairs.
• Huron explained how the Imperium had betrayed the Star Scar Claws, but Bals insisted that loyalty had no excuse and rejected Huron’s choices.
• Huron let Bals leave, and Bona demanded and received permission to recruit Astartes and obtain a fleet capable of conquering a Forge World.

Bona recruited a force of Astartes by calling them to fight for humanity rather than the corrupt Imperium. Horus killed the Black Legion warriors who recognized him and resolved to rebuild the XVI Legion as the Luna Wolves.

• Bona addressed the mercenaries at the Talent Market, warning the Astartes about their fate after death and asking them to fight so humanity could survive.
• About two thousand Astartes joined Bona, including the Emperor's Grip Chapter, the Yellow Scythes Chapter, and the Steadfast Rock Chapter.
• Black Legion warriors recognized Horus as their gene-father and knelt, believing he had returned to lead them against the Imperium.
• Horus killed the Black Legion warriors and collected their gene-seeds.
• Horus returned to Bona's group and decided to rebuild the XVI Legion as the Luna Wolves.

Biel-Tan Farseer Otheryan foresaw the Aeldari’s eventual defeat at the hands of the Imperium and marked the Eastern Fringe before collapsing. In that region, Bona and Horus prepared to invade Taranct III, with Bona ordering that only recruited Space Marine Chapters take part in the ground assault.

• Otheryan foresaw Yvraine and the Reaper Host allied with blue Astartes, then traced the vision back to Pirate Haven and saw the Aeldari’s catastrophic defeat by Imperial forces.
• Otheryan saw a white-robed figure, spat blood, and marked the Eastern Fringe on a star chart before losing consciousness.
• Bona sensed that something was watching him, then learned from Horus that Taranct III’s orbital defenses had been destroyed and a landing was being prepared.
• Bona ordered the Chaos forces to stay off the planet and restricted the ground assault to the recruited Chapters.
• Admiral Spire agreed to try to limit conflict with the Imperial defenders and said he would join the landing personally.

Planetary Governor Kangmuse tried to keep the Astra Militarum outside the Hive City, but Horus’s Chaos Astartes overwhelmed the PDF and captured the command post. When Kangmuse’s generals begged Colonel Sakot for help, Sakot ordered the Third Regiment of Norsd into battle for the Emperor.

• Kangmuse refused to let the Third Regiment of Norsd enter the Hive City and hoped to negotiate with the attacking Chaos fleet.
• Chaos Dreadclaws landed inside the Hive City, where the Astartes routed the PDF and seized strategic positions.
• Horus found the command post deserted and decided to meet Kangmuse.
• Colonel Sakot prepared to blast open the Hive City’s gate, but it opened and Kangmuse’s generals came out to beg for help.
• Sakot stopped Wenstein’s complaints, declared it the regiment’s duty to serve the Emperor, and ordered the Third Regiment to attack.

The Nostad Third Regiment advanced into the Hive City, where Bona’s outnumbered and poorly equipped Astartes tried to stop them without fighting. Bona subdued the Imperial forces and demanded their withdrawal, but the Commissar’s resistance turned the encounter violent.

• Colonel Sakot led the Nostad Third Regiment through the Underhive and into the Mid Hive, where he found fallen PDF troops but no attackers.
• Bona judged that his nearly four hundred Astartes could not defeat the heavily armed Imperial force and ordered the ambush aborted.
• Sakot confronted Bona and ordered his gunners to fire, but Bona incapacitated the regiment and disarmed Sakot.
• Bona asked Sakot to withdraw his troops to prevent civilian deaths, but Sakot refused and the Commissar resisted Bona’s control.
• Bona set the Commissar ablaze with psychic force; the Commissar continued trying to shoot until Bona knocked him unconscious.

Bona negotiated a three-month truce with Colonel Sakot and announced his plan to strip the nobles of their power and rebuild society for the poor. He went into the Underhive to witness its misery firsthand, then hurried after a girl who called him Claude.

• Bona spared the unconscious Commissar and agreed with Colonel Sakot to a three-month truce, allowing the Astra Militarum to withdraw while Sakot monitored him.
• Bona told the nobles he would become the planet’s supreme authority, raze the Hive City, and redistribute their wealth and power to the people.
• Bona disguised himself as an Underhiver and explained to Horus how poverty, debt, and Imperial taxation pushed people toward rebellion and Chaos.
• Horus reported that the Tarankd Sector was barren, and Bona called for action, including seeking help from the Adeptus Mechanicus.
• A girl named Saha arrived looking for Claude, and Bona chased after her when she left.

A month after capturing the Hive City, Bona presented plans to rebuild the population’s lives and reorganize the military. He left the implementation of the plans to Arlith and Horus while he sought help from the Adeptus Mechanicus.

• Bona ended his month of experiencing life in the Hive City after a girl confessed her feelings to him, and Horus teased him about it in front of the assembled leaders.
• Bona presented his Human Codex, proposing to relocate the Hive City’s population, develop Wasteland Worlds, restore ecosystems, and provide welfare to Imperial Citizens.
• Bona introduced a draft Legion Code of War that placed Astartes under the Departmento Munitorum and required them to protect civilians.
• The leaders reviewed the draft, and Horus privately took satisfaction in having been its principal author.
• Bona said he would seek the Adeptus Mechanicus’s help to build a base and appointed Inquisitor Arlith and Horus as representatives to oversee the work.

Bona woke from a nightmare accusing him of betraying humanity and negotiated with Magos Dorkerson over a mysterious book. The Righteous Protector arrived at the remote Asdenak Forge World, where Fabricator-Archmagos Antonia prepared to receive the Navy’s request for a deal.

• Bona woke from a nightmare in which a boy and shadowy figures blamed him for the Horus Heresy and humanity’s suffering.
• Bona found Magos Dorkerson frantically studying the book and agreed to let him keep it for five more days in exchange for his support.
• The Righteous Protector emerged from the warp at the Asdenak System, a remote Forge World ruled by Fabricator-Archmagos Antonia.
• Antonia learned that an Imperial Lunar-class Cruiser was requesting permission to land and wanted to make a deal with him.

Bona offered Archmagos Antonia a place in the Black Adeptus Mechanicus, whose rules would permit forbidden technology and shared knowledge. After Bona demonstrated his power and explained his plan to use every available means against humanity’s enemies, Antonia agreed to join and become its first Fabricator-General.

• Bona asked Archmagos Antonia to consider a deal, and Magos Dorkerson reluctantly transmitted data that Antonia reviewed.
• Bona presented the Edict of the Black Adeptus Mechanicus, which called for activating abominable intelligence, lifting most weapons prohibitions, and sharing half of each member’s exclusive knowledge and technology.
• Antonia objected that the edict violated the rules of Mars and the Imperium, so Bona suppressed the Skitarii and killing machines and warned that he would kill Antonia and his successors if they refused.
• Bona told Antonia that he intended to shatter the Imperium and use any power necessary to save humanity from extinction.
• Antonia agreed to join the Black Adeptus Mechanicus and asked to become its first Fabricator-General.

On Gohard III, Horus defeated the local Ork boss and persuaded the Orks to join a galaxy-spanning Waaagh! for the Emperor. Bona’s forces prepared to use the recruited Orks as living bombs in modified boarding torpedoes and other weapons against the Imperial Navy.

• Bona authorized an Ork infestation on Gohard III and dumped Hive City rubbish there to accelerate the Orks’ growth.
• Horus killed the Ork boss and claimed leadership, then promised the Orks a far greater Waaagh! beyond their planet.
• Horus showed the Orks footage of massive space and ground battles, convincing them to leave Gohard III and join the Emperor’s Waaagh!.
• Horus declared that only the toughest Boyz would join the campaign, prompting the Orks to fight another Grand Melee for places aboard the Waaagh! Ship.
• Bona’s forces used an Adeptus Mechanicus Boarding Torpedo factory to sedate Orks and load them into torpedoes for future attacks on Imperial Navy ships.

Bona designed a new Astartes genetic modification program to overcome the rebel Imperium’s gene-seed shortage, replacing several traditional organs and adding five experimental procedures. Horus left the laboratory worried about Bona’s self-sacrifice, while Bona began his work again after spilling a reagent.

• Bona explained to Horus that he planned to remove the Omophagea and Gene-Seed Storage Gland, then use clone-cultivation technology to mass-produce gene-seed.
• Bona showed Horus five new procedures, including a Gene Keystone derived from Thunder Warriors and four organs designed to improve strength, regeneration, empathy, and judgment.
• Horus questioned the four organs’ apparent connection to the Warp’s dark gods, and Bona revealed that he had taken them from his own body.
• Bona shot his left palm and quickly regenerated it, leaving Horus shocked and concerned.
• Horus told Bona to take care of himself and left the laboratory, while Bona spilled a reagent and decided to start over.

Bona found Kozelian, a literate Underhive scavenger who had been beaten by the Bloodfang Gang while trying to obtain medicine for Old Rotten Tooth. After learning that Kozelian had excelled on an exam, Bona recruited him as an official in the Department of the Interior, and Kozelian agreed in exchange for ten energy bars a day.

• Kozelian scavenged for medicine to treat Old Rotten Tooth, but the Bloodfang Gang beat him and took his valuable digital display as payment for a debt.
• Bona arrived with the Thunder Warriors and asked the battered Kozelian whether he had taken an exam forty-two days earlier.
• Kozelian recalled taking the exam while fleeing an arbitrator and apologized fearfully to Bona.
• Bona praised Kozelian's practical answers and offered him a position in the Department of the Interior.
• Kozelian worried that he could not leave Old Rotten Tooth, but agreed to work after Bona promised him roughly ten energy bars a day.

Bona's rule transformed Tarankd into an independent, rapidly developing sector where ordinary people gained work and hope. He asked Colonel Sakot to help build the Dawn Army, and Sakot accepted, setting aside his Imperial insignia.

• Tarankd proclaimed its independence and replaced the Imperial Aquila with the Thunder Eagle banner.
• Colonel Sakot saw Tarankd's cities, industry, and recovering ecosystem flourish as people from the Mid Hive and Underhive found work.
• Bona explained that humanity's people had to save themselves and introduced the Dawn Army as a force to defend their hope for the future.
• Bona asked Colonel Sakot to help build an army despite the dangers and the possibility of conflict with the Imperium.
• Colonel Sakot removed his Imperial insignia and agreed to build a strong regiment, and Bona welcomed him.

Horus anxiously oversaw the start of gene-seed implantation for his chosen candidates, while Bona pushed Archmagos Antonia to speed up the Thunderhawk Empire’s shipbuilding. Bona secured plans to build Chaos warships without daemon engines, but worried whether the fleet could be completed in time.

• Horus prayed over the risks of implanting Black Legion gene-seed and encouraged Naruf before the boy entered surgery.
• Bona argued with Archmagos Antonia that the Empire’s ship production was too slow because of the Mechanicus’s rituals and procedures.
• Bona ordered construction of Hellfire and Slaughter warships, and Antonia said he lacked the knowledge to build them.
• Bona gave Antonia a book of ship designs, and Antonia agreed the vessels could be completed more quickly without daemon engines.

Master Aisetham interpreted Tarankd III’s distress message as a threat to the Eastern Fringe and set Imperial forces in motion, though reinforcements would take thirty years to arrive. On Tarankd III, Bona led a newly assembled fleet and eight hundred Astartes recruits into the Dawn Crusade.

• Master Aisetham reviewed Tarankd III’s records and initially mistook the reported Chaos attack for a minor raid.
• Master Aisetham read a Rogue Trader’s intercepted broadcasts and concluded Chaos planned to use Tarankd III as a base for an offensive across the Eastern Fringe.
• Master Aisetham placed Tarankd III on the urgent strike list, prompting the Imperium to muster regiments, Navy ships, and three Space Marine Chapters for a response expected to take thirty years.
• Bona surveyed the assembled fleet on the Righteous Protector as Dawn Army soldiers and eight hundred newly created Astartes boarded.
• Bona addressed the fleet and declared the start of the Dawn Crusade.

Brigadier Arax's Cruiser Squadron fought Admiral Spire's Dawn Fleet at Cabalide, where Bona watched and learned as the battle shifted from long-range fire to boarding actions. The Dawn Fleet's Ork boarding parties breached an Imperial cruiser, and Arax heard their war cry over the handset.

• Brigadier Arax ordered the Cabalide Cruiser Squadron to intercept the Dawn Fleet and rejected Bona's appeal to join them.
• Admiral Spire deployed the Dawn Fleet and used its longer-ranged lances to damage the Imperial cruisers while explaining the ships' weaknesses to Bona.
• Arax charged the Dawn Fleet, then ordered his ships to attack the enemy engines from behind and launch boarding pods.
• Both fleets launched boarding pods, and Arax's squadron gained a strong position by pounding the Dawn Fleet's rear ships with macro-cannons.
• Arax learned that the mid-deck of his flagship had fallen and heard a deafening Ork war cry through Colonel Yeliko's handset.

Haha Da Pao and the Orks overran Cabalide's Imperial warships, where Brigadier Alax sacrificed his flagship to destroy a cruiser. As Bona prepared to land and save Cabalide's citizens, Horus readied the rebuilt Luna Wolves for their first battle and relived his betrayal of Loken at Istvaan III.

• Haha Da Pao led the Orks in a WAAAGH against the Imperial naval crews, and they overwhelmed the defenders across the ships.
• Brigadier Alax ordered his flagship to ram a Yellow Springs-class cruiser and destroy it in an explosion.
• Bona gathered the lights of the fallen, steadied the grieving crew, and ordered preparations to land on Cabalide.
• Horus addressed the first eight hundred rebuilt Luna Wolves, including Naruf, Kobel, and Janf, and announced he would join their landing operation.
• Horus recalled Loken defying him at Istvaan III after accusing him of betraying the Emperor and humanity.

After Caberlid II refused Bona’s demand to surrender, the Dawn Fleet began an assault under Horus’s command. The Dawn Army battered the Primary Hive City with artillery and breached its gate with Archmagos Antonia’s experimental weapon.

• Bona demanded Caberlid II’s surrender, but the planet replied by firing its remaining Planetary Defense Systems at the Dawn Fleet.
• Bona put Horus in command, and Horus ordered the fleet to isolate Astra Militarum forces while the Dawn Army concentrated on the Primary Hive City.
• Dawn Army soldiers landed near the Primary Hive City and surrounded it, while Roarer artillery overwhelmed the defenders’ Basilisks.
• After the bombardment, Dawn Army troops prepared to begin street fighting, and the Annihilation Cannon called the Will of the Machine God melted the Hive City gate.
• Archmagos Antonia celebrated the experimental cannon’s performance, but the people around her fled.