Necrons awoken on Gamador

While Battlegroup apocalypse was engaging the Claws of Lorek on Sulidaan, the Imperium had also directed a significant proportion of the force to Gamador, in order to investigate recent strange reports of skeletal metal warriors, told to the Inquisition by terrified miners. The Inquisition was prepared to dismiss these stories until they heard that the Claws of Lorek had been defeated by a similar force while raiding the mines after the Imperial miners had left.

Realising the Necrons had been awoken on the planet, the Inquisition tasked Battlegroup Apocalypse to "pacify" the system, while uncovering records dating back millenia, pointing to centuries of activity from a once large alien Empire. They did not inform the commander of the Battlegroup of this fact however...

The commander of Apocalypse sent a force of Corellian Storm Guard, Porphyrians and the Groznian 4th Regiment (1503rd Groznian army), supported by a company of Reaper Angels. At first they encountered nothing except for overwhelmingly impressive ancient ruins in the dust. Then, as the archeo-magi investigated the ruins and the Guard regiments set up a perimeter around the abandonned mines, the Imperium came under attack.

Waves of skeletal warriors, supported by Monoliths, assaulted the Imperial forces on all sides. Caught off guard and shocked at the ferocity of the alien attacks, the Imperial forces were sent reeling. Casualties were appalling, with all three regiments taking in excess of 50% casualties. The Reaper Angels fared even worse and only managed to salvage half their company by abandoning the planet of Gamador to the Necrons.

Following a hastily organised evacuation - the third by Battlegroup Apocalypse since its inception - the Gamador system was quarantined and adeptus mechanicus monitoring stations installed near the jump point. The fear now was that the Necrons awakening would spread to nearby systems, and that once again the great Necrontyr Empire would enslave the lesser races.

By the end of 12.009M42 the exultation of the victory at Farport had completely ebbed away, and the Imperial high command in the Aleph sector once more had to deal with serious defeats.