Chaos suffer further losses

The bitter fighting on Calliden continued as 05.012M42 began, as the Necrons continued their seemingly unstoppable offensive. With the failure of their daemonic plans, the lords of Bellatrix were deposed in spectacular style by the sorcerer's of the city, their golden palace reduced to glowing slag by the force of psychic energy thrown against it. With their leaders removed, the populace of Bellatrix called for aid, and the Iron Warriors, desparate to maintain their supply bases on Calliden, reacted swiftly.

The traitor marines counter-attacked the Necrons south of the Neck, covering hundreds of miles to the west in a few days as the Necron resistance was found to be much lighter than expected. Then, on 0405.012M42, the aliens attacked again, from the east. Unknown to the Iron Warriors the Necrons had bypassed Bellatrix then swept south, behind the main Iron Warriors' force. Realising too late, the chaos legion turned and faced their enemy, desparate to break through the noose which was now bwing tightened around their position. After a week of brutal fighting there was barely anything left of the Iron Warriors' force, and the defenders of the rapidly shrinking Tarsh pocket seemed more doomed with every passing hour. With the Iron Warriors' counter attack smashed to pieces, the Necrons faced little resistance as they moved into Bellatrix, finding much of the city deserted as its citizens had mostly fled before the alien onslaught.

Further north the Eldar continued to expand their bridgehead, finally reaching the sea of Tarsh on 0605.012M42, and laying the three cities of ?,? and ? under seige. The Eldar battered the re-equipped Covenant of Damnation forces on the plains of the Neck, leaving a swathe of scorched earth, littered with burning vehicles and equipment. Although the Eldar had been unable, or unwilling, to take any major city, their deployment now lay directly across the Necron advance and put all the Chaos forces of the south in dire peril.