Saturday, December 10, 2016

Libria I current


Libria I: Minotaurs return

In early 12.016M42 the Dark Angels relieved the pressure on the loyalist forces on Libria I by delivering a telling blow on the Angels of Redemption. Once again astartes fought astartes with the Dark Angels making it clear where their loyalties lay. This escalation of astartes activity led to the Minotaurs returning once more, and initiating their own assault on loyalist forces, independent of Vorushko's command. Enraged by the Space Wolves and Dark Angels the Minotaurs, along with the Angels of Redemption, set about attacking loyalist astartes forces in the central cities of Novato, Gertiot and Derwood, prompting a determined response from the Space Wolves and Dark Angels. Dropping from strike cruisers in orbit, the Minotaurs spread chaos amongst the defenders of the central cities. Thousands died in the crossfire as astartes brother fought astartes brother, but the damage was less strategic and more designed to create as much fear and chaos as possible.

Taking advantage of the situation the Necrons had been waiting for an opportinuty to deal a blow to the loyalist Imperium, particularly the astartes, who they believed posed a significant threat to their Empire in the Perseus Deeps. The Necrons of the Charnovokh Dynasty arrived unannounced, and immediately began attacking Dark Angel and Space Wolf assets wherever they found them, being careful to avoid the Minotaurs and other Crusade forces.


The result of the Minotaurs and Angels of Redemptions' actions was to throw the defence of the central cities into turmoil. Reeling from the ferocity of the crusade assault the Dark Angels and Space Wolves were forced to abandon the central cities, leaving the crusade guard forces to simply walk in, destroying any remaining resistance. The Necrons quickly disappeared after the fighting. They had achieved their objective but had miscalculated the political impact of their actions. Although the Necrons were fighting the Minotaurs' common "enemy", the astartes chapter were deeply angered by the Necron interference, as they saw the Xenos as meddling in issues which were none of their concern, and the chapter vowed immediate revenge against the Charnovokh.

Libria I: Battles for Derwood

In late 011.016M42 the relentless crusade assault on Zhukov's western flank continued, as the large force of Volscian guard down the Derwood Road. Zhukov had already detached a force of Novgorod Guard to cover this new assault, but it would take time to make the trek back from the northern front to the central cities. Without intervention by the astartes Zhukov's rear guard would be unlikely to be able to hold off the crusade advance.

The loyalist imperial forces met in their HQ on Libria II and agreed the Space Wolves would send a small force to blunt the Volscian advance, allowing Zhukov to reinforce Derwood before they arrived. The Space Wolves immediately embarked for Libria I, but they had precious little time to act on any intelligence of the Volscian forces. Their assault was forceful and determined, but the crusade force were well prepared for such an intervention. The Space Wolves took heavy casualties and the crusade rolled over the meagre defences taking the city of Derwood from the loyalists on 2811.016M42


Despite losing the city Zhukov was not concerned. Arriving two days later the Novgorod Guard gave the Volscians no time to fortified, and immediately launched an all out frontal assault on the mechanised Volscians. The casualties as ever were horrendous, as the Novgorod commanders sent in wave after wave of infantry and even cavalry against the crusade tanks. However the numbers took their tool, and by 3011.017M42 the Novgorod guard had worked their way around the Volscians, forcing them to retreat or be surrounded. Derwood had been retaken.

Libria IV evacuation collapses

By late 11.016M42 it was clear the loyalist imperial position on Libria IV was untennable. To prevent the total loss of all remaining forces and assets, Imperial HQ devised a plan to rescue what equipment and important artefacts they could from the world before the combined forces of the alliance rolled over the remaining imperial defences. To aid in this the Iron Hands and Space Wolves moved in system with fast strike cruisers. Their intent; to land a force near imperial HQ for long enough to evacuate whatever they could.

The alliance, having previously allowed these "ordered withrawals" had no intention whatsoever of allowing the loyalists to escape with valuable assets intact. Unable to spare a fleet, the tau contacted their allies through the shadowy contact they still had with the Kel Sandros Eldar. In response the Disciples of Y'Nead arrived through the webway and lent their support to the rebel Lycaon guard who bore the onslaught of the initial astartes drop. The arrival of the eldar forces completely disrupted the imperial plan, and after a few hours of hard fighting the space marines withdrew, unable to secure a perimeter. This consigned thousands of guardsmen and hundreds of peices of military equipment, not to mention relics and other valuable assets to capture and reuse by the forces of the alliance.