Sunday, September 23, 2018

Destino: Crusade launch new offensive against loyalists

Despite the thawing of relations in the Hadron Expanse between Crusade and loyalist forces, Inquisitor Vorushko remained implacably opposed to Lord Hathek's insistance that the Foramen Minoris - the channel through the Cicatrix between Destino and Paradorn, remain open and controlled by the Imperium. Control of the Foramen Majoris - from the Vastrid Subsector to the Perseus Deeps - was desired by both, but Vorushko regarded the secondary pathway a dangerous mistake, one which would inevitably see invasion by the Federacy, Tau or chaos forces, or even a resurgence in the Necron dynasty. Vorushko desired its destruction, in order to let the Cicatrix form a secure flank between the Perseus Deeps and the rimward subsectors. Vorushko also knew of the Enceladus subsector and had gleaned the long term plans of Warsmith Stahl. With the Imperium moving forward against chaos at Tarlius, the Inquisitor Lord felt that now was the time to exert control over the Foramen Minoris, prior to its final destruction.

 

Destino had been in the control of the loyalist faction for some time. With Hathek apparently away overseeing business elsewhere, Vorushko hoped that a show of force by astartes forces would quickly deliver the system to her control. The Grey Knights and Dark Angels were requested to perform this action, following Vorushko's agreement to divulge her ultimate plans to the space marine chapters. This she did, and both chapters agreed it was a prudent course of action. Upon arrival however, things started to go horribly wrong. First, the astartes were told the system was under imperial control already, and when the commander gave the Grey Knights a manifest of the forces defending the system (as ordered), the Ordo Malleus astartes, noting the presence of Novgorod Guard (cavalry regiments from Omsk), demanded their surrender. The imperial commander refused this command from the astartes, having been pre-warned by Hathek that the Grey Knights were "murderous thugs barely loyal to the Imperial Creed".

 

The Grey Knights, not asking twice, simply fell upon the Novgorod Guard. The Omsk Cavalry were equipped with a large number of aerial vehicles, and a dramatic battle took place in the skies over Destino V, before the Grey Knights landed and the ground war began. Despite repeated cavalry charges by the Novgorod regiments, the Grey Knights were simply superior, and by 2009_018M42 the Novgorod resistance on the world had been eliminated. The planet's garrison commander was replaced, and the planet claimed for the Crusade.

 

The Dark Angels meanwhile made their presence felt at Destino V, but the action against the Novgorod had once again incensed the Hammers of the Emperor chapter, who finally declared Vorushko a traitor to the Imperium. Whether or not Hathek planned this remains unknown, but now an astartes chapter had publicly accused an Inquisitor Lord of Heresy. Immediately the Dark Angels reacted by denouncing the Hammers and various insults were exchanged before the inevitable occurred. A violent battle on Destino V between two astartes chapters. This was certainly not Vorushko's plan and the fighting was bitter and intense. The two sides exchanged fire from carefulyl constructed fire bases, as the Hammers advanced over the dead ground between the two forces. Eventually the battle was decided by a successful assault by the Dark Angel's Deathwing, despite the loss of the Dark Angels' commander.

 

The Hammers of the Emperor were eventually forced to cede control of Destino V to the Dark Angels, and the Crusade, but the Crusade war had now resulted in astartes fighting between each other, a shocking development which brought the sector closer to all out "civil" war.

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