Tales from the Rifts

Reversals on Mordecai Primaris

Having broken out of their bridgehead on in the North Averbrike hive sprawl and taken a swathe of territory towards the Harian Mesa, the Imperium were under no illusions that they had made a decisive breakthrough. General Kutuzov knew that the forces of chaos would fight tooth and nail against his forces as the loss of the Mordecai System would be a severe blow to Chaos influence in the Perseus Deeps as well as the wider sector. Knowing this, the imperial forces scrambled to create defences and trench lines before their enemy counter attacked, holding a company of Dark Angels in reserve ready to block any move by the Emerald Serpent and their allies.

In the middle of 03.024M42 the counter strike came, and it was far stronger than Kutuzov had feared. Using the arcane and sorcerous powers of the daemonworld "Astralis", the Emerald Serpent had summoned more allies to their cause, as the forces of chaos came together to stop the imperial advance. A large force of Death Guard appeared on the plains south of the Westoria Hive sprawl, and poured over the incomplete imperial defences. The loyalist astartes reacted swiftly, deploying to block the breakthrough. However the intervention of the heavily armoured Terminators of Mortarion teleported from an unseen vessel in low orbit, disrupting the Dark Angels and causing severe casualties to the loyalist astartes. The Dark Angels fought hard, but the plague marines shrugged off wounds that would kill even a superhuman warrior of the imperium, their devotion to their dark patron paying dividends. A festering stench and sickly green fog swept across the battlefield, separating the astartes from the Imperial Guard units. When the fog cleared, the space marines realised the imperial positions had become untenable and requested extraction.

The race was now on to extract Kutuzov's Guard forces from their salient into the Harian wastes, and in the main the majority of the guardsmen made it back to Westosa before the regular chaos army could close the pocket. Much of their heavy equipment was abandoned however, and general Kutuzov soon came under intense pressure from sector general Baran Price to sort out the situation and prepare for a new offensive. The war on Mordecai could not be allowed to devolve into a decades long stalemate.

Worse was to come however. In the Imperial controlled Menoria Hivesprawl, the remnants of Librian, Sycoraxian and other Guard units from the sector had now been amalgamated into a new regimental founding. The Aleph Wardens would be the new name for regiments drawn from the population of worlds across the sector who had now been displaced by xenos and traitor forces. There were large numbers of refugees from these worlds, and Sector Cardinal Valentina Schumadz reasoned it was better to create more regiments of Imperial Guard from these dispossessed, rather than have a refugee crisis further disrupting sector management.

The 1st Aleph Wardens were deployed onto Mordecai Primaris. Well equipped and motivated to fight for the Emperor, they first saw action to the north of the Hive Sprawl, where a mechanised patrol saw off an incursion from a force of Thousand Sons. However, before they could report this news to high command, a much larger force of Thousand Sons supported by dreadnoughts and heavy firepower. The Aleph Wardens fought hard, but were unable to hold on to critical positions, and gradually the Emerald Serpent forces pushed the imperial soldiers back. By the beginning of 04.024M42 the fighting had reached into the Menoria Hive Sprawl itself.

The Imperium was now on the back foot on Mordecai Primaris despite its strategic logistical advantages. High command would now have to rethink its strategy towards winning the war, because it had become clear this was where the forces of chaos would make its final stand.

Fighting on Enaloth intensifies

In the ongoing campaign to extend Imperial dominion into the Perseus Deeps, General Veers spearheaded efforts to conquer the necron tombworld of Enaloth. Despite initial setbacks, including the withdrawal of the Black Templars from the Tomb complex of Khamet, Imperial forces persevered, ultimately achieving significant gains in their conquest of the world.

A bridgehead had been established on Enaloth prior to General Veers' renewed offensive. Tasked with securing the Tomb complex of Khamet, the Black Templars encountered unexpectedly fierce resistance from the entrenched necron forces. Forced to retreat in the face of overwhelming opposition, the Templars regrouped, their resolve undiminished despite the setback.

However, the high command on Bastien were determined to press on with the offensive despite the astartes setback. Reinforcements from the Lycannon Guard bolstered Imperial ranks, enabling a renewed assault on the Tomb of Khamet. In a brutal engagement involving an entire regiment and armoured support elements, the Imperial Guard forces overwhelmed the necron defenders, seizing control of more than half of the tomb complexes on Enaloth and securing a decisive foothold within the Tomb of Khamet itself.

As Veers' latest campaign in the Perseus Deeps continued to unfold, general Veers remained resolute in his determination to extend the Emperor's dominion into the darkest reaches of the region, intent on removing the dual Xenos threats of the Necron and the Tau. He had good reason to be confident in victory, as more and more reinforcements flooded in from the Vastrid subsector, although the inevitable conflict with the Tau and Federacy began to concern a number of his staff. For now the necron domains within the Perseus Deeps seemed open to quick conquest. 

All of New Cerberex's population and infrastructure was now firmly under Tau control, but the continued Dark Angels presence at Mount Bone rankled the Tau high command. Although the Dark Angels were effectively contained within their mountain fortress they represented a point of vulnerability should the Imperium ever try to regain the world. The fire cast commanders also wished to report their total victory to the Ethereal council. A previous attempt to capture the mountain had ended it catastrophic casualties for little gain so the Tau proceeded with caution.

They began by probing the outer defences with small reconnaissance cadres, seeking week points in the defences but the mountain was surrounded with a web of sensor nets and one after another the scouting forces were ambushed by ravenwing or devastated by teleporting terminator attacks from the deathwing who were guided to their positions with pin point accuracy.

The Tau did identify one location where the defences might be breached and committed a linebreaker cadre to exploiting the weakness. Just such a tactic had worked well in New Feducia and the Tau hoped that success could be replicated here. As the heavy battlesuits closed on the mountain they were met with an aggressive counter attack. The attack stalled in its tracks as the battlesuits engaged, wary about closing the distance and determined to exploit their advantage in fire power. Fighting raged and casualties mounted on both sides but eventually the battlesuits were forced to withdraw. Both sides had sustained heavy losses but the aggressive response had kept the Tau from pressing forward to claim the key positions they would require to breach the fortress.

Disheartened the Tau commanders analysed the data that had been gathered with much sacrifice. The fortress itself was a subterranean stronghold, immune to even orbital battleship bombardment, and its key position and surrounding sensor web made any approach impossible to conceal. Taking the mountain would require prolonged attractional warfare of a kind that was anathema to the Tau philosophy of war. All analysis lead to the same conclusion, that the military benefit of taking the mountain was simply not worth the cost. Faced with this unpalatable conclusion the Tau moved to a strategy of containment and refocused their resources to future conquests.

Aleph Sector 024M42 - current warzones

Last Stand on Lodax Secondus

In the Rifts of Hecate, out on the edges of the Imperium where the Aleph Sector met the Eastern Fringe, the planet of Lodax Secondus stood as in the front line against the encroaching tides of chaos and xenos horrors. Yet, on this fateful day, the defenders of the Imperium faced their greatest trial yet.

The tension was palpable as the Imperial forces, battered and weary, prepared to make their last stand. The Tyranid horde, a relentless tide of chitin and claws, surged against the crumbling fortifications, threatening to engulf all in its path.

Amidst the chaos, a glimmer of hope shone through the darkness. Commissar McGuffin, bearer of vital intelligence regarding the dreaded Hive Fleet Poseidon, was the Imperium's last hope for survival. With his information in hand, the Imperium rallied to ensure his safe extraction from the doomed world, as Admiral Sommerville's fleet was only hours away.

Even the Iron Warriors, sworn enemies of the Imperium, set aside their ancient grudges in the face of the greater threat. Together, Imperial and traitor alike stood united against the xenos menace, their determination unwavering in the face of imminent annihilation.

As endless waves of Tyranids crashed against the bulwarks of the Imperial defences, Commissar McGuffin made a desperate dash to the extraction point. The Deathwing and Iron Warriors Chosen fought with grim resolve, holding the line against the relentless onslaught.

During the carnage, the Dark Angels Chapter Master emerged as if from nowehere, with some identifying his as the Primarch of legend himself, charging into the fray. With lethal precision, he pursued the monstrous Tyranid beasts, slaying them one by one in a dance of death. Whether this was the mighty Lion El Johnson or these were just the fever dreams of exhausted guardsmen remains an unresolved mystery. Either way the powerful space marine was seen charging into the Tyranid hive swarm with aggressive savagery. Yet, in the heart of the battle, the supreme augmented soldier of humanity faced his ultimate challenge: the dreaded Swarm Lord, embodiment of the Tyranid hive mind. In a clash of titans, the Dark Angel commander fought valiantly, but in the end, he fell before the monstrous might of his foe. No body was ever recovered however, so whether this account is true, or a heroic myth cannot be verified.

As desperation reached its zenith, salvation descended from the heavens as Admiral Sommerville arrived: the Mastodon, a behemoth of war, crashed down from orbit, blocking the path of the onrushing Tyranids and protecting McGuffin at all costs. With a thunderous roar, it trampled the weakened Swarm Lord beneath its colossal treads.

Now the Genestealer cults, vile servants of the Tyranid menace, swarmed the extraction point, their numbers seemingly endless. Only through the heroic sacrifice of countless lives did the Imperium hold fast against the relentless tide of xenos horrors.

In the end, amidst the ruins of Lodax Secondus, Commissar McGuffin emerged unharmed, his precious cargo of intelligence intact. Though victory came at a great cost, the defenders of the Imperium had held the line against the encroaching darkness, ensuring that hope endured even in the face of inevitable doom. As the Tyranids consumed the planet in their ravenous hunger, the sacrifice of those who fought and fell would be remembered.

Novgorod Guard expand bridgehead on Enaloth

Situated to the galactic north of the Mordecai system, the system of Enaloth had emerged as a pivotal battleground in the struggle for dominance within the Perseus Deeps as 024M42 began. The Imperial forces, led by the experienced and now long serving General Veers, recognised the strategic significance of Enaloth in their broader campaign against the encroaching forces of Chaos and the Tau Empire. With the new pathway through the Cicatrix Maledictum secured, the Imperium sought to expand its dominion into the galactic east, and Enaloth, with its necron-infested tombs, stood as a formidable barrier to their ambitions.

In late 023M42, the Imperium had made landfall on Enaloth, securing a precarious foothold amidst the ancient ruins and desolate landscapes that covered the planet's surface. Gradually, they fortified their landing zone, preparing  themselves conscientiously for the inevitable confrontation with the awakened Necrons.

As General Kutuzov ground out a brutal campaign against the forces of Chaos in the Mordecai system, the Novgorod Guard now spearheaded the Imperial offensive on Enaloth. With their usual implacable resolve, they launched a relentless assault against the Necron defences, their artillery fire and ranks of Leman Russ tanks forming an impenetrable wall against the advancing xenos.

The Necrons, not content to allow the armies of humanity to simply take their world, launched a counter attack against the Imperial invaders, their mechanical forms marching directly into the teeth of massed Imperial firepower. Yet, despite their resilience, they faltered in the face of the Imperial Guard's steadfast defence, as their ranks were decimated by charges from the specialist Novgorod cavalry units.

By early 03.024M42, the tide of battle had turned decisively in favour of the Imperium. Fully half of Enaloth lay under Imperial control, and the progression of the campaign was precisely on General Veers' pre-invasion schedule. However, the struggle for Enaloth was far from over. The Necrons, ancient and undying, remained a formidable foe, their wrath unquenched by the loss of territory. As the Imperium pressed forward, their resolve would be tested, as  the battles ahead would be fought not only in the desolate tombs of Enaloth but in the very heart of darkness itself.