The Aleph Sector Warzones 10.024M42

The Perseus Deeps

By 10.24M42 the Perseus Deeps was divided into two main theatres of war. Towards Galactic "west" of the region, where the Foramen Nova bisects the Cicatrix Maledictum, providing the Imperium with a stable supply route from the Valitane Subsector in the Imperium Sanctus - is the Mordecai system. For several years the forces of Chaos, led by the Emerald Serpent and interference from Magnus the Red, have been slowly losing ground to General Kutuzov and his armies, supported by the fleets of Admiral Stark.

Mordecai Tersius and Secundus have fallen to the Imperium, but now with the strategic logistics situation finely balanced, Kutuzov is struggling to break out of his landing zones on the capital world Mordecai Primaris.

Further to the galactic "east", lies the Harakhty Dynasty of Necron worlds. Once minor unimportant outposts, these world were overrun by reanimating necrons during the period 002.042M42 to 014.042M42, but have been riven by a mysterious tech blight. Now the Imperium under General Veers has begun a renewed crusade in the Perseus Deeps, invading and securing the world of Enaloth in 024.M42. However the Imperium face resistance from chaos and tau forces seeking to disrupt this campaign

The Perseus Deeps is the main theatre of war for the eternal war of the Imperium vs. chaos, and features scope for large set piece battles, fleet actions and apocalypse games. By default all chaos vs. Imperium games will be added to the Mordecai System campaign, which has been going on now for nearly a decade in real time! Imperium are winning...

The Perseus Deeps also has the main necron wars, as the forces of the Tau Empire, Imperium and chaos attempt to carve up the necron worlds between them.

The Zadoc Subsector

Once a powerful Imperial realm the Zadoc subsector fell to the combined efforts of chaos, the tyranids and the Tau-Federacy alliance even before the coming of the Cicatrix Maledictum. Now only Hylas remains in Imperial control, and the Tau-Federacy alliance, with occasional help from the Aeldari, are conducting a campaign to remove this last remnant of Imperial rule, opposed by smaller forces of Imperial guard and space marine companies. The war consists of a number of small scale actions as well for small but important installations in the Mabb Nebula.

Meanwhile the Zadoc Subsector also sees a major Tau invasion of chaos held Zadoc. Taking this world, and then Grimlock followed by the Rim Worlds beyond, would secure beyond doubt the sector and cut off the Hadron Expanse from easy resupply from the Imperial hub worlds, and remove the chaos taint from their "Aleph Expansion Sphere".

This warzone is a major warzone but more narrative in context, open to smaller engagements but also large battles. The region sees the Tau invading the major chaos world of Zadoc, and the orks, imperium and tau forces vying for control of several small installations and minor worlds. Ideal for boarding action and Kill Team.

The Hadron Expanse

The Hadron Expanse isn't even designated as a subsector of the Aleph Sector by Imperial command. Although home to nominally two army groups under General Konev and General Percival, and a naval battlegroup, the imperial worlds in the region are scattered and of low resource value. However the Hecate Gap, the only stable pathway to the volatile region of the Rifts of Hecate, is vital to control, and is currently held at one end by the Imperium. Should this bastion of Imperial resistance collapse, then untold hordes of Orks, Tyranids and Necrons threaten to overwhelm the Imperium's borders in the region. In addition, the Tau Empire's "Hadron Sphere" would be hard pressed to deal with the Tyranid threat.

The Hadron Expanse focusses on outpost worlds, featuring a narrative of the orks and tyranids threatening the sector from the galactic rim. Any games are applicable, but allied games in particular (orks+tyranids+necrons are trying to get through the gap, everyone else is trying to stop them) also fit well in this theatre. From time to time the GM may introduce "McGuffin's" to fight for, over a limited time period, which will confer significant faction advantages on the winner.

Orks land on Erguras Fall

Activity in the Hadron Expanse had been low for around a Terran year by mid 10.024M42. Hive Fleet Poseidon appeared to be quiescent, although the Adeptus Biologis hypothesised that they may be in a "digestion" phase of their lifecycle, having recently conquered and absorbed three systems within the Rifts of Hecate. The forces of Chaos had consolidated their forces on Mendesum and continued to research exotic plagues under the direction of the Death Guard, and the Tau seemed content to maintain their watch at Garmenes.

In the strategically significant Hecate Gap, the trench lines dug by the Imperium at Haven had not moved for months, as they were content to hold the Ork threat off while maintaining control over their space port and defence lasers. With the Fleet in orbit, Haven was by now an Imperial controlled system with a cut off pocket of orks on the main continent. Ergura's Fall was more complicated, with no major power having overall control of the world. The brutal Erguran winter had set in however, making new assaults almost impossible. Now however, it was spring on Ergura's Fall once more, and with that spring came an unwelcome new invasion. The orks had returned to the Hecate Gap in force.

The ork invasion was modest by ork standards but still enough to butcher a chaos space marine contingent in the north of the world and set up a new encampment of greenskins. As of 11.10.024M42 the Imperium did not yet consider this new ork force a credible threat, but began monitoring the situation for any escalation. An all out Waagh! against the two systems of the Hecate Gap would put the Imperial held systems in the Expanse at considerable risk, as no new resources could be found and diverted to the region. The Tau took a close interest as well, as their "Hadron Expansion Sphere" lay directly in the path of any invading ork horde.

Harlequins disrupt investigation at Waystation 233

Following the space marine raids on Tau installations across the Mabb Nebula in the Zadoc Subsector, the Aeldari had been swift to remove the imperial presence at Waystation 233, but the Imperium were not willing to give up on controlling the strategically significant defence platform and space station. In early 10.024M42 a squad of space marines were sent ahead to scout the station for Tau or Aeldari presence. Approaching in a Hunter class escort with energy signature set to minimum, the astartes force found nothing and began their investigation of the now empty installation.

Within hours of landing on the station however, the space marine squad found itself under assault from a new Aeldari force, seemingly appearing from nowhere. The space marines fought a fighting retreat but were overwhelmed by the xenos attackers, although they did identify the force as those of the Rillietann, or Harlequins. In any case it was clear that retaking the Waystation would take more than a small insertion team.

Attempted Imperial landing at Gamador fails

Having secured the necron world of Enaloth general Veers was keen to push on and assault the next world as soon as possible. He had multiple concerns weighing heavily on him at the start of 10.024M42, as the war at Mordecai had stalled, giving him a personal chance to take some of the limelight away from his rival Kutuzov, but at the same time, news had come to his attention that the forces of chaos, seeing the moves by the tau and imperial forces, had launched their own offensive against the necrons.

percieving the necrons to be weak, a "carve up" of their territory was being planned, with the tau, chaos forces and Imperium vying to control the necron worlds as fast as possible to shore up their own respective strategic positions. With this in mind, instead of Gamordal or Sullidan being selected as the next Imperial target, Veers instead opted for an assault on Gamador, risking the longer route and proximity to both Tau space and the chaos held Rim worlds to prevent an easy chaos victory in the system and to perhaps distract the Tau away from their war in the Zadoc subsector. In all of these considerations Veers had failed to take into account one rather major factor. The necrons themselves.

In their exploratory landing the Imperial forces were lead by a Space Wolves detachment. The plan was simple, land at the Phillek tomb complex, secure the area and set up a strong defence in the Karothis valley. The initial landings were unopposed, but soon the Space Wolves were disconcerted to see a large and imposing necron army marching down the road from Karothis. Far from a dead tomb world suffering from a tech blight, this tomb world was awake and prepared to defend itself.

The ensuing battle did not go well for the Astartes who were badly mauled by the accurate firepower of their xenos enemies. Though the space marines fought on stubbornly long enough for Veers to evacuate his guard forces from Phillek, the result was a catastrophe for the Imperium, who had now lost any element of surprise with the chaos forces or the Tau, and had suffered a humiliating defeat Infront of not one but three enemies. Veers now planned how he would make amends for this setback.