Entry: 025M42.145
Background: The Escalation of War
As 025M42 progressed, the once-static conflict on New Cerberex erupted into a fully fledged campaign of movement and decisive engagements. The world, once a prosperous Imperial colony before its fall to the Tau Expansion, had become a focal point of strategic importance in the wider Zadoc Subsector War.
For many months, the Dark Angels, operating from their impregnable fortress on Mount Bone, had been conducting relentless raids into Tau territory. These culminated in a large-scale breakout operation in early 025M42, spearheaded by the First and Third Companies of the Chapter, aimed at shattering Tau control across the southern continent.
The Fall of the Southern Continent
The operation commenced with a thunderous assault upon the Angel Plateau, swiftly followed by the liberation of the city of Rideau. The Tau defenders, though initially holding the line with stoic resistance and formidable firepower, were unable to maintain their positions in the face of Astartes precision and brutality.
The Dark Angels moved with characteristic methodical ruthlessness, engaging in a rolling battle that saw one Tau cadre after another eradicated. Their focus was not merely territorial acquisition but the total destruction of enemy assets. By the end of the third week of operations, Tau forces on the southern continent had been completely routed, and the region was declared under Imperial control.
The Northern Surprise and the Loss of Laurier
In the wake of this success, General Van Dorn, coordinating the wider Imperial effort in the sector, landed several Imperial Guard regiments to consolidate the gains. These forces, including elements from the Cadian 143rd, were deployed in the north at Laurier, intended as a northern pressure point against the remaining Tau holdings.
However, the Tau had anticipated the Imperial strategy. Launching a swift and devastating counter-offensive, they struck the newly landed Imperial regiments before they could fully entrench, utilising battlesuit strike teams and orbital drone coordination to devastating effect.
The fighting at Laurier was brief but savage. Caught off-guard, the Guard regiments were nearly annihilated, and by 0505.025M42, the city had been retaken by the Tau, restoring part of their northern front.
The Battle for Albert
The Dark Angels, undeterred, launched a renewed offensive on 1205.025M42, this time targeting the city of Albert, a strategic node linking Tau defence lines across the central belt of the main continent. The Astartes struck with shock and awe, utilising teleportation strikes, Ravenwing outriders, and full-scale mechanised assaults.
The Tau defenders at Albert fought with grim determination, but the weight of the Astartes assault proved overwhelming. Resistance crumbled, and by 1505.025M42, the city of Albert was firmly in Imperial hands.
Conclusion and Strategic Outlook
With the southern continent of New Cerberex now securely under Imperial control, the Imperium had established a unified front from Rideau to Albert. However, the setbacks at Laurier underscored a bitter truth: the Tau remained a dangerous and adaptive enemy, capable of swift retaliation and asymmetric warfare.
Despite their victory, the Imperium still faced a daunting campaign to retake their former colony in full. The northern and eastern regions of the main continent remained under Tau control, and any future advance would likely require coordinated multi-theatre offensives, and careful management of increasingly strained supply lines.
Nevertheless, the victories of the Dark Angels and Van Dorn’s Guard had brought a critical shift in momentum. The reconquest of New Cerberex was no longer a dream—it had begun in earnest.
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