PENETRATORS DEFEAT ORK ATTACK ON VERNIA

The Vernia settlement marked a deep thrusting salient into ork held territory on the morning of 0303.007M42 and the warlord ork clans came together to mount a three pronged attack on the lightly defended chaos settlement. The orks thought they would get an easy victory, but as they charged through the ruined streets of the settlement the cultists who were fleeing before them revealed a whole company of Penetrators set up in defensive positions, just to the south west of the main square. The orks charged headlong into the killing fields and a massacre ensued, with a major warboss losing his life. The ork attack was stopped and now the greenskins are in full retreat on Scalius, with their backs to the dark side of the world...

DARK ELDAR SAVAGED BY HIVE FLEET TRITON

On the west side of Scalius in the deep ravines of the Callestus rocky expanse, a raiding Dark Eldar force were caught off guard by Tyranid forces while they were raiding outlying settlements close to the Tyranid front line. The massed guants and warriors, supported by hordes of geneastealers fell upon the raiders as they collected slaves from the Callestus settlement of Moor. The Dark Eldar mounted a spirited counter attack but luck wasn't on their side as more of the 'Nids appeared from the west. Those who could fled through the webway back to Commoragh while the rest were slaughter by the ravening alien horde. Moor fell and the Hive fleet is once again back on the march on Scalius.

BLOOD MARTYRS ENCOUNTER TYRANID MENACE

An action has been reported on the distant and remote planet of Amoss in the region of the Melberg system, far to the galactic east of the Aleph subsector. Whether or not the aliens are part of one of the existing hive fleets or an entirely new splinter fleet is unknown, but the planet's population of some 400,000 sent a plea for aid last week. A plea answered by the Blood Martyrs.

The tyranid infestation was caught before it could take hold, and the forces of the Adeptus Astartes easily fended of the swarms of Tyranid creatures which rushed towards the planet's main settlement. Assault cannons proved to be more than a match for the aliens' thick carapaces, while the Blood Martyrs assault troops dispelled many a myth that Tyranids could not be taken in hand-to-hand combat.

Though the Tyranid menace on Amoss has been eliminated, the Blood Martyrs did lose some valuable equipment in the defence of the colony's spaceport, proving once again that Tyranid beasts can easily penetrate even the thickest armour. Inquisition forces are now on the planet attempting to ascertain the extent and origin of this latest Tyranid incursion.

ALEPH SECTOR MAP

The full sector in all its glory...

CHAOS FORCES IN THE ALEPH SECTOR

The Iron Warriors
Though the Iron Warriors are present in the subsector their largest strength has not been encountered for sometime. Instead splinter groups, often those left behind on Aleph 4, have sprung up in the Perseus Deeps. The most notable is in Whiteridge on Myrentas II where the self styled "warsmith" Gallowfen holds out against the combined force of the Imperium and Tau Empire. Recently however all sides have gone on the defensive, with air raids the only signs of conflict on the planet.

Lord Tragean's hordes
Lord Tragean still holds sway over the largest chaos force in the sector. Based on the fortress planet of Kendrenec he sits lord over several billion souls and commands an army of millions. Since the fleet took serious damage in the invasion of Hartak a few years ago the lord of Kendrenec has not ventured forth from his fortress home. Both the UFP and Imperium maintain standing convoys and listening posts however, ever on the lookout for a sudden breakout of the most despotic regime in the region.

The Penetrators
The Penetrators appear to be everywhere in small numbers, but their most recent activity has been centred on the planet of Scalius where they are defending two ruined towns from Tyranids and Orks. Why they are doing this is a mystery to the Imperium and Tau alike. Penetrators marines have also been sighted on Myrentas II in league with the Warsmith Gallowfen.

"Norsefire" Empire
Though known aboput for years the Imperium has done nothing about the mysterious Norsfire empire, a tzeentch based coven of worlds in the Aurelius Deep. Situated between the Imperium and the Tau Empire, the Norsefire stars have been very low on the Imperium's list of priorities, particularly since their not insignificant fleet intercepted and severely damaged a Tau fleet en-route to Myrentas II over the weekend, destroying one protector class cruiser and crippling every other vessel, forcing them to turn back for Tau space.

There are four key systems in the empire, with a total population of just under one billion souls. Odin is a former penal colony, who's inhabitants turned to chaos during the 38th millenium. Thor is a mining world and the notional capital of the chaos empire. Freyr provides food for the other chaos planets and is the least corrupted of all the worlds while Loki has no habitable planets but is home to the vast naval dockyards required to maintain the Norsefire fleet which includes at least six capital vessels.

The Aurelius deeps are notoriously difficult to navigate, even while in the empyrean. Electromagnetic fields and dust confuse sensors and scatter the psychic light of the astronomican. Very few mortals can successfully run a passage through the Aurelius deeps. The Norsefire fleet occasionally raids other vessels which get to close but until now they have not appeared in strength. Despite attacking the Tau the Imperium have describe this event as "worrying".

DARK ANGELS ENCOUNTER ELDAR ON CATHASAEA

The Dark Angels base on Uriah in the Cathasaea system came under attack last week by forces of the eldar Xenos. Quite why the eldar attacked is as yet unknown but it has dispelled the hope that only the orks maintained forces in the Cathasaea system. The fighting was exceptionally bloody and many marines were killed before the lightning eldar assault came to an end. The action will delay the pacification of the system and puts at risk the overall objective.

Meanwhile the Imperial forces on Yuki did not encounter any alien forces as they expanded their "airhead" on the rocky world. The diameter of Imperial controlled Yuki is now some two hundred miles and work has already begun to establish the permanent base and listening post in the remote system.

AIR RAIDS ON MYRENTAS II CONTINUE

The air war on Myrentas II continues with further Tau bombing raids on Imperial positions over the weekend. Several lightnings and thunderbolts were shot down by Barracudas as the lumbering Tiger sharks attacked armoured columns up and down the Ornz river. Several of the Tau bombers were shot down or badly damaged and very little damage was actually inflicted on Imperial ground forces 9one baneblade destroyed and a Leman Russ damaged). However the cost in Imperial fighters in this war of attrition may tip the balance in favour of the Tau. So far the aliens are winning by wearing down the Imperial Navy and their pilots. How long can the fighter pilots hold out?

TYRANIDS HALTED ON SCALIUS

Bitter fighting around the ruined settlement of Zachos on Scalius saw the tyranid menace of Hive Fleet Triton halted once again by forces of the Penetrators traitor legion. Despite suffering heavy casualties the massed swarms of tyranid creatures were halted in the city's ruins by a dogged defence by the chaos marines and their indentured human slaves. The situation on the planet is now chaotic and unclear, with chaos, ork and tyranid forces vying for control, while the Necrons will not allow anyone to trespass on their tombs on the dark side but show no inclination to advance onto the light side.

ELDAR ABANDON RAVITANE

For six months now eldar forces have been ravaging the island city of Selimac on Ravitane, killing and torturing the population with wanton abandon. The reasons unclear, but they seemed determined to provoke an Imperial reaction, such has been the savagery of their actions. Finally this week the Imperium replied, with the Blood Martyrs storming the city after a massive bombardment which reduced much of the city to rubble.The marines then invaded by air and sea, thunderhawks delivering their cargo of troops and vehicles in a steady stream. This was the long awaited operatio Moritorium.

In the city centre the eldar made their stand and the fighting was bloody, both sides taking extreme casualties. Teleporting Blood Martyrs from the 1st company of terminators caused much of the damage, but they also took horrendous casualties in the close in fighting.Though the Blood Martyrs were unable to breakthrough the eldar defences, the aliens quickly realised that the Imperium, now with its foot in the door on Selimac, would easily win the war of attrition. After several hours of viscious fighting the eldar withdrew, leaving a scarred and tortured city populous wondering why it had taken the Imperium so long to help them...

PERSEUS DEEPS COLOUR CODED MAP

LIGHT BLUE: IMPERIAL

DARK BLUE: UFP

YELLOW: TAU

BROWN: TYRANID

GREEN: ORK

RED: CHAOS

PURPLE: DARK ELDAR

CATHASAEA LANDING HALTED

Imperial Guard landings (notably the Librian 24th regiment) on the third planet of Cathasaea, named Yuki, were suspended yesterday as a vigorous ork counter attack stopped the Imperial Guard from expanding their bridgehead. The Cathasaea system, in the Perseus Deeps, is made up of three habitable worlds, Hraxis, Uriah and Yuki. Uriah is now the site of a Dark Angels base and the orks have been largely vanquished here. However the second phase of the operation has identified a large ork presence on Yuki which may be problematic. The overall commander of the pacification of Cathasaea has requested reinforcements to continue the advance.

THE TYRANID MENACE

+++ SECRET INQUISITORIAL COMMUNIQUE REGARDING HIVE "ARMADA" MIRANDA +++

The Tyranids in the Aleph Sector are code named "Miranda" but consist not of one but many individual hive fleet splinters. The most voracious and largest of recent years was Hive fleet Morph, before its eventual destruction over Orvicare. However, this was not before it had lain waste to at least seven Imperial worlds.

Recently the Inquisition has identified three separate hive fleets now known to be active in the Aleph Sector. This treatise will describe them and determine the threat posed by each.

HIVE FLEET PROMETHEUS
Little is known about this hive fleet splinter, though sightings have placed the tyranid menace drifting in the southern reagion of the sector, in the Aurelius Deeps. Fighting between the Imperium and this splinter fleet has been sporadic, with the Dark Angels having made a number of assaults on the tyranid presence south of the Aleph subsector. The threat level posed by the splinter fleet at present is low.

HIVE FLEET MEGALADON
Even less is known about this splinter fleet but sightings have been made of large tyranid vessels, not associated with other tyranid hive entities, to the galactic east, close to the Tau empire. Threat level very low.

HIVE FLEET TRITON
This fleet is the most active of all the Tyranids in the sector, recently laying waste to the planet of Tantalon V in the Perseus Deeps. Elements of the fleet were defeated on Einmyrria but the penetration of the Hive's tendrils seems large. Scalius, an ork planet in the Deeps has now been infested by the creatures, though in recent actions it seems that the orks are defending themselves well against the alien menace. In addition it appears the tyranids blundered across a Necron tomb, where they were given a bloody nose by the defenders.

Never-the-less Hive fleet Triton poses an immediate risk to Imperial concerns in the area, notably the densely populated system of Libria. I recommend increasing defences in the area and watching carefully for the next move of this very dangerous hive fleet. Threat level moderate-high.

Myrentas II: Allentown retaken in bloody fighting

On 1702.007M42 the small settlement of Allentown changed hands for the third time as units from the Hartak 7th legion stormed the town, taking the bridge and trapping 8,000 Imperial Guard on the east side of the river Ornz. If the squats expected an easy fight they were sorely mistaken however, as the Librian defenders put up a ferocious defence of the town, using the rubble as cover and deploying their heavy guns effectively. As such casualties were high, with 3,000 dead or wounded on the Imperial side, and over 2000 squats killed or taken out of action.

The Hartak 7th legion, though delivering results, are suffering some of their highest casualties in recent years. How long before the have to be withdrawn? Meanwhile the Librian 57th regiment are cut off east of the river. If they cannot breakout or be rescued the Imperial force on Myrentas II will be seriously compromised.

NEW LINKS

To the right there are now links to the Sheffield University Wargames website and a new blog - the Aleph Sector Fiction blog. If you have a short story about the Aleph Sector submit it to me and I'll post it. The first story is up...

MYRENTAS II 1202.007M42

IMPERIAL FLEET DEFEATS NEW CHAOS THREAT

A new threat has been identified in the Perseus deeps. The Agamemnon task force, led by the giant apocalypse class vessel sighted then engaged a renegade fleet of five cruisers on 1102.007M42. In the ensuing battle the Renown was hulked, but the victory was Imperial, with three chaos cruisers destroyed and two more crippled. The Agamemnon's guns were the decisive factor in this victory, the most triumphant naval event for the Imperium in recent years...

MYRENTAS II UPDATE 1102.007M42

IRON WARRIORS LAUNCH BOMBING RAIDS

In a surprising development the Iron Warriors in Whiteridge (or "fort Whiteridge" as it has become) have launched a series of air raids against inmperial and tau targets. Supported by Helldrake fighters a single Hell Talon bomber destroyed an oil refinery just north of Gethsemane in the imperial pocket. The bomber was damaged however and several chaos fighters were shot down by Thunderbolts and Lightnings.
Meanwhile a similar raid on a Tau airbase near Rockwell saw several Tau Baracudas shot down by the agile Helldrake fighters. Though limited, the chaos air threat has now proved to be very real.

PRAETORIANS BREAK THROUGH AT ALLENTOWN
In a protracted and bloody action the Praetorian 42nd regiment have managed to break through the Tau defensive lines at Allentown, retaking the town and its vital bridge across the Ornz. The regiment followed this up with the destruction of several Huntre Cadres, allowing the Librian 4th armoured brigade to begin a breakout across the river. It is reported that commander Longstride has been replaced as Tau commander by the more defensively minded Commander Lightfoot. With the Tau falling back on the Imperial front his appointment may be significant, indicating a shift in tactics on the part of the Tau.

UFP HARTAK LEGION BREACH CHAOS DEFENCES
The Hartak 7th legion, recently disembarked from their transports were immediately thrown into heavy fighting on the northern front of the Tau sector on Myrentas II. In bloody fighting the squats of the crask legion managed to breach the Iron Warriors' formidable defences and pushed the chaos armies back. The squats took the first redoubt situatued on Hemeln hill, east of Whiteridge and are presumably preparing for a further attack into the Whiteridge defences.

IMPERIAL AND TAU FLEETS CLASH
In the Myrentas II system the fleets of the Imperium and the Tau empire have clashed once again in an action that allowed the UFP task force to land unmolested on the planet. The Tau fleet took heavy damage in the fighting, losing three protector class cruisers hulked or destroyed, while the Imperium lost just the dauntless light cruiser Achilles and the venerable Warspite. Iron Duke received only minor damage while the two Blood Martyrs cruisers were forced to disengage after taking heavy damage. Despite the reduced losses the Imperial fleet was obliged to surrender the battlefield to the tau after it became clear the Tau had the better tactical position. This enabled the two Tau cruiser hulks to be taken in tow and returned to Cernunnos for repairs.

TAU DISASTER ON MYRENTAS II

Losing precious supplies commander Longstride acted quickly to end the war against the Imperium on Myrentas II. Realising the key was the HQ in Gethsemane he planned a lightning assault to capture the imperial base, it’s supplies and the vital airstrip, bypassing the new defensive line by swinging around them in a northward thrust, before diving south east onto the settlement of Gethsemane.

On 0302.007M42 the battle began. Employing twenty hunter cadres with limited air support commander Longstride’s forces struck out northward into the Scyllian defences. The imperial guardsmen were forced to pull back and in the first hours of the attack the tau made significant gains. However as the tau pushed forward the arable land around Gethsemane favoured the defenders as every hedgerow and copse became a fortified position.

The hunter cadres began taking casualties as they ran into concealed gun positions and tanks, hidden by the terrain. Hammerheads and Devilfish had no reply to the well hidden Demolisher tanks and Basilisk batteries and soon the wrecks of tau vehicles littered the battlefield. Longstride’s battle plan was falling apart.

Lord commander Lenord sensed a great victory was at hand and ordered the Librian 101st to strike northward towards Allentown. Bursting forth from their trenches under a massive artillery bombardment seven thousand men supported by tanks and armoured transports poured into the tau left flank. The aliens were soon reeling under the ferocity of the Librian attack and fell back towards the bridgehead. At Allentown the tau lost hundreds of troops and crisis suits in a desperate last stand, realising that to lose the bridge would see Longstride’s forces west of the Ornz encircled.

It was an uneven battle. Using Valkyries to drop storm troopers behind the tau lines the Librians overwhelmed the garrison at Allentown and raced north, joining up with the Scyllians early on 0502007.M42. Two days after the attack on Gethsemane had begun it had failed, leaving 1800 tau dead and a similar number captured. Over a hundred armoured skimmers had been lost and the remaining pockets of resistance west of the river were quickly mopped up, despite some daring rescue missions by the tau air cadre.

Longstride was seriously affected by the defeat. As the tau retreated the tau ethereals considered his replacement, while welcoming UFP reinforcements in the shape of the crack Hartak 7th legion, the Sartosan rangers and the Tallaxian engineer corps. First however these troops would have to get past the imperial fleet. Meanwhile the tau were firmly on the defensive on Myrentas II.

Blood Martyrs launch operation Last Hope

Last Hope really was aptly named. With supplies dwindling following the successful tau prosecution of the space war, the situation in the imperial guard sector on Myrentas II was becoming desperate. On 0302.007M42 the Blood Martyrs chapter agreed to a daring raid on the tau supply dumps, vulnerable since the alien assault across the Ornz the previous week.

Three thunderhawks and as many transporters crossed the river, evading tau air forces, landing close to thousands of tonnes of badly needed supplies. Tau forces were quickly overwhelmed and a perimeter set up around the dump. The marines held onto the territory tong enough for twenty Arvus lighters to liberate enough supplies to keep the imperial army going for weeks, while the tau were forced to pull back several hunter cadres to respond to the attack.
This allowed several thousand men of the Librian 101st to escape from the Allentown pocket, and when the tau reinforcements arrived the supplies, and the Blood Martyrs had already left, leaving a trail of destroyed hammerheads, devilfish and tau battle suits.

Longstride’s Gethsemane gambit

Losing precious supplies commander Longstride acted quickly to end the war against the Imperium on Myrentas II. Realising the key was the HQ in Gethsemane he planned a lightning assault to capture the imperial base, it’s supplies and the vital airstrip, bypassing the new defensive line by swinging around them in a northward thrust, before diving south east onto the settlement of Gethsemane.

Perseus Deeps activity increases

Scallius

Scallius saw bitter fighting between the Penetrators traitor legion and ork warbands on 0302.007M42 as the marines fought for a hold on the planet. Meanwhile the 13th company of the Space Wolves, pursuing the Penetrators in their quest for information on Abaddon the despoiler, were caught by surprise by the lead elements of a tyranid swarm. The new target for the tyranids following the destruction of Lucardium became clear as thousands of alien warriors descended on the planet. By the end of the day the Penetrators were also embroiled in battles with the tyranid vanguard.

Cathasaea

While the Imperium struggled on Myrentas II the Dark Angels, now free of their hated cardinal decided to enter into the struggle in the Perseus Deeps, brushing aside ork warbands and setting up a forward base on Cathasaea.

Myrentas II 3001.007M42

BACKGROUND: Librian Imperial Guard

The Librian 4th

The 4th’s history reaches back to the original conquest of Libria I, the largest planet in its solar system. Made up of troops who have all been through the many stages of training, [+++ imperial note: childhood mental conditioning, 5 years in youth patrol, 5 years in off world brigades, similar to our conscripts+++] they are well armoured and equipped.

The 4th are organised uniquely in two ways. The first is their inclusion of exterminator tanks, three of which were gifted to the regiment after their participation in the ork invasion of Ryza. The second difference is their inclusion of Adeptus Sororitas units. [+++ this is an arrangement that the commanders were not entirely pleased with, however several inquisitors have noted the advancement of the Librians’ Law above the Holy Emperor, and so the Sisters of Saint Sybil have been sent to attempt to both watch the Librian government and simultaneously re-educate the population in the ways of true faith+++].

The Librian 101st

Later regiments, recruited more recently, are more similar to the usual imperial guard regiments found throughout the galaxy. However a number of differences can be noted.

Firstly, as with all Librian regiments the troops are highly motivated and educated and have no need of imperial commisars, something which briefly changed on Myrentas II before Inquisitor Hathek stepped in to overturn the order.

Secondly the Librian army are highly trained in the use of “combined arms” tactics, combining armour, infantry, artillery and air power. Each Librian regiment has access to at least on armoured brigade and wherever the Librian infantry are the tanks are not far away.

Thirdly Librian regiments numbered greater than 52 are grenadier regiments with access to far more stormtrooper regiments than usual. These are either deployed as infiltrators ahead of the main force or en masse, employed as mechanised battalions.

The 101st saw it’s first major action on Myrentas II in late 007.M42 when it was pitted against both the iron warriors and the tau. It faired badly at first due to it’s inexperience but eventually accquited itself well in the face of overwhelming odds.

Librian Infantry Regiment Doctrines
Stormtroopers
Grenadiers
Iron Discipline
Techmarines
Armoured Fist Squads

Librian Mechanised Regiment Doctrines
Stormtroopers
Grenadiers
Iron Discipline
Mechanised
Techmarines

Tau breach Lenord Line

The tau were not slow to learn from their first failed assault across the river where the static imperial defences put up stiff resistance. Patiently the tau ran a number of reconaissance missions, feeling for weaknesses in the imperial line.

On 2801.007M42, two weeks after the first attack on the imperial lines the tau launched their second attack across the river. This time the operation began with concerted bombing raids by tiger sharks against the southern half of the Lenord Line, defended by the Librian 101st. The objective was not to destroy the bunkers and static emplacements but to eliminate as many enemy vehicles as possible. Trucks, tanks and mobile guns were turned into wrecks as the tau aircraft bombed up and down the line of defences. This seriously hampered the 101st’s ability to manouvre and paved the way for phase two of the operation.

At dawn fifteen hunter cadres led the assault across the Orns on a narrow spearhead, aiming for the lightly defended marshland which was the only weakness in the Lenord line. Unhappily for the defenders this area of boggy ground also represented the boundary between the librian 101st and the Scyllian 4th regiment. Communication was poor between the two forces and the tau easily broke through, penetrating over forty kilometres.

Once the bridgehead had been secured the tau poured more cadres into it, breaking out to the north and south. Lord commander Lenord finally realised the tau strategy as a diversionary assault against the defenders around Allentown pinned the 101st down at the front line, allowing the tau breakthrough units to encircle the Librians, who none-the-less put up stiff resistance.

In the north there was no diversionary attack and the Scyllians withdrew once the trap became apparent. However this allowed the tau to widen their bridgehead and by the end of 2901.007M42 a seventy mile gap in the imperial line had been forced open, and the tau were only 25km from the main imperial base at Gethsemane. Though the tau advance halted late in the day the imperial position was now dire, with the Librians fighting to avoid encirclement and the Scyllians racing south to try to plug the gap in the imperial line.

Tau assault on Whiteridge fails

Another tau attack on the chaos city of Whiteridge has ended in failure as commander Longstride's troops faced stiff opposition from the chaos defenders. The Iron Warriors inflicted another heavy defeat on the tau as the hunter cadres came up against the chaos defences. A formidable defensive perimeter now rings the city and there are reports that the Penetrators legion of chaos marines are also present on the planet. Unless the stalemate is broken by a new offensive, Myrentas II risks turning into a quagmire similar to those seen on Hartak and Aleph 4.

Protogonus Evacuated

In a daring fleet action the tau have evacuated the small base of Protogonus, presumably to reinforce the cadres locked in battle on Myrentas II. Two protector class ships accompanied by a Custodian capital ship attempted to breakout of the imperial blockade after picking up several thousand tau warriors. However in the battle which followed the imperial cruisers Warspite, Endeavour and Sir Robert engaged the tau, destroying the custodian class vessel Ores'Au in a viscious battle which saw both Sir Robert and Endeavour lost. Sir Robert exploded while Endeavour drifted into a warp rift while disabled. It is unlikely the cruiser will be seen again.
Despite the loss of the Ores'Au the imperial fleet took more damage, and the mission to evacuate the tau base was partially successful. Commander Longstride will be reinforced by several hunter cadres, providing the tau ships can successfully bypass the Iron Duke and her consorts, known to be patrolling the deeps...

CARDINAL SHERIDEN ASSASSINATED!

Cardinal Sheriden has been assassinated by agents of chaos on Saturday. Apparently he was attacked in his country residence on Cerberex in the early hours of the morning. 32 guards were also slaughtered in what has been discribed by Cerberex authorities as a "horrendous attack". As yet the perpetrators have not been identified though survivors report the presence of traitor marines. The capital Feducia is on high alert and a state of emergency has been declared on the planet. Lord Commander Xertes has taken over government of the C.A.S.S. until further notice.

TAU ATTACK REPULSED

The Tau attack on the Imperial sector of Myrentas II finally came on 1401.007M42 with a massive assault across the Ornz river codenamed 'operation Freedom'. Initially progress was swift and the Tau easily swept aside the light defences on the riverbank itself. However the Imperial guard commander always knew the river was no real defence against the highly mobile Tau hunter-cadres and instead formed a line of bunkers some way back from the river's edge where the ground was open.The Tau moved into this pre-prepared killing ground and the bunker emplacements withstood the assault long enough for the Librian armour to move in and pound the attacking Tau, for once caught without cover. Trapped between the bunker emplacements and the river the Tau were forced to withdraw.

IMPERIAL ASSAULT ON WHITERIDGE FAILS

The second major assault on Whiteridge by Imperial forces saw a different plan used. Using the cover of darkness the Imperial armour of the Librian 101st advanced up the western side of the city while artillery pounded the chaos positions. Then at dawn a huge infantry assault was launched at the centre of the chaos line by the Librian 57th. Simultaneously the 101st attacked fornm the west, hoping the outflanking manouvre would break the chaos defences by splitting their forces.The battle raged for over a day but the chaos defences held. Over the preceeding few weeks the chaos forces had created enormous barriers to tanks anw were easlit able to fend of the combined attack using slave conscripts to plug the gaps in their lines. Casualties on both sides were high, with an estimated 5000 killed on the chaos side. However almost all these losses were slave conscripts. Meanwhile the imperial guard lost over 6000 men killed or wounded and half their tanks.

TAU AND IRON WARRIORS CLASH IN DESERT

Tau and chaos forces met for the first time in an escalating confused engagement in the deserts north of the mountains on Myrentas II. It appears both sides were scouting the area for possible strategic gain when they blundered into one another. The Tau faired worse taking crippling casualties before the chaos marines withdrew before the Tau air caste could intervene.

The Battle For Whiteridge Begins

The Battle For Whiteridge began with a massive artillery barrage of the city's defences by the Scyllian 12th Armoured regiment's Basilisks and Griffons. The attack was devised by Major-General Lenord and his advisors, commander in chief of all Imperial forces on Myrentas II. This now consisted of six Imperial regiments, two of which were armoured.

The plan was relatively simple. A massive barrage of artillery would destroy the enemy defenses in the city. Once lifted the bombardment would be followed by simultaneous assaults by the Librain 101st and Librian 57th Regiments, both infantry. Only once this massive assault had taken the city would the armour of the Scyllian 12th Regiment and the Librian 4th Armoured Division follow up into the dense terrain of Whiteridge.

At 06:00 on 1612.006 M42 the artillery began a bombardment lasting 2 hours. At 08:00 the Librians attacked, 20,000 men committed to driving the few hundred Iron Warrior defenders out of their defences. Things started to go wrong immediately as the dense rubble terrain slowed down the imperial advance. By 10am the attack was well behind schedule. Things came to a head around 2pm when the Librian 101st encountered stiff resistance as they attempted to take a vital road crossing.

The Librian infantry were flung into the attack taking horrendous casualties but the Iron Warriors were slowly forced back. The imperial forces brought up Leman Russ and Basilisks in close support but these were vulnerable and many were destroyed by concealed havoc squads hiding in the ruins. To make things worse the traitor legion would sporadically attack with its attack bike squadrons, taking heavy casualties but throwing the Librians into panicked retreat, cutting down anyone who got in their way. Meanwhile several chimeras rushing to support the assault found the going tough and bogged down in the difficult ground.

By the end of the day the Librians had taken 7450 men killed or wounded, lost 64 tanks and 15 artillery pieces. The attack had stalled in the city suburbs and the imperial forces were forced to dig in in their new positions. Only a quarter of the day's objectives had fallen and many of those now faced imminent counter attack. As night fell the armoured regiments were finally brought up in assault but the attack had been a failure.

Disaster at Jotunheim!

It started when the Imperial fleet, now composed of the Imperious, Galileo and Ceres identified Tau transports entrering the system near the ice planet of Jotunheim. The imperial cruisers raced to intercept with Galileo making contact first, encountering two protectors escorting three transports into the Hellheim system.A brief firefight flared up with the Galileo coming of worst. Crippled and drifting towards an astreroid belt her consorts arrived too late to save her and the protectors reduced her to a hulk.

Worse was to follow for the imperium as the protectors wheeled around an asteroid field and caught Imperious before she could defend herself. Crippled she was forced to withdraw. Ceres was last to feel the Tau wrath as the Tau battleship, nicknamed "Pinnafore" arrived to deal a devastating bomber attack. Ceres blew up a short time later with the loss of all hands.
During the battle the Tau were incredibly diciplined and handled their ships very tightly. This minimised the damage to some scorh marks on one protector and the loss of one transport, destroyed by a lucky nova cannon shot.Admiral Sturdee handled his ships roughly and paid the price. His ships failed to disengage, their shooting was inaccurate and ineffectual and their coordination poor. Sturdee himself survived the battle but was later "found wanting" by an imperial agent. He would never command the fleet again.

The battle is a great victory for the Tau who now control the Hellheim system undisputed. Imperious will have to return to Cerberex for repairs. Meanwhile the Imperial fleet is now forced to go on the defensive with fewer ships now than the UFP. The battle of Jotunheim is a black day for the Imperium which has left the imperial guard on Myrentas II over exposed. 6 more regiments attempted to run the Tau blockade and reinforce the Imperial forces. 3 made it, 2 were destroyed by the tau fleet and one regiment surrendered.

The Iron Warriors on Myrentas II

"Reliance on others is strength for the weak, but weakness for the strong."

Such is the maxim of Lieutenant Gallowfen, commander of a few hundred malcontent Iron Warriors, currently stationed on Myrentas II in the Perseus Deeps.

When the Iron Warriors control upon Aleph IV was shattered, the forces mostly retreated to Kendrenec. The Chaos forces felt betrayed, their alliance with the Dark Exterminators being the main cause they blamed for their downfall. Some imagined a betrayal that ran far deeper. Commandeering a transport vessel, Lieutenant Gallowfen took the men under his personal control away from the rest of the retreating fleet. He believed he had been betrayed by the other Iron Warrior generals, who had shown their weakness in the operations upon Aleph.

Determined that he could succeed by himself, and that to stay with the other Iron Warriors commanders would be to invite defeat, Gallowfen took only those warriors that had served under him in the Aleph campaign, and headed somewhere this small force could make its mark.

This place ended up as Myrentas II, in the Peseus Deeps. The whole system was a haven for pirates, with no centralised government and therefore no organised defences. It was perfect for Gallowfen, who launched a lightening raid on Myrentas II’s city of Whiteridge. With almost no resistance, the Chaos Warriors took the city, and began its reinforcement against a retaliation. The citizens were mostly kept alive and allowed a life, of sorts, working in the factories to produce defences and munitions.

So Gallofen set up his operation, and bided his time. Ork warbands roamed the lands between the cities of the planet, but they proved ineffective in any of their small raids on Whiteridge. The government of the planet seemed strangely comfortable to allow the Chaos their city. With no great threats to pressure the Iron Warriors, they were content to slowly build their power and plan an attack on the planet’s closest city Rockwell. Coincidentally, by the time the Iron Warriors were ready to raid Rockwell, Imperial Forces arrived in the sector.

Gallowfen and his forces are now in a dangerous position. Should the Imperium bring all of its might against the Iron Warriors, the Chaos army will surely be crushed. But Gallowfen rejects ideas of sending for aid, to call upon others would be to show weakness. Instead the Iron Warriors prepare to sell their lives dearly, each step the Imperial forces get closer the Chaos will make them pay the cost of a thousand men.

Operation Sunstrike Begins

The Tau operation Sunstrike began with the "securing" of the Cernunnos facility, where nearly half a million tau now lived and worked. Commander Longstride met with his advisors and planned their strategy. It became obvious that bases on Tantalon V, Lucardium and Myrentas II would provide the logistical links which they needed. Three task forces, each with a number of hunter cadres on board set out for these systems.

Lucardium
Lucardium, a hot and sparsely inhabited desert planet with few resources put up no resistance to the Tau arrival. After arriving in the planet's one and only city the Tau emissaries quickly established relations with the few human settlers and the planet became part of the Tau empire without a fight.

Tantalon V
Things did not go as well for the task force sent to the forest world of Tantalon V. Instead of an uninhabited world teeming with natural life the Tau found a lifeless ball of rock devoid of life or even atmosphere. Intrigued the Tau landed at the former Imperial outpost and found it in ruins. Before they had time to investigate further they were assaulted by a ferocious tyranid horde and forced to flee. The Tau lost several hundred in the attack and were forced to abandon their heavy equipment on the planet.
The commander of the task force realised the tyranids on the planet were nowhere near enough to overwhelm the planet. Where were the rest of the aliens? Had a new hive fleet been born? Unable to send out further scouting forces, these questions had to wait.

Myrentas II
In the pirate system of Myrentas the Tau had more success. Dropping their fleet into the system the Imperial supply fleet was forced to flee before superior firepower. This meant vital fuel supplies failed to reach the Imperial armies on the ground and the offensive against Whiteridge had to be cancelled.
Meanwhile the Tau water caste sent diplomats to the besieged pirate city of Rockwell. An agreement was quickly reached. The pirates would join the Tau empire in exchange for protection from the Imperium and the Iron Warriors, who now had a third of the city under their control. Not all the pirates were happy with this authority over them, while the ork forces were told their services were no longer required.
Upon landing the Tau immediately took positions around the city and secured the spaceport. They even made gains into the Iron Warriors' territory before a determined attack halted the aliens and prevented them from taking the westgate.

The Eldar Learn the Truth
Meanwhile the eldar, worried by the Tau findings on Tantalon V visited the system for themselves. It was a dangerous reconaissance mission and a number of the eldar did not return. Still the tyranid assaults were driven off and the eldar learned the real truth on Tantalon. A new hive fleet had been created from the life which once thrived on Tantalon. It had split in two. Half headed to Lucardium and the new Tau base, the other half toward the 10 billion souls living in the Zadoc sector. Their first target the massively populous system of Libria...

The Penetrators

Formerly known as the Alpha Legion 7th Grand Company

The Alpha Legion 7th Company operated deep behind imperial lines and often was left without orders for decades at a time. Naturally, this did not faze the Company at all and they pursued their own agenda looking for worthy adversaries to better their own martial skills.

However, a prolonged cut off period from the intelligence and chain of command has forced this company to more and more pursue their own agendas and use their own methods. Following Alpharius’s teachings, the 7th company became self reliant and used every tactic available to them to bring destabilisation to which ever area they were in. Over a period of centuries, they became their own entity, and called themselves the Penetrators.

Although the vast majority follow Alpharius’s detailed combat doctrine, the Penetrators are renowned for using all methods available to them. There are reports of bloody and carnal sacrifices left in the sites this chaos legion has scourged. Imperial experts have quickly pointed out that these rituals are often employed by agents of Slaanesh. There are further reports of illness and disease following the legion’s activities. Perhaps this is a coincidence; perhaps it is indicative of something darker.

The Penetrators often engage in subterfuge and infiltration, they seem to revel in causing destabilisation everywhere they go. They will actively seek to turn a planet’s population against the Imperium. And while the brave forces of the Imperium battle with these blood thirsty mobs, the Penetrator Chaos Space marines pursue their true objectives unhindered, only to abandon the planet without a trace once this has been completed.

As yet, the Legion’s true objectives are unknown, and it isn’t known how they are replenishing their numbers. They are led by a mysterious daemon prince who is known simply as ‘Mr. Dandy’. Although Mr. Dandy’s death has been confirmed on numerous occasions, he always appears to return at a later battle, in a different location. Very little is known about ‘Mr. Dandy’, other than his evil cunning and lethal skill with a cursed blade.

Mr. Dandy has several Lieutenants who he trusts implicitly as Alpharius did Mr. Dandy. Many of these ‘Lieutenants’ are daemon princes in their own right, yet Mr. Dandy insists of giving them absurd yet menacing names. Mr. Joy, Moonface, Giggles are ones which have been recorded (often at the expense of our scouts’ lives).
When confronting the Penetrators one should be prepared for anything, for they have proved that they are capable of any type of assault and are brave enough or insane enough to attack any fortification, no matter how well defended.
It seems that they thrive on battling against strong opponents, and although they can be beaten in battle, this serves merely to tighten their resolve for dominance.

HIVE FLEET BAHUMUT

Possibly a splinter fleet from Hive fleet Behemoth. Little is known about them and they seem to be similar to every other abomination the Tyranids have launched at us. Code named Bahumut.

Dark Angels Continue Crusade

While this was going on the Dark Angels still appeared to be following their own agenda rather than following the cardinal’s plan. To Sheriden’s displeasure the Dark Angels’ fleet slipped anchor and disappeared four weeks before Clean Sweep was about to begin. It was then discovered that the space marine chapter had again been waging its own war in the Aurelis deeps near the Valitane run, on planets mostly overrun by tyranids.
To Cardinal Sheriden’s concern it was noticed that the planets attacked by the Dark Angels were the same worlds that the Cardinal had served on in his time in the Tallaxian Imperial Guard… This had to be more than coincidence.

Battle of Cernunnos (fleet battle)

Operation Clean Sweep 0112.006M42

Operation Clean Sweep began on 0112.006M42 with a simultaneous landing by the Blood Martyrs 3rd company and a fleet action in the Hellheim system. By the end of the day the Imperial military hoped to have crushed the inexperianced Tau fleet and to have landed in force on Cernunnos.

The Fleet Battle
The Imperial fleet (Sword Of Damocles, Imperious, Defence, Fearless, Galileo and Ceres) had finally managed to pin down the tau and a confused engagement took place in the asteroid belt.
It started with the Sword of Damocles engaging two protector class cruisers. The battle was uneven and things were going badly for the tau until the arrival of an Emissary class and three escorts from the Damocle's other flank began to pressurise the battleship. then things swung violently in favour of the imperium as the Imperious and escorts appeared behind the Emissary, crippling her and crippling a protector with her Nova cannon. It seemed that Admiral Jellicoe would have his crushing victory!
Crippled and venting atmosphere one of the two Tau protectors made a last gasp gambit, powering her engines to maximum and hurling herself at the imperial battleship. The Sword Of Damocles was powerless to manouvre out of the way and the protector's shileded prow impacted against the battleship's port side, crippling her. After this the great ship was forced to disengage.
The Tau however were in a serious situation. The Emissary had been hulked and her escorts destroyed by the battlegroup led by the carrier Imperious. Defence and Fearless, two brand new gothic class cruisers had arrived to the stern of the Tau protectors, destroying both of them. With only one newly arrived protector in range it seemed the Tau had been defeated.
Just then the Custodian Tau battleship loomed into view headed directly for Fearless and Defence. High on confidence the two new and inexperienced gothic cruisers headed straight for their enemy in close formation. It was a fatal mistake. This left the two imperial ships moving away from another protector class vessel which launched a salvo of tau torpedoes. Meanwhile the Custodian and three wardens opened fire on the gothics, launched torpedoes and eight squadrons of mantas!
It was more than the Fearless could take and she veered into the path of Defence before blowing up in an enormous warp drive implosion. The shockwave blew the Defence into the asteroid field where she broke in two before her plasma drives detonated, converting the ship into dust and gas.
When the blast cleared the remaining ships, isolated from one another, saw that two of their newest capital ships were gone. They disengaged allowing the Tau to recover their three hulked cruisers.

Aftermath
The Imperium had started well and severely damaged the Tau fleet. The Tau were left with just on Custodian, three wardens and two protectors in the Hellheim system. Their other three capital ships were evacuated to the Tau empire for repairs, which would take at least 6 months. However the imperial fleet had to send the Sword Of Damocles back to Cerberex for a refit, leaving just one battlecruiser and two cruisers in system. This was not enough to defend against the Tau and protect an invasion force. Clean Sweep had failed.

The Blood Martyrs landing
The Imperial plan for Cernunnos was simple. Lacking any droptroops the Imperial Guard would suffer huge casualties on landing unless they had a secure dropsite. The Blood Martyrs 3rd company was entrusted to secure this site and defend the perimeter while the Imperial Guard landed their men and equipment.
Torment launched her thunderhawks and thunderhawk transporters carrying the Blood Martyrs 4th company into the atmosphere of Cernunnos at 01:30 local time. Barracudas were scrambled by the Tau but the landing took place far enough from the main Tau base for the thunderhawks to unload and escape before the Tau fighters arrived. The blood Martyrs, fully equipped with their support tanks, now made the 60km journey to the Tau perimeter.
The marines faced little resistance until they approached the Tau main base itself when they met fierce resistance from a Tau hunter cadre at 03:00 local time. The night attack had been planned by the marines to confuse the Tau, but they were ready. Soon the marine, suffering more in the darkness than their opponents, found themselves outgunned. Before long most of the marines' tanks had been taken out and the 3rd company was forced to withdraw.
Worse was to follow. As the surviving Blood Martyrs made their way back to their defence perimeter they were ambushed by a force of Dark Eldar. The ensuing bloody fight saw the aliens take high casualties, but the ambush turned the marine retreat into a rout. When the Blood Martyrs took off in their Thunderhawks they returned with just 42 men from the original 120, and just 15% of their equipment. These were serious losses.
The plan to establish a bridgehead on Cernunnos had failed, leaving the 6 Imperial Guard regiments in orbit around the planet with nowhere to land.
Then the news of the fleet battle arrived. Torment and her flotilla of troop carriers immediately turned and set course for the safety of the base on Einmyrria. Operation Clean Sweep had failed.

Imperial Plans
With Clean Sweep a total failure operation Caterwaul now looked in jeopardy. The imperial fleet had been reduced in strength and the Tau still occupied Cernunnos. Imperial High Command immediately re-planned. The fleet and the 6 regiments of Imperial guard (60,000 men plus equipment) would be redirected to Myrentas II. This system at least would be taken in the name of the emperor.
Meanwhile back in their secluded craftworld the Kel Sandros Eldar were fairly pleased with the outcome. Their new allies had forced the Imperium off Cernunnos and the eldar had avoided casualties. Myrentas II was being reinforced instead so the eldar needed to make sure the imperium had more enemies than it could cope with. The attack on the orks a week ago had been nullified when the Blood Martyrs had assassinated an ork mekboy, and now the orks were simply standing ready in Rockwell. They needed herding towards the imperium.
The eldar quickly devised a lightning hit and run raid to herd the orks out of the city. However they hadn't reckoned on a new (and competent) ork warlord taking charge. The ensuing battle did not see the orks herded towards the space marines, and the eldar took and uncomfortable number of casualties. Deciding to cut their losses they quit the planet and contemplated letting events take their own course on Myrentas II.

Tyranids threaten aleph sector

+++TOP SECRET TALLAXIAN REPORT+++Reports are coming in of increasing tyranid activity on Tantalon V. It has been reported that a dark eldar raiding party and a force of "penetrator" chaos marines have recently succumbed to the aliens in recent days. This can only mean that the tyranids are attempting to gain control of the planet. Without a spacefleet the threat is low, but our scientists predict that with the biomass of Tantalon V the aliens will be able to fashion a new fleet and threaten the sector once more...+++END+++

Myrentas II update

+++2811.006M42+++
The operation to take Myrentas II for the imperium centred on the cities of Whiteridge, held by the Iron Warriors, and Rockwell, currently inhabited by humans, orks and aliens who enjoyed a relatively peaceful co-existence outside the rule of the Imperium before now.The Pirate Warlords of Rockwell were unimpressed with either the Imperial landings or the Iron Warriors bas just a few hundred miles down the road. They had tolerated the chaos ruled city for a number of years, but the invasion had stirred the Iron Warriors into life and now they were threatening the city. Having no standing army to defend itself Rockwell called for aid. After much negotiation a force of Ork Speedfreaks was acquired for the city's defence, while armed militiamen guarded the city itself.The attack by the Iron Warriors on Rockwell began with a sustained artillery bombardment which reduced much of the city to rubble. When the traitor legion finally assaulted the city the Orks proved less than effective and were cut down. By the evening of the 27th the Iron Warriors had half the city and were dug in, preparing for the next assault.News of this assault irritated the Imperial commander Elias on Myrentas II. He had been trying to gain the trust of Rockwell in order to use it as a base to assault the chaos marines. Now that chance had gone. The commander had little time to be annoyed however as soon reports of dark eldar raids flooded in. The dark eldar had made two concentrated raids on the right flank of the Imperial bridgehead, attacking the Blood Martyrs company and the Praetorian 42nd regiment, commanded by the less than able Captain Froman.The first assualt by the dark eldar was a shambles as the Blood Martyrs organised a rapid and aggressive defence, using their superior armour to blast the fragile dark eldar raiders to pieces. The second raid was more successful and inflicted casualties on the guard units, but was unable to do significant damage to the dug in regiment. All in all the imperial line held.When news of an eldar landing to the north of the imperial bridgehead arrived, the imperial commander was in no doubt that the two were working in union. For some reason the eldar and their dark kin were deliberately interfering with going on on Myrentas II, but no-one could figure out why.The eldar immediately made a spoiling attack on the orks outside Rockwell. The headstrong orks immediately took the bait and attacked headlong into quickly prepared eldar defences. The orks were badly mauled before the eldar mysteriously vanished, losing hardly any casualties. At the end of the battle the orks had come into contact with the Blood Martyrs and a series of skirmishes ensued. Now out of control having lost two Warlords in the space of a day the orks prepared to assualt the imperial lines, leaving the remaining areas of Rockwell vulnerable to assault from the Iron Warriors. Belatedly the eldar plan became all to clear. The Imperium now had the orks AND Iron Warriors to contend with on Myrentas II. Commander Elias immediately requested reinforcements to be sent to the planet.

CATERWAUL BEGINS

Operation Caterwaul started with the invasion of Myrentas II. The planet's three main cities, governed by pirate outlaws according to intelligence, were identified as the main objectives. It was thought that if one could be taken the others would surrender through fear, especially if marines were used in the first drop.

With this in mind a task force was assembled comprising of two Blood Martyrs companies and 3 imperial guard regiments. The Blood Martyrs would assault the cities in turn (if necessary) while a regiment of Guard would be assigned to garisson the conquests. Listening posts could then be set up as intended.

The fleet consisted of the Strike Cruiser Torture escorted by Cyclone, Tornado and Typhoon. The Imperial guard regiments travelled on the troopships Sovereign and Guardian.

The initial landings by the Blood Martyrs and the Scyllian 9th regiment went unopposed. Soon however it became aparent that things were not all as they seemed on Myrentas II. Initial scouting missions uncovered the fact that the city had been fortified significantly. Soon an artillery bombardment confirmed that the imperial forces had been spotted! The Scyllians were pulled back out of range while the Blood Martyrs prepared a lightning assault on the city. It was then they noticed the defenders were Iron Warriors.

Chaplain Infernus report - engagement with Iron warriors 1811.006M42 Myrentas II.

Our assault started with a bombardment from Torture which was less than satisfactory, leaving the Iron Warriors earthworks and tank traps largely untouched. Never-the-less we attackes scoring a quick success, destroying a squad of enemy bikes. The success was short lived however as two accursed obliterators appeared behind our lines, destroying our dreadnought and Predator. The attack continued however and we destroyed another squad of chaos marines before their fire became to intense and we had to withdraw.

This was a major setback to operation Caterwaul and further scouting missions confirmed the presence of traitor marines in the other two cities. The remaining imperial guard were landed and the troopships released for other duties. The small imperial force on the planet was now supported only by Torture and her escorts and would have to fight alone against unknown Iron Warrior forces. They dug in and waited for further instructions.

The news of the defeat was not recieved well in Imperial GHQ with Cardinal Sheriden reacting badly. One of his aides described the scene at a meeting of the general staff.

The Cardinal appeared most upset at the beginning of the meeting. We knew that meant bad news. His back was turned as the generals filed in. Without a word they sat down and waited for Sheriden to speak. At last he turned around, his face dark with frustration.

"Can we not find a commander who can win against these damned Iron Warriors?”

He glared at his commanders until Lord Xertes spoke.

"The dark angels...."

"Damn the dark angels!", interupted Sheriden, "have you not heard? We've not had contact with them for three weeks!"

Tau give Marines "Bloody Nose"

+++Tallaxian News Agency 0411.006M42+++

With the recent conquest of Einmyrria in the Hellheim system the Imperium are gradually increasing the pressure on our Tau allies with the Sons Of Ultramar battlebarge Harbinger and strike cruiser Antilles now present in the Protogonus system. With the additional presence of the Imperial fleet, including the flagship Iron Duke, the Imperium were able to drop several more companies of marines onto Protogonus.

These forces moved towards the Tau compound last night and engaged in two fierce and bloody firefights with our allies. However both attacks were beaten back with our UFP ambassador telling of how the marines were given a "bloody nose" when they expected an easy fight.
None-the-less the overwhelming firepower of the Imperial Fleet around the Tau planet now makes this a siege. The Sons Of Ultramar have retreated back into the forests for now but there is little the UFP or Tau can do for the time being to help their comrades on Protogonus. The tau must hold out until reinforcements can arrive and smash the imperial fleet!

Long live the UFP and the democratic way!

+++Tau must avoid losing 2 out of the next 3 games to Sons Of Ultramar+++

In other news the Imperial commander, Cardinal Fang has announced a general blockade of the Protogonus and Hellhiem systems. UFP ships attempting to break this blockade will be fired upon. The Cardinal is determined that no supplies will reach the Tau on Protogonus or Cernunnos. The UFP has protested loudly, saying that once again the Imperium have gone back on their word, and treaty obligations guaranteeing UFP independence from Imperial command. No official declaration of war has been made by either side, but pressure from hard line elements in the Imperium can only mean one thing - WAR!

CAMPAIGN DETAILS

To get involved, simply pick a planet to fight on and let me know the result in Victory points! I also intend to arrange for some kill team and special scenarios.... email me results at noodle1978@hotmail.com

Assault on Cernunnos (Tau vs. Imperium/Space Marine Battlfleet Gothic, possible 40K after)

Now that the Imperium have secured the planet of Einmyrria and invaded the Hellhiem system on force, Cernunnos is now a thorn in the Imperial side. The Tau base, and its attendant fleet are effectively preventing an Imperial breakout from Hellheim and threatening the planned crusade into the Purseus Deeps.

The Imperial High command based on Cerberex are planning a devastating surprise attack on the Tau fleet based around the planet to cut of the Tau forces on the planet. Then an invasion can begin at the Imperiuim's leisure. It is unknown at this time whether it will be the Imperial or space marine fleet which carries out this assault or whether the element of surprise will be maintained.

Purge Of the Deeps (Imperium vs. Eldar vs. Chaos vs. Necron vs. Tyranid - 40K)

With Einmyrria captured and the necrons removed, the imperial might has now been turned on the nearby systems within the Perseus deeps, worlds inhabited by pirates, orks and chaos raiders as well as the remnants of Hive fleet Morph and necron tomb worlds. In addition it is almost certain that eldar, dark eldar and Tau forces will be sent to destabilise this Imperial campaign where they can. The nearby systems are described below. They are of little worth save for their strategic position, acting as forward bases for attacks from the inner deeps. The imperium plan to set up listening posts on all these worlds, allowing them to eavesdrop on any planned attack for hundreds of light years...

Scalius - Desert World - some settlements

Parataea - Fallow world (plains and scrub)

Aganthas - Night world (rocks and alien flora - always night)

Myrentas II - Notorious pirate world (varied climates)

Cathasaea - Ancient ruins (varied climate)

Lucardium - Desert WorldTantalon V - Forest world

Ravitane City Campaign (Imperium vs. Eldar - City terrain)Protogonus Campaign (Tau vs. Imperium)

The Eldar hold the city Island of Selimac. Imperial forces must try to retake the city. The eldar intend to sacrifice as many imperials as they can for this gain, easing pressure elsewhere and reducing the Imperium's strength on the other fronts.(At the end of december the winner of this front - in VPs - may add their winning margin to any planet in the Deeps campaign)

Protogonus Campaign (Tau vs. Imperium)

The Sons Of Ultramar still have a presence on the Tau planet, though they are mostly hidden in the thick forests which cover the planet. Above the planet the UFP and Imperial fleets are still jockeying for position but neither side can yet safely reinforce the planet.

EINMYRRIA CAPTURED BY IMPERIAL FORCES!

In a shock development Einmyrria was captured last night by forces of the Imperium. The arrival of the Dark Angels and Daemonhunters added to the existing forces of the Sons Of Ultramar turned the battle in the Imperium's favour, forcing the Eldar to withdraw into the webway.

Tau forces initially gained a foothold but were later annihilated by the Dark Angels on one flank and by an unholy Ork/Chaos alliance on the other. The presence of Orks, chaos and tyranids on the planet was a surprise, but it seems the rapid advance of the Space Marines, followed by legions of Imperial guard landed in secret by the Imperial fleet, stirred up otherwise undiscovered stragglers of hive fleet Morph and the remnants of the Hellheim invasion by chaos in .004M42.

The dark eldar made several raids during the short campaign, capturing a number of slaves from the Tau and imperium. However it was the Necrons who suffered the most as they were pushed back into their tombs and forced to abandon the planet. The UFP has declared that a huge opportunity to reduce the necron threat has been missed by allowing the necrons to Phase out!

Einmyrria is now in Imperial hands and with the destruction of so many Tau forces on the planet its neighbour, Cernunnos, now looks under threat from Imperial invasion. The Tau fleet will no doubt be called upon to stop the hordes of man from threatening their only secure base.
Meanwhile the necron threat has not been reduced, simply moved to an unknown location. The Cardinal has announced that the Perseus Deeps must be purged of the necron race, a dangerous and risky proposition. The eldar suffered few casualties on Einmyrria though their lack of numbers could not prevent the final success of the Imperium. Their next move is unknown...
24 hour results:

1st Imperium
2nd Eldar
3rd Dark Eldar
4th Tyranids
5th Necrons
6th Tau/UFP

Individual (of 12 competitors):
1st Dave Bone
2nd Rykk Lloyd
3rd Nick Ogryzko

UPCOMING EVENTS/CAMPAIGNS:

Assault on Cernunnos (Tau vs. Imperium/Space Marine Battlfleet Gothic, possible 40K after)

Purge Of the Deeps (Imperium vs. Eldar vs. Chaos vs. Necron vs. Tyranid - 40K)
- In the next few weeks a list of systems in the Perseus Deeps will be announced - Players should choose one at the start of each game and let me know the result. If you cannot agree roll a dice! At the end of December systems will be assigned by the %age of VPs won on each planet...

Ravitane City Campaign (Imperium vs. Eldar - City terrain)Protogonus Campaign (Tau vs. Imperium)

To get involved email me your results (for the Purge of the Deeps) - for other campaign fronts email me and I'll let you know how to get involved.

The Aleph System - 2510.006M42

+++Intercepted Transmission+++

My Lord,

Here follows my report on the situation in the Aleph sector. Over the last few weeks the situation on Einmyrria has deteriorated. Our scouting forces have been reinforced with marines however eldar and Tau forces have so far hindered our exploration of the necron caves. We fear they may be awakening as you suggested. We intend to press the matter with further forces assuming we can bypass the tau/UFP blockade.
Iron Duke and her escorts have now reached the Protogonus system and are shadowing the UFP fleet. No opportunity to bring one section of it to battle has as yet presented itself. On the ground the Sons of Ultramar continue their scouting mission but to not possess the strength to press home a major attack.

Ravitane has become a serious situation with the Sisters of Battle failing to halt the Eldar advance across the island of Selimac. All bridges have been cut and the eldar now control the area and space port. A new force of imperial troops is being assembled but may take weeks to get there. The eldar must be forced off the planet.

The Dark Angels are continuing their unexplained crusade in the region of tyranid infested worlds where they also encountered an Iron Warriors base. Iron Warriors have also been spotted on a number of hostile worlds by our agents so celebrations of their demise on Aleph 4 at the hands of the UFP now seem premature.

Major theatres 06/07
EINMYRRIA - ALL (to be resolved this weekend) (all scenery)

RAVITANE - Imperium vs. Eldar (ruined city)

PROTOGONUS - Imperium vs. Tau/UFP (Woods + buildings + swamps)

DARK ANGELS CRUSADE - Dark angels + Imperium vs. Tyranids vs. Chaos (all)

Necron invasion? TBA

Einmyrria Campaign (24 hour event details)

2710.006M42 Einmyrria is a cold world with no oceans. Its surface is covered in a landscape of light grey rocks which undulate across the planet for as far as the eye can see. The planet has two large impenetrable icecaps. Towards the centre of the planet there are lakes and pools created by the rain which forms from clouds formed by the power of the sun on the planets rocks. The only vegetation on the planet is moss, algae and a few tough grasses and trees which dot the landscape. The going is heavy on the planet as there is virtually no soil and no flat ground to speak of.
The other feature of Einmyrria is the ancient architecture. Vast grey pyramids and rock pillars tower over the countryside. Long abandoned roads cross the planet and the signs of a vast civilisation are barely hidden by the moss and scant vegetation. In addition there are more recent ruins of a failed human settlement.
Einmyrria was a necron world and, beneath the surface the necrons are awakening. The eldar, Tau and Imperium have found vast underground caverns with their sensors large enough to house a population of billions, as well as a space fleet…

The Necrons
An ancient intelligence is awakening on the planet. Below the surface lie vast caverns of sleeping Necrons and a space fleet readying itself for launch. The other races must be kept at bay until the rest of the planet rouses from its slumber.

The Eldar
United in their hatred of their ancient foe, the Kel Sandros eldar are working with other craftworlds to secure the planet’s surface and destroy the necron presence. Unfortunately the lesser races have also landed here and must be removed lest they threaten to tamper with things they know little about.

Tau UFP alliance
Einmyrria is the nearest planet to Cernunnos, the principal Tau base in the sector. With such a threat so close the Tau and UFP in their alliance have sent a task force to the planet, protected by the warfleet of the Federation. They found they were not the first to get there.

The Imperium
Necrons have been reported on Einmyrria. To assess the threat scout forces were sent to the planet before the UFP blockade of the system made reinforcements impossible. Elements of the Inquisition, backed by space marine companies have been investigating the necron ruins. Unfortunately the eldar are also present, intent on destroying the evidence before it can be studied, while the Tau seem intent on colonising yet another Imperial world.

Dark Eldar
The dark eldar do not like the necrons but have no special interest in them. Their goal is the harvesting of souls and slaves. Einmyrria is of interest to them because at this time it is the most convenient source of the most varied souls – human, tau, eldar…. It is also near a webway hub. The dark eldar will strike at the rear of the enemy lines where they can, abducting supply staff and auxiliaries before disappearing back into the webway.

Tyranids
The hive mind has no special interest in the rather barren Einmyria and in many ways the ‘nid forces are in the same situation as the chaos army. The tyranids were left behind after the recent invasion of hive fleet morph. Now the presence of other creatures has prompted them to attack. If they can harvest the DNA of the various souls they will be able to reproduce enough species to start breaking down what life does exist on Einmyrria into a soup to be collected later by the hive fleet.

Chaos
Donar is the third inhabited planet in the Hellheim system, occupied by chaos forces, now trapped there since the destruction of their warfleet. However a few years ago there was another battle for the supremacy of Einmyrria which involved the forces of chaos. Most were killed in the massive orbital bombardment by the eldar once they found necrons on the planet. However some remain and are intent on spreading destruction while finding a way to get off the planet.

The Campaign (Starting Friday 27th October)

7:00pm Game 1: RECON
With so many forces on the planet from different races, the first game will be a RECON mission as all sides attempt to determine each others’ strength and dispositions while setting up their own perimeters. Victory point difference will be used to determine the rankings of the races after game 1.

9:30pm Game 2: BLITZ
The side with the higher victory point total is the attacker. As the battles continue the losing sides must hold the line as the winners go on the offensive and try to clear the area of enemy forces, extending their areas of control. Rankings will be determined again after game 2. Dark eldar players may, if the attacker, choose to play a raid mission instead.

10:45pm Game 3 SECURE AND CONTROL
After the draw the player on the side with more points is the attacker. On each table (set up by the GM) there will be a number of tunnel entrances. These lead to the necron tombs below. Victory points gained from these games will be added on to the previous games to determine the results.

01:00 FINISH

Notes: Each “side” will not fight itself. In addition eldar will not fight Tau/UFP forces unless they threaten to do something insanely stupid! (Like wake the necrons)

Eldar Win:
The eldar see of the other races and make their way into the necron tombs, blowing them up before they have a chance to fight back. Before the eldar leave they plant enormous explosive devices under the surface, ripping apart the crust and destroying the necron world forever. The world suffers violent convulsions as the necron fleet detonates. Anyone else left on the planet (Imperial and Tau troops etc) are also destroyed with it!

Necron Win:
The necrons hold off the encroaching cattle species long enough for the bulk of their troops to be awakened along with their fleet. Great rents open up in the ground of Einmyrria and the ships of the necrons come forth. The armies of the necrons pour upon the cattle species and each force is wiped out. Einmyrria is in necron hands and a necron fleet powers up into the space around the planet…

Imperium Win:
The Imperial forces manage to drive of other interfering races and find the necron underground complex. However once the intruders are found the necron fleet and army phases out before the imperial tech priests have a chance to study them. However some artefacts remain and are collected by the adeptus mechanicus for study. Einmyrria is declared an Imperial world and plans are made to construct a base on the planet to watch over its Tau and chaos neighbours.

Tau / UFP win:
The Tau and UFP forces pacify the surface of Einmyrria and are able to investigate the necron items. Tallaxian scientists are able to disable much of the necron machinery and severe its link to the rest of necron society, preventing it from phasing out. The technology is shipped back to UFP worlds for examination…. Meanwhile Einmyrria is added to the Tau empire as a new colony.

Chaos Win:
The remaining chaos forces on Einmyrria are successful in their quest to get off the planet – check which side was last (excluding tyranids): Dark Eldar/Eldar – chaos forces escape using the webway. Tau/UFP – Chaos forces steal tau transports and disappear into the darkness. Imperium – Chaos forces capture Imperial transports. Necron – Chaos forces steal a necron ship! Meanwhile the confusion does nothing to aid any side. Look up the second finishing side and consult this chart again.

Dark Eldar Win:
The dark eldar succeed in their primary mission to kidnap a variety of souls. They now have a varied collection of new slaves, Tau, human, eldar and even marine. Meanwhile the disruption on Einmyrria only helps the soulless necrons. Remove the Dark eldar points and re check the chart.

Tyranid Win:
If the tyranids score the highest then the surface is scoured of life by the tyranid horde and the other races are forced to abandon the planet. The imperium schedule an exterminatus but before this can happen the necrons underground will reactivate. Remove the tyranid score completely and check again. If the necron score is now the highest treat as a necron win. If not the necron tombs are infested by tyranids and the necrons on Einmyrria are eliminated.

**Spare armies are available if required**

2606.006M42 Necron Activity Increases

++TALLAXIAN NEWS AGENCY REPORTS++

The incidence of Necron activity on Einmyrria is increasing aaccording to UFP sources. Tau patrol forces have engaged necrons on at least two occasions while the eldar and dark eldar have also been reported in firefights with the alien race. This attacks appear to increase as UFP and eldar forces (apparently in alliance) increase their control perimeters and attempt to link up. So far they have been successful with only one Tau patrol suffering heavy casualties. The eldar too have been suffering casualties but according to our sources the necrons have “phased out” on each occasion they have encountered the eldar.

In other news the Dark Angels have been reported in the sector once more after their surprise attack on Decimos, a relatively unimportant tyranid infested world. Their mission on the planet remains unknown.

Intrigue and plot – The eldar attack Ravitane.

The Kel Sandros eldar were not pleased with the Imperial response to the Tau settlement on Protogonus. By 0609.006 M42 the Imperial fleet had sent Iron Duke as well as a number of escorts to the system, supported by the Sons Of Ultramar fleet. The UFP and Tau were now outnumbered and their position looked like becoming critical. The Tau government began to waver over their colonisation of such a distant world…
The eldar of the belligerent craftworld knew they needed to re-balance the forces on Protogonus by diverting imperial attention elsewhere – but where? The planet needed to be one unlikely to join the UFP of its own volition, far enough from Cerberex so that reinforcement would be difficult, important enough so that defence would be necessary but not well defended so that an initial eldar strike would meet with success.
The planet chosen was Ravitane. An agri-world producing 70% of all meat in the subsector for the Imperium. It’s attack would ensure an Imperial response but its defences were weak. The Kel Sandros eldar then enlisted the help of some local eldar pirates. These quickly brushed aside Hazard, the only system ship defending the planet and bombarded the major cities of Geridon, Feldon and Selimac.
Admiral Jellicoe was privately furious, unable to help an imperial world without jeopardising the security of the subsector. A few eldar pirates could be tolerated he knew. After a while they would leave, but the damage to his public reputation irritated him.
The pirates then began a game of cat and mouse with the Imperial forces, landing mostly along the border of Selimac State and Central, already contested for years, slaughtering farmers and burning towns before disappearing in their fast attack craft.
The authorities of Ravitane were furious and demanded that the C.A.S.S. step in to defend their territory. However Cardinal Sheriden explained to the governor, Siegmund Deo, that no forces could be spared given the current crisis in Protogonus.
The Kel Sandros eldar then began their next move. The constant raids in the country had drawn much of the Planetary Defence Force defending Selimac out of position and the Selimac “army”, commanded by General Luther Vedneck had been engaged in running skirmishes with the eldar pirates for over a week, with little success. Now came the aliens’ next phase.
On 1109.006 M42 the Pirate ships orbiting the planet opened fire on Selimac, blasting much of the city to ruins before moving out of planetary missile range – taking minimal damage themselves. Then, while the Selimac PDF units on the Island where the city lies tried their best to put out fires and cope with the general devastation, Kel Sandros agents opened up the webway portal in the middle of the city. Witnesses saw a blinding flash and a horrendous screech as the portal was established, with the shockwave being felt and heard all over the Island.
Then the armies of the eldar poured out of the gateway, crushing much of the PDF forces as they attempted to deal with the bombardment casualties. General Vedneck was shocked but quickly regained his composure, forming up the remnants of the PDF force on the south of the Island to face the eldar army. If the PDF were defeated then Selimac – an Island fortress – would fall.
The news reached Cerberex almost immediately and an emergency meeting of the C.A.S.S. convened. It was decided that should the eldar claim all off the island then more reinforcements would be needed to dislodge the aliens from the planet. The Blood Martyrs were to be at the head of this task force which would be led by the Sword Of Damocles. Iron Duke and here consorts would be recalled to Cerberex.
The UFP meanwhile sent messages of sympathy and support for the imperial world, offering medical and humanitarian aid. The Imperial council declined.