Alphe...

In early 10.009M42 the Imperium was in the ascendent on Alphe. In the north the Dark Eldar had reportedly abandonned their pact with Chaos and left the world. This emboldened General Percival and the recently arrived Corellian Storm Guard were assigned to the front line with orders to push the forces of Chaos back further, out of Hulme Island into the east of North Reach.

Unfortunately the Chaos forces had reinforced this sector following the loss of their allies, and reinforcements apparently travelling with the Night Lords' fleet, which still remained in the system, launched their own attack. The fighting was brisk with the Storm guard taking heavy casualties. Their defeat lost ground for the Imperium and Percival's forces were forced to withdraw towards Westlake.

A lack of Krak grenades was blamed for the poor performance of the Corellian's poor performance, and the Adeptus Ministorium was given a severe dressing down by Percival at his HQ in Deepsnow. Such a basic mistake in provisions would not be repeated.

Meanwhile another recent arrival, a company of Venerators space marines, launched a major assault by drop pod and Thunderhawk gunship, on the Night Lords positions on Snowwald Island. After several hours of fighting the Venerators narrowly secured tow bridgeheads and forced the Chaos forces to retreat towards Springbay. Imperial Guard regiments then followed up and prepared to besiege the Chaos held city.

Alphe Latest

Tarsis Major Latest

New Aleph Sector Wiki

The new wiki is now online and abpit 50% complete. I'll be adding more content soon, marshalling all the background and history together. The blog will still be updated as normal however.

If you want to contribute to the wiki, apply to be a writer (and let me know who you are!)

http://alephsector.wetpaint.com

Major Chaos Raid

While the Imperial bases in the Shadow Worlds were facing attacks from the resurgent Eldar menace, the last thing they expected was to face a renewed threat from the forces of Chaos. For months the Chaos forces had been absent in the Mabb nebula, chosing to consolidate their unquestioned domination of the Rim worlds and concentrating on their campaign on Alphe.

However in late 09.009M42 several convoys were attacked by Chaos raiders, and on 2809.009M42 Tyndareous reported a significant force of enemy troops landing on the far side of the planet. Admiral Dreyer immediately made for the Tyndareous system, but when he arrived the Chaos fleet had already disappeared. Scattered in the rocky terrain of Tyndareous’s far side, the fleet was unable to provide an effective bombardment, so Dreyer’s formidable war fleet set off in pursuit of the Chaos fleet. Meanwhile on the ground the Imperial commander knew he was facing a significant force of Chaos troops. Then some remarkably unexpected help arrived.

The Tau arrived on Tyndareous on 0310.009M42 and were welcomed by the Imperial forces. Higher up in the Imperial command structure, someone was turning a blind eye to this, while the Tau had no issues whatsoever with fighting the Imperium on Tarsis and helping them on Tyndareous. The Tau were suffering increasing losses to Chaos raiders and saw an opportunity to devastate their common enemy with an alliance. Besides, the Tau and Imperium had been operating an unofficial non aggression pact in the Mabb nebula for months.

The Tau commander was new to the Aleph sector, but was clearly a colleague of Elan Ro with his open and apparently honest demeanour. The combined force of Imperial and Tau troops then set out to defeat their enemy. Unfortunately for the alliance the Chaos forces on Tyndareous were even stronger than they had imagined, and the overwhelming force sent to deal with them turned out to be of only equal size.

Despite this the Imperial and Tau commanders considered their chances good, and launched their attack. The Chaos forces responded, attacking in force and summoning daemons into the lines of their enemies. This tactic was highly successful and following moderate losses the alliance withdrew to defence lines closer to the Imperial settlements.

Eldar ravage Coronus

The next sign of Eldar activity following their spectacular seizure of Fort Sparcos came on 0110.009M42 when the Sons of Ultramar base on Coronus was raided by a significant force of aliens. The Eldar took the space marines by surprise, wrecking their equipment and seizing or destroying their supplies. Imperial reinforcements eventually meant that the Eldar were obliged to withdraw, but the damage inflicted on the Imperial base ensured the Sons of Ultramar would be in no position to interfere with Eldar plans for at least a month.

Space Marines aid push south on Merrin

The static war on Tarsis Major finally began moving again in 10.009M42. The towns of Medulla and Stockton, overlooked by the Mertock Mountains which had been in Imperial hands for over a month, were the next ideal target for the Imperial advance on Merrin.

A number of senior commanders on Tarsis Major, and the Tau themselves, felt the second front on Merrin to be an unnecessary distraction, which was precisely why General Cunningham kept the front open and supported, denying the Tau a simple war.

On 0110.009M42 the Praetorian Guard commander, supported by Adeptus Astartes troops who had recently arrived on the planet, launched their attack. The Space Marine force made the difference, battering the Tau defenders in Medulla and forcing the Tau elements defending Stockton to withdraw. 10 days later the Tau had been forced to yield the coast of the Merrin Strait, and the Merrin mines now began looking increasingly vulnerable to the Imperial second front.

The Aleph Sector (new map)

Percivals new Offensive: Dark Angels strike

While the Catechism in south Alphe appeared to be showing no signs of attacking, and the Night Lords consolidated their hold on Snowwald Island, General Percival, unsupplied and running out of fuel, none-the-less wanted to get on with his planned offensive against Chaos on Alphe.

Percival was frustrated at the Imperial Navy’s lack of resupply, and now with the arrival of the Night Lords it appeared the Imperium had lost control of space around the planet. Although he was assured by admiral Jellicoe on a number of occasions that a new fleet was on its way, both men knew that it would take weeks for the fleet to assemble and depart for Alphe.

On 2009.009M42 the fleet had finally assembled, but, hearing the continued frustrated communications from Percival, the Dark Angels once again arrived in force on the planet, evidently agreeing with Percival that an attack north sooner, rather than later, would be preferable.

This was in part down to the nature of the force in northern Alphe. Imperial intelligence knew the Dusk Raiders were a lesser force than the either the Night Lords or the Catechism, and were supported by an alliance with the Dark Eldar. In addition the stories coming out of the Dark Eldar zone of occupation were so horrific, the Imperial army was keen to strike here first.

The Dark Angels agreed and spearheaded the attack on the sparesley populated region of Hulme Island, assisted by largely infantry based regiments of PDF troops, who would follow up and clear out any remaining resistance. The space marine force charged forward, using a fast and mobile force including a number of attack bikes. The Dark Eldar, taken by surprise, fell back, fighting a rearguard, before their force was spilt in two when the Imperial attack reached North Reach. While one force of Dark Eldar successfully disengaged, withdrawing behind Dusk Raiders defences, another force became isolated on the coast.

The aliens, cut off and with no hope of rescue, fought tenaciously and viciously, but were unable to prevent the inevitable. On 2609.009M42 their resistance broke and the entire Dark Eldar force was wiped out. The PDF following up were appalled at the scenes of torture and sadistic brutality, and found almost half the population of Hulme Island had been removed, facing a fate worse than death at the hands of the twisted aliens.

Disaster at Fort Sparcos

While Imperial hugh command under General Thaddeus Roover planned his new offensives in the Shadow Worlds, Tarsis Major and Alphe, his intelligence completely failed to recognise the signs of an imminent disaster. On 1409.009M42 contact was lost with Fort Sparcos on the edge of the Mabb Nebula. Very little attention was paid to this, as temporary losses of communication with outlying settlements were common. However, when three badly damaged supply ships arrived at the docks at Caitlen station on 3009.009M42 their story came as a terrible shock. Fort Sparcos had been lost in a single day.

The survivors, who had just managed to escape from the clutches of the Eldar fleet, or had perhaps been allowed to escape, told of the sudden and unexpected attack by elite alien forces, led, at dawn on the 26th, by powerful Wraithlords and the cream of the Eldar war machine.

The Eldar had synchronised their attacks on the main military bastions and the spaceport itself, so Colonel Anderson was unable to shift his forces to meet the threats in turn. The battle was brutal and exceptionally bloody, with the Eldar vanguard forces taking heavy damage from the Imperial Guard weapon implacements within the fortified positions, and suffering badly at the hands of the Imperial Leman Russ tanks.

In fact, the Eldar plan had gone badly wrong from the start. The attack was late, and the night which protected their initial advance on the fortress was soon lost. In addition the Eldar forces arrived in two distinct waves, rather than the one which their planners had devised. Finally, the outlfanking move by Strikin Scoprion aspect warriors had gone the wrong way, and these shock troops had turned up in the wrong place, totally unable to affect the outcome of the battle.

Despite these shortcomings, the overwhelming force employed by the Eldar had been decisive. The Imperial defenders put up a poor show of firepower initially, and the Eldar had done their homework, employing a large number of anti-tank weapons and fearsome Wraithlords, led by the Avatar of war itself.

After a day of heavy fighting, the resitance of the Imperial Guard had been broken. Many Bastion defences were destroyed by Fire Dragons, reducing the mighty defences to burning slag. Before the end of the day there was very little left of the fort itself, and the remaining Guard soldiers were mopped up by Eldar forces. Very few humans escaped the carnage.

After the loss of the fort, which had been thought of as impregnable, there were a number of questions to be answered. Why were the Imperial forces so underprepared to face an attack at night? Why had their been no warning? The Eldar had arrived by ship and the lack of an Imperial Navy defence demonstrated a fort is no fort at all without control of space and the air. And finally, why had the Eldar attacked at all? And what would happen now to Fort Sparcos itself?

Elan Ro raids Fort Aerin

On 2609.009M42 Elan Ro indicated his intentions of a new campaign in the Shadow Worlds. Though the details are sketchy, it is known that a significant force, including a fleet of several Protector Class vessels arrived, uncontested in the system of what was once the Imperial Fort Aerin. They landed several hunter cadres on the world of Aerin, striking hard and fast against totally unprepared Ork defences.

The destruction of several Ork settlements followed, though the fort itself, which had been extensively "konverted" by the Orks, was left untouched. As soon as the Orks realised what was going on, Elan Ro's forces left as swiftly as they had arrived, their ships hold's crammed full of useful resources with which to continue the expansion of the colony on Danelloth.

Welcome to the Aleph Sector!

The Aleph Sector lies in the eastern quadrant of Segmentum Obscurus. Its position makes it particularly vulnerable to attack from chaos, Tau, tyranid and eldar forces, though orks too are a constant nuisance. In addition there is a warp lane direct from the Eye of Terror to the Perseus Deeps which makes Chaos incursions a frequent and unwelcome occurrence.

The current action is going on in the Zadoc subsector where the many powers pursue their own intentions.

Shadow Worlds - The Mabb Nebula

A close up of the current position in the Mabb Nebula.

Fleet Comparison - Zadoc subsector

Imperium
6 Battleships
6 Heavy cruisers
15 Cruisers
4 Light cruisers

(Does not include Astartes vessels)

Chaos
7 Battleships
9 Heavy cruisers
23 Cruisers
3 Light cruisers

(Admiral Thok, Lord Traegan, Shaidar Haran, Night Lords)

Tau
3 Battleships
7 Cruisers
5 Light Cruisers

The Battle of Ephesus Secundus

On 1909.009M42 a major fleet battle occurred near to Caitlen Station, in the Rim Worlds, in a system known as Ephesus. The system itself had no strategic significance, but it was where Admiral Thok's forces, as well as a significant force of new Chaos vessels, had been tracked by the Imperial Navy's intelligence department.

Admiral Jellicoe was very worried when he got the report. What did it mean? Who was in command of these new, unidentified Chaos vessels. While the Imperial Navy Tacticae tried to work this out, Jellicoe realised this was an opportunity to deal the Chaos fleet a major blow.

The Imperial fleet however was split up. Although Audacious and Ark Royal were now available, having been transferred from the vastrid subsector, all of Jellicoe’s battleships and a significant number of his cruisers were on duty elsewhere. He himself, aboad Vanguard, was still in the warp returning from the battle which saw Thok’s fast battleship, Ragnarok, destroyed.

As it happened however, the Imperial Navy had recently been reinforced by a large fleet belonging to the Adeptus Machanicus. These technically advanced vessels had been escorting the Titan Legions from systems hubward of Zadoc, and after a long astro-telepathic meeting it was decided that a joint venture to destroy or capture the Chaos vessels would be undertaken by the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Imperial Navy.

Ark Royal, the Mars class battlecruiser was named flagship, under Vice Admiral Sturdee, was named flagship, and she was accompanied by Renown, Audacious and Repulse, all recently refitted, along with three cruisers and two light cruisers from the Mechanicus fleet. After a three day warp jump the fleet converged on Ephesus Secundus, a gas giant surrounded by a number of gas clouds and rocky rings and arcs, where the Chaos fleet was apparently rendezvousing.

Imperial intelligence speculated that the new ships were a completely new force and not ships of the Warmaster Traegan nor admiral Thok. This was disturbing news, and Sturdee immediately formed up the fleet into close formation and approached the Chaos fleet with the intention of doing as much damage as possible.

The Battle

Battle was joined at 04:15 standard time, with Repules, Renown and Ark Royal embarrassing themselves infront of the Mechanicus with woefully inaccurate Nova Cannon fire. The Chaos fleet immediately formed up and approached the Imperial fleet at a leisurely pace.

The Chaos fleet consisted, fortunately, of no battleships, but could still call upon the firepower of the Grand cruiser Jormungandr, three of Thok’s main cruisers, Fafnir, Sigurd and Naglfar, and four of the unidentified Chaos vessels, which included a very rare Hecate class heavy cruiser.

A large asteroid field of the starboard bow of the Imperial fleet became an important feature in the battle. Most of the Chaos fleet stayed to the left of the field, approaching while firing their long range lance weaponry. However Fafnir, accompanied by escorts, approached from the right, sealing her doom.

As the Chaos fleet closed the Imperial cruisers took the worst of the fire. The tyrant class Audacious was soon crippled and forced to disengage having taken concentrated fire from Fafnir’s squadron. Soon after Renown was reduced to a hulk despite the best efforts of her crew. Worse was to follow as the Imperial cruiser careened into the asteroid field, blowing up spectacularly.

By 04:45 the Imperial fleet, in close formation, had made a turn to the right, blasting the lead elements of the Chaos fleet with broadsides while concentrating most of their firepower against the isolated Fafnir. The result was inevitable and the chaos cruiser was torn apart by lance fire from the Adeptus cruisers Suppono and Potentia. Fafnir then exploded with a devastating warp drive overload which narrowly missed severly damaging the Imperial vessels.

The broadsides of the two dominator class vessels and their escorting swords also damaged Sigurd heavily, and she limped away under cover of a gas cloud. However the Imperial fleet had made a mistake in not finishing her off.

With the isolated Fafnir dealt with the Imperial fleet now found itself in a difficult position. Shielded by the asteroids the Chaos fleet had got round to the rear of the Imperial vessels and was starting to do some damage. Seeing this, the two Imperial commanders ordered their vessels to maximum speed and moved away from the van of the Chaos fleet. The light Adeptus cruiser Praesel however, at the back of the fleet, did not like the odds she was facing and disengaged.

The move away from the Chaos fleet bore fruit for the Imperium however. Eager to engage the enemy the Chaos fleet became strung out, with the cruisers now identified as Semmerhage and Aran’gar now facing the combined broadsides of Repulse, Ark Royal, Scienta and both the Adeptus modified gothics. Thanks to some accurate gunnery from the Mechanicus vessels, both were soon reduced to hulks.

By 05:45 the battle, which had been swinging from one side to the other, now looked good for the Imperium. They had destroyed three enemy cruisers and crippled another, for the loss of one of their own, plus two crippled cruisers, one of which was the light cruiser Corrigere, who was unable to flee behind the safety of the Imperial broadsides. Meanwhile the gothic class Mechanicus vessels were moving at flank speed, attempting to manoeuvre around to the rear of the chaos vessels.

This was however the high point of the battle for the Imperium. Jormungandr, leading the remaining three chaos cruisers in a tight group, now unleashed its firepower on the Ark Royal. This however had little effect, but then the grand cruisers torpedoes, escorted by massed bomber wings from the Chaos carriers, arrived abeam of the Imperial flagship.

Bad luck now played a major part. The experienced Vice Admiral ordered his turret gunners to concentrate on the more dangerous bombers, leaving the torpedoes to acquire their target unmolested. Five out of six hit the ship, which was bad enough, but one managed to detonate inside the Ark Royal’s warp core. The resulting explosion first broke the ship in two, then into a rapidly expanding shockwave which tore through space at a shocking velocity. All the Chaos bombers were lost, but this didn’t matter. Scienta took several hits, causing severe damage and fled, disengaging inside the asteroid field which had shaped the battle. Seeing this disaster, the remaining two Adeptus Mechanicus vessels headed immediately towards jump co-ordinates.

When the survivors of the encounter arrived back at Caitlen station, there was much consternation. Ark Royal, and a very capable Vice Admiral had been lost, as well as another capital ship. The Imperial Navy had been hit hard, and although it was a victory in terms of ships destroyed, two of the Chaos vessels had merely been hulkes, and would most likely be returned to service. Only the Fafnir, scourge of the Imperial navy, had been destroyed for good. Once again Jellicoe had sent out his fleet to engage the forces of Chaos, and been unable to claim a victory.


Losses - Imperial
Ark Royal – exploded
Renown – exploded
Audacious – crippled
Praesul – crippled
Scienta – crippled
1 battlecruiser 1 cruiser destroyed. 2 cruisers and 1 light cruiser crippled. 2 excorts destroyed.

Losses – Chaos
Fafnir – exploded
Semmerhage – hulked
Aran’gar – hulked
Sigurd – crippled
3 cruisers destroyed. 1 cruiser crippled. 5 escorts destroyed.

Alphe Latest

Unexpected help – Night Lords invasion

After several months “off the radar”, to Imperial Intelligence the Night Lords made a spectacular return to the Aleph sector warzones on 0209.009M42 by landing on Alphe. Whether or not this was in alliance with the Catechism and the Dusk Lords was unknown, but it seemed likely that the forced of Chaos were combining once more to defeat the Imperium on the Agri world.

The first general Percival knew of the new attack was when his Garrison commander in Springbay reported the city was under attack. This came as something of a shock to the Imperial commander and at first he didn’t believe it. Then, when the Imperial Navy attaché reported capital ships in low orbit, he knew the forces of chaos were making another landing. Governor Torak was furious that the space around his world was left undefended by the Imperial Navy, but Admiral Jellicoe’s fleet could not be everywhere at once, and the Catechism were not known to employ conventional interstellar transport.

His indignance was ignored by Percival, who had more pressing matters to concern him. Snowwald Island had been the focus of the attack, and Springbay the main objective. The attack had focussed on the water processing plants to the east of the city, near the river Snorval. The garrison of Snowwald Island was lucky enough to include a company of Ultramarines, refitting after their heroics on Betor, and an Imperial Guard super heavy tank brigade. In addition a single Reaver and Warhound titan should have ensured the Island was impregnable.

The defence force however faced a highly versatile, well equipped and motivated force of Night Lords, backed up by a menacing traitor Warlord Titan. In the battle for Springbay it became apparent that the ad-hoc defence force, light on disciplined infantry, could not hope to hold the chaos forces for long. After a three day fight the Titans and the Ultramarines were evacuated. The baneblades had already been destroyed by teleporting terminators, and the Imperial Guard infantry, who had suffered appallingly when caught in the open against the Warlord titan, were left to be massacred by the Night Lords.

Hunt for Ragnarok

For much of mid 009M42 the Imperium had been monitoring the movements of Admiral Thok’s vast renegade fleet. No major incursion had been experienced for some time, but Imperial intelligence had linked the loss of several merchant vessels to Thok’s raiding forces. To counter this, on 0707.009M42 the Imperial navy began the convoy system once again into the Zadoc subsector via the Terra spacelane.

Then on 0208.009M42 the convoy TZC09.17 was completely lost, along with three Imperial escorts and a dauntless class cruiser from the neighbouring sector fleet. Suddenly the raids took on a far higher priority. Intelligence, gleaned from psi-ships and spies, seemed to suggest that more than a few raiding escorts were being employed.

Later in the month more evidence came to light after another convoy was attacked. Witnesses from the surviving merchantmen described a large, powerful yet extremely fast predatory battleship. Jellicoe suspected the fast battleship Ragnarok was once again on the loose in the upper Perseus Deeps, and terrorizing the convoy lanes.

In early 09.009M42 Jellicoe set a trap for the Ragnarok. A decoy convoy was sent from Tarsis to the neighbouring system via the Terra spacelane, escorted by three sword class vessels. Lying in wait nearby were two Imperial cruisers, Conquerer and Repulse, while the battleship Vanguard and the carrier Redoubtable would provide the killing blow once the chaos battleship had taken the bait.

After nearly a week in the warp, the convoy arrived at waystation 459 in interstellar space. While the navigators rested for the next warp jump, augurs on the convoy ships’ escorts suddenly picked up a fearful signal, and the monstrous shape of Ragnarok, escorted by three smaller vessels, suddenly appeared infront of them.

The convoy immediately turned hard to starboard while the swords valiantly defended them. It was to no avail and within minutes the escorts had been crippled or hulked. Jellicoe then sprung the trap.
The two cruisers Conquerer and Repulse were closest and immediately engaged, with the nova cannon of Repulse showing itself up as appallingly inaccurate. Accepting the challenge the Ragnarok changed course and headed for the Imperial cruisers, unaware that behind them, the mighty Vanguard was straining her engines to close up on her prey.

The battle now became a duel between the two Imperial cruisers and the fast Chaos battleship. As the two Imperial vessels closed a direct hit from the nova cannon scored some damage, but the Ragnarok shrugged off a torpedo salvo from Conquerer then gave the Imperial cruiser a full broadside as she passed.

Heavy damage was inflicted on the Conquerer, and she lurched away from Repulse, who by now had dealt with two of the three chaos escort vessels. The final chaos raider however slipped past Repulse and added further damage to the crippled Conquerer.

Then, as Conquerer burned and Repulse fired broadsides at the chaos vessel, the Vanguard and her escorts arrived. Now the commander of the Ragnarok must have realised he had fallen into a trap, and Jellicoe, on the Imperial battleship, gleefully gave the order to fire. Macro weapon fire raked the chaos monster, ripping her from bow to stern and causing horrendous damage. Still though, she fought on.

Turning hard to port the Ragnarok, venting atmosphere and clearly finished, poured her port weaponry into the stricken Conquerer. The Imperial cruiser shuddered and began to spin, her back broken. Seeing the loss of one of his capital ships in this “ambush”, Jellicoe now knew he needed to finish the Chaos vessel.
Vanguard turned slowly to starboard, firing again and again, while the Repulse closed to deliver more fire into the burning, out of control wreck of the Ragnarok. Bombers from Redoubtable were sent in to finish her off while the Imperial fleet converged onthe wreck of Conquerer, taking the hulk in tow.

The Ragnarok had been vanquished, but the bombers sent to finish her off lost track of her in the gas clouds which had provided a haven for the transport vessels, one of which had succumbed to the firepower of the chaos vessel. Jellicoe was deprived of his prize, and the loss of a Lunar class vessel was a high price to pay for the presumed destruction of the dangerous chaos foe.

Hive fleet encountered

On 0509.009M42 the Imperial fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Dreyer finally made contact with hive fleet Nemesis, the first contact with the hive fleet proper since the appalling defeat to the xenos suffered by Admiral Doenitz.

Dreyer commanded a significant fleet, but it was tasked with more than hunting down the hive ships of Nemesis. The admiral had one battleship, Iron Duke, five cruisers and several escorts at his disposal, but with that he was expected to face the Tyranid fleets around Betor and supply the war efforts on Tarsis Major and Alphe.

By early 09.009M42 admiral Jellicoe was getting frustrated at the lack of results in hunting for xenos vessels and ordered Dreyer to dispatch a force to Betor. Inquisitor Hathek had signalled that the war was going well, and that now would be the time to strike against the aliens.

Dreyer obeyed, sending much of his fleet to Betor, but keeping Iron Duke and Conquer to fulfill his other duties. This left Captain Dingemans on Intrepid in overall command of the force sent to Betor.

Dingemans split up his force of four cruisers and four escorts and after only a few hours in the system his dispersal of forces yielded results. Aboukir detected a Tyranid hive fleet and reported she was engaging. Facing the abomination head on the Aboukir, her captain knowing his vessel’s lance weaponry would not be enough against the monster, loosed a volley of torpedoes at the beast, rammed her, then fled while the alien vessel attempted to turn.

Dingemans’ fleet took a while to form up on the signal received from Aboukir and the gothic class vessel soon found herself receiving more unwelcome attention from Tyranid escort class vessels. Tentacles lashed the ship and alien organisms were set loose all over the ship, causing the Aboukir to become little more than a drifting hulk for several hours before the crew managed to regain control.

A second hive ship was sighted, along with several smaller vessels. The arrival of the carrier Intrepid and four swords forced a medium sized alien vessel to disengage, and the smaller xenos space organisms took terrible punishment at the hands of the heavy guns of Repulse. However her nova cannons recorded no hits and Dreyer was unable to form an effective battle line.

Two hours into the battle Cressy suffered severe damage to her superstructure and gun decks after taking hits from one salvo of alien weaponry. Its corrosive impact, Dreyer’s lack of a battle line and the ineffectiveness of Intrepid’s bomber waves convinced him that while he had reduced the alien fleet in destroying the Tyranid smaller vessels, a continued and prolonged engagement with the two remaining hive ships would result in the loss of one or more of his cruisers. He withdrew.

Jellicoe was satisfied with Dreyer’s report. The Tyranids had been engaged and much information learned. However the two hive ships were able to continue on their mission, and devoured the small outer planet of Xylross some days later.

Sector Fleet Inventory

A summary of the relative strengths of space fleets in the sector.

The Zadoc Subsector...

As 09.009M42 began, the Zadoc subsector remained at war, but the outlook had improved markedly for the Imperium in the previous six months, and with the imminent appointment of a Warmaster to look after the entire sector, the mood on the Imperial worlds of the subsector, at least on those who knew, or cared of goings on off world, was improving.

Hive fleet Nemesis had been all but broken on Betor, thanks to Inquisitor Hathek’s timely intervention and call for aid. Imperial Guard units and at least four Astartes chapters had turned the tide of the war and the Tyranids it seemed, were a spent force.

In the Shadow Worlds Coronus and Tyndareous had been returned to the Imperium, while Bothorion looked to follow. The Ork Empire, once so strong in the Mabb Nebula, had reached an apparent Nadir, and General Thaddeus Roover hoped to launch a campaign against Kallack as soon as it was expeditious to do so. Admiral Jellicoe, commander of the Imperial fleet (Zadoc), was less than enthusiastic however, as he desperately wanted to hunt down the hive ships of Nemesis, and he hankered for a showdown with the Tau, if they could be brought to battle.

Tarsis Major remained a warzone, but both the Tau and the Imperium had scaled back their efforts to “finish the job”, and the Tau fleet had no wish to be brought to battle against the numerically superior Imperial fleet. While this meant the Imperium were able to supply Cunningham in his war on the ground, fresh troops and supplies had been re-routed to Betor and the Shadow worlds. Tarsis it seemed had become a secondary priority.

The Tau meanwhile were concentrating on shoring up their holdings in the Shadow Worlds as they knew that losing these meant losing Tarsis, so badly needed supplies did not reach Tarsis. The war had entered a static phase, for now.

On Alphe the capricious Moonface and his Catechism had not launched an offensive since their defeat to General Percival’s Imperial forces, but Percival had not been resupplied since the Tyranids had invaded Betor, and his army lacked the fuel or equipment to carry out further advances. Here too Roover intended to win a victory for the Imperium, but it would have to wait until Betor had been finished.

Inquisitors Hathek and Huron, the senior Inquisitors in the sector had their own goals. Hathek had squeezed supplies to other warzones to feed the forces on Betor, while Huron moved to the Shadow Worlds to investigate the recent outbreak of Eldar activity, something which was concerning, if not an immediate threat.

So as 09.009M42 began, although the Imperium appeared to be in the ascendant, there were serious problems to be overcome, not least the obvious division of objectives between the Inquisition, the Imperial Navy and the Imperial Guard. At the same time the Adeptus Astartes, active and numerous in the subsector, followed their own objectives. Meanwhile the Imperium’s various threats, followed their own...

Imperium lands on Bothorion

While the Imperium were gaining ground on Betor against the Tyranid threat, Lord General Thaddeus Roover, keen to impress his superiors before the appointment of a Warmaster to the Aleph Sector, was adamant that the successful prosecution of the war in the Shadow Worlds was a priority. He managed to use his influence to convince a small company of Space Marines to affect a landing on Bothorion, which still remained in Ork hands.

The landing went well, with the Astartes forces backed up by a substantial naval battlegroup, led by the carrier Illustrious under Commodore McManners. With several Imperial Guard units following on, the Orks were quickly outflanked and out fought, with the marines pivotal in taking one of the greenskins' main bases. By the end of 08.009M42 much of the Ork settlements had been razed to the ground and the planet looked like falling to the Imperium - the last gasp of the Ork Empire in the Shadow worlds. If Bothorion fell, only Kallack and Fort Aerin remained, and Roover had ambitions to take both.

Betor Current

Deliverance

Deliverance. That is the only word I can think of to convey the change of fortunes on Betor. Just five days ago I received at my headquarters the captains of three separate Astartes chapters. Each had arrived in system with a strike cruiser and fresh troops following my call for aid. Immediately the gods of battle had the desired effect. The overall commander of the Imperial Guard and the governer of Betor were somewhat difficult however, as they felt pushed aside in decision making. I made sure they understood that I would have none of it, and gave them both a stern talking to.

The Space Marines fought hard and side by side with a co-operation I have rarely seen amongst Guard units. In the north they fell upon the centre of the Tyranids, disgorging troops into the heart of the alien hive node, destroying it utterly. All the regular troops had to do was mop up the few survivors, and I made sure that every cell of every xenos being was burned, lest the material infect the planet. At 2pm this afternoon I was happy to declare northern Betor cleansed of the Tyranid menace.

In the south the Astartes set about their task with relish, inflicting horrific casualties on the alien beings as they pushed them out of Eigenfeld and then, by the end of 2908.009M42, clear of Magdeburg. We have them on the run, I feel sure their force is spent. Thanks to the arrival of the Adeptus Astartes the world is saved.

Magdeburg is intact, though devoid entirely of all life. Once again I have ordered every building searched in turn, and every room of every house torched, lest some contaminant remain. Now there remains the hive node in the south, the last bastion of Tyranid infection on this world. I do hope the Astartes will remain to finish the job. Further afield I still have no reports of Tyranid activity, and the shadow in the warp has lessened, I am able once again to communicate with the rest of the sector through my astropath.

We must not let up here on Betor however. One hive node remains, and all life in the region of their infestation has been stripped bare. Nemesis still has enough biomass for one last offensive, so we must remain vigilant. There also remains the question of the Hive Fleet itself. Where has it gone? Was this truly a mere splinter of a larger fleet or were the assurances I received actually the truth? I hope I will not be accused of "crying wolf" over the Nemesis threat... Though I do hope I was wrong.

Subsector Latest

Betor Current

Note, Eigenfeld is 1/3 (3 out of 6 points) infested.

Personal Journal Entry of Inquisitor Hathek 2508.009M42

Personal Journal Entry of Inquisitor Hathek 2508.009M42

It has been a trying and difficult few weeks. About a month ago we thought the end for the aliens on Betor had come. The north-west had been cleared and the other two zones of infestation were under control. Thanks to the support (and welcome numbers of Imperial Guard) supplied by my Hereticus colleague Nikopolidis, I felt sure we would soon be rid of the threat posed by the Tyranids. Especially as I had been given assurances over and over that "Nemesis" was but a tiny splinter.

Fighting in the north has been brisk. At times the xenos break out from their hive node strongpoints and cause a great deal of destruction. When these outbreaks occur I have sent in fresh troops and we have always been able to turn the tide. Twice already Imperial forces have destroyed what appeared to be an important Tyranid "installation", which the Magos Biologis is referring to as a "hive node".

The recently arrived Venerators chapter, though mysterious and less than forthcoming about their purpose in the subsector, have been very helpful and have provided much needed elite support. In the north they have destroyed a hive node under construction and are pushing on to the final nests near Bielaupbrook. I am confident that the Tyranid threat here will be cleansed very shortly. The Imperial Guard would not have held on and Langenhofen would have fallen were it not for the timely arrival of the Astartes.

In the south the news has been less good. Only a few days ago the southern Tyranids launched a major attack on Marsenberg. The city was defended by PDF forces who fled in the face of the terrifying Xeno-warriors deployed by the hive mind. Worse was to come however, as a force of Dark Angels was left trapped with their backs to the sea. Of the half company that remained in the city, not one survived.

Barely had I received the news of the destruction of the city, then reports that Eigenfeld had become infested reached my command post. Fighting is street by street and of the most desparate kind. Re-invigorated, the Tyranids in the south have cut off Sonnige Insel and the city of Lindesberg, which can only be reached now by sea or air. It is imperative that we hold on to these settlements.

I have requested aid from Jellicoe's fleet. Perhaps if we can destroy the hive ships in the system the hive mind on the surface will be broken. It is still very difficult to get messages out and we are having to use runner vessels to take messages to Alphe for wider transmission. Further afield the Tyranids appear to have gone dormant, at least I have not heard of further attacks in the sector. For that at least we can be grateful.

Tarsis Major Latest

A Long drawn out affair

By 08.009M42 the war on Tarsis was approaching its second year. The forces of Chaos and greenskins had been defeated and eradicated from the planet, but the war between the Imperium and Tau seemed to edge towards stalemate every day. Despite a better strategic position, holding tow of the three vital industrial zones and Sapphire Harbour, as well as the outer planet Tarsis Minor, the Tau could not force the Imperium into final surrender, at least not quickly.

The Tau, now with Shadowstrike in overall command, faced a number of problems. The Imperium was united and had a strong leader in General Cunningham. They faced re-invigorated Imperial Guard formations with the Librians, Cerberex Guard and the Praetorians all showing improvement since the start of the campaign. This in turn fed down to the larger PDF formations. In effect, Cunningham had a united, effective army which he did not have in Melberg.

During the Melberg campaign the system's proximity to the Aurelis Crossing had meant supply lines had been short, and it was possible for the Tau to gain Space superiority in the system. With the elongated supply lines in the Tarsis Campaign and the need to defend their bases in the Mabb nebula, the Tau could not claim the same, allowing supply convoys on both sides to get through to the armies in the field.

Both sides on Tarsis maintained the ability to produce the weapons of war. The Tau had successfully converted the human factories to Tau war production, while the vast industrial power of the Sartano river valley and the Tuva Plain allowed the Imperium to churn out tanks and guns at a steady rate. It did however limit the scope of offensives on both sides.

By 08.009M42 the Imperium and Tau both had their eyes fixed on events in the Shadow Worlds, as hive fleet Nemesis threatened their bases and the Eldar became resurgent. Tarsis was downgraded in the priorities of both the Tau Empire and the Administratum on Terra. The war's outcome would have to wait.

This suited the Imperium more than the Tau. For weeks the war cooled off with little more than bombing raids and skirmishes. The Tau sat back, using automated defences which the Imperium would occasionally probe. Then, on 1008.009M42 the Praetorian Guard launched the next major offensive of the war from their bridghead on Merrin.

Since landing on Merrin the Praetorians had been stuck behind and to the north of the Mertock Mountains, their positions overlooked by Tau sentries. This often brought sudden death and destruction from a seeker missile launched from the other side, guided by a stealth team markerlight. These long range seeker missile attacks were causing havoc so the Imperial commander decided to remove the Tau from the mountains.

The Praetorian Guard launched their attack, sending wave after wave of men, supported by Ogryn assualt squads and heavy tanks, up the steep slopes of the mountains. the fighting was brisk and a number of furious firefights errupted in the cragy terrain, which in places reached 7000ft above sea level. Gradually the Praetorians forced the Tau to give ground. The Tau hadn't stationed large forces in the mountains, but now their preferred method of reacting to Imperial moves went awry, thanks to some careful tactical planning.

The Imperial Navy, though inferior in numbers and lacking the ability to challenge the Tau for air superiority, did have a large number of Valkyrie, Vendetta and Vulture gunships. In the mountainous terrain, flying low, these were almost impossible to track by the aliens and they soon found their mobile hunter cadres, called in to deal the counter blow, shot to pieces by gunships hugging the terrain.

The Imperial Navy, though few in number, delayed the Tau reserves, allowing the Praetorians to advance fifty miles south and entrench themselves in the mountains, this time in strength. By 1508.009M42 the attack was being scaled down as the lead elements of the Praetorians reached the plains of Merrin and faced an onslaught of Tau fire. Now however the tables had turned, with the Tau positions overlooked by Imperial artillery, which started shelling the towns of Medulla and Stockton, forcing the Tau to abandon them as forward observation posts and making the lives of the inhabitants a living hell

The Venerators

Along with the Warhawks, the Venerators were believed wiped out during the fifth Black Crusade in 723.M36. Their presence in the Zadoc Subsector is therefore a mystery.

They were first seen on Betor. Whilst Planetary Defence forces had wiped out one of three Hive Fleet Nemesis landings on the planet, elsewhere Imperial commanders were retreating in order to buy time and shore defences. As the Tyranids advanced Venerator Thunderhawks arrived, disgorging marines to halt the tide. The Venerators appeared unsuccessful, though taking a chunk out of the alien advance many warriors fell and the marines were forced to retreat. They left with no communication with the Imperial forces.

The second sighting came on Coronus, recently reclaimed by the Imperium from Ork warlord Da Verminator. The planet came under sudden attack from Eldar raiders. Dark Angel forces already on the planet were able to repel the attackers and return to overseeing the construction of fortifications. Eldar were also spotted in sparser populated areas, and reports suggest that Venerator marines arrived to fight the alien menace. Though casualties were inflicted the marines again withdrew, slowing the Eldar attack but not halting it.

So far all attempts at communication with the lost chapter have been unsuccessful. Imperial forces are both welcoming of increased support in the war town subsector, and suspicious of the Venerators' motives.

More Eldar Raids

Eldar activity ramped up even further in late 07.009M42 as attacks from at least two apparently separate bands of Eldar took their toll on the Imperial base on Coronus. Adeptus Astartes troops from the mysterious Venerators chapter countered the appearance of the aliens near the northernmost outlying settlement and prevented significant damage from the marauding aliens. The commander on the ground welcomed the intevention, but had not asked for it, nor received any communication from the Marines. Even so the aliens were not beaten and withdrew after having inflicted major casualties on the Venerator's troops.

Meanwhile the Dark Angels countered a second alien incursion, launching from the Strike Cruiser Silent Hunter, currently patrolling in the Shadow Worlds to support our recent conquests.Eldar raiders had attacked the southern settlements on Coronus, slaughtering the inhabitants and destroying the infastructure. Responding to a distress signal a retaliatory strike was lead by Company Commander Angelus El'Zurias, who at the height of the battle personally slew the Eldar Farseer leading the raiders in single combat, having seperated from his command squad which had fallen back to clear a vital supply dump of xenos scum who had sneaked around the flank. Apothecary Kaleal tended to the wounded and harvested the gene seed of the fallen.

Inquisitor Huron soon arrived in the Shadow Worlds, attempting to understand the motives behind the Eldar attacks, which had so far baffled all Imperial tactitions and Logis Magi. The Tau too had been assaulted, though the overall plan to which the capricious aliens were working remained a complete mystery as 08.009M42 began.

Alphe Current

With Oldmere retaken and Merridale in sight once more, General Percival was keen to keep the momentum going in the latest offensive on Alphe. With this in mind he moved the Librian 50th armoured to the North of the settlement while the corridor to Oldmere was still open.

On 2007.009M42 the Librian mechanised infantry of the 122nd regiment began their advance on the city, supported by the tanks of the 50th armoured and several Baneblade heavy tanks. In addition for the first time Librian airborne units were deployed in theatre. These Librian formations were veterans of several campaigns, and soon proved their worth as they advanced on Merridale.

The crucial battle developed around the main bridge over the river Amber which ran to the south of Merridale. Colonel Davidson had made contact with Traitor units of the Catechism to the north of the city, but chose to encircle the settlement. The commander of the Catechism clearly understood the significance of this move, deployed his strongest forces along the river and prepared a counter attack.

The battle became fierce as traitor marines were deployed against the mechanised infantry on a bend on the Amber river at dawn on 2207.009M42. On Davidson's left flank, fast moving Devil Dog flame tanks supporting his mechanised infantry scored successes against traitor Rhinos, while the infantry of the 122nd were involved in heavy fighting against elite marine formations. The 122nd took heavy casualties as the morning rose, the Catechism reinforcing this flank with Obliterator constructions, dreadnoughts and a daemon prince of Nurgle.

In the centre the Librians knew they had to get across the river, where traitor troops had taken up a reverse slope position on the south bank. On Davidson's right the heavy tanks of the 50th armoured, supported by Baneblade super heavy tanks duelled over open boggy ground with Catechism Vindicators.

As the 22nd wore on the Imperium forces achieved good success on the right, destroying the Chaos forces and turning the Catechism flank. In the centre the forces of Chaos were also buckling, and although one Baneblade was destroyed on the right, with no loss to the Chaos tank formations, the Catechism were losing their footsoldiers. Terrible casualties were inflicted by accurate Leman Russ and Baneblade fire, while the Devil Dogs on the left flank were equally destructive. In contrast the Chaos obliterators, teleported into good firing positions, were woeful, being destroyed for no Chaos gain.

By mid afternoon on the same day Davidson knew the Chaos forces were finished. At one point it was touch and go, with the Chaos forces, though taking severe casualties, still holding key objectives on the river. However as the day wore on and the first elements of the Librian airborne arrived, it became clear that the Catechism would nopt be able to hold their positions on the Amber river without being wiped out. The battle now became a fighting withdrawal.

Merridale was now open, and the remaining Catechism formations in the city were annihilated as Moonface's elite troops withrew south. By the 26th the area to the south of Merridale had been cleared, and the inquisition were pouring over the city which had been occupied since 2505.009M42, rooting out corruption where it had taken hold and cleansing the city. This cleansing cost Merridale half its population. However the city had been retaken and the momentum kept up. The Catechism was now on the back foot and taking heavy casualties. How long could they sustain the Alphe campaign?

Eldar Raid Tyndareous

During 07.009M42 the Eldar were active once again in the Shadow Worlds, this time raiding Tyndareous, the main base of Imperial operations in the Mabb Nebula. The first attack came out of the blue, with the Eldar attacking settlements near to the mountainous Dark Region of the main Tyndareous inhabited zone.

As soon as the raid was underway the Imperium reacted quickly and a company of Space Marines from an unknown chapter moved in force against the Eldar. The battle however was inconclusive, with neither side taking many casualties in a confused and sporadic enounter. Never the less it seemed enough to convince the Eldar to abandon their action and they melted away inexplicably.

Just under a week later Inquisitor Huron arrived with two regiments of Imperial Guard. He suspected these eldar forces were new, in that they were not from the Kel Sandros Eldar. Their pattern of attacks seemed random, but the venerable Inquisitor lord knew they would not be, and the Eldar would have some alien plan behind thier assaults.

The reinforcements had come in the nick of time, as another Eldar force arrived out of the blue on 2007.009M42, causing a great deal of destruction to the main supply base on Tyndareous. However, the Imperial Guard who had just arrived soon made their presence felt, surprising the Eldar as they moved to wards the Tyndareous spaceport and slaughtering them. Inquisitor Huron congratulated the Imperial Guard Commander, but he knew the victory had been due to a large slice of luck as well as good generalship.

Huron now made it his business to determine where the webway portals on Tyndareous were, and what the motive behind these attacks by the Eldar was. Using old contacts hardly approved by many in the Inquisition, the old Inquisitor attempted to contact the Craftworld of Kel Sandros. He needed to know what was going on.

Orks defeated on Kallack

While the Tyranid infestation on Betor was being controlled by Imperial forces, the Ork successes on Kallack against the alien menace came to an abrupt halt on 1507.009M42 when "Da Verminator" suffered an unfortunate defeat fighting the aliens north of the mountain range known as "Da Lump". The large Ork settlement of Grank was encircled by Tyranid forces, who goaded the Orks to attack. This they did, and the Ork army soon became cut off from its supply base, despite taking few casualties and destroying a large number of Tyranid bio-soldiers.

The strategic result was a setback for the Orks, as thier unsupplied army of Grank soon fell apart, turning to fight among each other for what resources remained. The Tyranids then simply waited until the Orks had annihilated themselves, before consuming their biomass. The Tyranids were growing in strength once more on Kallack.

Betor Current

Daemonhunters turn the tide

Following the defeat of the Tyranids in north west Betor, General Dempsey, overall commander of forces on the planet, in consultation with Inquisitors Hathek and Huron, decided that the next target for cleansing should be the densely populated north eastern region, north of the Ostliche Hugel. PDF forces were augmented with those of Inquisitor Nikopolidis, who consented to the operation in absentia,

The fighting was dictated first by the sudden attack by the Tyranids towards the city of Langenhofen which pushed Imperial forces back. However the aliens did not follow up their success, preferring apparently yo consolidate their position.

Inquisitor Hathek was confused by this and immediately put together a small team to investigate the Tyranid activity between Langenhoffen and Bielaupbruck. The team of twenty suffered horrendous casualties, but the three veterans who made it back reported that a Tyranid hive node was being created by the aliens. This was Hathek's next target.

It was Nikopolidis' men who were in the thick of the fighting, and taking the Tyranids rather by surprise, the Imperium managed to surround and isolate the Hive Node before the aliens had realised the humans had understood the importance of the node. Desperate fighting followed, but the Inquisitorial forces then deployed their elite formations, fighting hard and holding the kine long enough for the Hive Node to be destroyed. Psykers reported an anguished scream in the warp as the Node succumbed.

Over the next few days the Tyranid activity between the settlements of Langenhofen and Bielaupbrook diminished, and the Imperial troops realised they now had the upper hand in the north east.

Alphe Current

Oldmere Cleansed

The surrounding of Erishore came as a blow to the Imperial command on Alphe, who now had the measure of the Catechism, but were unable to gain the critical victory to turn the tide in the campaign. Moonface was still too cunning. However, General Percival was not alone in his dislike of the Catechism, and on 2007.008M42 the Dark Angels strike cruiser Dark Dominion entered the system after hearing that elite Catechism formations were possibly harbouring members of the fallen.

The Dark Angels' next move was clinical, violent and entirely without discussion with the Imperial commander in the field. Percival was not consulted and was as surprised as the Chaos forces to see Dark Angels forces landing and deploying on Oldmere Island. Heavy fighting followed as the Dark Angels siezed the southern sea crossing and landed a force on northern Eastby, pushing towards Merridale. Now the Catechism forces on Oldmere found themselves cut off, and without support from Moonface or his daemon allies.

The Chaos cultists and Traitor Marines fought tenaciously but were unable to prevent the inevitable. On 2507.009M42 the remaining Chaos forces on Oldmere were destroyed, the cultists slain to a man while the loyalist astartes troops were seen taking nearly a hundred Traitor Marines prisoner.

Catechism move on Erishore

The next major offensive by the Catechism came on 1807.009M42 after a period of regrouping and refitting by both sides. General Percival still felt that a westward move towards Deepsnow would be the main attack, so he had still not fortified heavily in the region of Erishore on Oldmere Island. Some of his subordinates considered this foolish, as they risked being cut off if the Dusk Raiders reached Westlake. It was on Oldmere the Catechism attacked.

Elite Catechism forces moved north and east towards the city of Erishore facing difficult and determined resistance from Imperial Guard and PDF forces. Once again the Imperial Guard put their new tactics into good operation, and the Catechism found the advance frustrating. Even so by the end of 1907.009M42 the Chaos forces had managed to surround, but not enter the city, thanks largely to the psychic intervention of their unholy Daemon Prince of Slaanesh.

Coronus Retaken

On 0807.009M42, with Nazghat away fighting Tyranids on Kallack, the Cerberex 35th Mechanised Regiment, along with its supporting units, put into action their final plan to destroy the remaining Ork fortifications on Coronus. The Cerberex Guard knew that victory over the Orks here would rid the world of Greenskin occupation, and give them their own homeworld.

The Cerberex Guard had been promised the world by the Dark Angels, who had in effect rescued the cream of Von Rundstedts army some years ago following the disasterous campaign on Cerberex which say half the planet lost to the rebel UFP, and the other half to the forces of Chaos. While the Imperium fully expected to retake Cerberex, this lay at the heart of the UFP Empire, and it was not anywhere near the top of the Imperium's priority list. The Dark Angels had taken Tyndareous, if Coronus fell it would become the Cerberex regiments' centre of operations, and their new home. Reluctantly, the Administratum accepted this deal, though it resented the Dark Angels for once again exceeding their authority.

The attack began on 0807.009M42 began at dawn, and knowing what was at stake everyone played their part in an historic victory. Facing the ork hordes of Da Verminator barely a soldier wavered in the face of the enemy, and the Imperial Guard completed the job of ridding Coronis of Orks in less than two days. After breaking through the Ork defences the mechanised units of the Cerberex Guard made short work of the Ork rabble, leaving just a few hundred who scattered to the hills. These would be mopped up later. For now Coronus was back in Imperial hands, and after years of bitter fighting and endless retreat the Cerberex regiments finally had something to cheer about.

Zadoc Subsector Latest

War in the Shadow Worlds

While the campaigns on Tarsis, Alphe and Betor continued as 009M42 progressed, the war between the races in the Shadow Worlds had not died down. At the beginning of 07.009M42 the Tau controlled Hylas and Memnon while the Imperium had a number of installations on Daedalon. Bothorion was still under Ork control while Coronus and Danelloth remained contested.

By the middle of 07.009M42 Elan Ro had progressed his campaign in the region, all but taking Danelloth, bottling up the Orks in a small region of the planet pock marked with ramshackle Ork forts. On 1007.009M42 Elan Ro declared the planet cleansed of Ork infestation and set about building a settlement for the Tau Empire.

Meanwhile Inquisitor Nikopolidis of the Ordo Malleus, recouperating on his blackship from his recent wounds suffered on Betor, sent an expeditionary force to the Shadow Worlds to investigate rumours of daemon summoning by the Catechism some months previously. This led him to Daedalon, but on the way his indentured forces conducted a series of raids on the Orks at Coronus, seriously weakening the Ork hold on the planet and allowing the relatively small Dark Angel and Cerberex Imperial Guard regiments to take more ground from their adversaries. The retaking of Coronus looked within sight after almost a year of intermittent fighting.

Then, on 0807.009M42 an unexpected event occurred. Following his departure from Tarsis Major commander Fastblade had relocated to the new Tau base on Memnon and by early 07.009M42 was deep into negotiations with Imperial envoys over the prospect of sending a significant Tau force to Betor to aid the Imperium in its fight against the Tyranids. While these negotiations continued, Fastblade received communication that his primary base was under attack.

Confused, the Tau concluded their talks for the day, and Fastblade was astonished to find Eldar forces in action against his troops at his main headquarters. The Eldar raid had occurred at dawn, but the Tau had detected their approach and railgun shots were the first sign that combat was underway. As the pale Memnon sun rose over the Tau base the Eldar attempted to press home their attack, but accurate fire from Fastblades Hammerheads and the timely intervention of his elite stealth suits saved the base from destruction. Even so the base itself took heavy damage, attacked by the mighty fists of a Wraithlord.

More distrubingly the Tau witnessed a strange group of Eldar amongst the more regular aliens they had encountered. Brightly painted, graceful figures whose style in combat made the fighting look like an elegant dance... One of death for the Tau. Eventually these strange figures were also driven off and the Tau were left wondering at the motive behind the attack on their base.

Alphe: Catechism break into Oldmere

After the fall of Pryford to Chaos forces the Imperial commanders had been pondering the Catechism's next move. Would they cut off further swathes of the Pryford meadows south or strike out west towards the heart of Alphe? Instead Moonface pushed north from Merridale and attempted a dawn landing on Oldmere island.

Advancing Chaos forces met Imperial scouts in the early morning amidst abandoned industrial works on the coast. Catechism forces were rushed in via Rhino transport, whilst Imperial armoured legions also advanced on the area. Battle was joined at dawn.

Imperial commanders were testing new battlefield strategies against the Catechism, following a defensive gunline tactic now blamed for the loss of Pryford. Instead a steady advance was displayed, with the Imperial forces using their higher number of vehicles to out flank the Chaos.
Fighting was fiercer than many battles on Alphe so far and Imperial troops were able to isolate and destroy a number of Chaos squads. It was particularly noted that the combat ability of the Oldmere troops was exemplary, holding their own against traitor marines.

Unfortunately despite brave efforts and inflicting heavy casualties the Imperial forces were forced into retreat, and the Catechism moved onwards towards Oldmere's primary city Erishore. Still a glimmer of hope remained, new tactics had proved somewhat more effective and the casualties inflicted would mean Moonface would take weeks to regroup before his next attack.

Tyranids cleansed from North West Betor

Following Hathek's notice of full scale invasion, the first fresh forces to arrive in the system were three Cerberex regiments, originally bound for Tarsis Major. While General Cunningham fumed about the loss of these extra elite troops, they were soon put into useful action on Betor by the Inquisitor, who had by 0107.009M42 taken full control of military operations on the planet.

The Cerberex Guard units were deployed in the north west of the planet, near the settlements of Herzbach and Sternbach, close to where the initial Tyranid encounters had taken place. The high proportion of armour in the elite Cerberex formations quickly made itself felt against the aliens in the relatively open ground of the Westliche Ebenen, and on the first day of the advance the alien death toll had already become horrific. Hellhound flame tanks, Leman Russ Demolishers and brand new Vendetta Gunships laid waste to the Tyranid hordes. In under three days the Imperial forces reached the central hive node of the north-western infestation and destroyed it using fire and explosives. Soon after the region was declared cleansed.

Orks contain tyranid threat

While the Imperium were suffering a full scale invasion on Betor the Orks were fairing somewhat better against the alien menace on Kallack. During 06.009M42 a series of running battles occurred between Ork warbands and Tyranid vanguard forces in the "Ooj Muntinz" in the middle of Kallack's main continent. Each warband would be led by a warboss, intent on proving his aggression and power.

The Tyranid scout forces suffered greatly, suffering a number of defeats and being forced deep into the wilderness as the Orks revelled in the new "sport" they had found with the alien arrival. A full scale invasion of Kallack didn't look likely in early 07.009M42, though the Orks would probably have relished the idea.

Ol Cha secures Silverbrook

While the Tau were being defeated in the north, in the south Ol Cha took advantage of a weakened line and the removal of the Cerberex regiments. Though Adeptus Astartes troops attempted to bar his way, Ol Cha was able to reach the west coast of Tuva some hundred miles north of Silverbrook, forcing two regiments of PDF to surrender and undoing the hard work ground gained by the Imperial forces some weeks before.

This effectively made Silverbrook "safe" and once again Cunningham's forces were frustrated by a failure of Astartes troops and what was becoming an overwhelming strategic advantage in terms of supply, manpower and equipment. Unless there was a change in this soon the war on Tarsis would be lost.

Cerberex Guard retake North Tuva

With the southern front slowly being rolled back by Ol Cha and Shadowstrike, Cunningham needed more troops to hold the line against the advancing Tau. On 0107.009M42 he received the news that the three fresh regiments of elite Guard had been redirected to Betor. This was a blow to the war on Tarsis, which it now seemed the Imperial High command were treating as low priority, but Cunningham was keen to go on the offensive.

Once again the Cerberex regiments recently deplyoed to the planet were keen to attack and get to grips with the Tau. Almost too willing in fact, as Cunningham had to admonish his subordinate commander on more than one occasion for trying to force the pace of the war. Eventually Cunningham acceeded to the Cerberex request, and five regiments were deployed to the northern Tau sector on Tuva.

This sector had been quiet since its occupation by the Tau and the defeat of Snazteef's Orks. With the main thrust in the south going well, the Tau had kept a reasonably strong force deployed under commander Strong Spear, but his orders were merely to distract enough force from the south to make life easier for Shadowstrike and Ol Cha.

On 0307.009M42 the Cerberex regiments, supported by ten PDF regimetns, launched a surprise attack on the Tau at dawn. Highly mechanised formations of veteran Imperial Guard troops, supported by Hellhounds, Demolishers and Vendetta units charged across the North Tuva plain, immediately yielding results. Unable to deal with such armoured formations the forces of Strong Spear immediately had to withdraw. Soon the fighting retreat became more of a rout as the Guard forces pressed home their advantage, not allowing the Tau to escape. Eventually Strong Spear had to admit defeat and evacuate via Manta to the Tau stronghold on Merrin. The Imperium had eliminated their northern Tuva front.

Strong Spear, one of Fastblade's proteges, had much to answer for after the defeat. His army, which had worked well against a number of Imperial formations in the past, notably the Porphyrians in operation Poseiden, had been unable to deal with the massed armoured formations which typified the Cerberex units. His cadres, battered and defeated, had much to learn.

Alphe Latest

Tarsis Major Latest

New link

New link added: Campaign system written up! See files section