Forgotten Sons raid Aether Striders

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+++Incoming Transmission+++

+++Subject: Mordecai, status update, addendum+++

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Lord Inquisitor Hathek

We have picked up the trail of the Adeptus Astartes Chapter of seemingly the Ultima Founding who have attacked both Imperial, Xenos and traitor forces throughout the subsector. I have included a report of actions they partook in.

Sire I begin with a recap of the status of Mordecai. As you are no doubt aware the long drawn out stalemate on Mordecai has continued unabated. For every successful push the Imperial forces make we are driven back in another sector by the traitors. The situation on the eastern flank is particularly dire. Enemy forces had nearly broken through Kutuzov's lines a few weeks earlier and the situation has barely stabilised. 

Fort Abruphus’ continues to have both poor supplies and stretched resources - the soldiers are exhausted and there have been a number of mistakes made. Furthermore, the defending forces have been terrorised for weeks by four Renegade Knights.

The Knights claim fealty to the Aether Striders and are led by Sir Sinak Asmodor who pilots the Knight Tyrant “Machina Infernus”. His three companions are (or were); Hunt mistress Skasse Tyranthus piloting “the Hound of Souls”, the Witch Vortatha Krast, piloting “Infinite Hate” and Prince Tragget Griffith piloting “Blisslbringer”. The officers on the front line had, either through incompetence or through sheer exhaustion been unable to pin down the four rampaging knights, content as they were in destruction and carnage over a true battle strategy, or so it seemed.

Unbeknownst to the forces on the ground, the band of Knights had been rampaging with a specific purpose sire. The Witch Vortatha Krast had what, on further investigation a ritual that would tear a hole into reality, unleashing a daemonic host. The souls gathered, all that was needed was to cast the ritual. This is the point of interest to the Forgotten Sons.

On the morning of 1909.020M42 two Thunderhawks broke through the atmosphere, having deployed via Strike Cruiser. Quite how the Strike Cruiser was able to enter system undetected to us is a mystery. The Thunderhawks gave no hail or call sign, they just appeared at random to forces on the ground, who were not quick enough to shoot them down. Whether that was fortunate or not I would not dare say.

The Astartes deployed approximately 1.5 kilometres beyond the furthest Imperial front line, forming defensive positions. How they got the intel is unknown is unclear, however what is clear is they knew were the Witch was to perform the ritual and had deployed to stop the renegades succeeding.

Sire I took the liberty of deploying scout servo skulls and redirecting some orbiting assets to monitor the situation on the ground where the Astartes were, and so, can give a detailed report.

The Astartes deployed in a deliberately provocative manner, anchoring their right flank heavily while leaving their left flank undefended. Unbeknown to the Knights several stealth assets had deployed on the left flank, out of sight. The Hound of Skulls charged towards the Astartes defensive position at speeds I would not have thought possible, yet the Astartes seemed to have anticipated this move, rapidly pulling back into a crescent formation, which Skasse dutifully charged into, allowing herself to be encircled. Despite limited anti-armour the Astartes strategically targeted weak joints on the Knights in a manner other chapters often deem “dishonourable” with their bolters, staggering and throwing off the Hound of Souls charge. Skasse’s intended target – the Repulsor, was damaged but not destroyed by the things massive power claw.

Prince Tragget Griffith was able to destroy an Aggressor that was screening the main battle line. On the Astartes left flank the Infiltrator and Eliminator teams continually harassed Asmodor, not able to damage him, nor even trying, but rather simply slow him down. The Witch was casting her ritual, but the Astartes were clearly focussed upon the four Knights destruction, encircling Skasse and bringing her low with concentrated fire, finally ending her when a Redemptor Dreadnought charged and ripped her mutated body from her cockpit.

The left flank of the Astartes fared less well, with casualties mounting, which they seemed uncaring towards. Whoever these Astartes are, I must admire their dedication sire. Prince Tragget continued firing, however the Astartes had trapped and cornered him with low orbit drops of Supressor and Inceptor teams completing the trap and reducing his engine, and seemingly him to a broken mass. At the sight of two engines destroyed by the Astartes, who were moving to encircle the Witch, Krast abandoned her ritual and fled before she could suffer the fate of Skasse and Tragget. It is unknown if Asmodor and Krast are still working together, however it is believed that the Astartes in question are in pursuit of them. The ritual was stopped, and the east flank given some much needed respite.

I, with some reluctance share the last element of this report. In post battle action, it appears the Astartes executed several Imperial Guard officers on the eastern flank. We have a vox recording, taken by a ‘Trooper Sidorov’ of the Novgorod Guard. The officers had just been executed, and there were viscera over the receiver as well as lowering power fields. I have done what I can to clear the interference.

+++ Recording starts+++

Astarte: “Mortal. Trooper Sidorov, you are spared this punishment as it was not you who failed the Imperium, rather your superiors. Carry this message to ‘your’ General Kutuzov. We tolerate your failings no longer, we offer this warning, and only this warning. Do better, or meet the judgement of the Emperor.”

Trooper Sidorov: “S-s-sire, I need a to know who is sending the message… P-please”

Astarte: “Brave. Very brave of you mortal to challenge your betters. But. Acceptable. Primum de Oblitus, tell them that.

++++ Recording ends ++++

Lord Inquisitor Hathek. I took the liberty of trying to find more about this ‘Primum’. I tried searching the archives for the name, with no results. I searched for the full term associated with the Ultima founding, no results. Then I considered the literal High Gothic “First of the Forgotten”. Again, sire, no results. Whoever this Astartes was, according to interrogation of Sidorov (who has since been administered the Emperor’s peace), the Astarte bore the livery of one of high rank, perhaps even a Chapter Master. There could not have been an Ultima Chapter of no record sire, it’s impossible is it not?  I shall continue to investigate.

Your humble servant 

Adept Luthor Maute

+++Transmission ends+++

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Scrivener Gleon notes: Adept Maute’s location is currently unknown, he failed to report to handlers some days after this transmission was sent.

Chaos break through imperial defences on Mordecai Secundus

In mid 09.020M42 the forces of chaos brought into the field a new force that had not been deployed against general Kutuzov's forces. Making the warp jump from the daemon forge at Vandrax in the now collapsed Foramen Interdictum to Astralis, a force of Dark Mechanicus joined the Emerald Serpent and the Death Guard on the front lines on Mordecai Secundus. After a detailed analysis, the heretic techno magi put their knowledge to good use, blowing a hole in Kutuzov's front line entrenchments and advancing an armada of troop transports through the gap.

 

to counter this Kutuzov launched his own counter offensive, releasing a regiment of mobile reserves in the form of Tempestus Scions. the Scions scouted out the approaching armada, with their lead forces in Tauroxes, taking positions in old ruins once dedicated to the Emperor in ages past. Identifying the approaching army, the Scions called in their shock troops, making precision drops while  valkyries provided missle and lascannon air support. This initial counter attack managed to wreck an entire flank of transports, but the Dark Mechanicus responded, shooting down a Valkyrie and wiping out the first squads of drop troops.

 

The battle intensified as the second wave of imperial stormtroopers were sent in, hammering the Mechanicus forces and reducing their vehicles to wreckage. The chaos forces were not deterred however, and disembarked their infantry. Backed up by two legged mobile weapons platforms, the mechanicus forces engaged the imperial army in a close combat melee which quickly became a stalemate. The chaos forces held the critical objectives, but were taking heavy casualties. In the end however, the Scions were unable to gain air superiority, which cost them the battle. The Dark Mechanicus air power eventually neutralised the Valkyries, leaving the Scions at the mercy of the chaos air force. Realising this was an untenable situation, Kutuzov withdrew the remaining elite forces in order to preserve their strength. By late 09.020M42 the chaos forces had established a significant salient in imperial lines which now threatened the imperial HQ.

Decisive fleet action at Mordecai

In early 09.020M42 the Imperial Navy knew they had to force a favourable action with the fleets of chaos in order to increase the amount of supplies reaching Kutuzov's troops on the ground at Mordecai Secundus. If they could not break the blockade, Kutuzov's situation on the planet would become untentable, and the war lost. Astralis was still effectively unassailable, and an attack on the fleet base would be suicide. However, Admiral Gorshkov decided to bait the enemy into an equal fight, by sending in a large convoy with his battlegroup lying in wait behind.

 

Seeing a large Imperial convoy trying to break the blockade, the chaos fleet moved in for the kill. As soon as they did, the Imperial fleet assessed the threat. The battlegroup was not the entire chaos fleet, but a sizeable force centred around a Despolier class battleship escorted by several cruisers, moving in close formation towards the Imperial convoy. Assessing the odds as somewhat even, Gorshkov closed aggressively with the chaos fleet.

 

The Emerald Serpent fleet was surprised by the appearance of Gorshkov's battlegroup, and the Imperial admiral focussed his fire on the Despoiler. The chaos flagship took heavy fire, impairing the enemy admiral's ability to control his fleet. Orders were sent but ignored, and the natural inclination for the chaos captain's to squabble with each other was exposed, as the chaos battlefleet became less of a coherent force with its flagship under heavy fire.

 

By the time the two fleets had closed with each other to exchange real fire, the Despoiler was already limping. This was followed by a catastrophic detonation of a carnage class cruiser, the destruction of which crippled the chaos fleet's second largest warship, an Acheron class heavy cruiser. Seizing his chance, Gorshkov manouevered his fleet even closer, launching a devastating set of teleport attacks against the crippled vessel. The chaos ship was reduced to a drifting hulk, and the chaos fleet, now having lost two of their capital ships with only one of their enemy more suffering any serious damage, attempted to flee. Gorshkov managed to launch a wave of attack craft to put the Despoiler out of action before the remaining chaos ships were scattered. The battle had been a decisive Imperial victory. A battleship and two cruisers had been taken out of action, while the Imperium had suffered significant damage to only one of Gorshkov's dominators. The convoy reached its destination unscathed, and while the odds were still favourable to the traitors, an entire battlegroup had been neutralised, effectively giving the Imperial navy a 3-2 advantage in ships in the Mordecai system.

In fighting at Boltarean sees Death Guard take control

In fighting on Boltarean sees Death Guard take control

While the war on Mordecai continued to drain Imperial resources, the forces of chaos were also fixed on the system and the prosecution of the war there. The Emerald Serpent in particular had focussed its resources in their mission to remove te loyalist presence from Mordecai Secundus, taking advantage of Warsmith Stahl's retreat into his lair in the Enceladus Subsector. The daemon princes, brothers millenia ago, would now seize their chance to become the dominant force of chaos in the Perseus Deeps.

 

This did however mean that the Hadron Expanse became a lesser concern, and while the Death Guard were happy to ally themselves with the Serpent in the Deeps, on the Eastern Fringe they had other ideas. Central to the plan devised by the sons of Mortarion was the ultimate destruction of Ultramar and the enslavement of the Ultima segmentum to the ruinous plagues of Nurgle. To facilitate this they had begun to create their own bases in the Hadron Expanse, and now wanted to claim the chaos world of Boltarean for their own.

 

The Death Guard gave the remaining Emerald Serpent forces on Boltarean fair warning, but the pride of the Thousand Sons prevented any amicable solution. The scions of Nurgle moved on the Boltarean capital in force, and a long drawn out battle ensued outside the city. Aeons old grudges were settled, as the brutal fighting continued for days. Neither side were quick to give any quarter to their opponents, but in the end the unnatural durability of the Death Guard secured victory. The sons of Mortarion raised their flag above the capital of the chaos world, claiming dominance over all chaos forces in the Hadron Expanse.

Federacy and Imperium clash in the Hadron Expanse

In the Hadron Expanse there was a shift away from Hexis throughout mid 020M42 as all factions began to realise the irrelevance of that theatre. the war would continue to ravage the inhospitable desert worlds and countless lives would continue to be lost, but the wider subsector now began to take a more prominent position in the struggle for dominance over the region. The Alliance, especially the Tau, had begun to attack worlds in line with their "Hadron Expansion Sphere". The Federacy, although allied with this cause, did not want their hard work and cooperation to lead to an entirely Tau based domination in the region. Already Mimir, the seat of Federal power in the Expanse, had Tau bases and complexes, and the new governor of the Federal mission to the Expanse, Grandt Naylock, wanted at least one system that could be claimed entirely for the Federacy.

 

To do this, the Federal explorers began identifying likely systems. One such system was Tanis, an inhabited human system with a wealth of exploitable resources and ideal colonisation prospects. Keen to jump on the opportunity before the Tau, Naylock authorised an expedition. The Federal fleet delivered a sizeable force of Librian and Tallaxian forces to the system, along with a small battlegroup of naval vessels. The inhabitants welcomed the visitors and immediately aligned themselves with the Federal cause, even if they still retained some vestiges of their prior loyalty to the Imperium from millenia ago when the Hadron Expanse had last been connected to the Aleph sector.

 

At least, most of them became aligned. Unfortunately for Naylock, a pro-imperial "cult" sent a message into the void appealing for aid. This was intercepted by General Percival's astropaths at Arawath. Pleased by the find, but alarmed by the Federal takeover, Percival began to draw up plans to intervene. Before the planning stages had even properly begun however, the Space Wolves intervened unilaterally themselves, landing on the inhabited worlds of Tanis and taking control. The federal regiments took up positions to face this new threat, but following a decisive strike against their armour by the Space Wolves' fliers, the federal forces struggled with inaccurate and ineffective fire against the imperial air power, wasting precious time and ammunition while the Space Wolves' ground forces closed the distance. The Librian Guard tried to put the astartes off balance by conducting an aerial drop of stormtrooper forces, but this failed, allowing the elite sons of Fenrir to make contact with the Librian lines and simply roll them up.

 

The battle had been a shambles for the Federacy, who abandoned the system for the time being, chased out of it by the Space Wolves' strike cruisers and escorts. The astartes notified Percival of their actions, and began establishing a base on Tanis, which they immediately renamed "Canis" for their efforts. Now they would have to wait and see if the Alliance or other forces took interest in this newly discovered system.

White Scars hold the line on Mordecai Secundus

By 09.042M42 general Kutuzov had stabilised the eastern front on Mordecai. His guard regiments had dug in, but the supply situation was still dire. The forces of chaos knew this, so did not let up in their attempt to break down the imperial defences and break through to Kutuzov's command HQ. By now this HQ had become a sprawling complex controlling the entire war effort. If this was compromised the war on Mordecai Secundus would be over.

 

While the Emerald Serpent continued to pressure on all fronts, in early 09.042 the Death Guard did manage to penetrate Kutuzov's lines in the south. A force of elite traitor astartes managed to established a position splitting Kutuzov's defences, opening up a gap between two Novgorod Regiments. Held in reserve, the loyalist astartes now struck against this new threat. A force of White Scars, using their greater mobility, advanced on the Death Guard positions on two flanks, keeping their distance while peppering the traitors with constant fire. To deal with this threat the Death Guard units were forced to split up and attempt to deal with both attacking forces. They did manage to close the distance and make contact with some of the White Scars' bike squads, but the loyalist space marines had deliberately engineered a layered formation.

 

Now pinned by their engagement with the White Scars' advance units, the remaining space marines delivered their countercharge, encircling the Death Guard forces and reducing each pocket in turn. By 0509.M42 the chaos bridgehead across Kutuzov's defensive line had been eliminated, and the White Scars withdrew, allowing the Novgorod Guard to restore the unbroken defensive lines facing off against the Nurgle threat.

Hobbiton invaded by Death Guard

While the focus of imperial attention remained firmly fixed on the Mordecai theatre, general Percival remained in overall command of the Hadron Expanse theatre. Overall his forces had been depleted, with most guard formations being concentrated with Konev's army on Hexis. Hussaria had been lost, but the Imperium still held onto Goreen, Arawath and Vanir. Although the strategically important system of Palantir now had a chaos presence on Dale, Percival had his eyes fixed towards the Tau empire and its allies, as his intelligence suggested that the Emerald Serpent at Boltarean was no longer a threat.

Percival was unaware however of the Death Guard's ambitions in the Hadron Expanse. Rather than simply aid the forces at Mordecai, Mortarion's children had decided to spreadh their forces widely to maximise the pressure - and plague - they could spread. It came as a complete surprise to Percival when in late 08.020M42 the garrison commander of Hobbiton reported an invasion by plague marines.

The Death Guard were supported by the fleets of Thok, not the Emerald Serpent, and Admiral Craddock was forced to withdraw. The Imperial Navy could not risk a space battle with so much of their strength supporting Kutuzov at Mordecai. The garrison was quickly overun but fortunately the Space Wolves were in the vicinity and organised their own counter offensive. The Wolves initially surprised the traitor astartes who had not been expecting such a response from the Imperium, but the stubborn and unnatural durability of the plague marines eventually carried them to victory, and the Space Wolf counter attack faltered. By the end of 08.020M42 much of Hobbiton had once again been overrun by chaos forces, and Percival was facing a war on two fronts, with limited resources.

Malkaor's Tau establish foothold at Boltarean

In the Hadron Expanse the Tau and alliance forces had been regrouping and refitting following their success at Hussaria. Now they were once again ready to prosecute the war once more, establishing the Hadron Expansion Sphere for the greater good. On their list were the imperial systems of Arawath and Palantir, but the war between the chaos forces and the Imperium on Hobbiton indicated to the Tau command that the chaos forces in the subsector could not be ignored.

Malkaor suggested a considered plan. Instead of an all out assault against the chaos forces, he proposed to set up a base in the Boltarean system on the outer planet of Portega. Weakly defended, this world should fall rapidly, as the ice planet only had a few inhabited zones. If a base could be set up here, then a way-station built, the chaos forces of Boltarean could be effectively bottled up, allowing the Empire to expand without interference.

The plan was approved, and Malkaor's appearance at Boltarean caught the defenders completely by surprise. A Darrantine regiment had been posted to defend the outer world, equipped with a Deathstrike missile system intended to obliterate anything that came too close for comfort. Malkaor's troops were too swift and too brutal however, and the battle was over before the countdown sequence had even completed. The Deathstrike never fired, and the outer planet of Portega fell to the Tau. Part one of the Tau plan to neutralise chaos in the Hadron Expanse had been completed.

Mordecai: Novgorod and Imperial Fists stabilised eastern front

 

Following the loss of territory on Kutuzov's eastern front, the forces of chaos were keen to keep up the momentum before the imperial armies could regroup and form a new defensive line. The Emerald Serpent forces were already over extended to the north, so it fell to the Death Guard to keep raining blows on the beleaguered Mordecai Invasion Army. 

The Death Guard advanced from the south, but their advanced was slowed by the difficult terrain of lava fields to the north of the Abrax mines. This allowed Kutuzov to react, and he began to deploy his faster moving Novgorod Cavalry regiments to oppose the enemy axis of advance, but even that would not be quick enough. The imperial armies needed time to prepare their lines, and only the astartes could blunt the traitor legion's advance and prevent a breakthrough that would threaten Kutuzov's HQ and supply areas.

The Imperial Fists took up the challenge, fighting a series of defensive engagements culminating in a major battle to the north of the Abrax lakes. The Death Guard attack was halted, giving the Imperium enough time to prepare their own counter offensive. The Fists withdrew from the line and Kutuzov gave the order for the cavalry regiment to attack. After a sustained artillery bombardment and an armoured push which softened up the already weakened Death Guard army, the Novgorod general deployed his cavalry and charged.

On the imperial left the cavalry made good progress, overrunning the chaos forces and penetrating deep into their rear areas. However, on the right, a unit of Myphitic Blight-hauler, blessed by the psychic energies of nurgle broke the imperial charge. This posed a serious threat, but the second line of infantry held firm until the Novogorod colonel could swing his cavalry around to help ease the pressure. By 2908.020M42 it was clear that the Death Guard had not achieved their objectives. Kutuzov's new line had held, and the Imperial Fists began helping the creation of a series of fortified positions. Meanwhile, the Imperium looked for ways to improve Kutuzov's desperate supply situation.

Tyranids beaten back on Hexis

On Hexis, the battles continued to rage despite the fact the world itself was no longer of any value. The Lysis system still marked an important way-station astride two warp lanes however, and control over the system would allow further expansion in the Hadron Expanse in the future. More importantly the armies of general Konev were under orders to prevent the tyranids from gaining any method of leaving the planet. R'lyeh appeared to be without a hive fleet, but was searching for a way off the world. If they found one, and managed to reach a world or worlds with rich biomass, the end results could be catastrophic for the Imperium.

In order to secure his own defensive position, Konev ordered his Gregorian airborne regiments to secure the hotly contested no mans land between Menthoteph and Praxis. The airborne regiments went in, hoping for a swift success, but what followed was an attritional struggle described by the Gregorian commander  as a "hot mess for the ages". The battle was bloody and expensive for both sides, but eventually the Scions, helped by the support of an Imperial Knight, were eventually able to secure the corridor between the two cities, joining up the two imperial sectors and forcing the tyranids back to the badlands to the north of the ruins.

Aeldari continue search for Nexus Arrangement

The aeldari continued their search for clues for the nexus arrangement in 09.020M42, raiding several imperial bases across the Hadron Expanse causing significant disruption to general Percival’s logistics train, particularly damaging a force of Scions who were being held in reserve. 

Mordecai: Kutuzov's east flank collapses

Following on from the assault in the south, the chaos forces on Mordecai struck again in mid 08.020M42. Having secured the Sathugar mines, they now faces significant defences on Kutuzov's southern flank. In order to continue the advance, the Emerald Serpent led by Ahriman himself disguised a number of troop movements to the eastern front of Kutuzov's lines. Here, away from the strategically vital locations near the lava fields near the equator, the imperial defence was more thinly spread, defended by screening patrols with the Imperial Fists acting as a rapid reaction force in case any offensive should come from this quarter. The Emerald Serpent intended to take a swathe of territory in the east, which while having no strategic value in itself, would force general Kutuzov to divert forces away from the vital southern front, or risk his headquarters at Fort Vengeance being outflanked.

The chaos assault started well, as the Emerald Serpent made swift gains, but the Imperial Fists put into action a well drilled counter offensive in order to block this move, surround the attacking forces then reduce them peicemeal. Ahriman saw the threat as the astartes took key objectives in this counter assault. Unless he acted personally and immediately, the chaos offensive would collapse and his plans would be undone.

Ahriman and his trusted exalted sorcerer travelled to the heart of the fighting. By this stage the Imperial Fists were in control and the chaos assault had stalled. Making himself as visible to his troops as possible, Ahriman personally took the lead, cast psychic spells to propel him into battle with a squad of Primaris marines, and cut down his enemies with a mix of tzeentch sorcery and his own will. Meanwhile, his sorcerer comrade was equally valiant, using his own mastery of the warp to materialise next to a squad of bikes that held a vital flank, charging them with aplomb and cutting them apart with his martial skill.

Seeing the acts of the two sorcerers of Tzeentch, the forces of chaos rallied, and the Imperial Fists knew their plan to envelop the attacking enemy forces had been undone by the timely intervention of two heretics. The astartes withdrew, ordering the rest of Kutuzov's eastern front to retreat to a more defensive line. Ahriman smiled, knowing that Tzeentch himself has been with him on the battlefield in order to change fate itself.

Ynnari uncover necron secrets on Grimlock

In the Zadoc subsector the Ynnari had finally established the location of the missing device. They already had the device from Corticant, the one located previously at Hexis and they had gained control of a third at Einmyrria. Yvraine knew there were five in total, and that the last would be the hardest to retrieve, the device taken and perverted to the service of the dark gods by the forces of chaos. Once she had all five, the next phase of her plan could start, using the devices against her true foe, the chaos god Slaanesh. It pained her to have to use the artefacts of the ancient enemy in this way, but for the Ynnari to obtain the last Crone Sword from the Palace of Slaanesh, they represented hope of achieving the Seventh Path.

 

Before tackling the problematic fifth device, the Ynnari needed to locate the fourth missing device, lost by the inquisition during a space battle with the Emerald Serpent. By 08.020 the Aeldari faction had located the missing artefact, which had phased out to it's ancestral resting place on Grimlock. Now, they only had to defeat the forces of chaos to retrieve the inactive device.

 

The Ynnari struck the chaos forces around the entrance to the tomb complex on Grimlock. Realising at last what Yvraine was pursuing, the Thousand Sons under the direct orders of Magnus the Red, immediately countered this move. The tzeentch worshippers had no particular love for Slaanesh, but the Master of Change did not want the Ynnari to succeed in their plans. The Thousand Sons attacked the Ynnari but were soon counter attacked themselves by the sudden appearance of Harlequin forces. These supreme elite warriors of the Laughing God used their superior mobility and agility to run rings around the Rubric Marines, and the force sent to intervene in the Ynnari plans was wiped out. Yvraine now controlled four of the necron devices, only one remained. First however, the Ynnari needed to stop the other races from obtaining the Nexus Arrangement.

Chaos offensive retakes the Kuneus coast on Mordecai

With Kutuzov's armies strangled by lack of resources, the forces of chaos once again launched a series of powerful offensives as 08.020M42 progressed, pressing hard against the imperial defences. In the south, on the coast of the Kuneus Traps, Death Guard and Thousand Sons forces managed to make a breakthrough, pushing the imperial army away from the shore and retaking much of the Sathugar mines.

The Death Guard forced the opening in Kutuzov's lines by battering the imperial defences held by the Valdograd mechanised guard regiments. Hosts of nurglings were thrown into the attack, and despite the Valdorgrad being equipped with heavy flamers on their chimeras, they were unable to clear the diminutive daemons fast enough. While occupied with the nurglings, the Death Guard Artillery conducted particularly effective and accurate counter battery fire, neutralising the imperial Basilisks and Manticores. With the Valdorgrad army tied up with daemons and unable to effectively counter the traitor legion from afar, the Death Guard had forced an opening in the imperial defences.

 The Emerald Serpent now exploited this gap in Kutuzov's lines, breaking through and rushing into the imperial rear. As the imperial guard withdrew to a defensive line further north, the Hammers of the Emperor tried to blunt the advance of the chaos forces. At the spearhead of the chaos advance were the two daemon primarchs themselves, Mortarion and Magnus. their appearance together on Mordecai showed the power of Astralis and the determination from the chaos side to retake the system for the dark gods. The Hammers pressed their attack anyway, managing to force both daemon primarch's back into the warp, but this was not enough. Later on, Kutuzov threw in his own mobile reserve in the form of airborne Scion formations, but these two were cut to ribbons by the chaos forces now moving up through the breach in the imperial lines. The Sathugar mines had been lost, and imperial command was forced to hastily prepare new defences facing the new threat to the south.

Ynnari raid Imperial bases

Even thought the Ynnari were now well on their way to finding the secrets of the Nexus Arrangement and the missing chaos device, the psychically attuned perception detected that the Imperium may still impede them. In order to tip the skeins of fate in their favour, the Ynnari launched a series of raids against the Imperium, with the main action falling upon a growing build up of Tempestus Scions forces on Hexis, who they believed were guarding important information as to the overall imperial intentions. To ensure the battle went favourably, the Ynnari sent in Aeldari forces, who deftly and deliberately gave away their positions, inviting the Scions to launch an attack.

 

The Scions took the initiative, moving their aircraft aggressively into the Aeldari lines. However, they found the Xenos vehicles to be surprisingly durable and hard to hit and merely scratched their paint work. The Aeldari counterpunch was swift and brutal taking out several air assets and the scions that dropped from their transports. The imperial forces reacted, trying to regroup and execute a  second all out push with reinforcements joining the main force. Just like before however, their efforts failed to gain them any ground, only managing to fell a small hover craft and a single small wraith construct.

 

The Aeldari once again capitalised on their opponents' vulnerable position, and their shooting was so devastating as to allow no further resistance from the elite Scions. The Aeldari mopped up the remaining imperial units and acquired the vital intelligence from the data terminals at the site. Everything was once again going according to the Ynnari plan.

Fleet action at Mordecai throttles Kutuzov

As Kutuzov struggled to keep the forces of chaos at bay on the ground, the imperial fleets at Mordecai had been in a tense standoff with the battlegroups of the Emerald Serpent for some time. Only limited supplies were getting through, as the Mordecai space docks prevented the imperium from asserting any kind of control over the inner system. With the arrival of the daemon world Astralis, this became all the more difficult.

 

In early 08.020M42 Admiral Gorshkov decided to run the blockade, hoping that a small battlegroup would be able to draw off the Emerald Serpent's fleet long enough for a significant convoy to get through. As his battlegroup travelled towards the inner system, an enemy force came out to meet him from the protection of the docks. Gorshkov attacked agressively, but his carriers and cruisers mistimed their launches, and instead of a combined wave of coordinated torpedoes and bombers, the imperial ordnance went in piecemeal. The bombers were subject to heavy turret fire, and many of the torpedoes were shot down before impact. Having failed to land a decisive blow, the imperial cruisers were now subject to a withering hail of return fire from the heavy guns and lance batteries of the Emerald Serpent vessels. Using an asteroid field, Gorshkov was able to escape the vice he now found himself in, but three capital ships recieved heavy damage.

 

On the chaos side, their was only light damage. Realising this battlegroup now threatened the convoy, Gorshkov abandoned the operation. Kutuzov's forces on Mordecais Secundus would remain desperately short of food, fuel and ammunition, just as the chaos pact of the Emerald Serpent and Death Guard prepared to launch another major offensive.

Mordecai "Battle of the Bulge" straightens Imperial line

Following the chaos breakthrough in the middle of the Imperial line, a dangerous salient had developed that threatened to cut the Imperium off from the southern part of their controlled territory, isolate the southern forts and deliver the Sathugar mines back into chaos hands. Kutuzov knew that a major offensive was out of the question given the state of the Imperial strategic situation, but a local counter attack was possible, and the salient gave him the opportunity to do so.

On the nothern flank of the salient the the semi mechanised Novogorod Hussars were employed, striking a deep thrust into the chaos held territory with their tanks followed for the first time with large cavalry formations. As they pushed south towards their objectives, the imperial forces soon met major resistance in the form of the Death Guard, and air support was used extensively, with Voss pattern lightnings swooping down to destroy the traitor astartes rhinos. This allowed the plague marines to be whittled down by imperial guard armour and general fire, before the cavalry dealt the final blow. The Hussars reached their objective on time, and half the salient was cut off. Now everything hinged on the southern pincer attack.

In the south of the "bulge, the Hammers of the Emperor had to contend with a lance of chaos knights. Charging in using their impulsors, the Hammers took punishment from the longer range chaos weaponry, and the lead repulsor executioner was unfavourable exhanged for just one War Dog. However, once the Hammers had closed the range and were able to engage in close combat, the superhuman strength and combat weapons of the combined astartes company were more than a match for the chaos war engines. With the chaos knight lance defeated, the chaos defences were penetrated, and the Hammers met the Novgorod on the shores of lake Talissa on 0108.020M42. The net had closed, and within a week the trapped chaos forces in the pocket, mostly cultists, had been eradicated. Kutuzov's line was straightened, and the Imperial general once again began entrenching his forces in order to resist further attacks. Meanwhile, the Imperium searched desperately for a way to improve the strategic situation.

Fort Diligence falls to Death Guard

On Mordecai the forces of chaos continued to pile on the pressure as 08.020M42 began. Fighting was incessant along the entire front, but generally the line in the south had held. In order to prevent Kutuzov from moving reinforcements for a counter attack at the newly created salient in his lines, the Death Guard once again attacked along the southern coast of the lava sea known as the Kuneus Traps. Here the fighting reached a crescendo around the first line of defence at Fort Diligence, as the elite forces of the Death Guard were opposed by the Hammers of the Emperor.

Preferring to meet the attacking traitor astartes in open battle rather than risk a prolonged seige, the Hammers blocked the only path to the fort. The Death Guard, eager to take the fight to their bitter loyalist enemies obliged, and a bloody struggle erupted in front of the gates af the fortress, as the Hammers' indominus bladeguard fought to the death against Death Guard terminators. Plague Marines and even a Daemon Prince of nurgle joined the fray, and gradually the Hammers' defence was worn down. As chaos units on the flanks mopped up any other resistance, they too joined the colossal struggle in the centre. Eventually the Plague worshippers, with their unnatural resilience, outlasted the loyalist astartes, and with no way to supply the fort, Kutuzov ordered it to be abandoned.

The loss of Fort Diligence was a blow, and the fort itself was turned over to the ruinous powers, becoming a sick parody of its former self, a plague fort. The penetration by the chaos forces was however limited by Kutuzov's strategic planning, and now the focus shifted north, to the chaos "bulge" that had developed.

Ynnari prevent Imperial Fists accessing Webway

While the Ynnari were preparing their raid on Grimlock, the Imperial Fists were making their own attempts to wrestle back control of the Device stolen from Hexis. The Fists had intelligence of the location of the device, deep in the webway. However, this did not stop the astartes chapter from attempting to invade the secret realm of the Aeldari, and as luck would have it they came across the location of a webway portal. Intending to use their own librarians to navigate the strange alien dimension, the Space Marines prepared a force to make an entry into the webway.

The eldar, being psychically attuned, were pre-warned of the intentions of the astartes and launched their own preemptive strike against the insolent humans who would dare violate their realm. Sending in a host of fast moving Ynnari warriors, the followers of Ynnead ambushed the Imperial Fists as they approached the portal. A protracted engagement ensued with the loss of the Fist's company commander, before the Aeldari forces called of the attack. After the battle, what was left of the astartes force found no trace of the webway portal, and any chance to take back the Hexis device had been lost.

Mordecai battles rage on

On Mordecai 07.020M42 saw a renewed escalation of fighting between the forces of chaos and those of General Kutuzov. The chaos forces, with the arrival of Astralis and the collapse of the Foramen Interdictum, still held a considerable strategic and logistics advantage, and they began to probe the defences of the Imperium even as Kutuzov ordered all hands to the construction of ever deeper and more elaborate entrenchments and emplacements.

 

First, the Death Guard once again tried to force the imperial southern flank, by deploying their elite formations for a narrow thrust along the coast. The Novogorod Guard were prepared for this however, and the opening counter barrage by the imperial artillery wrecked a great deal of the chaos assets, and stalled their initial advance. In the centre of the Death Guard formation, an entire group of blighthaulers exploded catastrophically, dealing a great deal of damage, and as the Death Guard slowly tried to regain some momentum, the insane bravery of one freateli militia squad gave hope to the imperial line, as they charged and bayoneted to death an entire squad of plague marines, as well as a dangerous Noxious Blightbringer. The southern flank held, and the entrenchments continued.

 

In the centre of the imperial lines, smaller probing attacks met with more success for the forces of chaos. Elite bands of Thousand Sons were able to find gaps in Kutuzov's defence lines between the southward facing "red wall" and the west facing southern defences. At this intersection, near Fort Drago, the imperial defences were incomplete, and Kutuzov had hoped that his Novgorod guard regiments would be able to resist any advance.

 

The forces of chaos however had learned from previous engagements, and their new assaults were supported by tanks, giving Kutuzov cause to think that this new Thousand Sons force may not be directly under the control of the Emerald Serpent. In any case, the heavy armour the predators provided quickly destroyed the Novgorod tanks support, leaving the infantry dreadfully exposed. Facing certain annihilation the Novgorod force was obliged to withdraw, opening up a salient in the imperial lines or "bulge", which Kutuzov could not afford to ignore for long.

 

in order to prevent an immediate exploitation of this new salient, the Hammers of the Emperor immediately conducted an armoured raid against the Death Guard who were now massing behind the new territory gained. Advancing from the north, the astartes armoured column made good initial progress, but the loss of an impulsor in a spectacular detonation inflicted heavy casualties amongst the Hammer's lascannon devastator squads. This was a severe setback, but the Hammers knew they had to reduce the capability of an immediate chaos attack so pressed on regardless. the final result of the engagement was a victory to the Imperium, but a highly pyrrhic one. The Hammers of the Emperor suffered serious losses in equipment and personell, and while the immediate threat to the imperial line had been diminished, their capacity to conduct similar operations in future had been reduced. The threat of a breakthrough by chaos forces remained.

Ynnari raid Grimlock

For years Grimlock in the Zadoc subsector had been an forgotten warzone. Since the tyranid invasion by hive fleet Nemesis the forces of chaos had lost much of their territory and were now confined to a small area in the southern continent. The tyranid invasion however had also stalled, as the Hive Fleet itself had moved on into the dark reaches of space between Grimlock and the Perseus Deeps. With no Hive mind to control them, the tyranids had reverted to beasts, existing and reproducing more like animals than a sentient single being.

 

In 07.020M42 however, a new force arrived. Appearing swiftly from the webway the Ynnari arrived, making a surgical strike against one of the tyranid hive nodes that represented a local manifestation of the residual hive mind. The aeldari forces struck with overwhelming force and ferocity, capturing one of the larger sentient beings before disappearing back via a webway portal. The Ynnari were seeking something on Grimlock, and it was only a matter of time before the other races in the Aleph sector discovered this secret.

Vlokarion makes a move for the Nexus Arrangement

In mid 07.020M42 the Ynnari had managed to locate three of the important clues to the Nexus Arrangement. There were still more to find, but in order to hide the existing information away from the prying eyes of the lesser races, the Aeldari chose places within the webway to keep their secrets. Unfortunately for Yvraine and her allies, the Drukhari lord Vlokarion, ever eager to gain favour with the his overlord Vect, coveted this information, and put in place a plan to have the clues, and the Nexus Arrangement, for himself.

 

Rather than act openly against the Ynnari, Vlokarion employed lesser kabals to do his dirty work, distancing himself from any association with those who would defy Yvraine and her purposes. However, this had a significant drawback. The kabalite forces sent against the Ynnari were inexperienced and less well equipped compared to the archon's own elite forces, and despite launching a series of raids on the Ynnari, the dark eldar were eventually cornered and crushed in a decisive battle within the webway. Yvraine's secrets were safe, and Vlokarion was denied the chance to claim the Nexus Arrangement for himself.

Hexis battles, mid 07.020M42

Heavy fighting continued on Hexis into mid 07.020M42, but the intensity of the fighting had begun to slacken as all sides ran short of strategic supplies. Hexis remained at the extreme end of every faction's logisitics framework, and even for the necrons and tyranids, who didn't have to worry about this, their resources to prosecute offensive operations were running low and needed time to replenish.

 

The main action in 07.020M42 saw the Adeptus Mechanicus track down and wipe out the kroot auxilliary force that had been sent to investigate the planet. The Tau force was eliminated, ending Tau hopes of finding the Nexus Arrangement themselves. If they were ever to benefit from it, they would now have to rely on their unreliable Aeldari allies.

 

In the south, the Ultramarines led an expedition to shore up the Imperial left flank in Menthotep. The Grot force holding the zone proved to be a surprisingly stubborn foe however, and after an intense battle, the ultramarines, mostly made up of light scouts, were unable to dislodge the greenskins from their positions on the southern edge of the city. Despite having everything thrown at them, the Grots and their ork cousins still maintained an irritating and thretening presence on the planet, and denied the Imperium the opportunity to unearth vital secrets from the south of the ruined settlement.

Hexis battles, early 07.020M42

General Konev finally recieved reinforcements in the shape of the Librian 118th Sappers regiment in early 07.020M42. The general was under no illusion that since the necron device had been taken by the Aeldari, the Imperium had lost interest in the war on Hexis. His superior, General Percival, had given him some vague instructions to look for the Nexus Arrangement, but the Mechanicum were leading the excavations and search. Konev wasn't even informed of what the Arrangement even was.

 

Konev however knew his duty, and in mid 07.020M42 launched a new offensive south into the ruins of Praxis, closing in on the centre of the city and pushing hard against the remaining stubborn Iron Warrior resistance that held the middle of the settlement. Using the sappers, the Iron Warriors were overrun, burned out of their positions by the mechanised guard regiment that specialised in flamer weaponry.

 

The Emerald Serpent meanwhile grew alarmed at the increasing pressure on their remaining holds on Hexis, and began a series of actions to protect their positions. In the east, a Thousand Sons force led an army against the tyranid hordes threatening to encircle them, breaking the Xenos army and reducing the pressure on the chaos southern flank. In the west of Praxis, a daemon host was summoned to deal with the necron threat.

 

Led by enraged Bloodthirsters, the daemon army was initially troubled by the highly mobile necron counter attack. However despite dealing with the greater daemons, the necrons had trouble removing the tzeentch components, and the unnatural warp magic took its toll on the necron unliving warriors. While the forces of tzeentch thinned out and dissipated the necron counter attack, a horde of bloodcrushers suddenly appeared in the rear of the necron lines, wiping out their elite units and even troubling their mighty monolith. After several hours of hard fighting it was clear the necrons couldn't hope to hold the tide, and the reanimated warriors phased out, yielding the southwestern districts to the chaos trespassers. At the same time, they were forced to abandon a vital tomb complex, allowing the Emerald Serpent to pick up the third of the six vital clues to the location of the Nexus Arrangement.

Hexis battles, late 06.020M42

On Hexis, as 07.020M42 the battles between the factions continued to rage. In the west, the necrons of the Ha'Tek dynasty continued to pose a significant threat, and extended their territorial hold, clashing with the remnants of Stahl's forces and pushing the forces of chaos back into the ruins of Praxis. In the east of the city however, the Thousand Sons, still hunting for the clues to the Nexus Arrangement, fell upon an Adeptus Mechanicus excavation at Menthoteph. They destroyed the imperial digging site, but found nothing of use.

 

In the space between the great cities, the wastelands became the site of several vicious battles as each side fought for dominance over the one strategic position. Deep below the area, the forces of chaos still maintained a fortress in the subterranean passageways, but above ground, the plains were a vast no mans land which each faction tried to dominate.

 

On such encounter involved the Tyranids of Hive Fleet R'Lyeh, as they attempted to move south from their northern strongholds. However they did not expect the ferocity of the Grot Liberation Front that barred their way, and the angry diminutive greenskins managed to turn the monstrous hive beasts back, protecting their western flank. As this action unfolded and the violence on the shattered world excalated, little did the participants know that three of the vital clues had already been removed by the Aeldari.

Emerald Serpent assert dominance

While the battles increased in intensity on Hexis in pursuit of the Necron Device known as the Nexus Arrangement and the war on Mordecai stalled once more, the Iron Warriors saw an opportunity once more to challenge the Emerald Serpent.

 

By 06.020M42 Warsmith Stahl had retreated back to his domain at Charybdis, brooding over the failure of his allies. The Iron Warriors still maintained forces in the Aleph Sector however, and in late 06.020M42 the sons of Perturabo, backed by an army of daemon engines, assaulted the Emerald citadel on Mordecai Primaris, in order to destabilise the Emerald Serpent and force a change to the overall chaos strategy in the sector.

 

The arrival of a powerful Iron Warriors army outside the stronghold of the sorcerous cult was met not with reason or debate, but the summoning of a daemonic host led by three bloodthirsters, supported by large numbers of tzeentch lesser daemons. The Bloodthirsters gleefully charged forward, and although one was sent back to the warp by the combined firepower of the Iron Warriors, the remaining greater daemons slammed into the traitor astartes lines, tearing apart the vehicles and daemon engines of their enemy. Meanwhile the denizens of tzeentch poured psychic fire and arcane magic into the astartes themselves, thinning their number. The Iron Warriors prepared to launch a counter attack led by their lord discordant, but a soulgrinder, having failed to make an impact in the early phase of the battle, now landed telling shots on the enemy chaos lord, destroying the counter attack before it had begun.

 

Worse followed. With a tearing sound of reality buckling under the weight of chaos energy, an enormous host of bloodcrushers appeared, launching an immediate close assault against anything that stood in their way. By now the Iron Warriors had taken a beating trying to deal with the greater daemons, and the arrival of this new force broke their resistance. The remaining units of the traitor astartes were hunted down and eliminated, and the dominance of the Emerald Serpent was maintained.

War continues on Hexis

On Hexis the bitter fighting between the factions increased in intensity in late 06.020M42. The tau, reacting to intelligence reports that information of great value was still to be found on the world, sent an expeditionary force to the world. Made up of mainly kroot auxilliaries, they managed to land without detection in the far north of the planet and set up a base. However they soon found themselves under attack from a patrolling force of astartes scouts. The ultramarines recognised the new threat on Konev's northern flank and drove off the kroot forces, leaving the Tau Empire no closer to discovering the secrets of the underground tombs.

Further south, between Menthoteph and Praxis, the forces of chaos came to grips once again with their former allies or mercenaries, as the "Grot Liberation Front" made trouble on the eastern border of the chaos sector. The Thousand sons were able to defeat the grots and push back the greenskin held territory, but no useful land or artefacts of value were found in this action. The chaos sector was made more secure however.

In the west, the necrons and tyranids finally collided as the hive mind sought a way off the planet. The necrons, unwilling to give up their secrets fought the xenos threat in the plains south of Girishtar, but it was the ancient race who were on the losing side. Their army shattered, the necrons were forced to give ground, and the tyranids discovered vital information surrounding the nexus arrangement. Whether they would be capable of incorporating this entirely non biological artefact into their way of being remained unknown, but they tyranids appeared to be trying.

Chaos attacks on Mordecai repulsed

Novogorod Vs Death Guard. Victory to Novgorod, did not lose warlord, did kill warlord t4 concede. Plague marines advanced into the centre in front of a refinery that Novgorod had a built a defensive line around, and evaporated to the gun line T2. Plague burst crawlers survived everything shooting at them and a leviathan was butchering infantry on the left, but Death Guard didn't have enough left to control the battlefield and Novgorod still had infantry tagging the leviathan and bayoneting the characters. Warlord went down to a demolisher though.

On Mordecai the forces of chaos continued to enjoy a superior supply and logistics situation to Kutuzov's armies throughout 06.020M42. However, despite their best efforts they were unable to shift the Imperial armies away from their new defensive lines and penetrate into the heart of imperial territory.

In mid 06.020M42 the Death Guard once again tried to force Kutuzov's flank in the south, attacking from Kuneus towards Fort Vengeance. The Novgorod Guard defending however were well dug in and prepared, so as the Plague Marines advanced towards a refinery complex that represented their first objective, they ran into a solidly held defensive imperial line which annihilated them in short order. The Imperium then launched a counter offensive to deal with the enemy artillery, but the plagueburst crawlers proved difficult to dislodge. The guard lost a great deal of men in this counter attack, as the Death Guard employed a terrifying hellforged leviathan pattern dreadnought. With tank support rolling up behind however, the Novogorod kept on piling in their infantry waves, and the Chaos attack fizzled out before even reaching their first line objectives. Kutuzov's men had once again payed in blood to defend the territory won so dearly by the invasion.

Further north the Emerald Serptent attempted to summon a daemon horde which briefly succeeded in penetrating the imperial lines. However the airborne reserve of Scion forces quickly countered the offensive, wiping out the daemon horde and returning the front lines to their previous positions. The chaos forces kept attacking, but no progress was made.

Tau brush off ork raids

Despite forging ahead with their campaign in the Perseus Deeps, the Tau still had a number of enemies to face apart from the Imperium and Chaos. For now, the tyranids and necrons had failed to represent a significant threat in the systems the Tau had been fighting over, but the orks, with their haphazard and somewhat random approach to space travel still posed an ever present danger to the Tau Hadron Expansion Sphere.

The Tau had made sure they had adequate forces garrisoning every world they now controlled, and they maintained a rapid reaction force to deal with any unexpected incursions. One such raid by the orks occurred in early 06.042 as a number of kill kroozers and ork escorts appeared in the Echo Reach system. The garrison called for aid, and the Tau reacted swiftly, driving off the ork space vessels and quickly eradicating the greenskins who had landed on the outer world before too much damage was done. It was a reminder to the Tau however, that while they were consolidating their hold over the Hadron Expanse, they would never be in any way "safe".

Tau claim Dnatha Prime

By mid 06.020M42 the Imperium were ready to launch their counter offensive on Dnatha. Supplied by fleets in the Hadron Expanse a new force of highly mobile airborne troops were deployed to the last remaining Imperial sectors on the main world in order to launch a lightning and highly mobile assault against the invading Tau armies. By now, Commander "Farsight" had arrived in support of Malkaor, and the Tau braced themselves for the imperial attack.

 

Knowing the strength of the enemies airborne quick response force; Commander Farsight had requisitioned an air asset of his own in the form of a tiger shark, ready to ambush the imperial aircraft when they arrived. It appeared suddenly striking swift and true; destroying both a vendetta and vulture gunship while also crippling a valkyrie with its immense firepower. The guard commander, recognising the threat immediately brought everything they had to bear against it. While they eventually brought it down, the Tau aircraft had bought Farsight's forces the time they needed to advance and take control of a critical building in the centre of the engagement, and they now prepared to dig in and fight it out from that strategic location.

 

The subsequent volley of Tau firepower was crippling, with a greater many shots landing on target due to the imperial aircrafts' need to remain stationary to be most accurate. Now the imperial commander, realizing the battle was almost certainly lost and believing escape was also unlikely, decided the best way they could serve the Emperor would be to take the life of commander Farsight. Robbing the Tau of such a commander would surely have an impact in future battles.

 

The elite scion plasma command squads descended from their one remaining aircraft and fired volley after volley of incredibly accurate fire into Farsight and his squad of bodyguards. When the smoke and fire cleared Farsight still stood, the bodies of his bodyguards dead at his feet. It seemed the guard had failed. The remaining guard attack force was quickly mopped up. Farsight dispatching the enemy warlord himself in close combat. As he turned to his forces with his blade raised in victory there was a sudden crack of thunder and Farsight collapsed, crashing into the dirt and sand.

 

A vindicare assassin whose presence in the battle had so far gone unnoticed, now made himself known, placing a well aimed shot into Farsight's back at the base of the neck. Farsight's second in command Malkaor immediately spotted the threat and using the speed of his coldstar battlesuit quickly dispatched the assassin with a strike from his fusion blades. While the Tau had succeeded in taking this important ground and crippling the enemy air force; Commander Farsight had been dealt a mortal blow and only time would tell if he would live.

 

The success of the Tau had broken the imperial capability to defend the remaining settlements on Dnatha Prime however. The garrison was quickly overrun and by 1906.020M42 the Tau had claimed another world for the Empire. Now they turned their attention to the next system in their expansion plans, the system of Palantir.

Necrons defeat chaos on Hexis

While the Eldar continued to search for clues on Hexis, the Necrons continued to harrass all forces attempting to gain entry to the tombs to the south west of Praxis. By mid 06.020M42 the entire region around the Haknur plateau had become de facto controlled by the Ha'Tek dynasty, and the necrons across the world were showing signs of reanimation.

 

In a surprising strike, the chaos forces to the north of Praxis, mostly small bands of Alpha legion, found themselves under direct assault by a very aggressive necron force on 1606.020M4. Supported by a fully activated Monolith, units of Lychguard quickly surprised and overwhelmed the Alpha Legion forward positions, and the Monolith itself advanced into the chaos lines, using its portal of exile to remove a particularly stubborn tech marine from the universal time stream.

 

The Alpha legion forces were completely shattered by the attack, and the forces of chaos retreated into the city of Praxis for defence. Now the traitor legions found themselves confined to the city, with eldar and necron forces pressing in from the west, and the Imperium and Tyranids to the north south and east. Meanwhile as the necron threat grew, it remained curious that the eldar had not as yet sought to deal with their implacable ancient enemy.

Tau clear chaos from Mimir system

In the Hadron Expanse, Malkaor had almost completed the invasion of the Dnatha system. The tau now turned their attention to Mimir, a system claimed by the federacy and tau, but then attacked by the Emerald Serpent in 019M42. Since then the fortunes of chaos had waned, and their overall interest in the Hadron Expanse had decreased. Gregland 100 and another minor world were still in the hands of the traitor forces however, and Malkaor realised that taking these worlds back would not only free resources from the Mimir system, but also confirm that it was the Tau Empire, not the Federacy, who were the senior partner in the Hadron Expansion Sphere.

 

The Federacy were in no position to argue, and on 1206.020M42 the tau commander's forces simultaneously landed on both planets. The inner world fell quickly, as it was largely undefended, but on Gregland 100, named for reasons lost to time, the Emerald Serpent put up a strong defence. The chaos forces summoned daemons, including a particularly fearsome Bloodthirster, to the horror of Malkaor's army, but after a brisk engagement, the overwhelming firepower of the tau finished off the chaos defence of the planet. With Mimir back under "alliance" control, the tau made plans to take the fight to the last chaos bastion in the Hadron Expanse, Boltarean.

Aeldari raid Hexis - Raven Guard smashed

The Aeldari forces were still active on Hexis as 06.020M42 began, as the xenos continued to search for ancient necron clues to discern the location of the missing Necron Device, and to find out everything they could about the Nexus Arrangement. Their continued activity brought them into contact with the other factions on the world, and increasingly with the Imperium. Sudden eldar raids would eliminate Adeptus Mechanicus archeotech parties and disrupt their own mission to discover more of the Necrons' secrets. Having had enough of this interference, the Mechanicum appealled to Konev and his war council for protection.

Konev increased Imperial Guard protection for the Mechanicus research teams, but he did not have enough forces to ensure complete protection from the Aeldari, who were able to strike anywhere on the world with overwhelming force. He didn't have enough forces to adequately track down and destroy their webway portals, but he did receive an offer from help from the Raven Guard chapter of space marines. Held in reserve, as a new attack began to materialise on 0606.020M42, the Raven Guard prepared to attack the eldar army.

The Raven Guard deployed aggressively to cover the approach to the Necron tomb it had become clear the eldar were intent on sacking. Many of their units tool up forward positions, hoping to harrass the approaching enemy force from all sides. However, the astartes underestimated the speed and agility of the force now approaching, led as it was by harlequin forces. This left many of the astartes units effectively unsupported, and the harlequins made expert use of the terrain to perform hit and run attacks, tearing the astartes force apart piece by piece, while avoiding fire from the Raven Guard Repulsor Executioner and other heavy assets.

The Raven Guard realised they had made a terrible tactical mistake, but as they withdrew, they ensured the harlequin force did not succeed without taking casualties. Identifying the aeldari commander, the expert snipers of the astartes managed to take out an important commander, keeping their aim on him even after he broke line of site. The action was however a terrible defeat for the astartes and a particularly devastating strategic loss. Although Konev couldn't know it, the loss of the necron tomb to the Aledari meant the xenos finally pieced together the information from the ancient necron race. They had located the missing device, and had found vital new information on the nature and location of the Nexus Arrangement.

House Stroganov blocks chaos push

Although the main chaos operation to take back Mordecai Secundus was winding down, the chaos forces continued to launch assaults along the front line, attempting to disrupt Kutuzov's orderly withdrawal. One such attempt was made by a force of chaos knights, who launched an offensive from the south near Kutuzov. This was dangerous for the withdrawing Novgorod Guard, so Kutuzov ordered in his own mobile force of House Stroganov knights to counter this attack.

 

The two sides were relatively evenly matched, and they faced off on the plains of Mordecai Secundus with the Imperium deloying an Errant and Gallant class on their right and a Valiant with an Armiger in the centre of the battlefield. Facing them the chaos army deployed three medium class knights in their centre, supported by traitor astartes. The chaos forces charged into House Stroganov, losing one of their knights, but severely damaging the Knight Valiant. Despite repeated attacks the Valiant survived, but the battle saw a great loss in terms of these mighty war machines. Eventually the imperial force managed to outmanoeuvre the chaos force, taking a key objective towards the rear of the enemy force and unhinging their supply lines. Forced to retreat, the chaos attack was prevented from interfering with Kutuzov's withdrawal and the fortification of the "Kutuzov Line" continued.

Picture from: https://www.warhammer-community.com/

Emerald Serpent grind down Kutuzov on Mordecai Secundus

The battle all along the front line on Mordecai continued into the first week of 06.020 as the Emerald Serpent continued to pile on the pressure. Kutuzov's forces were stretched thin, but the Novgorod Guard proved unyielding as the chaos forces assaulted them relentlessly. Eventually however the chaos forces managed to achieve a breakthrough in the north, as the Aether Striders, supported by a mass of khornate and nurgle daemons and the warhound titan Terminus Rex forced their way through Kutuzov's lines just south of Fort Drago. Now the imperial general had a real problem, as a breakthrough here could lead to a mass encirclement and the loss of the vital Sathugar Mines.

 

Kutuzov reacted immediately by sending in his Novgorod reserve force, and a fierce battle erupted at the site of the chaos breakthrough. The Warhound was brought down and many of the greater daemons banished back to the warp. The casualties were heavy on both sides however, with a lance of House Stroganov and whole regiments of Guard sacrificed in order to stem the chaos advance.

 

The result was inconclusive, as although the breakthrough had been contained, the forces of the Emerald Serpent had not been removed from their advance positions. Reluctantly, but with no alternative, Kutuzov ordered a withdrawal to a second set of defensive positions further east. The overall result of the chaos operation was on paper a success. They had retaken ground lost to the Imperium and pushed the front lines back hundreds of miles during the course of the offensive. However they had failed to retake the Sathugar mines or break the imperial defences. Kutuzov ordered more defences built. He would grimly hold on to the ground he had taken in the name of the Emperor until the last man.

Picture from: https://www.warhammer-community.com/

Mordecai Tersius Front lines 0505_020M42

Malkaor invades Dnatha Prime

As 06.020M42 began the Tau high command had been suitably chastened by the debacle of their first invasion attempt of Dnatha Prime, and were determined not to make the same mistakes again. For the second invasion, the Tau waited until their own intelligence confirmed that there were no astartes in the area. Having confirmed that there were no space marines on the world through aerial intelligence.

 

These recon missions ensured the Imperial Guard defending the world were well prepared however, and as the forces of Malkaor landed and moved towards the single imperial settlement, the Librian 57th and 101st regiments, experienced at fighting Tau, were waiting for them. Accurate artillery fire soon caused havoc amongst the tau forces, and the Librians rushed forward en masse - inviting the Tau into open warfare, trying to use their superior numbers to simply overwhelm the xenos' ability to fight back.

 

At first this strategy worked, and although the Tau sent in their own infantry, breachers equipped with devastating close range weapons, the cost to the Tau from the pumelling artillery barrage was immense. Malkaor lost his heavy broadside and Riptide support to the onslaught, and an high altitude drop from the Imperium's elite scion forces started to collapse the Tau right flank, even as Malkaor's troops began to overwhelm the Guard forces on their left.

 

Eventually, it was the elite Tau commanders in their versatile battlesuits that had to stabilise the situation. This they did, although even Malkaor himself was injured as the he and his fellow commanders rushed about the battlefield, using their close range melta weapons to put the imperial armour out of action. One tau commander unfortunately found his weapon fail him at a critical moment, and his basilisk target fired a heavy shell at point blank range, obliterating him.

 

The battle raged outside the main settlement for many hours, until the Tau finally overcame the imperial attack, though suffering heavy losses. The remnants of the Imperial Guard regiments defending the city regrouped for a last stand within the settlement itself, as Malkaor assessed his losses and the Tau regrouped for a final assault on the city. The Tau were within touching distance of securing the Dnatha system, but one final effort would be needed. The Imperial Guard remaining in the city prayed to the Emperor for deliverance.

Orks hold Imperial Guard on Hexis

On Hexis, the race was on to find the Nexus Arrangement. By 06.020M42 most races had worked out that the ancient and powerful artefact was not actually on Hexis, but clues to its location were. Scattered across the ruined wasteland lay partial records of the Necron dynasty that had created it. Six partial records had been identified, but no faction had seen all of them. If all the clues could be pieced together, it was hoped the location of the Nexus arrangement could be discovered.

 

The Imperium knew that one part of the partial record lay in Ork held territory, as part of a mural on the wall of one of the ancient tombs. Whether the Orks knew the importance of what they had was unknown and irrelevant. Konev ordered an attack to clear the xenos from the eastern ruins of Menthoteph in order to gain the third part of the puzzle of the Necron Nexus Arrangement.

 

The Novgorod Guard advanced on the Ork forces that massed on the plains infront of the city of Menthoteph. Disciplined lasgun fire made an impact, along with the heavier imperial firepower from mortars, and the orks suffered from a number of failed charges. Not being able to get into the imperial guard lines cost the greenskins, but their numbers where overwhelming. More and more ork boyz turned up supported by clanking greenskin constructs known as Gorkamauts. Despite the imperial armoured support laying waste to great numbers of the orks, the advance was effectively halted. Realising the imperial guard would run out of ammunition before the orks ran out of troops, the assault was called off, and the necron artefact remained in ork hands.

Mordecai Secundus: Southern attack

On the southern end of Kutuzov's front on Mordecai, imperial intelligence had indicated that nurgle worshipping Knight forces were attempting to outflank his lines. In order to head this move off, the imperial general deployed his most experienced Novgorod regiment to block the knight's progress. As the chaos war engines loomed out of the mist, the local commander gave the command for his forces to open fire.

 

The traitor knights were taken by surprise by the sudden hail of fire from a well prepared enemy. Within minutes, two of the largest Despoiler class knights had been destroyed, their void shields overwhelmed by accurate and continuous fire from the imperial lines. One was taken out by a sole tank commander, who managed to find a weak spot in one of the larger war engine's armour.

 

Although the War Dogs caused heavy casualties in the Novgorod infantry, the fusilade of the first few minutes had effectively blunted the chaos flanking advance, and the remaining knights withdrew. As Kutuzov reacted as best he could to the shifting battle now raging along the front lines, he was forced to keep an eye on his reserves of ammunition, praying to the Emperor for the continued supply of precious equipment to his theatre of war.

Chaos launch new offensive at Mordecai

On Mordecai the situation for the Imperium was grim. Supplies, already struggling to get through after the collapse of the Foramen interdictum, were further reduced following the appearance of the daemon world Astralis. After several transports simply disappeared, the Imperium was forced to run convoys from the outer system to the inner world of Mordecai Secundus, and ammunition, food and other equipment was becoming scarce in Kutuzov's armies. An offensive by the Imperium was out of the question, but the general feared that the forces of chaos would launch an all out attack on his lines.

 

To prepare for the inevitable attack, Kutusov moved his experienced Novgorod Guard units into position along the southern front line, where he believed the main assault would come. All along the front Kutuzov deployed artillery en masse, especially Manticores as these units still had large numbers of ordnance available.

 

On the other side of the lines, as the Imperium dug in, the forces of chaos were indeed planning a big offensive. The traitor forces planned a large strike in the centre, using their elite Emerald Serpent contingent backed up by traitor Legio Titanicus units and vast hordes of traitor guard regiments. This force smashed into the Imperial lines in early 06.020M42 in a violent battle that would last weeks.

 

The early part of the engagement saw the use of Kutuzov's massed battery fire, and the Emerald Serpent took heavy casualties as the sky turned black with missiles. However, as the first week of 06.020M42 progressed, the chaos forces started making more headway, taking their objectives slowly. As the central struggle continued, Kutuzov was alerted to a situation developing on his left flank near Kuneus.

Tau attack thwarted at Dnatha

On Dnatha the Tau forces led by Commander Malkaor prepared to take advantage of the strategic situation the Imperium now found themselves in by launching a rapid invasion of the inner worlds, including Dnatha Prime, the heart of the Imperial presence in the system with a population of several million.

 

Malkaor's troops landed without facing much in the way of resistance, bolstering the Tau belief that with the collapse of the Foramen Interdictum imperial forces on the wrong side of the rift were close to collapse. Over confident, the Tau high command did not commit their full force to the invasion, keeping several units of crisis suits in reserve in case pockets of resistance flared up.

 

The Imperium however were feigning weakness. As the Tau landed they were walking into a carefully laid trap organised by the Hammers of the Emperor. Suddenly a column of astartes impulsors surged into view, making straight for the tau positions. The space marine surgical strike was delivered with accuracy and devastating firepower, concentrated at the heart of the Tau positions. The Tau, used to having the edge on manouverability, found their positions overrun and their headquarters eliminated. Malkaor did now commit his reserves in an attempt to halt the advance of the space marines, but this was far too late. The Imperium, listening in to the Tau communications, determined the Tau were about to pull out, and rather than risk astartes casualties, the space marines for once let the xenos go, while the Tau were left to ponder how such an easy invasion had gone so wrong.