Na'Porkleon re-invades Zoggot

Four months had past since the forces of Chaos kicked the orks of the minor world of Zoggot and the Norsefire empire was given control of the new world. The Arch Cleric and his Word Bearer allies then moved in force to Zadoc, while a defensive garison was left in charge in the Enceladus subsector. However the warlord Na'Porkleon took advantage of the absence of the Word Bearer fleet to send a new invasion force back to Zoggot. The invasion "fleet" consisted of little more than a couple of kroozers, but by early 09.013M42 the force had reached the Zoggot system and was heading towards the minor world, ork Roks being constructed at an alarming speed and drifting in with the main force.

Na'Porkleon landed on 1209.013M42 and met little resistance. He was allowed to establish a bridgehead while the traitor guard units defending Zoggot hastily erected fortifications and appealed for help. Frustrated, the Arch Cleric diverted a significant force to bolster his defences in the Enceldaus subsector, while keeping the majority of his forces on Zadoc.

The small force of traitor marines arrived by strike cruiser some weeks later, easily avoiding the ork vessels and landing on the planet's night side on 2609.013M42. The force was in battle less than three days later, where it faced the vanguard of Na'Porkleon's horde.

The ork forces comprised mainly of boys, and lots of them, bedecked in their characteristic blood axe "kamo" and sporting an unfeasible amount of firepower. Despite the Arch Cleric and the Word Bearers managing to surprise their enemy, their initial bombardment was absorbed and with a deafening roar the orks rushed towards their enemy. A bloodbath followed as the ork firepower pinned the chaos forces down, while the greenskin infantry closed the distance, finally smashing into the chaos lines and ripping them apart. The orks took heavy losses as well, their warboss and his mega armoured nobz succumbing finally to the attentions of two Soul Grinders, but they had smashed the chaos heavy units. In the air the ork aircraft were bested by daemonic helldrakes, but concentrated loota fire shot down anything which came to close.

By the end of the second day the chaos force was retreating, and Na'Porkleon's forces had overrun nearly a third of the planet's inhabited bases. The war on Zoggot had been reopened and chaos dreams of an invasion of Gargash had been shattered for the time being.

The Aleph Sector Campaign

Welcome to all new members of the Wargames Society! Here is a very short explanation of how the campaign works.

The Aleph sector campaign is a narrative campaign which has been going on since 2001. Its likely the longest running and most written about campaign not run by Games Workshop!

The full history of the sector can be found on the right under "Campaign Files", along with a full description of how the campaign works. However there are nearly a million words to read, so the three posts below show an overview of what's going on in the campaign right now!

The campaign is a "turn up and play" campaign. When you win a game you earn "points" which go towards the campaign. The basic points are as follows:

Games 1500-2000pts:
Loss - 0pts
draw (same VPs) - 0pts
win (neither side gets 3VPs) - 1pt
win (someone wins and gets 3 or more VPs) - 2pts
win (scoring 3+ VPs and double your opponent) - 3pts
win (wiping your opponent off the board) - 4pts

In addition bigger games score more points and the campaign is not limited to 40K. Epic, Gothic, Kill Team and AI all feature. Generally armies are sorted into "factions" (broadly races but not always) and unless stated you're results will be lumped in with your "faction" - e.g. if you are an eldar player and you play a space marine player and win, your result will be applied to the Ares campaign (see below) unless otherwise specified.

You can play whenever you want and whoever you want and have as little or as much involvement in the narrative as you want. Generally there are five kinds of player, briefly explained below.

1 - The winning player submits his win and I (the GM) will apply the most sensible result to the campaign (easy!)
2 - The winning player will be given options by the GM and will pick one.
3 - The winning player will already have an idea of what his faction wants to do in the campaign, perhaps with some background. The GM comes up with ways the player can achieve the results.
4 - The player knows the rules fairly well and will plan campaigns by consulting the map. He will inform the GM of what the battle is about and the result will be applied afterwards. Usually these players have a faction with a fair amount of "fluff" and even contribute things to the blog.
5 - This player is someone who understands and shapes the campaign. They are similar to 4 but are usually the leaders of a certain faction and guide events and help the GM with story arcs.

Most players start between 1-3 and then some move on to 4-5. It depends how much you want to be involved in the background. And don't worry about "losing" for your side. It's a multiplayer narrative campaign not a league! You can't "win" the campaign nor can one side be "wiped out". The campaign is about building a history of events and creating story arcs, not about finding out who is "best" at 40K!

Come and see me on Saturday 5th October if you want to know more!

Sector: Current Warzones Map

Aleph Sector factions & Motivations

Imperium
Over the last decade the Imperium have lost the Aleph subsector and much of the Zadoc subsector. However Veers' crusade in the Deeps was partially successful, and saw the breaking of chaos dominion over many worlds. Now however the Imperium faces a myriad of threats to its interest, with several alien empires impinging on its territory, and hive fleet Nemesis devouring a path through the sector. It is up to the new Sector Governor to re-establish control of the situation and reassert the power of the Emperor across the region.

Chaos
The power of chaos has waned significantly from its zenith five years ago, but is now showing signs of a resurgence. Various factions have come and gone, but now the forces of chaos are becoming united once more, and aim to rid the Enceladus subsector of the ork infestation, while taking Zadoc and a host of other worlds from the Imperium. There are threats however. Nemesis is eating into the chaos empire in the Rim Worlds, and the necrons are implacably advancing in the Perseus Deeps, while the tau are in direct competition with chaos for control of the Zadoc subsector.

Necrons
For millenia the necrons slumbered. Now they have awoken amongst the ruins of their ancient empire. So far the reconquest of the Harakhty dynasty's worlds has gone well. From nothing, fully ten systems have fallen under the yoke of necron rule. However the work has only just begun, for in ages past the dynasty ruled over a hundred worlds. One by one the necron rulers plan to reconquer their lost empire, enslaving millions of alien vermin to do their bidding.

Alliance
The alliance formed in 011M42 to counter the growing power of the necrons, but it is also aligned against the forces of chaos. The alliance includes the eldar, led or guided by the harlequins of the Rillietan, the Tau empire, who's conquests over the last decade have given them the "aleph expansion sphere", and the Federacy, a secessionist movement which broke away from the imperial yoke some years ago. The tau are by far the largest force in the alliance, with the Federacy providing limited military support. The eldar commit when it is in their own interests, and tensions often arise between the eldar and the tau when the latter are not consulted over the actions of the former. Will the alliance hold? Only time will tell.

Orks
The orks of the Aleph sector have never been led by a single warlord. Nazghat, Snazteef, Krumpgutz, Thrugnik, Uzfang, Da Verminator and Na'Porkleon have all come to prominence at different times, although Nazghat secured a small empire in the Mabb Nebula for a time so may be considered to be the most successful thus far. However it is Uzfang who currently holds sway over the orks, who remain embattled on Fort Sparcos and locked in a long war on Hylas. So far the orks are contained, but for how long?

Tyranids
Hive fleet Nemesis is by far the most dangerous hive fleet to have come out of the eastern rim. Hive fleets morph, megalodon and triton were all defeated, at great cost, but Nemesis is different. Having devoured several key worlds in the Zadoc subsector the hive mind is travelling further and further in to the sector. It has communicated with its prey, and seems to possess a strategic vision which goes far beyond the expected mindless violence of the alien race. More surprising still it seems to have originated from within the galaxy, something which puzzles the inquisition greatly.

Aleph Sector Current Warzones

Zadoc Subsector
The Zadoc subsector was once the second most important subsector to the Imperium. Since 006M42 however the Imperium has lost the major world of Tarsis Major to the Tau and the agri worlds of Alphe and Betor have been destroyed by the tyranid menace. Embattled on every front only Libria remains wholly Imperial, as chaos, orks, tyranids and the tau fight for control and resources of the subsector.

Hylas
On Hylas General Van Dorn faces the might of Warlord Uzfang, "Da Big Boss" of the orks in the sector. Orks have taken much of the southern continent, but for now the war has fallen into a stalemate since the Praetorian began erecting formidable defences in the path of the ork advance.

Tyranteous
Initially the agri-world of Tyranteous was invaded by the forces of chaos and the tau, who both saw the world as the key to starving the more important world of Zadoc into submission. However the tau with their greater resources managed to eliminate the chaos threat, and the tau are building up for a new offensive to break the imperial hold on the remainder of the planet.

Grimlock
Grimlock is the last bastien of chaos power in the Zadoc subsector and serves as the capital of their empire in the Rim worlds. Much of this empire has been ravaged by Hive Fleet Nemesis, and now the hive mind has control of two thirds of the major chaos world. Should the remainder fall, the rest of the systems in the region would be doomed.

Fort Sparcos
Fort Sparcos was once imperial, before being taken over by the orks of the Mabb Nebula. Now infested with the tyranid Xenos, the battle for control of the world has fallen into a long and bloody stalemate as orks from around the sector travel to Sparcos to prove themselves and test out new weapons against the aliens.

Vastrid Subsector
The Vastrid sector remains largely imperial, and is now home to sector command and the Imperial Governor General Titus Luthor, nominally in charge of the entire sector. Despite harbouring orks and other aliens, the subsector is well defended and serves as a bastien against the predations of alien empires.

Enceladus subsector
The Enceladus sector was lost to the imperium millenia ago, and is now controlled by heretical chaos warlords and petty ork empires. It is an area the Tau will seek to expand into, as it borders their young empire, while the reclamation of the region by the imperium has long been an aspiration.

Nazog
Nazog is an ork controlled world in the Enceladus hub region. Following the successful campaign on the minor world of Zoggot, the forces of chaos are marshaling for their next assault against the orks. The chaos warlords hope to crush the orks in the Hub, joining Charybdis with the Norsefire empire, creating a new major power in the sector.

Perseus Deeps
The Perseus Deeps is an area of old dim stars. It is home to all manner of aliens, heretics and dangerous secrets. The Imperium has successfully pacified much of the upper Deeps, crushing chaos in the process. However now the Necron Harakhty dynasty has awoken, and is reconquering its former worlds at an alarming pace.

Ares
Ares is a world held by the Imperium of great value to the eldar. The war here has ground on for over 400 days with little ground being taken by either side. The eldar control one end of the important inhabited strip, and many vicious battles have flattened the capital, Ares city. General Vasilevsky hopes to continue the war of attrition to the point where the war is abandoned by the eldar.

Corticant
Corticant remains the base of operations for General Veers' crusade in the Deeps. However the Necrons have finally come to Corticant, and now control 30% of the planet. The lynch pin of the recent conquests in the Deeps, Veers must find a way to defeat the Harakhty dynasty or see Imperial domination in the Upper Deeps collapse.

Mordecai
Mordecai is one of two major systems still controlled by chaos in the Perseus Deeps. The rump of a once great empire, Mordecai has now come under attack from the expanding Harakhty dynasty, although the eldar have also intervened, hoping perhaps to embroil their two worst enemies in a long battle of attrition.

Parataea
Parataea is the front line between tau holdings in the Deeps and the resurgent necron empire. Joined by the eldar and federacy forces the "Alliance" is for now holding the necrons at bay, but for how much longer?

Battle of Zadoc Narrows: Imperial decisive victory!

With the debacle of Celliano putting imperial forces firmly on the defensive on Zadoc, Imperial command of the subsector led by General Montgomery were appalled to find that a substantial fleet of Word Bearers ships were now on their way to support the chaos invasion of the subsector capital. The wisdom of the Imperial Navy abandoning, at least for the time being, imperial forces on Tyranteous, now seemed confirmed, as by 2008.013M42 the squadron of swords in orbit around the Zadoc system was joined by Task Force Sommerville, a force of five cruisers and the venerable Oberon class Battleship Royal Sovereign.

Commodore Sommerville was therefore well placed to intercept the inbound chaos fleet, which had been sized at seven capital class vessels. This turned out to include much of the fleet previously commanded by Lorek, the leader of the Claws of Lorek, whose remaining forces had since turned to the "Arch Cleric" now that Lorek had apparently disappeared. Imperial intelligence were still without any clue as to why the lord of chaos had vanished, but now his forces seemed to be flocking to the cause of the new chaos warlord.

The seven chaos vessels moved in system from the jump point in the outer reaches. Sommerville had positioned his fleet in the gas giant belt since its arrival at Zadoc, knowing that the halo of volatile plasma which surrounded the system had few navigable gaps, and that it was in one of these relatively safe zones that he would have the best chance of nullifying his opponent's superior manouverability. On 2408.013M42 Sommerville was proved right, as the chaos fleet appeared from the warp and immediately made for the safest route through the halo, a region of space known as the Zadoc Narrows.

The battle took place in this narrow area of space, surrounded by volatile plasma fields and strewn with rocks, debris and gas clouds. The two fleets approached on parallel but opposite courses, with the Imperial fleet initially passing down the starboard wing of the chaos vessels. Sommerville took his ships past a particularly dense area of asteroids, allowing his nova cannon equipped ships to fire a few volleys at the chaos vessels and crippling one enemy cruiser almost immediately. Then the two fleets turned towards each other, and a tactical game of cat and mouse ensued around the densely packed rocks.

Commodore Sommerville was careful in only exposing his vessels to the greater part of the enemy fleet when he had to. This meant the chaos fleet were rarely able to gain effective firing solutions on their enemy, and during the battle only the Mars class Glorious took significant damage from enemy shooting, although one Sword Class escort found itself too close to the chaos line in the early stages and was destroyed. As the battle progressed, the Fortress of Hate found herself totally exposed to the entire firepower of the imperial fleet, her captain rashly deciding to turn in towards the imperial vessels with no support from her consorts. Sommerville's ships accepted the easy picking, and the chaos cruiser was soon ablaze. Eventually she detonated in a spectacular plasma explosion, crippling the Implacable in the process.

Having already put one devastation class vessel out of action early on, the loss of the Fortress of Hate put the chaos vessels at a considerable disadvantage. Nevertheless their commander turned his vessels in a hard starboard turn, and the remaining chaos vessels buffeted the Royal Sovereign at long range before the imperial battleship slipped behind the asteroid belt. However this had been deliberate "bait" set up by Sommerville. While the chaos vessels had turned their attention to the imperial flagship, the torpedo equipped Hogue and Agincourt were able to come about, navigate through the asteroid field and employ a devastating volley of torpedoes through the flank of the neatly lined up chaos vessels.

This daring attack run hulked another chaos cruiser, leaving the chaos ships with just four cruisers facing Sommerville's three, plus two escorts and the Royal Sovereign. Worse still the bulk of the imperial fleet was now to the rear of the chaos vessels, who had little space in which to turn. Sommerville made the most of this, hammering the chaos ships from behind, hulking another and crippling two more which disengaged.

Eventually the chaos fleet lost another ship, her captain unable to disengage from the fight due to the bridge having been shorn clean off. The eventual tally saw the loss of five of the seven chaos cruisers, with the remaining two crippled. The imperium hadn't lost a single capital ship and Sommerville had delivered the imperium their most decisive victory over chaos for several years. The remaining two chaos vessels slipped away from the imperial fleet but Zadoc had been secured in space at least. Commodore Sommerville was quickly promoted to Rear Admiral, and the news of the victory was broadcast across the sector as an example of imperial victory by a greatful Imperial sector governor.

Chaos Losses
Fortress of Hate - exploded
Warp Revelator - hulked
Divine Anarchy - hulked
Agonise Demise - hulked
Unholy Flame - hulked

Sword of Ajax - crippled
Divine Anarchy - crippled

Imperial Losses
One sword escort  - destroyed

Glorious - crippled
Implacable - crippled

Zadoc: The battle of Celliano (images)

+++Top: Corellian Manticore seeks shelter in a ruined building.+++


+++Librian Leman Russ tanks assemble before the main battle is joined.+++

+++Librian and Corellian units including the Stormsword "Lance of Divinity", later destroyed.+++

+++The myriad forces of chaos, supported by a large daemonic contingent, counter-attack the imperial advance.+++

+++Corellian Vendetta support moves in to support the Librian Heavy Tank advance. In the foreground the indistinct outlines of two of the three eldar Wraithknights can be seen.+++

+++Baneblade "IronJaw" rumbles over the ruins of Celliano. The tank was later overwhelmed by daemonic forces and destroyed.+++

Eastern Zadoc, 2408_013M42

Zadoc: Assault on Celliano results in chaos victory

For more than a month Imperial and chaos forces on Zadoc had been existing in an uneasy stalemate as both sides kept behind their defence lines, occasionally raiding each other, mainly at night. Despite having overwhelming air superiority the imperial navy conducted few air raids, finding few targets of value and as yet unwilling to level the great city of Celliano. As 08.013M42 approached however, Lord General Montgomery was anxious to make a fresh attempt on the removal of chaos forces from the city. This wasn't Hylas or Tyranteous, but the subsector capital itself.

By 0808.013M42 the imperial armies on Zadoc had swelled in size, with Librian and Corellian regiments flooding in from all parts of the sector. The imperial fleet, originally en route to Tyranteous, instead arrived in force over Zadoc, readying itself to play its part in the coming assault. By 1208.013M4, with over a million men and a staggering amount of munitions, General Montgomery was ready to start a fresh assault on Celliano.

On the eve of battle the Imperium received an unexpected boon, as a hooded and cloaked representative of the alien eldar race made himself known to the imperial command. He offered substantial aid, warning that the imperium had woefully underestimated the forces they faced, and that they faced annihilation in the morning. Somewhat reluctantly the imperial commanders accepted the eldar help, rather insulted by the aliens' presumption that they didn't know what they were doing, and on 1308.013M42, the second battle for Celliano began.

Initial progress by the imperial forces was swift, as the tank regiments assigned to the assault made easy progress across the fertile Zadocian plains. However upon reaching the city itself, the advance slowed, as the imperial guard began sweeps of each street supported by their heavy and super heavy vehicles. The eldar were in evidence as well, the imperium being treated to the rare sight of three wraithknights stalking the ruins of the city.

On 1508.013M42 the imperial scouts detected a large mass of chaos forces moving to counter their latest offensive, and Montgomery was able to take the chaos forces by surprise. On the advice of his eldar allies the imperial forces immediately opened up on the advancing chaos forces, although the initial bombardment by Librian artillery and other ordnance was poor and inaccurate.

The forces of chaos, led once again by the Arch Cleric and elements of the Word Bearers, were severely outnumbered initially, but in line with earlier encounters their army was soon swelled by ranks of other-worldly entities. Daemons of all the major powere suddenly spawned themselves onto the battlefield, ripping holes in space time and clawing their way out of the emperean to assault the imperial lines.

As if this wasn't enough to deal with the imperium soon realised the true horror of the situation in Celliano. Fully half the population had somehow been mutated into the service of the chaos gods, and now the same effect which had turned them began to turn their own forces against them. Without warning the eldar suddenly opened fire on their own side with their super heavy skimmers, destroying the super heavy tank "Lance of Divinity" in an awesome pyrotechnic display. Worse was to follow as the Baneblade "IronJaw" similarly turned on its comrades, its crew momentarily ovetaken by the power of the warp.

Instances such as these began to be reported along the entire front, and the imperial advance stalled just three miles into the city proper. The eldar found themselves assaulted by greater daemonic entities, and even more of these began to pour from portals across the settlement, engaging the allied forces in a deadly close combat slaughter which saw the destruction of both Librian Super Heavy vehicles.

Montgomery, realising this was a serious problem, threw in his reserves and ordered the imperial navy to bombard the city. The sky lit up with fire as Celliano was lanced from above by Jellicoe's fleet, the heavy weaponry reducing much of the city to molten slag and the rest to rubble, but the effect on the enemy's ability to fight was minimal. Still the daemons came on, supported by Word Bearers and cultists, and after three days of intense fighting Montgomery realised the assault would have to be halted.

Ordo Malleus agents then informed the imperial commander that the area around the city was becoming increasingly unstable, and as more and more daemons poured from the warp, the eldar informed Montgomery that all was lost, and that they would be leaving. This withdrawal left the remaining Librian and Corellian units int he vicinity of the city without support, and within just a few hours they were surrounded and utterly annihilated by the uncontrolled orgy of violence now ravaging the entire region.

The defeat soon became a rout, and the entire northern half of the continent Ascobabria was abandoned, the city of Chemart falling to the Arch Cleric and his followers by the end of 08.013M42. The uprising, unlike the one on Tyranteous, had now secured a solid foothold on Zadoc, and the imperium were in full retreat.

Order of Battle

Imperium & eldar allies
11th Corellian Armoured Regiment
27th Corellian Mechanised Infantry
9th Super Heavy Tank company
- Stormsword "Lance of Divinity"
- Stormsword "Divine Intervention"
23rd Librian Armoured Regiment
114th Librian Mechanised Infantry
12th Librian Super Heavy Tank Company
- Baneblade "IronJaw"
- Shadowsword
Rillietan Eldar forces

Chaos:
Arch Cleric forces
Covenant of Damnation
Word Bearers
Daemons

Tyranteous; Tau edge south

General Cunningham took control of the situation on Tyranteous by immediately arranging a daring counter-attack on Shadowstrike's forces nearing Greenberg. On the right flank of his armies the Praetorians would hold a defensive posture, while the Librians and Blood Martyrs led the assault from the west of lake Renbow.

The offensive was begun in complete darkness, and Cunningham committed significant armoured forces to the attack on the built up industrial farming complexes north of the city of Greenberg. To a casual observer this would seem poor strategy, as the Librian armour would be at an apparent disadvantage in the built up area, and the tau had superior night fighting equipment. However Cunningham knew that the tau were also very effective in the open fields, so by taking shelter amongst buildings and ruins he was reducing the aliens' advantage. He also reasoned the tau would not expect an attack at night, and in this he was right.

The assault initially took the tau completely by surprise. There was no preliminary bombardment and the imperial forces were able to close with their enemy before the tau realised this was a serious attack. Losses were high and several units simply withdrew without orders, and the tau retreat soon risked becoming a rout. Shadowstrike was away at the tau HQ at the time, but the tau commander on the ground was an able and experienced commander. As the Librians and Blood Marryts surged forward the tau commander kept his head, and despite having lost much of his army he utilised his remaining forces expertly. Riptides were once again key to the battle, but in the end the outcome of the battle was decided by a fierce firefight between tau fire warriors and the astartes. In the end the tau just held on, and despite Cunningham's initial hopes, the offensive stalled as the sun came up, and Shadowstrike was able to wrestle the initiative back for the tau.

With mounting casualties and the tau reinforcements plugging the gaps in their lines, the Librians were forced to retreat, allowing the tau to encircle and take Greenberg, reaching the shores of lake Renbow and cutting the imperial army in two on 0307.013M42. Now commander Dawnstride launched his own offensive in the east, seeking to smash the Praetorian armies on the imperial right flank.

Dawnstride's forces moved into the plains of east Wendrick meeting little resistance from the imperium until two days into the advance. Then the tau met the prepared positions of the Praetorians, who had created formidable defensive positions in a line running all the way from Tallengrove Crossing to just north of the Renbow Refinery complex. The tau struggled to penetrate the prepared positions of the Praetorians, although they quickly dealt with the imperial heavy guns. In a confused battle which degenerated into a long range gun duel, Dawnstride's forces were simply not prepared for the close quarters fighting which was needed to take the Praetorian defences.

After several days of inconclusive fighting, the Praetorians even launched an infantry counter-attack, led by their abhuman Ogryn auxilla. This attack was repulsed with heavy casualties sustained by the imperium, and the tau wondered why the imperium would launch such an attack which had such a slim chance of success. In fact the tau had simply failed to understand imperial logic. The Praetorian commanders knew full well the outcome of an infantry assault against the tau in broad daylight, but while the tau were busy annihilating these forces, they were not concentrating on the defenses themselves, and the imperial forces were given breathing space to move their reserves up to the defence lines. By 1007.013M42 it was clear that Dawnstride would be unable to penetrate the "Praetorian Wall", and the tau called off the offensive in the east.

Tyranids surface on Memnon

The previously relentless onslaught of Hive Fleet Nemesis had been quiet of late, the Hive Minds seemingly content to sit and digest the worlds they had consumed. Biomass was being stored and readied for the next offensive, with analysts on all sides wondering where it would strike.

Perhaps unsurprisingly it was the Eldar Farseers who correctly predicted the movements of the Hive Fleet. It was fortunate that the Tau counted the Eldar as their allies for it was the Tau outpost of Memnon where the Tyranids were next to attack. Slipping through the webway the Eldar met the advance force of the invasion as it was landing. The battle was brutal, with heavy losses on both sides – but these were losses the Eldar could ill afford, and the Tyranids could easily replace. The attack was blunted but in no way stopped.

With the Eldar failing to stop the attack their only hope was that they had bought enough time for their allies to prepare. Outside Research Station Re’Lso Tau forces were being hastily assembled and initially it seemed this may be enough, for only a few Tyranid creatures initially came into view to attack. But as they thought they had the upper hand the defenders were unprepared for a rain of spore pods and winged creatures dropping from the skies, and tunneling beasts emerging from the ground.

Used to keeping their enemies at range the Tau were thrown into disarray, and monsters rampaged through their lines. Many of the defenders broke and ran early in the battle rather than be ripped apart by tooth and claw. An XV104 Riptide held its own amongst the chaos, but was finally bought down by psychic assault for which belief in the Greater Good provides little defence. The battle was over swiftly, the Tyranids quickly consuming what they could. The Tau, who until now had managed to avoid the unstoppable tendrils of Nemesis, realized that they were entering a new fight, possibly their most dangerous so far.

Tyndareous uprising

Following the chaos uprising on Zadoc, it was quickly discovered that the Arch Cleric was not a local force confined to the imperial world. Clearly keen on destabilising the entire subsector, forces claiming loyalty to this new and enigmatic chaos figurehead, again supported by Word Bearers astartes, declared themselves the rulers of Tyndareous, a tau base with some half a million human subjects.

The city of Arrenton was soon lost by the tau, and Dawnstride, nominally in control of Tyndareous, ordered is forces to restore order. In scenes similar to those on Zadoc the tau soon came up against a well prepared and well equipped enemy, supported by heavy weaponry, war engines and vehicles. Somehow the forces of chaos had been slowly building up their forces across the sector, and both the imperium and tau began internal investigations intending to understand how they had allowed such forces to build up on worlds they claimed to control.

The tau assault was easily beaten by the Arch Cleric and his army, and the tau were preparing to re-deploy forces from Tyranteous to secure their vital base, but in the end the sudden and unexpected appearance of eldar forces on Tyndareous turned the tide. A large eldar warhost, supported by at least one mighty Wraith Knight was too much for the Arch Cleric's forces, and the chaos uprising on Tyndareous, unlike on Zadoc, was brutally eliminated. Their base secure the Tau could now concentrate once more on defeating the imperium, but the appearance of chaos forces on one of their own bases had weakened the tau claims that they were superior to the imperium in keeping order, and the water caste now found human ears more skeptical to their overtures. The tau redoubled their efforts to sway the starving on Zadoc however, but now the Arch Cleric appeared to embody salvation for many of the poor, rather than the tau.

Zadoc: Chaos uprising

For months the situation on Zadoc had been deteriorating. With food stocks dwindling and supplies from Tyranteous becoming fewer and more sporadic, the great cities were suffering more and more unrest. The highly stratified society of Zadoc ensured the poorest suffered first, and as food prices spiralled out of control, vast throngs of angry and hungry citizens began protests in each of the cities. These soon became riots, and the Adeptus Arbites and the local PDF spent much of their time putting down the unrest. Governor Valentine Pole did much protesting to the Lord commander of the Sector, but in general, Pole took little action to alleviate the problems on his world, and much food was wasted or squandered by the rich while the poorest starved.

The city of Celliano, governed by a cartell of merchants in much the same way as the rest of the planet, first reported problems on 2006.013M42. At first the ruling elite on Zadoc believed the subsequent loss of contact with the settlement, home to 17 million inhabitants, was just a symptom of a rather more successful uprising, but the PDF regiment sent in to restore order soon found something much worse, reporting an army of cultists following the "Arch Cleric", backed by blasphemous warmachines and the agents of chaos. The PDF regiment was annihilated.

The response to the news of chaos forces on Zadoc was remarkably swift. General Montgomery immediately assigned several Librian regiments to Zadoc, ordering Libria herself to double her military tithe. The Salamanders, at the time conducting operations on Hylas and Tyranteous, already had forces on Zadoc, and these were rapidly redeployed to the northern city. Meanwhile Governor Pole became another casualty of Commissar-General Crowe, removed from power and placed under house arrest for his dereliction of duty and woeful handling of the Zadoc food crisis.

The Librians and Salamanders found the city of Celliano already held by the forces of chaos, and intelligence suggested daemonic forces as well as those of the hated Word Bearers traitor legion in place in the city. It seemed the Word Bearers had found fertile ground in which to spread their treacherous and heretical ideas. On 3006.013M42 the imperial force attacked from Chemart, directly assaulting the rebel city. At first the battle went well, as the Salamanders forced their way into the heart of the city, while the Librians protected the astartes flanks.

The Librians had difficulties however, finding the streets of Celliano less than ideal for their mechanised force, and it became increasingly difficult to redeploy their armoured assets as the chaos forces rapidly moved to meet the threat of the Salamanders. In the centre the fighting was brutal. While imperial artillery massacred the lightly armed and armoured cultists, the forces of the Arch Cleric concentrated on the Salamanders' thrust. Here both sides took heavy casualties, with the elite of the elite trying desperately to break the chaos line. However the Salamanders fell just short, and by early 07.013M42 it was clear that the imperial force hadn't managed to dislodge the chaos forces from critical objectives in the city. Reluctantly the Salamanders commander ordered his forces to withdraw, and the Librians backed off too, forming a defence line just to the west of the city.

Tyranteous: Shadowstrike's trap

A rapid series of operations had driven Imperial forces from Tyranteous' northern continent and secured the planetary capital for the Tau Empire. This was a significant blow to Imperial moral but the Tau themselves place little value on the acquisition of territory. The major obstacle to breaking the back of Imperial forces on Tyranteous were the Space Marine chapters currently supporting the Imperial war effort. Elite, well equipped and superbly mobile the Emperor's finest were capable of striking anywhere and at any time.

Shadowstrike badly wanted to eliminate this threat but the Marine's mobility and grasp of strategy made them impossible to engage on the Tau's terms. In order to destroy them they would have to be brought to a time and place of the Tau's choosing. To this end Shadowstrike decided to employ the strategy of Kauyon – The Patient Hunter. In Kauyon a bait or false indication of weakness is used to draw enemy forces into an ambush. In order to lure the mighty Space Marines en masse the bait would have to be something of enormous value, something totally irresistible to Imperial command, and the location would have to be a place only the Space Marines could reach.

Only one bait would be sufficient to entice the Imperium into taking such a risk: Shadowstrike himself. In an intricate operation the Tau ensured that Imperial Intelligence would discover the location of Shadowstrike's command complex, codenamed Superiority. Located far behind the front lines and covered by the protective umbrella of the Tau Air Caste in air and space only a rapid orbital insertion could hope to succeed in breaching the base and killing Shadowstrike.

The bait was further sweetened by the arrival of Commanders Whitefire and Dawnstride at Superiority Complex. In a heated war council Marine captains warned of the risks of an orbital strike so far from friendly forces but High Command would hear none of it. They were desperate for a significant victory to demonstrate to their own superiors they had a grip on the situation. The spectre of a multitude of worlds lost to the Tau under Shadowstrike's command hung over them and motivated them to abandon all reason in securing his demise. Reluctantly the Space Wolves and Lamenters based on Tyranteous agreed to the strike.

The trap set, Shadowstrike's plan was disrupted by the last minute arrival of an Ethereal at the base on a surprise inspection. He was quickly escorted back to the landing pad and a shuttle called in to remove him from the impending conflict but before it could arrive the Marines struck.

Without warning drop pods screamed down from orbit, blazing through the sky in trails of fire. Closely behind followed the finest of the Lamenters, jumping out of Thunderhawks in the upper atmosphere and using their jump packs to control their fall. The suddenness and ferocity of such attacks had broken many armies throughout the galaxy but Shadowstrike had studied his enemies tactics and the Tau were ready and waiting. Even as the Marines made planetfall they took heavy incoming fire from carefully sited and concealed air defences and found themselves instantly surrounded by a force many times strong than they had expected.

In the open layout of the Tau base there was no place of respite from the overwhelming volume of fire directed at each contingent as they arrived. The Space Marines had some initial success in bringing down the Tau's Riptides – suits so large their positions had been identified from orbit and were the first targets of the Marines' wrath. But it was too little and the Marines suffered catastrophic casualties. A mechanised thrust which approached the base perimeter, somehow not detected by the Tau until it was too late, was able to make a stand but as soon as the Marines within the base had been eliminated the Tau turned their weaponry outwards and the tanks too were destroyed.

The Tau plan had been an overwhelming success and the attackers casualties had been enormous with the Tau's own losses minimal. Despite this Shadowstrike took little joy in the victory. Over many conflicts the Tau had learned to respect the Space Marines as skilled, honourable and worthy adversaries and the sight of so many great warriors slaughtered through the stupidity of commanders who would never themselves set foot on a battlefield was tragic. In a show of respect the bodies of the dead marines were returned to their Chapters so that they might be honoured in whatever way their battle brothers deemed fit.

This action did bring one unexpected ray of hope to the Imperium – the grainy imagery from a dead Space Wolve's helmet camera seemed to show a battle suit tentatively identified as Commander Whitefire being felled by a Krak missile in the closing moments of the battle. His fate was unknown but in a desperate effort to save his own neck it allowed Lord General Brooke to claim the attack had been at least partially successful in eliminating the Tau high command. This did little to endear him to the Space Marine chapters supporting his efforts who saw such a 'victory' as no compensation at all for so many dead.

It wasn't enough for General Brooke. By 0607.013M42 he was out of a job, replaced by General Montgomery by the Commissar-General of the sector, Lord Ferdinand Crowe. Crowe, who had arrived with the new sector government, had been content to sit back and watch events unfold. The latest catastrophe on Tyranteous made up his mind. In the same week that Brooke was moved to an "administrative role", Lord General Roover was "retired", and the general on the ground, who had fallen so completely for Shadowstrike's trap, Mikell Denham found himself courtmartialled and executed for dereliction of duty. General Cunningham, a veteran of Melberg and Tarsis, was called upon once more, finding himself again facing the tau in an almost impossible situation, with orders to hold the line.

Tyranteous: The battle of Wendrick

With the loss of the north on Tyranteous, Lord General Brooke at subsector command immediately got a verbal battering from his superior, which via astropath, was a surreal thing to behold for his command council. The irrascible tones of Lord General Thaddeus Roover came through strongly in the entranced voice of the diminutive astropath, who proceeded to deliver the dressing down of a high ranking imperial guard officer with no hint of the peculiarity of the situation. Roover was keen to know why General Denham on the ground had allowed the tau to gain a foothold in Wendrick, and whether the capital was at risk, while demanding an immediate counter-attack with the resources which were already "plentiful" enough for their purpose.

The highest ranking general in the sector sounded worried, even in the warp distorted and infuriated tones emanating from the astropath this was evident. Brooke, commander of the subsector was painfully aware of the arrival of the new sector government, and Roover's need to impress on them that the sector was in safe hands with him, despite the plentiful evidence to the contrary with the loss of Alphe, Betor, Tarsis, Melberg and the Rim Worlds... This meant more and more desperate urging that the campaigns on Hylas and Tyranteous be brought to a successful conclusion, or at least show some positive movement. For now the war against the orks was quiet, but on Tyranteous the tau were enjoying a string of victories with their new technology, and Roover was concerned that by the time admiral Jellicoe's fleet arrived, there would be nothing left to save.

Privately the senior admiral in the sector felt that Tyranteous would be lost before he could send a force, so Grand Admiral Bova Magnus did not order his subordinate Jellicoe to apply any speed to the preparations of the "Tyranteous task force". So far 6 months had past and it appeared the imperial fleet was no nearer to leaving Caitlen station, with Jellicoe citing "urgent repairs" and other pressing concerns as reasons to stall. General Denham had no choice but to continue the war, and in mid 06.013M42 with the help of a small force of Blood Martyrs, he planned his counter attack for his seniors.

Denham began his counter attack on 2006.013M42, using his Librian Guard as a blunt weapon against the tau forces. His objectives were the tau bases which had been set up behind the front line to act as marshalling and supply points for the tau army. His imperial guard forces advanced on a wide front, supported by units of Blood Martyrs and a savage artillery bombardment which crippled a number of hammerhead gunships in the early exchanges of fire.

The attack started well for the imperium, with the tau suffering losses. The aliens gave ground, with Denham's Librian mechanised forces reaching their primary objectives on the first day. Then commander Whitefire sprung his trap. Supported by the up and coming commander Dawnstride, Whitefire's forces included Riptude battlesuits, which once again the imperium found difficult to deal with. the battle escalated as Denham threw in his reserve, committing chimera borne veterans and hellhound flame tanks into the fight. Again the tau took heavy casualties, their infantry suffering to the imperial fire, but Whitefire now committed his reserves. Hordes of kroot which had been hiding in the marshy forests of northern Wendrick surprised the imperial attackers and disrupted their momentum. The Blood Martyrs leading the speartip of the imperial advance were forced to double back to deal with deep striking crisis suits, which proved to be a more difficult foe than even the astartes had imagined.

By 2506.013M42 further reserves had been committed, and the imperial navy had been called in to strafe and bomb the alien positions. Little by little however the imperial advance slowed, and although the tau continued to suffer, losing one of their Riptides finally on 26th, the imperial advance had once again failed to break through. On 2706.013M42 the imperial forces began retreating, a retreat which increased in speed as Shadowstrike committed a fresh attack to the imperial lines. Halt lines were overrun and soon the imperial guard was almost in full rout. The line stabilised on 2906.013M42, but by then the capital had been lost and the Wendrick bridgehead widened along the Lanwick sea and Jute Strait. On 3006.013M42 General Brooke's astropath once again reported a message from his commander. This time Brooke asked for it to be translated to him in writing...
Supply of food to Zadoc is further reduced.

Power of Chaos

Gargash: Uzfang defeats Lorek invasion

With the success of the chaos forces on Zoggot, Lorek sought to capitalise this by immediately launching an invasion of the far more populous and strategic world of Gargash in the Enceladus subsector. Taking Gargash would be a huge achievement towards the ultimate goal of wiping out the orks in the subsector, and joining the Norsefire empire with the chaos zone around Charybdis. If Lorek could achieve that, and eventual overlordship of the entire subsector, the entire sector would be ripe for a black crusade the like of which would make the losses in the Perseus Deeps seem trivial. The invasion plan was simple. Lorek would infiltrate forces on to the planet then use his summoned daemons to overwhelm key installations protecting the world. Then the major invasion, involving Lorek's moderate fleet, would commence.

Unfortunately the assault on the fortresses did not go well for Lorek. The key installation in the far north was protected by a significant ork force, bolstered by Uzfangs boyz when the ork warboss correctly identified that Gargash would be the next chaos target. The greenskins, keen to impress their leader, fought violently and tenaciously, goading the daemons into pointless fights with little tactical merit, and allowing Uzfang to ensure the key strategic locations of the fortress remained intact and under ork control. The casualty count was high but the fortress held, ensuring a full blown invasion would be suicidal to any approaching fleet. Gargash was safe from chaos invasion, at least for the time being.

Tau conquer northern Tyranteous

Lord General looked out on the scene in front of him from the palace balcony overlooking the city of Jutesburgh. The sun was setting, casting a peaceful orange glow over the settlement, and causing the distant waters of the Jute Strait to shine like a sea of jewels. Seabirds called to each other, and the sound of merchants and city dwellers closing for the day reminded the general of sunny evenings spent drinking on his homeworld many years before. Only the faint smudge of smoke in the far west revealed the danger now posed to imperial rule on Tyranteous, although the imposing presence of Commissar Ehren behind him in the ante room reminded Lord General Mikell Denham of the perilous position he now personally found himself in.

The north had been lost. He had known the tau attack was coming, and he had positioned his forces accordingly. He had the support of four companies of astartes. In the far north his imperial guard units had been supported by the Mantis Warriors, and in the city of Hammerton the Red Angels, Blood Angels and Blood Martyrs had come together to defend the city. Further south Denham had ordered a push north by his Librian units, to link up with the imperial forces in Hammerton. The plan had been sound, and his forces sufficient, so he thought, to turn the tide against the alien invaders and start winning the war.

Now, just a week later, North Vale and North Landing had been lost, and his army in Hammerton destroyed, its guardsman killed or captured, and the equipment lost. The Corellians and Librians further south had barely managed to get across the Jute Strait with the tau snapping at their heels. Further west, the enemy had been stopped at Weybridge crossing, but now the tau had a bridgehead on Wendrick, just a few hundred kilometres from the capital itself. How had it gone so wrong?

Commander Shadowstrike had been instrumental in the planning of operation Ulysses, the plan to rid the northern continent of imperial forces, and begin the next phase of the conquest of the imperial agri-world. Shadowstrike was keen to break the imperial armies, and the operation focussed on the seige of Hammerton. Shadowstrike was well aware that the imperium would try to defend the city, forcing the tau to accept a war of attrition in the streets of the settlement, probably intending to use their genetically engineered elite forces to massacre the tau in the streets. Commanders Windgather and Whitefire were summoned to add their forces to the attack on Hammerton and Shadowstrike devised an assault to cancel out their enemies' superiority in city fighting.

Rather than expend lives attacking the city walls Shadowstrike instead opted to bypass them completely as suits and grav tanks were deployed by mantas directly into the city after bombarding the walls, driving the defenders back into shelter of the city. In the run up to the attack the area around Hammerton was covered by heavy snow and blizzards. This time ground forces are accompanied by sky rays (although deployed in very limited numbers) to guard against air attack, however on d-day snow was fairly light and barracudas are able to fly.

The imperial forces in Hammerton now unleashed their astarted forces, believing the Tau's position in the city to still be tenuous. Space Marines of the Blood Angels and Dark Angels chapter launched an immediate all out counter attack but found themselves caught in deadly crossfire. For the first time the imperial forces on Tyranteous faced the deployment of multiple XV104 'Riptide' battlesuits, the first major deployment of such suits within the Aleph subsector. The effect was devastating, as the suits, backed up by the smaller 'crisis' variants and broadsides, prove to be highly effective in the dense city terrain, and everywhere the counter attacking imperial forces find themselves lit up by markerlights, targetted by missiles from unseen enemies and ambushed as suits and grav tanks appear from behind buildings and on roofs. Light skimmers strike from the maze of alleyways, and despite a spiritied attack from the Blood Martyrs on the right flank, the imperial forces suffer massive casualties.

As the fighting wore on into the second day, the survivors of the Dark Angels and Blood Angels are forced to quit the city, while all counter attackers are slaughtered or forced to pull back. Only a few indomitable space marines make it to the Tau lines and bitter back and forth fighting erupts around strategically important buildings. Left isolated, they are eventually surrounded and gunned down. The battle ended as tau forces moved in on central cathedral with Shadowstrike himself jetting up the approach, flanked by his personal bodyguard and surrounded by multiple Riptides. A few marines of the Red Angels fought bravely on to the last, but Hammerton was lost, well before the imperial attack from the south got anywhere near their objectives.

The southern thrust soon found itself in difficulty, ambushed on all sides in the rolling terrain of North Landing, and taken apart from the sky by barracudas. The retreat began, while in the far north, another battle was taking place.

Shadowstrike had been content to leave the imperial forces bottled up in the north, but the tau received an unexpected offer of aid from the eldar. If the tau agreed to assault Denham's forces in North Vale, the eldar would assist, so long as the tau would not get in the way of their own mission. Shadowstrike accepted the offer as it allowed him to secure his flanks with a relatively low commitment of troops.

The imperium had gathered a large force in the north, comprising of local PDF units, a praetorian regiment, units of the 405th Orbital defence force, supported by a strike force from the Mantis Warriors chapter. They had been planning their own advance on the orders of Lord General Denham, and initially they made good progress, finding tau resistance weak. As usual the tau were only to willing to sacrifice land of low strategic importance for time, and this they did with skill, harrying the attackers but allowing them to advance, spread out, and fall into the carefully prepared eldar trap.

The imperial forces met the allied eldar/tau force in a wide valley in the northern continent. Here they found themselves confronted by a large force and immediately dug in, errecting a vast line of Aegis defences, near to an ancient alien ruin and a vast stretch of woodland known as the wraith forest. This region was in fact the reason for the eldar visit, as the farseers had identified an opportunity to seal the warp gate still active on the planet.

Commander Moonshine had been left in no doubt that the eldar were on their own mission and not to interfere. Instead the tau commander concentrated on the destruction of the imperial forces while the eldar advanced on the monument. At first it was feared the imperium would get to the sacred eldar site first, but the imperial guard commanders along with the space marines had decided on a cautious approach, one which was to prove costly. Once the wraithguard of the Rillietan took up positions in the giant monument's ruins it proved impossible to shift them, and harrying attacks from the tau severely mauled the imperial forces.

In the wraith forest, the ghosts of the eldar past saw some of their kin succumb to their own ancient nightmares, several warriors simply wandering off and disappearing after hearing their ancestors' eerie calls, but the imperial forces were unable to capitalise on this, their own forces being just as loathe to enter the strange woodlands. On the imperial left flank their forces did advance, but too late. The eldar were able to disable the warp gate then turn to the annihilation of the enemy forces. Along with commander Moonface's hunter cadres, the imperial advance was checked, then thrown into retreat as the alliance surged forward. The retreat soon became a rout, as the Mantis Warriors abandonned the imperial guard to their fate. The PDF units and the Orbital Defence Force fled for their lives, while the Praetorians vainly tried to hold the line. General Denham tried to order an evacuation, but Shadowstrike made sure any airborne rescue was turned back by waves of tau interceptors launched from the fleet above the planet. There would be no escape this time.

By 0706.013M42 the last defenders in the north had been mopped up, and the eldar forces simply melted away, leaving the tau in command of North Vale. Further south the Corellians and Zadocians had managed to set up a defensive line south of Lanwick Crossing, and the tau impetus had spent itself. Shadowstrike was more than content with the success of operation Ulysses, while the imperium were once again reeling from a defeat to the tau empire. Meanwhile on Zadoc the lack of food was becoming more critical, with riots and famines now sweeping several of the hives. Food had to get to the imperial capital of the subsecto before it fell into anarchy. Imperial rule in the Zadoc subsector was more tenuous than ever.

Grimlock: Tyranids held at Atlis

During 05.013M42 the war between chaos and the tyranids on Grimlock continued with brutal ferocity. mobile warfare had briefly given way to hit and run raids, bombing campaigns and chemical and biological warfare, before Nemesis launched a major assault on the strategically vital region of Atlis towards the middle of the month.

The chaos leaders hadn't expected an attack on this region, as it was protected on three sides by the Atal and Krendal seas. However, the armoured warriors of Nemesis showed that mere oceans were not a barrier, and turned up in force near the settlement of Eribank. Here an enourmous battle involving over a million defenders took place amongst the ruins of the once populous city, and titan's clashed with vast bio constructs. Eventually the encounter was settled when the chaos army's centre collapsed, allowing the tyranids to break through on all sides. Eribank fell and the defenders of Buttermont quickly fled south. It seemed all of Atlis would fall and with it much hope of a chaos final victory.

The Death Guard however were unperturbed, and holed themselves up in the rocky hills surrounding the former Imperial base of Hakargh. The base itself had long been converted to use by traitor Astartes legions, and the mighty fortress had been embelished with brass towers and monuments to the four powers of the warp.

Unimpressed with the display of martial prowess, Nemesis assaulted the fortress of Hakargh, finding the nurgle devotees defending the narrow passes to the installation both tough and stubborn. The tratior marines arrayed their forces in disciplined lines, sending a withering hail of accurate fire into their enemy's ranks as the hordes of tyranids tried to close with their foe. The weather was appalling and this seemed to slow the hive mind and the warriors themselves, and gradually the death guard thinned out the press of alien creatures before finally breaking the back of the attack.

having saved the fortress, the Death Guard set about leading the counter attack against an increasingly disorganised foe. Before the month was out the ruined cities of Buttermont and Eribank had been retaken, and all of Atlis restored to chaos rule. Nemesis would have to think again before considering the world of Grimlock ripe for consumption.

Wider Sector Events

During the latter half of 05.013M42 the Aleph Sector as a whole began to see a steady upsurge in violence. The main arenas of the Perseus Deeps and Zadoc Subsector were the most active, and the war on Fort Sparcos between the orks and tyranids continued, with hive fleet Nemesis closing its grip ever tighter around the massive ork facility, while ork pirates and rok fleets vied with the tyranid bioships in a chaotic series of running battles around the planet.

Further afield the Dark Eldar of the Shattered Silence cabal continued their machinations in the Vastrid sector, continuing their construction of a secret base in the Radeon Cluster, putting their successful raid over the Death Guard to good use. In the Enceladus subsector, the Tau launched their first ever mission into the unknown, following a sudden calming of warp tides in the region. Commander Fastblade, finding a number of worlds infested by chaos and orks, put his new equipment and technology to the test, conducting a series of successful raids against the greenskins.

The most notable event came on 2405.013M42, when the Oberon class battleship Barham arrived at Vastrid after several months in the warp. The vessel had not announced its arrival, and the vast vessel, escorted by a flotilla of smaller craft caused some concern on the subsector capital before finally it was revealed that the new Aleph ruling council had arrived.

Lord General Roover and Lord Admiral Magnus had got wind of the changes several months previously, and were relieved to find an imperial governor appointed rather than a warmaster of a new crusade. They would keep their posts, for now at least. The new arrivals also included a Cardinal and a Lord Marshall of the Adeptus Arbites, as well as an inquisitor lord. The Adeptus Terra clearly meant business about bringing the rule of imperial law back to the sector as a whole.

The new Imperial Governor, Titus Luthor had chosen Vastrid as his seat of power after finding out in transit that the former capital Aleph 4 was no longer loyal to the emperor. This was of particular irritation to the current government of Vastrid, which found its government offices and imperial palace forfiet to Luthor's requirements, and they were forced to move their own seat of government to Cravenhead.

Luthor had had to spend his months journeying to the sector learning about the history of the sector, and why his new domain was half the size it had been a millenia previously. Luthor made good relationships with Cardinal Cassar and Lord Marshall Van-Gelt during the trip, and they agreed that the sector was in serious need of guidance. Luthor would be having stiff words with commanders of the Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy upon his arrival as well.

The Barham's most secretive new arrival was Lord Inquisitor Natalia Vorushko, who had kept herself mostly to herself during the trip. Upon her arrival she set up the Aleph Sector Convocation, of which she was head, and summoned all inquisitors to her from across the sector. This included the rivals Hathek and Xanthus, as well as Lord Inquisitor Huron. Vorushko was determined to "clear up" certain matters around the recent "inquisition war", and prevent any further outbreaks of violence between her colleagues.

Aleph Sector Ruling Council - Bloodmouth, Vastrid, Vastrid subsector
Imperial Governor Titus Luthor (Adeptus Terra) - arrived 2405.013M42
Cardinal Leoten Cassar (Adeptus Ministorium) - arrived 2405.013M42
Lord Marshall Severus Van-Gelt (Adeptus Arbites) - arrived 2405.013M42
Lord General Thaddeus Roover (Imperial Guard)
Lord Admiral Bova Magnus (Imperial Navy)


Aleph Sector Convocation
Lord Inquisitor Natalia Vorushko (Inquisition) - arrived 2405.013M42
- Lord Inquisitor Xanthus
- Lord Inquisitor Hathek
- Lord Inquisitor Huron