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