Nemesis: Encounters increase

During the latter part of 05.009M42 the number of contacts with the Tyranid xenos increased markedly, with more actions recorded in the sector than for the whole of the previous four months. Inquisitor Hathek, monitoring the situation, recieved news that further skirmishes with the xenos had occurred on the Ork world of Kallack, but that the Orks apparently had the situation under control and a major Tyranid incursion on the planet did not seem likely.

Meanwhile Betor reported its first planetside Tyranid encounters on 2405.009M42 when contact was lost with a remote settlement in the northern part of the planet's main contintent. Units from the 3rd Cerberex Regiment were sent to investigate, along with local Inquisitor Ximinez and shortly after arriving they found evidence of a slaughter. Dismembered bodies lay across the village main square and all had curious lesions to their head and neck.

Minutes after their arrival the Tyranids attacked the expedition, but Ximinez had been wise to demand a full regiment as escort. The Imperial Guard forces were too strong for the xenos attack and soon overwhelmed them, slaughtering the beasts and burning their remains. By the end of 3005.009M42 the pall of smoke was visible from over 100km distant.

As 06.009M42 began Inquisitor Hathek was becoming reassured by these reports. It appeared that the splinter fleet Nemesis had split into small groups and was now immolating itself against the much stronger enemy forces on Kallack and Betor. He postponed his plans to redirect forces from Librian and Zadoc and cancelled his secret meeting with an envoy of the Tau Empire. However, Hathek was unaware that a third world , a small and unimportant world controlled by the forces of Chaos, had been attacked and plundered. While not overrun, this attack on the third world would have caused Hathek to question his hypothesis and that of the inquisition, that the splinter fleet was small and easily containable. But on 0206.009M42, the Inquisitor General of the Aleph Sector was unaware of this latest development.