Chess game around Bastien

As 05.010M42 began, Battlegroup Apocalypse was joined by a number of Space Marine detachments, including companies from the Ultramarines, Lamenters, Blood Drinkers and Blood Martyrs chapters. While General Veers continued his invasion buildup, a number of smaller forces, mostly led by space marine companies, were dispatched to the smaller worlds around the Bastien system, with the intention of securing the invasion path when it came.

The critical systems around Bastien were the chaos held Ares and Eris, but also Enaloth, Gamordal and Gamador. The last three had no chaos presence at all, but raiding orks, necrons and tyranid vanguard forces would pose a serious threat to the secutity of the Perseus Deeps crusade.

Knowing this, the Ultramarines were the first to go into action, arriving at Gamador on 0205.010M42. With typical efficiency the astartes forces took their objectives, winning any skirmishes with defending necron forces. In just two days the necron ability to seriously threaten Corticant and the invasion of Bastien had been seriously damaged, and the ultramarines, job done, returned to Corticant.

At the same time the Blood Drinkers, backed up by units of Imperial guard, landed on both Eris and Gamordal. On Eris they faced a small detachment of traitor marines loyal to the Claws of Lorek. In a bloody and bitter encounter the traitor forces were decisively beaten and by 0905.010M42 the minor world had been secured by Imperial forces after a lightning campaign.

On Gamordal the marines were also successful, but the orks were more numerous and better prepared to meet the Imperial invasion. In a series of battles which saw their captain captured by the greenskins the Blood Drinkers secured a bridgehead on the planet. At the same time, hoping to deal with the Imperium anywhere but Bastien a traitor legion allied to the Claws of Lorek had launched a raid on the Ork world but had found the greenskin defences too strong to break through and were forced to abandon their attempted landing.

The Claws of Lorek were however successful in dealing with vanguard forces of Nemesis which had somehow made their way to Ares. The alien threat was dealt with as soon as it was discovered, and it seemed that Nemesis would continue to be a constant irritant, rather than threat in the Perseus Deeps.

The Porphyrians meanwhile, sent to Cathasaea to establish a listening post designed to give early warning to any chaos, Tau or UFP military buildup, suffered badly when they were set upon by eldar, without warning as they landed. After a one sided fight the Porphyrians were forced to re-embark. Clearly the eldar were not keen on an Imperial presence on Cathasaea and General Veers would not have his early warning system in place by the time his Bastien invasion was ready.