Battles in the Mabb Nebula

General Alexander, returned once more to high command following Inquisitor Xanthus' restarting of the war with the Tau in the Mabb Nebula, was keen to take the offensive in the Shadow Worlds theatre as 03.012M42 approached its end. Alexander had commanded a battlegroup in the Nebula previously, but had seen his forces stripped away to bolster the glittering successes of Veers' crusade in the Perseus Deeps. With Veers' push petering out and Alphe invaded by the Tyranids following the fall of Betor, the focus of Thaddeus Roover turned once again to the Zadoc subsector. This was much to General Alexander's liking.

Alexander's initial plan for the campaign called for simultaneous landings against the Orks on Fort Aerin and Fort Sparcos, as well as an assault against the Tau colony of Va Doran. The Tau had conquered Tyndareous, but that would all be for nought if Va Doran and Memnon, their other two supply bases, fell to a concerted Imperial attack.

The General was hampered as ever by fewer forces than he wanted. Although the Mabb Nebula was once again a major theatre, equipment and men were slow to arrive, so by 2003.012M42 Alexander could only call on a few regiments of Guard, one naval battlegroup and a company of Space Wolves. Even so, he modified his plan to use these to their maximum effectiveness. He dropped the idea of a simultaneous assault against the forts, and instead chose to concentrate on Fort Aerin, while sending the Space Wolves against Va Doran.

On 2603.012M42 the Imperial battlegroup arrived at Fort Aerin. They were opposed, as Alexander expected, by the Ork fleet of Da Verminator, but on the bridge of the Oberon class Royal Sovereign, was the extremely capable and experienced rear admiral Dreyer. The orks were brushed aside by Dreyer's strange battlegroup, an experimental formation comprising of two Oberon class battleships with a flotilla of Dauntless light cruisers. Aided by superior naval firepower, the Imperial guard regiments then succeeded in establishing a bridgehead on the fortress world.

This good news was followed quickly by the Space Wolf invasion of Va Doran. Despite being outnumbered by the Tau, the Astartes took them by complete surprise, and naive tactics by the aliens quickly lead to the Tau being routed wherever the Space Wolves attacked. By the end of 03.012M42 the Imperium had a respectable foothold on Va Doran and Alexander's new campaign had got off to an auspicious start.

The Imperium were further aided against the Orks on 2803.012M42, when the Rillietan arrived unexpectedly, raiding the Ork held fort Sparcos, something they had helped the Orks take from the Imperium in previous campaigns. Now however it seemed the Ork infestation no longer suited their needs, and after a brutal fight, the Eldar withdrew, having inflicted grevious damage on Waagh! Thrugnik.