The End on Calliden

With the Necron advance continuing to push north into the heartlands of Calliden, the master of the Iron Warriors in the sector, Warsmith Stahl, was quickly coming to the conclusion that continued fighting was a futile gesture, and was looking for away to rescue the situation. He was more than happy therefore to entertain a shadowy figure who arrived without warning or announcement in the Warsmith's chambers, claiming to represent the Harakhty dynasty, especially when the emissary declared he was looking for a way to end the bloodshed on Calliden.

There was of course no humanitarian aspect to either sides' negotiations. The Necrons wished to complete the conquest of Calliden as soon as possible, and saw the continued Chaos resistance as an annoyance, slowing up their military build up against the Tau, against whom they next intended to strike. For Stahl, he desperately wanted to stabilise the Chaos line in the Perseus Deeps, and the only way to do that would be to abandon Calliden, thereby reinforcing Carnage, Kendrenec and Mordecai.

The two leaders agreed a truce, whereby the Iron Warriors would leave the world along with all their military hardware. Meanwhile Stahl ensured a substantial Chaos fleet was sent to escort the leaving forces, in case the Necrons decided to go back on their agreement. After reinforcing Carnage, Stahl then planned to order Lorek and Thok to muster their fleets at Mordecai to prevent Necron invasion, while setting up his own capital on Carnage.

Lorek was sent into a violent rage upon hearing news of the agreement. Declaring Stahl a traitor, but inwardly irritated more that the Necrons had gone to Stahl to negotiate and not himself, Lorek mustered up a large army and began to besiege luthien, where Stahl currently had his headquarters. Unfortunately for Lorek his forces could not match those of the Master of Chaos, and despite destroying much of the Iron Warrior's vehicles and fortifications, the army sent against Stahl was all but wiped out, confirming the Iron Warriors' position as leader of the Chaos Empire. When Tragean and Thok obeyed Stahl's deployment orders without question, Lorek realised his weakened position, and publically denied the battle had taken place, citing Warsmith's "diplomatic genius" in negotiating with the Necrons.

The withdrawal from Calliden was enacted swiftly over the next few weeks, and the effects were almost immediate. The Chaos supply lines shortened, and they now had more forces to defend fewer places. This outcome prompted the other races of the Deeps to enter into a furious round of unprecedented diplomacy, with both the Eldar and Warsmith Stahl privately offering an alliance against the Necrons to the Tau. The Eldar also contacted the Federacy and the Imperium in their attempt to create a "grand alliance" to the twin enemies, now apparently acting under a flag of truce with one another.

The Federacy were luke warm to suggestions of an alliance and the Eldar realised they would not actively help until one of their own worlds was threatened. It was obvious the Necrons may move against Myrentas II, but the Necrons would not be foolish enough to declare that intention until the Federacy had no allies left. An alliance with the Imperium and the Tau was also out of the question, since the Tau refused to work with the Imperium under their current leadership, and until Inquisitor Xanthis was removed permanently, so the Eldar for now had to be content with an alliance with the Tau, and this would not be easy or quick to achieve.