Ares re-invaded

Ares remained eldar free for all of a week. The Dark Angels had failed to find the webway portal in the hills above Hephath Station, and on 0510.012M42 the eldar returned. This time the Shattered Silence dark eldar kabal led the assault, conducting a violent assualt on Hephath Station which effectively levelled the settlement, rendering it a heap of rubble, abandonned by its population in any case. General Veers had suspected the eldar would return and the Corellian Storm Guard had been garisonned on the world since their arrival in 09.012M42, but it was the Aurora Angels who moved the quickest to halt the eldar advance.

Unfortunately the astartes found themselves blundering into an alien trap as they moved up the valley. Fast moving dark eldar raiders tore into the space marine force, causing heavy casualties and forcing them to turn back. Worse was to come. While the Shattered Silence occupied the astartes force, a separate force of eldar corsairs moved around the rear of the imperial force, surrounding them. As the Aurora Angels retreated, they came into contact with the corsairs, and were soundly beaten. Only evacuation by air saved the remaining marines from total annihilation, and the abortive counter attack yielded the ruins of Hephath station once more to the Xenos.

The failure of the Aurora Angels frustrated General Veers. He appointed General Orkar Vassilevsky overall commander on Ares, and the wily old general set to work immediately building defences to protect Ares city. Vassilevsky planned for a war of attrition, hoping that he could convince the eldar their invasion was hopeless, while the inquisition searched for the webway portal which was allowing the eldar to come and go with impunity.

Vassilevsky had four Imperial Guard regiments at his command on Ares. The Corellian ?th, Librian 12th and 14th infantry regiments, and the Praetorian 9th. With the eldar now entrenched in Hephath and moving down the valley towards Ares City, the Corellians were sent in to bring the alien advance to a halt. In this they were successful, bringing to battle a force of Craftworld eldar, identifying yet another faction of the alien race working together on Ares.

Although the eldar were held again, their reappearance on Ares and the presence of a number of factions signalled the alien intent to take the world. However, the Imperium were equally determined to keep it.