Eldar interfere on Fort Sparcos

The continued encroachment of hive fleet Nemesis into the Mabb Nebul had been viewed with growing concern by the eldar as 012M42 drew to a close. The war on Fort Sparcos between the tyranids and the orks had been going on for some time, but ork victories had been few and far between. Nemesis looked likely to eventually consume the world, but instead of pressing home its advantage the hive fleet had recently attacked the tau colony of Va'Doran. Although the tau had successfully defended their world, the eldar worried that Nemesis was somehow losing interest in the orks, and making plans to attack other worlds in the Mabb nebula.

what the eldar feared the most was the hive fleet splinter from Alphe and Betor changing course and discovering the exodite worlds of Mael Kithlan, Shelwe Agir and Saim Lann, which the eldar had spent a lot of time carefully concealing from prying eyes. The tyranids however had senses like no other, and the worlds would eventually be discovered as a potential candidate for consumption unless the fleet's tendrils were kept well away.

The eldar, led by the Rillietan, had been counting on the fall of Fort Sparcos and subsequent invasion of Kallack by Nemesis. The large and populous ork world of Kallack wouldn't fall swiftly, and the eldar would see their two principal threats in the Zadoc subsector pitted against each other in a long and bloody war, one which the eldar hoped to prolong for as long as possible.

The failed invasion of Va'Doran convinced the farseers that the hive fleet's intentions were at odds with their hopes and they resolved to "convince" both the orks and the extra galactic aliens to pursue a long war with each other, one way or another.

The first part of the plan was simple. The Rillietan would strike against the tyranids on Fort Sparcos, dealing them as much damage as possible to make the hive world think the fort was important to them. Previous experience had shown the reaction by the alien organisms was usually aggressive, and Nemesis could be expected to invest more resources into a planetary assault if it was defeated by the eldar.

While the Rillietan conducted this raid, the Shattered Silence and eldar corsairs, allied to the Rillietan cause would strike at Thrugnik's base in the fort itself, causing as much damage as possible before retreating. This should ensure that an envigorated Nemesis would make short work of the defenders and begin the much awaited invasion of Kallack itself.

The first part of the plan went well, with the Rillietan causing significant damage to the tyranid forces found to be ringing the fortress on Sparcos. However in the fort itself, Thrugnik's forces were well equipped and well led. Both raids were defeated by the greenskins, with the corsairs in particular taking heavy casualties. Worse still, the orks decided to take no further risks against their enemies and started an immediate programme to bolster their defences on the planet. The fort became stronger than ever and the eldar plan had failed. There would be no invasion of Kallack in the near future at least.