Inquisition war re-ignites

in mid 02.013M42 the unity of the imperium in the alpeh sector, tenuous at the best of time, started outwardly fraying at the edges once more. The inqusition war which had erupted some years earlier had largely quietened down with the arrival of hive fleet nemesis, especially since inquisitor Hathek had travelled into the Hadron Expanse to investigate the origin of the alien menace.

This left the inquisitors of the sector largely free of the original cause of the schism, but Hathek's followers grew within the inquisition as the threats of the eastern rim became more and more apparent. With the imperium beset by aliens on all sides it made more and more sense to try to come to an agreement with the practically "benign" tau empire.

To inquisitor Xanthus and his monodominant followers this was of course abject heresy. In 01.013M42 word reached the Inquisitor lord on Bastien that an imperial force, probably led by the inquisition had been seen operating alongside a tau hunter cadre. Incensed, Xanthus demanded that the alien fraternisation be investigated. Deciding to test the Space Wolves, with whom he had never been entirely happy since arriving in the sector, he requested the chapter send their own forces to New Cerberex to destroy any aliens there.

reluctantly the space wolves of Erik Morkai accepted, but when they arrived on New Cerberex they found not only tau, but a force of grey knights in the service of an unknown inquisitor. Unfortunately the space wolves found this out only after they had engaged the tau in battle, and inevitably astartes ended up shedding brother astartes blood. Worse still, a force of Apocalypse Riders, responding to requests for support from the Grey Knights also became embroiled in some of the worst imperial in-fighting for years.

Finally the inquisitor managed to call a halt to the fighting, explaining his loyalty to the imperium and to the ordo malleus. He claimed no affiliation with Inquisitor Lord Hathek, and explained that tau physiogeny and their lack of presence in the warp made them ideal daemonhunters. Distrustful but satisfied all was in order, the Space Wolves retired, angering Xanthus by refusing to lift a further hand to destroy the tau. This was an inqusition affair, and one the Space Wolves no longer wanted any part in.