During 03.013M42 the inquisition discovered through its network of spies and deep space missions the alarming reach and scope of two of the Aleph Sectors most worrysome enemies. The events which took place in the region once known as the Endceladus subsector demonstrated that the imperium had underestimated the power projection of both the chaos entity known as "Moonface" and the ork warlord "Da Verminator". The forces of both were reported fighting each other for control of the minor world of "Zoggot", in the ork controlled domain close to the Aurelis Deeps.
Da Verminator
Prior to the observed battles on Zoggot, Da Verminator was considered a minor threat. A petty warlord who had seen little success, losing most of the ork domains in the Perseus Deeps and failing to have much impact in the Zadoc subsector, although his forces had joined with the other orks invading Hylas. Now his forces' ramshackle vehicles and infantry were seen alongside gargants on Zoggot, suggesting that Da Verminator's following was not a localised ork gathering, but that the warlord had forces scattered across the entire sector. It remained to be seen whether this was because his forces had become scattered following the orks' ejection from the Perseus Deeps, or whether Da Verminator's armies were deliberately deployed across the sector. Either way the sheer numbers of orks calling him leader was a cause for concern.
The Catechism
After the Catechism left Cerberex in 009M42, the forces of Moonface had some success in the Rim Worlds before the failed invasion of Tarsis Major put all the forces of chaos on the back foot. The invasion of the Zadoc subsector by hive fleet Nemesis and the imperial crusade against chaos critically weakened the traitor forces in the subsector, and the Catechism were enountered less and less in the imperial sectors. Some in imperial high command believed the Catechism to be a spent force, but their reappearance in 012M42 in greater numbers suggested the followers of Moonface had not been destroyed.
The inquisition well knew that as well as a moderately sized warfleet, the Catechism possessed the arcane and heretical item simply known as "the device", which enabled warp portals to be opened between two locations. In 013M42 the presence of the Cateshism in the Enceladus region suggested, alarmingly, that the reach of the device was far greater, or had been improved over that which was previously believed. In early 013M42 the inqusition submitted a report on the Catechism, suggesting the faction was present across the sector, in the Rim Worlds, the Perseus Deeps and more importantly in the largely non imperial Enceladus and Aurelis Deeps regions. Therefore they were unable to accurately assess the forces at Moonface's disposal, but the presence of large forces and even titans on Mordecai in the Perseus Deeps and Zoggot in the Aurelis Deeps was worrying indeed.
The Battle for Zoggot
The battle for Zoggot itself was a violent affair. Catechism forces appeared without warning amidst the ork settlements which clustered around ancient imperial constructions, a reminder that once the entire sector had been under the dominion of the emperor's armies. Utilising the device, the forces of chaos circumvented the ork orbital defences, and fell upon the orks. Both sides employed heavy equipment, and the battle saw direct combat between one of Da Verminator's gargants and a titan of the "pale forge". The battle almost turned on this titanic engagement, as the orks, who had been penned back by weight of fire, roared their approval as the mighty gargant in one swift move ripped off the titan's head with its chainsaw. Fortunately for the Catechism the weight of chaos artillery fire took a heavy toll on the massed orks and the clans broke, leaving only the gargant on the field. The orks having retreated, after one day of savage fighting the Catechism now controlled half the minor world of Zoggot.
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