Hylas: Berkeley retaken, ork fortress falls

Following the recent gains by the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Legio Gryphonnicus and Salamanders chapter based on Hylas now took over the offensive on Hylas. General Van Dorn was keen to keep up the momentum and with the Mechanicus and imperial guard units swinging into West Coast to face off against the forces of Na'Porkleon, the most powerful imperial forces were now redirected south towards Berkeley, and the ork fortress on the slopes of mount Flynn, defended by Da Verminator.

For many weeks Berkeley had been re-occupied by the greenskins, although the city had changed hands several times since its initial fall more than a year previously. Overlooked by the ork fortress, Van Dorn knew that retaking the city was only half the battle, he had to deal with the ork installation once and for all.

The force which led the attack was the strongest concentration of titans yet deployed on Hylas. Three warlord titans were in evidence, supported by a Salamanders company and imperial guard units. Appearing just to the north of the city, in full view of the orks, the imperial force waited, goading Da Verminator to come out and fight. Predictably the orks accepted the challenge, but the commander of the offensive had chosen his positions well, and the orks soon found themselves advancing across the Berkeley airstrip, an area of ground almost entirely devoid of cover.

This the Salamanders and the Titans had planned for, and the giant war engines and devastators opened up with all their weapons. A fearsome barrage pounded the landing pads, warping them out of all recognition and vapourising thousands of orks as they closed with the imperial force. Whole clans were annihilated, and those orks which did reach the imperial lines were easily mopped up by assault marines and veteran units.

During the engagement the orks continued to reinforce failure, emptying their fortress and annihilating themselves on the imperial guns. By the end of 1811.013M42 the ork tide had simply run out, and for the loss of a few predators the victorious imperial force marched into the battle-scarred city, while the Titans levelled the ork fortress. Berkeley had been retaken once again, and the initiative now rested with the Imperium on Hylas.