Eldar gains on Corticant

On Corticant the slow sporadic fighting continued between the Imperium and the eldar. Corticant had been fighting a war against the necrons for almost a year, although recently the war had devolved into a stalemate. Veers had built up his defences along the shores of Lake Hartford, and the necrons seemed disinclined to test them.

The eldar, led by elements of the Shattered Silence Kabal and Corsair eldar had invaded in the latter part of 013M42, taking Ironhaven. Since then General Veers had sent several forces against the eldar, but although the aliens had been beaten a number of times, the war against this new invader had fallen into a similar stalement, much like the recent war on Ares. Corticant, like Ares, was sparsely populated, and vast tracts of land remained untouched wilderness. The concept of holding "territory" and a "front line" was meaningless.

A new eldar faction, identified as the "Disciples of Ynead" by the Inquisition, escalated hostilities in 02.014M42, attacking outposts and defensive positions all along the Iron Road. This linked the important Arenhal Junction with Ironhaven, and if the eldar took the junction, the imperial forces manning the southern defences against the necrons would be cut off. Guard units retreating along the road told of whole hosts of ghostly Wraithguard, led by towering wraithknights. The reports of super heavy eldar skimmer tanks brought the attention of the Imperial Fists.

In order to effect surprise on their enemy the Fists eschewed any transport vehicles, marching on foot across the wasteland to the east of the last known eldar positions. The astartes force was then able to observe their enemy and launch an attack from an unexpected quadrant, taking the eldar by surprise.

The Imperial Fists attack was almost successful, as repeated heavy weapon hits and eventually close combat charges by assault troops seriously damaged the largest of the Disciples' super-heavies, identified as a much feared Scorpion. However, the main weapon was never disabled, and the alien monster's fearsome Pulsars took a heavy toll on the yellow liveried marines. Designed to rip apart the heaviest armour and titan void shields, power armour and super human strength proved totally inadequate to withstand this kind of weaponry. Realising he stood to lose his entire force, the Imperial Fists' commander withdrew, taking up positions behind the imperial guard to act as a reaction force. The eldar had control of the Iron Road, and would now be able to threaten the heartland of the imperial base.