Zadoc: Alliance gains

After months of relative quiet on Zadoc, the alliance, despite being heavily engaged in the Librian Heresy, launched dual campaigns against their enemies. It began a new phase of violence of Zadoc as the tau high command, in concert with their eldar allies, decided to force the issue on Zadoc. It was time for all out war.

The main thrust of the campaign came without commander Windgather, who had transferred his forces west for the initial thrust against the Imperium on the island continent of Riontas. Instead new tau units were thrown in to the assault against chaos, with the aid of the eldar who had been on Zadoc throughout. The attack came in early 10.014M42 against the last city on mainland Zadoc held by the Arch Lector's forces, the strategically vital Jordosett, which had been fought over and changed hands several times in the campaign. The build up was obvious to the forces of chaos, and the Arch Lector was able to enlist the help of some allies in the defence of the city.

Following the victory of chaos over the orks on Zoggot, word of the battle had swiftly spread amongst the greenskins of the sector. Greenskins being greenskins, they were far more amenable to the overtures from the Arch Lector having heard of his forces defeat of fellow orks, and the ork warlord styling himself as "Otto Von Bismork" saw an opportunity to enhance his image and get one over on his rival Na'Porkleon by throwing in his lot with chaos, at least for the time being. Soon the orks began flooding in to the Zadoc system, their ungainly craft largely making it through the tau blockade thanks to their sheer numbers and random arrival. Several ork roks were destroyed, but thousands of orks crash landed north of Jordosett ready to join in the coming scrap.

The assault itself was a violent battle, as the alliance brought overwhelming firepower to the battlefield. During the engagement the entire city of Jordosett was practically levelled, and the alliance inflicted serious losses on the Arch Lector's armies. Even so the sheer number of orks slowed the alliance advance, but by 0810.014M42 the Arch lector had lost the city and his forces were confined to a small bridgehead on the mainland.

In the far west Windgather executed an almost flawless landing on the imperial held isle of Riontas. The Novgorod guard, now veterans of the Zadoc campaign, defended the city of Arenoli with bravery, despite being no match for the alliance firepower. Almost inevitably Arenoli fell just a few days after the landings and the imperial line was bent back towards the heart of Riontas. The imperium now had only one city left, Rodenze, and despite vowing to counter attack, General Wavell was staring utter defeat in the face, and with the Librian Heresy occupying much of the imperial high command's attention, he knew that reinforcements would not be forthcoming. The imperium had entered the end game on Zadoc.