Hylas: Vannaheim Guard push orks back in the north

The see-saw situation on Hylas continued into 12.014M42, as General Van Dorn was finally given some reinforcements in the form of two Vannaheim guard regiments and a company of Adeptus Sororitas. The Vannaheim regiments and Sisters of Battle were now working so well together that the sector Abbess decided to formalise the arrangement. This put almost ten Vannaheim Guard regiments at the disposal of the Ecclesiarchy, something which alarmed a number within Imperial sector command, but Inquisitor Vorushko quickly ratified the decision, stating the dubious fact that the Adeptus Sororitas were merely working in partnership with the imperial guard, and not commanding it. Inquisitor Hathek saw through Vorushko's words, but the head of the Librian loyalist cause, was too busy trying to keep a foothold on Libria V to take any action.

The reinforcements had a dramatic effect, although Van Dorn's preplanned assault on the northern plains was disrupted by an early counter-atttack by Von Bismork's enthusiastic boyz. The main action took place on the flanks of the gigantic continent spanning Mount Flynn, and the ground was exceptionally rough, with a number of mechanised units on both sides becoming bogged down or otherwise immobilised in the terrain. Never-the-less enough of the Sororitas Rhinos got through to blunt the ork advance, and within a few days the orks had been forced into a retreat.

Von Bismork, aware that his gambit had not paid off, now sought to keep his army intact, ordering a tactical retreat. The orks under his command however did not understand the tactical situation, and several units, particularly those commanding his looted armour, chose to ignore the command. The result was a disaster for the orks, whose army effectively split in two and crushed piecemeal. Those units who chose to turn and fight were particularly badly mauled by the Adeptus Sororitas units, whose meltas and flamers extinguished the ork assault. By 1212.014M42 much of the Sarin plain had been retaken by the imperium, and the city of Sarina was once again in sight.