Libria III: Loyalist gains reversed

While the crusade were undoubtedly in terminal decline on Libria III, the war between the alliance and general Launceston's loyalists showed no signs of being won quickly. In previous weeks the loyalists had managed to catch the alliance overly concentrating their forces in the west, allowing Launceston to take advantage in the east. Waneria had fallen and the cities of Belleron and Caister were now under threat. Realising theis, the tau and their allies redeployed rapidly to the region, while in the west, the Iron Warriors prepared an assault on South Vale to prevent the new loyalist offensive isolating them on the Varras Isthmus.

In the south, the overwhelming technological superiority of the Iron Warriors and their mechanicum allies proved too much for the Praetorian Guard defending the southern front. With crushing predictability the Praetorians were badly mauled and soon Launcestons forces were once again forces to withdraw from the Vale into the Varras Isthmus.

This victory was followed up with commander Skyfall and the Shattered Silence orchestrating an operation in Waneria to retake their recent losses. The imperial advance was soon reversed as the new riptide suits now available to Skyfall caused havoc amongst the imperial guard. The Librian regiments facing the tau took heavy casualties, but Skyfall didn't have it all his own way and was prevented from taking the Spit Mountains themselves, the summits remaining in imperial hands. The twin cities however had been relieved.

Meanwhile in classic hit & run style the dark eldar of the Shattered silence, aided by the eldar themselves, smashed the Lunar Guard forces holding the Waneria plains. The Imperial Fists tried to intervene to hold of the xenos assault, but took heavy casualties to so far unencountered eldar weaponry, a kind of wytchfire which burned guardsman and astartes alike in their armour.

Disappointed, Launceston ordered a withdrawal. By the beginning of 05.015M42 the loyalists were back to their positions they had held before the offensive had begun a month before.