Vorushko's Crusade returns

Aboard her flagship Lord of Light, Inquisitor Vorushko studied the data slate intensely. The translated astropathic message was clear, and worrying. The arrival of a splinter fleet of the Indomitus crusade was not cause for rejoicing to the Inquisitor Lord, and the news that Inquisitor Hathek had made contact with it before her was certainly cause for alarm. Vorushko felt her anger and hatred of hathek rise within her. She had been right all along, and yet the fool was still not listening. Now the old man had convinced Titus Luthor at least that Vorushko was a heretic, and should be excommunicated.

Nothing could be further from the truth of course. Vorushko had legally excommunicated Libria for its dealings with the Tau Empire, and because of Hathek's medling the system had been lost. The remaining imperial worlds of the Perseus Deeps, now in the Imperium Nihilis, had only been saved from certain destruction by the acts of her agents, acts which Hathek had taken credit for despite actively opposing them, and failing. With Hathek now having the sector commander's ear, she could no longer be assured of Luthor's loyalty, and began preparing for the worst.

Vorushko's greates fear was that the Imperium, guided by Hathek, would be able to bring significant forces to bear on the systems crucial to the control of the Foramen Interdictum, the only stable accessway between Terra and the Dark Imperium. The northern channel, between Vastrid and the Deeps, she had little concern over. The Indomitus crusade and imperial forces would hopefully overcome Xenos and heretical forces and keep the channel to Bastien open. However the southern route, which led to the Federacy, she knew would be crucial to the Tau-federal alliance, and from her dealings with Lord Inquisitor Huron, the necrons as well. Huron had left her, travelling into the Hadron expanse in search of more pathways through the warpscar. This "accessory pathway" would need to be removed to ensure a united necron empire and a route between the Federacy and the Tau Aleph expansion sphere could be prevented.

Hathek she predicted, would not agree. The Inquisitor lord was fixated on controlling both pathways, not realising the danger of merely giving the aliens and heretics an opportunity to reunite against the imperium. Her instinct also warned of a possible future alliance between the Federacy, Tau empire and Imperium in the sector, brokered by Hathek. This would be disastrous, and had to be prevented. Vorushko needed to get to the southern route first, create a base and seek ways to destroy the accessory pathway before Hathek got there.

The system of Vandrax was selected for invasion. Vorushko could still count on a number of vessels from Admiral Doenitz's fleet, as well as a small number of inquisition and Adeptus Mechanicus vessels. For ground forces she still had the Volscians, the Angels Redemptive, a force of Adeptus Mechanicus and the Sky Lords chapter of Marines. Other Astartes were hard to come by. Most sided with Hathek, or, like the Dark Angels, sympathised with her position but refused to get involved in internal Inquisition affairs. Others like the Minotaurs and Carcharadons had disappeared during the Noctus Aeterna, or been severely weakened. However the Dark Angels did offer her a regiment of Cerberex Guard, who had stayed loyal to the Imperium despite losing their homeworld to the Federacy.

On 0110.017M42 the fleet assembled and made the short warp jump to Vandrax from Vorushko's base on Bastien. There the crusade immediately encountered energy readings from the third planet, and a force of Mechanicum made landfall. Finding a small scouting force of Necrons from the CHarnovokh dynasty, a short but intense fight eliminated the necron threat, and the landings began in earnest. Vorushko had been right to be concerned, as the necrons had already appeared, no doubt seeking to reunite their shattered empire. The crusade force began building their base, securing a perimeter, and waiting for the inevitable counter assault. But who from?