Chaos invade Paradorn

While the Imperium were claiming Mordecai Tersius and the eldar moved on Destino, the forces of chaos, backed by fleets from Stahl, Thok and the Emerald Serpent, descended on Paradorn. General Maximus had requested a fleet cover Paradorn out of fear of an alliance invasion, but the fleet sent by admiral Hughes was vastly outnumbered by the chaos force and soon withdrew. This was a full on chaos invasion of Paradorn, which explained why the fleets had abandoned Mordecai.

 

the invasion of Paradorn should have been predictable by imperial HQ in hindsight, but the wheels of the slow moving imperial bureacracy meant that no one had connected the desertion of Mordecai with imminent invasion of Paradorn. However, strategic analysis showed that the system was critical for Stahl's plans, and its fortifications lacking.

 

Stahl, still on Hexis, intended for his forces to sieze both the inner largest world and the secondary planet base. This would deal a crippling blow to the imperium and even were they to try to send in forces to defend the system over the coming weeks, the war would be all but over. To this end the Emerald Serpent assaulted Paradorn Prime, the largest world, while Legio Skyphos were deployed on the secondary world, which was known to host deployments of Titans and knights given its favourable landscape. The world controlled or rather quarantined by eldar forces would not be invaded, and the outer world also controlled by the Imperium would be a target for a later assault.

 

On the secondary world, known as Paradorn Secundus by the Imperium, Legio Skyphos made good an uncontested landing on the broad plains of the world, and made their advance to the Imperial STC settlement on the equator, the only area warm enough for water to be liquid. Taking the imperial main base would cut communications across the world, which only had a garrison and population of barely one million, rendering any further defence impossible. This the Legio managed to achieve after the defending Legio Dominus Warlord titan pushed itself too hard and detonated spectacularly. This broke the morale of the defenders and the world soon fell to the invaders.

 

On Paradorn Primus however, the Novgorod Guard put up a bitter defence at the landing sites of the Emerald Serpent, contesting every incursion into critical areas and ensuring the major settlements, mines and bases remained in contact with one another. Experienced veterans from the Tarlius campaign, the Novgorod regiments held against everything the Emerald Serpent was able to throw at the imperium, and by 2402.019M42 the invasion forces had been recalled while the commanders debated what to do next.

 

Stahl was informed of the mixed success of the Paradorn invasion and his mood darkened. However, always a pragmatic realist the Warsmith sent out messages to parley to the eldar, in the faint hope that the Xenos and perhaps Cybixx's coalition could come to an agreement which would further all their plans. For once, and to Stahl's astonishment, the Kel Sandros Eldar responded, and on neutral ground at a secret location in the Aleph Sector, representatives from the Eldar, Stahl's chaos forces and Cybixx's coalition met to discuss "terms" in the Foramen. Hours became days of bitter wrangling mixed with insults and recrimination, but eventually, a deal was reached. Temporary and bounded, but the three factions had agreed at least for now to carve up the Foramen between them, isolating the Imperium.