The invasion of Mordecai Tersius by the forces of chaos had been expected since the fall of Paradorn. With supplies drying up despite the imperium stationing two fleets in the system they were powerless to stop Tragean and Thok’s war fleets from reentering the system and fortifying the docks. In addition, Stahl had arranged for the lead elements of his Iron Warriors to transit in system with them and only a few days later, the traitor astartes made landfall on the outer planet.
General Kutuzov had been made overall Commander of the Mordecai system, an unfortunate poison chalice. In just weeks the planned invasion of the primary world had to be scrapped in favour of a hastily organised defence of Tersius. The Imperisl Fists - architects of the planet’s final capitulation to the imperium - heeded the call for aid, but would not be available in strength for several weeks. Kutuzov had only a few Guard regiments and the Sky Lords strike force - now repurposed as a rapid reaction force intended to inflict maximum damage on the invading chaos forces.
Kutuzov planned a strategic defence, not pointlessly holding ground but giving up ground as slowly as possible, while inflicting heavy attritional damage on the enemy. He knew if he traded territory for time then eventually the chaos forces would exhaust themselves. Perhaps not at Mordecai, but certainly on Bastien. Kutuzov was well aware of Stahl’s obsession with that world and Parthenope - both worlds of the former chaos empire in the Perseus Deeps.
Mordecai Tersius had not had time to be entrenched, so the Sky Lords were forced to react to Stahl’s invasion. The lightning assault on Parmera was ignored, but at Slaydon - the capital of the world, the invading chaos army was challenged by the Loyalist Astartes.
The Sky Lords deployed in a defensive stance, maximising their killing grounds with their Repulsor tanks and Centurions. However the traitors struck first with their heavy weapons swaying the astartes’ air support from the skies. As the iron warriors advanced, it was clear that the havocs were a severe threat, whether armed with lascannons or the reaper chaincannons, which laid down withering fire on the Sky Lords’ positions.
The Sky Lords did hit back, the Repulsors destroying the enemy transports and causing several explosions in the Iron Warriors’ lines, but the traitors were more suited to this war of attrition. Even so the vanguard of the chaos force crashed headlong into the centre of the imperial positions, with Chapter Master Potitus banishing a daemon prince back to the warp. A fearsome chaos lord, mounted on a blasphemous parody of an astartes bike, cut down the loyalist standard bearer and librarian, but found himself no match for the heavy firepower of the Centurions.
While close combat was distracting the Sky Lords’ command, the rest of their army was being systematically exterminated by the firepower of the traitors. Despite some heroic deeds by the Sky Lords’ scouts, the intervention of a team of Obliterators only added more firepower to Stahl’s men. The Repulsors were brought down, followed by the Hellblasters. While the traitors did suffer casualties, their force had a strategic reserve, and command of the battlefield. Eventually the Sky Lords were once again surrounded then eliminated. By the end of 0104.019M42 resistance at Slaydon had been overcome and the Iron Warriors were establishing their new bridgehead. The forces of chaos had secured a solid foothold on Mordecai Tersius, and the astartes had been unable to make them pay in enough blood for their gains.
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