Operation Restless

The fleet engagement around Tarlius IV occurred on 2004.019M42, as Gorshkov’s battlegroup swept into high orbit around the planet. Led by the Emperor Class battleship Leipzig, the imperial fleet had been specially readied for the operation, boasting a large complement of torpedo bomber attack craft, and atmosphere capable fighters and bombers, intended to blast apart the chaos defences on the world below. Relatively few guard units were embarked on board, and there were no troop transports, as the ground assault - operation Thunder, would in the main be carried out by the Imperial Fists. 

Attempting to prevent the landings were the vessels loyal to the Plague God. Nominally part of Tragean’s extended fleet, the formation led by the Despoiler class Irredeemable Apostate, owed their allegiance to Nurgle first and foremost, and had answered the call of Mortarions followers. Many of the chaos ships were carrying Death Guard units, and the devastation class cruisers similarly carried large numbers of Hellblades, forces which would intercept the imperial bombers before they could complete their mission. 

Both sides had an intriguing conundrum. Gorshkov’s mission had three overriding concerns. First, to launch waves of attack craft against chaos defences and garrisons, so that the Imperial Fists could complete their planetstrike in one overwhelming assault. Second, to damage the enemy fleet and force it from the system, before it could join up with Stahl’s forces or those of the Emerald Serpent. Finally, Gorshkov knew that heavy losses to his fleet - whatever the losses inflicted on the traitors, jeopardised the overall success of the operation. With those competing aims, the imperial fleet arrived at Tarlius IV at 12:00 standard time. 

As the chaos vessels closed with the planet, the battleship came under sustained fire from the imperial fleet, taking heavy damage from Gorshkov’s three nova cannons. However, at 12:22 disaster befell the imperial fleet. Port Arthur, on the starboard wing of the formation, took a lucky hit from the hades class Pustulent. The lances pierced her loaded launch bays, detonating their ordnance and destroying the ship. With one blow the chaos fleet had immediately got the upper hand. 

The plaguefleet divided its forces, with their flagship and the two devastations taking up station on one side of the planet, disgorging waves of fighters and traitor space marine craft which would lie in wait for the imperial navy vessels. The other vessels, lead by the two slaughters Dark Omen and Doombringer, swung past the planet, approaching Leipzig from behind, crippling her with short range gun power, along with lances from Pustulent, which lurked in a stand-off position. 

Leipzig took heavy damage and by 12:30 was on fire and struggling to fight back. However, waves of torpedo bombers took revenge on the chaos fleet, crippling Dark Omen and setting her ablaze. The chaos vessel disengaged at 12:39, but the other slaughter, Doombringer, was not so lucky. Wracked by explosions the nurgle cruiser broke apart at 12:51, handing the advantage to the imperium. 

The advantage was short lived however, as the continued gunfire from the rest of the chaos fleet forced Gorshkov to retreat, disengaging his flagship, Leipzig. The imperial fleet had also failed to destroy Irredeemable Apostate, and the chaos battleship was able to disgorge her entire cargo of Death Guard onto the planet. Eventually however the Despoiler class was reduced to a blazing hulk, mass drivers pushing the ruined vessel out of orbit and into system space. The battleship would later be recovered and salvaged by the traitor forces, but for now the nurgle fleet had just three cruisers remaining. 

At 13:21, repeated attacks from the bombers launched by Plagueclaw almost destroyed Cape Sarych, but the imperial cruiser’s captain was able to steer his ship away from certain destruction, thanks to heroic damage control by his crew. 

Now the odds were almost even, but Gorshkov had the strategic advantage. The chaos vessels were easy targets as they orbited Tarlius IV to unload more forces onto the world, but the nova cannons struggled to take aim at their targets, as their cogitators failed to adjust their lead to account for the near stationary targets. 

At 13:28 the Plagueclaw was severely damaged by conventional gunfire, and was forced to disengage, while three minutes later the remaining imperial vessels finished off Reaver. 

The chaos fleet had lost the battle in space, and were forced to regroup and lick their wounds. However, the imperial navy craft that made it to their targets were systematically massacred by the newly arrived chaos interceptors, and the Tarlius defence garrison was now bolstered by the arrival of significant Death Guard and Traitor Guard forces from the Host of Eschar. Gorshkov had failed to destroy the ground targets, meaning the Imperial Fists’ planetary assault would now have to be restricted to the space port. Tarlius IV would now not fall to imperial control in one swift action, but the strategic “draw” in space was satisfactory to Admiral Stark and the overall commander, General Martinus Bessas. Now imperial hopes turned to the astartes strike cruiser that appeared in low orbit. Operation Thunder was about to begin.