Operation Scorpion

The final phase of Operation Scorpion began with major imperial landings on the Western Hemisphere of the sea-less world on 1506.019M42. With no fleet or space defences the landings were unopposed, as the Imperial Guard quickly took out peripheral chaos defences. The main action would take place around the planet’s one major settlement, which was ringed by an old dried up river bed. The main engagement took place over the one bridge that led across the deep gully, as there was realistically only one way into the city itself. Here, the Emerald Serpent made its stand against the attackers. 

Captain Lydoro of the Imperial Fists was well aware of the brutal battle that would be necessary to overcome the chaos defences and to avoid a painful protracted battle. The city had vital spaceport and supply facilities, and the base would need to be taken quickly before the forces of chaos mounted a counter attack from Tarlius II. Victory was needed in just a few days, and Lydoro knew the price for this speed would be blood. 

The imperium drew up their forces with the Imperial Fists opposite the main bridge. On their right, the 707th Seran Guard regiment, heavily mechanised, deployed on the river bank, while on the left the Mechanicum took their positions. 

Having scouted ahead, the imperial force knew the chaos forces were holding back, out of range of the imperial combined firepower until their intentions became clear, so Lydoro took advantage of this by sending his infantry forward to take key objectives on the winding river. The guard took up positions wherever cover allowed, while the astartes themselves marched onto the bridge. This would be a “bite and hold” operation. Now the imperium just needed to hold and defeat whatever the traitor forces threw against them. 

The chaos return fire was weathered by the imperium, although the arrival of a heretic warhound caused some alarm as it tore into the Guard tank forces. However, Lydoro ordered his forces forward, grinding his forces into a horrendous melee in and around the bridge as the chaos infantry swarmed forward towards the newly held imperial positions. Cultists, traitor marines and all manner of daemons were unleashed on Lydoro’s force, but the marines on the bridge were equal to the task despite being set upon by horrific bloodletters. The astartes captain himself was then called upon to do battle, as a terrifying daemon prince appeared on the bridge. Ordering his forces to stand back, Lydoro accepted the challenge, and with a heart full of burning hatred he struck down the daemon with a series of furious blows, smoting it’s ruined form on the riverbed below. 

The battle was far from over however. Combined imperial firepower had destroyed the traitor warhound, after the war engine missed its shot against the imperial Shadowsword. On the right, lord discordants had scuttled forward, causing mayhem in the imperial armoured sections but taking heavy casualties in return. On the left, the Mechanicum slugged it out with a horde of plaguebearers with no side giving any quarter. 

Bloodthirsters then appeared, forcing their way through the imperial lines and causing some disquiet, and Lydoro was forced to sacrifice several of his astartes brothers to hold the line. Meanwhile the skitarii on the left were all but wiped out in their struggle with the daemons of chaos, and casualties amongst the guard regiment were approaching 80%. Losses were mounting, but still the imperium held on, aided by snipers who did their best to take out the leaders in the chaos ranks. 

The battle hung in the balance, but the chaos forces were also suffering horrendous losses, and only the two remaining bloodthirsters now posed a real threat to imperial success. One was destroyed and sent back to the warp by a loyalist Knight war engine, while the other was struck down by a dying marine, who summoned up the last of his strength to slay the monstrous beast. 

As the distant sun began to set on Tarlius III and eerie silence fell over the battlefield. The imperial forces had suffered, but as the astartes captain took stock, he realised he still had a serviceable demi company of Imperial Fists, and while the guard and Mechanicum had suffered heavily, more reinforcements were now on their way. The enemy daemons had been banished, and the Emerald Serpent astartes who survived were slinking away into the hinterlands of the planet. No doubt many of these would escape in small bands to harass the imperium once more, but the imperial force was too exhausted to give chase. The settlement and space port on Tarlius III was secured by 1706.019M42 and the news of the victory was communicated to a relieved General Bessas. Defeat here would have ended his career and potentially plunged the entire Tarlius gambit into disaster. Now the Imperium had strong foothold in the Foramen and supplies could be convoyed more safely to the Imperium Nihilis. However, the system was far from secured, and the inner planets of the Tarlius system would be even more of a challenge. 

For now however the imperium enjoyed their success. Operation Restless Thunder and operation Scorpion had achieved their objectives, and stabilised the imperial position in the Foramen Interdictum.