Sisters of Battle hold the line

Having breached Kutuzov's line in the south, the forces of chaos moved swiftly to expand the breach. The Dark Mechanicus had forced the break, but the Emerald Serpent now moved in force against the Imperial lines. Using their elite forces the Thousand Sons legion intended to pick off Kutuzov's reserves allowing their regular troops to move up and encircle the entirety of the Imperial left flank. This move would isolate fully one third of the Imperial forces and, it was hoped, bring to an end the Imperial invasion of Mordecai Secundus.

 

Kutuzov however had new allies. The Ecclesiarchy, declaring the war on Mordecai a crusade, had sent their own force of Adeptus Sororitas to the system, and this new elite force was ready in reserve for just such a move by the Emerald Serpent. As the Thousand Sons and their daemonic and beast allies moved forward, they were soon halted and forced to defend against a spirited counter attack from the Emperor's faithful. The chaos force defended themselves around a firebase of preditors and rubric marines, while the more mobile daemonic and tzangor forces spread out to meet the Sororitas attack. Initially the Excorcist artillery failed to have much impact on the traitor forces, but the Sisters of Battle moved forward in their Immolators, disembarked at point blank range and tore the chaos front line to shreds. Many of the faithful sisters fell, but the Repentia sacrificed themselves in the noble duty of the Emperor.

 

The disruption of this near suicidal attack gave the imperial force time to find their range, and now the Seraphim and Exorcists were able to draw line of sight to the chaos fire base, silencing the traitor predators and allowing the rest of the Sisters to take up critical positions on the battlefield. The Emerald Serpent responded by delivering a precision teleport drop by their terminators, but this was too little too late. The imperial counter attack had secured vital objectives and now gave Kutuzov's army a critical defensive advantage. The Emerald Serpent retreated to their start lines and the chaos breakthrough was prevented.