Adeptus Mechanicus hold off Necron threat

In the Hadron Expanse the Imperium had been on the defensive for some time by 08.021M42, as more and more resources were diverted to the escalating conflict in the Mordecai system. However, although general Percival had limited forces at his disposal, the Imperium were not as vulnerable as some had caluclated.

The necrons, recently but not fully awoken in the Expanse, had been infuriated and offended by the other races defilement of their worlds, and were determined to rid the infestation and reclaim their own lands and treasures. Recent raids had not gone well, but now the Necrons amassed a large army on Hexis, aiming to strike at the heart of general Konev's defences and drive north from the Haknur plateau.

Facing this new army however was not the Imperial Guard but a force highly motivated to stop the necrons from reclaiming their lost treasures and artefacts, the Adeptus Mechanicus. Not under the direct control of Percival or Konev, the Mechanicum had been diverting significant forces to the Hadron Expanse, a fact the spies of the enemy had not taken into account. When the Necrons moved down from the Haknur Plateau and into the Imperial defences, they met a very stubborn resistance.

The armies of Ryza fought valiantly and with determination. Gradually the xenos attack faltered, then reversed, and by 1208.021M42 not only had the Necrons been forced to abandon their offensive, but the Imperium now had a foothold on the plateau itself. Had it not been for the Adeptus Mechanicus interest in the artefact riches of the Expanse, the situation for Konev, Percival and their armies could have been very different.