Thousand Sons defeat Tau at Mendesum

The Tau had come late to the Rifts of Hecate. The base on Garmenes was under construction, but incomplete. Nevertheless the Tau moved in force in mid 04.022M42 towards other worlds. Skirting Calthingum and Pyrrho Zeta, identified as having significant chaos forces, and avoiding Mezria VI where an imperial fleet had been detected, the Tau landed on Mendesum with the intent of setting up another forward base deep into the Rifts.

The Thousand Sons however moved swiftly to counter this landing, as the system had already been identified as a possible location of important ancient scrolls, something the Emerald Serpent were keen to locate and utilise for their own strategic ends. Hitting the Tau hard and early would prevent the aliens from getting a foothold, so on 1504.022M42 a force of traitor astartes emerged from the warp over the lush world of Mendesum.

The Tau were taken by surprise by the sudden intervention of the elite forces of the Emerald Serpent, and struggled to fend off the relentless advance by the Rubric Marines. After a bloody firefight the Tau abandoned their positions and withdrew from Mendesum. Increasingly the Tau were being shut out of the exploration of the Rifts of Hecate, and the forces of chaos were creating a significant hub of systems in the eastern part of the region.