Imperium abandon Lodax Secundus

The Adeptus Mechanicus expedition to Lodax II, while being of interest to the Inquisition, was led by and patronised by the forge world of Ryza. It was these Mechanicum forces that with the loss of their Cadian support, and the redeployment of astartes and Novgorod regiments by the new crusade general, stood alone against the necron threat they were trying to gain information on. This may have been possible, but unfortunately the Imperium were not the only faction interested in the spoils to be found on Lodax II.

The orks of the Blood Fang tribe were less interested in the detailed and arcane knowledge of the necrons. To them, scrap was scrap, all equally useful and desirable, and to be found aplenty on Lodax II. They had arrived on the world some weeks prior but now were able to deploy a stompa against the Adeptus Mechanicus forces, who they merely considered "in the way" of their looting expedition. Plus the Ryza forge world also had good scrap.

The orks attacked the mechanicum forces in a headlong assault. The fighting was bloody as the worshippers of the Omnissiah fought furiously to keep their mission on Lodax alive, with one particularly angry Dunecrawler invoking the spirit of the machine god itself as it bathed its enemies with sterilising holy rays, scattering their atoms to the wind. the orks lost their warlord, but were seemingly un-phased as the greeenskins continued to send in more and more forces. Realising the situation was untenable the Magos Dominus withdrew, calling on general Maximus for reinforcements. The remaining Adeptus Mechanicus forces pulled back to Lodax I, allowing the orks to pick over the spoils of the battlefield.