War on Mordecai Secundus update

 On Mordecai the long war continued into the summer of 022M42, with the forces of chaos launching a new attack  in the central sector. Led by the Thousand Sons traitor legion, the Emerald Serpent pushed forward on a broad front, overcoming the resistance from the Novgorod Guard and once again approaching the city of Festergax. This implacable advance was particularly aided by a phallanx of Scarab Occult Terminators which led the advance, seemingly impervious to imperial firepower. This assault force unhinged the imperial lines and forced the Imperium back once more to more defensible positions.

In the south however, the Imperium scored more success. Here the House of Eshar, a nurgle army loyal to the Plague Company of the same name, was engaged close to the city of Nazurgal. Both armies had significant support, including several super heavy tanks and a warhound titan, but the Novgorod Guard had the advantage in terms of heavy artillery. The imperial bombards, manticores and basilisks caused havoc and confusion in the chaos lines, crippling their ability to organise an effective defence. Despite heavy losses, the Novgorod force was able to take key objectives and moved steadily towards the chaos city on the Sarkar isthmus, now a shattered landscape of wreckage and shell craters.

Eldar attempt to dissuade the Imperium in the Rifts

While the Tyranids harassed the Imperium at Ferrosiun, the eldar continued to apply pressure to imperial forces in the Rifts of Hecate. The eldar, both Craftworld and Ynnari, were extremely keen to remove the Imperium from the Lodax system, as they feared the lesser races may get their hands on important necron artefacts. In addition, the eldar were attempting to encourage the Imperium to fall back, as per the Inquisition demand, so the attack by the Ynnari at Lodax was brutal and unforgiving.

The Ynnari made no attempt to secure ground or invade Lodax themselves. Instead they ambushed a lance of Knights from House Stroganoff, systematically destroying every war engine and shrugging off the heavy imperial firepower apparently by force of will, before disappearing back into the webway. With no heavy support, the Imperium abandoned Lodax II and began moves to withdraw from the system entirely.

Tyranid activity in the Rifts continues

By early 07.022M42 the Imperial forces in the Rifts of Hecate had received orders to stop their expansion and fall back on the Hecate Gap. The Inquisition were at the heart of this decision and had instructed the now Crusade general Justinian Flavius Maximus to establish strong bases on the worlds of Ergura's Fall and Haven, two uninhabited worlds that were essential for the Imperium to have control over the movement of forces - friendly and hostile - moving between the Rifts region and the Hadron Expanse proper.

Before this could be enacted however, a large force of tyranids arrives at Ferrosiun, while simultaneously a previously unnoticed genestealer cult amongst the indigenous population of the world rose up against the Imperial garrison. Maximus immediately took charge of the situation, but with his forces preparing to leave for the Gap, Imperial Guard and Astartes forces were in short supply. The defence of Ferrosiun would need to be undertaken by the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Against the cult, the Mechanicum forces of Metallica, aided by a freedblade knight of the Styrix pattern, were successful. The rebellion was crushed by the superior firepower of the Machine God and the immediate danger was lifted, though there was a significant amount of damage sustained to the Imperial infrastructure. Against the tyranids however, a similar force of Adeptus Mechanicus and allied Knight detachment, suffered badly at the hands of the larger tyranid monstrous creatures. The Imperium were forced to yield their positions to the xenos, and fall back to their inner defences that protected the main imperial base. Meanwhile the Imperial fleet searched for the Hive fleet as the appearance of a tyranid space presence would seriously jeopardise the mission to fortify the Hecate Gap.