Dark Angels break deadlock on Mordecai

By 10.024M42, the war on Mordecai Primaris had descended into a brutal, grinding stalemate. General Kutuzov, commanding the Imperial forces on the planet, had been entrenched for months, his armies pinned within the hive sprawls of Westosia and Menoria. The once-thriving industrial cities had become nightmarish battlefields, where the forces of Chaos—specifically the Death Guard and other Traitor Astartes—dominated the toxic wastelands outside the hives.

The Imperial Naval Air Command was largely ineffective, as the combined corrupting influences of Tzeentch and Nurgle had transformed the lands beyond the hive spires into deadly quagmires of sorcerous energy and rampant disease. Even the most advanced war machines struggled to traverse these cursed lands, and Imperial airstrikes were often turned aside by unnatural warp-born storms.

The Arrival of the Dark Angels

In the dark hours of 10.024M42, a glimmer of hope arrived in the form of two companies of Dark Angels, including several elite units of the Ravenwing, the chapter’s renowned fast attack specialists. Their arrival shifted the strategic balance of power on Mordecai Primaris. The Dark Angels, known for their relentless pursuit of the Emperor’s justice, wasted no time in taking the offensive.

The Ravenwing spearheaded a daring assault, launching from Menoria toward the embattled hive of Westosia, where General Kutuzov’s forces had been fighting tooth and nail for survival. The Death Guard, ever the stalwart defenders of rot and decay, put up fierce resistance, but the Ravenwing’s speed and precision proved overwhelming. Smashing through the Death Guard’s outer lines, the Dark Angels pushed deep into enemy-held territory, driving a wedge between the forces of Nurgle and Tzeentch.

Breakthrough and Counter-Attack

By breaching the Death Guard’s defenses, the Dark Angels accomplished what months of attritional warfare had failed to achieve. The Imperial Guard, bolstered by the Astartes assault, surged forward to exploit the breach. The corridor between Menoria and Westosia—previously a perilous and contested no-man’s land—was widened, allowing for greater coordination between the two hives and ensuring the vital flow of troops and supplies.

However, the forces of Chaos were not to be easily undone. Within days of the Dark Angels’ triumph, the Night Lords, masters of terror tactics, launched a vicious counter-offensive. Their goal was clear: to sever the newly established Imperial supply line and once again divide the hives. The Night Lords struck hard and fast, sowing chaos and fear among the Imperial defenders. Yet, despite suffering heavy casualties, the Dark Angels stood firm, their indomitable will a bulwark against the traitor legions. The line held, preventing the Night Lords from achieving their objective.

The Tide Turns

The successful defense of the Imperial corridor marked a turning point in the war on Mordecai Primaris. The Dark Angels’ intervention had reinvigorated the Imperial war effort, and for the first time in months, the Imperium’s forces began to believe that victory was within reach. General Kutuzov, though battered, was now able to coordinate more effective offensives, bolstered by the presence of the Dark Angels and the reinvigorated Imperial Guard.

Hope stirred once more among the beleaguered defenders of Mordecai Primaris. With the Dark Angels standing alongside the Imperium’s forces, there was renewed optimism that the long and grueling war for the planet might finally conclude with an Imperial victory, and within an acceptable time frame. Yet, the forces of Chaos are as unpredictable as they are tenacious, and the final outcome of the campaign remained shrouded in uncertainty.