Shadow War on Fort Sparcos escalates

By 03.025M42, Fort Sparcos, a once-formidable Chaos stronghold, had become a battleground of multiple factions, each vying for dominance in the increasingly unstable region. Federal special forces, primarily composed of elite League of Votann Hearthkyn, had refused to abandon their efforts to infiltrate the fortress. Their repeated incursions had kept Chaos forces on the defensive, but their latest assault was met with a dire revelation—the Death Guard, who had been struggling to hold the fort, had accidentally awakened a Necron tomb buried beneath the installation.

A Chaotic Warzone

As the Necrons emerged, the situation deteriorated further when a force of Black Templars arrived, their presence linked to General Van Dorn’s wider operations in the Zadoc subsector. Sent to reconnoitre the system and assess enemy strength, the Templars instead found themselves drawn into a brutal four-way battle.

The fighting inside Fort Sparcos was fierce and unrelenting. The Necrons, despite being outnumbered, weathered the combined assault of both the Black Templars and the Death Guard, proving their resilience and cutting down scores of warriors from both factions. The Death Guard, unwilling to relinquish their hold over the fort, committed their corrupted Astartes to the slaughter, while the Templars, undaunted, sought to purge both xenos and traitors alike.

Curiously, the Votann forces remained largely unscathed, despite being active participants in the battle. Whether this was due to sheer luck, advanced tactical manoeuvres, or something else entirely remains a mystery, but their effectiveness in direct combat was questionable at best. They failed to make significant gains, though they did manage to carve out a small foothold within the fortress.

A Pyrrhic Victory for Chaos

When the battle finally subsided, Chaos had emerged as the nominal victor. The Death Guard, despite suffering substantial casualties, had managed to reassert control over key sections of the Labyrinthine complex. The Necrons and the Votann retained isolated bridgeheads within the fortress, but neither faction had managed to dislodge the Chaos forces entirely.

The Black Templars, despite their zealous assault, were ultimately forced to retreat, unable to establish a foothold against the overwhelming tide of enemies. Their withdrawal marked a significant setback for Imperial operations in the region, as Van Dorn’s strategy for the Zadoc subsector now faced a growing and unpredictable threat at Fort Sparcos.

For now, Chaos remained in control, but Fort Sparcos was no longer the secure bastion it once was. With Necron, Votann, and even Ork warbands contesting sections of the installation, it seemed inevitable that the fortress would continue to be a battleground for some time to come.