Xenos infestation worsens at Caitlen Station

The fighting across Caitlen Station escalated sharply in 11.025.M42, as multiple factions continued their attempts to secure or plunder the sprawling, half-derelict installation. What had begun as scattered skirmishes had by now become a full-scale free-for-all, with every major power in the Aleph Sector committing elite teams to gain even a sliver of control.

Kasrkin Insertion Efforts Collapse

The Imperium’s most significant commitment came in the form of several Kasrkin insertion teams, dispatched by General Van Dorn in a desperate attempt to stabilise the situation. However, these elite shock troops found themselves ambushed repeatedly across the fractured decks and drifting hab-moons of Caitlen.

One team was overrun by orks, whose ferocity and sheer weight of numbers smashed the Guardsmen before they could consolidate their landing zone. Another squad was intercepted by kroot mercenaries operating under the Federal–Tau Alliance. The kroot’s ambush tactics and unmatched close-quarters lethality shredded the Kasrkin before extraction could be attempted.

The worst blow came when yet another insertion team was destroyed by the Nemesis Claws, a warband of the Night Lords active throughout the station’s darkened hulls. The traitor marines cut down the storm-troopers with clinical brutality. Their bodies were never recovered.

By the end of the month, the entire Kasrkin operation was deemed an unmitigated disaster, with near-total losses and no territorial gains. It was a catastrophic waste of Imperial special-forces assets.

Tyranids Push Back the Federacy

Elsewhere, the Tyranid infestation—long entrenched within the station’s labyrinthine structure—erupted into renewed activity. Two separate engagements saw the bioforms overwhelming Votann Hearthkyn teams of the Federacy. The Votann had made modest early gains, but the sudden counter-surge of ravenous organisms forced them back, costing them both ground and personnel.

Despite inflicting heavy casualties on the xenos creatures, the Votann position became increasingly precarious.

Chaos and Tyranids Ascendant

By the end of 11.025.M42, a grim strategic picture had emerged:

• The Tyranids controlled large sections of the industrial belts and waste caverns, with minimal expenditure.
• The forces of Chaos—primarily the Night Lords and Death Guard—held the second-largest share of the station, having achieved their gains with ruthless efficiency.
• The Tau–Federal alliance had secured a foothold, but only after paying a steep price in troops and matériel.
• The remaining factions, from the Imperium to various xenos raiding forces, had failed to secure meaningful control of any major installation.

For the Imperium in particular, the outcome was disastrous. Elite troops had been sacrificed in failed insertions, and no strategic advantage had been achieved. The month ended with Caitlen Station more contested than ever—yet increasingly dominated by those who expended the least to claim it: the Tyranids and the servants of Chaos.