Libria III: Alliance take Parth

As 02.015M42 drew to a close the alliance continued to make gains on Libria III. On 2502.015M42 the Iron Warriors launched a determined assault against the city of Parth, the last of the three cities standing in the way of a breakout into the plains of Cartasia, a key industrial centre of the imperial defenders. Despite losing a large number of men from withering Novgorod fire, the alliance force was able to take the city after a bloody close quarters melee in the city streets. With Parth taken the morale of the imperial forces reached a new low, and the commander of the loyalist forces grew concerned that mass desertions to the rebel side would be inevitable. Vorushko decided to intervene in person.

Libria V: Minotaurs smash loyalists

While imperial fleets clashed in the Libria system and the alliance made what appeared to be relentless gains on Libria III, the Minotaurs decided to put pressure on Abrahams' loyalist forces on Libria V in an attempt to secure the world as a base for the crusade. With the innermost and outermost worlds under the crusade's control, it would make further interference by Hathek and his allies on Libria III all the more difficult, and the imperial forces on the most populated world would surely fall into line and accept inquisitor Vorushko's edict.

With this in mind the Minotaurs fell upon the Novgorod guard defending the capital of Libria V, Louxin city. The ferocity of the attack broke the Novgorod defenders and took the capital in just days, leaving the loyalist forces with just a toehold on the main inhabited land mass. However, the battle for Louxin City raised some difficult questions in itself.

Fighting alongside the Novgorod guard were a few warriors of the Adeptus Sororitas. During the battle many witnesses testified to seeing a living saint appear on the battlefield, which signified the emperor's approval of the loyalist cause. Until now the only Sisters of Battle in the Libria system had been fighting alongside the crusade, and several times the appearance of a shining aspect of the emperor's faith had come to their aid. Now it appeared the emperor was blessing both sides, which apart from making no sense, was clearly heretical. The end of 02.015M42 saw a number of massacres undertaken in Louxin City as the Minotaurs systematically eradicated anyone who had witnessed or been made aware of the ridiculous claims of the Sororitas sect, and their findings were passed on to the Order of the Crimson Veil for analysis.

Admiral Doenitz crushed by Pendragon

Inquisitor Vorushko's Crusade received an unexpected boost in late 02.015M42, when the battlefleet commanded by Admiral Doenitz arrived in the system. Doenitz had arrived under orders from the segmentum command to reinforce Jellicoe's battlefleet in its war against the forces of chaos and the alliance on Zadoc. However the fleet had become scattered by a warp storm and a journey which should have taken weeks ended up taking more than a year to complete. Upon arrival at the Libria jump point the admiral was surprised to find the war on Zadoc already lost and Libria itself under threat of invasion by the tau. As soon as Doenitz's vessels translated into realspace they were hailed by a patrolling Charcharadon strike cruiser. Realising their luck, Doenitz was soon visited by Vorushko herself.

the lord inquisitor explained the treachery of the Librians, and the traitorous actions of Inquisitor Hathek in countermanding her edict. She went on to explain that the so-called "loyalist" forces on Libria V would soon be reinforced by more of Hathek's misguided men, and even the navy had turned against the imperial light. Filled with Vorushko's words the admiral dutifully began the blockade of the system, aided by the small force of strike cruisers and escorts already allied to the inquisitor's cause.

Admiral Pendragon, en route to Libria V to deliver supplies to the beleagured forces of General Abrahams, was surprised to find Doesnitz's fleet barring his way. A tense standoff followed while the two admirals engaged in brief communications. Doenitz demanded that Pendragon's forces withdraw, which only irritated Pendragon. He was aware of Jellicoe's desire to stay out of the escalating civil war, but he would not yield or recognise the authority of his fellow admiral. He had orders from his superior and no-one would stand in his way.

The two fleets closed rapidly and aggressively and it is unclear who fired the first shots in the encounter. Either way Pendragon used his recent hard earned experience to batter Doenitz's fleet, destroying at least three capital vessels and forcing the rest, some heavily damaged, to withdraw. Pendragon had scored a victory over the crusade and at the loss of only teo damaged cruisers, but he knew the imperium had lost overall as a result. He railed against the senseless loss of good imperial warships and sent an urgent message to Jellicoe on Vastrid, asking him to take a clear stance on the Librian matter. If the imperial fleet threw its weight behind one of the inquisitors, perhaps the war could be contained and further unpleasant incidents averted.

Libria III: Iron Warriors take Regina

Following the defeat of the Mechanicum and Sisters of Battle, the alliance forces continued to roll forward, pushing back the loyalist librian guard forces and threatening to break through. The next key objective, the city of Regina, fell to the alliance forces, led by the Iron Warriors, on 2002.015M42. Fearing a total collapse of the loyalist line, Vorushko ordered in her newest arrivals, the psychotic and dangerous Minotaurs chapter of space marines.

The Minotaurs needed no encouragement and set about planning the razing of the city of Regina. First of all however, they would have to deal with the Iron Warriors, who had taken up defensive positions around the city, aware of the arrival of the new astartes chapter in orbit.

The Minotaurs launched a characteristic orbital strike, utilising drop pods and Caestus assault rams to land in the heart of the enemy positions. Lacking air cover, the Iron Warriors simply had to wait, but their defences were strong and their forces highly mechanised, as their commander Apollo taught the creed of the "mobile fortress", and as the Minotaurs arrived the ten thousand year old doctrine proved very useful.

The Minotaurs, despite fielding impressive short ranged firepower and unleashing their shock troops, struggled to deal with the tought ceramite and adamantium shielded heresy era vehicles which the Iron Warriors loveingly maintained. although the crusade force dud eventually to damage or disable a number of tanks and troop carriers, by then the withering fire of the defenders had decimated the Minotaurs assault force. By 2402.015M42 it was clear that the alliance forces could not be dislodged, and the remaining Minotaurs retreated to imperial territory, south of the Regina sea.

Disciples of Y'nead defeat Von Bismork in raid

As 02.015M42 drew to a close, the eldar stepped up their activity in the Vastrid sector. This time the ork world of Keprok was targetted in a set of precision raids which appeared to single out the forces loyal to Von Bismork. Most of these orks were new to the sector, having fallen out of the warp on the way to Hylas, where the greater concentration of Von Bismork's boys were preparing for a showdown with the Imperium. Well equipped, these new orks proved a difficult test for the wraith dominated army of the Disciples of Y'nead.

The reason for attacking the new arrivals was clear to the eldar. They knew that if Von Bismork's lieutenants were able to gain control over the orks of the subsector using their "flashier gear" and "shiny kit" to impress the locals, the orks of Vastrid could unite, not only posing a direct threat to the eldar ambitions in the region, but also sucking in more imperial troops and potentially leading to the reclamation of Ares, Drift, Gabriel's World and Sentinel by the Imperium.

The eldar acted swiftly and decisively, getting in close to the orks and using their devastating short ranged firepower. Taken by surprise, the ork fire was desultory at best, and the eldar were fortunate not to take more casualties. Much damage was caused to the ork equipment, but crucially, Von Bismork's troops' reputation also suffered, and the threat of a unified ork "nation" in the Vastrid subsector receded drastically. The eldar returned to their domain satisfied, turning their thoughts to the next stage in their plan.

Libria III: Alliance and Crusade intervene in civil war

A new stage of the Librian campaign opened in mid 02.015M42. Having been defeated on Libria V, the alliance, now just the Federacy and the Tau, moved significant forces towards the system capital Libria III, a world of over a billion and the key to the entire system. The alliance move was anticipated however, and Vorushko's spies soon found out the exact date and time of the alliance intervention on Libria III. It would come in the north, near the strategically important loyalist held cities of Parth, Santo and Regina.

The alliance landed tau forces including Hunter Cadres under commanders Skyfall and Windgather, as well as a substantial force of Iron Warriors legion troops, now representing the Federacy while the federal fleet was still en route. Their objectives were for Windgather and the Iron Warriors to aid the rebels in taking Santo and if possible, a breakout to the strategically vital Tameron-Ocano industrial complex. Meanwhile Skyfall would move on Parth, and if possible surround Regina from the south.

Realising that such a defeat for the loyalists could see the alliance take Libria III and make her squabble with Hathek irrelevant, Natalia Vorushko acted swiftly. She convened with her crusade council and it was decided that the loyalists would be given support, and that her least homicidal forces would take part in the defence of Libria for the emperor, at least until the alliance situation was brought under control. Her agents contacted the senior commander on the ground days before the attack, so when it came the imperium was ready and waiting. At the same time, to throw the rebels off balance, the Lunar Guard attacked in force further south in South Vale.

The South Vale attack went well for the imperium, thanks to some strategic brilliance on behalf of the Lunar Guard commander, who had assumed command of the entire South Vale front. As the attack began the imperial general realised the rebels wouldn't be able to resist a counter attack if his line showed weakness. The Lunar Guard then made it appear that their lines were becoming stretched, leaving larger and larger gaps between units. The Librian rebels took the bait and threw their armoured reserve into the supposed weakness. Once the armoured columns had penetrated ten miles into the Lunar Guard lines, the loyalist general unleashed his reserves, which had been carefully hidden in selected terrain features. Demolisher battle tanks and veteran squads armed with melta guns smashed into the flanks of the rebel armoured column, cutting off its head and causing horrendous casualties.

The loss of the rebel reserve broke their lines, and only stubborn defence and careful tactical withdrawals prevented the defeat from becoming a rout. The Lunar Guard, who had performed so well in setting up the victory, now appeared to squander the chance for a decisive breakthrough, taking too long to follow up the retreating librians and allowing them to reform the line. Never-the-less the loyalists had a victory and the rebel city of Lazarus was now cut off from support.

In the north east the results for the imperium were not so good. In the far west the Dark Angels landed a small force to bolster the defenders of Parth, but the overwhelming firepower of commander Skyfall, who was trialling new Riptide configurations, caused intolerable casualties to the astartes and they were forced to withdraw. Parth did not fall, but the imperial lines were pushed back to the the city limits.

In the centre the main fight developed between the imperium, now backed by the Sisters of Battle and Mechanicum, and the main alliance forces under commander Windgather. Although Windgather himself was once again seen to withdraw his person from the battlefield early on, this was put down to strategic considerations, though it attracted the derision of the Iron Warriors in support. The battle then became intense and close matched, but eventually the forces of the alliance managed to gain the upper hand, pushing the imperial forces back and reching the Regina sea. This was critical, as now the imperium were split into two forces. Quickly the imperium managed to shore up their lines to prevent the Tameron-Ocano complex from coming under threat, but this meant sacrificing the city of Santo, which fell on 1902.015M42.

The alliance and Crusade forces had now arrived on Libria II. So far Vorushko was more concerned with defeating the alliance than with those who would disobey her edict, and the alliance, although victorious in their first actions in helping the rebels, were not able to achieve the decisive breakthrough which would shorten the war.

Shattered Silence raid Vastrid outposts

While the alliance in the Zadoc subsector had broken down, the eldar continued to pursue their own agenda in the Perseus Deeps and Vastrid subsector. During 02.014M42 two major raids were conducted on Achreom by the eldar faction known as the Disciples of Y'nead. On both occasions the Lunar guard, garrisoned on the imperial outpost, were tasked with defending the world from the alien interlopers.

The first raid was a failure for the eldar, as they had underestimated the strength of the imperial presence on Achreom. The Imperium had in fact begun a policy of fortification in the Vastrid sector, as it was clear to even the most dull of strategist that the activity of the eldar in the Radeon Cluster had to be linked to theor activities in the Perseus Deeps. Gradually, almost imperceptably, the eldar were making gains in the spinward region of the Vasrid subsector, and Achreom and Spinitus looked particularly vulnerable.

The eldar learned fast however, and a second raid less than 24 hours later smashed the Lunar Guard defenders and inflicted significant damage on the imperial base on Achreom. At the sector capital, Vastrid itself, the raids were enough for Titus Luthor to order an immediate investigation, and slowly the wheels of the gargantuan human bureaucracy began moving agains the eldar.

The Librian Situation

By 02.015M42 the Librian situation had become complicated. To an outside observer it appeared that Libria had rebelled, and that a war was now being conducted to crush the rebels, recently joined by the federacy and the tau. Few people were aware of the different factions of the Crusade and Loyalists, and it suited both sides to keep the disagreement within the borders of the Librian system, at least for now.

For the alliance, their predicament wasn't good. Having lost their foothold on Libria V to the Crusade, the remaining tau and federal forces had fled the workd with a handful of rebel Librian units, leaving the remaining rebels to be captured by the loyalists, or butchered by the Crusade. The Federal fleet had returned to Hartak for refitting, and the Federal Council was facing a revolt from peace factions who were vociferous in their opposition to the war in Libria.

For the tau stalemate on Zadoc ensured they were unable to commit their full weight to the campaign on Libria, but the tau remained ideologically committed to the addition of Libria to the federacy, while strategically this would secure their holdings in the Zadoc subsector. Already the Federacy and the Tau Empire had carved up the worlds of the subsector between them in a secret agreement.

The eldar however had little interest in the ongoing war on Libria, and gradually the alliance began to fracture. Apart from a few eldar whose loyalty to commander Windgather baffled observers by being close to fanaticism, the eldar mostly disappeared from the Zadoc battlefields to pursue their agenda in the Perseus Deeps.

By 1002.015M42 after weeks of indecision, the Federal cCouncil agreed to send more troops and another fleet to the Librian cause, after the tau agreed to fund the expedition. A few days later the federal warships made the jump from Hartak and proceeded to the Librian system. The tau meanwhile continued to supply a slow build up to the system, deciding that the next blow would fall where it really mattered, on Libria III.

The Crusade meanwhile were pondering their options. Already in possession of Libria I, Libria II remained devoid of large forces and essentially neutral. While Libria III represented the main struggle with the rebels, Libria IV had become the base and home of her biggest obstacle, General Abrahams, who led the coalition of Imperial forces which had been sequestered by Lord Inquisitor Hathek, her nemesis. Vorushko's forces had managed to interfere on Libria V, both removing the dangerous alien presence and at the same time ensuring the outermost planet did not easily fall into Hathek's grip. Such an eventuality would have effectively bottled her forces up in the inner system, denying her forces easy access to the jump points.

With the Alliance vanquished, at least for now, Vorushko's thoughts turned to Arbrahams and the loyalists, and the rebels on Libria III. The loyalists, so long as they made no attempt to remove her Crusade forces, could be ignored for now, but the rebels had to be broken before the alliance could intervene. Then on 1402.015M42 her Mechanicum allies reported a large fleet entering the system, and two smaller forces heading for Libria III. These were identified as the Iron Warriors (a recent addition to the alliance) and the tau under commanders Skyfall and Windgather. Vorushko reacted quickly, allowing the more "moderate" forces at her disposal, the Mechanicum and Adeptus Sororitas, to intercept and destroy the alliance forces. This meant supporting the loyalists on Libria III, but the commander on the planet was amenable to Crusade help, as he had been far too busy fighting the rebels on the surface to involve himself in the inquisition squabble.

For General Abrahams, the start of 015.042 had been fraught with difficulty. His commander on Libria III, General Harris, had been fighting a back and forth campaign against the rebels, only occasionally being reinforced by the odd off world regiment. His base on Libria IV had been raided by alliance astartes forces, and on Libria V his forces loyal to Hathek had been unable to prevent Vorushko's forces from taking the capital. In addition, the loss of Sororitas support had been particularly galling for the imperial commander.

Now at last Abrahams had some good news. With the alliance gone from Libria V there was an uneasy truce on the planet, once more under imperial control, if via two factions. This suited his plans, as soon Admiral Pendragon would arrive with reinforcements from Vastrid, which should ensure enough forces to retake the outermost world from the clutches of the Crusade. Then with the control of the jump point the Crusade could be contained then crushed. Meanwhile Inquisitor Hathek himself had arrived at Vastrid and demanded an audience with Sector Governor Titus Luthor to explain the real situation in the Librian system...

New alliance force raids Libria IV

An almighty shock came to Abrahams' HQ, now based on Libria IV, on 1201.015M42. Reports of a small but well equipped force of traitor legionaries on the last fully loyalist world in the Librian system were at first ignored or scoffed at, but soon vid pict reports clearly showed Iron Warriors vehicles and warriors stalking the upland plain region of the world. Abrahams didn’t panic however, and moved up his Librian reserve forces from the capital Porthaven, including a Baneblade super heavy tank. Fortunately for Abrahams the planet had now become the staging post for the limited reinforcements he was receiving, and an entire regiment of Prozan Cavalry made themselves available as a strategic reserve.

The Librians soon made contact with the Iron Warriors, who appeared well equipped and remarkably lacking in the marks of chaos and daemon engines so often employed by the Warmaster Stahl. These Iron Warriors almost looked like their own astartes. Nevertheless they were the enemy and hostile. Over the next few days the Librians managed to hold on long enough for the Prozan Cavalry to arrive by airborne assault. This was fortunate, as the Iron Warriors had detected and planned for the Librian offensive, and had sprung an ambush of their own. Only the highly mobile airborne elements of the Prozan guard prevented the imperial force from being annihilated. The Iron Warriors had their own problems, as bad weather to the north delayed the arrival of their own airborne reserve, allowing the imperial guard to capture key objectives and the high ground overlooking the northern plateau – and the Iron Warriors’ beachhead. The marines evacuated their small patrol on 2601.015M42, but were successful in destroying the loyalist Baneblade. More intriguing was the message they left.

The data block left by the Iron Warriors was immediately seized by the Inquisition, and Hathek himself was informed. The contents were analysed and copied for the Inquisitor Lord, who would present them to the sector governor on his arrival at Vastrid. The contents were sensational and blasphemous.

The Iron Warriors introduced themselves as loyal to their Warsmith, named Apollo, and that they had been trapped in a warpstorm following their escape from those of their brethren who had turned on the Emperor along with the traitor Horus. For them, only a few years had passed in the maelstrom of the warp, while in real space, ten thousand years had elapsed. Just like Admiral Haskell, the refugees had disappeared from history, only to find a very different Imperium on their return.

Apollo and his Iron Warriors had found the Imperial Creed unpalatable, the worship of the Emperor being that which turned Lorgar and his Word Bearers away from the Imperial truth. Unable to find a place in the Imperium, the renegades had skirmished with the forces of chaos in the Perseus Deeps, before finding respite on Myrentas II. It was there they met the Federacy, and learnt of Admiral Haskell. After much negotiation Apollo decided his force would fight for the only human empire who still retained the old ways and the Imperial Truth. Although they were less than happy at the Federacy’s alliance with the tau and eldar, they understood and accepted the reasons behind the decision. Now part of the Iron Warriors’ force had come to Libria in order that their small force might aid the liberation of over a billion souls.

Alliance removed from Libria V

Following the failed attempt to capture the capital of Libria V, the crusade forces changed take. They realised the best way to take the capital would be to threaten the loyalist forces on two fronts, but to do that the alliance forces, a mixture of tau and rebel Librian units, would have to be annihilated. For now Crusade intelligence indicated the eldar had reduced their involvement following their defeat in the Perseus Deeps, and it was time to strike a decisive blow.

The Sisters of Battle, now backed up somewhat dubiously by three regiments of Vannaheim Guard, were at the speartip of the operation which saw Crusade forces move down from North Springley to the capital of the Alliance in Jutesburg. The Adeptus Mechanicus provided a Titan for the operation, a warhound, which would prove to be the undoing of the tau defence of the city. Meanwhile the Sky Lords & Charcaradons performed spoiling attacks against the rebel forces in the Acronia Valley, hampering the ability of the Crusade to react to the Adeptus Sororitas offensive.

The assault itself lasted just over a week. The first decisive clash took place at Jutesberg, where Librian rebels and the tau attempted depserately to prevent the Crusade army from breaking through to the Daralon Valley. The main engagement took place along a narrow valley, and the Sisters of Battle quickly took key objectives despite suffering heavy casualties. The crusade forces then weathered a spirited counter attack led by Librian and tau forces, but mistrust between the rebels and the tau critically delayed the deployment of the Librian reserves, and by the time the alliance reserve had been committed, the Sisters of Battle had dug in and had ordered in their own reserves. Jutesberg fell on 0301.015M42, cutting off the remaining alliance forces on Libria V from their only functioning spaceport.

The Alliance immediately made plans to counter-attack from the west. In the Daralon Valley Skyfall could still count on a large hunter cadre, and several rebel regiments were available for the operation. However, as the combined force closed in on Jutesberg the mighty Warhound Felis Rex tore into the alliance troops with its two double barrelled turbo lasers. The crusade preferentially targetted the tau, reducing the alliance's firepower and leaving the imperial force exposed. Even so the battle was tight and for three days the two sides hotly contested the suburbs of the city. Gradually the alliance was forced to commit more and more troops, and a daring raid behind the warhound by elite crisis teams was carried out, although it failed to fell the mighty war engine.

The crusade were losing troops aswell, but the Warhound was able to plug the gaps in the line and the Adeptus Sororitas proved to be a stubborn foe. By 1101.015M42 the alliance commanders realised they could not retake Jutesberg without external help, without abandoning their positions against the loyalists. Their situation was hopeless, and between 1101.015M42 and 2001.015M42 the tau made a well executed withdrawal from the planets via the mountains of Timberhill. The arriving Mantas were defended by Barracudas and Federal navy fighters, but neither the loyalists nor the crusade attempted to interdict the evacuation. Some rebel forces were also extracted, but the majority now faced the wrath of the crusade as they swept in from the Acronia Valley, taking Daralon and joining up with the Sororitas at Jutesberg.

The alliance had been removed from Libria V but remained in system. However the tau had sustained serious losses in the failed campaign on the world, and the eldar were in no state to carry the fight to the imperium. Inquisitor Vorushko now had the upper hand in the Librian war.

Veers raid on Mordecai goes badly wrong

As 015M42 began the optimism in the imperial camp in the Perseus Deeps was almost palpable. The chaos invasion of Bastien had been repulsed, Aethor had been saved from the eldar and the necrons had once again apparently gone into slumber. This optimisim, backed up by reinforcements from Vannaheim, Novgorod and the Adeptus Sororitas order of the crimson veil, spurred General Veers into immediate action. Securing a sizeable battlefleet from the imperial navy Veers hastilly planned the operation to continue the fight against chaos.

On 1001.014M42 a sizeable force arrived at the Mordecai system. Veers planned once again to secure a bridgehead on the outermost planet of Mordecai, as a staging post for a later invasion of the rest of the system. He'd tried before in early 013M42, until the necron threat forced the imperium to abandon the venture. Now seemed the perfect time to restart the campaign. With the supression of Mordecai, Kendrenec would be vulnerable, allowing the imperium to clear the Perseus Deeps entirely of chaos.

The initial appearance of the imperial fleet was not met by Tragaen, Thok or the Word Bearers. The chaos forces were either taken by surprise or were content to allow the imperial force to land their forces. This Veers did on 12.015M42, unloading several imperial guard regiments and the Sisters of battle onto the agri world of Mordecai Tersius.

Initially the landings were unopposed, but soon the advancing imperial regiments encountered chaos forces, including the Iron Warriors astartes. The presence of marines worried Veers as this indicated the forces of chaos had been expecting their arrival. Initial skirmishes had seen the Iron Warriors driven off or destroyed, but on 1401.015M42 a massive chaos counter attack was thrust against the imperial bridgehead.

The ferocity of the chaos counter offensive was only matched by the sheer size of the chaos forces involved. The Iron Warriors turned out in strength, supported by vast numbers of traitor guardsmen, confirming the imperial suspicion that the invasion of Mordecai tersius had been known about in advance. Even the combined force of the Adeptus Sororitas and five regiments of imperial guard could not hold the bridgehead perimeter. After less than a day the bridgehead was being evacuated and the imperial fleet withdrawing into deep space while Veers considered his next step.

Battle of Bastien: analysis

The Battle of Bastien occurred on 1212.014M42 with the largest clash of imperial and chaos fleets since 11.011M42. By early 12.014M42 a sizeable fleet of chaos warships had assembled at Bastien and had been blockading the system ever since the disastrous rout of Admiral Beattie's battlegroup in mid 11.014M42. Gradually Thok's fleet had been joined by elements of Tragaen's and the Word Bearers loyal to the Arch Cleric. Now the chaos fleet in the Bastien system numbered sixteen or so capital ships, and the overlords of the ruinous powers were confident that their enemy, Admiral Jellicoe, would not be able to muster the forces to challenge their supremacy in the Perseus Deeps.

Admiral Jellicoe did indeed have some serious problems. In trying to protect the Vastrid subsector, the beleagured forces in the Zadoc subsector and maintain a strong presence in the Perseus Deeps, the imperial fleet was split across the sector. Beattie's battlegroup, or what was left of it, was heading for dock at Farport for major repairs, while Admiral Pendragon's force had been all but annihilated at Hylas. Jellicoe could only spare one battleship and a handful of cruisers to break through the Bastien blockade, not nearly enough.

Help came however in the form of other imperial agencies as it had done in 011.M42. Once again the Dark Angels turned up in force, with three strike cruisers and a host of escorts, pledging to break the blockade to the planet they had shed so much blood to wrestle from the grip of the archenemy. Similarly, four cruisers and a battleship arrived from the adeptus mechanicus. Now Jellicoe had more ships than his enemy, although fewer capital vessels. He knew the chaos admirals well, and judged they would field no escorts, and that his smaller forces may be able to turn any battle in his favour. On 0712.014M42 the mixed imperial fleet left its secret rendezvous and headed for Bastien.

Five days later the imperial fleet arrived at Bastien, much closer to the planet itself thanks to the advanced technology of the adeptus mechanicus. Immediately Jellicoe's warships detected the chaos fleet, which was travelling in three divisions towards them on the other side of the planet, following a routine sweep of the inner biosphere. Keen to avoid making the same mistakes that cost him victory three terran years previously, Jellicoe consulted his colleagues in the astartes and mechanicum and a plan was devised. The Adeptus Mechanicus fleet took the left wing, Jellicoe took the middle, and the Dark Angels deployed on the right wing.

Opposing this deployment the chaos fleet of lord Tragaen quickly moved to oppose the mechanicus, while admiral Thok and the Word Bearers intended to join up to form a large fleet near the planet itself. The combined firepower would then be enough to prevent Jellicoe and the Dark Angels from breaking through, while Tragaen dealt with the Mechanicum.

The battle started in earnest around 14:00 local system time with the adeptus mechanicu fleet scoring early successes against lord Tragaen's vessels with their long range nova cannons. Jellicoe had deliberately grouped these long ranged monsters together, and soon much of the chaos battlegroup was taking evasive manoeuvres. its progress toward the imperial fleet slowed as the imperial admiral had intended. Despite weaving to and fro, the nova shells eventually took their toll. Doombringer was crippled by a direct hit at 14:16 and then Rapturous Agony took multiple hits as Tragaen's fleet gradually closed the gap between themselves and the Adeptus mechanicus, exploding in a dramatic plasma drive detonation at 15:06. Doombringer veered off and took no further part in the battle. The Mechanicum had reduced their opponents to four vessels, but the fast chaos vessels still packed a punch, and soon the Adeptus Mechanicus vessels found themselves under heavy fire. Suppono was soon heavily damaged and only just managed to limp away.

While the Mechanicum and Lord Tragaen's battlegroup were locked in a struggle on the imperial left, on the right the Dark Angels had sent a lone squadron of torpedo escorts to the rear of the Word Bearer's fleet, fully aware that the forces of chaos had no way of dealing with the fast and agile vessels. This action bore fruit at 15:50, with the crippling and subsequent disengaging of Unholy Flame. The Word Bearers did not turn to deal with the threat behind them, indeed they could not. The fleet had already been slow to form up with Admiral Thok's, and needed to form a battle line before the van of Jellicoe's fleet arrived.

In the centre of the battlefield the main Dark Angels battlegroup now came into range of Admiral Thok's fleet, and quickly Blue squadron lost several ships and was forced to disengage. However there were plenty more escorts and strike cruisers left, and combined close range Dark Angels fire quickly reduced Dagnr to a wreck, before the stricken chaos cruiser exploded at 16:29. Meanwhile Admiral Jellicoe's battlegroup had initially turned slightly to help the Mechanicum against Tragaen, but at 16:30 Jellicoe gave the order to turn to starboard and head for Bastien itself. The imperial plan was working. On the left Tragaen and the mechanicus fleet were evenly matched and slugging it out at close quarters. Valente Deo was crippled at 16:50 but Pustulent was similarly heavily damaged by an escort strike at 16:59 before exploding at 17:54. On the right the Dark Angels had veered away from the Word bearer's battlegroup to engage Thok before the Arch Cleric could arrive, and now Jellicoe made the decision to aid the astartes. With any luck Thok could be dealt with and neutralised before the Word Bearers' arrival, and then their fleet would be dealt with in turn.

Initially Thok's vessels weathered the storm of fire from the two imperial battlegroups, and it was the lead elements of the Word Bearers' fleet that suffered first. Straining to catch up with Thok, Immolator was caught in a severe crossfire as she appeared over the limb of the world of Bastien itself, taking heavy damage at 17:24. Minutes later Warp Revelator suffered a similar fate as the astartes escorts behind the chaos fleet took aim at their second target of the day. Immolator however could not escape, and thunderhawk gunships were sent in to finish her off. The chaos cruiser's fire slackened and fell silent at 17:29, the ship now a drifting hulk.

Jellicoe's fleet did not get off without any damage however. At the head of Jellicoe's formation the light cruisers Phoenix and Firedrake found themselves in a storm of fire, with Phoenix suffering heavy damage at 17:38. The dauntless class cruisers turned away sharply and retreated, but the cruiser Intrepid was late to notice their move, and soon found herself isolated as the nearest imperial vessel on the chaos starboard bow. The chaos fleet, despite locked in battle with the Dark Angels at close range, now found some sport for their starboard batteries, and Intrepid was badly damaged before she was able to turn away.

By 18:00 however the situation heavily favoured the imperial side. Lord Tragaen's remaining battered ships disengaged at 18:27, leaving the Adeptus Mechanicus vessels free to rejoin the main imperial fleet (although this would take them some time). In the centre Jellicoe had his fleet broadside on to Thok and the Word Bearers', while the Dark Angels were heavily engaged ont he chaos left. The Word Bearers' were also suffering from appearing one by one over the planet Bastien itself, and the tactical situation was dire despite the numbers being relatively even.

The imperial fleet soon started making their tactical position count. Wyrmfire was quickly destroyed by the might of Jellicoe's guns at 18:22, and at 18:24 Thok's flagship took heavy hits from Vanguard, causing heavy damage. Warp Revelator followed, with Jellicoe's torpedoes crippling her at 18:26. The battle was becoming a rout as Jellicoe's vessels mangled the oncoming chaos fleet. Pyre of Darnath and Savage Messsiah were also heavily damaged and forced to retreat by the combined firepower and ordnance of the imperial and astartes fleet before at 18:55 the chaos vessels turned towards the asteroid fields around the planet and disengaged en masse. The imperial fleet formed up around Bastien and began transferring reinforcements to the planets' surface.

The Battle of Bastien had been a decisive victory for the imperium, one which Jellicoe had failed to achieve in 011M42. The forces of chaos had lost five capital ships and had a further six crippled. Despite the loss of nine escorts, the imperium hadn't lost a single capital ship, and only four had suffered significant damage. The chaos fleet had been driven from the field and the imperium were left in control of the system. Jellicoe was praised for his actions, although the glory had to be shared between the imperial navy, the mechanicum and the Dark Angel's chapter of astartes. Nervertheless the result was a much needed morale boost to imperial forces across the sector, and in the short term it led to a dramatic shift in the strategic balance sectorwide. With three major chaos fleets out of action, supplies and reinforcements were able to get through to Aethor and Bastien, and within weeks the eldar had been ejected from Aethor and Bastien had been wiped clean of the chaos taint. General Veers even had ideas of going onto the offensive in the Perseus Deeps.

Riders raid Ares

While the crusade forces battled aliens and humans alike on Libria V, the smaller contingent of astartes associated with the crusade continued to aid their fellow imperial forces in the Perseus Deeps. For the crusaders this was not a contradiction. The crusade was limited simply to carrying out the lawful edict of Inquisitor Vorushko - where it applied on Libria. Hathek had stood in the way of the Inquisitor Lord and tried to overturn her judgement. In the Deeps no such unloawful acts had taken place, and the astartes remained a useful tool for General Veers.

Following the defeat of the eldar on Aethor the Apocalypse Riders went over to the offensive, following the tell tale warp signature of the dark eldar vessels as they left the system. The navigators aboard the Riders' strike cruiser successfully determined the forces of the Kabal of the Glass 5 were regrouping on Ares, and the astartes decided to disrupt them by launching a lightning raid.

The Apocalypse Riders' strike cruiser arrived in the Ares system just days after the dark eldar had retreated. Before the xenos could react to the interloper in their system, the space marines had landed a small but powerful raiding force of bikes and land speeders on the surface of the planet. an orgy of destruction followed, with the dark eldar sustaining heavy losses, although the Apocalypse Riders too suffered high casualties, and in the end the raid failed ot penetrate the outer defences of the main strategic objective, the munitions and equipment store of the kabal on Ares.

Eldar reinforcements were soon being tracked converging on the space marines' location, and the Apocalypse Riders were quickly evacuated by Thunderhawk. The mission was considered not to have met its objectives, and the effect on the overall strength of the combined eldar-dark eldar military machine in the upper Perseus Deeps was negligible.

Libria V: Crusade push for the capital fails

The next push by the Crusade on Libria V came in a series of thrusts into the streets of Louxin City, between 1612.014m42 and 2212.014M42. The crusade attack was launched by the Vannaheim Guard and their Adeptus Sororitas leaders. The Vannaheim were now easily the most numerous force the crusade could wield, with almost 30,000 troopers and almost 5000 tanks and artillery pieces on Libria V alone. However in terms of effectiveness the Crusade was still reliant on small elite astartes and adeptus sororitas elite forces, and it was the Sisters of Battle who led the assaults into Louxin city as 014M42 drew to a close.

Initially the imperial guard defenders were forced to retreat before the onslaught of the new crusade offensive, but general Abrahams had plenty of logistical support. He was able to call on massed artillery bombardments from the eastern suburbs of the city, and soon accurate barrages were raining down on the crusade forces, wrecking most of the Vannaheim tanks taking part in the assault. After three determined thrusts into the city were repulsed, the crusade forces were forced to make a retreat, allowing the loyalist defenders to recapture all of the capital.

One point of note ws the presence of the Dark Angels in the attack. Previously the chapter had maintained a steadfast neutrality, refusing to associate with either side. Now at least one company appeared to be working alongside the Adeptus Sororitas, aiding them against imperial guard forces whereas before the Dark Angels had fought alongside the same guard troopers against the alliance. General Abrahams was worried, but Inquisitor Hathek assured him he would personally intervene in order to ensure the Dark Angels stayed out of the war.

No respite on Libria V

The pace of the war on Libria V did not slow as the end of 014M42 approached. Following the astartes encounters in Mistshire, there was no immediate reaction by the space marines on either side. Very little was mentioned to non astartes, and it seemed both the Imperial Fists and Apocalypse Riders were keeping their own council. Officially the astartes in the loyalist armies claimed no antipathy nor any loyalty to the crusdading forces, and their remit was to take the fight to the emperor's enemies. Officially the non crusade astartes would simply not get involved over disputes between inquisitors, but the stubbornness of the Imperial Fists and arrogance of the Apocalypse Riders had change things forever. Marine had fought marine and now pride was at stake.

The next move however was by the loyalist marines. A force of Imperial Fists, Ultramarines and Dark Angels launched an attack on a broad front against the southern flank of the alliance salient, driving towards Daralon. The loyalist force was well equipped, and although it faced a heavy concentration of Librian tanks and eldar, the sheer aggressiveness of the space marine attack soon had the alliance on the back foot. The eldar and Librian forces sustained heavy losses in close quarter firefights in the timberhill region, and within a week of the start of the attack the alliance had pulled back, surrendering territory in exchange for time.

At much the same time the crusade took advantage of the loyalist attack, attacking Skyfall in the north and pinning down a large number of tau forces. This move ensured no tau reinforcements could come to the aid of the beleagured alliance defenders further south, contributing to the Librian success. It seemed Vorushko and the crusade would still rather have a loyalist victory than lost the planet to the tau. However, the crusade had other objectives in mind.

As the loyalist forces made swift progress north against the alliance, the Imperial Fists watched the crusade forces warily. Since the encounter with the Apocalypse Riders the Fists had maintained their vigil on the loyalist-crusade front. They were now personally affronted and unwilling to yield any more territory to the "illegal actions" of Inquisitor Vorushko. They didn't have to wait long for the next move from the crusade.

On 1812.014M42 the Carcharadon Astra chapter launched a deeply penetrating airborne assault against the loyalist forces, easily breaching the imperial guard defences. Without hesitation the Imperial Fists reacted, moving swiftly to the Space Shark's positions, and without any communication, both sides engaged in a bitter and violent engagement. Seeing a chance to break the front wide open, the Carcharadons reoriented their airborne assault and drove straight at the Imperial Fists. The loyalist marines opened up with everything they had, but somehow the Space Sharks' sleek grey craft managed to avoid the fire. Soon their payload of super humans had been deployed, and the Imperial Fists found themselves in serious trouble.

The initial Carcharadon assault was so brutal the Imperial Fists were all but knocked out in one afternoon. Almost half a company were either killed, wounded or captured by their enemy, and by 2012.014M42 the Carcharadons had managed to reach the Libria V capital, Louxin city. In the north the loyalist assualt halted as General Abrahams struggled to redeploy forces to stem the collapse of his southern and western flanks, and the loyalists were only saved by the logistical problems always faced by the small Crusade army. Louxin city was partially recaptured by the loyalists, but the crusade forces now held all of Mistshire, and threatened to cut the loyalist armies off from their one supply base in the capital. In addition, some twenty or so Imperial Fists were now the captives of the Carcharadons.

The saviour of the loyalist cause on the main continent of Libria V was in actual fact tau commander Skyfall. Following the Apocalypse Riders' raid, Skyfall went over to the offensive, deciding to clear out the northern Acronian badlands south of North Springvale, thus preventing further raids from having such a dramatic effect on the alliance positions. The fast moving hunter cadres quickly made gains, as the numerically inferior crusade forces couldn't possibly defend all areas at once. However once the tau had taken their positions, they had to wait for the inevitable counter attack.

The crusade attempt to dislodge Skyfall from the northern hills came on 1812.014M42, just as the Carcharadons launched their devastating assault in the south. Led by the Adeptus Sororitas and supported by their indentured Vannaheim Guard regiments, the crusade counter attack smashed the initial tau defensive line, and began to inflict heavy casualties on Skyfall's infantry in particular. The Vannaheim artillery in the shape of Wyvern batteries was particularly painful to endure, but the tau commander held doggedly on to the hard won ground, knowing that to retreat now would invite disaster. With the loyalists putting pressure on the alliance southern flank, Skyfall knew the alliance could not afford their salient to become even narrower.

Eventually logistics and a lack of crusade ammunition, particularly melta and artillery rounds brought the crusade assault to an end. Had it continued, Skyfall may well have been forced to abandon his position, but in the event the sacrifice of so many tau lives had bought the alliance a strategically vital position and ensured their continued participation in the fight for the planet.

Chaos infighting on Zadoc

With the invasion of Bastien a complete failure, tensions soon rose on Zadoc, where the Emperor's Children repeatedly mocked their brother legionairies in the Iron Warriors for participating in such an ill thought out and poorly planned strategic move. This was partly one-up-manship, but in reality the Emperor's Children were frustrated that the Arch Cleric and Stahl had started an "adventure" in the Perseus Deeps when the war on Zadoc remained unfinished, the alliance unbowed. In their opinion Zadoc should be finished first, but they simply lacked the resources to lead the chaos cause.

The tension boiled over in mid 12.014M42, with the Iron Warriors mounting a surprise assault against the Emperor's Children, stealing several legion banners and other paraphernalia associated with the Emperor's Childrens' honour. Easily slighted, the legion declared a vendetta against the Iron Warriors, and for two days the chaos occupied zone of Zadoc was witness to ferocious in fighting. Eventually, after a set of bloody encounters, the Emperors Children were forced to admit defeat. The Iron Warriors were too numerous and skilled at defence to be overcome. The Iron Warriors complimented their foes' marshal ability, but kept their historic items in order to ensure the loyalty of their comrades.

Bastien invasion crushed by imperial forces

Following the reinforcement of the imperial forces on Bastien, as 12.014M42 it became obvious that without a strategic shift, the invasion of the world by the Arch Cleric and Iron Warriors was doomed. too few had landed to breakout of their bridgehead, and with the imperial fleet in orbit around the world, there was no hope of resupply. Warsmith Stahl, realising the futility of reinforcing failure, declined to employ the "device" or any other ethyric engine to open a warp conduit to Bastien. It simply wasn't a good use of resources.

Abandoned to their fate, the remaining traitor astartes fought stubbornly, but on 1212.014M42 the Vannaheim Guard and Adeptus Sororitas which had been deployed to Bastien were now thrown in to finish off the chaos forces. The new arrivals moved in force on Meshuggah, and an intense battle developed for the city. The Vannaheim Guard surrounded the city, while the Sisters of Battle charged towards their most hated enemy. Their faith helped, but overwhelming firepower and logistical support was the major factor in ending the chaos invasion, at least for now. Bastien was once again back securely in the hands of the imperium.

LIBRIA V: Crusade smash loyalists, take Ashdown

For weeks the Crusade forces had avoided outright confrontation with the loyalists on Libria V, preferring to consolidate their positions in the west of the inhabited zone of the planet. By 12.014M42 the crusade held the west, penning in the alliance forces who dominated the central plains of the Springley plain, Timberhill, and Daralon and its surroundings. In the south of the main continent the loyalists still held Ashdown, most of Mistshire and the capital, Louxin City.

Inquisitor Vorushko was no strategic fool. She knew that the successes in the Perseus Deeps could soon see a large reinforcement of the loyalist position. To offset this she sent her fleet to the interstellar jump point of the Librian system, ready to intercept any inbound troop convoys, from the loyalists or the tau. The Federal fleet had vanished, presumably to restock supplies, while Vorushko hoped that any loyalist reinforcements would simply be diverted on her authority without any bloody battles.

On the ground, Vorushko's crusade needed access to the left flank of the alliance front line. Without this, the alliance would simply roll up the loyalists and take the capital anyway, so on 0212.014M42 the crusade, acting on the orders of their lord Inquisitor, demanded that all loyalist forces abandon Ashdown and turn it over to the crusade. General Abrahams vascillated, but inquisitor Hathek, now on Libria V, refused, ordering the Novgorod Guard to take up defensive positions against the crusade, and the Imperial Fists, angry at the excess of their fellow astartes, pledged to defend the city of Ashdown themselves. No one expected the space marines to begin fighting one another.

Which is exactly what happened. The Apocalypse Riders arrogantly rode forward towards the Imperial lines, the yellow power armour of the Imperial Fists clearly visible. Neither side attempted to communicate and a showdown seemed inevitable. The Riders were keen to prove themselves while the Fists were determined to uphold honour. Vorushko had chosen her forces deliberately, and on 0312.014M42 the powder keg went off. Its unclear which side fired first, but soon a violent battle erupted between the two astartes sides outside Ashdown. The battle became rapidly very bloody, with neither side giving ground. However, Inquisitor Vorushko hadn't left things to chance. Midway through the engagement, her assassins appeared.

Before the loyalists knew what was going on, a Culexus assassin had dispatched the Imperial Fists' captain, and an Eversor assassin was ripping through the remaining marines. The Master of the Forge temporarily held up the progress of the assassins, but after several hours of fighting it was clear the loyalist marines were a spent force. They retreated, allowing the Apocalypse Riders, now supported by the Sisters of Battle, to assault the city directly.

The Apocalypse Riders now fell upon the Novgorod Guard defending Ashdown itself. Despite some imaginative defensive tactics including wheeling seige guns around the city in order to outflank the attacking astartes, the imperial guard were horribly outmatched. In addition the arrival of the Sisters of Battle and their indentured Vannaheim Guard, led to the swift collapse of the Novgorod positions. A massacre followed, and by 1212.014M42 the entirety of Ashdown was under Crusade control.

While the loyalists fought furiously for Ashdown, the Sky Lords moved swiftly south to outflank the loyalist positions and reach the coast. In this they were successful, although the imperial guard defending this part of Mistshire proved able and competent, managing to inflict heavier than anticipated losses on the astartes force, inclusing a venerable Land Raider Redeemer. In the end the power armour of the Sky Lords made the difference, and the imperial guard fell back.

The Dark Angels briefly probed the Crusade defences but were savagely defeated at the Chapel of Mists on 0812.014, but by 1012.014M42 the south west portion of Libria V was firmly in Crusade control. Now however the war had escalated, and astartes had fought astartes, with bitter enmity now festering between the Imperial Fists and the Apocalypse Riders in particular. However, far more disruptive events for the Imperium still lay ahead.

Crusade forces help annihilate eldar on Aethor

The effects of the Imperial victory at Bastien were far reaching. The defeat of the chaos fleet in the Perseus Deeps allowed the admiral Jellicoe to divert precious resources to other theatres. One of these was the nearby world of Aethor. With the chaos threat temporarily removed, jellicoe dispatched a task force of five cruisers to Aethor, as well as transports carrying a number of imperial guard regiments.

Prior to their arrival at the beleagured world however, a strike force of Inquisitor Vorushko's Crusade forces had already landed. The Carcharadons and Adeptus Sororitas, the latter intent on reclaiming their shrine, landed behind the main eldar forces in strength. Both forces landed in the north, eschewing normal attack routes and choosing to assault the eldar from the mountains, catching the Biel Tan forces in the flanks. By 0812.014M42 the northern Vale of Ice had fallen, and the highly mobile Carcharadon forces were already launching air striked against positions in Middlevale and even further south.

The Biel Tan took heavy casualties, withdrawing to the webway portal. The collapse of the northern flank of the eldar force left the south under the jurisdiction of the dark eldar alone. Without pausing to consider, the Kabal of the Glass five and the Shattered Silence immediately quit the world, taking with them as many slaves and useful resources as they could. The dark eldar were willing to fight alongside their kin for the good of both their races, but they weren't about to fight to the last against overwhelming forces.

Shortly after the dark eldar had quite the field, the Dark Angels arrived and with intelligence from the forces on the ground attempted to locate the eldar webway portal. Realising what was at steak the Biel Tan fought furiously, and at great cost were able to prevent the astartes from locating their point of egress to the world. This was one small victory, but for now the eldar - who had come so close to total victory on Aethor, would have to think again.

ZADOC: Calogne taken by Tau

The next move in the long war on Zadoc came from the Tau. With the imperium gone and the forces of chaos involved in a titanic struggle in the Perseus Deeps, the Arch Cleric had little in the way of fleet capability in the Zadoc subsector, and this fact was taken advantage of by the alliance, as more and more tau forces were shipped in as each month passed. In addition with Warmaster Stahl leading his vanguard forces on Bastien, the remaining chaos forces were led by lesser, more defensive commanders.

The tau launched a new assault attacking on a narrow front in the extreme south of Zadoc, along the strip of habitable land north of the polar regions. Their target, the city of Calogne, was defended by the Iron Warriors, who had fortified much of the surrounding area. Seeing the forces of Rahvan Malkeor approaching, the Iron Warriors hunkered down into their objectives, hoping to lure in the tau then strike with teleporting terminators into the heart of the enemy positions.

The tau however were well equipped to deal with this kind of tactic, and had faced the traitor legions before. Although Malkeor was held up by the stubborn Iron Warrior defence, the chaos counter strike was obliterated by tau firepower, and after a few days the forts defending the city were destroyed or bypassed. In general the weaker cultist forces simply fled before the tau assault, and soon the tau were advancing steadily across the Mida plain. Calogne fell on 1012.014M42, with the tau firmly in control.