Chaotic skirmish finds clues to the Foramen Ignotum

On an unclassified desert world deep in the Hadron Expanse the tendrils of Nemesis were beginning to make themselves felt. The genestealers on the hulk named "Perditious" in the depths of space were not the only bands of these vicious creatures found in the expanse. In early 10.018M42 the Grey Knights, responding to an emergency distress call from a small mining colony not heard from in a thousand years, made contact with a few dozen of the creatures. The astartes were able to dispatch the aliens but no trace of the miners was found. However the mechanicum agents working with the Grey Knights determined that signal from the colony was actually far older, and warned of something far worse.

Further investigation of the mining settlement revealed the presence of the miners' finds, an ancient Xenos artefact, and strange cartographic references in an ancient alien tongue, describing a device which would "push back" the immaterium. That's as far as the miners had got before they had mysteriously disappeared, but the Grey Knights realised this could be a breakthrough in finding the Foramen Ignotum. An ancient alien device to "push back" the warp was certainly involved in the Foramen Iterdictum, so the small squad of Ordo Malleus marines moved swiftly to secure the ruins. They were not alone.

The Grey Knights were not the only responders to the distress call. The Federacy had sent an away team to the world to investigate, similarly interested in leads to the Foramen Ignotum, and the loyalist Mechanicum of Legio Dominus had been secretly listening in on the Grey Knights' conversations with their Adeptus Mechanicus aids from a small escort vessel in orbit. Now they landed a Skitarii unit to ensure the technology did not end up in Cybixx's hands. Legio Dominus were mistrustful of Cybixx and his cronies, and were keeping tabs on all of the "Crusade" mechanicus activities. In addition the deaths of the genestealers at the mining base now drew yet more to the scene, curious as to why their activities had been disrupted by interlopers.

The four forces descended on the mining installation some twenty kilometers west of the ruins of the mining settlement at about the same time. The Grey Knights, supremely confident, moved swiftly to secure the mine entrance and its contents. The Federal force, a full squad of Librian soldiers and a special weapons team, made their life difficult however, as they opened fire from concealed positions. Legio Corvus laid down a fire screen on the Grey Knights as the genestealers stalked their prey from the shadows.

The Grey Knights found themselves caught in a merciless crossfire from Legion Dominus and the Federal forces, and at the critical moment the genestealers charged. A swirling melee developed over the Mine entrance, giving the Federal troopers, then the adeptus mechanicus skitarii, time to move up and engage their enemies with brutal close range weapons. Flamers and grenades were used on both the astartes and the genestealers as they approached, and although both the Grey Knights and Legio Dominus shot many of the Federal troopers, not one was hurt badly enough to take them out of the fight.

The Grey Knights were quickly overwhelmed although they caused enough damage to the genestealers to severely blunt their attack, eventually driving them off. The skitarii then had to face the Federal Troops, who although had many lightly wounded, all but one were still capable of fighting. After a brief search of the ruins the skitarri withdrew, leaving the Federacy in command of the battlefield. In the mine, the federal troops found the artefact they ad been looking for, an ancient Xenos item believed to be a necron key to the phallus astronomicus or "device", capable of creating stable passageways through the Cicatrix. Where the actual device was they still did not know, but before they withdrew the skitarri of Legio Dominus had found their own clue - a map of the planet Hexis in an unmarked star system in the Expanse. Here they believed the key would be able to activate the device, but where the system was, no one knew.

Enkvist’s battlegroup massacred by Dark Eldar

Despite the eldar attacks at Vespae and the ongoing war against chaos in the Echo cluster, inquisitor Huron was still not about to give up on uncovering the secrets of the system. Having secured the Dnatha system for the time being, Huron once again requisitioned forces to make the warp transit to the Vespae system. This time he ordered the entirety of Enkvist’s battle group to accompany his ground forces, in the belief that the eldar and their dark kin lacked sufficient naval forces to contest an imperial battle group. He was wrong. 

The dark eldar fleet attacked without warning, employing their mimic engines to close to devastating short range. Unable to deal with the fast and agile Drukhari vessels, Enkvist’s fleet was torn apart. Little is known about the fate of the four capital ships under Enkvist’s command but only two imperial escorts returned, reporting that they had managed to destroy one Xenos vessel, but that the fate of the admiral and the inquisitor remained uncertain. 

Alliance defeated at Dnatha

Having secured their immediate aims in the Aleph subsector the Eldar of Kel Sandros had once more faded back into the webway, content to watch the squabbles of lessor races from a distance. The conditions for Tau and Federal expansion were in place, secured with Eldar blood and Tarquil was determined that no more would be spent. For now it was enough to have tipped the balance of probabilities, Alliances forces would have to pay the price for conquest in their own dead.

That conquest had been lack luster and Tarquil had watched in frustration as the Imperium became resurgent. The Alliance had made progress, but it was far less than could have been hoped. Now Eldar agents had uncovered an Imperial task force moving to secure the Tau holding of Dnatha. Although seemingly an unimportant world in itself the Alliance position in the Hadron expanse was becoming increasingly tenuous. The troop movements had been discovered with insufficient time for the Tau to reposition their own forces, burdened as they were with long supply routes and technologically primitive methods of space travel. Reluctantly Tarquil realised he must commit the warhost or stand by and watch another Tau setback to the Imperium.

The Imperial task force was strongly supported by the knightly household of Stroganoff. To defeat such mighty, if inelegant, warmachines with minimal casualties would require finesse and guile. To this end the Eldar waited until the task force's strength was split and then baited the lead element into an all out attack with a display of weakness. Sighting the tiny warhost in the ruins ahead the Knights of Stroganoff immediately launched themselves forward without thought of the consequences.

As the lead knights outpaced their supporting infantry the Eldar sprung their trap, the warhost revealing its full strength as it raced from cloaked positions within the concealing terrain. Within seconds the first knight fell in a storm of fire. Without pause or hesitation the warhost wheeled as one and focused its fire on the second knight. As power fields flickered and failed the second knight fell, but the threads of fate that spelt its doom also spelt the doom of the Eldar. As its legs buckled the primitive power core breached and exploded, detonating in a massive mushroom cloud that killed in a stroke many times more Eldar than had been lost to enemy fire until that point.

Worst was to come as a third knight finally arrived to support its now destroyed brothers. As it focused the full power of its melta broadside against a damaged Fire Prism the energies harnessed within the grav tanks crystal matrix broke lose. Failsafes kicked in but failed to contain the cascading energy and it exploded, ripping the heart from the Eldar warhost.

Battered but unbroken the remaining warriors focused their fire on the last knight. As its systems failed its commander activated the ancient machines self destruct in a final act of spite. The titanic explosion robbed the warhost of the last of its strength. Although only poorly equipped human infantry remained the Eldar no longer had the forces left to exterminate them. Horrified at the bloodshed Tarquil could only reflect on the bitter irony that it was the primitive and unreliable nature of the Mon-keighs technology that had granted them victory. Determined that no more Eldar blood should be spilt in defence of this alien backwater Tarquil issued the order to withdraw. They would have to find another way to bolster the Tau's wavering strength in the Hadron expanse.

Cybixx completes the Mallem Cybixxum

The knowledge of the battle station being built by the Adeptus Mechanicus of Cybixx was soon leaked to the loyalist faction through Hathek's spy and surveillance network. Hathek, "suggesting" to the Ultramarines that the battlestation may be heretical, the astartes despatched a company strength force to Vandrax to investigate. Their strike cruiser held on board a team of Hathek's loyalist Adeptus Mechanicus, who declared the battlestation, known as "Mallem Cybixxum" to be heretical and of Xenos origin. Enraged by this, the Ultramarines landed on Vandrax itself, demanding that Cybixx hand himself over to the Inquisition. Unaware of the wider Crusade implications and the ongoing disagreement between Vorushko and Hathek, the Ultramarines were naive in expecting Cybixx to comply. Without explaining to them, Cybixx launched a carefully calculated assault on the astartes.

It was Cybixx's intention to leave no marine alive, but a small number of devastator marines and at least one officer of the investigating company managed to disengage and escape from the ferocious battle which developed. Fleeing rapidly, the ultramarines broadcast plans of the space station to Hathek and his allies. 

Vorushko intercepted the astropathic signal intended for Hathek and sent her own urgent message back to Cybixx, demanding confirmation that the battle station had been built in line with their plans to close the Foramen Secundus. From Cybixx there was no reply.

Aleph Campaign: Hadron Expanse Roundup

Skirmishes in the Hadron Expanse

In 09_018M42 the lure of the Foramen Ignotum and the strategic benefits its discovery and control would bring, led to the dispatch of small teams from various powers into the Hadron expanse. A large expedition would be expensive, inflexible and might illicit a response from either the necrons or another enemy. In addition, no one knew where the Ignotum was, or whether it even existed, so the hunt for the last Foramen was undertaken by forces that could slip under the radar.

 

Archmagos Cybixx send his own team, informing Inquisitor Vorushko that he would seek to prevent the Foramen Ignotum from being discovered or opened, and by 1009_018M42 the Archmagos had several teams actively hunting for information, based around a single Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator vessel. They soon discovered they were not the only force in the Expanse however, as the Emerald Serpent engaged one of Cybixx's teams, forcing them away from a world in one uncharted system. Indeed the Crusade Mechanicum found the exploration of the expanse tough going in 09.018M42, as an elite force of Novgorod Guard sent by Hathek on the same mission ended up following Cybixx's teams and attacking them wherever they could, proving a thorn in the side of the mechanicum. The Crusade force did however manage to find one lead in the presumed dead system of HE-199478/C, but they also discovered a small tomb full of necrons from the Bahotek dynasty, and were only just able to make good their escape, killing the necrons which had awoken and quarantining the world.

 

The other force intent on finding the Ignotum passageway was the Emerald Serpent. The tzeentch dedicated faction sent its own teams of Thousand sons warbands, often aided by the Wraiths of Prospero, who unfortunately encountered loyalist Adeptus Mechanicus forces, wiping one of the Emerald Serpent's investigations. Other warbands were more successful however, as the traitor marines overcame a squad of Hammers of the Emperor who had tracked them to the fourth world in system HD-X334-1.

 

Progress of the Imperial and chaos factions was however impacted from an unlikely source. A space hulk, already encountered in the expanse, had mysteriously disappeared, only to reappear out of the warp near the Rifts of Hecate. Wondering whether the movement of the hulk had a relationship with the Foramen Ignotum, the Emerald Serpent and their death guard allies boarded the Hulk. The chaos forces had almost no opportunity to explore however, as the genestealers attacked both teams with unprecedented fury, driving them both off and inflicting heavy casualties. The chaos forces had however established that the Hulk did indeed hold a clue to the mystery of the Ignotum, but as yet, no one had been able to retrieve it.

Tarlius: Darnath's Folly invaded

The end of 09.018M42 heralded a resurgence in Crusade activity in the Foramen Interdictum. Cybixx, now de facto leader of the Crusade outside the Hadron Expanse, had already initiated raids on chaos (for his own benefit), and the Grey Knights and Dark Angels had begun the pacification of the Destino system, which had already resulted in the clash with fellow astartes.

 

Now the Dark Angels and Grey Knights, satisfied that the foothold had been secured in the Destino system, moved into the Foramen Majoris and lent their aid to the loyalist cause against the forces of chaos. Here in the Majoris, the Crusade had little in the way of differences to fight over, except over Hathek's dubious policy of allowing daemon exposed Guard units to remain intact. At Tarlius, although on the same side as the loyalists, even the Imperial Fists gave the newly arriving Crusade strike cruisers a cold welcome following the clash at Destino.

 

Unsupported but confident, the Grey Knights and Dark Angels conducted a two pronged assault on the defenders of Tarlius III (Darnath's Folly), with the Grey Knights assaulting the Iron Warriors forces, and the Dark Angels launching a bloody attack against the Wraiths of Prospero - a thousand sons force allied to the Emerald Serpent. On Tarlius II, the main Iron Warrior strength was being held in a defensive posture, so the forces encountered on the outer planet were not of the same caliber. Nevertheless the Grey Knights found the going tough against the forces of chaos, but after a protracted battle all their objectives were secure.

 

The Dark Angels similarly took all their key objectives in the first 24 hours, a move which meant coordinated defence of the bases on the world would now be impossible for the Iron Warriors and their allies. The fighting continued for a few more days, before the Iron Warriors withdrew to defensive positions around the main settlement. The Crusade had established a secure bridgehead for the Imperium on Tarlius III, aiding its reconquest.

Boltarean secured for chaos

While the Emerald Serpent was making plans to invade the loyalist system of Dnatha, they still needed to finish off the Imperium and secure the system of Boltarean. To do this the forces of chaos feigned weakness, leading to the Imperial forces planning an invasion of Boltar III. The imperial commanders had no idea that the Aether Striders Knight household and a refitted warhound titan "Terminus Rex" were lying in wait, shielded from the Imperial scanners by the arcane blessings of Tzeentch.

 

The Imperium had landed their own force of Knights and Legio Dominus, to conquer the flat and mostly featureless terrain - ideal for the Imperial war engines. Within hours of their arrival the Aether striders challenged House Corvus, and although the Imperium were able to start shooting first, their long range fire was poor, and the majority of the chaos devoted engines were able to close the range, unleashing a devastating volley of fire.

 

Worse was to come for the Imperial force as the Warhound Terminus Rex then appeared, reducing the Imperial Castellan Knight to slag in seconds, and severely damaging another knight. In severe trouble, House Corvus called for reinforcements, and the loyalist Warhound Titan Warspite appeared on the scene. Before Terminus Rex could react, Warspites two twin turbo lasers neatly decapitated the titan, bringing its reign of terror to an end. However, Warspite herself was not to survive the encounter, as the Aethor Strider's outflanking combat Knight arrived crippling the imperial war engine. Unable to effectively fight back the warhound was swiftly felled, Warspite's legs severed at the knee. With no titan support on either side the Emerald Serpent now had the upper hand, and one by one the remaining knights of House Corvus were surrounded and destroyed. The Aether striders and the Emerald Serpent had suffered severe losses, but the imperium had been removed from Boltar III.

 

The invasion of Boltar III had been a failure, and with their forces drastically reduced and reports that the forces of chaos had reached Dnatha, the remaining Imperial forces were evacuated from Porega, abandoning the Boltarean system entirely to chaos. The Emerald Serpent had finally achieved their secure anchorage in the Hadron Expanse.

Invasion of Dnatha

While the Imperium battled the Emerald Serpent in the Boltarean system, believing that the Emerald Serpent had limited access to Titans (perhaps only one), the Chaos forces led by Andreos were actually already making plans to outflank the Imperial forces at Palantir and invade the much softer (they believed) system of Dnatha, recently conquered by the Imperium from Alliance control.

In late 018M42 the alliance, the forces of chaos (led by the Emerald Serpent) and the Imperium, were all making their own plans to dominate the worlds of the Echo Cluster, thus dominating the Hadron Expanse and the link between the (predicted) Foramen Ignotum and the rest of the sector. While the Imperium were unaware that the Emerald Serpent were launching an invasion of Dnatha with the aid of several traitor Legio engines, the host of the Knight Household of the Aether Striders as well as a warfleet from Lord Tragean, the followers of the dark gods were similarly unaware that Dnatha had been significantly fortified and reinforced following the arrival of the Tau.

The commander of the Hadron Campaign, as the unified Imperium had dubbed it, was indisputably Lord General Chuikov, assisted by Admiral's Enkvist and Barham, with the support of several astartes companies and the aid of Inquisitor Vorushko and Lord Huron. Common cause in the Hadron Expanse once again saw the Imperium acting as a unified and brutal force, and the Aether Striders with their Titan support were more than a little shocked to find their initial landing on the outer world of Dnatha IV immediately and brutally opposed by the Hammers of the Emperor.

The superhuman warriors of the adeptus astartes lived up to their reputation. Without war engine or artillery support, the power armoured marines took the fight to the traitors none-the-less, engaging Knights and the warhound titan sent to support the initial landing. In a brutal assault, the Aether Striders and their Titan were obliterated, the Emerald Serpent being rebuffed having expected a simple or unopposed landing to create a base of operations. The remaining chaos forces were hastily withdrawn to the safety of Tragean's fleet, while Admiral Enkvist moved in to block Tragean from threatening the ongoing fortification of the inner worlds. What Malkaor now made of the situation from his isolated tau-alliance bridgehead on Dnatha III could not be imagined.

Cybixx Raids Chaos

Archmagos Cybixx had been bottled up in the system of Vandrax for some time, with little contact with Inquisitor Vorushko. Outwardly the Inquisitor Lord was confident the Archmagos would keep his word and see to the destruction of the Foramen Minoris, but secretly she wondered how much of a trustworthy ally Cybixx really was.

The Archmagos Dominus however was keeping busy. By 09.018M42 his plans were far advanced. For the defence of Vandrax and the furthering of the Crusade goals, he had begun a massive project; to build a battlestation which would be nigh on impregnable. Strong enough to deal a crippling blow to a battlefleet on its own, Cybixx's small mechanicum fleet would now be enhanced by this monstrous war engine. His enginseers protested that the endeavour would take a century to build, but Cybixx had other ideas.

Keeping the real truth to himself, the leader of the Crusade Mechanicum led his forces to Mordecai, falling upon the The unprepared defenders and beating off a concentrated counter attack from the Wraiths of Prospero - a force of Thousands Sons allied to the Emerald Serpent and Admiral Thok.

The defeat of the Wraiths on the sun scorched surface of the Mordecai Forge World bough Cybixx enough time to complete the objective of his raid, to steal Dark Mechanicus technology and arcanery in order to artificially speed up the construction of his battle station. Vorushko would never have to know...

Hive fleet clash in the Hadron Expanse

Inquisitor Huron of the Ordo Xenos had been investigating the necrons of the Hadron Expanse, but in 09.018M42 he became aware of an even greater threat. The necrons off the Bahotek Dynasty appeared to remain in their slumber, at least for now, although his investigations had been seriously curtailed by the arrogance and stubbornness of the Eldar at Vespae. 

However, the tyranid xenos, previously thought not to have touched the expanse, was noted on a distant world by probes set up by his Magos Biologis. The tyranids, far from simply consuming a lush world, were in fact warring with one another. It became clear as the information flowed in through the arcane Mechanicum instrumentation, that here were two warring strains of the xenos, and one at least - the victor which went on to consume the otherwise unremarkable world in an unimportant system - appeared to show biomarkers for lineage to the Hive fleet known as Nemesis...

Grey Knights pursue White Hands

Having made contact with the mysterious White Hands and having driven them off once, the Grey Knights pursued them into the depths of the Hadron Expanse, almost as far as the Rifts of Hecate. Although the information was sparce, eventually the Ordo Malleus tracked their foe down to an uncharted system where at least one White Hands vessel appeared to be resupplying. Wishing to investigate close at hand, the Grey Knights engaged the rebel astartes on the ground rather than challenging them in space. Besides, the Grey Knights only had one vessel. How many the White Hands numbered the Imperium did not yet know.

Once again the White Hands denied the divinity of the Emperor, accusing the Grey Knights of religious fanaticism. Although the imperial space marines took this as a compliment, the heresy of the White Hands could not be denied, and once again the small force of rebels was driven off by the zealous Grey Knight assault. As the White Hands retreated further into the Rifts of Hecate, a small ship followed, bearing with it a representative from the Federacy and an emissary from the Tau empire.

Theatres of war

As the Aleph campaign raged into late 018M42 two theatres of war became critical focus points for all factions in the region. 

The Foramen Interdictum

The Foramen Interdictum constitutes two stable warp pathways across the Cicatrix Maledictum, between the Vastrid subsector and the Persues Deeps. The two channels (Majoris and Minoris) are held open by arcane technologies on Corticant, but control of key systems - Tarlius and Paradorn for the Majoris, Destino and Vandrax for the Minoris, means control of the passageways. Should any faction gain outright control of either, the strategic benefits are great.

In 018M42 Paradorn had been successfully secured by the "loyalist" imperium, but Tarlius remained a warzone, such is its proximity to Warsmith Stahl's domain and heavily fortified base at Minos. Stahl and the forces of chaos desperately want control of the Foramen Majoris as it would link their empire and divide the Imperium. They almost succeeded in mid 018M42, but last minute intervention by the Imperial Fists and Grey Knights averted disaster.

Inquisitor Vorushko and the "Crusade" control Vandrax, but Vorushko's plan - so vehemently opposed by Lord Hathek, is to take Vandrax and Destino (currently dominated by the loyalists) and destroy the Foramen Minoris. This Hathek sees as heresy, while Vorushko considers it heresy not to, since the ancilliary pathway is too much of a risk to keep open.

Meanwhile the eldar have managed to lay claim to a world in each system, watching and threatening to intervene should any single power claim dominance over the Foramen. They would prefer no one had control. The focus in this theatre is all out war and the securing of the four key systems for the main powers, although strategic battles around the key worlds continue to affect the campaign.

The Hadron Expanse (and the Foramen Ignotum)

The Hadron Expanse is a relatively recent discovery following the effect of the Cicatrix calming long standing warp storms separating the area from the rest of the galaxy. Rediscovery of long lost human worlds tempts the Imperium, and in the expanse the loyalists and crusade forces are for now at least working together in common cause. The tau also seek to expand here, having declared the "Hadron Expansion Sphere" in alliance with the Federacy, and with more than a little help from the Kel Sandros Eldar.

Necrons and other dangers lurk in the area however, and the forces of chaos - especially the Emerald Serpent - are seeking their own base of power. Lastly, the lure of the predicted fourth channel through the Cicatrix - the Foramen Ignotum, spurs on all powers in the region into finding and controlling this accessway.

The focus in the Hadron Expanse is control, domination and construction of settlements and defences in newly secured worlds. In addition small groups* are being sent out for clues as to the whereabouts of the Foramen Ignotum

*Kill Team battles will gain clues.

Malkaor establishes landing at Dnatha

With two failed attempts to invade the alliance system of Echo Reach, the alliance council decided to attempt to take the pressure off their main system in the Hadron Expanse by reinitiating their expansion goals. Having rebuffed the imperium twice, the alliance now felt strong enough to bring the war to the neighbouring system of Dnatha, under Imperial control.

 

With Admiral Barham's fleet engaged at Paradorn and Boltarean fighting chaos, and with Enkvist still recovering from his fleet's encounter with Sunstrike, Tau commander Malkaor did not have to worry about fleet engagement, and the invasion force arrived in the Dnatha system close to the second outer planet. The outermost planet was deemed of little value, and Malkaor wanted to disrupt imperial plans by taking out the Imperial base and laser defences on the second outer planet.

 

Landing in force the tau quickly overwhelmed the Imperial garrison, but the Ultramarines swiftly responded having deployed a company to the Hadron Expanse during the previous month. The astartes however were driven off by the combined fire of the xenos force, Malkaor showing once again his strength as a defensive commander. Having exhausted the Imperium's initial response, the tau now waited to see what the next move by the Imperium would be.

Adeptus Custodes secure Porega

The request for aid by the Imperial garrison at Porega in the Boltarean system was met surprisingly swiftly. Less than a week after the fall of Boltar IV the Imperium were reinforced by a small contingent of Adeptus Custodes, who had been returning from a crusade in the Imperium Nihilis. The emperor's finest launched into immediate assault, not even waiting to introduce themselves until after the Thousand Sons had been dealt with. Shocked by the sudden appearance of the Emperor's bodyguards the Thousand Sons put up a brave fight, but were ultimately overwhelmed by the fury of the Custodes. By 2809.018M42 the imperium had completed the scan of Porega and declared the world free of chaos. For now at least the Imperium clung on to their one remaining world in the Boltarean system.

Boltarean: New Chaos forces push back Imperium

The system of Boltarean had been largely in control of the Emerald serpent for many months, but the Crusade had established a presence on the outer worlds of Boltar IV and Porega. With the detente in the Hadron Expanse between Vorushko's crusade and the rest of the Imperial forces, a unified Imperium once again posed a significant threat to the goals of the traitors in the region. The Emerald Serpent had been content to allow the Crusade presence on the outer worlds, but in mid 09.018M42 the arrival of fresh troops and the construction of bases on the desert world of Boltar IV meant that Chaos could no longer ignore the emergent threat.

The Emerald Serpent, unable to deploy significant marine or daemon forces at Boltarean, were forced to rely on their Guard forces, notably the Darrantine Guard, but had also been reinforced by the Warhound Titan "Terminus Rex". These forces were landed on Boltar IV avoiding the Imperial fleet, but were then forced to trek mostly over land towards the Imperial bases.

The Imperium had set up a significant force including half a regiment of the Last of Sycorax and a compliment of House Corvus Knights, but the first scouting engagement on the vast plains of the world was fought mainly between scattered infantry units supported by Leman Russ battle tanks. The armour took a hammering, but the Imperium gained the advantage early on, causing heavy casualties, although the Darrantine heavy weapons teams managed to somehow weather the incoming storm of fire by sheltering among the sparse rocky outcrops of the landscape.

The Darrantine commander bravely tried to rally his troops, charging headlong at the Imperial lines, but was cut down in spectacular fashion by a loyalist lascannon. The Imperium had cause to cheer as the chaos assault seemed to have been dealt with, but a small force of chaos troops managed to outflank the imperial positions, assassinating the imperial commander with lascannon fire and throwing the Imperial line into disarray.

Having lost the initial engagements the Imperium were still confident in turning back the chaos advance. One badly mauled regiment of traitor guard would not be a problem for the Knights of House Corvus, but as the imperial war machines advanced through the desert, deeply disturbing energy signatures gave the Questor Mechanicus cause for alarm. Looming out of a Sandstorm a mighty Warhound titan suddenly appeared before them. Until now no Legio Titanicus force had ever been associated with the Emerald Serpent, so the appearance of the Warhound - identified as "Terminus Rex" suddenly changed the situation on Boltar IV dramatically.

Nevertheless the Knights advanced towards their hated foe, although one Errant class vehicle was quickly vapourised by the awesome firepower of a dual turbo-laser. The Castellan landed shots on target as the remaining Errant closed, but in general the Imperial fire was disappointing, with many shots blocked by the Titan's void shields. The Knight Errant managed to get into close combat with the scout titan, its reaper chainsword ripping apart conduits and critical mechanical components of the Warhound's legs, crippling it, but was destroyed in the process. By now the badly damaged Warhound was close to total collapse, but somehow the chaos engine remained standing. A duel with the Castellan then developed, as the loyalist Knight - also badly damaged - limped towards its foe. With just seconds to spare before the imperial engine could deliver the final blow to its monstrous enemy, the Warhound managed to deliver a final accurate shot, decapitating the Castellan which crumpled ignominiously just short of Terminus Rex. 

The loss of the knights and the failure to stop the Chaos Warhound left the remaining imperial forces on Boltar IV horribly vulnerable. Assuming the titan could be repaired in the field to an acceptable level of operation, the consequences of it making it to the Imperial base did not bear thinking about, and the commander of the garrison immediately requested withdrawal. This was granted, and the Imperial forces evacuated to Porega in the outer reaches. Upon landing on the ice world however, it became clear that the Thousand Sons had made a secret landing. The Imperial Guard called for aid and waited for the chaos attack.

Chaos gains marked with dashed lines

Destino: Crusade launch new offensive against loyalists

Despite the thawing of relations in the Hadron Expanse between Crusade and loyalist forces, Inquisitor Vorushko remained implacably opposed to Lord Hathek's insistance that the Foramen Minoris - the channel through the Cicatrix between Destino and Paradorn, remain open and controlled by the Imperium. Control of the Foramen Majoris - from the Vastrid Subsector to the Perseus Deeps - was desired by both, but Vorushko regarded the secondary pathway a dangerous mistake, one which would inevitably see invasion by the Federacy, Tau or chaos forces, or even a resurgence in the Necron dynasty. Vorushko desired its destruction, in order to let the Cicatrix form a secure flank between the Perseus Deeps and the rimward subsectors. Vorushko also knew of the Enceladus subsector and had gleaned the long term plans of Warsmith Stahl. With the Imperium moving forward against chaos at Tarlius, the Inquisitor Lord felt that now was the time to exert control over the Foramen Minoris, prior to its final destruction.

 

Destino had been in the control of the loyalist faction for some time. With Hathek apparently away overseeing business elsewhere, Vorushko hoped that a show of force by astartes forces would quickly deliver the system to her control. The Grey Knights and Dark Angels were requested to perform this action, following Vorushko's agreement to divulge her ultimate plans to the space marine chapters. This she did, and both chapters agreed it was a prudent course of action. Upon arrival however, things started to go horribly wrong. First, the astartes were told the system was under imperial control already, and when the commander gave the Grey Knights a manifest of the forces defending the system (as ordered), the Ordo Malleus astartes, noting the presence of Novgorod Guard (cavalry regiments from Omsk), demanded their surrender. The imperial commander refused this command from the astartes, having been pre-warned by Hathek that the Grey Knights were "murderous thugs barely loyal to the Imperial Creed".

 

The Grey Knights, not asking twice, simply fell upon the Novgorod Guard. The Omsk Cavalry were equipped with a large number of aerial vehicles, and a dramatic battle took place in the skies over Destino V, before the Grey Knights landed and the ground war began. Despite repeated cavalry charges by the Novgorod regiments, the Grey Knights were simply superior, and by 2009_018M42 the Novgorod resistance on the world had been eliminated. The planet's garrison commander was replaced, and the planet claimed for the Crusade.

 

The Dark Angels meanwhile made their presence felt at Destino V, but the action against the Novgorod had once again incensed the Hammers of the Emperor chapter, who finally declared Vorushko a traitor to the Imperium. Whether or not Hathek planned this remains unknown, but now an astartes chapter had publicly accused an Inquisitor Lord of Heresy. Immediately the Dark Angels reacted by denouncing the Hammers and various insults were exchanged before the inevitable occurred. A violent battle on Destino V between two astartes chapters. This was certainly not Vorushko's plan and the fighting was bitter and intense. The two sides exchanged fire from carefulyl constructed fire bases, as the Hammers advanced over the dead ground between the two forces. Eventually the battle was decided by a successful assault by the Dark Angel's Deathwing, despite the loss of the Dark Angels' commander.

 

The Hammers of the Emperor were eventually forced to cede control of Destino V to the Dark Angels, and the Crusade, but the Crusade war had now resulted in astartes fighting between each other, a shocking development which brought the sector closer to all out "civil" war.

Grey Knights encounter mysterious astartes

By late 09.018M42 the Grey Knights had several task forces active in the Aleph Sector. One was performing operations in the Foramen near to the Cicatrix Maledictum, as well as fighting against chaos in the Perseus Deeps. Another, in the Hadron Expanse, encountered strange signals from a region not yet explored near the rifts of Hecate. Braving the difficult war storms near the rifts, the small Ordo Malleus force made contact on an uncharted planet with a small band of astartes calling themselves the "White Hands". Finding no record of the chapter to hand the Grey Knights demanded the unknown marines swear their loyalty and devotion to the God Emperor of Mankind. Unfortunately the White hands responded with an unsatisfactory response, declaring the Emperor was merely a powerful man, and that worship of gods was against the Imperial Truth.

 

This of course did not go down well with the Grey Knights, who engaged the White Hands, driving them off, but unable to eliminate them completely they then sent a full report via astropath to Inquisitor Vorushko. This astropathic message was intercepted by the Federacy, who realising they had potential allies in the White Hands, began preparing a discovery mission to intercept and win over the renegade space marines, and to assess just how many there were.

Vespae : Eldar prevent further exploration of Necron ruins

In late 09.018M42 the Imperium tried once again to establish a base on Vespae, as the Adeptus Mechanicus were now convinced there existed a wealth of Xenos knowledge just under the surface of several planets in the system. At every turn however the Imperium had been challenged by the Aeldari of every faction, and it was clear the Xenos did not wish the humans to disturb the ancient ruins.

 

The next expedition landed on the dark and foreboding outer planet simply classified as "Vespae IV". A core team of explorators were accompanied to the surface by Knights of House Corvus, in an attempt to ward of any eldar intervention. Within hours however fast jetbikes of the Rillietan were spotted, and the landing party went to high alert.

 

While the explorators were evacuated for their own safety, fast bikes and agile harlequin vehicles sped into the canyon where the Mechanicum had been conducting their investigations. The might of the Knights caused significant casualties among the Xenos, but they closed relentlessly. One by one the giant war machines were cut down - either by the advanced weaponry of the aliens or the elegant but lethal close combat displays by the harlequin troupe themselves.

 

Eventually every knight was taken down, and the last of the explorators looked back on the scene of carnage as the dim sun set over the dark canyon walls, only to be brilliantly illuminated by the final death throes of the Castellan Knight, whose detonation slew many of the Aeldari warriors. Never-the-less, as the shuttle pulled away to the waiting Adeptus Mechanicus vessels in high orbit, yet another attempt to investigate and harvest the riches of the Vespae system had ended in failure. How much longer would the Imperium persist in their attempts to claim it?

The Aleph Sector: Current Situation

+++INTERCEPTED MESSAGE+++
+++Date: 1809_018M42+++
+++Access point: Farport Station Astropathic Relay+++
+++Security Clearance: Gamma Epsilon+++
+++Ref: ALEPH-SECTOR-BRIEFING 09_018M42+++
+++Originator: Inquisitor Vayron+++
+++Recipient: Imperial Commander #####
+++Thought for the day: A coward always seeks compromise.+++
+++SUBJECT FOLLOWS+++

My Lord,

Since you are to begin undertakings in the Aleph Sector, this is your primary briefing. Further information can be accessed on the attached encrypted files. May the Emperor protect us all.

The Aleph Sector
Sitting on the far eastern fringe between Ultramar and the Tau Empire the region has been rent by the Cicatrix Maledictum.The Imperial Governor of the sector, Titus Luthor, has decreed the time of the "Noctis Aeterna" to be void, and the date is 09.018M42. The sector itself is divided into several subsectors and regions. The most important are detailed below:

Cross-reference-data-file: Aleph Subsectors

The main theatres of war are currently in the Hadron expanse, a region of re-discovery and wealth since the warp storms separating that region were blown away by the coming of the Great Rift. Here, the Imperium is battling with the forces of chaos, the Tau-Federacy Alliance, and a far more ancient foe.

Main Theatres:
File: The Hadron Expanse
File: The Foramen Interdictum
File: The Perseus Deeps

Main Factions
The Imperium of Mankind: In the Aleph Sector the Imperium has been losing ground for sometime. The Aleph and Vastrid subsectors are all but lost, and this has led to an ongoing schism within the Imperium, between the monodominant Inquisitor Vorushko and her opponent, amalthian Inquisitor Hathek. These powerful inquisitor lords have had major differences recently, leading to the Librian War, and the ongoing situation in the Foramen Interdictum, where Vorushko opposes Hathek's quest to control the access points across the Cicatrix himself. In the Hadron Expanse and elsewhere however, the two "sides" usually work together in common interest.

The Forces of Chaos: The Iron Warriors, Warsmith Stahl, The Emerald Serpent, The Emperor's Children, Admiral Thok, Lord Tragaen, The Death Guard. Just some of the names associated with the ever present threat of chaos in the region. Chaos recently came close to securing the Foramen Interdictum themselves, cutting off access to the Imperial worlds in the Perseus Deeps, however for now this has been averted.

The Alliance: Although not all factions of Eldar appear wholeheartedly behind the Kel Sandros Craftworld's plans to defeat chaos through the Tau, their alliance with the Xenos, and their alliance with the sepratist Federacy have crafted a faction of great power. It is against the alliance that the Imperium are fighting in the Hadron Expanse, as this area lies close to the Tau heartlands. Thanks to the machinations of the eldar, the Federacy also have secure passage through the Cicatrix.

The Xenos Threat: Many other Xenos pose a significant risk to the sector. In the Perseus Deeps the Harakhty and Charnovokh necron dynasties appear to be dormant, at least for now, while in the Hadron Expanse the Bahotek dynasty is showing signs of re-awakening. The orks may have found a new leader in "Russtoof", while the hive fleet "Nemesis" is so far "missing" - last seen in deep space. Vigilance must be kept against these threats as none can ever be said to have been vanquished entirely.

The enemy within: Cults and uprisings are an ever present danger to the Imperium. Not least on the hive world of Farport, where the capital of Dirtside seems to be falling prey to greater lawlessness and gang warfare with every passing day.
File: Dirtside-Gangs

This is merely an introduction. Please see the attached data files for a more thorough examination of the Aleph Sector.

+++End Message+++

Want to get involved? SImply turn up, play and let the GM know how you got on - simple as that! Want to do more? Find out how the campaign "works" here: Campaign Primer